Chap. 10.1 THE EOSE. 311 



acquiring a ruddy tint, this bud opens little by little, until at 

 last it comes into full blow, developing the calyx, and em- 

 bracing the yellow-pointed filaments which stand erect in the 

 centre of it. 



The employment of the rose in chaplets is, so to say, the 

 least*^ use that is made of it. The flower is steeped in oil, a 

 practice which has prevailed from the times of the Trojan war, 

 as Homer*^ bears witness ; in addition to which, it now forms 

 an ingredient in our unguents, as mentioned on a previous 

 occasion.^' It is employed also by itself for certain medicinal 

 purposes, and is used in plasters and eye-salves^® for its pene- 

 trating qualities : it is used, also, to perfume the delicacies of 

 our banquets, and is never attended with any noxious results. 



The most esteemed kinds of rose among us are those of 

 Praeneste^^ and Campania.^" Some persons have added to these 

 varieties the rose of Miletus,^^ the flower of which is an ex- 

 tremely brilliant red, and has never more than a dozen petals. 

 The next to it is the rose of Trachyn,^^ not so red as the last, 

 and then that of Alabanda,^^ with whitish petals, but not so 

 highly esteemed. The least esteemed of all, however, is the 

 thorn rose,^^ the petals of which are numerous, but extremely 



*' Still, even for that pui'pose the rose was very extensively used. One 

 ancient author states that, even in the middle of winter, the more luxurious 

 Komans were not satisfied without roses swimming in their Falernian wine ; 

 and we find Horace repeatedly alluding to the chaplets of roses worn by 

 the guests at banquets. Hence probably arose the expression, "Under 

 the rose." Fee is evidently mistaken in thinking that PUny implies here, 

 that it was but rarely used in chaplets. 



« II. xxiii. 1. 186. 47 B. siii. c. 2. 



48 "Collyriis." 



*9 Clusius was of opinion tliat this was the Provence rose, the Rosa 

 Gallica of Linnaeus. 



^ The same rose, probably, of which Virgil says, Georg. B. iv. 1. 119, 

 " Biferique rosaria Pfesti" — " And the rose-beds of Paestum, that bear 

 twice in the year." It has been suggested that it is identical with the 

 Eosa alba vulgaris major of Bauhin, the Rosa alba of Decandolle : but, 

 as F6e says, it is very questionable if this is correct, this white rose blossom- 

 ing but once a year. 



5^ A simple variety of the Rosa Gallica of Linnaeus, Fee thinks. 



5'^ See B, iv. c. 14. According to J. Bauhin, this is the pale, flesh- 

 coloured rose, called the " rose of France," — the " Rosa rubello flore, 

 majore, pleno, incarnata vulgo." Others, again, take it to be the Damascus 

 rose. 



53 See B. V. c. 29. A variety of the white rose, F^e thinks, tlie de- 

 termination of which must be sought among the Eglantines. 



*^ "Spiniola." A variety belonging to or approaching the Eglantine 



