146 ON EARLY ENGLISH NAMES OF PLANTS. [May, 



Sops-in-wine appears in the ' Shepherd's Calendar ' of Spenser. 



" Bring hither the pinks and purple culluinbine, 



With gilliflowers ; 

 Bring coronations, and Sops-in-wine 



Worn of paramours ; 

 Strow me the ground with daffadowndiUies 

 And eowsHps and kingcups and loued hlics ; 



The prettie pawnee 



And the chevisance 

 Shall match with the fair fiowredehce." — April. 



Soppes-in-wine, as it is called by Spenser, was anciently used 

 by our forefathers for flavouring their wine, as rosemary was em- 

 ployed in beer. It is a kind of Pink, or a variety of Carnation, 

 with spicy petals. 



True-love is Paris quadrifolia. It was recognized by this name 

 in Hertfordshire, in not very remote times. 



Crowtoes is Lotus corniculatus. It is one of the flowers men- 

 tioned by Milton in his Monody on Lycidas. 



" Bring the rathe primrose that forsaken dies, 

 The tufted crowtoe and pale jessamine, 

 The white pink and the pansy fi-eaked with jet. 

 The glowing violet ; 



The musk-rose and the well-attired woodbine, 

 The cowslips wan that hang the pensive head, 

 And every flower that sad embroidei-y wears ; 

 Bid amaranthus all his beauty shed, 

 And dafTadillies fiU theu* cups with tears, 

 To strow the laureat herse where Lycid lies." 



Ltcidas, in Milton! s Minor Poems. 



Priest-crown, or Priest's-crown, is Dandelion. When the winged 

 or downy seeds of this plant are blown off", the bare receptacle 

 has a fancied resemblance to the ecclesiastical tonsure. 



Rose-Parsley may probably be Caucalis daucoides, or some red- 

 dish-flowered umbelliferous plant. 



Prick-Madam is Sedum acre; probably Irish-Madam is this or 

 some other species of Sedum. 



Nose-bleed is Goose-tongue, a rough -leaved Yarrow [Achillea 

 Ptarmica) . 



Lady-gloves is Foxgloves. The name is given in honour of 

 Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin. 



Spoon wort is Ranunculus Flammula, so called from the coch- 



