214 



THE HAWTHORN. 



The leaves^ like those of the Beech and some 

 other trees^ are invested with a short downy 

 covering while young, which afterwards almost 

 entirely disappears, leaving a bright and glossy 

 surface. They are said to be used not unfre- 

 quently for the purpose of adulterating tea ; and 

 indeed, not many years since, a patent was taken 

 out for preparing them as a substitute for the 

 more costly leaf ; cattle will browse on them, 

 not forgetting to pay due regard to the sharp 

 spines with which the younger branches are plen- 

 tifully armed. 



Most of my readers will, I doubt not, be able 

 to recall a period of their lives when a twig of 

 Hawthorn, just coming into bud, straight and 

 smooth, and furnished with a regular array of un- 

 mutilated spines, contributed not a little to the 

 innocent enjopnent of childhood. AVith a daisy, 

 chosen from among a thousand for its petals 

 deeply tinged with crimson — many times thrown 

 away to give place to another yet more beautiful 

 — and a half-open buttercup, stuck on alternate 

 thorns — who so happy as we were then ! ^^^len 

 have we been so happy since ? Never, perhaps, 

 except when we have stolen away from the 

 world and thoughts of the world, and bui'ying 

 ourselves in the depths of a forest, have dis- 

 covered, in the solemn and mute aspirations of 

 created Nature, intimations of the spring of 

 an Eternity. Never man spake as He did who 

 bade us look to children for our first and most 

 perfect lessons in Christian philosophy : it can- 

 not, therefore, be unattended with profit to 

 ourselves, if, in mature age, we can now and 

 then catch but a transient impression of the 



