Digital Grainger

An Online Edition of The Sugar-Cane (1764)

61

  • Sharp as the bee-sting, fasten in thy flesh,
  • And give thee up to torture. But, unhurt,
  • Planter, thou may’st the humble chickweed1 cull;
  • And that, which coyly flies the astonish’d grasp.2
  • Not the confection nam’d from Pontus’ King;3 [130]
  • Not the bless’d apple Median climes4 produce,

VER. 128. Planter, thou may’st the humble chickweed] There are two kinds of chickweed, which grow spontaneously in the Caribbees, and both possess very considerable virtues, particularly that which botanists call Cajacia, and which the Spaniards emphatically name Erudos Cobres, or Snakeweed,5 on account of its remarkable qualities against poisonous bites. It is really of use against fish-poison; as is also the sensitive plant, which the Spaniards prettily call the Vergonzoza, the Bashful, and La Donzella, or the Maiden. There are many kinds of this extraordinary plant, which grow every where in the Islands and South-America. The botanical name of the former is Alsine, and that of the latter Mimosa.

VER. 130. Not the confection] This medicine is called Mithridatium,6 in honour of Mithridates king of Pontus; who, by using it constantly, had secured himself from the effects of poison, in such a manner, that, when he actually attempted to put an end to his life, by that means, he failed in his purpose. So, at least, Pliny informs us. But we happily are not obliged to believe, implicitly, whatever that elaborate compiler has told us. When poisons immediately operate on the nervous system, and their effects are to be expelled by the skin, this electuary7 is no contemptible antidote. But how many poisons do we know at present, which produce their effects in a different manner? and, from the acounts of authors, we have reason to be persuaded, that the antients were not much behind us in their variety of poisons. If, therefore, the King of Pontus had really intended to have destroyed himself, he could have been at no loss for the means, notwithstanding the daily use of this antidote.

VER. 131. Not the bless’d apple] Authors are not agreed what the apple is, to which Virgil attributes such remarkable virtues, nor is it indeed possible they ever

  1. Stellaria media, a plant native to Europe. ↩︎

  2. Grainger is referring to the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), the leaves of which fold up when touched. It is native to the tropical Americas and became an object of fascination to European naturalists. ↩︎

  3. Mithridates (132-63 BCE) ruled Pontus in modern-day Turkey from 120-63 BCE. His attempts to expand his empire led to three wars against the Roman army. Following a mutiny by his troops, he committed suicide. ↩︎

  4. Media was the location of hot springs that the Romans called the sacred waters of Hercules. ↩︎

  5. May be Euphorbia hyssopifolia, a plant whose native range is the tropical and subtropical Americas. ↩︎

  6. A medicine long believed to be a universal antidote to poison. ↩︎

  7. Medicine in the form of a paste or preserve. ↩︎