a daughter of the river Peneus by the goddess Terra, of whom Apollo became enamoured. This passion had been raised by Cupid; with whom whom Apollo, proud of his late conquest of the serpent Python, had disputed the power of his darts. Daphne heard with horror the addresses of the god, and endeavoured to remove herself from his importunities by flight. Apollo pursued her, and Daphne, fearful of being caught, intreated the affluence of the gods, who changed her into a laurel. Apollo crowned his head with the leaves of the laurel, and forever ordered that that tree should be sacred to his divinity. Some say that Daphne was admired by Leucippus, son of Enomaus king of Pisa, who to be in her company disguised his sex and attended her in the woods in the habit of a hunter. Leucippus gained Daphne's esteem and love; but Apollo, who was his powerful rival, discovered his sex, and Leucippus was killed by the companions of Diana. Daphne was also the name of a daughter of Tireias, priestess in the temple of Delphi. She was consecrated to the service of Apollo by the Epigoni, or according to others by the goddess Tellus. She was called Sibyl on account of the wildness of her looks and expressions when she delivered oracles. Her oracles were generally in verse; and Homer, according to some accounts, has introduced much of her poetry in his compositions.

Daphne (anc. geog.), a small village near to, or in the suburbs of, Antiochia of Seleucus in Syria; with a large grove, well watered with springs: In the middle of the grove stood the temple of Apollo and Diana. Its extent was 80 stadia or 10 miles; the distance from the city five miles: A place pleasant and agreeable, from the plenty of water and the temperature of the air, and its soft breathing breezes. The grove was of bay-trees, intermixed with cypresses; which last multiplied so fast, as to occupy the whole of it. Pompey gave some land for enlarging the grove. Antiochus Epiphanes built a very large temple of Daphnaeus Apollo. The place at length became so infamous, that people of modesty and character avoided resorting thither: so that Daphnici mores became proverbial.

Daphne, Spurge laurel; a genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the octandria clas of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 3rd order, Veprecule. There is no calyx; the corolla is quadrid and marcescent, including the stamina. The fruit is a monoppermous berry. There are 15 species; of which the following are the most remarkable.

1. Mezereum, the mezereon or spurge-olive, is a low deciduous shrub. It is a native of Germany, and has been also discovered in this country in some woods near Audover in Hampshire. Of this elegant plant there are four varieties: 1. The white; 2. The pale-red; 3. The crimson; and, 4. The purple-flowering.—Hanbury is very lavish of his praise of these shrubs. He says, "they have each every perfection to recommend them as flowering-shrubs. In the first place, they are of low growth, seldom rising to more than three or four feet in height, and therefore are proper even for the smallest gardens. In the next place, they will be in bloom when few trees, especially of the shrubby tribe, present their honours. It will be in February, nay, sometimes in January; then will the twigs be garnished with flowers all around from one end to the other. Each twig has the appearance of a spike of flowers of the most consummate lustre; and as the leaves are not yet out, whether you behold this tree near or at a distance, it has a most enchanting appearance. But this is not all; the sense of smelling is peculiarly regaled by the flowers; their spicy sweetness is diffused around, and the air is perfumed with their odours to a considerable distance. Many flowers, deemed sweet, are not liked by all; but the agreeable inoffensive sweetness of the mezereon has ever delighted the sense of smelling, whilst the lustre of its blow has startled the eye. Neither is this the only pleasure the tree bestows; for besides the beauty of the leaves, which come out after the flowers are fallen, and which are of a pleasant green colour and an oblong figure, it will be full of red berries in June, which will continue growing till the autumn. Of these berries the birds are very fond; so that whoever is delighted with these songsters, should have a quantity of them planted all over the outsides of his wilderness quarters."

2. Gnidium, the flax-leaved daphne, is a low deciduous shrub; native of Italy, Spain, and about Montpellier. This species seldom grows higher than three feet. The branches are very slender, and ornamented with narrow, spear-shaped, pointed leaves, much like those of the common flax. The flowers are produced in panicles at the ends of the branches: They are small, come out in June, but are rarely succeeded by seeds in England.

3. Cneorum, the spear-leaved daphne or cneorum, is a very low deciduous shrub; native of Switzerland, Hungary, the Alps and Pyrenean mountains. This rises with a shrubby, branching stalk, to about a foot or a foot and a half high. The leaves are narrow, spear-shaped, and grow irregularly on the branches. The flowers are produced in clusters at the ends of the little twigs: They make their appearance in March, are of a purple colour, and possessed of a fragrance little inferior to that of the mezereon; but they are seldom succeeded by seeds in England.

