30 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION 



beautifullest prince of his time," received from his 

 loyal subjects the name of the Rose of Rouen, he 

 having been born in that town. Edward was a 

 devotee of the rose, and the first monarch to issue 

 a coin adorned with the national flower. This was 

 the gold rose-noble, inscribed with the appropriate 

 motto, " Rosa sine spina " A rose without a thorn. 

 His example was followed by several of his 

 successors, and the rose-noble of Henry VIII. is 

 held by many to be the most beautiful of all 

 English coins. 



Although the Rose has since the time of Edward I. 

 been accepted as the national flower of England, 

 there has been in our time a determined attempt to 

 oust it from its place. So recently as on the 

 occasion of the coronation of His Majesty King 

 Edward VII. a most strenuous effort was made by 

 certain people to substitute on that day the Lily for 

 the Rose, and it was openly stated in many of our 

 daily papers that the Lily was to be the flower worn 

 on Coronation Day. Those who were responsible 

 for this crusade against the Rose alleged that the 

 Lily of the Valley was Her Majesty Queen 

 Alexandra's favourite flower, which, by the way, 

 was not true. 



Luckily a few people of very high rank took 



