THE EOSE. 225 



on the faggots being lighted, she prayed aloud that 

 God would, "as truly as she was not guilty/' make it 

 known to all. At the conclusion of her prayer, she 

 walked, in the full confidence of innocence, into the 

 midst of the burning pile ; upon which, the raging- 

 fire was immediately extinguished, and the faggots 

 as suddenly turned to roses ; those which were 

 flaming, becoming red roses, while such as were not 

 yet kindled, appeared as white ones. 



According to Basil, the rose was created without 

 thorns, which afterwards appeared on the plant in 

 consequence of the wickedness of men ; as the 

 Welsh believe that bees were white in Paradise 

 and acquired their present hue through the same 

 cause ; naively adding, that when driven out of the 

 Garden of Eden, they became brown, from the 

 wickedness of the inhabitants of every land over 

 which they flew, until they reached Wales, where 

 they retained their primitive colour for several 

 centuries ! 



The rose, as amongst Eastern nations, has ever 

 been a peculiar favourite in France. And some of 

 the French deeds or " acts " of the middle ages, con- 

 tain clauses stipulating for certain "rentes" of roses 

 (which appear to have been analagous to the " duty 

 fowls/' &c., even now, in some of our more remote 

 country districts, rendered to the lord of the land). 

 Such rents too, have been paid in our own country ; 

 Lord Brougham still holds the castle of Highhead, 

 in capite of the Queen, "by the service of a red rose, 

 rendered annually, at Carlisle ;" and a similar ser- 

 vice is on record in relation to a property near 



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