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 Name, and canse thereof.

Ricinus (whereof mention is made in the fourth chapter and sixt verse of the prophecie of Ionas)

was called of the Talmudists, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Kik, for in the Talmud we reade thus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Velo beschemen Kik: that is, in English, And not with the oile of Kik: which oile is called in the Arabian tongue, Alkerua, as Rabbi Samuel the sonne of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 testifieth. Moreouer a certaine Rab bine moueth a question, saying, what is Kik? Hereunto 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Lachish maketh answer in Ghemara, saying, Kik is nothing else but Ionas his Kikaijon. And that this is true, it appeareth by that name 〈◊〉〈◊〉: which the ancient Greeke Physitions, and the Aegiptians vsed; which Greeke word commeth of the Hebrew word Kik. Hereby it appeareth, that the old writers long agoe called this plant by the true and proper name. But the old Latine writers knew it by the name Cucurbita, which euidently is manifested by an history which Saint Augustine recordeth in his Epistle to Saint Ierome, where in effect he writeth thus; That name 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is of small moment, yet so small a matter caused a great tumult in Africa. For on a time a certaine Bishop hauing an occasion to intreat of this which is mentioned in the fourth chapter of Ionas his prophecie (in a collation or sermon, which he made in his cathedrall church or place of assembly) said, that this plant was called Cucurbita, a Gourde, because it encreased vnto so great a quantitie, in so short a space, or else (saith he) it is called Hedera. Vpon the nouelty and vntruth of this his doctrine, the people were greatly offen∣ded, and thereof suddenly arose a tumult and hurly burly; so that the Bishop was inforced to goe to the Iewes, to aske their iudgment as touching the name of this plant. And when he had recei∣ued of them the true name, which was Kikaijon: he made his open recantation, and confessed his error, & was iustly accused for a falsifier of the holy scripture. ‡ The Greeks called this plant also 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: i. Ricinus, by reason of the similitude that the seed hath with that insect, to wit, a Tik. ‡