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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
57
But,
in
spite
of
plants
of
this
kind,
witches
somehow
or
other
contrived
to
escape
detection
by
the
employment
of
the
most
subtle
charms
and
spells.
They
generally,
too,
took
the
precaution
of
avoiding
such
plants
as
were
antagonistic
to
them,
displaying
a
cunning
ingenuity
in
most
of
their
designs
which
it
was
by
no
means
easy
to
forestall.
Hence
in
the
composition
of
their
philtres
and
potions
they
infused
the
juices
of
the
most
deadly
herbs,
such
as
that
of
the
nightshade
or
monkshood;
and
to
add
to
the
potency
of
these
baleful
draughts
they
considered
it
necessary
to
add
as
many
as
seven
or
nine
of
the
most
poisonous
plants
they
could
obtain,
such,
for
instance,
as
those
enumerated
by
one
of
the
witches
in
Ben
Jonson's
"Masque
of
Queens,"
who
says:--
"And
I
ha'
been
plucking
plants
among
Hemlock,
Henbane,
Adder's
Tongue;
Nightshade,
Moonwort,
Libbard's
bane,
And
twice,
by
the
dogs,
was
like
to
be
ta'en."
Another
plant
used
by
witches
in
their
incantations
was
the
sea
or
horned
poppy,
known
in
mediaeval
times
as
Ficus
infernolis;
hence
it
is
further
noticed
by
Ben
Jonson
in
the
"Witches'
Song":
"Yes,
I
have
brought
to
help
our
vows,
Horned
poppy,
cypress
boughs,
The
fig
tree
wild
that
grows
on
tombs,
And
juice
that
from
the
larch
tree
comes."
Then,
of
course,
there
was
the
wondrous
moonwort
(Botrychium
lunaria),
which
was
doubly
valuable
from
its
mystic
virtue,
for,
as
Culpepper[22]
tells
us,
it
was
believed
to
open
locks
and
possess
other
magic
virtues.
The
mullein,
popularly
termed
the
hag-taper,
was
also
in
request,
and
the
honesty
(Lunaria
biennis),
"in
sorceries
excelling,"
was
equally
employed.
By
Scotch
witches
the
woodbine
was
a
favourite
plant,[23]
who,
in
effecting
magical
cures,
passed
their
patients
nine
times
through
a
girth
or
garland
of
green
woodbine.
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