Turmeric, too, was formerly prescribeda plant used for making a yellow dye; and celandine, with its yellow juice, was once equally in repute.

The lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) is known in many country places as the pilewort, because its peculiar tuberous root was long thought to be efficacious as a remedial agent.

We have already alluded to the superstitions relating to birds and plants, but may mention another relating to the celandine.

The swallow cureth her dim eyes with celandine; the wesell knoweth well the virtue of herb-grace; the dove the verven; the dogge dischargeth his mawe with a kind of grasse," &c. In Italy cumin is given to pigeons for the purpose of taming them, and a curious superstition is that of the "divining-rod," with "its versatile sensibility to water, ore, treasure and thieves," and one whose history is apparently as remote as it is widespread.

He took her into the woods to look for squirrels; he showed her the wildflowers and told her all their names: bugloss, and lady's smock and speedwell, king-cup, willow herb and meadow sweet, crane's bill and celandine.

The ubiquitous dandelion is likewise golden; then we have birdsfoot trefoil, ragwort, agrimony, silver-weed, celandine, tormentil, yellow iris, St. John's wort, and a host of other flowers of the same hue.

By and by, we have a piece of namby-pamby "to the Small Celandine," which we should almost have taken for a professed imitation of one of Mr. Phillips's prettyisms.... Further on, we find an "Ode to Duty," in which the lofty vein is very unsuccessfully attempted.

Now the spirit of ruin dwells there, leading the bramble and the celandine to conquer, year after year, some fresh territory upon the ancient quadrangle's crumbling wall.

Above, where the sunbeam strikes upon the wrinkled stone, the lizard basks and the bee fresh from its hive hums as blithely among the yellow flowers of the celandine as if the blocks raised by men in their reaching towards Heaven were nothing more than the rocks that cast their shadows upon the Dordogne.

* TO THE SMALL CELANDINE

William began to write the poem of 'The Celandine'....

(See note [Footnote B, To the Small Celandine], p. 302.)]

William wrote 'The Celandine' (second part).

The principal episodes in the former are the loves of Celandine and Marina, and the allegorical story of Fida and Aletheia, each of which leads to numerous ramifications.

Celandine loves the shepherdess Marina, who is readily brought to return his affection.

With her loss, Celandine's love revives, and in his search for her he is led to visit the faery realm, where he finds Spenser lying asleep.

The hunters had herded elk in their angles; bears had been trapped in their jungles; the doe hid her fawn in their recesses; wolves and foxes had found lairs in them; birds had built nests in them; men in search of strayed cattle had climbed upon them to listen for the tinkling bell; balm and thyme, wild sun-flowers and celandine had made them fragrant with perfume, and bright with color.

But though this poet dearly loved the daisy, in some moods of mind he seems to have loved the little celandine (common pilewort) even better.

Pansies, Lilies, Kingcups, Daisies, Let them live upon their praises; Long as there's a sun that sets Primroses will have their glory; Long as there are Violets, They will have a place in story: There's a flower that shall be mine, 'Tis the little Celandine.

" The Lesser Celandine, is an inodorous plant, but as Wordsworth possessed not the sense of smell, to him a deficiency of fragrance in a flower formed no objection to it.

GREAT CELANDINE.

314 Actea racemosa American Herb-Christopher c.m. 315 Podophyllum peltatum Duck's-foot, or May-apple c.m. 316 Chelidonium laciniatum Cut-leaved Celandine c.m. 317 Papaver orientale Oriental Poppy c.m. POLYANDRIA DIGYNIA.

THE SMALL CELANDINE [A] Composed 1804.Published 1807 [Grasmere, Town-end.

There is a Flower, the lesser Celandine, That shrinks, like many more, from cold and rain;

' Compare also the other two poems on the Celandine, vol.