TULIP. 143 



flowers. Betting to a ruinous .amount was often 

 made respecting the eventual superiority of pro- 

 mising seedling bulbs; and for the possession of 

 breeders of high merit, from which fine seedlings 

 might be expected, as large a sum was given as 

 the fleetest race-horse of the British turf ever sold 

 for. 



About the year 1636, this spirit of floral gambling 

 was carried to such excess at Haarlem, that 

 during three years it is said to have yielded to that 

 city a sum not less than ten millions sterling, for 

 the price of these bulbs rose higher than that of the 

 most precious metal. For a single Tulip, to which 

 they had given the fine name of Semper Augustus, 

 4600 florins, a beautiful new carriage, two horses with 

 harness, &c, were given ; and another of the same 

 kind sold for 13,000 florins. Twelve acres of land 

 were given for a single root, and engagements to 

 the amount of 5000/. were made for a superior 

 Tulip during the height of this mania ; and when 

 a bidder could not be found to offer a sum equal to 

 the ideal value of a fine flower of this kind, it was 

 frequently disposed of by way of lottery or raffle. 



We are told of a person who possessed a very 

 fine Tulip, but finding there was a second root of 

 the same nature in Haarlem, he repaired to that 

 place, and, after having purchased it at an enormous 

 price, placed it on a flag-stone, and pounded it to 



