PLANTS IN SCRIPTURE 123 



odoratus, or llatta byzantina, which Dioscorides affirm- 

 eth to be taken from a shell-fish of the Indian lakes, 

 which feedeth upon the aromatical plants, is gathered 

 when the lakes are dry. But whether that which we 

 now call blatta byzant'ma or unguis odoratus, be the 

 same with that odorate one of antiquity, great doubt 

 may be made ; since Dioscorides saith it smelled like 

 castoreum, and that which we now have is of an un- 

 grateful odour. 



No little doubt may be also made of galbanum 

 prescribed in the same perfume, if we take it for 

 galbanum, which is of common use among us, approach- 

 ing the evil scent of assafcstlda ; and not rather for 

 galbanum of good odour as the adjoining words declare, 

 and the original chelbena will bear ; which implieth a 

 fat or resinous substance ; that which is commonly 

 known among us being properly a gummous body and 

 dissoluble also in water. 



The holy ointment of stacte or pure myrrh, dis- 

 tilling from the plant without expression or firing, of 

 cinnamon, cassia, and calamus, containeth less question- 

 able species, if the cinnamon of the ancients were the 

 same with ours, or managed after the same manner. 

 For thereof Dioscorides made his noble unguent. And 

 cinnamon was so highly valued by princes, that 



