Leechdoms, wortcunning, and starcraft of early England. Being a ...

XVIU
PREFACE.
Herbalist
learnino-.
" and coined into mancuses ;" ^
that is, there was a gold
coin of a determinate weight called a mancus, and coined
in England. Suppose when the document is fairly before
us that this will turn out suspect ; suppose it be
pronounced a forgery ; still we have Saxon authority
for coininof wold mancuses, and at home. All works
that touch the subject, know that there were in those
times royal mints and royal moneyers.
The Glossary appended to this work exhibits, from
among a still wider list, a large number of names of
herbs ;
and materials exist for determining most of these
to full conviction. The change of residence produced
doubtless some confusion, by depriving the Saxons of specimens
of the trees and plants answering to their names.
The Germanic races had not before their arrival here
pushed down upon the Mediterranean ^hores, but we
all know historically that they had not been confined
to cold climates, and one very curious proof exists
that in some instances the name they fixed on a plant
was appropriate only to its aspect in warmer countries.^
It is true that the oak, beech, birch, hawthorn, sloethorn,
bore native names, but elm,^ walnut, maple,
holly,* are equally native names ; and, except the
walnut, native trees. The cherry was brought to Italy
by Lucullus, from Kspatrouj, Cerasus, a city of Cappadocia,
where it was plentiful, and it has ever borne the
same name. The students of nature learn that many
species of its Fauna, and also, though less so, of its Flora,
can be traced to a single spot. Thus the peach, peppoc,
panne mmpe (read nime) man
tpencij; hunb mancufa golbep -]
gemynerige to mancujan, HID. fol.
21 a. The transcript is not by any
means cotemporary.
this fully.
'
adjective, Hole5n,HoleSen, and even
now so applied to Holn Wood on
the banks of the Dart, near Ashburton.
Holej, Holly, is the ori-
2 1 regret I cannot here explain
folius : the Ilex was glandiferous,
Not a Latinism.
the evergreen^ oak.
^
ginal substantive, C.E. 437, line
19. The old Latin name is Aqui-