Broom. 
i 39 
from which was suspended a golden cross inscribed with the 
words Exaltat humiles .* Attached to this order was a body¬ 
guard of one hundred nobles, who wore, embroidered on the 
backs and fronts of their coats, the broom, and above that, a 
hand holding a crown, with the inscription, Deus exaltat 
humiles .f 
Some florigraphists have deemed the broom emblematic of 
ardour, doubtless from the well-authenticated fact that the 
spadix acquires so strong a heat as to be painful to the hand 
when touched. 
There is one great charm, seldom commented upon, about 
this flower,— 
“ The golden broom, 
Which scents the passing gale,”— 
and that is its delicious aroma. 
* He exalteth the humble. 
t God exalteth the humble. 
