ROSES. 601 
* Ave, Rosa, spinis puncta, 
Ave spina Rose juncta, 
Spinas poene non peccati 
Portas Jesu, volens pati. 
Hymn (Fifteenth Century). 
Our main business here with Roses is how to use them for 
remedial purposes, such as recovery from sickness, and the. 
maintenance of life. But in times long past the wealthy Greeks, 
and Romans, strewed these fragrant flowers on the tombs of 
departed friends, whilst poorer persons could only afford a small 
supplicatory tablet at the grave, bearing the pious prayer :— 
'>?? 
“ Sparge, precor, Rosas super mea busta, Viator 
Nowadays most persons have an aversion to throwing a Rose 
into a newly-made grave, or even letting one fall in. However, 
Matthew Arnold was more sensible than this, and pathetically 
exclaimed respecting the funeral rites of a girl untimely dead :— 
““Strew on her Roses, Roses, 
And never a spray of Yew! 
In quiet she reposes : 
Ah! would that I did too!” 
“The Rose,” said a Roman, in times long ago, “ was a har- 
binger of spring ”— 
“Cum Rosam viderat tum incipere ver arbitrabatur.” 
American physicians, notably Dr. Winternitz, find that a 
combination of the essence of Red Roses with birch-buds 
(powdered) is admirably remedial against dysentery; this has- 
commanded quite a big price per pot through acquiring such a 
curative fame. Likewise Birch tea, made from the dried leaves, 
is remarkably helpful in relieving dropsy from obstructed 
kidneys ; the leaves should be gathered, and dried in the early 
summer. Birch wine, concocted (Compleat Housewife, 1736) 
with the sap of the tree, adding honey, cloves, and lemon-peel, 
is fully discussed in Kitchen Physic. Another excellent method 
for making this is: After cutting an incision through the bark 
of a Birch tree, insert a small stone therein to act as a seton. 
Then suspend a bottle, or jar, so as to catch the juice which 
escapes from the wound. When enough has been collected, 
this is to be boiled for an hour, with a quarter of its volume of 
honey, adding a few cloves, some cinnamon, mace, and lemon- 
peel. The liquid is then to be fermented with yeast on toast 
