“ Whose white investments figure innocence.” 
Shakspeare. 
T HE flower which, next to the rose, appears to have re¬ 
ceived the most attention from the poets is the Daisy. 
It may seem strange that a little scentless floweret like this 
should have obtained so many plaudits ; but Montgomery 
most probably guesses the real cause of its popularity when 
he sings 
“ The rose has but a Summer reign; 
The daisy never dies.” 
Formerly “the poet’s darling” was termed the “e’e of daie,” 
and under that name Chaucer speaks of it; by the time the 
Elizabethan school arose, it was known as the “day’s eye,” 
from which title to its present appellation the transition was 
easy. 
This little “silver shield” is known to the French as Mar¬ 
guerite, or “the pearl;” and at the banquet given in celebra¬ 
tion of the marriage of Charles the Bold of Burgundy with the 
Princess Margaret of England, its name allowed it to be made 
use of to pay a very pretty compliment to the princely pair. 
Amongst other clever automata introduced upon the occasion 
was a large unicorn, bearing on its back a leopard, emblema¬ 
tical of the supporters of the two nations: the latter animal 
held in one claw the standard of England, and in the other a 
daisy, or Marguerite. After the toy had gone the round of 
the tables, one of the stewards took the little blossom from 
the leopard’s claw, and presented it, with a laudatory address, 
to the royal bridegroom. 
According to the classic account, this little flower owed its 
