OUR LADY'S FLOWERS 131 



Juno, Venus, and Diana, and from the Scandinavian 

 Bertha and Freyja, and bestowed upon the Madonna, 

 whilst floral offerings of every sort were laid upon 

 her shrines. 



In her own month of May does not all Nature 

 rejoice with Mary ? All the woods are carpeted 

 with bluebells, who continually and softly ring the 

 *' Mary-Bell," did we but listen and understand. 



The horse chestnuts, most imposing of trees, put 

 up innumerable votive candles of pink and white, 

 all in honour of Mary, during her own month of 

 May. And, strange fact, throughout the country- 

 side there is a wealth of blue flowers. Our Lady's 

 own colour. 



" The happy birds Te Deums sing, 



'Tis Mary's month of May; 

 Her smile turns winter into spring, 



And darkness into day. 

 And there's a fragrance in the air. 



The bells their music make, 

 And oh ! the world is bright and fair, 



And all for Mary's sake." 



A Catholic writer has recently complained that 

 at the Reformation " the very names of plants 

 were changed in order to divert men's minds from 

 the least recollection of Christian piety; and a 

 Protestant writer of the eighteenth century, be- 

 wailing the ruthless action of the Puritans in giving 

 to the "Queen of Beauty" flowers named after the 

 " Queen of Heaven," says: " Botany, which in 

 ancient times was full of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 

 is now as full of the heathen Venus." 



The snowdrop is the Fair Maid of February, as 

 being sacred to the Purification, or Candlemas 



