"Which ye may see now riding all before,
That in hir time did many a noble dede,
And for their worthines full oft have bore
The crown of laurer leaves on their hede,
As ye may in your old bookes rede;
And how that he that was a conquerour,
Had by laurer alway his most honour.

"And tho that beare boughes in their hond
Of the precious laurer so notable,

Be such as were, I woll ye understond,
Noble knightes of the round table,
And eke the Douseperis honourable,
Which they beare in signe of victorye;
It is witnesse of their deeds mightily.

"Eke there be knightes old of the garter,
That in hir time did right worthily,
And the honour they did to the laurer,
Is for by it they have their laud wholly,
Their triumph eke, and martiall glory;
Which unto them is more parfite richesse,
Than any wight imagine can or guesse.

"For one leafe, given of that noble tree
To any wight that hath done worthily,
And it be done soe as it ought to be,
Is more honour than any thing earthly.
Witnes of Rome that founder was truly
Of all knighthood and deeds marvelous,
Record I take of Titus Livius.

"And as for her that crowned is in greene,

It is Flora, of these floures goddesse,
And all that here on her awaiting beene,

It are such folk that loved idlenesse,

And not delite in no businesse,

But for to hunt and hauke, and pley in medes, And many other suchlike idle dedes.

"And for the great delite and pleasaunce They have to the floure, and so reverently They unto it do such obeisaunce,

As ye may se."-"Now faire Madame," quoth Į, "If I durst aske what is the cause and why, That knightes have the ensigne of honour, Rather by the leafe than the flour?"

"Soothly doughter," quod she, "this is the trouth;
For knightes ever should be persevering,
To seeke honour without feintise or slouth;
Fro wele to better in all manner thing;
In signe of which with leaves aye lasting,
They be rewarded after their degre,

Whose lusty green May may not appaired be,

"But aie keping their beautie fresh and greene,
For there n'is storme that may hem deface,
Haile nor snow, winde nor frosts keene,
Wherfore they have this property and grace;
And for the floure, within a little space
Woll be all lost, so simple of nature

They be, that they no greevance may endure.

"And every storme will blow them soone away, Ne they last not but for a season;

That is the cause, the very trouth to say,

That they may not by no way of reason
Be put to no such occupation."

"Madame," quoth I, "with all mine whole servise

I thanke you now, in my most humble wise.

For now I am ascertained throughly,
Of every thing that I desired to know."
"I am right glad that I have said sothly,
Ought to your pleasure, if ye will me trow,"
Quod she ayen, but to whom do ye owe

66

Your service? And which will ye honour,
Tel me I pray, this yere? the Leafe or the Flour?"

"Madame," quoth I, "though I least worthy,
Unto the Leafe I owe mine observaunce:"
"That is," quod she, "right well done certainly;
And I pray God to honour you avaunce,

And kepe you fro the wicked remembraunce

Of Malebouch, and all his crueltie,

And all that good and well conditioned be.

"For here may I no lenger now abide,

I must follow the great company,
That ye may see yonder before you ride."
And forth as I couth most humbly,
I tooke my leve of her, as she gan hie,
After them as fast as ever she might,
And I drow homeward, for it was nigh night,

And put all that I had seene in writing,
Under support of them that lust it to rede.

O little booke, thou art so unconning,

How darst thou put thy self in prees for drede ?
It is wonder that thou wexest not rede!

Sith that thou wost full lite who shall behold

Thy rude langage, full boistously unfold.

GEOFFREY CHAUCER, 1328-1399.

II.

The Bee.

"A

BEE among the flowers in spring is one of the cheerfullest things that can be looked upon. Its life appears to be all enjoyment: so busy, and so pleased." Any one who has wandered about the fields during the warmer months will assuredly agree with this opinion of Paley. The very hum of the bee, as it flies past us on its pleasant errand, in quest of some sweet flower, or returning with its dainty load, is one of the most cheery of the voices of summer. The movement of the little creature, also, is full of meaning, and attracts the eye as curiously characteristic of its nature; it generally flies in lines more or less direct; we see here nothing of the idle, roaming, vagrant flutter of the gaudy butterfly, and nothing of the doubtful, hesitating, over-cautious pause of the plodding ant. The instincts of the bee are all lively and vigorous; it seems conscious that wherever grass grows, there some blossom will be found to reward its search, and it moves steadily

onward until a head of clover, or perchance a prouder flower, offers the precious drop. And, alighting to gather its grateful harvest, how skillfully its work is carried on; other insects may show as much cleverness in attaining their end, but there are few indeed which accomplish their task so pleasantly. The wise little bee does no mischief; no violence marks ner labors; the freshness of the flower remains unsullied by her passage; she leaves the gay petals and the green foliage alike uninjured; no plant suffers from her visits! There is nothing unsightly, nothing repelling or painful in any of her measures; all is order, nicety, and harmony. If we may believe Milton, to watch the bee at her task was a pleasure worthy of Paradise. Adam, when he awakens Eve, invites her to prune her vines, to prop her flowers, and to mark

Sits on the bloom, extracting liquid sweets."

As a poetical accessory of rural life, the bee was much honored by the ancient writers, receiving at their hands far more notice than has fallen to her share in later times. The reader is already aware that the Fourth Georgic of Virgil, relating wholly to bees, takes the first rank among the most beautiful and perfect of Latin poems. Extracts from Sotheby's translations of this Georgic are given among the following Selections. It is amusing to note some of the errors and misconceptions of the master regarding the habits of those little creatures; and yet it is generally admitted, that from the great attention paid to them, the ancients had more correct notions regarding the bee than on any other subject of natural history.