226 WILD FLOWERS OF 



The Rose being the emblematical flower of England, 

 as the Thistle is of Scotland, the Leek of Wales, and 

 the Trefoil or Shamrock of Ireland, it may be inte- 

 resting to dilate upon it in some degree, popularly, 

 historically, and botanically. 



The Rose has ever been the favourite theme of 

 apologue its flowers emblematical of the short-lived 

 pleasures of life its thorns of the ever accompanying 

 adversities ; hence, when the late Nabob of the Car- 

 natic addressed Lord CLIVE on the injuries and insults 

 he had received from the English in India, he drew a 

 parallel between himself and a husbandman who had 

 suffered strangers to enter his garden, and thus poeti- 

 cally summed up the melancholy detail " The flowers 

 of the Hose have fallen, and the stalk, with all its 

 thorns, alone remains in my hand." A rose without 

 thorns could formerly scarcely be imagined ; and thus 

 MILTON, to depict the superior ambrosial pleasures 

 afforded by Eden, makes it abound with 



" Flowers of all hue, and without thorn, the Rose;" 

 but in the present day many thornless species of rose 

 have been discovered, and decorate earthly paradises, 

 while instead of only one rose season, there are now 

 ever-blooming Roses, forming a perpetual garden of 

 sweetness throughout the year. 



Before scientific botany gave precision to floral lan- 

 guage it was difficult to describe the parts of a flower 

 intelligibly, and thus VIEGIL has applied the term 

 leaves as well to the foliage as the petals of plants, 

 creating some confusion. Our English DEATTON, in 

 like manner, though a faithful observer of nature, and 

 a good describer too, yet being no botanist, and not 

 finding a word suitable to his purpose in use, calls the 



