114 FAMILIAR GARDEN FLOWERS. 



sionally refer. Thus, in the reign of Edward the Third, 

 Chaucer, in describing' a rural scene, wrote in his quaint 



language — 



" Ther springen herbes, greet and smale. 

 The licorys and the cetewale, 



And many a clow gilofre ; 

 And notemuge to put in ale, 

 Whethir it be moist or stale, 



Or for to lay in cofre." 



The " cetewale " in this verse is the valerian, and the 

 " clow gilofre " is the clove carnation, which was used in 

 the preparation of a spicy cuj), and also to laj^ up with gar- 

 ments in a coffer or clothes-press. By " gilofre," " gillo- 

 flower," or " gilliflower •" many very different flowers were 

 formerly understood, but always with a qualifying prefix, 

 as the " stock-gillo flower," the " wall-gilloflower,'''' &e.; 

 but 1/ie gilloflower of the old writers was beyond all doubt 

 the carnation. Strange to say, this is a corruption of the 

 Latin cariiophjlhun , a clove, the fragrance of the flower 

 being like that of the clove of commerce ; and in days 

 when spices were costly, a carnation was a cheap salistitute 

 for the real thing. The more familiar name " carnation " 

 refers to its colour, and this in old times was corrupted to 

 " coronation,'" and was thence associated with the custom of 

 wearing it by lovers as a crown or chaplet, to denote that 

 their hearts and hands were engaged. 



The carnation, as a garden flowei-, must have been 

 known in this country from very ancient times ; and it is 

 probably true that the yellow varieties were introduced, as 

 Gerarde describes, by Master Lete about the j'ear 1580. 



Stow says they came from the Low Countries in 1567. 

 We are, therefore, to suppose that previously to the last- 

 named date none but self-coloured cloves were known ; 



