xteenth
century, but it probably was not a common plant in Shakespeare's time,
for though it is mentioned by Spenser as "the Lavender still gray"
("Muiopotmos"), and by Gerard as growing in his garden, it is not
mentioned by Bacon in his list of sweet-smelling plants. The fine
aromatic smell is found in all parts of the shrub, but the essential oil
is only produced from the flowers. As a garden plant it is found in
every garden, but its growth as an extensive field crop is chiefly
confined to the neighbourhood of Mitcham and Carshalton in Surrey; and
there at the time of the picking of the flowers, and still more in the
later autumn when the old woody plants are burned, the air for a long
distance is strongly and most pleasantly impregnated with the delicate
perfume.

FOOTNOTES:

[137:1] The very name suggests this association. Lavender is the English
form of the Latin name, Lavendula; "lavendula autem dicta quoniam magnum
vectigal Genevensibus mercatoribus praebet quotannis in Africam eam
ferentibus, ubi lavandis fovendisque corporibus Lybes ea utuntur, nec
nisi decocto ejus abluti, mane domo egrediuntur."--_Stephani Libellus de
re Hortensi_, 1536, p. 54. The old form of our "laundress" was "a
Lavendre."

LEATHERCOAT, _see_ APPLE.

LEEK.

(1) _Thisbe._

His eyes were green as Leeks.

_Midsummer Night's Dream_, act v, sc. 1 (342).

(2) _Pistol._

Tell him I'll knock his Leek about his pate upon Saint Davy's
Day.

_Henry V_, act iv, sc. 1 (54).

(3) _Fluellen._

If your majesties is remembered of it, the Welshmen did good
service in a garden where Leeks did grow, wearing Leeks in
their Monmouth caps; which your majesty knows to this hour
is an honourable badge of the service; and I do believe your
majesty takes no scorn to wear the Leek upon Saint Tavy's
Day.

_Ibid._, act iv, sc. 7 (101).

(4)

In act v, sc. 1, is the encounter between Fluellen and Pistol,
when he makes the bully eat the Leek; this causes such
frequent mention of the Leek that it would be necessary to
extract the whole scene, which, therefore, I will simply
refer to in this way.

We can scarcely understand the very high value that was placed on Leeks
in olden times. By the Egyptians the plant was almost consider