170 WILD FLOWERS. 



form. The conscientious old writer however gives 

 us the information with the following caution : 



" Thus telleth ye bok yus [thus] will it do 

 Yow I nozt [not] leve [believe] it, it may be so. 

 How it schulde serwyd be 

 I fynde no bok yat tellyth me ;" 



When he shews how it serves to procure sound sleep, 

 thus : 



FFOR TO SLEPE WEL. 



" Quo so [whoso] may not slepe wel 

 Take egrimonye a fayre del 

 And lay it vnder his heed on nyth [at night] 

 And it schall hym do slepe aryth, [aright] 

 For of his slepe schall he nozt waken 

 Tyll it be fro vnder his heed takyn." 



And again: 



" Zif [if] it be leyd vnder manys heed 

 He schall slepe as he were deed, 

 He schall neuer drede ne wakyn 

 Til fro vnder his heed it be takyn." 



To these varied applications of the plant it may be 

 added, that when just bursting into blossom it will 

 impart a nankeen-coloured dye to wool, while later 

 in the autumn it affords to the same material a 

 much deeper and brighter yellow. 



Great has been the discussion, amongst philological 

 botanists respecting the name of this plant. The 

 most satisfactory decision appears to be that which 

 derives it from the ancient name, argemone, which 

 was then bestowed on a plant considered remedial in 

 a complaint of the eye called argema ; but I believe 

 that it is by no means identified with our agrimony. 



