AUTUMNAL ROSES. 89 



Domitian, on his birth-day, which- was towards 

 the middle of November, it excited only laughter 

 and disdain ajnong the Romans. So abundant 

 were they then in Rome, that, to quote Martial, 

 'In all the streets we inhale the perfumes of 

 spring, and see sparkling the fresh garlands of 

 flowers ; send us wheat, Egyptians, and we will 

 send you roses.' * 



It seems, also, that the Romans forced flowers 

 by means of hot water, in their forcing houses, so 

 as to produce roses and lilies in December, for 

 Seneca f declaims against these inventions. Mar- 

 tial also says, book 12, epigram 127, 'That roses, 

 formerly only seen in spring, had in his time 

 become common during the winter.' If we may 

 thus judge from the ancients, our autumnal and 

 our winter roses, and even our forcing by hot 

 water, which has been thought to be so recent an 

 invention, are all of high antiquity; but, if we 

 may credit Pliny and others, the Romans could 

 not approach us in variety. The rose of Paestum, 

 the Rosa bifera alluded to by Virgil J, appears 

 to have been the only autumnal rose known. 

 This, according to Pliny, bloomed in the spring, 

 and again in the autumn. Many botanists have 



* Martial, book vi. epigram 80. 



t 'Non vivunt contra naturam, qui hieme concupiscunt 

 Eosam. Fomentoque aquarum calentium, et calorum apta imita- 

 tione, bruma lilium florem vernum exprimunt ? ' Epist. cxxii. 8. 



} Georgics, book iv. verse 18. 



