254 PROSERPINA. 



mill) — their prime notion of the means of cook- 

 ing by fire — ("which to-day is, and to-morrow is 

 cast into the oven "), and their prime notion of 

 culinary office — the " chief baker" cook, or pastry- 

 cook, — (compare Bedreddin Hassan in the Arabian 

 Nights): and, finally, to modern civilization, the 

 Saxon word 'lady/ with whatever it imports. 



4. It has also been the practice of botanists 

 to confuse all the ripened products of plants 

 under the general term 'fruit.' But the essential 

 and separate fruit-gift is of two substances, quite 

 distinct from flour, namely, oil and wine, under 

 the last term including for the moment all kinds 

 of juice which will produce alcohol by fermenta- 

 tion. Of these, oil may be produced either in the 

 kernels of nuts, as in almonds, or in the substance 

 of berries, as in the olive, date, and coffee-berry. 

 But the sweet juice which will become medicinal 

 in wine, can only be developed in the husk, or 

 in the receptacle. 



5. The office of the Chief Butler, as opposed 

 to that of the Chief Baker, and the office of the 

 Good Samaritan, pouring in oil and wine, refer 

 both to the total fruit-gift in both kinds : but in 

 the study of plants, we must primarily separate 

 our notion of their gifts to men into the three 

 elements, flour, oil, and wine; and have instantly 



