In 1402, Sir William Clopton granted to Thomas Smyth a piece of ground called Dokmedwe, in Haustede, for the annual payment of a rose to Sir William and his heirs, in lieu of all services. The demand for roses formerly2 was so great, that bushels of them were frequently paid by vassals3 to their lords, both in England and France. The single rose, paid as an acknowledgment, was the diminutive4 representation of a bushel of roses—as a single[Pg 176] peppercorn, which is still a reserved rent, represents a pound of peppercorns—a payment originally of some worth, but descending5 by degrees to a mere6 formality. Among the new-year gifts presented to Queen Mary in 1556, was a bottle of rose-water; and in 1570 we find, among the items in the account of a dinner of Lord Leicester, when he was Chancellor7 of the University of Oxford8, three ounces of rose-water. In an account of a grant of a great part of Ely House, Holborne, by the Bishop9 of Ely, to Christopher Hatton, for twenty-one years, the tenant10 covenants11 to pay, on midsummer-day, a red rose for the gate-house and garden, and for the ground (fourteen acres) ten loads of hay and ￡10 per annum; the Bishop reserving to himself and successors free access through the gate-house, for walking in the gardens and gathering12 twenty bushels of roses yearly. In 1597, we find Gerard speaking of the Damask rose of Damascus and the Cinnamon rose as common in English gardens. Hakluyt says that the rose of Damascus was brought to England by De Linaker, physician to Henry IX.; and his successor, Sir Richard Weston, who wrote in 1645, says, “We have red roses from France.” In the reign13 of James I., the keeper of the robes and jewels at Whitehall, among a variety of other offices, had separate salaries allowed him, “for fire to air the hot-houses, 40s. by the year;” and, “for digging and setting of roses, in the spring gardens, 40s. by the year.”
It would seem, by these incidents, that previous to the seventeenth century, roses were far from being abundant, and indeed were so rare, that a bottle of distilled water was a fit present for Royalty14, and a few roses an amply sufficient rent for house and land.
In the times of chivalry15, the Rose was often an emblem16 that knights17 were fond of placing in their helmet or shield, implying that sweetness should always be the companion of courage, and that beauty was the only prize worthy18 of[Pg 177] valor19. It was not, however, always taken for such emblems20, nor did it always bring to mind pleasant and agreeable images, but was often the signal for bloodshed in a desolating21 civil war which raged in England for more than thirty years.
The rival factions22 of the White and the Red Rose arose in 1452, during the reign of Henry VI., between the houses of Lancaster and of York. The Duke of York, a descendant of Edward III., claimed that his house possessed24 a nearer title to the crown than the reigning25 branch. He adopted a white rose on his shield, for his device, and the reigning monarch26, Henry VI., of the house of Lancaster, carried the red rose. After several furious civil wars, after having flooded the whole kingdom with blood, and after the tragical27 death of three kings, Henry VII., of the house of Lancaster, re-united, in 1486, the two families by marrying Elizabeth, the heiress of the house of York.
The adoption28 of the red rose, by the house of Lancaster, was at a period far prior to these civil wars. About 1277, the Count of Egmont, son of the King of England, and who had taken the title of Count of Champagne29, was sent by the King of France to Provence, with some troops, to avenge30 the murder of William Pentec?te, mayor of the city, who had been killed in an insurrection.
When this prince returned into England, after executing his orders, he took for his device the red rose, that Thibaut, Count of Brie and of Champagne, had brought from Syria, on his return from the crusade some years before.—That Count of Egmont was the head of the house of Lancaster, who preserved the red rose on their arms, while the house of York, on the other hand, adopted the white rose as their device.
An anecdote31 is told of the Prince of Bearne, afterwards Henry IV. of France, who was not 15 years of age when[Pg 178] Charles IX. came to Nerac, in 1566, to visit the court of Navarre.
