182 



PARSONS OX THE ROSE. 



where this flower, associated as it is with innocence and 

 pleasant tbouglits, served, under the reign of Charles VI., 

 as the rallying sign of the faction of Burgundy against 

 that of Armagnac. The Parisians, urged by the agents 

 of the Duke of Burgundy, established the order of St. 

 Andre for their partisans, in order to manage them more 

 easily ; and the church of St. Eustache was chosen as 

 their rendezvous. Each church member wore a crown of 

 red roses, of which more than seven hundred were made 

 in the space of twelve hours, and the flowers were suf- 

 ficiently abundant to perfume the whole church. 



According to an ancient custom, the dukes and peers of 

 France were formerly obliged to present roses to the Par- 

 liament of Paris, at certain periods of its session. The 

 peer who was chosen to do the honors of this ceremony 

 caused all the chambers of Parliament to be scattered with 

 roses, flowers, and fragrant herbs ; and entertained at a 

 splendid breakfast the presidents, councilors, and even the 

 notaries and door-keepers of the court. He afterwards 

 went into each chamber, accompanied by a page with a 

 large silver basin, which contained as many bouquets of 

 roses and other flowers as there were public oflicers, with 

 an equal number of crowns composed of the same flow^ers. 

 The Parliament also had its cultivator of roses, called the 

 Hosier de la Cow\ from whom the peers could obtain the 

 roses for their presents. 



Under the reign of Francis I., in 1541, there was a dis- 

 pute between the Due de Montpensier and the Due de 

 Nevers respecting the present age of the roses to Parlia- 

 ment. It was decided that the Due de Montpensier, from 

 his rank as prince of the blood, should be entitled to 

 the first present age. Among the princes of the royal 

 family who submitted to this ceremony at later periods, 

 are numbered the dukes of Vendome, Beaumont, Angou- 

 leme, and several other distinguished names. Henry IV., 

 while only King of ^favarre, proved to the procureur- 



