Note 473 — RAPE OF THE LOCK. (continued 2)
Reading edition
In imitation of the golden branch which Æneas carried as a passport when he visited the infernal regions. Spleenwort is a species of fern. "Its virtues," says Cowley, "are told in its name." He makes it compare itself with "painted flowers," and exclaim,
They're fair, 'tis true, they're cheerful, and they're green, But I, though sad, procure a gladsome mien.
The plant has lost the little credit it once possessed as a remedy for hypochondriacal affections.