s p re a d in g sh a d y tre e , it is se leA ed b y V irg il (oEn. vi.) a s th e
ro o stin g -p la c e o f d re am s ’in gloomy O rc u s :—
“ Full in the midst a spreading Elm displayed
His aged arms, and cast a mighty shade ;
Each trembling leaf with some light visions teems,
And heaves impregnated with airy dreams.”
I t w a s in connecftion w ith th e title of T r e e o f D re am s {Ulmus
Somnorum), th a t th e E lm b e c am e , lik e th e O ak , a p ro p h e tic tre e .
On th e C o n tin e n t, an E lm is o ften fo u n d on th e v illag e -g re en ,
b e n e a th w h o se b o u g h s ju s tic e u sed fo rme rly to b e a dm in is te re d ,
a n d m e e tin g s h e ld : th e re w a s on e a t G iso rs, on th e fro n tie r o f
N o rm a n d y , w h e re th e k in g s of F r a n c e a n d D u k e s o f N o rm a n d y
u se d to h o ld co n fe ren c e to g e th e r, a n d w h ich w a s la rg e en o u g h to
sh e lte r b o th th e ir tr a in s ; th is tre e w a s u pw a rd s of tw o h u n d re d
y e a rs old w h en c u t d own by o rd e r o f K in g P h ilip p e A u g u ste , o u t
of h a tr e d to o u r P la n ta g e n e t k in g s. On e of th e o ld e st E lm s in
E n g la n d is a s tum p a t R ichm o n d , n ow fen c ed in, a n d co v e red
w ith Iv y , w h ich w a s p la n te d b y Q u e en E liz a b e th herself, a n d h a s
on th a t a c c o u n t a lw ay s b e e n k n ow n a s th e Q u e e n ’s E lm .------
F o rm e rly th e leafin g o f th e E lm w a s m a d e to re g u la te b o th field
a n d g a rd e n wo rk , a s seen in th e following ru s tic rh ym e :—
“ When the Elmen leaf is as big as a mouse’s ear,
Then to sow Barley never fear.
When the Elmen leaf is as big as an ox’s eye,
Then say I, ‘ Hie, boys, hie ! ’ ”
In o lden tim e s, th e fa llin g o f th e le av e s o f an E lm w a s th o u g h t to
p ro g n o s tic a te a m u rra in . In S icily , th e y h a v e a cu stom of b in d in g
th e tru n k of a F ig -tre e w ith b ra n c h e s of E lm , from a b e lie f th a t
th a t th e y w o u ld p re v e n t th e y o u n g F ig s from falling b efo re th e y b e c
am e th o ro u g h ly rip e . T h e E lm is h e ld to b e u n d e r th e in flu en c e
of S a tu rn . “ Th e S ev en S i s t e r s ” w a s th e n am e b e s tow e d on
sev e n E lm -tre e s a t T o tte n h am , w h ich g av e th e n am e to th e ro a d
from th e n c e to U p p e r H o llow ay . In B ed w e ll’s H is to ry o f T o t te
n h am , w r itte n in th e y e a r 1631, h e d e sc rib e s P a g e G re e n b y th e
sid e o f th e h ig h ro a d a t th a t v illag e , a n d a g ro u p o f E lm s in a c irc le ,
w ith a W a ln u t in th e c en tre . H e says : “ T h is tre e h a th th is
m a n y y e a re s s to d th e re , a n d it is o b se rv ed y e a re ly to live a n d
b e a re le av s, a n d y e t to s ta n d a t a s ta y , th a t is, to g row e n e ith e r
g re a te r o r h ig h e r. T h is p eo p le do commonly te ll th e re a so n to bee,
for th a t th e re w a s on e b u rn t u p o n th a t p la c e for th e p ro fe ssio n of
th e G o sp e ll.” T h e re w a s also a co n n e c tin g lin k b e tw e e n th e
W a ln u t- tr e e a n d th e S ev en S is te rs , b y w h ich it w a s su rro u n d e d .
T h e r e w e re sev en E lm s p la n te d b y seven s is te rs re sp e c tiv e ly . T h e
tre e p la n te d b y th e sm a lle st of th e siste rs w a s a lw ay s irre g u la r a n d
s tu n te d in g row th . T h e re w a s an e ig h th s is te r who p la n te d an E lm
in th e m id s t of th e o th e r sev en , a n d th e leg en d re la te s th a t it
w ith e re d a n d d ied w h en sh e died, a n d th a t th e n a W a ln u t- tre e grew
in its p la c e . T h e W a ln u t- tre e h a s lo n g sin ce gone, a n d p ro b a b ly
th e E lm s h a v e n ow d is a p p e a re d .
