60 Transactions. 



childieu " wild snowdrops," is referred to in " Venus and Adonis" 

 as springing up from the blood of the latter. 



" A purple flower sprung up, chequered with white-" 

 Again it is made to spring from the tears of Venus. 



" And where a tear has dropped a wind-flower blows." 

 Columbine. — Ophelia says to Hamlet — 



" There's fennel for you aud columbines." 

 The columbine signified ingratitude. When Ophelia became 

 crazed she had garlands. 



" There with fantastic garlands did she come 



Of crow-flowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples." 



The crow-fiow(n- in those days was " ragged robin." 

 " When daisies pied and violets blue. 

 And lady-smocks all silver white, 

 And Cuckoo-buds of yellow hue 



Do paint the meadows with delight." 



Love's Labour's Lost, V., 2. 



Commentators are uncertain concerning these cuckoo-buds, 

 but it is referred to one of our yellow ranunculuses. 

 King Lear was met (IV., Jf.) 

 " As mad as the vexed sea, singing aloud ; 

 Crowned with rank fumiter and furrow weeds, 

 With burdocks, hemlock, nettles, cucloo-flowers, 

 Darnel, and all the idle weeds that grow 

 In our sustaining corn." 

 Cuckoo-flowers are said to be like crow-flowers, a name for our 

 " ra"-o'ed robin." Darnel does not grow in our county, but the 

 others named can be easily recognised. 



Elder, that is our " Boor-tree." According to superstition, 

 Judas -was hanged on an elder. Shakespeare makes it an emblem 



of grief. 



Cumh. IV., 2. 



" Grow patience ! 

 And let the stinking elder, grief, untwine 

 His perishing root with the increasing vine," 



Fern. — It was a curious notion that fern seed was supposed to 

 have the power of rendering persons invisible. 

 /. Henry IV. (IL, 1). 

 " We have the receipt of fern seed, we walk iuvisible." 





