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flowers, by drying them in the summer, and, in the time of vintage, mixing them with grapes when pressed. This wine is prescribed in cephalic disorders; and also as a cordial in the cardiac passions, and lipothymy.

The flowers as well as the roots, when dried and pulverized, are a celebrated Ptarmic. Raii. His. Plant. Its errhine properties are held in estimation at the present day; when snuffed up the nos trils it excites a discharge of mucus, and affords great relief in all affections of the head; and its operation this way is gentle, though it sometimes induces sneezing. Ettmuller, a celebrated physician and botanist of Leipsic, who flourished about the end of the seventeenth century, gives the following exellent formula for a cephalic snuff.

"Of the dried flowers of the Lily of the Valley, and of the leaves of majoram, a drachm each, in powder, mix them well together with half a scruple of the essential oil of majoram, and use it as snuff.” Of the virtues of the Lily of the Valley, Ettmuller goes so far as to say,

Quod specificè armabit importentes maritos ad bellum venerum. Dr. James says, "these flowers being analyzed, after a long maceration, yield several acid liquors, a good deal of concreted volatile salt, and a great quantity of oil. Thus we may believe they contain

a good deal of sal ammoniac and sulphur, alloyed with a little earth."

The English gardens now possess several varieties of the Lily of the Valley, amongst which is the white with double flowers, the single and double red, and a variety with larger corollas that are variegated with purple. This latter kind is greatly esteemed in Paris, from whence it was first brought to this country; but as it does not increase so fast as the other varieties, it still remains more rare than we could wish to find it in the country in general.

The Convallaria Japonica, Ophiopogon, or Snake's-beard, was first brought to this country from Japan, in the year 1784, and although its culture is as easy, and its nature as hardy as the indigenous Lily of the Valley, it has not yet become common. It flowers in September of a fine blue colour, and it is esteemed for its fruit, which is partly obscured by its foliage.

We have also three other distinct species of Convallaria, that are natives of our woods, and which have been named Solomon's Seal, in English, and Sceau de Salomon and Signet de Salomon in French, and Sigillo di Solomone in Italian, because on cutting the root transversely, characters appear that have resemblance to a seal. Dioscorides says that the root of this plant pounded and laid on fresh wounds heals and seals them up, and it is on this account

that Gerard considers its name to have originated. It appears to have been a plant of great medical celebrity in the reign of Elizabeth, for a medical author of her day gravely tells us, "The roots of Salomon's Seale, stamped while it is fresh and greene, and applied, taketh away in one night or two at the most, any bruse, blacke or blew spots gotten by fals, or woman's wilfulness, in stumbling vpon their hastie husband's fists, or such like." The same author adds, "Galen saith, that neither herb nor root hereof is to be giuen inwardly; but note what experience has found out, and of late daies, especially among the vulgar sort of people of Hampshire, which Galen, Dioscorides, or any other that hath written of plants, haue not so much as dreamed of, which is: That if any, of what sexe or age soeuer, that chance to haue any bones broken, in what part of their bodies it be, their refuge is to stampe the rootes heereof, and giue it vnto the patient in ale to drinke, which soldereth and gleweth together the bones in very short space, and very strongely, yea, although the bones be but slenderly and vnhandsomely wrapt vp. Moreover the said people do giue it in like manner vnto their cattle, if they chance to haue any bones broken, with good successe, which they do also stampe, and apply outwardly in manner of a pultis, as well vnto themselves as their cattle." He continues, "That

which might be written of this herbe, as touching the knitting of bones (and that truly), would seeme vnto some incredible, but common experience teacheth, that in the worlde there is not to be found another herbe compareable to it for the purpose aforesaide." (Gerard.)

The French Herbalists call it l'herbe dela rupture, which insinuates that it was esteemed in that country for the same qualities, but we suspect that modern practice has discovered the inefficacy of the juices of this plant to the extent of the virtues given it by our forefathers, as we hear no more of its use in medicine, at present, than we do of its forming a substitute for bread, which it did in times of scarcity in ancient days. The Turks, who have neglected to improve their country by cultivation, continue to eat the roots of this plant as we eat asparagus.

All the different species of these plants are of an elegant and rather singular shape, which entitles them to a situation in the shady parts of our gardens, but more particularly so in the grove, and amongst the shrubs of the wilderness walks; they are of the same easy propagation as the Lily of the Valley.

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Natural Order Contorta. Apocineæ, Juss. A Genus of the Pentandria Monogynia Class.

Nor are the plants which England calls her own
Few, or unlovely.

There sprange the Violet al newe,
And fresh Pervinke, rich of hewe.

MASON.

CHAUCER.

THE Father of English Poetry frequently notices this flower by a name that was evidently derived from the French Pervenche, and hence the modern name of Periwinkle is a corruption.

There lacked no floure to my dome,
Ne not so moche as floure of brome,

Ne Violet, ne eke Pervinke,

Ne flowre none that men can on thinke.

CHAUCER'S Romaunt of the Rose.

It is the Vinca Pervinca of Pliny, from whence the Spanish call it Peruinqua, the Italians Pervinca, and the French Pervenche, although it has in each country a variety of names given it by the vulgar, as Violette des sorciers, because the French considered it one of the plants which assisted the Sorcerers in their pretended magical operations; they also call it Pucellage, Virgin Flower. The

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