ers in the West of strewing the floors of the churches
on Whit Sunday with Rushes freshly pulled from the meadows. This custom
attains its highest perfection in the church of St. Mary Redcliffe at
Bristol. On 'Rush Sunday' the floor is strewn with Rushes. All the
merchants throw open their conservatories for the vicar to take his
choice of their flowers, and the pulpit, the lectern, the choir, and the
communion rails and table present a scene of great beauty."--_The
Garden_, May, 1877.

For this purpose the Sweet-scented Rush was always used where it could
be procured, and when first laid down it must have made a pleasant
carpet; but it was a sadly dirty arrangement, and gives us a very poor
idea of the cleanliness of even the best houses, though it probably was
not the custom all through the year, as Newton says, speaking of Sedges,
but evidently confusing the Sedge with the Sweet-scented Rush, "with the
which many in this countrie do use in sommer time to straw their
parlours and churches, as well for cooleness as for pleasant
smell."[266:1] This Rush (_Acorus calamus_) is a British plant, with
broad leaves, which have a strong cinnamon-like smell, which obtained
for the plant the old Saxon name of Beewort. Another (so-called) Rush,
the Flowering Rush (_Butomus umbellatus_), is one of the very handsomest
of the British plants, bearing on a long straight stem a large umbel of
very handsome pink flowers. Wherever there is a pond in a garden, these
fine Rushes should have a place, though they may be grown in the open
border where the ground is not too dry.

There is a story told by Sir John Mandeville in connection with Rushes
which is not easy to understand. According to his account, our Saviour's
crown of thorns was made of Rushes! "And zif alle it be so that men seyn
that this Croune is of Thornes, zee shall undirstande that it was of
Jonkes of the See, that is to sey, Russhes of the See, that prykken als
scharpely as Thornes. For I have seen and beholden many times that of
Parys and that of Constantynoble, for thei were bothe on, made of
Russches of the See. But men have departed hem in two parties, of the
which on part is at Parys, and the other part is at Constantynoble--and
I have on of the precyouse Thornes, that semethe licke a white Thorn,
and that was zoven to me for great specyaltee. . . . The Jewes setten
him in a chayere and clad him in a mantelle, and then made thei the
Croune of Jonkes of the See."--_Voi