164 
THE MORAL OF FLOWERS. 
establish the fame of the colchicum in those early and 
credulous times, its powerful medicinal virtues attracted 
the notice of men of science in the middle ages, and 
still uphold it in repute. The Swiss, indeed, regard it 
with a reverence which would not have disgraced those 
who believed in its fabulous origin; and attach the 
flower to the necks of their children, considering them 
thenceforth inaccessible to human ills. 
For those who look at nature through the medium 
of the imagination, such blossoms as open late in the 
year, just at the time — 
“ When the green delight 
Of leafy luxury begins to fade, 
And leaves are changing hourly on the sight,” 
have a peculiar charm. They may not be welcomed 
with that thrilling delight which the first flowers of 
spring always call forth, but they awaken many an 
image and feeling “ pleasant yet mournful to the soul.” 
To the scientific botanist, the plant under immediate 
consideration will always be interesting, not only from 
its reversing the customary order of the seasons, but 
from its affording an instance of what Paley calls the 
“ compensatory system.” Its peculiarly forlorn and 
defenceless aspect had frequently excited his sympathy 
