34 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION 



ing, compounding, and distilling Roses. Here we 

 read of "Conserve of Red Roses in the Italian 

 Manner," " Marise of Roses," and the unpleasantly 

 named Cynorrhodon, composed of pulped Dog Roses. 

 Cooks went so far as to prepare a dish consisting 

 of " the brains of birds and pigs well boiled with 

 some fragrant Roses pounded in a mortar " a most 

 unhallowed mixture. In case of illness recourse 

 was had to such cordials and medicines as " tincture 

 of Roses " and " Sweetbrier Rose vinegar." 



Every well-equipped household possessed a Rose- 

 still, and made Rose-water in lavish abundance. 

 This was used not only for toilet purposes, but also 

 to flavour all kinds of food, even meat and fish. 

 Rose-water also formed the basis of a drink beloved 

 of old-time roysterers, known as Rosa Solis. The 

 other components were aqua vitse, orange-flower 

 water, and extract of cinnamon, the whole forming 

 an insidious and potent mixture, warranted, Dekker 

 tells us, " to wash the molligrubs out of a moody 

 brain." We hear of this drink from Pepys, when 

 one of his boon companions, filled with Rosa Solis, 

 leaps from a high balcony "the greatest and 

 desperatest frolic I did ever see." 



The amount of Roses consumed in these various 

 forms must have been very great, but still there were 



