WALLFL O IVER. 
(.Fidelity in Misfortune.) 
COMMON garden blossom, that seldom receives 
all the attention it is worthy of, is the Wallflower , 
symbolical of fidelity in misfortune. It was a 
great favourite in the Middle Ages, when troubadours and 
minstrels wore it as an emblem of the unchangeableness of 
their affection. Wallflowers belong to the Stock family; 
and by far the finest is the common one, which Thomson, 
in his “ Seasons,” describes as— 
“The yellow wallflower, stained with iron brown.” 
Bernard Barton says of the wallflower: 
“An emblem true thou art, 
Of love’s enduring lustre, given 
To cheer a lonely heart.” 
And elsewhere: 
“To me it speaks of loveliness, 
That passes not with youth, 
Of beauty which decay can bless, 
Of constancy and truth. 
“ But in adversity’s dark hour, 
When glory is gone by, 
It then exerts its gentle power, 
The scene to beautify.” 
