TIIE MYRTLE. 
131 
THE MYRTLE. 
MYRTUS. 
“ As in the hollow breast of Apennine, 
Beneath the shelter of encircling hills, 
A myrtle rises, far from human eye, 
And breathes its balmy fragrance o’er the wild.” 
To how many classical associations is the myrtle allied ! 
From its elegant simplicity, and also from its loving to 
grow near the sea, it was held sacred to Venus; it was 
the symbol of magisterial authority; and it wreathed 
the sword of him who obtained a bloodless victory. 
Such were its ancient honours, and these, added to its 
beauty and fragrance, may well entitle it to the favour 
of the moderns. Upwards of twenty species of this 
elegant genus have been discovered in different parts of 
the globe. The one with which we are most familiar, 
Myrtus communis, our classic favourite, is a native of 
each quarter. It grows most luxuriantly in Judea, 
(hence, perhaps, its frequent use in scriptural imagery,) 
and in the southern countries of Europe, especially in 
the Mediterranean isles; and, though not indigenous to 
