64 FLORA DOMESTICA. 



-" none but laurel here 



Shall 'scape thy blasting." 



FORD'S SUN'S DARLING. 



The Abbe Barthelemy describes a festival held at Thebes 

 in honour of Apollo, in which the priest of that god, who 

 is always a young man, handsome, and of high birth, walks 

 in procession, with a crown of gold on his head, a branch 

 of laurel in his hand, dressed in a magnificent robe, and 

 with his hair floating over his shoulders ; he was followed 

 by a number of young girls, also carrying branches of 

 laurel, and singing hymns. 



A young man, a relative of the priest, preceded him, 

 bearing a long branch of olive, covered with flowers and 

 laurel leaves, and terminated by a large globe of brass re- 

 presenting the sun. To this globe were suspended several 

 little balls of the same metal, for the stars, and three hun- 

 dred and sixty-five purple streamers, which marked the 

 days of the year. The moon was figured by a smaller 

 globe placed beneath. The festival being in honour of 

 Apollo, the design was to represent the pre-eminence of 

 the sun over all the other stars. 



It was called the feast of laurel boughs *. 



It is remarkable that this beautiful tree, which is hardy, 

 handsome, sweet, and an evergreen, to say nothing of 

 classical associations, is so seldom and so sparingly culti- 

 vated in this country. Evelyn tells us " that some Bay- 

 trees were sent from Flanders with stems so even and up- 

 right, and with heads so round, full, and flourishing, that 

 one of them sold for twenty pounds ; and, doubtless," adds 

 he, " as good might be raised here, were our gardeners as 

 industrious to cultivate and shape them. I wonder we 

 plant not whole groves of them, and abroad, they being 



* See Anacharsis, vol. iii. p. 319. 



