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RURAL HOURS. 
bleaching linen ; the wall-flower, which loved the shade of knight- 
ly banners and pennons, and still clings faithfully to falling ruins ; 
king’s-spears, flower-gentle, goldilocks, yellow-golds, the flower 
de luce, flower of light, which great painters have placed in the 
hands of saintly personages in many a noble work of art ; the 
sweet-daisy or day’s-eye, the “ eye of day,” as Chaucer has call- 
ed it. 
After such names as these, ought we not to be thoroughly 
ashamed of appellations like Batschia, Schoberia, Buchnera, Good- 
yera, Brugmannsia, Heuchera, Scheuzeria, Schizanthus, and as 
many more to match as you please ? Names remarkably well 
adapted to crocodiles, and rattlesnakes, and scorpions, but Uttle 
suited, one would think, to the flowers gentle of the field. 
Tliere is a modest little blossom known to all the world as 
having been highly honored in different countries. La Margue- 
rite was probably first named in the chansons of some lover trou- 
badour, some noble brother-in-arms, perhaps, of him who sang 
Blanche of Castille so sweetly ; 
“ Las ! si j’avais pouvoir d’oublier 
Sa boautc, son bicn-dire 
Et son tres-doux regarder, 
Finirait mon martyre ! 
• 
We may well believe it to have been some such knightly poet 
who first felt the charm of that simple flower, and blending its 
name and image with that of his lady-love, sang : “Si douce est 
la Marguerite!” So long as knights wore arms, and couched 
lances in behalf of ladies fair, so long was la Marguerite a fa- 
vored flower of chivalry, honored by all prcux chevaliers ; knight 
