96 A GARDEN OF HERBS 



till the end of the sixteenth century. It consisted of a 

 tribute of roses which had to be given by the peers of France 

 to the Parlement. Each peer in turn had to see that the 

 rooms of the palace were strewed with roses, flowers and 

 sweet herbs. As he went through the rooms a large silver 

 bowl was carried before him, and in it were crowns of roses 

 for every member of the Parlement. Parkinson says that 

 the double yellow rose was " first procured to be brought 

 into England by Master Nicholas Lete, a worthy merchant 

 of London and a great lover of flowers, from Constantinople, 

 which (as we heare) was first brought thither from Syria; 

 but perished quickly both with him and with all other to 

 whom he imparted it ; yet afterwards it was sent to Master 

 John de Franqueille, a Merchant also of London, and a 

 great lover of all rare plants, as well as flowers, from which 

 is sprung the greatest store that is now flourishing in this 

 kingdom." Sir John Hill tells us that nothing equals the 

 sweetness of the true Provence rose, which were " so esteemed 

 in the Indies that sometimes they will sell for their weight 

 in gold." He speaks also of the honey of roses made by 

 boiling honey and the fresh juice of Provence roses together. 

 In our great-grandmothers' time they used to put fragrant 

 damask rose-petals into a cherry pie before putting on the 

 crust, and in the earlier days rose-water was used to flavour 

 cakes. I have given one receipt for a cake so flavoured. 

 See " To bake a cake after the way of the Royal Princess, 

 the Lady Elizabeth, daughter to King Charles the First." 



To MAKE SIROP OF ROSES OR VIOLETS. Take of violets 

 or roses a pounde, steepe them in three pints of warme water, 

 put it in an earthen pot with a narrow mouth the space of 

 seven houres or more, after, straine it, and warme the water 

 againe, and put in againe so many Roses or Violets, and 

 likewise let them lye in steepe eight houres, and thus do at 

 the least five times, the oftener the better, in especiall the 

 roses, and after take to every pint a pounde of sugar and 

 steepe them together, till the sugar be molten, then seethe 

 them together with a soft sweet fire to the height of a 



