1 66 Yew- Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



and he speaks of it as especially suited for Easter 

 decoration : 



* The Holly hitherto did sway, 



Let Box now domineer, 

 Until the dancing Easter-day, 



Or Easter's Eve appear. 

 The youthful Box which now did grace, 



Your houses to renew, 

 Grown old, surrender must his place 



Unto the crisped yew.' 



And again : J 



* An look, what smallage, nightshades, cypresse, yew, 

 Unto the shades have been, or now are due.' 



Fairfax writes of it as 



' The shooter eugh, the broad-leaved Sycamore, 

 The barren plantaine and the walnut sound ; 

 The myrrhe, that her foul sin doth still deplore ; 

 Alder, the owner of all waterish ground.' 



The alder is noticed by Tennyson in somewhat 

 similar terms in Amphion : 



' Came wet-shot alder from the wave.' 



In Shirley's Wedding (1633) is a scene in which 

 the servants are represented ' placing Ewe, Bayes, 

 Rosemary on a table set with tapers,' and one of 

 the characters says : 



* Ha ye not art enough 

 To make the ewe-tree grow here ? ' 



1 Hesperides, p. 27. 



