Page:The Romance of Nature; or, The Flower-Seasons Illustrated.djvu/242

144 The place for these, and for the rest

Of flowers, was thy spotlesse breast.

Over the which a state was drawn

Of tiffanie, on cob-web lawne;

There in that parly, all those powers

Voted the Rose the queen of flowers;

But so, as that herself should be

The maide of honour unto thee.

In "The Gentleman of Venice," by Shirley (a dramatic writer of great merit but small popularity), is this very lively and poetic dialogue between a fair Lady and a young Gardener:—

Signior Georgio expecting that in gathering the Rose the Lady would wound her hand, and thus show that pain often succeeds to pleasure.

Although not entirely in praise of the Rose, the following sonnet of Spencer is so good and graceful that I shall quote it here:—