114 SYLVA FLORIFERA. 



various in our walks ; for we do not unite the 

 idea of peace with the olive-branch, more 

 strongly than that of glory with the bay-tree. 

 Henry the I Vth of France, before his achieve- 

 ments at the beginning of the civil wars, de- 

 manded a new year's gift of Aubigne, who 

 sent him an emblematic nosegay, composed of 

 olive, bay, and of cypress, with a sonnet, the 

 explanation of which was, that he must make 

 a good peace, vanquish, or die. 



It was an ancient custom to place wreaths 

 of laurus with the berries on the heads of those 

 who had distinguished themselves in some 

 particular branch of polite acquirement; hence 

 our expression poet laureate. The poet lau- 

 reate (" now broach ye a pipe of Malvoisie,") 

 of modern times tunes his reed so sweetly, 

 that Apollo cannot reward him without the 

 aid of Bacchus, who annually furnishes the 

 happy bard with a butt of malmsey. Some 

 penetrating critics have, since this change, 

 declared that they discovered the wine in the 

 walk of the laureate's poems. 



Students who have taken their degrees at 

 the universities are called bachelor, from the 

 French Bachelier, which is derived from 

 the Latin Baccalaureus (laurel and berries). 

 These scholars were not allowed to marry, 

 lest the duties of husband and father should 



