36 A BOOK ABOUT ROSES. 



would take him, as it were, to the broad rivers, from which 

 silvery salmon leap, or peep with him stealthily through 

 brookside bushes at the dark, still, 3-lb. trout. Then, when 

 his eyes glisten and his fingers itch for a rod, I would teach 

 him how to throw and spin ; and would say to him, as old 

 Izaak said, " I am like to have a towardly scholar of you. 

 I now see that with advice and practice you will make an 

 angler in a short time. Have but a love of it, and Fll war- 

 ranty 021'' 



I will essay, therefore, while I enumerate and extol the 

 special charms of the Rose, to convince all florists zuhy, be- 

 fore I proceed to demonstrate hozu, they should admire and 

 honour pre-eminently the Queen of Flowers. 



First of all, because she is Queen. There is not in her 

 realm a single Fenian, but her monarchy is the most abso- 

 lute, and her throne the most ancient and the most secure 

 of all, because founded in her people's hearts. Her supre- 

 macy has been acknowledged, like Truth itself, semper, 

 ubique, ab oiiinibiis — always, everywhere, by all. 



I. Semper. — When, in sacred history, a chief prophet of 

 the Older Covenant foretold the grace and glory which 

 were to be revealed by the New — when Isaiah would select, 

 and was inspired to select, the most beautiful image by 



