The Folk-lore of Plants

In later times many plants became connected with the name of Christ, and with the events of the crucifixion itself--facts which occasionally explain their mysterious virtues. Thus the vervain, known as the "holy herb," and which was one of the sacred plants of the Druids, has long been held in repute, the subjoined rhyme assigning as the reason:-- "All hail, thou holy herb, vervin, Growing on the ground; On the Mount of Calvary There wast thou found; Thou helpest many a grief, And staunchest many a wound. In the name of sweet Jesu, I lift thee from the ground." To quote one or two further instances, a popular recipe for preventing the prick of a thorn from festering is to repeat this formula:-- "Christ was of a virgin born, And he was pricked with a thorn, And it did neither bell nor swell, And I trust in Jesus this never will." In Cornwall, some years ago, the following charm was much used, forms of which may occasionally be heard at the present day:-- "Happy man that Christ was born, He was crowned with a thorn; He was pierced through the skin, For to let the poison in. But His five wounds, so they say, Closed before He passed away. In with healing, out with thorn, Happy man that Christ was born." Another version used in the North of England is this:-- "Unto the Virgin Mary our Saviour was horn, And on his head he wore a crown of thorn; If you believe this true, and mind it well, This hurt will never fester nor swell."