The herball or Generall historie of plantes. Gathered by Iohn Gerarde of London Master in Chirurgerie very much enlarged and amended by Thomas Iohnson citizen and apothecarye of London

¶ The Names.

‡ 1 The first of these is thought by some to be the Bulbus cruentus of Hippocrates; as also the Lilium purpureum of Dioscorides: Yet Matthiolus and some others would haue it his Hemerocallis. Do∣donaeus and Bapt. Porta thinke it the Hyacinthus and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Poets, of which you shall finde more hereafter. It is the Martagon Chymistarum of Lobell, and the Lilium aureum 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Ta∣bernamontanus.

2 This is Martagon Chymistarum alterum of Lobell. 3 This is Clusius his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 secundum. 4 Martagon bulbiferum primum of Clusius. 5 This 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Lilium purpure∣um tertium, and it is Martagon bulbiferum tertium of Clusius. 6 This last Lobell and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 call Lilium purpureum minus.

I haue thought good here also to giue you that discourse touching the Poets Hyacinth, which being translated out of Dodonaeus, was formerly vnfitly put into the chapter of 〈◊〉〈◊〉; which therefore I there omitted, and haue here restored to his due place, as you may 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by Dodonaeus, Pempt. 2. lib. 2. cap. 2. ‡

† There is a Lilly which Ouid, Metamorph. lib. 10. calls Hyacinthus, of the boy 〈◊〉〈◊〉, of whose bloud he feigneth that this floure sprang, when he perished as he was 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉,

for whose sake, he saith, that Apollo did print certaine letters and notes of his 〈◊〉〈◊〉. These are his words:

Eccecruor, quifusus humo signauerat herbas, Desinit esse cruor, Tyrioquenitentior ostro Flos oritur, formamque capit, quam Lilia, si non Purpureus color his argenteus esset in illis. Non satis hoc Phoebo est, (is enim fuit auctor honoris) Ipse suos gemitus folijs inscribit, & ai ai, Flos habet inscriptum, funestaque litera ducta est.

Which lately were elegantly thus rendred in English by M. Sands:

Behold! the bloud which late the grasse had dy'de Was now no bloud: from thence a floure full blowne, Far brighter than the Tyrian scarlet shone: Which seem'd the same, or did resemble right A Lilly, changing but the red to white. Nor so contented, (for the Youth receiu'd That grace from Phoebus) in the leaues he weau'd The sad impression of his sighs, Ai, Ai, They now in funerall characters display, &c.

[illustration]

‡ 5 Lilium cruentum secundum caulem bulbulis donatum. Red Lilly with bulbes growing alongst the stalke.

[illustration]

‡ 6 Lilium purpureum minus. The small red Lilly.

Theocritus also hath made mention of this Hyacinth, in Bions Epitaph, in the 19. Eidyl. which Eidyl by some is attributed to Moschus, and made his third. The words are these:

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

In English thus:

Now Iacinth speake thy letters, and once more Imprint thy leaues with Ai, Ai, as before.

Likewise Virgill hath written hereof in the third Eclog of his Bucolicks.

Et me Phoebus amat, Phoebo sua semper apud me Munerasunt, lauri & suaue rubens Hyacinthus.

Phoebus loues me, his gifts I alwayes haue, The e're greene Laurel, and the lacinth braue.

In like manner also Nemesianus in his second Eclog of his Bucolicks:

Te sine me, misero 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Lilia nigra videntur, Pallentesque Rosae, nec dulce rubens Hyacinthus: At si tu venias, & candida Lilia fient Purpureaeque Rosae, & dulce rubens Hyacinthus.

Without thee, Loue, the Lillies blacke do seeme; The Roses pale, and Hyacinths I deeme Not louely red. But if thou com'st to me, Lillies are white, red Rose and Iacinths be.

The Hyacinths are said to be red which Ouid calleth purple; for the red colour is somtimes ter∣med purple. Now it is thought this Hyacinthus is called Ferrugineus, for that it is red of a rusty iron colour: for as the putrifaction of brasse is named Aerugo; so the corruption of iron is called Fer∣rugo, which from the reddish colour is stiled also Rubigo. And certainly they are not a few that would 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Color ferrugineus to be so called from the rust which they thinke Ferrugo. Yet this opi∣nion is not allowed of by all men; for some iudge, that Color ferrugineus is inclining to a blew, for that when the best iron is heated and wrought, when as it is cold againe it is of a colour neere vnto blew, which from Ferrum (or iron) is called Ferrugineus. These latter ground themselues vpon Virgils authoritie, who in the sixth of his Aeneidos describeth Charons ferrugineous barge or boat, and presently calleth the same blew. His words are these:

Ipseratem conto subigit velisque ministrat, Et ferruginea subuectat corpora Cymba,

He thrusting with a pole, and setting sailes at large, Bodies transports in ferrugineous barge.

And then a little after he addes;

Coeruleam aduertit puppim, ripaeque propinquat.

He then turnes in his blew Barge, and the shore Approches nigh to.

And Claudius also, in his second booke of the carrying away of Proserpina, doth not a little con∣firme their opinions; who writeth, That the Violets are painted, ferrugine dulci, with a sweet iron colour.

Sanguineo splendore rosas, vaccinea nigro Induit, & aulci violas ferrugine pingit.

He trimmes the Rose with bloudy bright, And Prime-tree berries blacke he makes, And decks the Violet with a sweet Darke iron colour which it takes.

But let vs returne to the proper names from which we haue digressed. Most of the later Herba∣rists do call this Plant Hyacinthus Poeticus, or the Poets Hyacinth. Pausanias in his second booke of his Corinthiackes hath made mention of Hyacinthus called of the Hermonians, Comosandalos, set∣ting downe the ceremonies done by them on their festiuall dayes, in honour of the goddesse Chtho∣nia. The Priests (saith he) and the Magistrates for that yeare being, doe leade the troupe of the pompe; the women and men follow after; the boves solemnly leade forth the goddesse with a stately shew: they go in white vestures, with garlands on their heads made of a floure which the Inhabitants call Comosandalos, which is the blew or sky-coloured Hyacinth, hauing the marks and letters of mourning as aforesaid.