HO 



the reputed qualities of the Water Lily, and ProKssor Skeat 

 approves of this interpretation. The next was Halliwell. In his 

 dictionary of Archaic words, he has — " Ciote, the yellow "Water 

 Liily. Chaucer has Clote leaf, explained the leaf of the burdock, 

 although the present meaning best suits the context* — see 

 Gerard, p. 674, and Cloten in Walter de Bibblesworth." Now 

 having been taught to "verify your references," especially in the 

 case of voluminous writers, I went to these two referred to with 

 this result — Gerard calls the Clote the Bur, and gives no hint 

 that the Water Lily was so named, but he says of the Water Lily 

 that " it is good against the pilling away of the haire of the 

 head," and that the floioers made into oil coole and refrigerate the 

 temples," that is all Gerard says. Walter de Bibblesworth wrote a 

 long poem in the French of his day, the 14th century, and in it 



is thist — 



Sy vus trovet en toun verger 

 Ameroke e gletoner 

 Les araeez de un besagu 

 E choletz plantez en lour lu. 



The poem has an English interlinear gloss and gletoner- is 

 translated Cloten, so the whole is—" If you find in your garden 

 Mayweed or Cloten, dig them up with your fork, and plant 

 marygolds in their place." I do not think this proves anything, 

 except, perhaps, that the Cloten there spoken of could not have 

 been the Water Lily. 



The third person I spoke of is Professor Earle. He is a very 

 great authority, so great that I could not venture to enter the 

 lists against him myself. All I can do is to enter them by 

 deputy, by sending against him another professor of equal or 



* Chaucer's words are — 



" A Clote-leaf he had under his hood 

 For swote, and for to keep his head from hete." 

 " Canon's Yeoman's Tale." 

 t Wright, p. 162. 



