§J The Scents of Sarly Summer (j£ 



lilies of the valley. Around her head, seen as through a 

 cloud, are twelve stars. The Madonna lilies denote her 

 purity, the roses the divine love which sent Our Lord to 

 this earth, the columbines the seven gifts of the Holy- 

 Spirit, and the lilies of the valley the humility of * the 

 handmaid of the Lord/ 



The lily of the valley grows wild almost throughout 

 Europe from Italy to Lapland. According to a Sussex 

 legend, they grew first in St. Leonard's forest, where the 

 Saint encountered and vanquished the dragons or * fire 

 drakes,' which devastated that part of the country. 

 When this lowly flower was first made a garden flower we 

 do not know, but Thomas Hyll, the author of the earliest 

 book on gardening in our language, tells us (in 1568) that 

 they had recently been ' bought and planted in gardens.' 

 ' The wood Lillie or Lillie of the valley,' he says, ' is a 

 flower mervallous sweete, florishing especially in the 

 spring time, and growing properly in woods, but chiefly 

 in valleies and on the sides of hilles. But now for the 

 great commoditie and use known (of the floure) the same 

 of late yeares is bought and planted in gardens.' The 

 pink-flowered variety, which was known in Parkinson's 

 day, was apparently and fortunately as rarely seen then 

 as it is now. In the Paradisus he says of it that ' it groweth 

 only in the Gardens of those that are curious lovers of 

 rarities.' The flowers were formerly used in many ways. 

 Distilled in wine they were accounted in Gerard's time 

 \ more precious than gold.' Parkinson says, ' The flowers 

 of the white kind are used with those things that help to 

 strengthen the memory and to procure ease to Apoplectic 

 persons. Camerarius setteth down the manner of making 

 an oyle of the flowers hereof, which he saith is very 



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