to several very
different instruments, from the fact that they were all made of Elder
wood. The "sackbut," "dulcimer," and "pipe" of Daniel iii. are all
connected together in this manner.

As a garden plant the common Elder is not admissible, though it forms a
striking ornament in the wild hedgerows and copses, while its flowers
yield the highly perfumed Elder-flower water, and its fruits give the
Elder wine; but the tree runs into many varieties, several of which are
very ornamental, the leaves being often very finely divided and jagged,
and variegated both with golden and silver blotches. There is a handsome
species from Canada (Sambucus Canadensis), which is worth growing in
shrubberies, as it produces its pure white flowers in autumn.

FOOTNOTES:

[85:1] Called also Eldern in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,
and still earlier, Eller or Ellyr ("Catholicon Anglicum"). "The Ellern
is a tree with long bowes, ful sounde and sad wythout, and ful holowe
within, and ful of certayne nesshe pyth."--_Clanvil de prop._

[85:2] From the facility with which the hard wood can be hollowed out,
the tree was from very ancient times called the Bore-tree. See
"Catholicon Anglicum," s.v. Bur-tre.

ELM.

(1) _Adriana._

Thou art an Elm, my husband, I a Vine,
Whose weakness married to thy stronger state
Makes me with thy strength to communicate.

_Comedy of Errors_, act ii, sc. 2 (176).

(2) _Titania._

The female Ivy so
Enrings the barky fingers of the Elm.

_Midsummer Night's Dream_, act iv, sc. 1 (48).

(3) _Poins._

Answer, thou dead Elm, answer![87:1]

_2nd Henry IV_, act ii, sc, 4 (358).

Though Vineyards were more common in England in the sixteenth century
than now, yet I can nowhere find that the Vines were ever trained, in
the Italian fashion, to Elms or Poplars. Yet Shakespeare does not stand
alone in thus speaking of the Elm in its connection with the Vine.
Spenser speaks of "the Vine-prop Elme," and Milton--

"They led the Vine
To wed her Elm; she spoused, about him twines
Her marriageable arms, and with her brings
Her dower, the adopted clusters, to adorn
His barren leaves."

And Browne--

"She, whose inclination
Bent all her course to him-wards, let him know
He was the E