I
iii
iM
•it I
p i
S i1I
1
C H A P T E R X IV .
p P a a l/ tfte pP an e t/.
w o centuries ago there existed a very general
belief that every plant was under the direct
influence of a particular Planet, and therefore
that all the details connected with its cultivation
and utilisation, were to be conducited with a
stridt regard to this supposition. Aubrey has
recorded his opinion, that if a plant “ be not
gathered according to the rules of astrology, it
hath little or no virtue in i t ; ” and the Jesuit Rapin, in his Latin
poem on ‘ Gardens,’ says, with respedt to flowers—
“ This frequent charge I give, whene’er you sow
The flow ry kind, be studious first to know
The monthly tables, and with heedful eye
Survey the lofty volumes of the sk y;
Observe the tokens of foreboding Stars,
What store of wind and rain the Moon prepares;
What weather Eurus or moist Auster blows,
What both in east and west the Sun foreshows;
What aid from Helice the trees obtain,
What from Bootes with his tardy wain ;
Whether the wat’ry Pleiades with show’rs
Kindly refresh alone, or drown the flow’r s ;
For Stars neglected fatal oft we find,
The Oods to their dominion haVe assign’d
The products of our earth and labours of mankind.”
Michael Drayton, in whose time the doctrine of planetary
influence on plants was generally accepted, says, in reference to
the longevity of antediluvian men:—
“ Besides, in medicine simples had the power
That none need then the planetary hour
To helpe their working, they so juiceful were.”
Culpeper, who was a profound believer in astrology, has
given at the commencement of his ‘ British Herbal and Family
Physician,’ a list of some five hundred plants, and the names of
the Planets which govern them; and in his diredtions as to the
plucking of leaves for medical purposes, the old herbalist and
ph y s ic ian r em a r k s :— “ Su ch a s are astrologers (and indeed none
else are fit to make phys icians) such I a d v i s e : let the planet that
go v e rn s the herb be angular , and the stronger the b e t te r ; if they
can, in herbs o f S a tu rn , let S a tu rn be in the a s c e n d a n t ; in the
herb o f Ma r s , let Ma r s be in the mid-heaven, for in those houses
they d e l ig h t ; let the Moon ap p ly to them b y good aspect, and let
her not be in the houses o f her e n em ie s ; i f you cannot well s ta y
till she ap p ly to them, let her ap p ly to a P lan e t o f the same
t r ip l ic i t y ; if you cannot meet that time neither, let her be with a
fix ed S t a r o f their n a tu re .”
T h e classification o f P lan t s under the planets S a tu rn , Ju p ite r ,
Ma r s , Venus , Me rcu ry , the Sun , and the Moon, ap p e a r s to h a v e
been made a c cording to the S ign a tu re s or outward ap p e a ran c e s o f
the plants themse lves. T h e stalks, stems, branches, roots, foliage,
flowers, odour, taste, n a t iv e places , death, and medical v ir tues ,
we re also co n s id e re d ; and, a c cording to the cha ra c te r o f the plant
thus deduced, it w a s pla ced under the government o f the p a r t i cu
la r P lan e t with which it w a s considered to be most in consonance.
P la n t s allotted to S a t u r n had their Leaves: ha iry , hard, d ry ,
pa rched, coarse, and o f ill-favoured app e a ran c e . Flowers : U n p r e possess
ing, gloomy, dull, greenish, faded or d ir ty white, pale red,
in v a r iab ly hirsute, pr ickly , and disagreeable. Roots; S p r e a d in g
w id e ly in the earth and rambling around in d iscu r s iv e fashion.
Odour: Foetid, putr id, muddy.
J u p i t e r .— Leaves: Smooth, even, s lightly cut and pointed, the
v e in s not prominent, and the lines not s t ron g ly marked. Colour ,
g re y ish blue-green. Flowers : Gra c e fu l, ple a s ing, bright, succulent,
t ran spa ren t , ruddy , flesh-colour, blue, y e llow. Roots : R a th e r small,
with short h a i ry filaments, sp re ad about in the ground. Odour:
H ig h ly subtle, g rate ful to the brain ; the kernels comforting ; e a s ily
fermented.
M a r s .— Leaves: H a rd , long, somewhat h e a v y , pointed and
pendulous, har sh and hot to the tongue, not o f good ap p e a ran c e .
Flowers: O f a colour betwe en y e llow, v ermilion, or blue, green,
purple, red, chan g in g quickly , abundance o f flowers and seeds.
Roots : H ig h ly fibrous and c reeping underground. Odour : O p p re s s
iv e to the b rain, potent, sharp, acrid.
V e n u s . — L a r g e , handsome, br ight, rich green or
roseate, soft, plentiful. Flowers : P le a s in g to the eyes, white, blue,
rosy, charming, fine, abundant. Roots : O f e a r ly growth, but not
d e ep ly fixed. Quickly and freely produced. Odour: Subt le ,
delightful, pungent, refreshing to the brain.
M e r c u r y .— L ¿ a m : Diiferent kinds , but ple a s ing to the e y e .
Flowers: O f v a r iou s descr iptions and colours, refreshing, agreeable,
and ple a sant . Roots: A b id in g deep in the earth, and spreading
far and wide. Odour: H ig h ly subtle and pene trating, refreshing
to the hear t and brain.
A