To the Countess of Warwick,
whose delightful Old English
Garden at Easton Lodge suggested
this book of fancies, it is
now inscribed.

daffodils,
T hat come before the swallow dares, and take
T he winds of M arch with beauty;

violets, dim
B ut sweeter than the lids of J uno’s eyes

O r C ytherea’s breath;

pale primroses,
T hat die unmarried, ere they can behold
B right P hœbus in his strength, a malady
M ost incident to maids;

bold oxlips, and

T he crown-imperial;

lilies of all kinds,

T he flower-de-luce being one!”

“— H ere’s flowers for you;

Hot lavender,

mints,

savorie, marjoram;

T he marigold that goes to bed with the sun,
A nd with him rises weeping;”

Perdita.
Winter’s Tale
Act: IV. Sc. III.

“ T he fairest flowers o’ the season
A re our carnations ,”

Perdita.
Winter’s Tale
Act: IV. Sc. III.

“ S he went to the garden for parsley ”

(Taming of the Shrew
Act: IV. Sc. 4)

“ T heir lips were four red roses on a stalk,
W hich in their summer beauty kissed each other”

Richard III., Act: iv. Sc. 3

“Enter OPHELIA ,
fantastically dressed with straws and flowers.”

“ T here’s rosemary ,
that’s for remembrance;

—and there is pansies ,
that’s for thoughts.”

“ T here’s fennel for you,

and columbines :

—there’s rue for you; and here’s some for me:
—we may call it, herb-grace o’ S undays:—

— T here’s a daisy :—”

Hamlet. Act. IV. Sc. VI.

“ I know a bank where the
wild thyme blows,—

Q uite over-canopied with luscious
woodbine,

“ W ith sweet
musk roses ,

and with
eglantine .”

Midsummer Night’s
Dream, Act ii., Sc. 1

“ CERES , most bounteous lady, thy rich lees
O f wheat, rye, barley. ”

Tempest, Act iv, Sc. 1.

“ A llons! allons! sowed cockle reap’d no corn.”

Love’s Labour’s Lost, Act iv.
Sc. 3.

“ T he azured harebell , like thy veins.”

Cymbeline, Act iv., Sc. 2.

“ Larksheels trim”

Two Noble Kinsmen.

“ G et you some of this distilled Carduus Benedictus
and lay it to your heart;—”

“ W hy B enedictus? Y ou have some moral in this
Benedictus ”

“ M oral?
N o, by my
troth. I have no
moral meaning:
I meant, plain
Holy thistle ”

Much Ado
about Nothing,
Act iii., Sc. 4.

“ T he female ivy so
E nrings the barky fingers of the elm ”

Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Act V., Sc. 2

“ T he strawberry grows underneath the nettle ,
A nd wholesome berries thrive and ripen best
N eighboured by fruit of baser quality”

Henry V.,
Act I., Sc. 1

“ G ives not the hawthorne-bush a sweeter shade
T o shepherds, looking on their silly sheep,
T han doth a rich embroidered canopy
T o kings that fear their subjects’ treachery?”

3 Henry VI., Act ii., Sc. 5.

“ I f reasons were as plentiful as blackberries ”

I Henry IV., Act ii., Sc. 4

“ H eigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly ”

As You Like It,
Act ii., Sc. 7.

‘ P rerogative of age, crowns, sceptres, laurels .’

Troilus & Cressida, Act i., Sc. 3

Finis