U FiiQRUM SACRA

'»,; 't

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

dflorum ^arra.

IN SIMPLE YEESE.

BT THE

EEV. GEOEGE HUNT SMTTTAN, B.A.,

RECTOR OF HAWKSWOETH, NOTTS^ AUTHOR OF
" FAITH AND PRACTICE," &C.

" Wondrous truths, and manifold as wondrous,

God hath written in those stars above !

But not less in the bright flowerets under us

Stands the hetelation of His love."

Longfellow.

J. H. PARKER, LONDON and OXFORD :

MACMILLANS, CAMBRIDGE : RIDGE and Co., NEWARK-ON-TRENT ;

J. SULLEY, and T. FORMAN, NOTTINGHAM :

R. GRANT A!Jd Son, EDINBURGH.

M DCCC LIV.

This little work is published in aid of the funds for building
a School- house in the Parish of Hawksworth.

PEINTED BY MESSRS. PABEER, COB!f-MABEET, OXFORD.

?K

C 0 N T E N T S.

PAGE

Tokens of the Deity 1

The Song of the Flowers . . . . . 3

Spring Flowers 6

Snow-drop 8

Primrose 10

Sweet Violets 11

Hawthorn 13

Grass 15

Forget-me-not 18

Honey-suckle 21

Eyebright 22

Lily of the Valley 24

Heart's-ease 26

Mignonette 27

Germander Speedwell 29

Pimpernel • 31

Rose 33

Fuchsia 35

Lilies 37

Passion-flower 39

Herb Paris, or True Love 41

94:

Sun-dew

Woody Nightshade, or Bitter-sweet

Dahlia ....

TuE Poor Man's Flowers

Bridal Flowers

Funeral Flowers .

Flowers of " God's Acre"

Autumnal Crocus .

Rose in Winter

The Retrospect

PIlGB

42
44
45
47
49
51
53
56
58
61

' ' Sweet nurslings of the vernal skies,
Bath'd in soft airs, and fed with dew,
What more than magic in you lies,

To fill the heart's fond view ?
In childhood's sports, companions gay,
In sorrow, on Life's downward way,
How soothing ! in our last decay
Memorials prompt and true.

" Ye dwell beside our paths and homes,
Our paths of sin, our homes of sorrow,
And guilty man, where'er he roams,
Your innocent mirth may bon'ow.
The birds of air before us fleet,
They cannot brook our shame to meet —
But we may taste your solace sweet
And come again to-morrow.

" Ye fearless in your nests abide —

Nor may we sconi, too proudly wise.
Your silent lessons, undescried

l>y all but lowly eyes :
For ye could draw th' admiring gaze
Of Him who worlds and hearts surveys ;
Yom- order wild, your ftagi-ant maze.
He taught us how to prize."

KMe.

ERRATA.

Page 12, Stanza 1, line 2, for theirs read (heir's.
Page 14, Stanza 2, line 2, for glade read grade.

»

TOKENS OF THE DEITY.

'0 Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them
all : the earth is full of Thy riches."

Psalm civ. 24.

God of nahu'e, God of grace,
Everywhere Thy hand I ti'ace, —
From the frailest insect form
To the hills, that braye the storm ;

In the simplest, shyest flower
Scarce out-peeping from its bower,
As in gay and gorgeous bloom
Fresh from nature's richest loom ;

In the bright life-giving Sun,

In the soft and silver JMoon,

In the quiet rural scene,

And the landscape clothed in sheen.

TOKENS OF THE DEITY.

Fire and water, earth and air,
One and all Thy power declare ;
"While Thy wisdom, mercy, love.
And benevolence they prove.

Sing I then, though weak my lyre,
Praises to th' Etcnial Sire ;
Praise my grateful heart shall pour
Now, henceforth, and evermore ^.

Psalm civ. 33.

f

I

THE SONG OF THE FLOWEES.

" All Tby works praise Thee, O Lord."

Psalm cxlv. 10.

"We come, we come, a joyous train,
To deck the vale and robe the plain ;
Of every form and every hue
From glittering gold to azure blue.

We come, we come, with gladsome Spring
Oui' meed of praise anew to bring,
And silently to breathe around
A hymn of odours from the ground.

We come, we come, in garden gay
Or shelter' d nook to live our day,
To revel on the mountain- side
Or in the misty glen to hide.

We come, we come, like angels bright.
To charm the sense and bless the sight,
Eejoicing those who long to hail
Our perfume wafted on the gale ;

THE SOXG OF THE FLOWEES.

Refreshing most the fever' d bed

Through weary hours whence hope hath fled ;

But dear alike to sorrowing mood,

As Mends who soothe but ne'er intrude.

And sometimes o'er the grassy grave
Our tendrils creep and blossoms wave ;
Sometimes along the fretted aisle
On Easter's holy mom we smile''.

ISoT let them blame the pious care
AMiose reverent taste may place us there,
ISov count it wrong to intertwine
God's works with man's in God's own Shrine

b It is still the custom in some country parishes to adorn the church
with flowers at Easter. "A writer in the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. liii. for
July 1783, page 578, conjectures that the flowers, with which many churches
are ornamented on Easter Day, are most probably intended as emblems of the
Resurrection, having just risen again from the earth, in which during the se-
verity of winter, they seem to have been buried." — Brand's Popular Arditjvi-
ties, vol. i. page 93.

George Herbert seems to allude to this old custom in a stanza of his Easter
hymn :

" I got me flowers to strew Thy way,
I got me boughs ofl' many a tree ;
But Thou wast up by break of day
And brought'st Thy sweets along with Thee."

THE SOXG OF TUE FLOWERS.

For His unbounded love we shew,
AVho moulds our form and bids us grow
In varied scene and varied clime,
And all to blossom in their time. —

Yet once again, we come to teach
With the fast-fading bloom of each
The solemn truth of life's decay, —
That man, as we, must pass away.

Then Kstcn, listen to the tale
Of every jcweU'd hill and dale,
And learn to fear, and learn to love,
And leaiTL to bless the God above.

SPRING FLOWERS.

' F'or, lo, the winter is past ; the flowers appear on tlie earth ; the time of the
singing of birds is come."

SoloiHOii's So'iifj ii. 11, 12.

TuE flowerets of the early Spring,

The firstlings of the year,
"V\Tiat gladness to the soiil they bring

As blithely they appear ;

The Celandine, the Aconite,

Primrose, and Crocus gay.
The bending Snow-drop milky white '^,

Pale Cowslip and sweet May.

What childlike glee is o'er us shed

When first the eye hath seen
The Yiolet raising up her head —

Our little PaLry-quecn.

"GalanthuB," the botanical name of snow-drop, means "mill; -flower."

SPlirNG FLOWEKS.

Ajiid lowly shrubs with leafless stems
Put forth their fragrant flowers ;

And day by day fresh simple gems
jVi'iso to deck oui" bowers.

Though richer, brighter be the hues

Of radiant Summer's traia,
A deeper gladness these infuse
Now scattered o'er the plain ;

Leading our thoughts beyond the grave

To earth's eternal Spring,
When those whom Jesus died to save

Shall rise to meet their Kiug.

