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ON THE ROSE. 
The Alabandic Rose derived its name from Alabanda, a city of Caria, in Asia Minor. 
With the exception of the R. Grseca, which, as we before observed, was probably a species 
of Lychnis ; and also of the R. coroneola, which gained its specific name from the use to 
which it appears to have been specially dedicated, namely, to the forming of crowns and 
festoons ; the remaining Roses mentioned by Pliny, derived their distinctive names from 
characters possessed either by the flower, or some other part of the plant. 
The Island of Rhodes produced Roses ; but it was not from this flower, as some have 
supposed, the Island was named, but from the Pomegranate, which grows there in great 
perfection, and it is the balaustium or balaustra, i. e., not fully expanded flower-bud of this 
latter plant, which appears upon the Rhodian coins; 
The Pscstan Rose was cultivated at Paestum, and is believed to have been indigenous to 
the soil of Lucania. 
We now come to inquire into the periods of the flowering of the Rose ; on this point, 
however, we possess very scanty information. 
In Greece, the Rose appears to have blossomed in March ; and the R. Graeea, or 
Lychnis coronaria in May. In Italy early Roses were in bloom in April, and in May they 
were generally in flower. 
Theophrastus relates that the Rose expanded its flowers in Egypt, two months before 
they appeared in Italy, and continued to produce flowers, for almost as long a period in the 
former country, after it had ceased blossoming in the latter. 
In Greece the Rose succeeded the flowering of the Gladiolus and Hyacinth; it 
appeared somewhat late, and except when under cultivation, disappeared very soon. 
In Italy, it followed the White and Purple Violet, the Narcissus and the Lily. The 
White Violet was the herald of spring, though in warm and sunny spots its flower might 
be detected in the winter season. 
Having noticed the statements relating to the localities where the Rose was either 
cultivated, or flourished naturally, and also the periods of its flowering, we now come to 
consider the uses to which it was applied among the ancients. 
First, we shall very briefly notice its medicinal uses, and under this division take the 
opportunity of referring to some of the preparations made from it. 
The Rose and its preparations was believed to possess powerful refrigerating and 
astringent qualities, and in some instances, to act as a repellent, and emollient. 
The root of one species of Rose, the R. sylvestris, or canina, was, as related by Pliny, 
believed to be efficacious in the cure of bites from mad dogs. 
The preparations made from Roses were numerous ; ointments, oils, wines, and waters, 
were made from them. 
The most celebrated ointments were those made at Cyrene, a city of Libya, and that 
of Phaselis ; the latter, however, was subsequently surpassed by that made at Neapolis, 
Capua, and Prseneste. The Campanian Rose unguent was also much estimated, and made 
in such large quantities, that it was commonly said, that “ more Rose unguent was made in 
Campania, than was oil elsewhere.” Pliny states, that a wine was made from the 
expressed juice of the Rose petals ; but gives no account of its mode of preparation. The 
parts of the flower from which the above-mentioned preparations were made, were the 
petals and their claws, or the smaller ends of the flower leaves. These were gathered with 
care, and submitted either to pressure for the purpose of obtaining the juice contained in 
them ; or were exposed either in the sun, to be more quickly, or in a shady place to be 
more slowly dried, as was requisite. Sometimes the fresh petals were pounded up with 
other ingredients, and formed either conserves or unguents. The expressed juice was 
boiled down to the consistence of honey sometimes ; at others wine was added to it 
previously to being boiled. The leaves of the flower also were combined with aromatics, 
and in this form were ignited, and emitted a fragrant odour, and used much after the 
same mode in which pastilles are at the present time. Rose oils were formed by soaking 
or boiling Rose petals with oil ; and when wax was added to the oil so prepared, a cerate 
was formed. 
The employment of Rose oil for anointing the dead is alluded to by Homer, when he 
