Of Bockes bearde.

GOates beard is cal¦led in Greke Tra∣gopogon or Kome / in Latin Barba hir¦ci / in Duch Bocks bard / in Frēch bar∣be de bouc. Diosco∣rides describeth go¦tes bearde thus: Tragopogon hath a short stalke / leaues like vnto Saffron / and a long roote which is swete / out of y^e stalke cōmeth furth a great heade / in whose top is black sede or fruyt / wher∣vpon it hath y^e name geuē: this is y^e text of Dioscorides / but I do suspecte y^t Di∣oscorides text is corrupted / for I thinke y^t he wold neuer say y^t this herbe should be called buckes beard / because it hath a black sede or fruyte: for what hath a white fruite or a black to do w^t y^e liknes of a bockes beard? nothing at al. Ther∣fore where as Dioscorides texte is cor∣rupt / it is best to amend it w^t y^e texte of Theophrastus / of whom he borrowed altogether this description. Thē where as Dioscorides sayth / out of the toppe commeth out a blacke sede / whereof Gotes beard hath y^e name. Let vs rede as Theophrastus doth. Out of y^e top commeth a hore whyte bearde / wherevpon it is called Gotes bearde: These Page  77 be the wordes of Theophrastus. The herbe which we call Goates bearde / in barone places hath but a shorte stalke / but in gardines and in ranke med∣does / it hath a longe stalke and full of ioyntes lyke knees. Aboute London I haue sene in the felde thys herbe wyth a swete roote and wyth black sede and a yelowe floure / and after the floure is gone wyth a great deale of long whyte doune lyke tuftes of whyte heyre / but about Colon I sawe it which had whyte sede and a bitter roote all full of milke as in other places it doth appere. Matthiolus marueyleth that the herbe nowe taken of vs for Tragopogon / is thought of Hermolaus Barbarus / nether to be the righte Tragopogon of Theophrastus or of Dioscorides. Surelye I thynke that it chaunsed vnto Hermolaus as it chaunsed vnto me: For I sawe diuerse ty∣mes an herbe / that in all other poyntes dyd agree well wyth the description of Tragopogon / sauinge that the herbe alwaye had a bitter roote / whyche thinge made me still to iudge / that the herbe was not the righte Tragopo∣gon / vntill I found an herbe with the same figure and fashion in all thinges lyke the other with a swete roote. And so I thynke that Hermolaus there∣fore denied that thys herbe was the right Tragopogon / because he coulde neuer fynde anye with a swete roote. An other cause might be that he sawe the leaues of oure Tragopogon muche greater then the leaues of Safron. But Dioscorides looked not vnto the smallnes of the Safron leaues / but to the figure and whytishe list or lyne / that goeth quite thorowe the middes of the Saffron leafe: In whiche two thinges the leaues of Tragopogon / and the leaues of Safron are very lyke. I merueyle much when as both Theophrast and Dioscorides write / that Tragopogon hath longe rootes / that contrary vnto the open textes and mindes of these noble writers / that Amatus Lusitanus dare be so bolde / as to gyue round knoppy rootes after the maner of Bulbus / or of Ascalion / but somethinge longe vnto Tragopo∣gon / and sayth that the rootes are of the bignes of an Hasel nutt / and that the boyes of Spayne of the lykenes / that they haue wyth a nutt / call them nozella. I haue sene thre sundry sortes of Tragopogon / one sorte with a ble∣wishe purple floure / which is called in the West parte of Englande / Starre of Hierusalem / because whilse the Sunne shyneth it openeth / and when it is vnder a clud / the floure shitteth to close agayne. I knowe also two sortes wyth a yelowe floure / the one with a swete roote / and the other with a bit∣ter roote / and full of milke. All these thre sortes had longe rootes when I sawe them / and I could neuer se anye suche rounde thinge in the roote / that was lyke vnto a nut or a oynion. Wherefore Amatus in the roote of this her¦be is both contrary to the autorite of learned men / and to experience.