OUR PASTORAL LIFE. 23/ 



The Daisy is an especial favourite with the tiny elves. They have 

 many things in common with humanity, and they often enact incidents 

 in rivalry of the shows of terrene mortals. Of these none pleases 

 them more than the tournament ; and the object which they place 

 in the seat of the Queen of Beauty, and to which the elfish knights 

 and dames do homage, is a tuft of Daisies, which they hold to be the 

 emblem of fidelity in love. Chaucer is my authority for this fact, 

 which is transmitted down in good modern verse by Dryden, and 

 accepted as an article of the poet's creed by Dr. Leyden. There are 

 very few passages in the " Scenes of Infancy," which can be compared 

 to the one in which he describes the Daisy ; and I quote it to prove 

 to you how a description of a common plant can be made pleasing 

 and beneficial. 



" Star of the mead! sweet daughter of the day. 

 Whose opening flower invites the morning ray. 

 From thy moist cheek, and bosom's chilly fold. 

 To kiss the tears of eve, the dew-drojjs cold ! 

 Sweet Daisy, flower of love ! when birds are pair'd, 

 'Tis sweet to see thee, with thy bosom bared. 

 Smiling, in vhgin innocence serene. 

 Thy pearly crown above thy vest of green. 

 The Lai'k, with sparkhng eye, and rustling wing. 

 Rejoins his widow'd mate in early spring. 

 And as he prunes his plumes of russet hue. 

 Swears, on thy maiden bosom, to be true. 



" Oft have I watch'd thy closing buds at eve. 

 Which for the parting sunbeams seem'd to grieve. 

 And, when gay morning gilt the dew-bright plain. 

 Seen them unclasp their folded leaves again : 

 Nor he who sung — ' the Daisy is so sweet,' — 

 More dearly loved thy pearly fonn to greet ; 

 When on his scarf the knight the Daisy bound. 

 And dames at tourneys shone, with Daisies crown' d. 

 And fays forsook the purer fields above. 

 To hail the Daisy, flower of faithful love." 



It might weary you to dwell longer upon fairie flowers, albeit they 

 grow so abundantly upon the banks of the Tweed, but allow me for 

 a moment to direct your notice to one of them, — for 'tis worthy a 

 day's journey to see it towards the end of July, — and it grows with 

 us more profusely than anywhere else. You may see it then hanging 

 over our sea-banks in many places, more especially over the high and 

 precipitous banks which gird in the little bay below Marshall-meadows, 

 in green massy tresses several feet in length and relieved by the nume- 

 rous clusters of its pea-like "pale and azure-pencilled flower;" but 

 there its beauty is even less than when the plant throws its tendrils 

 and trailing stalks from tree to bush in our hazelly shaws and briery 

 deans, or when it festoons the front of a scaur half hidden with 

 various shrubbery and sloe and thorn. Go see it thus beautiful on 

 the banks of the Whiteadder opposite the Raven-knowes ; and on 

 the banks of the Tweed below West Ord. I have seen it, — perhaps 

 Memory has salved the eye with its euphrasy and rue to gild the 