SNOW-DROP.

(galanthus nivalis.)

*' And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as
He is pure."

1 John iii. 3.

While the snow is on the lea
Pure and spotless cometh she,
Drooping modestly her head
Though a herald from the dead :

As the Temple-conrts beheld
Mary, with her Babe, of eld,
At the Altar bending low,
Come to pay a mother's yow'^.

Oh, were garb as spotless mine
As the Snow-di'op's robe divine ;
"Were my heart as bright and pure.
Then my peace would be secure.

•• Snow-drops generally appear about the same time as the Festival of the
Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin."

SNOW-DROP.

I

But alas ! thoixgli once aiTayed

In a garment purer made « |

By the holy cleansing flood

Of the blessed Saviour's blood«;

Now, 'tis soii'd by many a stain,
Fruit of lust, and longings vain,
Anger, pride, rebellious bent,
Fretful moods, and hours mis-spent.

Yet, by ceaseless prayer sincere
And the penitential tear.
May I mercy find and grace
Sin's defilement to efi'ace.

Thus on joyous Easter mom
Rising from the grave, thiice-bom.
Robe more biilliant than the snow
Shall my gracious Lord bestow.

^ Bishop Latimer, speaking of holy baptism, says, " There we begin ; we are
washed with water; and then the words are added, for we are baptized in the
name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, whereby the baptism receiveth his
strength. Now this sacrament of baptism is a thing of great weight ; for it
ascertaineth and assureth us, that like as the water washeth the body and
cleanseth it, so the blood of Christ cleanseth and washeth it from all filth and
uncleanness of sin." — Remains, p. 126. Parker Society's Edition.

PRIMROSE.

(PKIMTJLA VULGAKIS.)

' It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation
of the Lord."

Lamentations iii. 26.

With face upturned to the sky

Appears the Priuu-ose fair ;
Yet not -with pride, but modestly

Her gaze is centred there.

Of earnest hope the Primrose sings

And calm confiding trust, —
Of hope in prayer that fiiideth wings,

Of faith that saves the just*^.

Oil look not, Chiistian, on this fiower,
Nor pluck it from the groimd.

Without a wish that thou each houi'
Mayst thus be watchful found.

And while through many a stirring scene

Thy pilgrim footsteps move.
For ever fix thine eye serene

On the bright realms above.

' llabakkuk ii. 4.

SWEET VIOLETS.
(viola odokata.)

"God is not unrighteous, that He will forget your works, and labour that
proceedeth of love ; which love ye have shewed for His Name's sake, who have
ministered to the saints, and yet do minister."

Hebrews vi. 10.

Sweet Violets, sweet Violets,

Of purple and of white,
Most cherisli'd of earth's flowerets ^,

In simple beauty dight :

All hasten ye to welcome

With Spiing-days bright and mild,

That make the spiiit glecsomo
Of man and maid and child.

Tour perfume, like soft melody,

Comes stealing o'er the breeze.
While blossom ye so cheerily

Beneath the lofty trees.

' Say, little maids that love the spring,
Of all the fragrant gems ye bring

For bower or bridal wreath.
Is aught so fair as violets shy,
Betraying wliere they lowly lie

13y the soft airs they breathe."— .K^cfi^t'

s"vvi;et violets.

Of gentle souls and guileless
The fragrant Violets tell,

Diffusing peace and gladness
AVhere'er on earth they d^vell.

In actions pure and lovely,
That shrink from idle gaze,

These ministers of mercy
DeKght to pass their days :

And many a word of blessing
From sick and dying beds,

Where they have borne refreshing
Is shower'd upon their heads ; —

Of blessing twofold precious.
For theirs that promise sure

Of recompense most gracious
Which ever shall endure''.

i" St. Matt. X. 42.

HAWTHORN.

(CRATAEGUS OXYACAKTHA.)

" I will that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shame-

facedness and sobriety ; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly
array ;

But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works."

1 Tiid. ii. 9, 10.

'Tis the merry montli of Maying' —

And the sun is no more coy,
Thrush and merle, through woodland straying,

Carol forth theii" notes of joy.

Children weave the garland gaily ',

Eoving over plain and height, —
Cowslip, Xing-cup, pearl-like J Daisy,

Each is welcom'd with delight.

Every hedge-row now is gleaming

"With its silveiy an'ay;
Ne'er saw I in land of di'eaming

Aught more lovely than the May ^.

' See note at end of vol.

i The French call the daisy pdite marguerite (little pearl), the Italians
'inargheritena.

'' " Hailed from its fair and sweet array

The namesake of the lovely JIay." — Bp. Maiit.

13

HAWTHORN.

Come, ye blushing maidens, riew it, —
Prayiag ye may be as chaste, —

For ye are, if ye but knew it.

Here as Hawthorn blossoms placed ;

To adorn and to enliven

Every path and glade of life,

iVnd, perchance, when virtues ripen,
Bear the holy name of wife ^

J Gen. ii. 18.

GRASS'^.

' As the flower of the grass so shall he pass away."

St. James i. 10.

All common things we pass unheeded by
With careless glance ; nor tarry to descry
Whate'er their coy recesses store
Of Beauty, Truth, or holy lore :
And yet the peai'l in rugged shell,
And honey-dew in flow'ret's bell
Might teach the wand'ring eye what lessons sweet
Unfolding fast its steady search would greet ;
What deep analogy and law
The mind from simplest things may draw,
Tracking fresh veins of golden thought
Aye opening on its path unsought ;
While fancy's wand to contemplation's fane
Guides link'd together all her magic train.

"• For this piece and another, marked p, the author is indebted to a dear friend,
from whom he has also received much valuable assistance in preparing this
little work for the press.

15

GEASS.

Herbs of the field, and flowers which fling
Sweet incense on the wak'ning Spring I
Did ever sophist's wisdom reach
To higher ti'uths than ye may teach,
Whose fragile forms at morn and dewy e'en
Shed silent music over all the scene ?

Telling, though all around him smile",
Man dureth but a little while.
That ere the day its course hath run
His soul may be beyond the sun,
And its raz'd mansion low in ruins laid.
Left like a fallen leaf to di'oop and fade.

Yet sure, if all the flowerets frail°
That deck each mountain-side and dale
In raiment bloom so bright and fair,
Clad by His Hand who placed them there,
"Why should one anxious thought oiu" bosom wring
Of want or care the morrow's dawn may bring ?
Oh, may we not like wither'd grass^
Our age in barren service pass,

" Psalm xc. 5, 6.
16

St. Matt. vi. 30.

p Psalra cxxix. 6.

GKASS.

But jaelcl, deep rooted in the soil,
Meet piwuce to the labourer's toil,
Till, at earth's hai-vest, angel-reapers come
To bear us gently in their bosoms home.

Meanwhile, amid the desert waste,
For lowly souls one spot is plac'd ;
The lot is fair : and all around
Soft verdure springs from holy ground,

Spreading for aching Umbs its calm repose.

