THE VIOLET 
73 
syrup so much used in the East, is made either from roses 
or violets, and is an invariable accompaniment at Oriental 
entertainments. Mr. Lane, in his notes on the ‘ Arabian 
Nights,’ relates one of the Mohammedan traditions of 
this flower : The prophet said of the violet, ‘ The ex- 
cellence of the extract of violets above all other ex- 
tracts, is as the excellence of me above the rest of 
the creation; it is cold in summer, and it is hot in win- 
ter:’ ” and another tradition asserts, that “the excellence 
of the violet is as the excellence of El Islam above all 
other religions.’ ” The author, like most other travellers 
in the East, gives his testimony to the delicious flavour 
of the violet sherbet. 
The sweet violet is now rare in Scotland, yet it would 
seem that it once flourished among the Highland glens, 
for the Highland ladies formerly used a preparation from 
it as a cosmetic. Professor Hooker quotes some lines, 
translated from the Gaelic, which prove that the cosmetic 
was once in high esteem. “ Anoint thy face with goat’s 
milk, in which violets have been infused, and there is 
not a young prince upon earth who will not be charmed 
with thy beauty.” Probably the goat’s milk was the 
most efficacious ingredient in the composition. 
The violet of India bears its blossom in an erect posi- 
tion, while our own native flow'er hangs down its head. 
The seed of the latter plant is contained in a capsule, 
and projected, when ripe, with considerable force from 
the stem. It has been remarked by Professor Rennie, 
that the drooping position of the purple petals, shaded 
still more by the large green flower-cup, serves as an 
umbrella to protect the seed, while unripe, from the rains 
and dews which would injure it. As soon as the seed is 
matured, and the little canopy is no longer wanted, the 
flower rises, and stands upright upon its stem; and as 
the observer marks these changes, he is reminded of the 
care of Him who, while guiding all things amidst the 
vast range of the Universe, forgets not even the flower 
of the field. 
The sweet violet was formerly much used as a remedy 
in complaints of the lungs; but the great changes which 
have been of late years made by chemistry, have led to 
the conclusion that it is inefficacious. A syrup formed of 
