S I L 



S I L 



PI. 603. Willd. n. 56. Fl. Brit. n. 11. Engl. Bot. 

 t. 1081. Lightf. 227. t. 12. f. I. Fl. Dan. t. 21. Al- 

 lien. Pedem. v. 2. 83. t. 79. f. i. (S. e.xfcapa ; ibid, 

 t. 79. f. 2. S. elorigata ; Bellardi Append, ad Fl. Pe- 

 dem. 23. Cucubalus acaulis ; Hudf. 187. Lychnis alpiiia 

 .pumila, folio graminco ; Bauh. Pin. 206. Dill. Elth. 206, 

 with a plate. Caryophyllus Pumilio alpinus ; Ger. Em. 

 593. Ocimoidc mofcofo alpino ; Pon. Bald. 199.) — Stems 

 very fiiort. Leaves linear, fmooth ; fringed at the bafe. 

 Stalks folitary, lingle-flowered, naked. Calyx imooth. 

 Petals flightly emarginate ; their creib minute, cloven. — 

 Native of the hij;hcll mountains of Lapland, Scotland, 

 Wales, Auftria, Switzerland, France, and Italy, flowering 

 in June and July. The perennial roots bear mimcrous, 

 denfe, mofs-likc tufts, of fliort leafy Jlems, fo that the 

 name acaulis is not itriftly correft, when applied to this 

 and fome other alpine plants. Linnxus was doubtlefs aware 

 of this, and ufed fuch an cxprcffion merely to contrail the 

 plants in queftion with other evidently caiilefcent fpecies of 

 their own genus. The leaves are bright green, crowded, 

 fpreading, meafuring from half an inch to an inch. Floiver- 

 Jlalks folitary, fimple, (lender, naked, fmooth, very various 

 in length, whence AUioni and Bellardi have exalted fome 

 trifling varieties to the rank of fpecies. Floivers pink, with 

 a violet calyx, much fmaller than in the preceding, but very 

 elegant. The crejl is fometimes fo fmall as to be eafily 

 overlooked. Capfule ovate, nearly feffile in its calyx. 



We are perfuaded that the capfule of this whole genus has 

 properly fix valves, or teeth, and that five are never jullly 

 attributed to it. We have not indeed had an opportunity 

 of inveftigating every fpecies, and even the accurate delinea- 

 tor of the Flora Grieca having moll generally exhibited only 

 five of thefe parts, we cannot but hefitate, though on ex- 

 amining many fpecimens from which he made his drawings, 

 we find fix. A fimilar inaccuracy has crept into the hillory 

 of the neighbouring genus ylrenaria, upon which we may 

 take fome other opportunity of commenting. 



SiLENE, in Gardening, contains plants of the hardy 

 herbaceous, and of the annual and perennial kinds, of which 

 the fpecies cultivated are, the common or Lobel's catchfly 

 (S.armeria); the variegated catchfly (S. quinquevulnera) ; 

 the pendulous catchfly (S. pcndula); the Spanirtl catchfly 

 (S. mufcipula) ; the green-flowered catchfly (S. viridiflora); 

 the Nottingham catchfly (S. nutans); and the flirubby 

 catchfly (S. fruticofa). 



In the firll fort there are varieties with a bright purple 

 flower, with a pale red, and with a white flower. 



Method of Culture. — The annual and biennial forts may 

 be raifed by feeds, which fliould be 'own in the fpring or 

 autumn fcafona, where tlie plants are to grow ; but the 

 latter is the better time. Some fow at both feafoiis, which 

 may be a good praftice. The feed fliould be put in in 

 patches in the borders, clumps, &c. When the plants are 

 up, they fliould be thi[ined to two or three plants in each 

 clump, and be kept clean from weeds. With the biennial 

 forts it is fometimes the prafticc to fow them in beds ; and 

 when the plants are up, to remove them into nurlery-rows 

 till the autumn, when they are planted out in the bor- 

 ders, &c. 