And peace and joy such as the world ne'er knows.
Thus, Lord, within Thy Church to rest
Be it through life our portion blest.
Where heavenly dew with kindly aid
Falls to refresh each tender blade i ;

Then bursting through the tilth of time may we

Blossom for ever in Eternity !

1 Deut. xxxii. 2.

17

FORGET ME NOT.

(myosotis palustris.)

"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compas-
sion on the son of her womb ? yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget thee."

Isaiah xlix. 15.

Fathee, an erring child draws nigh,
For mercy lifts his suppliant cry,

Through Jesus sought :
Vouchsafe, 0 God, a willing ear.
Be pleased my humble prayer to hear ;

Forget me not.

"When Satan tempts and pride rebels,
Or torturing doubt my bosom swells,

And demons plot ;
Thy gracious aid and strength afford
To keep my feet from falling, Lord !

Forget me not.

FORGET ME NOT.

When heart and spirit faint and foil,
Dread judgments cause my soul to quail

And mourn my lot ;
Oh, may I still Thy wisdom see,
Submissive wait, and follow Thee"^:

Forget me not.

When houi's of sadness round me close.
And blast on blast still fiercer blows

With anguish fraught ;
Refresh me with consoling grace.
That I in all Thy Hand may trace :

Forget me not.

When trouble and disease invade.
Consume the frame Thy power hath made

And goodness bought.
Oh, smooth my pillow with Thy love
And send me healing fr'om above ;

Foraret me not.

When, di-awing near the gate of death,
I struggle with my latest breath

And low am brought ;

Isaiah xl. 31.

FOEGET ME NOT.

Lord, in that hour a peaceful end
And ministering spii-its send ;

Forget me not.

And when before Thy awful Throne
I stand, the e\il deeds to own

"Wliich I have wrought ;
Then, as in mercy Thou shalt give
Pardon to all that contiite live,

Forget me not.

HONEYSUCKLE.

(CArRIFOLIUM PERICLYMENUM.)

" That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things."

Titus ii. 10.

Clinging to oaken boughs, trailing o'er bow'r,
Twining through hedge-rows green, blossoms this flow'r ;
Freely its fragrancy casting around
While the lark's soaring notes blithely resound.

Thither the humming bee speedeth at morn
Storing her nectary ere she return ;
Grateful the traveller breathes the sweet gale.
Resting his weary limbs down in the vale.

Thus to a Higher Pow'r fixst may I cling.
Thus, like the Woodbine, seek humbly to bring
Him that sustaineth me glory and praise,
By a life holily spent in His ways.

Be it my blessedness too to impart
Joy and fresh vigour to many a heart
Struggling with earnestness Heaven to attain.
Careworn, and fainting with sorrow and pain.

21

EYEBRIGHT.

(EUPHRASIA OFFICI^'ALIS.)

" For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great."

St. LvJce ix. 48.

As star remote iu yon blue sky,
Scarce e'er discem'd by mortal eye

'ilid all tbe shining host,
The Eyebright hides its tiny head
Among the green grass of the mead,

Conceal' d and well-nigh lost.

But seek it out — this smallest gem
Of earth's resplendent diadem —

And hear it softly say,
" In God's good kingdom blessings pure
The least of all His saints ensure,

"Who "svatch and work and pray.

" For they that unobtrusive live,
And by good deeds meet praises give
To their Eternal Sire,

FA'EBKIGnT.

Shall not Tnth faintest lustre shine,
Nor lowest sit at feast divine*,

Nor feeblest strike their lyre'.

" Thus He, the Lord of all, hath said,—
^Mio had not where to lay His Head

For many a weary day, —
That, when life's pilgrimage is past.
Last shall be first, and first be last"

In regions far away."

St. Luke xiv. 10.

Rev. xiv. 1 — 5.

' St. Matt. xix. 30.

LILY OF THE VALLEY.

(CONVALLARIA MAJALIS.)

' Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God."

Si. Matt. V.

CoMEST thou from Faery land,
"Where around thee, hand in hand.
Dance the merry little sprites,
When the moonlit glade invites ?

Doth Titania from thy cups
Sip her nectar as she sups ?
Serves thy leaf, when revels close.
As a couch for her repose ?

Nay, methinks from higher scenes
Than are rul'd hy Faery queens.
Thou hast come our earth to hail,
Sweetest Lily-of-the-valc.

24

LILY OF THE YALLKY.

Piirc and bright as driven snow,
Meek, yet graceful, dost thou grow ;
Emblem meet of that blest Maid "
On whose breast the Christ was laid.

Thou retirement lov'st as she, —
Lone and shelter' d dells for thee ;
And when plac'd in garden fair
Bearing not the sun's full glare :

As the Galilean saw
Gabriel's dazzling light with awe,
And her lowly spirit quailed.
When with words of honour hailed.

Heav'n twin blessings will impart
To the meek and pure in heart, —
Here, the kingdom of God's grace,
There, to see the Father's Face'^.

Strive then, Christian, to endure
Like the Virgin-mother pure ;
Free from stain of earthly dross.
Meekly looking to the Cross.

' "Lily of Eden's fragrant shade." — Kehle.
" St; Matt. V. 5, 8.

ei:>^S-£:^

HEART'S-EASE.
(viola, tricolok.)

" 0 Lord, I am oppressed ; ease me."

Isaiah xxxviii. 14. (Marginal rendering.)

Ye, for ease of heart who long,
Seek it not earth's gifts among,
Nor in pleasui-e's giddy round,
But where only it is found, —

In the Cross.

Be your trials what they may ;
Though as dark as night your way ;
Though each hour the thorns increase ;
Doubt not ! — ever flowcth Peace

From the Cross.

Cast aside all gloomy fear ;
Wipe away desponding tear :
For the holy Jesus bare
All our sorrow, all our care^,

On the Cross.

y Isaiah liii. 4.

MIGNONETTE^
(reseda odorata.)

' Though the Lord be higli, yet hath He respect unto the lowly."

Psalm cxxxviii. 6.

Who does not love thee, Mignonette ?
Who owes thee not a boundless debt ?
Who has not known thee soothe and calm
The grie%-ing heart, like Gilead's balm ?

The rich man's garden's graced by thee,
The cottage border equally,
And pallid forms, in garrets bare,
Thee cherish, and thy blessing share.

By thee enrich' d, the gentle gale
Of summer evening we inhale ;
Oft, too, thou servcst to allay
The heat and burden of the day.

z The diminutive of mignon, darling.

MIGNONETTE.

What though no charms thou hast to shew,
Plainest amongst the flowers that grow !

An odour passing all is thine,

Ne'er cloying, like to sweets divine.

As some dear maiden, past all praise.
Attracting not th' admirer's gaze ;

But cloth'd with beauty, not of earth, —
The graces of a Heavenly birth.

GERMANDER SPEEDWELL.

(VEKONICA CHAMAEDRYS.)

"For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come."

Hebrews xiii. 14.

" What says that flower with eye as blue
As is the azure's deepest hue ?
How cahn, yet earnest is her look
On grassy bank, by rippling brook !"

Tarry, brother, on thy way ;
Listen, — this her cheering lay.

" Speedwell, pilgi-im, to thy home,
N'ever from the sti-aight path roam ;
There be all thy treasures plac'd
Where nor moth nor rust can waste ".

