THE ROSE IK CEREMONIES, ETC. 167 



CHAPTER XIL 



THE ROSE, m CEREMONIES AND FESTIVALS, AKD IN 

 THE ADORNMENT OF BURIAL-PLACES. 



Among the ancients, the Rose was conspicuous in all 

 the sacred ceremonies, and in public and private fetes. 

 The Greeks and the Romans surrounded the statues of 

 Venus, of Hebe, and of Flora, with garlands of roses. 

 They were lavish of these flowers at the festivals of Flora ; 

 in those of Juno, at Argos, the statue of the Olympian 

 Queen was crowned with lilies and roses. In the festivals 

 of Hymen, at Athens, the youth of both sexes, crowned 

 with roses and adorned with flowers, mingled in dances 

 which were intended to represent the innocence of prime- 

 val times. At Rome, in the public rejoicings, they some- 

 times strewed the streets with roses and other flowers. 

 It is thus that Lucretius gives a description of the manner 

 in which w^ere celebrated the festivals of Cybele."^'' 



To scatter flowers on the passage of the funeral proces- 

 sion of a private citizen was an honor not common at 

 Rome. Pliny informs us, however, that a Scipio, belong- 

 ing to the illustrious family of that name, who while he 

 was tribune, fulfilled his duties to the satisfaction of the 

 people, dying without leaving sufficient to pay his funeral 

 expenses, the people voluntarily contributed to pay them, 

 and on the appearance of the body, cast flowers upon its 

 passage. 



Ergo cum i^rimum, magnas invccta per urbes 

 Munificat tacita mortales muta salute ; 

 -^re atque argento, sternunt iter omne yiarum. 

 Largifiea stipe dilaiites, ninguntque Rosarum 

 Floribus, umbrantes matr'^.m comitumque catervas.'^ 



Lucretius, lib. ii., ver. 625. 



