ACANTHUS. 103 
bride had collected the flowers and veil which were 
to have adorned her on her wedding-day, placed 
them in a little basket near the tomb] on^ an Acan- 
thus plant, and covered it with a large tile. The 
following spring the leaves of the Acanthus sur- 
rounded the basket, but, impeded by the tile, they 
turned back and bent round gracefully towards their 
extremities. Callimachus, astonished at this rural 
decoration, which looked like a work of the weeping 
Graces, made it the capital of the Corinthian order 
— a charming ornament that we still imitate and 
admire. 
