370 WILD FLOWERS. 



Wei on lyk sawe i quauntyle 



[Well (much.) alike, save in quantity] 



Ye feind on howys wt. lytyl whyth flowris 



In gret plente et lytyl honour is.* 



Wt smale bio [blue] flowris ye toyer [other] is wylde 



Plente in what is growyth in felde [field] 



Ye thrydde [third] is best of euerie chon [one] 



A wel cowthe [known] erbe of on et on [one and one, for 

 every one?} 



In somer he beryth a smal reed flour, 



Purpur in syth [inside] et in colour ; 



Hys stalke is flegged fowre square, 



And beryth all wey [always] a flowur et is anhare [? pre- 

 paring] 



Al day ageyn [against] vndern et non [ ? and noon] 



He wyl try spredy et on don [to spread and undo] 



And ageyn [against] ye ewene tyde [evening tide] 



He lokyth [locketh, shuts up] hy self he ewery side [every 

 side], 



He growyth be [by] ye erthe lowe, 



Ayh euery man wyl hy knowe [will him know], 



He hath in hy [him] vertus manye, 



Zif he be meynt clene wt. betonye. 



Wt thre pater noster in monyth of May 



It schulde be gaderyd in sprynge of day. 



Yis [this] erbe alono yus [alone thus] gaderyd clene 



Mythly he flowyth [? flooreth /] ye splene. 



Ye man yt beryth it day or nyth, 



Wekked spryt of hy [him] schal hau no myth [shall have 

 no might, power], 



It wt. stant fendys [withstands fiends] power, 



And dystroyith weny yt syt hy ner 



[And destroys (them) when that (they) sit near him]. 



Zif it be dronkyn wt. betonye 



two anagallis plants ; and his second species must be the blue 

 variety of the A. arvensis; the bog-pimpernel (A. tenetta) was 

 evidently not recognised by him as of the same family. 

 * The first species. 



