The Botanic Garden, a Poem in Two Parts. Part 1: the Economy of VegetationDarwin, Erasmus
History
The Botanic Garden, a Poem in Two Parts. Part 1: the Economy of Vegetation
Darwin, Erasmus
Natural history; Plants -- Poetry; Portland Vase
[_Thus with Hermetic art_. l. 487. The sympathetic inks made by Zaffre
dissolved in the marine and nitrous acids have this curious property,
that being brought to the fire one of them becomes green, and the other
red; but what is more wonderful, they again lose these colours, (unless
the heat has been too great,) on their being again withdrawn from the
fire. Fire-screens have been thus painted, which in the cold have shewn
only the trunk and branches of a dead tree, and sandy hills, which on
their approach to the fire have put forth green leaves and red flowers,
and grass upon the mountains. The process of making these inks is very
easy, take Zaffre, as sold by the druggists, and digest it in aqua
regia, and the calx of Cobalt will be dissolved; which solution must be
diluted with a little common water to prevent it from making too strong
an impression on the paper; the colour when the paper is heated becomes
of a fine green-blue. If Zaffre or Regulus of Cobalt be dissolved in the
same manner in spirit of nitre, or aqua fortis, a reddish colour is
produced on exposing the paper to heat. Chemical Dictionary by Mr. Keir,
Art. Ink Sympathetic.]
XI. "With crest of gold should sultry SIRIUS glare,
And with his kindling tresses scorch the air;
With points of flame the shafts of Summer arm,
500 And burn the beauties he designs to warm;--
--So erst when JOVE his oath extorted mourn'd,
And clad in glory to the Fair return'd;
While Loves at forky bolts their torches light,
And resting lightnings gild the car of Night;
505 His blazing form the dazzled Maid admir'd,
Met with fond lips, and in his arms expir'd;--
NYMPHS! on light pinion lead your banner'd hosts
High o'er the cliffs of ORKNEY'S gulphy coasts;
Leave on your left the red volcanic light,
510 Which HECCLA lifts amid the dusky night;
Mark on the right the DOFRINE'S snow-capt brow,
Where whirling MAELSTROME roars and foams below;
Watch with unmoving eye, where CEPHEUS bends
His triple crown, his scepter'd hand extends;
515 Where studs CASSIOPE with stars unknown
Her golden chair, and gems her sapphire zone;
Where with vast convolution DRACO holds
The ecliptic axis in his scaly folds,
O'er half the skies his neck enormous rears,
520 And with immense meanders parts the BEARS;
Onward, the kindred BEARS with footstep rude
Dance round the Pole, pursuing and pursued.
[_With stars unknown_. l. 515. Alluding to the star which appeared in
the chair of Cassiopea in the year 1572, which at first surpassed
Jupiter in magnitude and brightness, diminished by degrees and
disappeared in 18 months; it alarmed all the astronomers of the age, and
was esteemed a comet by some.--Could this have been the Georgium sidus?]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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