The Vine. 79 



the sincerity of their loves by placing a petal of the Poppy in the 

 hollow of the palm of the left hand, which, on being struck by the 

 other hand, gave a sound that denoted true attachment, or faith- 

 lessness when it failed to snap. 



By a prophetic Poppy leaf I found 

 Your changed affection, for it gave no sound, 

 Though in my hand, struck hollow, as it lay, 

 But quickly vanished like your love away. 



Millions of pounds of Opium are annually consumed for the 

 purpose of degrading man below the brute ; and so profitable is 

 the trade, that the commerce of England, extensive as it is, could 

 not spare the China proceeds, but must unjustly, and foolishly for 

 them in the end, make the Chinese government allow its intro- 

 duction whether they would or not. Since the temperance refor- 

 mation in America, ardent spirits have, in numberless instances, 

 been supplanted by this pernicious drug ; an artifice, however, 

 that will never succeed in sufficiently disguising its effects, for 

 bad as rum is, the use of this deadening soporific is infinitely 

 worse ; and the bloated countenance and shallow brain will 

 always mark the Opium Eater. 



The Vine. 



" The drink that's in the drunkard's bowl, 

 Is not the drink for me, 

 It kills his body and his soul, 

 How sad a sight is he." 



The generic name is derived from Vieo, to fasten, from the 

 care necessary in tying up its branches. Its characters are: 

 petals cohering at the tops, shrivelling ; berry two or five-seeded, 

 superior. 



Pliny tells us, that the god of wine, Bacchus, was crowned 

 with Vine leaves, which thus composed the first crown that was 

 ever made or worn ; this was done because he first taught its 

 use. It sprang from the blood of the giants, who, having made 

 war on the gods, perished in the battle ; on this account the 

 Egyptians, who, whatever was their ignorance in other respects, 

 seemed to be aware of such matters, held it odious, neither 



