176 
MISSELTOE. 
And all at once, by commutation strange, 
Becomes a reverend divine. 
HURDIS. 
Why, by the verities on thee made good, 
May they not be my oracles. 
SHAKSPEARE. 
THE MISSELTOE. 
This plant, which is without an earthly inheritance, 
makes no difficulty in attaching itself to the branches of 
lofty trees, and there, without apparent labour, subsists 
upon the ascending sap of its supporter. 
When drawn suspended on a tree, it is the symbol of 
a flattering hanger-on. 
The naturalists are puzzled to explain 
How trees did first this stranger entertain; 
Whether the busy birds ingraft it there, 
Or, else, some deity’s mysterious care, 
As Druids thought; for when the blasted oak 
By lightning falls, this plant escapes the stroke. 
GARTH. 
