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

About this Item

Title
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
Author
Gerard, John, 1545-1612.
Publication
London :: Printed by Adam Islip Ioice Norton and Richard Whitakers,
anno 1633.
Rights/Permissions

To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.

Subject terms
Botany -- Pre-Linnean works -- Early works to 1800.
Botany, Medical -- Early works to 1800.
Gardens -- England -- Early works to 1800.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A01622.0001.001
Cite this Item
"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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A01622.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 28, 2025.

Pages

¶ The Names.

The Violet is called in Greeke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: of Theophrastus, both 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: in Latine, Nigraviola, or blacke Violet, of the blackish purple colour of the floures. The Apothecharies keepe the La∣tine name Viola; but they call it Herba Violaria, and Mater Violarum: in high-Dutch, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉: in low-Dutch, 〈◊〉〈◊〉: in French, Violette de Mars: in Italian, Violamammola: in Spanish, Viole∣ta: in English, Violet. Nicander in his Geoponickes beleeueth, (as Hermolaus sheweth) that the Grecians did call it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because certaine Nymphs of Ionia gaue that floure first to Iupiter. Others say it was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because when Iupiter had turned the young Damosell Io, whom he tenderly lo∣ued, into a Cow, the earth brought forth this floure for her food: which being made for her sake, receiued the name from her; and thereupon it is thought that the Latines also called it Viola, as though they should say Vitula, by blotting out the letter t. Seruius reporteth, That for the same cause the Latines also name it Vaccinium, alledging the place of Virgil in his Bucolicks:

Alba ligustra cadunt, vaccinia nigra leguntur.

Notwithstanding Virgil in his tenth Eclog sheweth, that Vaccinium and Viola do differ.

Ei nigrae violae sunt, & vaccinia nigra.

Vitruvius also in his seuenth booke of Architecture or Building doth distinguish Viola from Vaccinium: for he sheweth that the colour called Sile Atticum, or the Azure of Athens, is made ex Viola; and the gallant purple, ex Vaccinio. The Dyers, saith he, when they would counterfeit Sile, or Azure of Athens, put the dried Violets into a fat, kettle, or caldron, and boyle them with water; afterwards when it is tempered they poure it into a linnen strainer, and wringing it with their hands, receiue into a mortar the liquor coloured with the Violets; and steeping earth of Erethria in it, and grinding the same, they make the Azure colour of Athens. After the same manner they temper Vaccinium, and putting milke vnto it, do make a gallant purple colour. But what Vaccinia are we will elsewhere declare.

Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.