190 SYLVA FLORTFERA. 



Claudian tells us, in his admirable poem of 

 the Rape of Proserpine, that when Ceres de- 

 cided to travel over the earth in search of her 

 daughter, she hastened to Etna, to prepare 

 the torch which was to light her on the road 

 during the night; and that having rooted up 

 two gigantic cypresses, the goddess threw them 

 into the crater of that mount, which, being 

 inflamed by the sulphur, augmented the fires 

 of Etna; and from thence the ancients, we 

 presume, dedicated this tree to Pluto and 

 Proserpine. The Romans placed a branch of 

 the cypress tree before their dwellings when 

 any one died, which remained as long as the 

 corpse was in the house; and which it then 

 accompanied to the funeral pile, or the tomb. 



Lucan, who wrote about the middle of the 

 first century, informs us that the cypress 

 was then only used at the funerals of persons 

 of distinction. He says, 



Et non plebe'ios luctus testata Cupressus. 

 " And the cypress testifying no vulgar grief." 



" The mournful cypress rises round, 

 Tap'ring from the burial ground." Lib. ii. 



The Turks of the present day attend most 

 religiously to the planting of the cypress tree 

 at the tombs of their departed friends and re- 



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