The fifteen days that he spent there were marked by sports and fêtes, of which the young Henry was already the chief ornament32. Charles IX. loved to practice archery; in providing for him that amusement, they thought that none of his courtiers, not even the Duke of Guise33, who excelled at this sport, would venture to prove himself more adroit34 than the monarch. The young Henry, however, advanced, and at the first shot, carried off the orange, which served for a mark. According to the rules of the sport, be wished, as victor, to shoot first in the next trial; the King opposed it, and repulsed35 him with warmth; Henry stepped back a little, drew his bow, and directed the arrow against the breast of his adversary36; the monarch quickly took shelter behind the largest of his courtiers, and requested them to take away “that dangerous little cousin.” Peace being made, the same sport was continued on the following day; Charles found an excuse for not coming. This time the Duke of Guise carried away the orange, which he split in two, and no other could be found for a mark.
The young prince perceived a Rose in the bosom37 of a young girl among the spectators, and seizing it, quickly placed it on the mark. The Duke shot first, and missed; Henry succeeding him, placed his arrow in the middle of the flower, and returned it to the pretty villager with the victorious38 arrow which had pierced it.
At Salency, a village of France, the Rose is the reward of excellent traits of character; they attribute the origin of the fête of La Rosière, in that country, to Medard, bishop of Noyon, who lived at the end of the fifteenth, and beginning of the sixteenth century, during the reign of Clovis. That bishop, who was also Lord of Salency, had established a fund, giving a sum of twenty-five livres (five dollars), and a crown or hat of roses, to the young[Pg 179] girl on his estate who enjoyed the greatest reputation for amiability39 and excellence40 of character. Tradition states that the prelate himself gave this desired prize to one of his sisters, whom the public voice had named to be Rosière. Before the revolution of 1789, there could be seen, beneath the altar of the chapel41 of St. Medard, at Salency, a tablet, where that bishop was represented in pontifical42 dress, and placing a crown of roses on the head of his sister, who was on her knees, with her hair dressed.
The bishop had set aside, on a part of his domain43, since called the “Manor of the Rose,” an annual rent of twenty-five livres, at that time a considerable sum, for paying all the expenses of this ceremony. It is stated that Louis XIII., being at the chateau44 of Varennes, near Salency, about the time of this ceremony, was desirous of adding to its éclat by his personal presence; but finding himself indisposed, he sent to La Rosière, by a marquis of rank and first captain of his guards, a ring and his blue ribbon. “Go,” said he to the marquis, “and present this riband to her who shall be crowned. It has been long the prize of honor; it shall now become the reward of virtue45.” Since that time La Rosière has received a ring, and she and her companions have worn the blue ribbon.
The Lord of Salency at one time enjoyed the right of choosing La Rosière from three of the village girls, who were presented by the inhabitants. But in 1773 a new lord, who purchased the estate of Salency, wished to take away the right enjoyed by the inhabitants, of naming and presenting to him the three candidates for the Rose. He assumed the nomination46 of La Rosière, without any assembling, election, or presentation, and suppressed entirely47 the pomp and ceremonies which until that time had always been observed. On the complaint of the inhabitants of Salency, the Court of Chancery at once set aside the pretensions48 of their lord; but he, not wishing to yield them, instituted a civil process before the Parliament of[Pg 180] Paris, which gave a decree in favor of the inhabitants of the place, by which it confirmed to them all the ancient customs of the fête of La Rosière, of which the Lord of Salency was ordered to pay all the expenses.
The ceremony of La Rosière was suppressed during the excesses of the Revolution, but was re?stablished when the times had become more quiet. The celebration takes place in June, and would be well worthy the attendance of foreign travelers.
We have mentioned this custom very much in detail, as it is one of the few ceremonies still existing, in which the Rose occupies a prominent position, and is made alone the reward of merit. Other festivals of the Rose, similar to those of Salency, were established in several other villages of France and the neighboring countries. When Louis XVIII. was staying at Blakenbourg, in Germany, during the years of his exile, he was invited to assist at a festival of La Rosière. When he had placed the crown on the head of the young girl who was designated as the most virtuous49, she said to him, ingenuously50, “My Prince, may your crown be restored you.”
There exists a touching51 custom in the valley of Engadine, in Switzerland. If a man accused of a crime is able to justify52 himself the same day on which he is liberated53 from prison, a young and beautiful girl offers him a white rose, called the Rose of Innocence54.
It is somewhat singular that, although the Rose was in these instances employed as the emblem of virtue and innocence, it has been considered, at other times and places, as a sign of disgrace and dishonor.
