40 SYLVA FLORIFEltA. 



thee, therefore, little laurus, in the shrubbery, 

 even when the queen of flowers displays her 

 blushing and odorous petals to the sun ; be- 

 cause we know thou wilt come with all thy 

 charms to make our winter walks more gay : 

 and much it must be regretted, that thy mild 

 charms could not detain the great Napoleon 

 to thy native Elba ; then many a widow- 

 hood would have been prevented, and the 

 name of Waterloo happily never known to 

 the fatherless child of many a sorrowing 

 mother. 



The laurestine grows naturally also in many 

 parts of the south of Europe, Spain,. Portugal, 

 and it is likewise found wild in Barbary. Old 

 authors give it the name of Laurustinus, from 

 a supposition that it was a smaller species of 

 the bay, laurus ; they therefore added the word 

 Two^or Tvwcg, tine, or tiny, small. The Greeks 

 called it AotcpvTj ctypfa. Cato names it Lauras 

 sylvatica; but Pliny says it was thought not 

 to be a laurel in his time. 



We are not able to state the exact time 

 when it was first introduced to this country, 

 but Gerard says, in 1596, that it then grew 

 and prospered very well in his garden at Hol- 

 born. He calls it the " Wilde baie tree," 

 and " Laurus tinus." 



The Italians call it Lauro salvatico, the 



