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His voice is in the tempest's wrath,
And in the soft south zephyr's path.

For us, frail, feeble things of clay,
Are all these beauties given,
The glorious, wide-spread orb of day,
And the bright starry heaven;
The far-stretch'd waters, and the land,
The mountain, and the plain,
These are the free gifts of his hand,
And shall they plead in vain ?

Rocks, hills, and flowers, their homage pav,
And shall we worship less than they?

No-from the green enamell'd sod
Let the soul's praises rise,

The living temple of our God,

Arch'd by his own blue skies.

There, let thy grateful praise be heard,
There, let thy prayers be given,
And with the hymns of flower and bird,
They shall ascend to heaven,

And sooner reach the eternal bowers

Breathed over beds of blushing flowers.

FLORA'S LEXICON.

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CACIA. Robinia Pseudacacia. Class 17, DIADELPHIA. Order: DECANDRIA. The savages of North America have consecrated the Acacia to the genius of chaste love; their bows are made from the incorruptible wood of this tree, their arrows are armed

with one of its thorns. These fierce children of the forest, whom nothing can subdue, conceive a sentiment of delicacy; perhaps what they are unable to express by words, but they understand the sentiment by the expression of a branch of blooming Acacia. The young savage, like the city coquette, understands this seducing language perfectly. The Acacia is a native of North America, and received its name from the botanist, Robin.

2

PLATONIC LOVE.

Our rocks are rough, but smiling there
The Acacia waves her yellow hair,
Lonely and sweet. nor loved the less
For flowering in a wilderness-

Then come-thy Arab maid will be
The loved and lone Acacia tree.

MOORE.

(13)

CACIA ROSE. Robinia Hispida. Class 17, DIADELPHIA. Order: DECANDRIA. Art has produced nothing that may vie in freshness and in elegance of appearance with this beautiful flowering shrub; its inclining branches, the gaiety of its verdure,—its clusters of rose-coloured flowers, like bows branches clothed with hairs of a reddish brown, never fail to excite admiration, and have combined to render it a proper emblem of elegance. Its appearance has been compared to that of an elegant female in her ball dress.

of ribands, hung on

ELEGANCE.

The fairness of her face no tongue can tell,
For she the daughters of all women's race,
And angels eke, in beautie doth excel,
Sparkled on her from God's own glorious face,
And more increast by her own goodly grace,
That it doth far exceed all human thought,
Ne can on earth compared be to aught.

SPENSER,

There's no miniature

In her face, but is a copious theme,

Which would, discours'd at large of, make a volume.
What clear arch'd brows! what sparkling eyes. the li.ies
Contending with the roses in her cheeks,

Who shall most set them off. What ruby lips;-
Or unto what can I compare her neck,

But to a rock of crystal? Every limb
Proportion'd to love's wish, and in their neatness
Add lustre to the richness of her habit.
Not borrow'd from it.

MASSINGER.

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DONIS. Flos Adonis. Class 13, POLYANDRIA. Order: POLYGYNIA. Adonis was killed, while hunting, by a boar. Venus, who, for his sake, had relinquished the joys of Cythera, shed tears for the fate of her favourite. They were not lost; the earth received them, and immediately produced a covered with flowers resembling drops of blood. Bright and transient flowers, too faithful emblems of the pleasures of life, ye were consecrated by Beauty herself to painful recollections!

light, delicate plant,

PAINFUL RECOLLECTIONS.

Full twenty years have pass'd away, since thou, beloved one! With darkening eye to heaven upraised, the last time bless'd thy son;

And meekly closing thy thin hands, with mine between them press'd,

Fled, with my name upon thy lips, to thine eternal rest.

My first, my last, my only friend !—if aught the ransom'd know
Of the dark thoughts and sinful deeds that stain the world below,
How hath thy gentle spirit grieved, as but a mother's can,
To see thy precepts to the boy, neglected by the man!

But no; thou art beatified!-on yonder radiant shore,
The sins and sorrows of thy child can trouble thee no more;
And if, in thy refulgent home, thou thinkest of me now,
'Tis with my childhood's innocence yet beaming on my brow!

So would I have thee see thy son, the wreck'd of passion's storm,
With prematurely wrinkled brow, pale cheek, and stooping form,
To thy soul's gaze, immortal one! would ever present be,
The same fair child of guileless heart, that gamboll'd at thy knee.
THE KNICKER BOCKER.

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LMOND. Amygdalus. Class 12, Ir OSANDRIA. Order: MONOGYNIA. Fable confers an affecting origin on this tree. It relates that Demophoon, son of Theseus and Phadra, in returning from the siege of Troy, was thrown by a storm on the shores of Thrace, where then reigned the beautiful Phyllis. The young queen graciously received the prince, fell in love with him, and became his wife. When recalled to Athens

by his father's death, Demophoon promised to return in a month, and fixed the day. The affectionate Phyllis counted the hours of his absence, and at last the appointed day arrived. Nine times she repaired to the shore; but, losing all hope of his return, she dropped down dead with grief, and was turned into an Almondtree. Three months afterwards, Demophoon returned. Overwhelmed with sorrow, he offered a sacrifice at the sea-side, to appease the manes of his bride. She seemed to sympathize with his repentance: for the Almond-tree, into which she had been transformed, instantly put forth its flowers, and proved by this last effort that true love, "strong as death," is incapable of change.

INDISCRETION.

Like to an almond-tree, mounted high
On top of green Selinis, all alone,

With blossoms brave bedecked daintily;

Whose tender locks do tremble every one,

At every little breath that under heav'n is blown.

SPENSER.

According to Moore, the Almond blossom is the emblem of

hope

The hope, in dreams of a happier hour,
That alights on Misery's brow,

Springs out of the silvery almond-flower,

That blooms on a leafless bough.

In ancient times, the abundance of blossom on this tree was considered as the promise of a fruitful season.

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