THE FLOWERS OF MAY. 137 
Some of them are very quaint. One of these, “ Meet- 
her-i’-th’-entry-kiss-her-i’-th’-buttery,” is probably the 
longest plant-name in the English language, but is only 
one of a great number of similar names that have been 
given to this flower. This particular one is local in 
northwestern Lincolnshire. The progress of modern 
education and the increased facilities of communication 
will soon make such names only souvenirs of a simple 
and homely Past. 
The violet has long been in popular language the 
emblem of modesty. It is born in the grass in an hum- 
ble and obscure situation, it is true; it does not conceal 
itself there. It reaches up into the light, and both by 
its color and by its perfume attracts attention. It be- 
came the imperial flower of France, closely associated 
with the Napoleonic dynasty, as the fleur-de-lis is asso- 
ciated with the royal line. Its color has become asso- 
ciated with high rank. It has covered the heads of the 
Church, the archbishops and the bishops, with its livery ; 
it is the color of the mourning-of kings. It was one of 
the favorite colors of the old poets, especially as applied 
to the sea. Matthew Arnold has caught the spirit of 
the Greek muse when, referring to the Gods sitting on 
high on Olympus, he says: 
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