TRE CARNATION-PINK 
245 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
Carnation and Pink — Deptford Pink — Mountain Pink — 
Clove July - Flower — Varieties of Carnation — Rose 
Campion — Lychnis — Chickweed — Soapwort — Spurrey. 
“The curious choice clove july-flower.’'’ 
I would rather see thyme and roses, marjoram and Juiy- 
flowers, that are fair and sweet and medicinal, than the 
prettiest tulips that are good for nothing. 
— Jeremy Taylor. 
Dianthus, the “Flower of God,” or the Divine flower, 
is the Latin name of this family of plants, and was given 
to the carnation and pink to show the estimation in which 
these beautiful and fragrant flowers were held. The car- 
nations were formerly called also coronations, and clove 
July-flowers, or gilliflowers; and a curious old name for 
the pink was that of soppes in wine, because its spicy 
petals were used to flavour the wine-goblet of our ances- 
tors, as rosemary flavoured the tankard of ale. Spenser 
says : 
“ Bring hether the pincke and purple cullambine, 
With gelliflowres ; 
Bring coronations and soppes in wine. 
Worn of paramours.” 
During summer our gardens have no greater beauty 
than the varied tribe of carnations; and the flower culti- 
vator is busily employed in tending them, and giving their 
slight stems and heavy blossoms the needful support ; 
while their powerful aroma is scarcely excelled in strength 
and sweetness even by that proverb of odours, the rose. 
