HOSE. 179 



rarity in 1597. Hakluyt says, that the da- 

 mask rose was brought in by Dr. Linaker, 

 physician to King Henry the Seventh and his 

 successor. But from the verses of Chaucer 

 and other old poets, it appears that the gar- 

 den roses were common in this country at a 

 much earlier period, and we can hardly sup- 

 pose that so many pilgrimages would be made 

 to Rome and even to Jerusalem, without 

 some one's bringing back plants of these 

 flowers, that were then so commonly used in 

 Christian churches, and so highly extolled for 

 their medical virtues. 



In those early days the principal gardens 

 of this kingdom were attached to priories 

 and other religious houses, and as the heads 

 of these establishments had frequent com- 

 munication with similar communities on the 

 continent, we may safely conclude that so 

 precious a gift as the rose would not pass 

 neglected. From the luxurious manner in 

 which the Romans lived in this country for 

 many ages, and from their habit of wearing 

 wreaths of roses at their banquets, it is more 

 than probable that they introduced many 

 kinds of their own roses into the gardens which 

 they formed in this island. The principal 

 varieties of the Provence rose are, the Com- 

 mon, Scarlet, Blush, White, Rose de Meaux, 



n 2 



