156 THISTLE. 



crimson, the petals of which partake of that peculiarity of the 

 order of the gnaphalium or &quot; everlasting flowers&quot; which causes 

 them to retain their color for so long a time. It is found through 

 out the land, among the rocks and fallen walls. In the beautiful 

 parable which Jehoash, king of Israel, uttered when Amaziah 

 challenged him to battle, the allusion is probably to this thistle. 

 The words are the same in 2 Kings xiv. 9 and 2 Chron. xxv. 18. 

 &quot; The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was 

 in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife : and 

 there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trod 

 down the thistle.&quot; The carduus is the thistle of Lebanon, a 

 showy plant, with numerous short, thorn-edged leaves. Je- 

 hoash s parable was a prophetical illustration; for the wild 

 beast did tread down the thistle, since Jehoash, though he 

 declined the challenge, finally met the challenger and con 

 quered him, and tore down a part of Jerusalem, where he 

 made his residence. Even in the thistle there is sustenance 

 for cattle and many birds; and the goldfinch of Lebanon 

 (beautifully figured and colored in &quot; Palestine Past and Pre 

 sent&quot;) feeds upon the seeds of this plant, whence it receives 

 its Latin name carduus, as well as its French chardonneret, 

 from char don, a thistle. 



