4 THE BOOK OF ROSES 



as clean As morning roses newly washed with dew," 

 " With cherry lips, and cheeks of damask roses," are 

 but specimens of hundreds of apt references to the Roses 

 of that age. Then again there is the second act of 1st 

 of Henry Vlth which is simply full of references to the 

 red and white Roses of the houses of Lancaster and 

 York. 



The National Rose Society (a society which every 

 Rose-lover is bound in duty to join) names 1596 as the 

 date at which it is known that the Cabbage or Provence 

 Rose was first certainly grown in this country, but it 

 seems probable that it was of earlier introduction. The 

 bulk of varieties now grown in gardens, however, are 

 of comparatively recent origin, nearly all having been 

 created within the last century. By the middle of the 

 nineteenth century several varieties still highly valued had 

 made their appearance, among them being Devoniensis, 

 Rubens, Souvenir d'Elise, Senateur V., Vaisse, and 

 General Jacqueminot. Between 1 860 and 1865 a 

 number of other still valuable Roses were added to 

 the list. These include Marechal Niel, Prince Camille 

 de Rohan, Fisher Holmes, Alfred Colomb, Charles 

 Lefebre, Duke of Wellington, Marie Baumann, and 

 Xavier Olibo. From that time to the present infinite 

 new varieties have been created, many of them of 

 astounding beauty. 



But still the origin of the Rose goes back beyond 

 recorded history, and we shall do well to accept the 

 legendary origin given by Sir John Mandeville, that 

 great and credulous collector of legend. 



" At Bethelhem is the Felde Floridos, that is to 

 seyne, the Feld Florisched\ for als moche as a fayre 

 mayden was blamed with wrong and sclaundered, for 

 whiche cause sche was demed to the Dethe, and to 

 be brent in that place, to the whiche she was ladde ; and 

 as the Fyre began to brenne about hire, sche made hire 



