Origin Of The Rose

The roso has many fabulous origina. Sorae state it to havo sprung from tho úooA of Venus. The Muliaimuedans say hat the sweat of ESeir propbot was the ource from which it grew ; while " the Ghebers believe that when Abraham their great piüphet, was throwii irito the ího 'y order of JTimrod, the ílaine turnee! uto a bed of roso3, upon whicli the child bwuetly reposed." Tho Christian legend m tho same subject is given by Sir John Maundoville. It is to the effect that a fair maiden of Bothlehem was slandereel, and condemnrjd t o be burnt ; but wLen .he iiro begun to burn around her, bhe jrayed fa our Lord tliat, as she was not uilty of that fin. He would help Eer, tnd inake her innocenco manifest to men, Thon was ttie firo quenched, and thc aurning branda becwttB ixd roso-treca full of roses, whilo those that wre not kindled becarae white rose-lrees full cf reses. " And tbeise weren the íirst roseros and roses, bothe white and red, ever saughe." Eosea have always figured lárgely in Cbristian trnditiou, from tho timo thcy wcre found in the tomb of tho Blpgsed Virgin until the institution of the rosary by St. Dominio, in tho thirteenth centurv - the beads (n tberogaries now in use Uaving becn syrubolized by red and white roses. Of their conneotion -with thö "Wársof theEoses' it is unnecorsnry lo sjscak ; but it may be meutioned that at Towton, in Yorkahire, whero one of the most disfistrous battles of that timo was fought, there are groups of rose-bushes in the " bloody niedow " whieh aro said to niark'1 lie graves of the slaia ; and local tradition states that these roses will only grow in that field, and that it is impossible to makc them grow ir removed thence. It is stated, however, that a kir at Tadcaster has had ono growinu' ;i bis garden for tour or five yuars ; r,o tha-t the Uittel riart of this tradition is scarcely "foundod on fact",