E N C H A N T E R ’ S N IG H T S H A D E .—F o rm e rly th e
Mandragora u sed to b e a r th is n am e , b u t by some m is ta k e it h a s been
tra n s fe rre d to th e Circaa Lutetiana, a n in sig n ific an t p la n t n am ed
a f te r Circe, th e famed e n c h a n tre s s , p ro b a b ly b e c au s e its fru it, b e in g
co v e red w ith h o o k ed p rick le s, lay s h o ld of th e u nw a ry p a sse rs-b y ,
a s Circe is s a id to h a v e d one b y m e an s of h e r e n c h a n tm e n ts . T h e
M a n d ra k e was c a lled “ N ig h ts h a d e ,” from h a v in g b e en c la ssed w ith
th e Solanum trib e , a n d “ E n c h a n te r ’s ” from its L a tin n am e C ircæ a ,
a n am e w h ich it o b ta in ed , a c c o rd in g to D io sco rid e s, b e c au s e Circe,
w h o w a s e x p e rt in h e rb a l lore, u sed it a s a tem p tin g p ow d e r in
am o ro u s co n c e rn s.
E N D IV E .—T h e E n d iv e or S u c co ry (Cichorium) is, a c co rd in g
to th e o ld e st G re ek A le x a n d ria n tra n s la tio n s o f th e B ib le , one of
th e “ b itte r h e r b s ” w h ich th e A lm ig h ty com m an d ed th e Is ra e lite s
to e a t w ith th e lam b a t th e in s titu tio n of th e F e a s t of th e P a s so v e r.
T h e g a rd e n E n d iv e (C. En divia) is p ro b a b ly th e p la n t c e le b ra te d
b y H o ra c e as fo rm in g a p a r t of h is sim p le d ie t : its leav e s a re u sed
in sa lad s, a n d its ro o t, u n d e r th e n am e of C h ico ry , is ex ten siv e ly
u sed to m in g le with- Coffee. Im m e n s e q u a n titie s of E n d iv e were
u sed b y th e a n c ie n t E g y p tia n s , who c a lled it Chicouryeh, a n d from
th is w o rd is d e riv e d th e g en e ric n am e Cichorium. T h e wild Sue-.
co ry (C. Intybus) o p en s its p e ta ls a t 8 a .m ., a n d closes th em a t 4 p.m.
“ On upland slopes the shepherds mark
The hour when, to the dial true,
Cichorium to the towering lark
Lifts her soft eye, serenely blue.”
T h e G e rm a n s s a y th a t o n ce u p o n a tim e th e E n d iv e s w e re m en
u n d e r a b an . T h e b lue flowers, w h ich a re p len tifu l, were good
men ; th e w h ite flowers, m u ch ra re r, w e re ev il-d o ers. T h e b lu e
sta r-lik e blossom is a m o st p o p u la r flower in G e rm a n y : it is th e
Wegewarte—th e w a tc h e r of th e ro a d s ; th e Wegeleuchte, or lig h te r of
th e ro a d ; th e Sonnenwende, or S o lstic e ; th e Sonnenkraut, o r h e rb o f
th e su n ; a n d th e Verfluchte Jungfer, or a c cu rsed m a id en . An an c ie n t
b a lla d o f A u s tria n S ile sia re c o u n ts th e h is to ry o f a y o u n g g irl who
for sev en y e a rs m o u rn ed for h e r lo v e r, fallen in th e w a rs. W h e n
h e r friends w ish ed to console h e r, a n d to p ro c u re for h e r a n o th e r
lo v er, she re p lie d : “ I sh a ll c e a se to weep o n ly wh en I become a
wild flower b y th e w a y s id e .” A n o th e r v e rsio n o f th e G e rm a n
leg en d is th a t a lo v in g m a id en an x io u sly ex p eb led th e re tu rn o f h e r
b e tro th e d from a v o y ag e u p o n w h ich h e h a d lo n g sin c e se t o u t.
E v e ry m o rn in g she p a c e d th e ro a d w h e re sh e h a d la s t b a d e ad ieu
to h im ; ev e ry ev e n in g sh e re tu rn e d . T h u s she w e a rily p a s s e d h e r
tim e d u rin g m an y a lo n g m o n th . At la s t, u tte r ly w o rn o u t w ith
w a tc h in g a n d w a itin g , she s a n k e x h a u s te d b y th e w ay sid e , a n d ,
b ro k e n -h e a rte d , ex p ire d . On th e sp o t w h e re sh e b re a th e d h e r la s t
!"