DAISY. I'SS 



The emprise, and floure of floures all, 

 I pray to God, that faire mote she fall. 

 And all that loven floures for her sake : 



» * « » * 



And from a ferre come walking in the mede. 

 The god of love, and in his hand a queene. 

 And she was clad in royal habit greene, 

 A fret of golde she had next her heere. 

 And upon that a white croune she bare. 

 With florouns small, and I shall not lie. 

 For all the world right as a daisie 

 Icrouned is, with white leaves lite. 

 So were the florounes of her croune white. 

 And of a perle fine orientall. 

 Her white croune was imaked all. 

 For which the white croune above the grene 

 Made her like a daisie for to seme, 

 Considred eke her fret of gold above : 



* * * * » 



Quod Love # ♦ * # 



***** 



Hast thou not a book in thy cheste 



The great goodnesse of the Queene Alceste 



That turned was into a daisie. 



She that for her husband chose to die. 



And eke to gone to hell rather than he. 



And Hercules rescued her parde 



And brought her out of hell again to bliss ? 



And I answerde againe, and said, ' Yes, 



Now I knowe her, and is this good Alceste, 



The daisie, and mine owne hertes rest ?' " * 



Chaucer makes a perfect plaything of the Daisy. Not 

 contented with calUng to our minds its etymology as the 

 eye of day, he seems to delight in twisting it into every 

 possible form; and, by some name or other, introduces it 

 continually. Commending the showers of April, as bring- 

 ing forward the May flowers, he adds : 



" And in speciall one called se of the daie, 

 The daisie, a flower white and rede, 



* See Chaucer's Prologue to the Legend of Good Women. 



