the
Eve was called Nutcrack Night. I believe the custom still exists; it
certainly has not been very long abolished, for the Vicar of Wakefield
and his neighbours "religiously cracked Nuts on All Hallow's Eve."
And in many places "an ancient custom prevailed of going a Nutting
on Holy Rood Day (Sept. 14), which it was esteemed quite unlucky to
omit."--FORSTER.[116:1]

A greater mystery connected with the Hazel is the divining rod, for the
discovery of water and metals. This has always by preference been a
forked Hazel-rod, though sometimes other rods are substituted. The
belief in its power dates from a very early period, and is by no means
extinct. The divining-rod is said to be still used in Cornwall, and
firmly believed in; nor has this belief been confined to the uneducated.
Even Linnaeus confessed himself to be half a convert to it, and learned
treatises have been written accepting the facts, and accounting for them
by electricity or some other subtle natural agency. Most of us, however,
will rather agree with Evelyn's cautious verdict, that the virtues
attributed to the forked stick "made out so solemnly by the attestation
of magistrates, and divers other learned and credible persons, who have
critically examined matters of fact, is certainly next to a miracle, and
requires a strong faith."

FOOTNOTES:

[115:1] "Hic fullus--a fylberd-tre."--_Nominale_, 15th cent.

"Fylberde, notte--Fillum."

"Filberde, tre--Phillis."--_Promptorium Parvulorum._

"The Filbyrdes hangyng to the ground."--_Squyr of Lowe Degre_ (37).

[116:1] See a long account of the connection of nuts with All Hallow's
Eve in Hanson, "Med. aevi Calend." i. 363.

HEATH.

_Gonzalo._

Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of
barren ground, long Heath, brown Furze, anything.

_Tempest_, act i, sc. 1 (70).

There are other passages in which the word Heath occurs in Shakespeare,
but in none else is the flower referred to; the other references are to
an open heath or common. And in this place no special Heath can be
selected, unless by "long Heath" we suppose him to have meant the Ling
(_Calluna vulgaris_). And this is most probable, for so Lyte calls it.
"There is in this countrie two kindes of Heath, one which beareth the
flowres alongst the stemmes, and is called Long Heath." But it is
supposed by some that the correct reading is "Ling, Heath," &c., and in
tha