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will remain without taking notice of the 
moft beautiful among them. I mean that 
Thiftle whofe leaves are variegated with ir- 
regular broad white veins. It is the Car- 
duus marianm or Milk Thiftle, or Lady's 
Thiftle. The old German Botanifts called 
it Carduus Maria that is, of the Virgin 
Mary: fo our old black-letter Botanifts call 
it Our Lady's Tbiflle. As the Galaxy, or 
Milky-way, in the Heavens was caufed by 
the overflowing milk of a Goddefs, fo the 
milk veins on this Carduus, were the effect 
of a fimilar redundancy in the breaft of the 
Virgin Mary> according to the fabulous 
mythology of the ancient Catholics. Thefe 
white veins fufficiently diftinguifh this fpe- 
cies; but fometimes they are wanting: in 
that cafe, you muft attend to the large 
thorns, befet with a few fmall ones, which 
guard the calyx. You may likewife ob- 
ferve, that there is a fingle head on the 
top of each branch; that there is no leaf 
near it, and that the leaves embrace the 
ftem. 
I fuppofe you are now fo much a bota- 
nift, that it is almoft unnecefTary to tell you 
that thefe Thirties are of the Clafs and Or- 
U der 
