388 A TOUa ROUND MT GASDEN. 



Among the bulb-gods, I forgot to mention a little god of 

 this kind, which is at this moment almost under my feet, 

 which Homer calls moly, and the modems yellow garlic, 

 allium aureum. Many persons keep it in their gardens, 

 solely for the pleasure of seeing the yellow stars with which 

 it is covered, and are blessed with all the joys of earth, and 

 preserved from all mischances, without feeling the least grati- 

 tude towards the garlic, which is, notwithstanding, the only 

 cause of this happy state; preferring, without doubt, to 

 attribute their success in everything to their merit, their 

 wisdom, and their prudence; looking upon the garlic as a 

 mere "bouquet." 



But the yellow garlic is more than it appears to be ; the 

 yellow garlic has the power of keeping us safe from enchant- 

 ments, spells, evil presages. A crow may fly by you on your 

 left hand, but you need not entertain any fear if you have 

 only the yellow garlic in your garden. You meet with a 

 spider in the morning — don't be afraid of it; you spiE. the 

 salt — ^the mischance will not fell to you; a hare crosses your 

 path in the morning — be not on that account apprehensive of 

 the crosses of the world ; the yellow garlic is cherished byyou 

 in your garden, and watches over you; the yeUow garlic, 

 which affects to bloom simply like any other flower, and has 

 the air of caring about nothing, which yields but a sufficiently 

 disagreeable smell — the yellow garlic wiU not allow any of 

 these evil omens to affect you. You happen to be thirteen at 

 table, you know that one of the guests of course will die 

 within the year. Let others be made uneasy by this ominous 

 circumstance, others who have not the yellow garlic in their 

 gardens. But this is Friday ! To be thirteen at table is a 

 particularly unfortunate affair, when there happens to be 

 barely dinner enough for twelve. Yes, but this is Friday I 

 and Friday is an unlucky day. What is that to you? there 

 is no unlucky day, I teU you, for the fortunate possessor of 

 the yellow garlic. 



Pliny as well as Homer was acquainted with the qualities 

 of the yellow garlic. 



Phny says that it is one of the most valuable plants to 

 man. Homer relates that it was to the virtues of the yellow 

 garlic that Ulysses owed his fortunate escape from being 



