APPENDIX. | 



much more ancient than any city or ftate in Greece, and 

 in ufe probably before Greece was inhabited. Tne Jews 

 we know made ufe of it in the earlieft ages. At this very 

 time which we are now fpeaking of, we learn from Jofe- 

 phus *, that the elders, by order of the high prieft, carried 

 a copy of the law to Ptolemy Philadelphus in letters of 

 gold upon ikins, the pieces of which were fo artfully 

 put together that the joinings did not appear. 



The ancients divided this plant into three parts, the head 

 and the fmalj part of the flalk were cut off, then the woody 

 part, or bottom, and the root connected with it, and there re- 

 mained the middle. All thefe had feparate ufes. Pliny * 

 fays the upper part, which fupported the large top itleJf, 

 with the flowers upon it, was of no fort of ufe but to adorn 

 the temples, and crown the flames of the gods ; but it would 

 feem that it was in ufe likewife for crowning men of merit* 

 Plutarch § fays, that Agefilaus preferred being crowned 

 with that to any other, on account of its fim.pl icity, and 

 that parting from the king he had fought to be crowned 

 with this as a favour, which was granted him. Athenasus ||, 

 on the contrary, laughed at thofe that mixt rofes in the 

 crown of papyrus,, and he fays it is as ridiculous as mixing 

 rofes with a crown of garlic. The reafon, however, he gives 

 does not hold, for papyrus itfelf fmells no more o£,mud, as 

 he fuppofes, than a rofe-bu£h; nay, the flower of the papy- 

 rus has fomething agreeable in its fmell, though not fo 

 much fo as rofes. If he had faid that the head of the papyrus 



C 2 refembled 



* Jofepli. lib. xii. p. 405. 

 X Plin. Nat. Hift. lib. 13. cap. 11. $ Plutarch in Agefilao. H Atlien. lib. J 5. 



