CHAPTER II. SHAKESPEARE.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Thompson, C. J. S. (Charles John Samuel)
Nor all the drowsy syrup of the world,
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep
Which thou owedst yesterday.”[29]
Also—
“Juliet.
And shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth,
That living mortals, hearing them, run mad,”[30]
alluding to the old tradition that the mandrake groaned when pulled up by the roots, and the person who did it would surely die soon. The mandragora, to which wonderful properties were ascribed by the ancients, is not now used in medicine.
“Lafeu. Go to, sir, you were beaten in Italy for picking a kernel out of a pomegranate.”[31]
The medicinal properties of the pomegranate have been known from very ancient times, frequent mention of it being made in the Bible. A decoction of the root is recommended by Celsus, Dioscorides, and Pliny for tapeworm; and it is still used as an astringent.
The poppy is mentioned by Iago in the quotation previously given, as being known for its narcotic properties.
“Macbeth.
What rhubarb, senna, or what purgative drug
Would scour these English hence?”[32]
Rhubarb was known to the Chinese 2700 B.C., and has been used for its purgative properties from the earliest times. It is said to take its name from the river Rhu, now the Volga, on whose banks it grows.
“Perdita.
For you there’s rosemary and rue; these keep
Seeming and savour all the winter long;
Grace and remembrance be to you both.”[33]
Rosemary has been esteemed for centuries for its refreshing and aromatic perfume, due to the essential oil it contains, and which even now has a reputation as an application for the hair. It is mentioned by Pliny, and has been cultivated in Britain since the time of the Norman Conquest. On account of its evergreen leaves it was considered an emblem of constancy, and was frequently carried at wedding and funeral ceremonies. It was customary in France at one time, to place a bunch of rosemary in the hands of the dead. The old apothecaries had great faith in the oil as an embrocation, and it was largely used to place among clothes as a preventive of moths.