MILD, OR SWEET DISPOSITION. 105 
tribes who have always pitched their tents 
in the desert in preference to dwelling in 
fixed habitations, where it would have been 
their duty to cultivate the earth in order to 
multiply the benefits of nature. 
This plant was also eaten, boiled, by the 
Greeks and Romans, and in salads, with 
lettuce and other vegetables ; it is still used 
by the Chinese and the Egyptians. 
It grows, naturally, by the rivulet’s side ; 
and is of easy culture in any common gar¬ 
den soil. Its appearance is graceful and 
pleasing; and its rose-coloured flowers har¬ 
monise with its leaves and branches, the 
whole plant being covered with a silver- 
coloured silky down. It is equally agree¬ 
able to the sight as to the touch. Its flowers, 
its stalks, its leaves, and its roots, are all 
useful. We procure from them various 
juices, syrups, pastilles, and pastes, alike 
beneficial to health, and agreeable to the 
palate. The Romans used it on account of 
its medicinal qualities. 
Shards or mallows for the pot, 
That keep the loosened body sound. 
DRYDEN. 
o 2 
