THE BLACKTHORX. 249 



the Green-gage. It is known in France by several 

 names: that of Reine Claude" was given to it 

 from its liaA'ing been introduced into France by 

 Queen Claude, wife of Francis I. During the 

 Revolution, so great was the horror entertained 

 against everything bearing the shghtest allusion 

 to royalty, that in order to retain its popularity 

 it was oblis'ed to chan^'e its name to ''Prune 

 citoyemie," Citizen-plum. It received its name 

 Green-gage from the following circumstance. 

 The Gage family, in the last century, procured 

 from the monasterv of Chartreuse at Paris, a 

 collection of fruit-trees, the names of v\'hich were 

 in every instance but one carefully attached to 

 them. That of the Reine Claude, however, had 

 been either omitted by the packer, or been rubbed 

 off' during the transit to England. The conse- 

 quence v\'as, that it stood without a name until it 

 bore fruit, when the gardener very appropriately 

 called it ^' Green-gage,'' in honour of the family 

 who had introduced it. Since the revival of 

 royalty in France, the Citizen-plum has recovered 

 its ancient name, and ^' Reine-claudes are now 

 exported in large quantities. 



The best prunes and French-plums come from 

 Provence and the neighbourhood of Tours, the 

 quality depending upon the sort of fruit used, 

 and the care observed in the preparation. The 

 commoner kinds are shaken from the tree and 

 baked in an oven ; but the finer sorts are gathered 

 singly by the stems before sunrise, and laid, with- 

 out touching one another, exposed to the sun and 

 air several days before baking, great care being 

 taken not to remove the delicate bloom vrith 

 wliich they are covered. 



