THE CROCUS. 159 



formerly held to be a specific in gout (like colchicum, 

 another of the family), but in more modern days 

 Dr. Pereira has shewn that though it mitigates this 

 most distressing complaint, it can do no more. It 

 is now little used in our medical practice, except 

 as a slightly stimulating tonic where the constitu- 

 tion is too much reduced to re-act without some 

 such assistance. 



Amongst the ancients in the West, as well as in 

 the East, the crocus was highly prized, whether in 

 its fresh state, for strewing the floors of apartments, 

 or as saffron, for twenty different purposes. Homer* 

 mentions it with the lotus and hyacinth ; Pliny de- 

 votes a chapter to its treatment, propagation, &c. ; 

 and Horace )* particularises the "Corycian saffron," 

 which was esteemed the best in the world. The 

 Romans applied the essential oil to the skin as a cos- 

 metic, as well as to the hair ; and largely employed 

 it for the purpose of scenting and refreshing the 

 theatres and other places of assembly. For this 

 purpose it was powdered and steeped in water, or 

 wine ; the liquid was then shot by means of a kind 

 of syringe, with extremely small pores, over the 

 multitude, so that it fell in drops so fine as to re- 

 semble an almost impalpable dust. In the cele- 

 brated tales of the Arabian Nights, saffron cakes 

 abound even more plentifully than they did in 

 former days in the hospitalities of our English house- 

 wives. The monopoly of all saffron grown in the 

 district is still retained by the rajah of Kashmir, and 

 the cultivators are compelled to sell it to him at 

 a stated price ; the whole crop being compulsorily 



* " Iliad," xiv., 348. t ii. Sat iv., 68. 



