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formerly it was a noble tree ; at the time of Judas’ suicide it was
cursed by God, and thenceforth became a shrub, ill-looking,
misshapen, and useless. In England, according to Gerarde, the
wild Carob is the Judas-tree {Cercis Siliquastfum) : this Arbor JudcB
was in olden times known as the wild or foolish Cod. B y many,
however, the Elder has been supposed to be the fatal tree: thus
we read in Piers Plowman’s ‘ Vision ’ ;—
“ Judas he japed
With Jewen silver,
And sithen on an Eller
Hanged hymselve.”
Sir John Maundevile, from whose work the foregoing illustration
has been copied, corroborates this view ; for he tells us that in his
day there stood in the vicinity of Mount Sion “ the tree of Eldre,
that Judas henge him self upon, for despeyr.”
A Russian proverb runs:—“ There is an accursed tree which
trembles without even a breath of wind,” in allusion to the Aspen
(Populus tremula) ; and in the Ukraine they say that the leaves of
this tree have quivered and shaken since the day that Judas hung
himself on it.
Ufte p fcm i/ 0^
Popular tradition associates St. John the Baptist with numerous
marvels of the plant world. St. John wals supposed to have been
born at midnight; and on the eve • of his anniversary, precisely at
twelve o’clock, the Fern blooms and seeds, and this wondrous seed,
gathered at that moment, renders the possessor invisible : thus, in
Shakspeare’s Henry IV., Gadshill says: “ We have the receipt of
Fern-seed, we walk invisible.”
The Fairies, commanded by their queen, and the demons,
commanded by Satan, engage in fierce combats at this mysterious
time, for the possession of the invisible seed.
In Russia, on St. John’s Eve, they seek the flower of ihePaporot
[Aspidium F ilix mas), which flowers only at the precise moment of
midnight, and will enable the lucky gatherer, who has watched it
flower, to realise all his desires, to discover hidden treasures, and
to recover cattle stolen or strayed. In the Ukraine it is thought
that the gatherer of the Fern-flower will be endowed with supreme
wisdom.
The Russian peasants also gather, on the night of the Vigil of
St. John, the Tirlic, or Gentiana Amarella, a plant much sought after
by witches, and only to be gathered by those who have been
fortunate enough first to have found the Plakun [Lythrum Salicaria),
which must be gathered on the morning of St. John, without using
a knife or other instrument in uprooting it. This herb the Russians
hold to be very potent against witches, bad spirits, and the evil
eye. A crofes cut from the root of the Plakun, and worn on the
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person, causes the wearer to be feared as much as fire. Another
herb which should be gathered on St. John’s E v e is the Hieracium
Pilosella, called in Germany Jokannisblut (blood of St. John) : it
brings good-luck, but must be uprooted with a gold coin.
In many countries, before the break of day on St. John’s morning,
the dew which has fallen on vegetation is gathered with great
care. This dew is justly renowned, for it purifies all the noxious
plants and imparts to certain others a fabulous power. B y some
it is treasured because it is believed to preserve the eyes from all
harm during the succeeding year. In Venetia the dew is reputed
to renew the roots of the hair on the baldest of heads. It is
collected in a small phial, and a herb called Basilica is placed in it.
In Normandy and the Pyrenees it is used as a wash to purify
the skin ; in Brittany it is thought that, thus used, it will drive
away fever ; and in Italy, Roumania, Sweden, and Iceland it is
believed to soften and beautify the complexion. In Egypt the
nucta oT miraculous drop falls before sunrise on St. John’s Day,
and is supposed to have the effect of stopping the plague. In
Sicily they gather the Hypericum perforatum, or Herb of St. John,
and put it in oil, which is by this means transformed into a balm
infallible for the cure of wounds.
In Spain garlands of flowers are plucked in the early morn
of St. John’s Day, before the dew has been dried by the sun,
and a favourite wether is decked with them, the village lasses
singing—
“ Come forth, come forth, my maidens, we’ll gather Myrtle boughs,
And we shall learn from the dews of the Fern if our lads will keep their vows:
I f the wether be still, as we dance on the hill, and the dew hangs sweet on the
flowers,
Then we’ll kiss off the dew, for our lovers are true, and the Baptist’s blessine
is ours.” ^
The populace of Madrid were long accustomed, on St. John’s Eve,
to wander about the fields in search of Vervain, from a superstitious
notion that this plant possesses preternatural powers when
gathered at twelve o’clock on St. John’s Eve.
In some parts of Russia the country people heat their baths
on the Eve of St. John and place in them the herb Kunalnitza
[Ranunculus); in other parts they place herbs, gathered on the same
anniversary, upon the roofs of houses and stables, as a safeguard
against evil spirits. The French peasantry rub the udders of their
cows with similar herbs, to ensure plenty of milk, and place them
over the doorways of cattle sheds and stables.
On the Eve of St. John, Lilies, Orpine, Fennel, and every
variety of Hypericum are hung over doors and windows. Garlands
of Vervain and Fla x are also suspended inside houses; but the
® garland is composed of seven elements, namely
J u t e Lilies, green Birch, Fennel, Hypericum, Wormwood, and
the legs of game birds : these are believed to have immense power
E 2