136 
LANGUAGE AND 
and Romans emblematic of victory and clemency. 
The glories of all grand deeds were signalized 
by means of laurel crowns; its leaves were 
deemed very efficacious in the prevention of ill¬ 
ness, and its shelter was believed to ward off 
lightning. 
The emblem of fame well deserves its cogno¬ 
men of “ sweetthe exquisite fragrance ex¬ 
haled by its leaves, especially when crushed, is 
well known. This odoriferous plant was worn 
by the Delphic priestesses when engaged in their 
sacrificial rites, during which time they were 
accustomed to chew some of the leaves and 
strew them on the sacred fire. The brows of 
warriors and poets, orators and philosophers, 
sovereigns and priests, were all adorned with 
wreaths of these leaves. At the Pythian games 
—held in commemoration of Apollo’s victory 
over the Python—a crown of laurel was the 
prize. The statue of iEsculapius, the son of 
Apollo, the god of physic as well as of music, 
was adorned with its leaves: a custom adopted 
to propitiate that deity, who would assuredly 
guard from inj ury any place where he found the 
emblem of his beloved Daphne. 
Physicians held the bay in great esteem, and, 
doubtless from its associations, considered it a 
panacea. When any person was seized with a 
dangerous illness, it was customary with the 
Greeks to fix a branch of laurel over the door¬ 
way, in order to avert death and drive away evil 
