“Down with Rosemary and Bays, Down with the Mistletoe, Instead of Holly now upraise The greener Box for show. The Holly hitherto did sway; Let Box now domineer, Until the dancing Easter Day Or Easter’s Eve appear. Then youthful Box, which now hath grace Your houses to renew, Grown old, surrender must his place Unto the crisped Yew. When Yew is out, then Birch comes in, And many flowers beside, Both of a fresh and fragrant kin, To honour Whitsuntide. Green Rushes then, and sweetest Bents, With cooler Oaken boughs, Come in for comely ornaments To re-adorn the house. Thus times do shift; each thing his turn does hold, New things succeed as former things grow old.” Flowers of the Church’s Festivals. In the services of the Church every season has its appropriate floral symbol. In olden times on Feast days places of worship were significantly strewed with bitter herbs. On the Feast of Dedication (the first Sunday in October) the Church was decked with boughs and strewn with sweet Rushes; for this purpose _Juncus aromaticus_ (now known as _Acorus Calamus_) was used. “The Dedication of the Church is yerely had in minde, With worship passing Catholicke, and in a wondrous kinde. From out the steeple hie is hanged a crosse and banner fayre, The pavement of the temple strowde with hearbes of pleasant ayre; The pulpets and the aulters all that in the Church are seene, And every pewe and pillar great are deckt with boughs of greene.” _T. Naogeorgus, trans. by Barnabe Googe_, 1570.