4. Tartanraira, the oval-leaved daphne or tartanraira, a very low deciduous shrub, is a native of France and Italy. This rises with a woody stalk to the height of about two feet. The branches are numerous, irregular, tough, and covered with a light-brown-coloured bark. The leaves are oval, very small, soft to the touch, and shining. The flowers are produced in clusters from the sides of the stalks: They are white, come out in June, and are succeeded by roundish berries, which seldom ripen in England. This sort should have a dry soil and a warm situation.

5. Alpina, the alpine daphne or chamela, is a low deciduous shrub, native of the Alps, Geneva, Italy, and Austria. This will grow to the height of about a yard. The leaves are spear-shaped, obtuse, and hoary underneath. The flowers come out in clusters from the sides of the branches, and are very fragrant: They appear in March, and are succeeded by red berries, that ripen in September.

6. Thymelaea, the milkwort-leaved daphne or the thymelaea; Thymelæa; a low deciduous shrub, native of Spain and the south of France. The thymelæa will grow to the height of a yard. The stalks of this species are upright, branched, and covered with a light-brown bark. The leaves are spear-shaped, smooth, and in some respect resemble those of milk-wort. The flowers are produced in clusters from the sides of the stalks: They are of a greenish colour, have no footstalks, appear in March, and are succeeded by small yellowish berries, which will be ripe in August. This sort requires a dry soil and a warm situation.

7. Villofa, the hairy-leaved daphne, a very low deciduous shrub, native of Spain and Portugal. The stalks are ligneous, about two feet high, and send forth branches alternately from the sides. The leaves are spear-shaped, plane, hairy on both sides, and grow on very short footstalks. The flowers have very narrow tubes, are small, and make no great show: They come out in June, and are not succeeded by ripe seeds in England. This shrub, in some situations, retains its leaves all winter in such beauty as to cause it to be ranked among the low-growing evergreens; but as in others it is sometimes shattered with the first black winds, it is left to the gardener whether to place this shrub among the deciduous trees or evergreens.

8. Laureola, the spurge laurel or evergreen daphne; a low evergreen shrub, common in some parts of this kingdom, also in Switzerland and France. This shrub seldom grows more than a yard or four feet high; it sends out many branches from the bottom, and these are covered with a smooth light-brown bark that is very thick. The bark on the younger branches is smooth and green; and these are very closely garnished with leaves of a delightful strong lucid green colour. These leaves fit close to the branches, and are produced in such plenty, that they have the appearance, at a small distance, of clusters at the ends of the branches. They are spear-shaped, shining, smooth, and thick; their edges are entire. Hanbury extols this plant with a degree of enthusiasm; continuing, "and this is another excellent property of this tree, that it is thus profusely of such delightful leaves for its ornament. These leaves, when growing under the drip of trees, spread open, and exhibit their green pure and untarnished, in its natural colour; when planted singly in exposed places, they naturally turn back with a kind of twist, and the natural green of the leaf is often alloyed with a brownish tinge. This shrub is also valuable on account of its flowers; not because they make any great show, but from their fragrance, and the time they appear; for it will be in blow the beginning of January, and will continue so until the middle or latter end of April before the flowers fall off; during which time they never fail to diffuse abroad their agreeable odours, which are refreshing and inoffensive. In the evenings especially, they are more than commonly liberal; inasmuch that a few plants will often perfume the whole end of a garden; and when this happens early, before many flowers appear, the unskillful in flowers, perceiving an uncommon fragrance, are at once struck with surprize, and immediately begin enquiring from whence it can proceed. Neither are its odours confined to a garden only; but, when planted near windows, they will enter parlours, and ascend even into bed-chambers, to the great comfort of the possessor, and surprize of every fresh visitor." These flowers make but little show; for they are small, and of a greenish-yellow. They are produced amongst the leaves from the sides of the stalks, in small clusters, and will often be so hid by them, as to be unnoticed by any but the curious. They are succeeded by oval berries, which are first green, and afterwards black when ripe. These berries will be in such plenty as to be very ornamental; but will soon be eaten up by the birds; which is another good property of this tree, as it invites the different sorts of whistling birds to flock where it is planted in great plenty.

