2u6 
LANGUAGE AND 
membrance; and as it was once believed to pos¬ 
sess the power of improving the memory, and 
was frequently employed as a means of invigor¬ 
ating the mental faculties, it is presumed, and 
with some show of probability, that it thus be¬ 
came the emblem of that quality with which it 
was so frequently associated. Perdita, in the 
“Winter’s Tale,” says: 
"For you there’s rosemary and rue; these keep 
Seeming and savor all the winter long : 
Graee and remembrance be with you both !” 
And in Hamlet, Ophelia says : 
“ There's rosemary for you : that’s for remembrance. 
Pray you, love, remember.” 
Highly esteemed as this plant was because of 
its being considered “ a comforter of the brain,” 
and a strengthener of mental faculties—and for 
these reasons deemed typical of that fidelity and 
devotion to the gentler sex which is presumed to 
have been a prominent characteristic of the days 
of chivalry—rosemary was also still more prized 
as a decoration at bridals and other domestic occa¬ 
sions. It was worn at weddings, to signify the 
fidelity of the lovers. 
Rosmarinus, as this plant is botanically styled, 
signifies the “dew of the sea,” and is so called 
because of its fondness for the sea-beat shores, 
whence its perfume often greets the mariner as 
he sails by. 