" What though frail and prone to err !
Trust thy gi-eat Deliverer :
He will grace and strength impart
To the earnest stedfast heart.

» St. Matt. vi. 20.

j

GEEMANDEE SPEEDWELL.

" Speedwell, though the tempests blow
Charged with misery and woe,
O'er the meek and lowly soul
Seathless Heaven's dread thunders rolP.

"And, amid earth's care and pain,
Peace shall in thy bosom reign —
Peace from that clear fountain flowing
'\(\Tiere the Tree of Life is growing ".

"Speedwell thus, for One is nigh —
Though unseen by mortal eye —
Thee to prosper, thee to bless.
As thou to the goal wouldst press ''.

"And thy soul, e'en here below.
Somewhat of Heaven's joy may know,—
Somewhat of that glory share
Which the saints triumphant wear."

J Phil. iii. 13, 14.

30

PIMPERNEL.

(aNAGALLIS' ARVENSIS.)

"Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold
the sun :

" But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all ; yet let him remember
the days of darkness."

Ecclesiasles xi. 7, 8.

See the scarlet Pimpernel
Smilitig in the sunny mom,

Where it loveth most to dwell
'Mid the golden waving com.

Haply, pass another hour
By the corn-field path again,

"When dark clouds begin to lower,
Pregnant with big drops of rain.

AMiere is now this floweret gay
"With its bright and beaming eye ?

Look you wheresoe'er you may,
Ne'er a Pimpernel you spy.

« See note at end of vol.

PIMPEENEL.

All arc closed : "with instinct shrinking
From the murky humid air, —

As it were some spirit sinking
'Neath the pending load of care.

Thus e'en childhood's lightsome heart
Has a cross upon it laid, —

Many a sorrow, many a smart,
Many a storm to make afraid.

Tears, perchance, and grief hedimming
Lustre of those loving eyes

Whence his joy is hourly springing,
"WhUe on mother's breast he lies :

I

Or some cloud of shame and sin
Darkening its sunny heaven,

Till, by penitence within
And confession, 'tis forgiven.

Ilain and sunsliine, smiles and tears, -
All on earth one portion have ;

Joy and sorrow, hopes and fears.
From the cradle to the grave.

ROSE.

(ROSA CENTIFOLIA.)

' The path of the just is as the shining light, that shinetli more and more
unto the perfect day."

Proverbs iv. 18.

I LOTE to see the beauteous Rose

O'er cottage porch entwine,
And breathe her odour soft the while,
Casting a radiant peaceful smile,

Like visitaat divine.

She tells of love where'er she blooms —

Celestial love and sure, —
But ne'er, methinks, so sweet her lay
As when she yieldeth thus each day

Her sweets to God's own poor.

A high and holy embassy

Such blessing to impart ! —
Like Him, the " Eose of Sharon •=" styled.
Who left His Throne for earth's di-ear wild

To raise man's drooping heart.

= Canticles ii. 1.

And yet, alas ! her life is short,

Her beauty fades and dies,
And \n.thers soon that lovely form
Endued with every dainty charm,

Dissolve those earthly ties.

But, as the holy, just, and true,

When numbered with the dead<^, —
Around the scenes she once made bright
Her joy is still, though lost to sight,
A fragi'ance pure to shed.

Oh I be my life like thine, sweet Rose,

All love, all peace, all praise ;
That so, whene'er I "fall on sleep,"
I leave to cheer the friends that weep
The pei'fume of my days.

■i "The memory of the just is blessed."— Proverbs x. 7.

I

FUCHSIA.

(fuchsia coccinea.)

' For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people : He will beautify the meek
with Salvation."

Psalm cxlix. 4.

EiTBLEir of modest grace !
With downcast tearful eye
And pendent bloom wherein we trace
Thy deep humility : —

Like maiden meek as fair,
Refraining to display
Thy highest charms, as jewels rare,
To the fall glare of day.

From sunnier scenes, they tell.
Thou cam'st, a tender child *=,
In this our Island home to dweU,

"Where bleak winds blow and wild.

' The Fuchsia is a native of South America. It takes its name from the dis-
coverer, Fuchs.

35

FUCHSIA.

Eut now, no more a stranger

Beneath our nortliem skies,

To tliee nor fears nor sense of danger

Prom frosts and snows arise :

And ne'er a garden sweet

Within our favour' d Isle,

But thou art there the eye to greet

And shed a radiant smile.

The modest, thus, and chaste
Take root in every soil ;
And eveiy lot by them is graced
Of pleasure or of toil ; —

And who a higher room 8
In Heaven's high house shall share
Or what the flower a brighter bloom
In paradise shall wear ?

e St. Luke xiv. lu, 11.

LILIES".

(lilia.)

' But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness ; and all these
things sliall be added unto you."

St. Matt. vi. 33.

Behold the Lilies of the field',

They spin not and they grow in ease ;

Yet, Solomon in all his pomp

Was not arrayed like one of these.

If God so clothe the tender grass

Which blooms to-day, to-morrow dies ;

Shall He not aU thy wants provide,
And watch thee with a Father's eyes ?

Then be thou not of doubtftd mind,

Nor vex thyself with anxious thought, —

" AVhat shall I eat, what shall I diink.
Or where my outward garb be sought?"

•• It appears to be very doubtful as to what species of lily it is to which our
Saviour alluded. 1 have therefore taken the plant gencrically, leaving the reader
to select specifically whichever he may consider the most probable.

i Cant. ii. 16 ; v. 13.

37

But, tiiming from this fleeting world,
Look to thy Sun in heaven above ^ :

Be clothed in His saving robe\
Bask in the rays of His pure love.

Thy piime dcsii'e a holy name,

Thirst after righteousness and peace ;

For whilst thou seekest heavenly things
All earthly blessings shall increase.

The moiTow's good, the moiTow's ill,
When it arrives, shall thee suffice ;

Confide in God, be full of faith ; —

Thou hast been bought with matchless price •".

What though cold death must freeze thy veins !

"VSTiat though thy frame shall droop and die !
Thy root lies biiried in the ground ;

Thou shcdt arise ; thy Spring is nigh ".

Transplanted then to brighter scenes
"WTiere Lilies bloom that never fade.

Thou shalt appear a " son of mom," —
Thy raiment tenfold glorious made °.

k Malachi iv. 2. ' Isaiah Ixi. 10.

o 1 Cor. XV. 42, 43.

" 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20.
Ilev. iii. 5.

PASSION-FLOWER.

(PASSIFLORA. C.ERULEA.)

' Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows."

Isaiah liii. 4.

With reverence view the Passion-flower ;

Put forth no hasty hand
To pluck it from its trellised bower
And cast it on the strand, —
As 'twere some ordinary thing of earth,
Or consonant with giddy joy and reckless mirth.

The Passion-flower, mysterious name.

What awful scenes recalling p ! —
Gethsemane, the cross and shame.
The scourge upon Him falling,
The crown of thorns upon His sacred brow,
The purple robe, the nails, the spear, the streams that flow.

p See note at end of vol.

