Roses replaced the alms of Elizabeth of Hungary, when her apron 

 was rudely torn from her grasp by those who shared not her 

 charitable zeal for the poor. A legend of the twelfth century, 

 quoted in a German work by Wolf, relates how losbert, a 

 pious monk, having fallen dead, whilst worshipping at a shrine 

 of the Virgin Mary (in honour of whom he had been accustomed 

 to recite five psalms every day), there sprang from his mouth, 

 from his eyes, and from his ears, five Roses. The bishop, 

 on his arrival, plucked one of the miraculous flowers, and 

 solemnly placed it upon the altar. No sooner had he done so, 

 however, than the other four Roses instantly faded away. In 

 old paintings of the saints, Roses are sometimes introduced in 

 allusion to the saint's name. St. Rosalia, of Palermo, St. Rosa 

 di Viterbo, St. Rosa di Lima, all wear the crown of Roses, or it is 

 presented by an angel. The last-named saint, who is the patroness 

 of America, was canonised by Clement X. According to the 

 Peruvian legend, the pope, when entreated to canonise her, abso- 

 lutely refused, exclaiming: " Indian and saint ! as likely as that it 

 should rain Roses ! " whereupon a miraculous shower of Roses 

 began to fall in the Vatican, and ceased not until the incredulous 

 pontiff acknowledged himself convinced of her san(5tity. A legend 

 of St. Francis of Assisi relates that as the saint was one day 

 shivering in his cell, in the depth of Winter, a demon whispered in 

 his ear suggestions of ease and luxury. He repelled the tempta- 

 tions by going out and rolling himself in the snow on a heap of 

 Thorns. From the Thorns sprinkled with his blood sprang Roses 

 of Paradise, which he piously offered up to Christ and the Ma- 

 donna. 



The Rosary was introduced by St. Dominick, in commemora- 

 tion of his having been shown a chaplet of Roses by the blessed 

 Virgin. It consisted formerly of a string of beads made of Rose- 

 leaves tightly pressed into round moulds, when real Roses were not 

 strung together. The use of a chaplet of beads as a minute of the 

 number of prayers recited is of Eastern origin, and dates from the time 

 of the Egyptian anchorites. Beads were also used by the Benedic- 

 tines, and are to this day in use among Mahometan devotees. 

 St. Dominick invented a novel arrangement of the chaplet, and dedi- 

 cated it to the honour and glory of the Virgin Mary. A complete 

 Rosary consists of fifteen large and 150 small beads, the former 

 representing the number of Patentosters, the latter the number of 

 Ave-Marias. The Indian Buddhists use a Rosary of 99 beads: the 

 Chinese and Japanese Buddhists one of 108 beads, corresponding 

 to the daily prayers offered against the 108 possible sins. 



In the sixth century, St. Medard, Bishop of Noyon, France, 

 instituted a festival at Salency, his birth-place, for adjudging a 

 prize to the girl who should be acknowledged the most amiable, 

 modest, and beautiful. The prize consisted of a simple crown of 

 Roses, and the founder of the festival had the gratification of 



