PLANT-LORE OF SHAKESPEARE 
150 
(22) Their silent war of Lilies and of Roses 
Which Tarquin view’d in her fair face’s field.— Lucrece , 71. 
(23) Iler Lily hand her rosy cheek lies under, 
Cozening the pillow of a lawful kiss.— Ibid ., 386. 
(24) The colour in thy face 
That even for anger makes the Lily pale, 
And the red Rose blush at her own disgrace.— Ibid., 477. 
(25) A Lily pale with damask die to grace her.— Passionate Pilgrim , 89. 
(26) Full gently now she takes him by the hand, 
A Lily prison’d in a jail of snow.— Venus and Adonis, 361. 
(27) She locks her Lily fingers one in one.— Ibid., 228. 
(28) Whose wonted Lily white 
With purple tears, that his wound wept, was drench’d. 
Ibid., 1053. 
Which is the queen of flowers ? There are two rival candi¬ 
dates for the honour—the Lily and the Rose; and as we look 
on the one or the other, our allegiance is divided, and we vote 
the crown first to one and then to the other. We should have 
no difficulty “were t’other fair charmer away,” but with two 
such candidates, both equally worthy of the honour, we vote 
for a diarchy instead of a monarchy, and crown them both. 1 
Yet there are many that would at once choose the Lily for the 
queen, and that without hesitation, and they would have good 
authority for their choice. “ O Lord, that bearest rule,” says 
Esdras, “of the whole world, Thou hast chosen Thee of all the 
flowers thereof one Lily.” Spenser addresses the Lily as 
te The Lily, lady of the flow’ring field”—A. Q., ii. 6, 16 ; 
1 “Within the garden’s peaceful scene 
Appeared two lovely foes, 
Aspiring to the rank of Queen, 
The Lily and the Rose. 
8 e 0 § © e 
Yours is, she said, the noblest hue, 
And yours the statelier mien, 
And till a third surpasses you 
Let each be deemed a Queen.”— Cowper. 
