The Presidential Address. 25
which, following the European westward, is now known as
"the White-man's foot" in North America. Ignorant as we
are alike of the country whence he came, and of the language
that he spoke, it is almost impossible to say what plants with
Celtic names may not be of Neolithic origin. I can only
suggest two, the Caraway,40 (Carum carui), an Asiatic plant,
not of Roman origin, having distinct names in all the
languages of Northern Europe, and long established in
England and known by more than one Welsh name ; and the
Woad,41 (Isatis tinctoria), a native of Northern Asia, well
known from its use in after times by the Celts for tattooing.
It is possible that this custom may have been of Mongol origin
in the west, as it has been apparently in the east. The plant
does not appear to be indigenous; but is at least pre-Roman.
If we know little of the agriculture of the Neolithic Mongol,
we appear to know still less of his successors, the tall Finnish
race of the Bronze Age. They, too, had flocks and herds,
they made both linen and woollen cloth, they lived in villages,
and used iron for ornaments only.42 Villages would probably
40 DeCandolle, op. cit., pp. 663-4. Its name is "Kummel" in German,
"Kumina" in Finnish and "Cumin" in Swiss, "Carwass" and
"Carddwy" in Welsh.
41 "La culture en serait done tres ancienne. Les noms gallois, anglo-
saxon, allemands, slaves, ont tous de l'analogie et font presumer un
usage commun autrefois atoute l'Europe."—DeCandolle, op. cit., p. 651.
At a subsequent period the plant was much cultivated as a dye for cloth,
as witness the following, referring to the year 1585 :—"In the meantime
a Proclamation was set forth to restrain the Covetousness of some private
men in England who converted arable Lands and the richest Pasture-
grounds to the sowing of the Herb Isatis commonly called Woad, for the
use of Dyers, with great prejudice to cloathers and the countrey-men which
fed on white-meats made of milk. Whereupon they were forbidden to sow
that Herb within 8 miles of any of the Queen's Houses and within 4
miles of Cities, Market Towns and all other Towns where cloathing was
used."—Camden, 'Annals of Queen Elizabeth,' ed. 4 (1688), p. 325.
42 See Elton, op. cit., p. 169, and the authorities there quoted, especially
Herodian, iii., 14, and Dion Cassius, lxxvi., 12 :—
"Arma antiqua manus, ungues, dentesque fuerant,
Et lapides, et item silvarum fragmina rami,
Et flammae, atque ignes, postquam sunt cognita primum.
Posterius ferri vis est rerisque reperta.
Sed prius reris erat quam ferri cognitus usus."
Lucretius, 'De rerum natura,' lib. i., 1282-6.