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.

SOme call this Vna marina, and others haue thought it the Lenticula marina of Serapio, but they are deceiued, for his Lenticula marina described in his 245. chapter, is nothing else than the Muscus marinus or Bryon thalassion, described by Dioscorides, lib. 4. cap. 99. as any that compares these two places together may plainely see.

1 The former of these hath many winding stalkes, whereon grow short branches set thick with narrow leaues like those of Beluidere, or Besome flax, and among these grow many skinny, hollow, empty round berries of the bignesse and shape of Lentills, whence it takes the name: this growes in diuers places of the Mediterranian and Adriaticke seas.

2 This differs little from the former, but that the leaues are broader, shorter, and snipt about the edges. But this being in probabilitie the Sargazo of Acosta, you shall here what he saies thereof. In that famous and no lesse to be feared nauigation del Sergazo (for so they which saile into the Indies call all that space of the Ocean from the 18. to the 34. degree of Northerly latitude) is seen a deepe and spatious sea couered with an 〈◊〉〈◊〉 called Sarguazo, being a span long, wrapped with the tender branches as it were into balls, hauing narrow and tender leaues some halfe inch long,

[illustration]

1 Lenticula marina angustifolia. Narrow leaued Sea Lentill.

[illustration]

2 Lenticula marina serratis 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Cut leaued Sea Lentill.

much snipt about the edges, of colour reddish, of taste insipide, or without any sensible biting, but what is rather drawne from the salt water, than naturally inherent in the plant. At the setting on of each leafe growes a seed round like a pepper corne, of a whitish colour, and sometimes of white and red mixed, very tender when as it is first drawne forth of the water, but hard when it is dried, but by reason of the thinnesse very fragile, and full of salt water: there is no root to be obserued in this plant, but only the marks of the breaking off appeares; and it is likely it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in the deepe and sandy bottome of the sea, and hath small roots; yet some are of opinion that this herb is pluc∣ked vp and carried away by the rapide course of waters that fall out 〈◊〉〈◊〉 many Islands into the Oce∣an. Now the Master of the ship wherein I was did stiffely maintaine this opinion; and in the sai∣ling here we were becalmed; but as far as euer wee could see wee saw the sea wholly couered with this plant, and sending down some yong Sailers which should driue the weeds from the ship, and clense the water, we plainly saw round heapes thereof rise vp from the bottom of the sea where by sounding we could finde no bottome.

This plant pickled with salt and vineger hath the same tast as Sampier, and may be vsed in stead [ A] thereof, and also eaten by such as saile, in place of Capers. I willed it should be giuen newly taken forth of the sea, to Goats which we carried in the ship, and they fed vpon it greedily.

I found no faculties thereof; but one of the Sailers troubled with a difficultie of making water, [ B] casting out sand and grosse humors, ate thereof by chance both raw and boiled, onely for that the taste thereof pleased him: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a few dayes hee told to me that he found great good by the eating thereof, and he tooke some of it with him, that so he might vse it when he came ashore. Hitherto A Costa.