PASSION-FLOWEK.

Hath e'er a flower a mission given

As holy or as high ?
Like some Evangelist of heaven,
Of Christ to testify, —
His boundless love for Adam's fallen race,
"Who suffered thus their sin and sorrow to efface.

0 Passion-flower, 0 Passion-flower,

Go forth from clime to clime.
And herald with thy silent power,
Throughout the realms of time.
The mighty truth which man alone can save,
And give him hope beyond the confines of the grave.

HERB-PARIS, OR TRUE-LOVE-.

(PARIS QUADRIFOLIA.)

" And this is love, that we walk after His Commandments."

2nd John 6.

There's many a fond desire of earth

Oft dignified by name of Loye ;
But these alone are nothing worth,

Howe'er intense within the heart they move.

True Love that holy sign must bear —

In every phantasy and mood —
Which Christians on their foreheads wear, —

The Christ-adorn' d and consecrated Rood.

Love and the Cross inseparate dwell,

As God and man in Christ abide ;
With one blest theme heaven's anthems swell —

" Worthy to reign the Lamb that lov'd and died"^!"

1 This plant has all its parts in fours ; four leaves, four petals, S;c. ; and
" All four-leaved flowers bring to the mind
The cross whereon He died."

Mary Howitt.
r Rev. V. 12.

41

SUN-DEW^
(drosera rotundifolia.)

"God give thee of the dew of Heaven.

Thotj mountain fairy !
I love to see thee glisten

'Mid moorland wild,
So like a star from heaven,

With radiance mUd.

Gtn. xxvii. 28.

Surpassing lovely, —
Methinks fr'om some bright sphere,
Thy native home,
This spot so lone and drear

To cheer thou'st come.

• This plant is found

" on boggy moor,

Or peat-clad marsh ;"

Its leaves are radial, and fringed with hairs "of texture delicately fine, "and of
the most exquisite ruby colour. Each hair supports a little globule of pellucid,
dew-like liquor ; whence its name.

42

--(r'

SUN-DEW.

And yet so lowly ;
Hiding thy crimson floss

And jewell'd head
Among the di-ipping moss,

Thy chosen bed.

How happy were I,
If my baptismal dew

Still shone as bright
As when brought forth anew
To life and light*.

God grant me mercy !
That Faith's eternal crown

May yet be mine, —
When Christ to earth comes down

With pomp divine.

t 1 John V. 11, 12.

WOODY NIGHTSHADE, OR
BITTER-SWEET^

(SOLANUM DULCAMARA.)

" Blessed are they that mourn ; for they shall be comforted."

St. Matt. V. 4.

Theee is a cup which all must drain
AVho would the crown of life attain ;
For thereby, hath the Saviour said,
The carnal nimd is heavenly made*.

Though harsh and bitter seem the draught, —
Shrink not, for when 'tis freely quaff'd.
The gall to honey sweet shall turn ;
And thus thy tutored soul shall learn,

That sorrow dures but for a night.
Blest joy returns with morning light ^ ;
And those who suffer for Christ's sake
Shall reign with Him when they awake ^.

" The familiar name of this plant originates in the flavour of the root, which
is at first bitter in the mouth, and afterwards swett.

» Heb. xii. 10. y Psalm xxx. 6. '• 2 Tim. ii. 12.

a

<5E4>=:^paR=

DAHLIA.

(OAnLIA FRUSTRANEA.)

■ Reproofs of instruction are the way of life."

Proverbs vi. 23.

Hast thou seen in garden old

What was once the Dahlia call'd ?

Gay, indeed, with red and gold.
But for beauty ne'er extoU'd.

Now, this self-same flower is seen.
Well-nigh noblest of her race.

Gorgeous as an Eastern queen, —
Moulded yet with chasten' d grace.

Mark it well, ye matrons fair, —
Ye, with mother's love who glow,

See the fruits of tender care
In the Dahlia's perfect blow.

45

Watch o'er every bent and mood
Of your offspring's dawning mind ;

Cultivate each germ of good,
Gently curb the ill-inclin'd.

Christian, parents ! know ye not
Seeds of grace were sown within '^,

"When your little ones you brought
To be wash'd from natal sin ^ ?

Nurture then, with pious zeal,
What a gracious God has given,

That their growing hearts may feel
They are vow'd to Christ and Heaven '

Thus, by discipline's kind aid*^,

In all holy beauty dight,
Shall each day advance be made

To perfection's dazzling height.

> Eph. iv. 7. ^ Acts xxii. 16. = Gal. iii. 27.

^ For the very true beginning of her (Wisdom) is the desire of discipline ; and
the care of discipline is love." — Wisdom of Solomon vi. 17.
"= Heb. vi. 1.

THE POOR MAN'S FLOWERS.

' So the poor hath hope."

Job V. 16.

I LOVE to see the Cottar in his garden-plot
In the balmy summer evening hours, —

The toil and trouble of the day forgot
Among his favourite plants and flowers.

White Clematis and Eglantine in clusters vnnd

Around his bow'r, to tell of joy ;
And trusty "Wall-flower blossoms to remind

Of friendship that no storms destroy.

The silken Rose its soothing sympathy affords ;

Meek Mignonette too breathes around
Its aromatic fragrance, like kind words ;

Blue Thrift*" and Marigolds abound.

< .^atice Umonivm, Sea-lavender ; commonly used as an edging to flower-
borders.

THE POOH MAN S FLOTVTEES.

Here is the motlier& with her florets^ nestling close —
Type of that love which cheers his hearth ;

While bright-rob'd Lilies teach him to repose
His trust on Him who rules the earth.

And, lurking ia some shelter' d nook, most prized of all,

Sweet Violets which her tender care —
His httle darling loosed from sorrow's thrall > —

In early childhood planted there.

These are the simple charms that soothe the labourer's lot,

Light' ning his care and calming fears ;
Long may he hold this fondly- cherish' d spot'"',

His Eden in this vale of tears.

e " Hen-and-chicken daisy."

•■ Floret, a small flower, such as occurs in composite or compound flowers,
i " We give Thee hearty thanks, for that it hath pleased Thee to deliver
this our sister out of the miseries of this sinful world." — Burial Service.
k Prov. xxii. 22.

BRIDAL PLOWERS'

" But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts."

1 Pet, iii. 15.

Hakk, the village bells are pealing
From yon spire a merry lay,

Far and near to all revealing
Joyance of a bridal day.

Holy Church her benediction

To the youthful pah- hath given ^ ;

Oh, may reverent affection "
Grace the wedlock sealed in heaven !

May their life — like those sweet flowers
Which the rustic maidens cast

All along their path in showers « —
Be as fragrant to the last.

> " Our Bridal Flowers serve for a buried corse." — Shahespeare.

■" See note at end of vol. » Eph. v. 33.

° See note at end of vol.

BKIDAL FXOWEES.

For these gems are emblems beauteous
Of fair yirtues fi'om above,

Faitb and hope, obedience duteous,
Meekness, temperance, and love.

These preserving, and subduing
All impure desires each day ;

Angel hands shall aye be strewing
Joys unfading in their wayP.

p See note at end of vol.

