York and Lancaster Roses 



a natural and obvious compliment for the courtiers 

 of the time of Henry VIII. and Elizabeth to say 

 how Nature had shown the excellence of the union 

 of the houses of York and Lancaster by joining 

 in one fair flower the white rose of the one to 

 the red rose of the other. But the first notice 

 I can find is in the heading to Parkinson's de- 

 scription, just quoted, " Rosa Versicolor : The 

 Party-coloured Rose, of some York and Lan- 

 caster." This shows that the name was a com- 

 mon name in Parkinson's time, and was not 

 invented by him. About the same time Cleve- 

 land, the poet, wrote : — 



Her cheeks 

 Where roses mix ; no civil war 

 Between her York and Lancaster. 



I can get no nearer to the origin of the name 

 than this. It was probably a chance name happily 

 chosen, which at once took the public fancy, 

 and so has remained with us. I will finish my 

 paper with an epigram which is well known, but 

 is clever enough to bear repetition : — 



If this pale rose offend your sight 



Laid in thy bosom bare ; 

 'Twill blush to find itself less white, 



And turn Lancastrian there. 



But if thy ruby lip it spy. 



And kiss it thou may'st deign. 

 With envy pale 'twill lose its dye, 



And Yorkist turn again. 



G 97 



