Barnabe Day, j's. v'd."
St. Barnabas' thistle (_Centaurea solstitialis_) derived its name from
flowering at the time of the saint's festival, and we are told how:--
"When St. Barnaby bright smiles night and day,
Poor ragged robin blooms in the hay."
To Trinity Sunday belong the pansy, or herb-trinity and trefoil, hence
the latter has been used for decorations on this anniversary.
In commemoration of the Restoration of Charles II., oak leaves and
gilded oak apples have been worn; oak branches having been in past years
placed over doors and windows.
Stowe, in his "Survey of London," speaks of the old custom of hanging up
St. John's wort over the doors of houses, along with green birch or
pine, white lilies, and other plants. The same practice has existed very
largely on the Continent, St. John's wort being still regarded as an
effective charm against witchcraft. Indeed, few plants have been in
greater request on any anniversary, or been invested with such mystic
virtues. Fennel, another of the many plants dedicated to St. John, was
hung over doors and windows on his night in England, numerous allusions
to which occur in the literature of the past. And in connection with
this saint we are told how:--
"The scarlet lychnis, the garden's pride,
Flames at St.
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