And the perennial forts may likewife be increafcd from 

 feeds, in the fame manner ; but the ufual way is by flips of 

 the heads, and parting the roots, planting them out in (hady 

 places, in the fpring or early fnminer months. The flirubby 

 lurt may be incrcaicd by flips and cuttings of the branches 

 or flioots, which fliould be jilantcu out in fimilar fituations, 

 in the fpring and lummcr feafuns. 



They all afford ornament and variety in the clumpi and 

 borders of pleafure-grounds. 



SILENI, in ^Indent Geography, a people of India, 

 placed by Pliny in the vicinity of the river Indus. 



SiLKN'l, in yinliquily, a fort of heathen demigods, the 

 fame with fatyrs, which were called Sileni when they came 

 to be advanced in age. 



Yet was there one principal Silenus, elder than any of the 

 rell. Diod. Siculus fays, he was the mailer or tutor of 

 Bacchus, whom he difciplined nobly, and followed him to 

 the wars. He quotes an ar.cient poet, named Thymoctas, 

 who relates, that the Sileni aflilled Bacchus in the war he 

 waged againft the Titans ; adding, that the firft Silenus 

 reigned in an ifland made by the river Triton, in Lybia. 



He is reprefented as having a long tail hanging behind, 

 which is likewife an attribute of all his pollcrity. The 

 poets always mount him on an als, always drunk, and 

 hardly able to fupport himfelf; " titubantem annifque 

 meroque," as Ovid (Met. 1. v.) fpeaks. Upon all the an- 

 tiques that reprefent him, he has the air of a drunken man 

 dozing over his wine ; and wiien Virgil, in one of his 

 Eclogues, defcribes him, it is like a man gorged with wine 

 as ufual : 



" Inflatum hefterno venas ut femper faccho." 



Ancient authors, however, who are very worthy of 

 credit, exprefs more favourable fentiments of him. Silenus, 

 according to their account, was a profound philofopher, 

 whofe wildom was equal to his knowledge ; and the drun- 

 kennefs fo often mentioned was merely myltical, fignifying 

 that he was profoundly immerfed in fpeculation. Cicero, 

 Plutarch, and many others, had formed the fame idea of 

 Silenu.'(, and always regarded him as a very ingenious man, 

 and a great philofopher. Accordingly Virgil, in his fecond 

 eclogue, puts into his mouth the principles ot the Epicurean 

 philofophy, about the formation of the world, and the 

 beings that compofe it : 



" Namque cancbat uti," Sec. 



Midas, having heard of the extraordinary talents of Si- 

 lenus, wiflied for an opportunity of converfing with him. 

 Silenus, who rambled about the country upon his afs, fre- 

 quently repofcd near a fountain, which Midas fnpplied with 

 wine ; and here Midas found him, and treated ium with great 

 refpeft. In confequence of this intercourfe, Midas availed 

 himfelf of the couniels of Silenus, in founding his laws and 

 rehgious ceremonies. See MlDAs. 



A pafiage in Diogenes Laertius is faid to explain the 

 fable of Silenus's riding on an afs ; for in comparing Arif- 

 totle to Silenus, he lays, the firll was always on horfeback, 

 and the fecond rode upon an afs : the meaning of which is, 

 that he made only flow, but furc, advances in philofophy ; 

 whereas the other moved at a quick pace, and now and then 

 made a trip. The fable of the als's ears, according to Ter- 

 tullian (1. ii. de Anima), informs us, that he was endued 

 with great intelhgcncc. Voflius (dc Idol. 1. li.) explains 

 that of the fountain of wine, by faying that it fignified only 

 the dcfire that Midas had to get Silenus into his poflellion, 

 who, accordnig to him, was king of Caria, and adtially 

 became a gre.nt friend to Silenus. He ii reprefented as dil- 

 tinguiflied for his (kill in mufic. He is faid, not only to 

 have invented mufical inllruments, but to have had the 

 courage, like Marfyas, to challenge even Apollo himlclf to 

 a triaf of flcill. Herodotus, fpeaking of M.u f)-i«, calls him 

 Silenus, 1. vii. c. 26. 



Nonnu3 makes Silenus a fon of Tillus ; and gives him 

 4 U 2 l'"f« 



