One evening at a party,
all the ladies were called upon to choose a flower each, and the
gentlemen were to make verses on the selections. Amelia fixed upon the
flaunting rose, Charlotte the modest mignonette. In the course of the
evening Amelia coquetted so desperately with a dashing Colonel that the
Count could not suppress his vexation. On this he wrote a verse for the
Rose:
Elle ne vit qu'un jour, et ne plait qu'un moment.
(She lives but for a day and pleases but for a moment)
He then presented the following line on the Mignonette to the gentle
Charlotte:
"Ses qualities surpassent ses charmes."
The Count transferred his affections to Charlotte, and when he married
her, added a branch of the Sweet Reseda to the ancient arms of his
family, with the motto of
Your qualities surpass your charms.
VERVAIN.
The vervain--
That hind'reth witches of their will.
_Drayton_
VERVAIN (_verbena_) was called by the Greeks _the sacred herb_. It was
used to brush their altars. It was supposed to keep off evil spirits. It
was also used in the religious ceremonies of the Druids and is still
held sacred by the Persian Magi. The latter lay branches of it on the
altar of the sun.
The ancients had their _Verbenalia_ when the temples were strewed with
vervain, and no incantation or lustration was deemed perfect without the
aid of this plant.
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