MARIGNY

marigny, jean de (d. 1350), french bishop, was a younger brother of the preceding. entering the church at an early age, he was rapidly advanced until in 1313 he was made bishop of beauvais. during the next twenty years he was one of the most notable of the members of the french episcopate, and was particularly in favour with king philip vi. he devoted himself in 1335 to the completion of the choir of beauvais cathedral, the enormous windows of which were filled with the richest glass. but this building activity, which has left one of the most notable gothic monuments in europe, was broken into by the hundred years' war. jean de marigny, a successful administrator and man of affairs rather than a saintly churchman, was made one of the king's lieutenants in southern france in 1341 against the english invasion. his most important military operation, however, was when in 1346 he successfully held out in beauvais against a siege by the english, who had overrun the country up to the walls of the city. created archbishop of rouen in 1347 as a reward for this defence, he enjoyed his new honours only three years; he died on the 26th of december 1350. marigold. this name has been given to several plants, of which the following are the best known: _calendula officinalis_, the pot-marigold; _tagetes erecta_, the african marigold; _t. patula_, the french marigold; and _chrysanthemum segetum_, the corn marigold. all these belong to the order compositae; but _caltha palustris_, the marsh marigold, belongs to the order ranunculaceae. the first-mentioned is the familiar garden plant with large orange-coloured blossoms, and is probably not known in a wild state. there are now many fine garden varieties of it. the florets are unisexual, the "ray" florets being female, the "disk" florets male. this and the double variety have been in cultivation for at least three hundred years, as well as a proliferous form, _c. prolifera_, or the "fruitful marigolde" of gerard (_herball_, p. 602), in which small flower-heads proceed from beneath the circumference of the flower. the figure of "the greatest double marigold," _c. multiflora maxima_, given by gerard (loc. cit. p. 600) is larger than most specimens now seen, being 3 in. in diameter. he remarks of "the marigolde" that it is called _calendula_ "as it is to be seene to flower in the calends of almost euerie moneth." it was supposed to have several specific virtues, but they are non-existent. "the marigold, that goes to bed wi' the sun," is mentioned by shakespeare, _winter's tale_, iv. 3. _tagetes patula_, and _t. erecta_, the french and african marigolds, are natives of mexico, and are equally familiar garden plants, having been long in cultivation. gerard figures five varieties of _flos africanus_, of the single and double kind (loc. cit., p. 609). besides the above species the following have been introduced later, _t. lucida_, _t. signata_, also from mexico, and _t. tenuifolia_ from peru. _chrysanthemum segetum_, the yellow corn marigold, is indigenous to great britain, and is frequent in corn-fields in most parts of england. when dried it has been employed as hay. it is also used in germany for dyeing yellow. gerard observes that in his day "the stalke and leaues of corne marigolde, as dioscorides saith, are eaten as other potherbes are." _caltha palustris_, the marsh marigold, or king-cups, the "winking mary-buds" of shakespeare (_cymb._, ii. 3), is a common british plant in marshy meadows and beside water. it bears smooth heart-shaped leaves, and flowers with a golden yellow calyx but no corolla, blossoming in march and april. the flower-buds preserved in salted vinegar are a good substitute for capers. a double-flowered variety is often cultivated, and is occasionally found wild.