226 ATTRACTIONS OF THE KOSE. 



ARTICLE IV. 



ATTRACTIONS OF THE ROSE. 



BY ROSABELLA. 



Tins beautiful flower has long been the admiration of all classes of 

 society, and in every clime where it has displayed its floral beanties. 



Sacred and other historians, as -well as poets of every age, have 

 lauded its beauties and perfume ; and very lately having met with a 

 page or two illustrative thereof, I transcribe them for insertion in 

 the Cabinet. 



" Fabulous authors account for the delicious perfume of the rose, 

 by telling us that Love, in a feast of Olympus, in the midst of the 

 gaiety of a light and lively dance, overthrew, with a stroke of his 

 wing, a cup of nectar, which precious liquor falling on the rose, 

 embalmed it with that heavenly fragrance which it still retains. 



" Mythological writers also relate that Rhodante, queen of Corinth, 

 to avoid the pursuit of her lovers, fled to the temple of Diana to 

 conceal herself; but being besieged by lovers, and obliged to 

 appear, she called on the people for assistance, who, on beholding 

 her beauty, threw down the statue of Diana, and declared her to be 

 the goddess of the temple ; upon which Apollo changed her into a 

 rose. 



" The first rose ever seen was said to have been given to Harpo- 

 crates, the god of silence, to engage him not to divulge the amours o* 

 his mother Venus ; and from hence the ancients made it a symbol of 

 silence, and it became a custom to place a rose above their heads in 

 their banrjuetting rooms, in order to banish restraint, as nothing 

 there said would be repeated elsewhere ; and from this practice ori- 

 ginated the saying, ' under the rose,' when anything was to be kept 

 secret. 



" The Turks are great admirers of this beautiful flower, and 

 Musselmans in general believe that it first sprang from the perspi- 

 ration of Mahomet, on which account they will not suffer a rose leaf 

 to lie on the ground, or permit any one to tread upon this sacred 

 flower. 



" In the luxurious days of the ancients, even the warriors crowned 

 themselves with garlands of roses during their principal repast ; and 

 Plinv tells us, their delicate meats were either covered with the 