The synod held at Nismes, about the year 1284, ordered the Jews to wear on their breast a rose, to distinguish them from Christians55, in order that they might not receive the same attentions. At one time, in certain German provinces, a crown of red roses was the punishment of immorality56.
[Pg 181]
It appears that, in the Middle Ages, roses were much more abundantly cultivated in certain provinces than they have been since; for the following passage is found in Marchangy’s History of France in the 14th century: “For the ornament of certain festivals, they cultivate, in the vicinity of Rouen, fields of flowers of several rods: and the annual sale of bouquets57 and wreaths of roses is valued at 50,000 francs. The business of maker58 of wreaths, and that of rose merchant, is in France very common and very profitable. The above sum will not seem surprising, when we think of the enormous consumption of rose-water at that time. In all family parties, companies, and associations, many bouquets were presented; at table, during festivals, they crowned themselves with flowers, and scattered59 them on the table-cloth and the floor.”
The Marquis de Chesnel, in his History of the Rose, mentions that, among the old customs of Auvergne, Anjou, Tours, Lodunois, and Maine, there was one in the noble families, that a father who had sons, frequently gave to his daughters, on their marriage, only a wreath of roses. In Normandy, also, the daughters received, for their legitimate60 portion, a hat adorned61 with the same flowers. Among the ancient seigneurial rights in France, in the 14th century, was one by which each tenant was obliged to furnish a bushel of roses for the manufacture of rose-water for the lord of the soil. Madame de Genlis mentions, however, that about the same period, every one was not allowed to cultivate these flowers; but permission to do so was granted to privileged persons. Whether it was ever a royal monopoly she does not state; but it would certainly be no more singular than the monopoly of the sale of butter by the King of Naples.
We have already mentioned the wars of the White and Red Rose, which during so long a time deluged62 England with blood. There is also an instance in French history,[Pg 182] where this flower, associated as it is with innocence and pleasant thoughts, served, under the reign of Charles VI., as the rallying sign of the faction23 of Burgundy against that of Armagnac. The Parisians, urged by the agents of the Duke of Burgundy, established the order of St. André for their partisans63, in order to manage them more easily; and the church of St. Eustache was chosen as their rendezvous64. Each church member wore a crown of red roses, of which more than seven hundred were made in the space of twelve hours, and the flowers were sufficiently65 abundant to perfume the whole church.
According to an ancient custom, the dukes and peers of France were formerly obliged to present roses to the Parliament of Paris, at certain periods of its session. The peer who was chosen to do the honors of this ceremony caused all the chambers67 of Parliament to be scattered with roses, flowers, and fragrant68 herbs; and entertained at a splendid breakfast the presidents, councilors, and even the notaries69 and door-keepers of the court. He afterwards went into each chamber66, accompanied by a page with a large silver basin, which contained as many bouquets of roses and other flowers as there were public officers, with an equal number of crowns composed of the same flowers. The Parliament also had its cultivator of roses, called the Rosièr de la Cour, from whom the peers could obtain the roses for their presents.
Under the reign of Francis I., in 1541, there was a dispute between the Duc de Montpensier and the Duc de Nevers respecting the presentage of the roses to Parliament. It was decided70 that the Duc de Montpensier, from his rank as prince of the blood, should be entitled to the first presentage. Among the princes of the royal family who submitted to this ceremony at later periods, are numbered the dukes of Vendome, Beaumont, Angouleme, and several other distinguished71 names. Henry IV., while only King of Navarre, proved to the procureur-general[Pg 183] that neither he nor his predecessors72 had ever failed to perform that duty.