Propagation. The mezereon ripens its seeds with us, which may at any time be easily obtained, if they are secured from birds. Previous therefore to sowing, the healthiest and most thriving trees of the white, the pale, and the deep-red sorts, should be marked out, and as soon as the berries begin to alter from green, they must be covered with nets, to secure them from the birds, which would otherwise devour them all. The berries will be ripe in July; and due observance must be had to pick them up as they fall from the trees, and to keep the sorts separate. As soon as they are all fallen, or you have enough for your purpose, they may then be sown. The best soil for these plants is a good fat black earth, such as is found in kitchen-gardens that have been well manured and managed for many years. In such soil as this they will not only come up better, but will grow to a greater height than in any other. No particular regard need be paid to the situation; for as this tree is a native of the northern parts of Europe, it will grow in a north border, and flourish there as well as in a south; nay, if there be any difference, the north border is more eligible than the south. The ground being made fine, and cleared of roots of all sorts, the seeds should be sown hardly half an inch depth. The mould being riddled over them that depth, let the beds be netted up, and they will want no other attention until the spring. These seeds will sometimes remain in the ground two years; but for the most part they come up the spring after sowing; and the seedlings will require no other care during the summer than weeding, and gentle watering in dry weather. After they have been in the seed-bed one year, the strongest may be drawn out, and planted in the nursery, to make room for the others; though, if they do not come up very close, it would be as well to let them remain in the seed-bed until the second autumn: when they should be taken up with care, and planted in beds at a foot asunder each way. This will be distance enough for these low-growing shrubs. October is the best month for planting them out finally; for although they will grow if removed any time between then and spring, yet that will certainly be a more proper season than when they are in full blow. Such is the culture of this shrub. The other species of this genus require a different management.

The spurge laurel is propagated by seeds, in the same manner as the common mezereon. The seeds must be preserved from the birds by nets, until they are ripe. Soon after, they must be sown as is directed for the mezereon. They will often be two years before they come up; during which time, and afterwards, they may have the same management as has been been laid down for the common mezereon until they be finally set out. This shrub will grow in almost any soil or situation, but flourishes most under the shade and drip of taller plants, giving a peculiar cheerfulness to the bottoms of groves and clumps in winter.

All the other sorts are with some difficulty propagated and retained. They will by no means bear removing, even when seedlings; and if ever this is attempted, not one in an hundred must be expected to grow. They are raised by seeds, which we receive from the places where they grow naturally; and he who is desirous of having these plants, must manage them in the following manner: Let a compost be prepared of these equal divisions: one-fourth part of lime-rubbish; one-fourth part of drift or sea sand; another of splinters of rocks, some broad and others smaller; and the other part of maiden earth from a rich pasture. Let these be mixed all together, and filled into large pots. In each of these pots put a seed or two, about half an inch deep, in the finest of the mould. We receive the seeds in the spring; so that there is little hopes of their coming up until the spring following: Let, therefore, the pots be set in the shade all the summer, and in the autumn removed into a warm situation, where they may enjoy every influence of the sun’s rays all winter. In March let them be plunged into a moderate hot-bed, and the plants will soon after appear. This bed will cause them to be stronger plants by the autumn; and when all danger of frost is over, they may be uncovered wholly, and permitted to enjoy the open air. In the autumn, they should be removed into the greenhouse, or set under an hot-bed frame all winter; and in spring they should be placed where they are to continue, moulding them up the height of the pot; the pots being sufficiently broken to make way for their roots as they shoot, and then left to nature.—The situation of the four tenderer sorts must be well sheltered; and if it be naturally rocky, sandy, and dry, it will be the better; for in the places where they grow naturally, they strike into the crevices of rocks, and flourish where there is hardly any appearance of soil.

This is one method of obtaining these shrubs. Another way is, by sowing the seeds in the places where they are to remain. The situation and nature of the soil should be as near that above described as possible; and the mould should be made fine in some places, and a seed or two sown in each. After this, pegs should be stuck down on each side of them, to direct to the places where they are sown. The exactest care must be observed, all summer, to pull up the weeds as often as they appear; for if they are permitted to get strong, and have great roots, they will pull up the seeds with them. In the spring following, if the seeds are good, the plants will appear. During the summer, they should be watered in dry weather; and, for the first winter or two, should have some furze-bushes pricked all round them, at a proper distance, which will break the keen edge of the frothy winds, and preserve the young plants until they are strong enough to defend themselves.

The cneorum and the alpine chamelauc are very hardy, and will grow in the coldest situation; but the other sorts should have a warm soil and a well-sheltered site, or they will be subject to be destroyed in bad weather.

Medicinal properties. The root of the mezereon was long used in the Lisbon diet-drink for venereal complaints, particularly nodes and other symptoms resisting the use of mercury; but with the composition of this article we were unacquainted, till an account of it was published in the Edinburgh Physical Essays, by Dr Donald Monro of London. On chewing it a little, it proves very pungent, and its acrimony is accumulated about the fauces, and is very durable. It is employed chiefly under the form of decoction; and it enters the decoction saraparillae composition of the London college; but it has also been used in powder combined with some inactive one, as that of liquorice root. It is apt to occasion vomiting and purging; so must be begun in grain-doses, and gradually increased. It is often usefully combined with mercury. The bark of the root contains most acrimony, though some prefer the woody part. Mezereon has also been used with good effects in tumors and cutaneous eruptions not venereal. The whole plant is very corrosive. Six of the berries will kill a wolf. A woman gave 12 grains of the berries to her daughter who had a quartan ague; she vomited blood, and died immediately.