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ELM.— ULMUS. 



Natural order, Scabridce, Amentacece, Juss. A 

 genus of the Pentandria Digynia class. 



Ancient fable tells us, that the vegetable 

 kingdom owes the birth of this tree to the 

 united melody of the lyre and the voice of 

 Orpheus, whose harmonious complaints for 

 the loss of Euridice gained him admittance 

 to the dominions of Pluto, 



" Where, while the bard melodiously complains, 

 And to his lyre accords his vocal strains, 

 The very bloodless shades attention keep, 

 And, silent, seem compassionate to weep. 

 Ev'n Tantalus his flood unthirsty views, 

 Nor flies the stream, nor he the stream pursues; 

 Ixion's wond'ring wheel its whirl suspends, 

 And the voracious vulture, charm'd, attends. 

 No more the Belides their toil bemoan, 

 And Sisiphus, reclin'd, sits list'ning on his stone." 



Ovid. 



On his return to earth, we are told by the 

 poet that he retired to a verdant hill, but 

 which was destitute of shade, where he no 

 sooner breathed his plaintive airs or struck his 



