AND FLOWERS OF POETRY. 75 
ENTERTAINMENT —FEASTING. 
PARSLEY. 
Parsley was in great reputation among the Greeks. In their 
banquets they crowned their brows with its light tendrils, which 
they thought created gayety and so increased their appetites. 
At Rome, in the Isthmian games, the conquerors were crowned 
with parsley. It is thought this plant came from Sardinia, be¬ 
cause that province is represented on ancient medals under the 
form of a female, near whom is a vase in which is a bouquet of 
parsley. But this plant grows in all the fresh and shady places 
in Greece, and in the southern provinces of France. Guy de la 
Brosse affirms that it grows also near Paris, on Mount Valerian ; 
but it is presumable that the plant he designates is not the true 
parsley, since its introduction into France is attributed to Rabe¬ 
lais, who, according to the learned, brought it from Rome with 
the Roman lettuce; if this had been the case, he would probably 
have attached his name to those modest presents. Rabelais, 
like Queen Claude, would then have been celebrated by the 
gourmands of every age. However this may be, the beautiful 
verdure of this plant forms an elegant garnishing to our dishes ; 
it is the luxury of the soup-kettle ; it adds to the delight of the 
most splendid dinners. A branch of laurel and a crown of pars¬ 
ley are the attributes we admit as belonging to the god of ban¬ 
quets. These plants have served for nobler uses; but in the 
age of gastronomy, it is unnecessary to recall what was done in 
the age of heroism. 
We may roam through this world like a child at a feast, 
Who but sips of a sweet, and then flies to the rest; 
And when pleasure begins to grow dull in the East, 
We may order our wings and be off’ to the West; 
