68 PRIMULACE^ 



the French Primevhre, the Italian Priind-vera, the Spanish Frimtda, and the 

 German Frilhlings-hlume, all tell how men have welcomed the early flower, 

 welcomed it all the more because they could find it by vale or hill, by wood 

 or river. 



'The humhle Primrose' bonnie face, " Where'er the green-wing'd linnet sings, 



I meet it everywhere ; The Primrose bloometh lone ; 



"Where other flowers disdain to bloom, And love it wins, deep love from all, 



It comes and nestles there ; .AVho gaze its sweetness on : 



Like God's own light — on every ])lace, On field-paths narrow, and in woods, 



In glory it doth fall, AVe meet thee far and near ; 



And wheresoe'er its dwelling-place, Till thou becomest prized and loved. 



It straightway hallows all. As things familiar are." 



Bacon, with that strange mixture of knowledge and ignorance which is to 

 be found in his "Sylva Sylvarum," attempts to account for the early 

 appearance of the spring flowers. "There be," he says, "some flowers, 

 blossoms, grains, and fruits, which come early, and others which come more 

 late in the year. The floM^ers that come early with us are Pi'ime-roses, 

 violets, anemonies, water-daftadillies, crocus vermis, and some early tulippas ; 

 and they are all cold plants, which therefore (as it should seem) have a 

 quicker perception of the heat of the sun increasing, than the hot herbs have; 

 as a cold hand will sooner find a little warmth than a hot. And those that 

 come next after are wallflowers, cowslips, hyacinths, rosemary flowers, etc. ; 

 and after them pinks, roses, and flower de luces ; and the latest are gilly- 

 flowers, hollyocks, lurksfoot, etc. The earliest blossoms are the blossoms of 

 peaches, almonds, cornelians, and mezereons, and they are of such trees as 

 have much moisture, either watery or oily ; and therefore crocus vernus also 

 being an herb that hath an oily juice, putteth forth early, for those also find 

 the sun sooner than the drier trees." Notwithstanding this and similar 

 opinions and disquisitions of the old writers, however, the cause is yet 

 unknown why the Primrose is found amid the flowers of spring, and the rose 

 is the glory of Midsummer, though we can all agree in the opinion of this 

 writer as to the cause of the early bloom of the fruit-trees. "It," he says, 

 " seemeth to be a work of Providence, that they blossom so soon, for other- 

 wise they could not have the sun long enough to ripen." 



The Rev. C. A. Johns remarks in his "Flowers of the Field," respecting 

 the Primrose, "The colour of the flowers is such as to have a name of 

 its own; artists maintain that primrose-colour is a delicate green." Our 

 old writers, too, like Spenser, call it the "greene Primrose," and Parkinson 

 treats of green Cowslips. He says : " And first of Primroses and Cowslips, 

 whereof there are many prettye varieties, some better knowne in the west 

 part of this kingdom, others in the north, than in any other, until of late 

 being observed by some curious lovers of varieties, they have been planted 

 diversely, and so made more common; for although we have had formerly in 

 these parts about London greene Primroses usually, yet we never saw or 

 heard of greene Cowslips, both single and double, but of late daies ; and so 

 likewise for Primroses too, both single and double, from one roote, and divers 

 upon one stalke of divers fashions, I am sui'e is not usual : all which deserve 

 better to be planted under some hedge or fence, and in the shade than sun- 

 shine." The "greene Cowslips " of t'lis old writer were probably Oxlips. 



