86 WILD FLOWERS. 



dyle, which signified "that which cometh early" 

 and it was long before the word was corrupted into 

 our present daffodil. 



" Affodylle, a precious gres [herb] 

 His noth red in Englysch (?) 

 Sume seyn yer arn lekys [leeks} fywe [five] 

 But ye beste yet is on lywe [alive] 

 Garlec ye ton, lee ye toyer [garlic the one, leek the other] 

 Squirle [squill] is ye great broyer [the great brother] 

 Gracia Dei yt growyth in mede 

 Affodylle ye fyfte schrede ; 

 In Februarie he gynyth to springe, 

 In May he gynnyth down to hinge 

 Fyrst in piscibus his sprynginge is, 

 Be sone in cancer awey I wys ; 

 In March and Aprile wyll he flowre, 

 Now so fayre herbe to him is i colour, 

 Ye floure is yewl [yellow] wol tytyl whyth, 

 I knowe no flowre lyke to it, 



Ye stalke is fote and quatir longe [a foot and a quarter] 

 Ye lef is of ye same wange [measure], 

 On ye stalke are leuys [leaves] non, 

 But stalke and leuys all of one heythe, 

 Ny as it were of on heyte whyte, 

 Ye tast is sumdell also eke 

 Yow it lytyll be as of lek [the taste is some deal also, 



though it little be, as of a leek] 

 He beryth a knop (bud, still used) wt. many sedys 

 Blae polyssyd as greet it is ; 

 Yis erbe in a clene cloth wt. his rote 

 Ageyn ye fallende euyl it is bote, 

 Affodyll in clene cloth kepte yus [thus] 

 Schall suffryn no fend [fiend] in yt house 

 And yu bere it on ye day et nyth 

 Ye fend [fiend] of you schall have no myth 

 Nor dred of man shall hy non dere 

 Ye man yt on myth on hy it bere, 

 And good it is to bere on myth 



