196 Gleanings from the 



in a fat and rich foile, ne yet upon a vein of cley," 

 which is the exact oppofite to the recommendations 

 of modern horticulture. Another hint may be 

 commended to the attention of rofarians : " They 

 that defire to have rofes blow betimes in the yeare 

 before their neighbours, ufe to make a trench 

 round about the root a foot deep, and poure hot- 

 water into it, even at the firft, when the bud of 

 the rofe beginneth to be knotted." 



In fpeaking of the "wine rofat," or " oile 

 rofat," compounded of rofes, Pliny feems to mean 

 what we call attar of rofes, or rofe-water. The 

 beft rofe-water is at prefent made at Ghazeepore, 

 and it is ufed in much the fame manner as the 

 Romans employed their "wine rofat," for bathing 

 any fore or inflamed part of the body. But, as 

 ufual, Pliny recommends every part of the rofe 

 for different ailments. The root of a kind of 

 wild rofe (our dog-rofe, fo named from this fuper- 

 ftition), is a fovereign remedy againft the bite of a 

 mad dog. "The afhes of rofes, burnt, ferve to 

 trim the haires of the eiebrowes. Dried rofe-leaves 

 do reprefs the flux of humours into the eies. The 

 flowre procureth fleepe. To rub the teeth with 

 the feed eafeth the toothach. The wild rofe- 

 leaves, reduced into a liniment with Beares greafe, 

 doth wonderfully make haire to grow again ;" 

 thefe will ferve as fpecimens of the medicinal value 

 of the rofe in Roman eyes. 1 In Gerard's " Herbal " 

 will be found two folio pages of the medicinal 

 value of rofes in the eftimation of our forefathers. 



1 See "Nat. Hift.," viii. 41 ; xxi. 19. 



