THYME. 32g 



n O'er fringed heaths, wide lawns, and mountain steept, 



With silent step the artful Thy ma creeps, 

 Unfolds with fragrant bloom her purple flow'rs, 

 And leads with frolic hand the circling hours." 



Row DEN. 



Greece was celebrated for its thyme, on 

 account of the excellent honey which it af- 

 forded. The honey of Athens was esteemed 

 the best in the world, on account of the 

 thyme which grew on the surrounding hills 

 and mountains, particularly that of Hymettus, 

 which being often washed off by heavy rains 

 filled the valleys with this fragrant herb. 

 " For the sake of honey," says Pliny, " we 

 have brought thyme out of Attica, but there 

 is great difficulty in raising it from seed ; for 

 it is the nature of the Attic thyme, not to 

 thrive or live, but within the air and breath 

 of the sea. This opinion," he continues, "was 

 also generally entertained by our forefathers, 

 that no thyme would do well, except it be 

 near the sea, and which they assigned as a 

 cause for its not growing in Arcadia." He 

 also observes that thyme begins to flourish 

 when the bees begin to gather honey, and ac- 

 cordingly as it flourished more or less, they 

 judged what sort of season there would be 

 for honey ; the honeymasters and those that 



