rought from Holy Rood House, and in honour of which it
was founded, with the Black Rood of Scotland. He was misled, no doubt, by
the statement in the passage above extracted from the _Ancient Monuments_,
that this cross was brought out of Holy Rood House.

I fear that the fact that it was formed of silver and gold, gives little
reason to hope that this historical relique escaped destruction when it
came into the hands of King Henry's church robbers. Its sanctity may,
indeed, have induced the monks to send it with some other reliques to a
place of refuge on the Continent, until the tyranny should be overpast; but
there is not any tradition at Durham, that I am aware of, to throw light on
the concluding Query of your correspondent P.A.F., as to "what became of
the 'Holy Cross,' or 'Black Rood,' at the dissolution of Durham Priory?"

That the Black Rood of Scotland, and the Cross of Holy Rood House were
distinct, there can, I think, be no doubt. The cross mentioned by Aelred is
not mentioned as the "Black Rood:" probably it acquired this designation
after his time. But Fordoun, in the _Scoti-Chronicon_, Lord Hailes in his
_Annals_, and other historians, have taken Aelred's account as referring to
the Black Rood of Scotland. Whether it had been brought from Dunfermline to
Edinburgh before Edward's campaign, and remained thenceforth deposited in
Holy Rood Abbey, does not appear: but it is probable that a relique to
which the sovereigns of Scotland attached so much veneration was kept at
the latter place.

W.S.G.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nov. 2. 1850.

* * * * *

REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES.

_Haemony_ (Vol. ii., p. 88.).--MR. BASHAM will find some account of this
plant under the slightly different type of "Hemionion" in Pliny, xxv. 20.,
xvi. 25., xxvii. 17.:

"Invenit et Teucer eadem aetate Teucrion, quam quidam 'Hemionion'
vocant, spargentem juncos tenues, folia parva, asperis locis nascentem,
austero sapore, nunquam florentem: neque semen gignit. Medetur lienibus
... Narrantque sues qui radicem ejus ederint sine splene inveniri.

"Singultus hemionium sedat.

"'Asplenon' sunt qui _hemionion_ vocant foliis trientalibus multis,
radice limosa, cavernosa, sicut filicis, candida, hirsuta: nec caulem,
nec florem, nec semen habet. Nascitur in petris parietibusque opacis,
humidis."

According to Hardouin's note, p. 3777., it is the _Ceterach_ of the shops,
or