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 Description.

‡ 1 THe first of these hath cornered broad stalks like those of euerlasting Pease, and they are weake, and commonly lie vpon the ground, vnlesse they haue something to sup∣port them: the lower leaues are broad, and commonly welt the stalke at their setting on, and at the end of the first leafe do vsually grow out after an vnusuall manner, two, three, or more other prety large leaues more long than broad, and the middle rib of the first leafe runnes out beyond the set∣ting on of the highest of the out-growing leaues, and then it ends in two or three clasping tendrels. Those leaues that grow the lowest vpon the stalkes haue commonly the fewest comming out of

them. The floures are like those of other Pulses, of colour white: the cods are some inch and halfe long, containing some halfe dozen darke yellow or blackish small Pease: these cods grow one at a ioynt, on short foot-stalkes comming forth of the bosomes of the leaues, and are welted on their broader side, which stands towards the maine stalke. This growes with vs only in gardens. Dodo∣naeus, Pena, and Lobel call it Ochrus syluestris, siue Ervilia.

2 The stalkes of this grow vp sometimes a cubit high, being very slender, diuided into bran∣ches, and set vnorderly with many grasse-like long narrow leaues: on the tops of the stalkes and branches, vpon pretty long foot-stalkes grow pretty pease-fashioned floures of a faire and pleasant crimson colour: which fallen, there follow cods, long, small, and round, wherein are nine, ten, or more round hard blacke shining graines: the root is small, with diuers fibres, but whether it die when the seed is perfected, or no, as yet I haue not obserued. This growes wilde in many places with vs, as in the pasture and medow grounds about Pancridge Church. Lobel and Dodon. call this Ervum sylucstre; and they both partly iudge it to be the first Catanance of Dioscorides, and by that name it is vsually called. It floures in Iune and Iuly, and the seed is ripe in August.

3 This also, though it be not frequently found, is no stranger with vs; for I haue found it in the corne fields about Dartsord in Kent and some other places. It hath long slender ioynted cree∣ping stalkes, diuided into sundry branches, whereon stand pretty greene three cornered leaues two at a ioynt, in shape and bignesse like those of the lesser Binde-weed. Out of the bosomes of these leaues at each ioynt comes a clasping tendrel, and commonly together with it a foot-stalke some inch or more long, bearing a pretty little pease-fashioned yellow floure; which is succee∣ded by a short flattish cod containing six or se∣uen little seeds. This floures in Iune, Iuly, and August, and so ripens the seed. It is by Lobel and others thought to be the Aphace of Dio∣scorides, Galen, and Pliny: and the Pitine of Theo∣phrastus, by Anguillara.

[illustration]

‡ 3 Aphaca. Small yellow Fetch.

I finde mention in Stowes Chronicle, in Anno 1555, of a certaine Pulse or Pease, as they term it, wherewith the poore people at that time, there being a great dearth, were miraculously helped: he thus mentions it; In the moneth of August (saith he) in Suffolke, at a place by the sea side all of hard stone and pibble, called in those parts a shelfe, lying betweene the townes of Orford and Aldborough, where neither grew grasse, nor any earth was euer seene; it chanced in this barren place suddenly to spring vp with∣out any tillage or sowing, great aboundance of Peason, whereof the poore gathered (as men iudged) aboue an hundred quarters, yet remai∣ned some ripe and some blossoming, as many as euer there were before: to the which place rode the Bishop of Norwich and the Lord Willough∣by, with others in great number, who found no∣thing but hard rockie stone the space of three yards vnder the roots of these Peason: which roots were great and long, and very sweet.

Gesner also, de Aquatilibus, lib. 4. pag. 256. ma∣king mention, out of D^r. Cajus his letters, of the spotted English Whale, taken about that time at Lin in Norfolke, also thus mentions those pease: Pisa (saith he) in littore nostro Britannico quod Orientem spectat, certo quodam in loco Suffolciae, inter Alburnum & Ortfordium oppida, saxis insidentia (mirabile dictu) nulla terra circumfusa, autumnali tem∣pore Anno 1555, sponte 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 magna copia, vt sufficerent vel millibus hominum. These Pease, which by their great encrease did such good to the poore that yeare, without doubt grew there for many yeares before, but were not obserued till [Magister artis, ingenique largitor Venter] — hunger made them take notice of them, and quickned their inuention, which commonly in our people is very dull, especially in finding out food of this nature.

My Worshipfull friend D^r. Argent hath told me, that many yeares ago he was in this place, and caused his man to pull away the beach with his hands, and follow the roots so long, vntill hee got some equall in length vnto his height, yet could come to no ends of them: hee brought these vp with him to London, and gaue them to D^r. Lobel, who was then liuing; and he caused them to be drawne, purposing to set them forth in that Worke which he intended to haue published, if God had spared him longer life. Now whether these Pease be truly so 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and be the same with the Pisum 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Perenne, or different; or whether they be rather of the stocke of the Lathyrus ma∣ior, or of some other Pulse here formerly described, I can affirme nothing of certaintie, because I haue seene no part of them, nor could gather by any that had, any certaintie of their shape or fi∣gure: yet would I not passe them ouer in silence, for that I hope this may come to be read by some who liue thereabout, that may by sending me the things themselues, giue me certaine knowledge of them; that so I may be made able, as I am alwaies willing, to impart it to others.