22 COCCINELLID^ — LADY- BIRDS. 



drawn the following accurate and beautiful picture of the 

 Lady -bird in his tragedy of Sir Thomas More : 



Sir John. 



What d'ye look at? 



Cecilia. 



A little animal, that round my glove, 

 And up and down to every finger's tip, 

 Has traveled merrily, and travels still, 

 Tho" it has wings to fly : what its name is 

 With learned men I know not; simple folk 

 Call it the Lady-bird. 



SiE John. 



Poor harmless thing ! 



Save it. 



Cecilia. 



I would not hurt it for the world ; 

 Its prettiness says, Spare me; and it bears 

 Armor so beautiful upon its back, 

 I could not injure it to be a queen: 

 Look, sir, its coat is scarlet dropp'd with jet, 

 Its eyes pure ivory. 



SiE John. 



Child, I'm not blind 

 To objects so minute: I know it well; 

 'Tis the companion of the waning year, 

 And lives among the blossoms of the hop; 

 It has fine silken wings enfolded close 

 Under that coat of mail. 



Cecilia. 



I see them, sir, 

 For it unfurls them now — 'tis up and gone.^ 



Southey, also, in his lines addressed to this insect under 

 the name of the Burnie-Bee, has thus elegantly described 

 it: 



1 A. 1, sc. iii. 



