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554 p l a n t hote, hegelfo/, oriel byric/'.
the fragrant plant, and whilst it was in season made it a rule to
have a bunch on his table, that he might inhale its grand perfume.
House-leek, the Stonecrop was
supposed to be a proteffiive against thunder and lightning, and
hence was planted on the roofs of cottages, stables, &c. The old
herbahsB valued the small Houseleek, or Stonecrop, as a cure for
ague and expeller of poisons. It was used as an outward appli-
cation, and, when boiled in beer, was considered good for pesti-
fential fevers. Among country folks the plant was known as Wall
Pepi^r (from its pungent flavour). Jack of the Buttery, Gold Chain,
and Prick Madam, the last name being a corruption of the French
S T O R A X .—The Styrax, or Storax-tree, has been held in great
estimation from the tiine of Dioscorides and Pliny, both of whom
described it. Although the tree is indigenous to many of th^
southern parts of Europe, yet the precious and deliciously fragrant
gum that exudes from It, known as Storax-tears, can only be
obtained in perfecflion from Asiatic Turkey. Old Gerarde says
of this gum, there are made sundry excellent perfumes, pomanders,
sweet waters, sweet bags sweet washing-balls, and divers other
sweet chains and bracelets.” Storax-tears are still used as
incense in the churches and mosques of Asia Minor.
S T 'R AW .—In the Hdvamdl, or the ‘ Divine Discourse of
LW gave these precepts of wisdom to mankind, it is stated
that Straws dissolve enchantment.” Hence, probably, was
derived the custom of laying two Straws crosswise in the path
where a witch was expected to pass, under the belief that by
stepping over Straws, arranged so as to form the sign of the Cross,
L T ; powerless._ In Ireland, on May-eve {neen na
B f l Und) the ceremony is pracflised of making the cows leap over
lighted Straw o/faggots. In Cornwall, lasses desirous of knowmg
when they are to be married, are accustomed to repair either
to Madron Well, or to a well at St. Au ste ll: there two pieces of
Straw, about an inch long, are crossed and fastened by a pin.
K KKi dropped into the water, and the rising
bubbles carefully counted, as they mark the number of years which
will pass ere the arrival of the happy day. In Devonshire, to
charm warts away, they take a Wheat Straw with as many kJots
as there are warts on the hand to be dealt with, name over the
Straw the person afflicted, and then bury i t : as it decays, the warts
S J Donegal, Ireland, a sufferer from
warts procures ten Straws ties a knot in each, throws the tenth
with the other nine knotted
anrftohri ^ white paper parcel of the Straws,
and throws it upon the high road, sure that the person who picks
up and opens the parcel will become the possessor of the vfarts
p l a n t b o r o , b e g e r jb /, a n il bijrie/*. 555
——An old German cure for sleeplessness was to place beneath
the pillow a “ composing wisp ” that is Straw which workwomen
put under the burdens on their backs ; but taken from people
unknown to t h e m . _ I f a hen wants to sit, the German peLants
make her nest of Straw out of the bed of the husband and
wife : if cock chickens are wished, from the man’s side • if hen
chickens, from the wife’s side. A Swedish popular t’ale narrates
how a king’s son, passing a cottage one day, saw a prettv
girl sitting on the roof spinning. Curious to know why she
chose so unusual a place, he enquired of the girl’s mother, who
told him that she sat there to let the people see how clever she
was; adding, ‘ She is so clever that she can spin gold from clav
and long Straw.” The truth was, the girl, although good-looking
was idle in the extreme, and had been set to spin on the roof of
t^he cot so that all the world might judge of her sloth. The kind’s son
however, knew naught of this, and being captivated by the ©irl’s
pretty face, he resolved, if she could really spin gold from long
Straw and clay, to take her to the palace, and make her his
consort. The mother having given her consent, the girl accompanied
the prince to the royal residence, where she was given a
bundle of Straw, and a pailful of clay, in order to prove if she
were so skilful at spinning as her mother had said. The poor ^irl
knowing her incompetence, soon began to weep when left b J
herself in her chamber; whereupon suddenly a little ugly and de-
iormed old man stood before her, and demanded to know the
cause of her grief. The girl told him ; and forthwith the old man
produced a pair of gloves which he gave to the girl, saying,
;^Fair maideu’ weep not: here is a pair of gloves; when thou
hast them on, thou wilt be able to spin from long Straw and
clay. To-morrow night I will return, when, if thou hast not found
p y i j f . shalt accompany me home, and be my
bride. The brave girl shuddered, but agreed to the old man’s
condition, and he went his way. Then she pulled on the gloves,
and without difficulty, soon spun up all the Straw and clay into
the hnest gold. There was great joy in the palace, and the kind’s
son was delighted that he had obtained so charming and so skilful
a wffe; but the young maiden did nothing but weep at the dread prosp
e r of being claimed by the ugly, undersized old man. Late in the
day, the king’s son returned from the chase, and seeing his bride
so melancholy, began to tell her of an adventure he had iust met
with in the forest. Said he: “ I suddenly came upon a very little
Ugly old man dancing round a Juniper-bush, singing a curious song,
at the end of which he loudly bawled, ‘ I am called Tittek Jure ’ ”
Then the pretty maid’s face brightened up, for she knew that
she had learnt the name of her mysterious visitor. So she set to
work to spin more gold from Straw and clay alone in her chamber
and kept repeating the old man’s name, so that she might not forget
Jt, At midnight the door of her room noiselessly opened, and the
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