tlbe fragrant Bote Booft 



knights of France and England and even of Germany, 

 "where every gentleman of coat-armour desired to adorn his 

 shield with a loan from the shield of France. " An examina- 

 tion of the old records of the heralds of Europe readily 

 confirms the frequency with which this occurred. At first 

 the symbol appeared upon a field of blue spread over 

 recklessly with the fieur-de-lys in gold ("d'azur, seme de 

 fleurs-de-lys d*or"). The blazon of the royal arms was 

 finally reduced by Charles the Fifth of France in 1376 to a 

 form wherein it was no longer seme, but should be borne 

 "d'azur, ^ trois fleurs-de-lys d'or." |\ | 



And oh! the pretty legends of early folk-lore which tell 

 us of this charming flower; of how an ancient Frankish 

 king and every early Louis succeeding him did, out of respect 

 to this old tradition of Clovis, use a reed of iris at his corona- 

 tion instead of the mystic sceptre; of how fair maids were 

 sought and fields were won ; of how traitors were shamed and 

 Justice was done, in the name of the Lilies of France. But 

 other flowers wait, other legends call, our way is slow, and 

 eeds must that we should 



"Jog on, jog on, the foot-path-way, 

 And merrily hent the stile-a; 

 A merry heart goes all the day, — 

 Your sad tires in a mile-a." 



\\ 



