52 2 pfant "Isore, "[^ec^eq^f, and. iQijcic/, 



in the palace garden filled with Rose-water. The acftion of the 

 sun speedily concentrated the oleaginous particles floating on the 

 surface, and the careful attendant, fearing lest the Rose-water should 

 have become corrupt, hastened to skim it in order to remove the 

 oily flakes. The globules burst whilst this operation was being 

 performed, and emitted such an exquisite odour, that the idea of 

 preparing the delicious attar was at once suggested. Avicenna, an 

 Arabian doctor of the tenth century, was the first to extradl: from 

 Roses their fragrant perfume by distillation. He selected the Rosa 

 centifolia for his experiments, and succeeded in producing the deli- 

 cious liquid known as Rose-water, which is held in such repute in 

 the East, that when a stranger enters a house, it is considered a 

 mark of distinction and welcome to sprinkle him over with Rose- 

 water. When Saladin entered Jerusalem in 1 187, he had the floor 

 and walls of Omar's mosque entirely washed with this delicate 

 perfume. 



At all times, in all countries, Roses have been employed for 

 planting and strewing upon graves. The dying Antony begged 

 Cleopatra to scatter perfumes on his tomb and cover it with Roses; 

 and both Greeks and Romans were desirous of having their graves 

 bedecked every year with the fragrant flowers. So religiously did 

 they observe the pracflice of planting Roses round graves, that they 

 annexed codicils to their wills, as appears by an old inscription at 

 Ravenna, and another at Milan, by which Roses are ordered to be 

 yearly strewed upon the graves. In the German portions of Swit- 

 zerland, churchyards are called " Rose gardens." A Rose is 

 sculptured on the tombs of maidens in Turkey, In Poland, the 

 coffins of little children are covered with Roses, and Roses are 

 thrown from the windows as the funeral procession passes along 

 the streets. In the South of England, a chaplet of white Roses is 

 borne before the corpse of a maiden, by a young girl of the same 

 age as the deceased, and afterwards hung up over her accustomed 

 seat in church. In South Wales, and in many parts of England, 

 it was formerly customary to strew Roses and plant Rose- 

 trees on graves, and, indeed, the custom is still extant. Camden 

 says that at Ockley, in Surrey, the custom of planting Rose- 

 trees on graves had been observed " time out of mind." 



The Rose is one of the plants used for love divinations on 

 Midsummer Eve. In Cornwall, Devon, and other counties, if a 

 young lady will, on Midsummer Eve, walk backwards into the 

 garden, and pluck a Rose, she is reputed to have the means of 

 knowing who is to be her husband. The Rose must be cautiously 

 sewn up in a paper bag, and put aside in a dark drawer, there to 

 remain until Christmas morning, when the bag must be carefully 

 opened in silence, and the Rose placed by the lady in her bosom. 

 Thus she must wear it to church. Some young man will either ask 

 her for the Rose or take it from her without asking ; and that 

 young man is destined eventually to become the lady's husband. 