I

60

FUNERAL FLOWERS.

" Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came
unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared.

St. Luke xxiv. 1.

Solemn, yet fall of hope, ascends to Heaven the strain i,
As dust to kindred dust returns again,
Casting a gleam of hallow' d joy within the breast
By silent life-consuming grief opprest.

Strew, strew the flow'rs"", ye maidens clad in white" ;
Mingle with tears these emblems pure and bright :
That as a wgin for her bridal morn arrayed'',
Tour sister in her sacred home be laid.

Strew, strew the odorous Yiolet and blushing Eose,
Sweet Eosemary that fond remembrance shows ^,
Hyacinth, Forget-me-not, and Speedwell, heavenly blue,
Lily and Pansy^, wild Thyme, undjong Eue'*.

1 " Then shall be said or sung, I heard a voice from Heaven, &c." — T?ie Order
for the Burial of the Bead.

' See notes at end of vol.

« " There 's Rosemary, that 's for remembrance ;"

' "And there is Pansies, that 's for thought."

" " There 's Rue for you ; and here 's some for me ; — we may call it Herb-of-
grace o' Sundays." — Ilamht, Act iv. Scene vi.

51

FTJNERAl FLOWERS.

Meetly, metliinks, with our fond Mother's burial rite

Such customs primitive we may unite ; —

Oh, who shall check these proofs the mourner's heart

would give
Tliat souls departed fresh in memory live^ ?

' See note at end of vol.

62

FLOWERS OF GOD'S ACRE^.

' They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death were
not divided'."

2 So.ni. i. 23.

Here are they laid together down,
And peaceful sleep beneath

The rustic arch above them thrown, —
Their earthly bond in death.

"Wall-flower and Honey-suckle sweet*

From either grave uprise,
And overhead in fragrance meet, —

Their lot beyond the skies.

Each to the other seems to tend.

Each of its own impart ;
With love, love even yet to blend.

Heart still to answer heart.

y See note at end of vol.
« These verses were suggested by seeing the graves of two children in
Bonchurch churchyard, united by an arch ; and close by the tomb of the Rev.
W. Adams, author of the " Shadow of the Cross," " Old Man's Home," &c.
^ See note at end of vol.

S3

FLOWEKS OF GOD S ACRE,

Aroimcl tlicir feet Primroses pale —

Fitter than sculp tur'd stone —
With grateful perfume fill the vale.

As names of good men gone.

And by their side that Pastor good

Who joy'd to speak of svich,
Eesting beneath the Cross he woo'd^ —

Belov'd and loving mnch.

While far below, the sxu-ging waves.

For ever making moan,
Send up their murmur to the graves, —

Ten thousand notes in one.

Oh ! what a waking there will be

On earth's great Easter-morn,
When on those happy risen three

The light of Heaven shall dawn.

Se, with the souls his words have won,
Tliey, hand in hand, shall mount

To join the everlasting throng
Which Angels cannot count *=.

•> A simple iron cross is placed on Mr. Adams' tomb so as to cast iin sliadaio
over it, in touching allusion to one of his most beautiful works.
■= Rev. vii. 9.
64

FLOWEES OF GOD S ACRE.

A voice, as many waters'^, pours
That throng in eucharist mect^ ;

The blended fragrance of all flowers
No incense sheds so sweet.

d Rev. xiv, 2. « " It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty,

that we should give thanks, Sce."—Comrn,UHW7i Service.

AUTUMNAL CROCUS.

(COLCHICDM ATJTUMNALE.)

" The righteous hath hope in his death."

Proverbs xiv. 32.

And art thou here, pale Crocus,
Arrived to bid farewell ;

With thy bare leafless stem
Of gloom at hand to tell ?

Nay ; thou hast come to gladden
WMlst yellow Autumn wanes,

And for a few short hours
To deck the naked plains :

Some ray of hope to bring us
For falling leaf and sere.

Amid the fading brightness
Our drooping hearts to cheer.

Like some soft smile thou playest

Over the dying scene.
Bidding us holy comfort

Of future joys to glean.

ATJirirNAL CROCUS.

Oh, linger still, pale flower ;

Oh, linger on awhile,
The dreary winter hoxirs

To lighten and beguile.

Alas ! thy days are number' d,
Thou too must droop and die,-

Like all fair Eden's treasures,
In vain for thee we sigh.

Yet magnify we ever

That mercy which hath given
So many joys and blessings

Our cup of woe to leaven :

Nor weep, but learn the lesson
Thy little life doth show, —

For we, like thee, must perish.
Like thee corruption know.

And may oiu' autumn hours
Afford some cheering ray

To gild the hope and promise
Of life's departing day.

57

A ROSE IN ¥INTER^

' A thousand shall fall Ijeside thee, and ten thousand at thy right hand ; but
j^it shall not come nigh thee."

Psalm xci. 7.

How com'st thou here, fair flower,
When Christmas-tide is nigh ?

Around the old church-tower
The bleak winds moan and sigh :

The snow is tliickly falling.
The frost is on the ground ; —

Yet, brighter days recalling,
In beauty thou art found.

"Wilt tell to me, fau- flower.
What secret charm is thine ?

That I, when life's storms lower.
Like thee may bloom and shine.

Seen in full bloom against a chancel wall, amid a snow-storm.

58

A EOSE IN WINTEE.

" Blithe Christmas to thco, stranger, -
Blithe Chi-istmas and thy -weal ;
How I am kept from danger
'Tis easy to reveal.

"Beneath the shade reposing
Of these most sacred walls,
Though storms around are closing,
No terror me appals :

" And when the keen wind's whistle
Is soimding far and wide,
I closer, closer nestle
To holy Church's side.

"Then, fellow-pilgi'im, ever
To thy fond Mother cling ;
Let no rude hand thee sever
From Her protecting wing ;

"For oft I hear sweet voices
Proclaiming fi-om within,
That he alone rejoices

In this drear world of sin,

59

A EOSE ry "WIX^TEE.

" '\Mio holds in blest relation

The Bridegroom thi'ough the Bride^;
And his shall be salvation

When all the world is triede."

f Eph. V. 32.

s Jdbn XV. 4 ; 1 John ii. 28,

• My song shall be alway of the loving-kindness of the Lord."

Psalm Ixxxix. 1,

Seest thou that streamlet wending
From the upland through the vale,

O'er its crystal waters bending
Many a fern and floweret frail ?

Scotland's Blue-bells •» there are waving
In the gentle western breeze ;

Lady-fern her fair fronds laving '
'Neath the silver birken trees.

Anemones, like starlets, tmnkle ;
Hyacinths their perfume breathe ;
oiTcl, Primrose, Periwinkle,
And May-lilies "^ form a wreath.

•> Harebell.

' "Where the copse-wood is the greenest,

Where the fountain glistens sheenest,

Where the morning dew lies longest.

There the Lady-fern grows strongest."— -Sir- Walter Scott.
"' The old name for Lily of the Vale.

61

THE EETEOSPECT.

"WiUow-herb, St. Lewis' flower',
And the regal Meadow- sweet",

By the cascade's dewy shower,
Like old friends in converse, meet.

