HISTORY OF THE ROSE. 



159 



sculpture a rose on the tombstone of a female who dies 

 unmarried. 



The early Roman Catholics have made the Rose the 

 subject of various miraculous events, one of which is 

 attributed to the canonized Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary. 

 As the French author, Montalembert, relates it in his his- 

 tory of that Queen, Elizabeth loved to carry to the poor 

 herself, by stealth, not only money, but even food, and 

 other things which she had provided for them. She went 

 thus loaded, and on foot, by the steep and hidden paths 

 which led from the chateau to the town, and to the cot- 

 tages in the neighboring valleys. One day, when, accom- 

 panied by her favorite maid, she was descending by a 

 rough and scarcely visible path, carrying under her cloak 

 some bread, meat, eggs, and other food, for distribution 

 among the poor, she was suddenly met by her husband, 

 who was returning; from the chase. Astonished to see 

 her thus bending under the weight of her burden, he said 

 to her, " Let me see what you are carrying." At the 

 same time he threw open the cloak, which she held, with 

 terror, to her breast, but found, as the legend says, noth- 

 ing there but some white and red roses, the most beauti- 

 ful he had ever seen. 



D'Orbessan, in his work on the Rose, states, that in the 

 church of Sainte-Luzanne, at Rome, is a mosaic of the 

 time of Charlemagne, in which that prince is represented 

 in a square mantle, and on his knees, while St. Peter is 

 placing in his hands a standard covered Avith roses. 



Michaud, in his Blographie TTniverselle^ speaks of 

 Clemence Isaure, a French lady, who lived in the latter 

 part of the fifteenth century. She bequeathed to the 

 academy of Toulouse a large income, exclusively for the 

 celebration of floral games, and for the distribution of 

 five prizes for as many pieces of poetry. The prizes con- 

 sisted of an amaranth and rose of gold, and of a violet, 

 marigold, and lily, of silver. The will also required that 



