GUELDER-ROSE. 161 



in transplanting his flowers into his poems, describes the 

 Guelder-rose as 



- tall, 



And throwing up into the darkest gloom 

 Of neighbouring cypress, or more sable yew, 

 Her silver globes, light as the foamy surf 

 That the wind severs from the broken wave/ 



HAWTHORN. 



CRAT^GUS OXYACANTHA. 



ROSACE^E. ICOSANDRIA DIGYNIA. 



French, Taubepine ; 1'e'pine-blanche ; la noble e'pine ; le senellier. 

 Italian, bianco-spino ; amperlo; bagaia. English, Hawthorn, from 

 the Anglo-Saxon, haegthorn ; Whitethorn; Quick; May-bush. 



FEW trees exceed the Common Hawthorn in beauty, 

 during the season of its bloom. Its blossoms have been 

 justly compared to those of the myrtle : they are ad- 

 mirable also for their abundance, and for their exquisite 

 fragrance. This shrub usually flowers in May ; and being 

 the handsomest then, or perhaps at any time, wild in our 

 fields, has obtained the name of May, or May-bush. The 

 country-people deck their houses and churches with the 

 blossoms on May-day, as they do with holly at Christmas. 



" Youth's folk now flocken everywhere, 

 To gather May-buskets and smelling breere; 

 And home they hasten the posts to dight, 

 And all the kirk-pillars ere day-light, 

 With hawthorne buds, and sweet eglantine, 

 And girlonds of roses, and sops-in-wine." 



SPENSER'S SHEPHERD'S CALENDAR. 



There are many species of Hawthorn. India has its 

 Hawthorn: America, China, Siberia, have each their 

 Hawthorn: several are Europeans: but our own British 



M 