In the mystic hour of gloaming ",

To the fancy's aiiy flights.
Look they to be gliding, roaming, —

As it were unearthly sprites.

Thus, as life is onward winding
By the " banks and braes" of Time,

Many a joy our souls are finding, —
Pui'e and fresh as morning's prime ;-

Happy moments, festal pleasures,

Brcatliings of the heart to heart,
Holy friendship's priceless treasures,

Sweets that thoughts of Heaven impart.

' F!eur-de-Luce, or Yellow Iris.

"> Queen of the Meadow.

" " Gloaming, or gloamin (Sax. Glommig), fall of the evening, the twilight.
This is sometimes called the edge of the evening. In Saxon, this word was ap-
plied to the dawn, as well as to the twilight." — Imp. Dictionary.

THE EETEOSPECT.

And when shades of eve draw near us,
Seem they, to the backward glance,

Forms celestial sent to cheer us

In earth's eveiy change and chance.

"^Tis the merry month of Maying." — Page 13, note i.

" It was anciently the custom for all ranks of people to go
out a-Maying early on the 1 st of ilay." — Brand's Popular
A'/Uiquities.

" Hail, bounteous May ! that dost inspu-e

Mirth, and youth, and fond desu-e ;

Woods and groves are of thy dressing.

Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing.
Thus we salute thee with our early song.
And welcome thee, and wish thee long." — Milton.

" I have more than once been disturbed early on May-
morning, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, by a song which a woman
sang about the streets who had several garlands in her
hands : —

* Rise up, maidens ! fye, for shame !
For I've been four lang miles from hame ;
I've been gathering my garlands gay :
Rise up, fan- maids, and take in your May.' " — Brand's Pop. Ant.

" Children weave the garland gaily." — Page 13, note i.

"On May-day the young maids of every parish carry
about garlands of flowers, which afterwards they hang up in
their churches." — Avihrey.

gigp^^iw. ■ ii.^S

NOTES.

*' It was of old a festive day,
That ushered in the birth of May ;
Right early on the jocund morn
When that delightful month was bom.
Regardless of the timely sleep,
The noble from the castled steep.
The burgher fi-om the busy change,
From village, hamlet, lonely grange,
The peasantry, a mingled throng.
Lasses and lads, and old and young,
Poured forth promiscuously, to pay
Observance to the meri-y May :
With shout and song, and winded horn,
Alert to wake the slumbering morn ;
To rove the good greenwood, and bring
Away the spoil of early Spring,
With nosegays decked, with garlands crowned.
And hang each smiling homestead round
Window and door and porch with bowers
Of verdant boughs and blooming flowers." — Bp. Mant.

Thus we read in Chaucer's Court of Love, that early on
May-day, ' Fourth goth al the court, both most and lest, to
fetche the flouiis fresh, and braunch, and blome.'

\

Pacre 31, note e.

" The Pimpernel grows everywhere ; on the sandy heath
among the furze and broom, on the bank by the road, and
especially among the ripening corn, it may be seen, on any
sunny day, during July and August. It is commonly called
the ' Shepherd's Warning' or ' Poor man's Weather-glass,'
from the influence that a moist atmosphere has upon the
blossom, which is so sensitive, that long before we can be

65

aware of the approach of rain, it closes up, and it does not
open at all upon a wet or even cloudy d;iy. The botanical
name is taken from the Greek word ava'^/^Xau], signifying to
lau!;h ; because the ancient Greek writers believed it to be
a useful medicine in liver complaints, and thus favourable
to good and cheerful spirits. Though it may not be found,
in our times, to deserve this praise, yet its pleasant aspect
and love of sunshine render its name a suitable one." — Wild
Flowers, Society for Promotivg Christian Knowledge.

Page 39, note p.

" I have read, in a Latin author, of flowers inscribed
with the name of kings ;

' Die, quibus in terris inscripti nomina regum
Naseantur flores.' — Virgil.

but here is one emblazoned with the marks of the Prince of
Life. I read in the inspired writings of apostolic men, who
bore about in their bodies the dying of the Lord Jesus ; but
here is a blooming religioso, that carries apparent memorials

of the same tremendous and awful event Is Nature

then actuated by the noble ambition of paying commemora-
tive honours to her suffering Lord ? Is she kindly officious to
remind forgetful mortals of that miracle of mercy which it is
their duty to contemplate, and their happiness to believe 1
Or is a sportive imagination my interpreter, and all the sup-
posed resemblance no more than the precarious gloss of fancy 1
Be it so ; yet even fancy has her merit when she sets forth
in such pleasing imagery the crucified Christ. Nor shall I
refuse a willing regard to imfigination herself, when she em-

66

■j^iMyj-i _ •■ g^awdN^w

ploys her creative powers to revive the sense of such un-
paralleled love, and prompt my gratitude to so divine a
friend.

" That spiral tendril, arising from the bottom of the
stalk, is it a representation of the scourge which inflicted
those stripes by which our souls are healed ? or is it twisted
for the cord which bound Uis hands — those beneficent hands
which were continually stretched out to unloose the heavy
burdens, and to impart the highest blessings ? Behold the
nails (the stamens) which riveted His feet to the accursed
tree — those feet which always went about doing good, and
travelled far and near to spread the 'glad tidings of great
joy".' See the hammer, ponderous and massy, (the pistil,)
which drove the iron into the flesh. View the crown of
thorns which encircled our Saviour's brow ; and beyond,
observe the glory, delineated in double rays, rich with
ethereal blue. There stand the disciples, (the petals, I pre-
sume.) ranged in the green impalement, and forming a circle
round the instruments of their great Master's death.

" While others appoint this type of ' the righteous Branch,
the Plant of renown,' a place in the parterre, I would trans-
plant the Passion-flower, or rather transfer its sacred signifi-
cancy to my heart. That I also may wear the traces of
Immanuel, pierced for my sins, and bruised for my trans-
gressions ; that I also may be ' crucified with Christ,' at
least in penitential sorrow ; that I may ' know the fellow-
ship of His sufferings.' " — Hervey's Reflection on a Flower-
garden.

» Isaiah lii. 7.

er

Page 49, note m.

" Happy omens rest

On love so pledged, and hallowed by the Rite
Which God appointed and Christ's presence blest ! "-

-Bp. Mant.

Page 49, note o.

" Glide by the banks of virgins then, and passe
The showers of roses, luckj' four-leav'd grasse :
The while the cloud of younglings sing.
And drown ye with a flowrie Spring."

Merrick's Hesperides.

""Sovi busie maydens strew sweet flowers." — England's Helicon,
" Fine flowers and rosemary were strewed for them coming
home ; and so to the father's house, where there was a great
dinner prepared for his said three bride-daughters, with
their bridegrooms and company." — " A Wedding of three
Sisters together," Stow's Surve?/, {Stri/pe's edition).

" The strewing herbs and flowers at marriages is still kept
up in Kent and many other parts of England." — Brand's
Popular Antiquities.

Page 50, note p.

" Onlj' kneel on, nor turn away
From the pure shrine, where Christ to-day
Will store each flower, ye duteous lay.
For an eternal wreath." — Keble.

