PLATE LXXVI. 
II. THE OUINCE. 
[Pyrus Cydonia .] 
“ Cana .tenera lanugine mala.” 
Virgil. Eel. II. 51. 
(“ Apples hoar with softest down.”) 
“ Aurea mala ”—(Golden Apples.) 
Ib. Eel. III. 71. 
“ Si tibi Cecropio saturata Cydonia melle 
Ponentur, dicas hoec melimela licet.” 
Martial XIII. 24. 
(“ With Attick honey saturated, 
If Quinces should be brought to thee, 
Their name at once is indicated, 
And “ Honey Apples ” it must be.” 
H. W. Phillott.) 
They call for Dates and Quinces in the pastry.” 
Shakespeare. — Romeo and Juliet IV. 4. 
The Quince has a very remote and romantic history. It is noticed by writers from the 
earliest times. It has been supposed, by some, to have been the Golden Apple of the Hesperides, 
so famous in ancient fable ; and it has also been alleged that the Golden Fruit thrown by 
Hippomenes to Atalanta, were Quinces ; and even it has been supposed to be the fruit of the 
forbidden tree, which the Jewish traditions expressly describe as “ Golden.” 
The Quince was thought by the Greeks and Romans to be the emblem of love, happiness, 
and fruitfulness. It was dedicated to Venus, and the temples of that goddess at Cyprus and Paphos 
were decorated with it. 
The Quince grows wild abundantly on the rocky banks of the Danube, and in the warmer 
parts of Europe. In Germany it has become naturalized in the hedges ; and in this country it is 
tolerably hardy, although in severe winters it is sometimes much injured by frost. There are many 
varieties cultivated, but they are all closely allied to each other in character, and not in any one of 
them, has the rough, or austere taste of the fruit been sufficiently toned down by cultivation, to 
render it palatable or pleasant to eat when gathered fresh from the tree. 
The three principal varieties grown in this country are :— 
1. The Apple-Shaped Quince, round and full in shape, resembling the apple, as its name 
states. This is a hardy variety, much cultivated. It bears an abundance of fruit, which has an 
excellent flavour when cooked. 
2. The Pear-Shaped Quince, in form like the pear. This variety is the one represented 
on the Plate. It is the one most commonly grown. It is hardy and bears well, and though the 
fruit is not so succulent, it keeps longer than the Apple-Shaped Quince. The tree of this variety 
