THE JASMINE. 
127 
The girls of Tuscany, it is said, wear a nosegay 
of jasmine on their bridal day; and they have a say¬ 
ing, that she who is worthy of being decorated with 
such a bouquet, is rich enough to make the fortune of 
her husband. The origin of this custom and its ac¬ 
companying proverb is thus related: — “A certain 
Duke of Tuscany, the first possessor of the jasmine, wish¬ 
ing to preserve it as an unique, forbade his gardener to 
give away a single branch; but love reigned paramount 
in the gardener’s heart, and on the birthday of his 
mistress, he presented her with a bouquet, and slid into 
it a sprig of jasmine. The delighted girl, in order to 
preserve its freshness, planted it in the open ground: 
it took root, and the following year was covered with 
flowers. In the interim she had received instructions 
on the cultivation of it, and it increased under her 
care. The girl knew how to profit by the circum¬ 
stance: she sold her jasmine, and to so good an 
account, that she was enabled to enrich her lover by 
the little treasure she had amassed; and their union, 
which poverty alone had delayed, was happily con¬ 
summated.” 
There are several species of this elegant plant. 
-“ Th’ Azores send 
Their jessamine ; her jessamine, remote 
