"THE SWEET O' THE YEAR" 137 



ornaments of English woods. "Dust of sapphire," its 

 jewel-like flowers have been called. 



"Our English jacinth, or harebells," writes 

 Parkinson, "is so common everywhere that it scarce 

 needeth any description. It beareth divers long nar- 

 row green leaves, not standing upright, not yet fully 

 lying on the ground, among which springeth up the 

 stalk, bearing at the top many long and hollow 

 flowers, hanging down their heads, all forwards, for 

 the most part, parted at the brims into six parts, 

 turning up their points a little again, of a sweetish, 

 but heady, scent, like unto the Grapeflower. The 

 heads for seed are long and square, wherein is much 

 black seed. The color of the flowers is in some of 

 a deep blue tending to purple, in others of a paler 

 blue, or of a bleak blue tending to an ash color. 

 Some are pure white and some are parti-colored blue 

 and white ; and some are of a fine delayed purplish 

 red, or bluish color, which some call a pearl color." 



VI 



Columbine and Broom-flower 



COLUMBINE (Aquilegia vulgaris). "There's 

 fennel for you, and columbines," says Ophelia, as 

 she hands the flowers to the courtiers. 1 Shakespeare 



1 "Hamlet"; Act IV, Scene V. 



