" AElfric's "Vocabulary," 10th century.

"_Aconitum_, thung." Anglo-Saxon Vocabulary, 11th century.

"_Aconita_, thung." "Durham Glossary of the names of Worts," 11th
century.

The ancient Vocabularies and Glossaries, to which I shall frequently
refer, are printed in

I. Wright's "Volume of Vocabularies," 1857.

II. "Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England," by Rev. O.
Cockayne, published under the direction of the Master of the Rolls, 3
vols., 1866.

III. "Promptorium Parvulorum," edited by Albert Way, and published by
the Camden Society, 3 vols., 1843-65.

IV. "Catholicon Anglicum," edited by S. J. Hertage, and published by the
Early English Text Society, 1881, and by the Camden Society, 1882.

[10:2] This was certainly its name in Shakespeare's time--

"And with the Flower Monk's-hood makes a coole."

CUTWODE, _Caltha Poetarum_, 1599 (st. 117).

ACORN, _see_ OAK.

ALMOND.

_Thersites._

The parrot will not do more for an Almond.

_Troilus and Cressida_, act v, sc. 2 (193).

"An Almond for a parrot" seems to have been a proverb for the greatest
temptation that could be put before a man. The Almond tree is a native
of Asia and North Africa, but it was very early introduced into England,
probably by the Romans. It occurs in the Anglo-Saxon lists of plants,
and in the "Durham Glossary" (11th century) it has the name of the
"Easterne nutte-beam." The tree was always a favourite both for the
beauty of its flowers, which come very early in the year, and for its
Biblical associations, so that in Shakespeare's time the trees were "in
our London gardens and orchards in great plenty" (Gerard). Before
Shakespeare's time, Spenser had sung its praises thus--

"Like to an Almond tree ymounted hye
On top of greene Selinis all alone
With blossoms brave bedecked daintily;
Whose tender locks do tremble every one
At everie little breath that under Heaven is blowne."

_F. Q._, i. 7, 32.

The older English name seems to have been Almande--

"And Almandres gret plente,"

_Romaunt of the Rose_;

"Noyz de l'almande, nux Phyllidis,"

ALEXANDER NECKAM;

and both this old name and its more modern form of Almond came to us
through the French _amande_ (P