FLORAL CEREMONIES. G5 
In Eastern nations flowers and perfumes have 
been considered one of the indispensible en- 
joyments of the higher classes of society, 
from the remotest antiquity. From those 
nations the Homans appear to have borrowed 
this delicate refinement, and to have carried 
it to the utmost excess in their costly enter- 
tainments. They soon began to consider 
flowers as forming a very essential article in 
their festal preparations ; and it is the opin- 
ion of Baccitjs, that, at their desserts, the 
number of their flowers far exceeded that of 
their fruits. The odour of flowers was thought 
to arouse the fainting appetite, and it cer- 
tainly must have added an etherial enjoy- 
ment to the grosser pleasure of their banquet- 
ing boards : 
“ Bring flowers, young flowers, for the festal 
board, 
To wreath the cup ere the wine is poured ; 
Bring flowers ! they are springingin wood and vale, 
Their breath floats out on the southern gale, 
And the touch of the sunbeam hath waked the 
rose, 
To deck the hall where the bright wine flows.” 
Hemans. 
1 56 
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