Cockayne, in his “Saxon Leechdoms,” mentions an old poem descriptive of the virtues of the mugwort:—­

  “Thou hast might for three,
  And against thirty,
  For venom availest
  For plying vile things.”

So, too, certain plants of the saints acquired a notoriety for specific virtues; and hence St. John’s wort, with its leaves marked with blood-like spots, which appear, according to tradition, on the anniversary of his decollation, is still “the wonderful herb” that cures all sorts of wounds.  Herb-bennet, popularly designated “Star of the earth,” a name applied to the avens, hemlock, and valerian, should properly be, says Dr. Prior, “St. Benedict’s herb, a name assigned to such plants as were supposed to be antidotes, in allusion to a legend of this saint, which represents that upon his blessing a cup of poisoned wine which a monk had given to destroy him, the glass was shivered to pieces.”  In the same way, herb-gerard was called from St. Gerard, who was formerly invoked against gout, a complaint for which this plant was once in high repute.  St. James’s wort was so called from its being used for the diseases of horses, of which this great pilgrim-saint was the patron.  It is curious in how many unexpected ways these odd items of folk-lore in their association with the saints meet us, showing that in numerous instances it is entirely their association with certain saints that has made them of medical repute.

Some trees and plants have gained a medical notoriety from the fact of their having a mystical history, and from the supernatural qualities ascribed to them.  But, as Bulwer-Lytton has suggested in his “Strange Story,” the wood of certain trees to which magical properties are ascribed may in truth possess virtues little understood, and deserving of careful investigation.  Thus, among these, the rowan would take its place, as would the common hazel, from which the miner’s divining-rod is always cut. [9] An old-fashioned charm to cure the bite of an adder was to lay a cross formed of two pieces of hazel-wood on the ground, repeating three times this formula [10]:—­

  “Underneath this hazelin mote,
  There’s a braggotty worm with a speckled throat,
  Nine double is he;
  Now from nine double to eight double
  And from eight double to seven double-ell.”

The mystical history of the apple accounts for its popularity as a medical agent, although, of course, we must not attribute all the lingering rustic cures to this source.  Thus, according to an old Devonshire rhyme,

  “Eat an apple going to bed,
  Make the doctor beg his bread.”

Its juice has long been deemed potent against warts, and a Lincolnshire cure for eyes affected by rheumatism or weakness is a poultice made of rotten apples.

The oak, long famous for its supernatural strength and power, has been much employed in folk-medicine.  A German cure for ague is to walk round an oak and say:—­