THE BEAUTIES OF APRIL AND MAY. 



91 



ducing the ranunculus. All bold and graceful, it 

 expands the riches of its foliage, and acquires by 

 degrees the loveliest enamel in the world. As persons 

 of intrinsic worth disdain the superficial arts of recom- 

 mendation practised by fops, so this lordly flower 

 scorns to borrow any of its excellencies from powders 

 and essences. It needs no such attractions to render 

 it the darling of the curious, being sufficiently enga- 

 ging from the elegance of its figure, the radiant variety 

 of its tinges, and a certain superior dignity of aspect. 



I had intended to confine our meditations to the 

 beauties of April and May, but nature seems to im- 

 prove in her operations. Her latest strokes are the most 

 masterly. To crown the collection, she introduces the 

 carnation, which captivates our eyes with a noble 

 spread of graces, and charms another sense with a 

 profusion of exquisite odours. This single flower has 

 centered in itself the perfection of all the preceding. 

 The moment it appears, it so commands our attention, 

 that we scarcely regret the absence of the rest. The 

 field we have entered is so extensive and so enchant- 

 ing, that we cannot extricate ourselves, without taking 

 a cursory glance at the airs and habits, the attitude 

 and lineaments, of each distinct class. See the Paeonia 

 of China, splendid and beautifully grand ! View the 

 charming rose, delicate and languishingly fair ! and 

 while you inhale its balmy sweetness, you will be 

 constrained to admire it, notwithstanding its thorny 

 appendages. Behold all the pomp and glory of the 

 parterre, where nature's paint and perfume do won- 

 ders. Some rear their heads as with a majestic 



