UISTORY OF THE ROSE. 155 



brilliant colors of the Rose to paint the rising of the sun. 

 Aurora, according to this poet, has fingers of roses, and 

 perfumes the air with roses. Few poets are more cele- 

 brated than Homer for beauty of conception, and for his 

 frequent similes borrowed from natural objects. His se- 

 lection, in this instance, evinces that the Rose was neither 

 an unknown nor an unadmired flower. Herodotus, who 

 lived about 400 years before the Christian era, mentions 

 that in Macedonia, in the gardens which were supposed 

 to have belonged to Midas, there were roses of sixty pet- 

 als, which grew spontaneously without culture, and 

 emitted a most delightful perfume. 



Ancient writings are full of allusions to the Rose, and 

 fabulous accounts of its origin. From its brilliant colors, 

 melting into each other as the shades of night melt into 

 the glowing richness of the rising sun, it was frequently 

 consecrated to Aurora. It was also consecrated to Har- 

 pocrates, the patron of Silence, of which it was consider- 

 ed the symbol. Thus the expression, " sub rosa " (under 

 the Rose), signified that all that was said should remain 

 secret ; and there is scarcely used a more expressive de- 

 vice for a seal than the simple figure of a Rose. It was 

 the custom, in some of the northern countries, to suspend 

 a Rose over the table in the dining-room, reminding the 

 guests that silence should be observed respecting all that 

 mi2;ht be said durinor the meal. 



Anacreon, Bion, Theocritus, Apollodorus, and others, 

 relate various fables respecting its origin, and its obtain- 

 ing the bright color for which it is distinguished. 



One fable relates that Flora, having found the dead 

 body of one of her favorite nymphs, whose beauty could 

 only be equaled by her virtue, implored the assistance of 

 all the Olympian deities to aid her in changing it into a 

 flower, which all others should acknowledge to be their 

 queen. Apollo lent the vivifying power of his beams, 

 Bacchus bathed it in nectar, Vertumnus gave its perfume, 



