The Legend Of The Holy Thorn Of Glastonbury.

and received so much court and attention . The stone is 4 feet 8 inches long , and 2 feet 8 inches wide—It bears this inscription—I A Anno P XXXI

There are many trees now in the country and neighbourhood , which claim descent from the Hol y Thorn of Glastonbury , having been originally propagated by buds and grafts . Modern science , which has dissipated so

many dreams of erroneous belief , and false philosophy , has given to this plant its proper place in the natural productions of the vegetable world , and has determined it to be the fourth variety of the Crataegus or Hawthorn . It is the Crataegus oxycantha ;

( from Kratos , strengh : in reference to the hardness and strengh of the wood . ) Natural order , appleworts or Pomace * . The family of Thorns furnishes a greater number of handsome , though small trees , for ornamental grounds than any other wood

y family whatever . The following mention of the Thorn occurs in Dr . Withering ' s Arrangement of British Plants , published in 1818 . Vol . iii ., page 604 .

GLASTOJJBUKY THORN . Appendages at the base of the leaves , kidney-shaped , toothed , very large . It does not grow Avithin the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey , but in a lane beyond the Churchyard , on the other side of the street , by the side of a pit . It appears to be a very old tree ;

an old woman ( who was 90 years old in 1788 ) never remembers it otherwise than as it now appears . There is another tree of the same kind , two or three miles from Glastonbury . It has been reported to have no thorns ; but that I found to be a

mistake . It has thorns like other hawthorns , but which are but few , as on other trees , It . blossoms twice a-year , The winter blossoms , which are about the size of a sixpence , appear about Christmas , and sooner , if the winter be severe . These

produce no fruit . The following particulars are found in Hearne ' s " Appendix to the History and Antiquities of Glastonbury , " and are extracts from a religious work printed in the year 1653 , and written by the Bishop of Gloucester . ' ' The White Thome at Glastonbury which did usually blossome on

Christmas-day , was cut down : yet did I not heare that the party was punished , Certainly , the Thorn was very extraordinary , for at my being there I did consider the place , how it was sheltered ; I did consider the soile , and all other circumstancesyet I could not find no

, natural ! cause . This , I know , that God first appeared to Moses in a bramble bush ; and that Aaron's rod , being dried and withered , did budde : and these were God ' s actions , and his first actions ; and , truly , Glastonbury was a place noted for holiness

, and the first religious foundation in England , and , in effect , was the first dissolved ; and therein , was such a barbarous inhumanity as Egypt never heard the like . It may well be that this White Thorne did then spring up , and began to blossome on

Christmas-day , to give a testimony to religion , that it clothe flourish in persecution : as the Thorne did blossome in the coldest tyme in Avinter , ( though the sun is so great a distance might seem to Avant heate to bring forth the sap ) , so religion should stand , or rather rise up , though religious houses Avere pulled down . " A humble rival of the Holy Thorn was

the Walnut Tree which grew in the Holy Churchyard , near St . Joseph ' s chapel . This tree , they say , never budded before the Feast of St . Barnabas , on June 11 th , but on that day it shot forth leaves and flourished as much as other Walnut trees generally do . Mr . Broughtonwho wrote

, in the 17 th century , says that in his time the Walnut tree Avas still living , and continued to bud and bring forth leaves as usual upon St . Barnabas' day . Many p ilgrims paid a visit to this wonderful tree on that day to witness the

extraordinary exhibition of Divine favour to the vegetable kingdom , as manifested in the marvellous budding of the Walnut tree . Dr . James Montague , Bishop of Bath and Wells in James the First ' s reign , was so struck with the uncommon nature

of both the Holy Thorn and the Walnut Tree , that he made a present of a . branch of each of these trees to Queen Ann , wife of James the First , deeming them a gift quite Avorthy of royal acceptance . Curious it is to review the various influences which the same traditions and legends have exercised upon the minds of people in different ages . At one time we