"Poppies a sanguine mantle spread
For the blood of the dragon that Margaret shed."
Archdeacon Hare says the Sweet-William, designated the "painted
lady," was dedicated to Saint William (June 25), the term "sweet" being a
substitution for "saint." This seems doubtful, and some would corrupt
the word "sweet" from the French oeillet, corrupted to Willy, and thence
to William. Mr. King, however, considers that the small red pink
(Dianthus prolifer), found wild in the neighbourhood of Rochester, "is
perhaps the original Saint Sweet-William," for, he adds, the word "saint"
has only been dropped since days which saw the demolition of St.
William's shrine in the cathedral. This is but a conjecture, it being
uncertain whether the masses of bright flowers which form one of the
chief attractions of old-fashioned gardens commemorate St. William of
Rochester, St. William of York, or, likeliest perhaps of the three, St.
William of Aquitaine, the half soldier, half monk, whose fame was so
widely spread throughout the south of Europe.
Roses were said to fade on St. Mary Magdalene's Day (July 20), to
whom we find numerous flowers dedicated, such as the maudlin, a
nickname of the costmary, either in allusion to her love of scented
ointment, or to its use in uterine affections, over which she presided as
the patroness of unchaste women, and maudlin-wort, another name for
the moon-daisy. But, as Dr. Prior remarks, it should, "be observed that
the monks in the Middle Ages mixed up with the story of the Magdalene
that of another St. Mary, whose early life was passed in a course of
debauchery."
A German piece of folk-lore tells us that it is dangerous to climb a
cherry-tree on St. James's Night, as the chance of breaking one's neck will
be great, this day being held unlucky. On this day is kept St.
Christopher's anniversary, after whom the herb-christopher is named, a
species of aconite, according to Gerarde. But, as Dr. Prior adds, the name
is applied to many plants which have no qualities in common, some of
these being the meadow-sweet, fleabane, osmund-fern, herb-impious,
everlasting-flower, and baneberry.
Throughout August, during the ingathering of the harvest, a host of
customs have been kept up from time immemorial, which have been
duly noticed by Brand, while towards the close of the month we are
reminded of St. Bartholomew's Day by the gaudy sunflower, which has
been nicknamed St. Bartholomew's star, the term "star" having been
often used "as an emblematical representation of brilliant virtues or any
sign of admiration." It is, too, suggested by Archdeacon Hare that the
filbert may owe its name to St. Philbert, whose festival was on the 22nd
August.