T

Page 51, note r.

" It was usual in the primitive Christian Church to place
crowns of flowers at the heads of deceased virgins : for this

we have the authority of Damascen, Gregory Nyssen, St.
Jerome, and St. Austin." — Brand.

Prudentius, a.d. 405, thus writes : " Now death itself is
blessed, since through its pangs a path is thrown open to the
just, a way from sorrow to the stars. We will adorn the
hidden bones with violets and many a bough ; and on the
epitaph and the cold stones we will sprinkle liquid odours."
— Vide Maitland's Church in the Catacombs.

Shakespeare makes Ophelia to sing most touchingly :

" He is dead and gone, lady,

He is dead and gone ;
At his head a grass- green turf,
At his heels a stone.
White his shroud as the mountain snow,

Larded all with sweet flowers ;
Which be wept to the grave did go.

With true-love showers." — Hamlet, Act iv. Scene 6.

Spenser in describing the seven Bead-men of the " Holy
Hospitall," or House of Mercy, thus wi-ites :

"The sixt had charge of them now being dead,
In seemly sort theii- corses to engrave '',
And deck with dainty flowi-es their biydall bed,
That to their heavenly Spouse both sweet and brave
They might appear, when He their souls shall save.
The wondrous workmanship of God's owne mould.
Whose face He made all beastes to feare, and gave
AH in his hand, even dead we honour should.

Ah, dearest God, me graunt, I dead be not defould"^ !''

^ Engrave, bury.

Defould, insulted.

So Collins :

"To fair Fidele's grassy tomb

Soft maids and village hinds shall bring
Each opening sweet, of earliest bloom.

And rifle all the breathing Spring." — Dirge in Cymbeline.

" Gay describes the strewing of flowers upon the graves :

' Upon her gi-ave the Eosemary they threw,
The daisy, butter'd-flow'r, and endive blue.'

" He adds the custom, still used in the south of England, of
fencing the grave with osiers, &c. ; and glances at clerical
economy, for which there is oftentimes too much occasion,
in the two last lines :

' With wicker rods we fenc'd her tomb aroimd,
To ward from man and beast the hallow'd gi-ound ;
liCst her new grave the Parson's cattle raze.
For both his horse and cow the churchyard graze.'" — Brand,

" Independently of the religious comfort which is imparted
in our burial service, we sometimes see certain gratifications
which are derived from immaterial circumstances ; and, how-
ever trivial they may appear, are not to be judged improper
as long as they are perfectly innocent. Of this kind may be
deemed the practice in some country villages of throwing
flowers into the grave." — The Female Mentor, Lond. 1798,
vol. ii. p. 205, 206.

" The grave of the deceased is constantly overspread with
plucked flowers for a week or two after the funeral. It is
very common to dress the graves on Whitsunday and other
festivals, when flowers are to be procured : and the frequency
of this observance is a good deal affected by the respect in

70

which the deceased was held. My father-in-law's grave at
Cowbridge church has been strewed by his surviving servants
every Sunday morning for these twenty years." — Malkins
South Wales.

Page 51, note r, 2.

" The herse, covered with velvet, was carried by six servant-
maidens of the family, all in white." — The Viryui's Pattern,
d:c. London, 1661.

In the northern division of this county (Nottinghamshire), it
is generally the practice for six virgins clad in white to bear
the body of a sister virgin to her burial. And this, I believe,
is the ordinary custom in the south of England.

Page 51, note r, 3.

" When a young unmarried person dies, his or her ways to
the grave are strewed with sweet flowers and evergreens ; and
on such occasions it is the usual phrase, that those persons
are going to their nuptial beds, not their graves." — Malkins
South Wales.

T

Page 53, note y.

" Our Saxon forefathers called the churchyard ' God's
Acre ;' and beautiful is the idea which that name conveys,
reminding that it is sown with a seed which will one day
spring up as God's great harvest, even more surely than we
can look for the corn which we cast on the tilled ground
to spring up in due time with a new life and a new body.

n

" And surely this thought should lead us piously to regard,
and aiFectionately to bestow some pains on, the places of
Christian burial. Just as in a church everything should
remind us that it is the 'House of God' and the ' House of
Prayer ;' so in a chm-chyard, everything should remind us
that it is God's garden, and there lay the bodies of those
who shall hereafter be raised up to everlasting life. To this
intent grow there the never-fading yew-tree, and other ever-
greens. To this intent spring up, at the earth's annual resur-
rection, the pure snow-drop, the star-like primrose, the per-
fumed violet, and other such simple flowers, which the affec-
tionate hands of mourning friends and relatives have placed
on and about the graves of those who have gone before. And
to this intent likewise should the more substantial monuments,
— whether they be tombs, or head-stones, or memorials of
wood or metal — be erected there. That these should be of
a chaste and simple character, and formed, like the church
itself, according to the principles of Christian art, will, I
think, at once be admitted ; nor will it be disputed that the
epitaphs and ornaments which they bear should, like the
burial service, at once teach a solemn lesson of mortality
and testify the Christian's hope. The tomb-stones of the
early Christians were of this instnictive nature. They almost
invariably bore the sign of the Cross. The name — sometimes
only the initials — of the deceased was engi'aved on them, and
a few words, generally taken from Holy Scripture, leading
the mind of the living to the common lot of all, and the
common hope of them that believe in Jesus." — Extract from,
a Sermon prea':hed hij the Author on the First Sunday after
Easier, l6o3, oii t'ue text, " Co.iie, see the place where the
Lord lay," St. Matt, xxviii. 6.

NOTES.

For the inscriptions of early Christian tombs, see Maitland's
Church in the Catacombs.

Page 53, note a.

" It is a very ancient and general practice in Glamorgan
to plant flowers on the graves ; so that many churchyards
have something like the splendour of a rich and various
parterre.

" In the Easter-week most generally the graves are newly
dressed, and manured with fresh earth, when such flowers or
evergreens as may be wanted or wished for are planted. In
the Whitsuntide holidays, or rather the preceding week, the
graves are again looked after, weeded, and otherwise dressed,
or, if necessary, planted again. This work the nearest rela-
tions of the deceased always do with their own hands, and
never by hired persons. Should a neighbour assist, he or she
never takes, never expects, and indeed is never insulted by
the offer of any reward, by those who are acquainted with
the ancient custom.

" None ever molest the flowers that grow on graves ; for
it is deemed a kind of sacrilege to do so. A relation or friend
will occasionally take a pink, if it can be spared, or a sprig
of thyme, from the grave of a beloved or respected person,
to wear it in remembrance ; but they never take much, lest
they should deface the growth on the grave. This custom
prevails principally in the most retired villages ; and I have
been assured that in such villages where the right of grazing
the churchyard has been enforced, the practice has alienated
the affections of very great numbers from the clergymen and
their churches ; so that many have become dissenters for the

73

XOTES.

singularly uncommon reason that they may bury theii friends
in dissenting burying-grounds, plant their graves with flowers
and keep them clean and neat, without any danger of their
being cropped." — Malkins South Wales.

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