The name of rosary was given to a string of beads5 used in the Romish Church to represent a certain number of prayers; it was instituted about the year 667, but was not[Pg 203] much used until Peter the Hermit6 excited the Christian7 nations to the Crusade, about 1096. Dominique, a Romish saint, established, in 1207, the brotherhood8 of the Rosary, and the festival of the Rose was instituted in 1571 by Pope Pius V., in thanksgiving for the victory gained by the Christians9 over the Turks at Lepante. Subsequent popes gave to that ceremony more éclat, and caused it to be established in Spain. The name of rosary was formerly10 also given to the vessel11 used in distilling12 rose-water. The Rose has also given the idea of new forms of beauty in architecture and the arts. A rose is sometimes sculptured in the centre of each face of a Corinthian capital. It is also frequently seen in iron castings for the banisters of the stone steps of a house, and it is sometimes displayed upon the pavement in front of some splendid mansion13. This, however, is rare in the United States, although frequent in Europe.
Among all the imitations of the Rose, none can compare with those painted on glass, some of which can be found in the windows of celebrated14 European Cathedrals in Canterbury, Cologne, Milan, Rheims, St. Denis, and others. We can scarcely imagine anything more beautifully soft than these paintings on glass, as seen from the interior of a church, in the rich light of a glowing sunset; the Rose thus painted seems to possess all the freshness and beauty of the real flower.
The nave15 of the Cathedral of Paris, besides twenty-four large windows, is lighted by three others, large and magnificent, in the shape of a Rose, which are each forty feet in diameter. The paintings on glass which ornament16 these windows were executed in the 13th century, and still retain their fresh and bright colors: that over the grand entrance represents the signs of the zodiac, and the agricultural labors17 of each month.
In heraldry, the rose frequently forms part of a shield, in full bloom, with a bud in the centre, and with five[Pg 204] points to imitate thorns; it is an emblem18 of beauty and of nobility acquired with difficulty.
The Golden Rose was considered so honorable a present, that none but monarchs19 were worthy20 to receive it.
In the 11th century, the Pope introduced the custom of blessing21 a golden Rose, which he presented to some church, or to some prince or princess, as an especial mark of his favor.
In 1096, the Pope Urban II. gave a Golden Rose to the Comte d’Anjou. Alexander III. sent one to Louis, King of France, in acknowledgment of the attentions of that prince during the Pope’s visit to France, as stated in a letter which he wrote the King.
“In accordance with the custom of our ancestors, in carrying a rose of gold in their hands on Dimanche L?tare22, we do not think we can present it to one who merits it more than yourself, from your devotion to the Church and to ourselves.”
Pope John, in 1415, sent the Golden Rose to the Emperor Sigismund. Martin V., in 1418, sent another to the same prince. Pius II., in 1461, sent one to Thomas Paleologue, Emperor of Constantinople. Henry VIII., of England, before his separation from the Church of Rome, received the Golden Rose twice; the first from Julius II., and the second from Leo X.; and in 1842, the Pope’s Nuncio Capaccini presented it to Donna Maria, Queen of Portugal. Isabella, Queen of Spain, was presented with it a few years since.
The public ceremony of blessing the Rose was not instituted until 1366, by Urban V.: that pontiff, wishing to give a particular mark of his esteem23 to Joanna, Queen of Sicily, solemnly blessed a Golden Rose, which he sent her, and made at the same time a decree, that a similar one should be consecrated24 every year. For fifty or sixty years, the Pope gave the Rose to princes who came to Rome; and it was the custom to give 500 louis to the[Pg 205] officer who carried it for the Pope. The Rose, in its intrinsic value, was, however, sometimes worth double that sum.
We have thus given all the information we have been able to collect respecting the history of the Rose.
We shall feel abundantly gratified if the facts and anecdotes25 we have cited shall tend to enhance the already growing interest in this flower; and by thus connecting it with the lore26 of antiquity27, cast around it a bright halo of pleasant associations.
