128 The Garden of p leaf ant Flowers. 



common receiued cuflome of thofe times, that called all deepe blew co- 

 lours, fuch as are purples, and the like, blacke; for the Violet it felfe is like- 

 wife called blacke in the fame place, where he calleth the Vacinium blacke ; 

 fo that it feemeth thereby, that he reckoned them to be both of one colour, 

 and we know the colour of the Violet is not blacke, as we doe diflinguifh of 

 blacke in thefe dayes. But the colour of this Starry lacinth, being both of 

 fo deepe a purple fometimes, fo neare vnto a Violet colour, and alfo more 

 frequent, then any other lacinth with them, in thofe places where Virgil 

 liued, perfwadeth me to thinke, that Virgil vnderflood this Starry lacinth 

 by Vacinium : Let others iudge otherwife, if they can fhew greater probabi- 

 litie. 



i. Hyacinthus Stellatus Byzantinus nigra radice. 

 The Starry lacinth of Turkic with the blacke roote. 



This Starry lacinth of Conflantinople hath three or foure fref h greene, thinne, and 

 long leaues, of the bigneffe of the Englifh lacinth, but not fo long, betweene which ri- 

 feth vp a (lender lowe flalke, bearing fiue or fix fmall flowers, difperfedly fet thereon, 

 fpreading open like a flarre, of a pale or bleake blew colour : the leaues of the flowers 

 are fomewhat long, and fland as it were fomewhat loofly, one off from another, and 

 not fo compaclly together, as the flowers of other kindes: it feldome beareth ripe 

 feede with vs, becaufe the heads are fo heauie, that lying vpon the ground, they rotte 

 with the wet, or are bitten with the frofls, or both, fo that they feldome come to good : 

 the roote is fmall in fome, and reafonable bigge in others, round, and long, white 

 within, but couered with deepe reddifh or purplifh peelings, next vnto it, and darker 

 and blacker purple on the outfide, with fome long and thicke white fibres, like fingers 

 hanging at the bottome of them, as is to be feene in many other lacinths : the roote it 

 felfe for the moil part doth runne downewards, fomewhat deep into the ground. 



2. Hyacinthus Stellatus Byzantinus maior. 

 The greater Starry lacinth of Conflantinople. 



This lacinth may rightly be referred to the former lacinth of Conflantinople, and 

 called the greater, it is fo like thereunto, that any one that knoweth that, will foone 

 fay, that this is another of that fort, but greater as it is in all his parts, bearing larger 

 leaues by much, and more flore, lying vpon the ground round about the roote : it 

 beareth many lowe flalkes of flowers, as bleake, and Handing as loofly as the former : 

 onely the roote of this, is not black on the outfide, as the other, but three times bigger. 



3. Hyacinthus Stellatus Byzantinus alter, fine fare boraginis. 

 The other Starry lacinth of Conflantinople. 



This other lacinth hath for the mofl part onely foure leaues, broader and greener 

 then the firfl, but not fo large or long as the fecond : the llalke hath fiue or fix flowers 

 vpon it, bigger and rounder fet, like other flarry lacinths, of a more perfect or deeper 

 blew then either of the former, hauing a whitifh greene head or vmbone in the mid- 

 dle, befet with fix blew chiues or threeds, tipt with blacke, fo clofly compaffing the 

 vmbone, that the threeds feeme fo many prickes flucke into a clubbe or head ; fome 

 therefore haue likened it to the flower of Borage, and fo haue called it : after the flow- 

 ers are pall, come vp round white heads, wherein is contained round and white feede : 

 the roote is of a darke whitifh colour on the outfide, and fometimes a little reddifh 

 withall. 



The Place. 



The firfl and the lafl haue beene brought from Conllantinople ; the 

 firll among many other rootes, and the lafl by the Lord Zouch, as Lobel 

 witneffeth. The fecond hath been fent vs out of the Lowe-Countries, but 

 from whence they had it, we do not certainly know. They growe with vs in 

 our Gardens fufficiently. The 