About the year 1631, there was published a very curious book on the Rose, by a German named Rosenberg. About 250 octavo pages are devoted73 entirely to the praise of the curative properties of the Rose in almost every known disease, making, in fact, this flower a universal panacea74 for the many ills to which flesh is heir. The author also claims for it supernatural qualities, particularly for driving away evil spirits. The work closes by asserting, as a positive fact, supported by several authorities which he quotes, the remarkable75 regeneration or resurrection of the Rose. He gives also the process of this reproduction, which is scarcely worth inserting here, being, like the story of the Ph?nix, a fable76 engendered77 by superstition78 upon ignorance. It is somewhat surprising that this fable should have been very gravely reproduced, in a French work on the Rose, published in 1800. The author states that, “notwithstanding the many marvelous things which we already know respecting the improving, forcing, changing, and multiplying of roses, we have yet to describe the most surprising of all—that of its regeneration; or, in other words, the manner of reproducing that flower from its own ashes. This is called the imperial secret, because the Emperor Ferdinand III. purchased it of a foreign chemist, at a very high price.” The conclusion is a rather amusing instance of Munchausenism in the 19th century. “Finally, all this material being placed in a glass vessel79, with a certain quantity of pure dew, forms a blue powder, from which, when heat is applied80, there springs a stem, leaves, and flowers, and a whole and perfect plant is formed from its own ashes.”
It is difficult to credit the fact that, in any part of this enlightened age, an author could be found who would gravely and in sincerity81 advance such opinions and state such facts as the above; and it is but an additional proof,[Pg 184] if such were wanting, that nothing can be advanced too monstrous82 or too incredible to be entirely without believers.
If the sight of roses, or their delicate fragrance83, has been generally delightful84 and pleasing, there have also been those who could not endure them. Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII., of France, although otherwise very fond of perfumes, had such an antipathy85 to the rose, that she could not bear the sight of one even in a painting. The Duke of Guise had a still stronger dislike, for he always made his escape at the sight of a rose. Dr. Ladelius mentions a man who was obliged to become a recluse86, and dared not leave his house, during the season of roses; because, if he happened to imbibe87 their fragrance, he was immediately seized with a violent cold in his head.
The odor of the rose, like that of many other flowers, has often occasioned serious injury, particularly in closed apartments; and persons to whose sensitive organizations the odor is disagreeable should not sleep with them in the chamber. Some authors of credibility mention instances of death caused by a large quantity of roses being left during the night in a sleeping apartment.
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1
distilled
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| adj.由蒸馏得来的v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )；从…提取精华 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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vassals
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| n.奴仆( vassal的名词复数 )；（封建时代）诸侯；从属者；下属 | |
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diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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chancellor
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| n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长 | |
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Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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covenants
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| n.（有法律约束的）协议( covenant的名词复数 )；盟约；公约；（向慈善事业、信托基金会等定期捐款的）契约书 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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emblems
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| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
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21
desolating
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| 毁坏( desolate的现在分词 )； 极大地破坏； 使沮丧； 使痛苦 | |
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factions
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| 组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 ) | |
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faction
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| n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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reigning
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| adj.统治的，起支配作用的 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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tragical
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| adj. 悲剧的, 悲剧性的 | |
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adoption
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| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
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champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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32
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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adroit
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| adj.熟练的，灵巧的 | |
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repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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amiability
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| n.和蔼可亲的，亲切的，友善的 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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41
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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42
pontifical
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| adj.自以为是的，武断的 | |
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domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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45
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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46
nomination
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| n.提名，任命，提名权 | |
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47
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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48
pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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49
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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50
ingenuously
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| adv.率直地，正直地 | |
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51
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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52
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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53
liberated
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| a.无拘束的，放纵的 | |
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54
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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55
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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56
immorality
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| n. 不道德, 无道义 | |
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57
bouquets
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| n.花束( bouquet的名词复数 )；（酒的）芳香 | |
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58
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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59
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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60
legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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61
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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62
deluged
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| v.使淹没( deluge的过去式和过去分词 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付 | |
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partisans
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| 游击队员( partisan的名词复数 )； 党人； 党羽； 帮伙 | |
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64
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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65
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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66
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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67
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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68
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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69
notaries
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| n.公证人，公证员( notary的名词复数 ) | |
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70
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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71
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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72
predecessors
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| n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身 | |
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73
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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74
panacea
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| n.万灵药；治百病的灵药 | |
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75
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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fable
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| n.寓言；童话；神话 | |
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77
engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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79
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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80
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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81
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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82
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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83
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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84
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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85
antipathy
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| n.憎恶；反感，引起反感的人或事物 | |
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86
recluse
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| n.隐居者 | |
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imbibe
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| v.喝，饮；吸入，吸收 | |
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