Among the various riches of the garden, there are many flowers of great attractions: some we admire for their beautiful forms, others for their brilliant colors, and others again for their delightful28 fragrance29; and we scarcely know which to pronounce the most pleasing. But whatever may be our feelings of admiration30 for these beautiful flowers, a desire for something still more beautiful draws us to the Rose, and compels us to pronounce it superior to all its rivals. It is the Rose alone that never fatigues31, that always exhibits some new beauty, and that is never affected32 by fashion; for while Dahlias and other flowers have had their hour of favor, and have passed out of notice, the Rose has been a favorite for some three thousand years, and is still the first and most beautiful,—the chef d’?uvre of the vegetable kingdom.
The Rose is rendered a favorite by many pleasant associations. It has been the cherished flower of the ancient poets, and with modern poets it has lost none of its charms, but is still apostrophized and made an object of frequent comparison. With the ancients, it was, as we have seen, the ornament of their festivals, their altars, and their tombs: it was the emblem of beauty, youth, modesty33, and innocence34, and was full of tender sentiment[Pg 206] and pleasant images. A French writer, in a somewhat more extravagant35 vein36 of laudation, says, “Its name alone gives birth in all sensible minds to a crowd of pleasant thoughts, while, at the same time, it excites a sensation of the most delightful pleasures, and the most sweet enjoyments37.” The name of “Queen of Flowers,” has been given to the Rose, almost from time immemorial; but this name is particularly applicable to the R. centifolia and the hybrids38 from it. Yet the little, modest wild rose, found only in woods and hedges, adorns39 the solitude40 where it grows, and possesses for many a charm not surpassed by that of any of the cultivated varieties: its regularly formed corolla, of a soft and delicate color, combines in its simplicity41 many an attraction not found in the most beautiful flowers of the garden; and late in the season, when the fields are stripped of their verdure, the landscape is enlivened by the bright appearance of its red, coral-like fruit.
The beauty of the Rose has preserved it and its reputation for many ages. The most populous42 nations, the largest cities, the most wealthy and powerful kingdoms, have disappeared from the earth, or have been involved in the revolutions and subversions of empires, while a simple flower has escaped them all, and still remains43 to tell its story. It has seen a hundred generations succeed each other, and pass away; it has traveled through ages without changing its destiny or losing its character: the homage44 rendered and the love borne it have been always the same: now, as in the earliest periods of the world’s history, it is decreed the first place in the floral kingdom. In these days, as in those of antiquity, it is par4 excellence45, the Queen of Flowers, because it is always the most beautiful, and because no other flower can furnish half its charms. To elegance46 and beauty of form it unites the freshness and brilliance47 of the most agreeable colors, and, as if nature had showered upon it all her most precious[Pg 207] gifts, it adds to its other qualities a delightful perfume, which alone would suffice to entitle it to a distinguished48 place among the beautiful and pleasant things of the vegetable kingdom.
The End
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1
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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3
component
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| n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的 | |
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par
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| n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的 | |
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5
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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hermit
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| n.隐士，修道者；隐居 | |
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7
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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8
brotherhood
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| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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10
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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11
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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12
distilling
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| n.蒸馏（作用）v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )( distilled的过去分词 )；从…提取精华 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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14
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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nave
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| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
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16
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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17
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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18
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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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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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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tare
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| n.皮重；v.量皮重 | |
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23
esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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24
consecrated
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| adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献 | |
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25
anecdotes
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| n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 ) | |
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26
lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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27
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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28
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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29
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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30
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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31
fatigues
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| n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服 | |
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32
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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33
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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34
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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35
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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36
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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37
enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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38
hybrids
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| n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 )；杂交植物（或动物）；杂种；（不同事物的）混合物 | |
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39
adorns
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| 装饰，佩带( adorn的第三人称单数 ) | |
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40
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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41
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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42
populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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43
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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44
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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45
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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46
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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47
brilliance
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| n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智 | |
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48
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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