ial expression of hopefulness, and
cannot be pushed further.

_Winter's Tale._ There seems some little confusion in the season of the
fourth act--the feast for the sheep-shearing, which is in the very
beginning of summer--yet Perdita dates the season as "the year growing
ancient"--

"Nor yet on summer's death, nor on the birth
Of trembling winter"--

and gives Camillo the "flowers of middle summer." The flowers named are
all summer flowers; carnations or gilliflowers, lavender, mints, savory,
marjoram, and marigold.

_Richard II._ There are several marked and well-known dates in this
play, but they are not much marked by the flowers. The intended combat
was on St. Lambert's day (17th Sept.), but there is no allusion to
autumn flowers. In act iii, sc. 3, which we know must be placed in
August, there is, besides the mention of the summer dust, King Richard's
sad strain--

"Our sighs, and they (tears) shall lodge the summer corn,"

and in the same act we have the gardener's orders to trim the rank
summer growth of the "dangling apricocks," while in the last act, which
must be some months later, we have the Duke of York speaking of "this
new spring of time," and the Duchess asking--

"Who are the violets now
That strew the green lap of the new-come spring?"

and though in both cases the words may be used proverbially, yet it
seems also probable that they may have been suggested by the time of
year.

_2nd Henry IV._ There is one flower-note in act ii, sc. 4, where the
Hostess says to Falstaff, "Fare thee well! I have known thee these
twenty-five years come peascod time," of which it can only be said that
it must have been spoken at some other time than the summer.

_Henry V._ The exact season of act v, sc. 1, is fixed by St. David's day
(March 1) and the leek.

_1st Henry VI._ The scene in the Temple gardens (act ii, sc. 4), where
all turned on the colour of the roses, must have been at the season when
the roses were in full bloom, say June.

_Richard III._ Here too the season of act ii, sc. 4, is fixed by the
ripe strawberries brought by the Bishop of Ely to Richard. The exact
date is known to be June 13, 1483.

_Timon of Athens._ An approximate season for act iv, sc. 3, might be
guessed from the medlar offered by Apemantus to Timon. Our medlars are
ripe in November.

_Antony and Cleopatra._ The figs and fig-leaves brought to Cleopatra
give a slight indica