FLORAL SYMBOLS. 
229 . 
held it in high repute, both as a charm against evil 
spirits, and for its supposed medicinal virtues. They 
were very confident in its powers, because its leaf repre¬ 
sented the three departments of nature-—the earth, the 
sea, and the heaven. The legends of Ireland tell how 
St. Patrick chose it as an emblem of the Trinity, when 
engaged in converting the native Irish, and hence the 
esteem in which it is held by the Irish peoplefor the 
shamrock is only the common white, or Dutch clover 
(Trifolium repens ).* The ancients represented Hope by 
a little child standing on tiptoe, and holding a trefoil in 
his hand. Scarcely any religious symbol has been so 
widely and reverently regarded as such, as the aloe. 
Throughout the East it is held in profound veneration. 
The Mahometans, especially those who reside in Egypt, 
regard it as a religious symbol of the most exalted 
character. The Mussulman who has performed a 
pilgrimage to the shrine at Mecca, ever after considers 
himself entitled to the veneration of a saint, and hangs 
the aloe over his door to signify his religious purity, and 
to proclaim the great duty which he has performed. It 
is also highly esteemed as a charm against any malign 
genius, and no evil spirit will pass a threshold where so 
holy a symbol is suspended. The Jews at Cairo have a 
similar belief, and suspend the aloe at their doors, to 
prevent the intrusion of these dreadful influences. The 
Mahometans, who plant their burial-places with shrubs 
and flowers, place the aloe at the extremity of every 
grave, on a spot facing the epitaph; and they call it by 
the Arabic name saber, signifying patience .+ 
* Or the wood Oxalis. f Burckhardfc. 
