PRUDENCE.

MOUNTAIN ASH.-Sorbus aucuparia.

"The mountain ash, whose flower-fill'd boughs
Spread like a cloud at noon;

Whose shade is a haunted place

For the sweet airs of June.

I wreathed amid thy hair

Its berries, like the coral crown

That the sea-maidens wear."

L. E. L.

This elegant tree seems to have been selected as the emblem of prudence, from its foliage being withheld until the equinoctial winds have ceased to commit their devastations.

Peacham says,

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Under prudence is comprehended that discreet, apt, suiting and disposing, as well of action as words, in their due place, time, and manner."

PURITY AND MODESTY.

WHITE LILY.-Lilium Candidum,

"Ye loftier lilies, bath'd in morning dew,
Of purity and innocence renew
Each lovely thought

Barton.

All nations and ages agree in making this flower the symbol of purity and modesty ; and its beauty and delicacy has ever been the theme of admiration with the poets from the time of Solomon to the present day.

Cotton thus addressed a beautiful young girl, who was admiring these flowers:

"Lilies are by plain direction

Emblems of a double kind;
Emblems of thy fair complexion,
Emblems of thy fairer mind.

But, dear girl, both flowers and beauty
⚫ Blossom, fade, and die away;

Then pursue good sense and duty,

Ever-greens that ne'er decay."

Thomson says,

"Observe the rising lily's snowy grace;

Observe the various vegetable race;

They neither toil nor spin, but careless grow;

Yet, see how warm they blush! how bright they glow!
What regal vestments can with them compare?
What king so shining, or what queen so fair?"

PURITY OF SENTIMENT.

WHITE VIOLET.-Viola alba.

"That strain again—it had a dying fall;

O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet breath
That breathes upon a bank of violets,

Stealing, and giving odour."

QUICK-SIGHTEDNESS.

HAWKWEED.-Hieracium.

This plant is made the emblem of quicksightedness, because it was formerly given to hawks to sharpen their sight, and from hence its name originated.

It is observed by Locke, that "

nobody will

deem the quick-sighted amongst them to have

very enlarged views in ethicks."

RARITY, OR EXTRAORDINARY.

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MANDRAKE. Atropa Mandragora.

the mandrake's flow'rs

Whose root shews half a man, whose juice

With madness strikes."

Columella.

In symbolical language the mandrake is made the emblem of any thing rare or extra

ordinary, on account of its supposed extraordinary properties, as well as its rarity.

"La mandragore qu'on arrache,
Long-temps résiste avec effort,

Jette un grand cri, frappe de mort
Le bras hardi qui la detache."

An observation is made in the Spectator that deserves the notice of others as well as the cultivators of flowers, it says—

"Far from being fond of any flower for its rarity, if I meet with any in a field which pleases me, I give it a place in my garden."

S