140 FLORA DOMESTICA. 



great length upon it. He tells us that the Queen Alceste, 

 who sacrificed her own life to save that of her husband 

 Admetus, and who was afterwards restored to the world 

 by Hercules, was, for her great goodness, changed into a 

 Daisy. He is never weary of praising this little flower : 



" Whan that the month of May 



Is comen, and that I heare the foules sing, 

 And that the floures ginnen for to spring, 

 Farewell my booke, and my devocion. 

 Now have I than eke this condicion, 

 That of all the floures in the mede, 

 Than love I most these floures white and rede, 

 Such that men callen daisies in our town : 

 To them 1 have so great affectioun, 

 As I sayd erst, whan comen in the Maie, 

 That in my bedde there daweth me no daie, 

 That I nam up, and walking in the mede 

 To seen this floure ayenst the sunne spredc, 

 Whan it upriseth early by the morrow, 

 That blissful sight softeneth my sorrow. 

 So glad am I, when that I have presence 

 Of it, to done it all reverence, 

 As she that is of all floures the floure, 

 Fulfilled of all vertue and honoure, 

 And every ilike faire, and fresh of hewe, 

 And ever I love it, and ever ilike newe, 

 And ever shall, until mine herte die, 

 All sweare I not, of this I woll not lie. 

 There loved no wight nothen in this life, 

 And whan that it is eve I renne blithe, 

 As soone as ever the sunne ginneth west, 

 To seen this floure, how it woll go to rest, 

 For feare of night, so hateth she darknesse, 

 Her chere is plainly spred in the brightnesse 

 Of the sunne, for there it woll unclose : 

 * * * # * 



My busie ghost, that thursteth alway new, 

 To seen this floure so yong, so fresh of hew, 

 Constrained me with so gredy desire, 

 That in my haste I fele yet the fire, 

 That made me rise ere it were day, 

 And this was now the first morowe of Maie, 



