whutch. These hutches were made of elm or
hazel-wood, and hence the names wych elm, or
wych hazel (Ulmus montana). The use of these
wyches appears in some lines in an old manuscript:

His hall rofe was full of bacon flytches,
The chambre charged was with wyches
Full of eggs, butter, and chese.

Coffins, even, were called wyches. Capsella bursa
pastoris has several names, such as pickpurse,
clappedepouch, and poor man's parmacetty.
It is called pickpurse because its capsules are
like little purses, and for the same peculiarity
it got the strange name of clappedepouch. In
the middle ages lepers were allowed to stand
begging at the wayside with a bell and a clapper,
or rattle-pouch. Fallersleben, as quoted by Dr.
Prior, says of them, "Separated from all the
world, without house or home, the lepers were
obliged to dwell in a solitary wretched hut by
the roadside; their clothing so scanty that they
often had nothing to wear but a hat and a cloak
and a begging wallet. They would call the
attention of the passers-by with a bell, or a
clapper, and receive their alms in a cup or a
basin at the end of a long pole. The bell was
usually of brass. The clapper is described as an
instrument made of two or three boards, by
rattling which they excited people to relieve
them." As the plant hangs out pouches by the
roadside, it came to be called rattlepouch, or
clappedepouch. There is still broader humour
in the name poor man's parmacetty. Whale's
sperm, sperma ceti, is a celebrated remedy for
bruises, but the sovereignest remedy for the
braises of a poor man is a little purse, the parma
cetty of a liberal donation.

A considerable number of English popular
names of plants are mere translations and
corruptions of Greek and Latin names. Aron
becomes, by this process, arum, or Aaron; akakia,
acacia; akoniton (without a struggle), aconite;
asphodelos, affadyl or daffodil; agremoné, agremony:
alba spina, albespyne, or white thorn; and
alyssum, Alison. Some of these corruptions or
translations are absurdly curious. From some
blunder or other the name of a plant called by
Dioscorides holosteon, wholebone, has been
applied to a very tender plant; Bot-theriacque
(Sedum acre) has become Buttery Jack; Per
vincula, bound about, done into English, is
periwinkle (Vinca major and minor); Bipennella is
pimpernel; Asparagus is sparrow grass; Flos
stœchados is stickadove; Cinquefoil is sinkfield;
Senecio is Simson; Myrtillus is whortleberry;
and Bismalva is wymote.

The periodical phenomena of plants have
suggested the popular names of some of them. Thus
Tragopogon pratensis is called sleep at noon, and
go to bed at noon; and Anagallis arvensis is poor
man's weather glass, from its closing its flowers
before rain. The sudden growth in the night of
Tremella nostoc has caused it to be named not only
fallen stars and witch's butter, but will-o'-the-
wisp. Cardamine pratensis, besides being called
lady's smock, from resemblance, is called spinks
or bog-spinks, because it blossoms at Pinkster
or Pentecost. Anthoxanthum odoratum is called
vernal or spring grass, because it flowers at the
germinating, springing, or sprouting time. Sun
spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia) turns its flowers
to the sun, which the sunflower does not. Sun
dew (Drosera) probably means "ever-dewy."
Gentiana pneumonanthe, from the shape of its
flowers and their season of opening, is called
autumn bells. A plant does not distinguish itself
by flowering at midsummer; but the plants which
grow, flower, or fruit, in mid-winter, are sure of
notice, hence winter green (Pyrola), winter weed
(Veronica hederifolia), winter aconite (Eranthis
hyemalis), winter cress (Barbarea præcox), and
winter cherry (Physalis alkekengi). Sedum
tectorum is ayegreen; Helleborus niger, having a
rose-like flower, and blossoming in winter, is
called the Christmas rose.

Many plants have been named after their uses.
Balsamitis vulgaris being much used in flavouring
ale with an aromatic bitter taste, is called
costmary and alecost; costos being the Greek
name of an unknown aromatic plant. Glechoma
hederacea is called alehoof and gill, gill creep-
by-the-ground, the ground ivy. Hefe is the
Dutch and German word for yeast, and this plant
was much used in fermenting beer. Certain
plants, on account of their esculent and medicinal
qualities, were called all-good. The ambrose
of the older botanists seems to have been,
according to Dr. Prior, Chenopodium botrys. The
Sanscrit amvita, the Greek ambrosia, and the
Hebrew chayim, or tree of life, all have reference
to the idea of an immortalising fruit, the wine
from the juice of which the Assyrian kings are
represented quaffing by their sculptors. Apple
means the juice, or water fruit. The ash is
supposed to have derived its name from the
word axe, this wood having been preferred for
spear and axe-handles. In Anglo-Saxon, bere
stands both for barleycorn and the liquor made
of it. Barren wort was supposed to be possessed
of sterilising powers. Calamintha Acinos, having
a smell fit for a king's house, was called basil
thyme. Bearberry and beargarlic, are favourite
food for bears. Beech is the wood upon which
the Sanscrit bôkô or bôkôs, letters, writings, or
books, were carved or engraved. Belladonna was
used by the Italian ladies as a beautifier. Birch,
or birk, is the tree of rind or bark of which
boats, barques, or barges were built, as they still
are in the present day in the far north. Box is
the wood of which turners made boxes or pyxes.
The daisy being supposed to be good for bruises,
is called bruisewort. Burdock is the leaf into
which butter, in French beurre, was wrapped.
Burnet-bloodwort has a power of stanching
blood. Butchers' broom was made into the
besoms with which they swept their blocks,
according to some authorities; but Dr. Prior says
because it was used as prickmouse, Italian
pongitopo, to keep mice and bats from meat.
Skewers being made of Rhamnus frangula, it