Hoyt & Roberts, comps. Hoyt’s New Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations. 1922.
Sweet Basil (Ocymum Basilicum)
I pray your Highness mark this curious herb:
Touch it but lightly, stroke it softly, Sir,
And it gives forth an odor sweet and rare;
But crush it harshly and you’ll make a scent
Most disagreeable.
Leland—Sweet Basil.