GARDEN WALLS 211 



Divine/ which he called Herba Parietis; or, the Wall 

 Flower as it Grew out of the Stone Chamber belonging to the 

 Metropolitan Prison of London, called Newgate. The title- 

 page is an interesting engraving of old Newgate, and 

 from the hood mouldings of the upper windows on 

 each side of the gateway there spring wallflowers in 

 full flower. The idea is the somewhat conceited idea 

 of a beautiful work coming from a dreary place. The 

 other instances which I will quote are pleasanter, 

 because not so conceited. In The Antiquary, Sir Walter 

 Scott makes Edie Ochiltree, when hiding in the ruins 

 of St. Euth, moralise pleasantly on 'the wallflowers 

 and siccan shrubs as grow on thae ruined wa's,' and to 

 draw from them 'a parable to teach us not to slight 

 them that are in the darkness of sin and tribulation, 

 since God sends odours to refresh the mirkest hour, 

 and flowers and pleasant bushes to clothe the ruined 

 buildings ' (ch. xxi.). But of all references to flowers on 

 the old walls I think there is none more touching than 

 in Cardinal Newman's account of his departure from 

 Oxford in 1846. I must give it in full : 



{ I took leave of my first college, Trinity, which was so dear 

 to me. ... Trinity had never been unkind to me. There 

 used to be much snapdragon growing on the walls opposite 

 my freshman's rooms there, and I had for years taken it as 

 the emblem of my own perpetual residence, even unto death, 



