14 FAMILIAR GARDEN FLOWERS. 
associated with spices, and this lly has a powerful and 
spicy odour that exactly answers to the suggestion of the 
text. Thus the white lly may be the lily of Solomon, 
because of its powerful fragrance, but the Gospel lily need 
not be scented, but must be glorious in apparel, comparable 
with this splendid monarch. It happens then that the 
Martagon Lily (L. chalcedonicum), which is almost devoid 
of odour, but produces flowers of the most brilliant scarlet, 
like the robes of Solomon, grows in profusion in the Levant, 
and is especially abundant about the Lake of Gennesaret, 
on the plains of Galilee, and the pastures on the borders of 
the desert. But it must also be borne in mind that the 
shushan, or lily of Seripture, may be rendered “rose” or 
“violet ” with propriety, and probably had a very broad 
meaning, so that we might read, “ Behold the flowers of the 
field, how they grow,” without in the shg¢htest degree mis- 
representing the purpose of our Lord. The word “lily” is 
of unknown origin, and im all its older forms is of general 
application, and therefore we cannot hope to identify with 
certainty eny flower so called in ancient and especially 
astern documents, It is none the less interesting, how- 
ever, to note how admirably these two lihes answer to the 
two references cited, so that we may, without resorting to 
invention, regard the scarlet martagon and the common 
white as por ercellence the lilies of Scripture. 
It is a question of some interest why the white lily 
was dedicated by the Romish Church to Mary the mother of 
Jesus, and hence employed on the 2nd of July in connection 
with the celebration of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin. 
The delicate whiteness of the flower renders it in this 
respect appropriate ; but it is worth considering, too, that it 
is the only flower distinctly mentioned hy the Founder of 
