

The Garden of pleajant Flowers. 133 



kindes of both forts ; fo I thinke it not amifle, to finilh this of the lacinths with the de- 

 fcription of a Sea lacinth, which (as you fee) I take to be the Scilla, or Sea Onion, all 

 his parts fo nearely refembling a lacinth, that I know not where to ranke him better 

 then in this place, or rather not any where but here. You (hall haue the defcription 

 thereof, and then let the iudicious pa(fe their fentence, as they thinke mecteft. 



The Squill or Sea Onion (as many doe call it) hath diuers thicke leaucs, broad, long, 

 greene, and hollowifh in the middle, and with an eminent or fwelling ribbe all along 

 the backe of the leafe, (I relate it as I haue feene it, hauing (hot forth his leaues in the 

 (hip by the way, as the Mariners that brought diuers rootes from out of the Straights, 

 did fell them to mee and others for our vie) lying vpon the ground, fomewhat like 

 vnto the leaues of a Lilly : thefe fpring vp after the flowers are part, and the feed ripe, 

 they abiding all the Winter, and the next Spring, vntill the heate of the Summer hath 

 fpent and confumed them, and then about the end of Auguft, or beginning of Septem- 

 ber, the (talke with flowers arifeth out of the ground a toote and a halfe high, bearing 

 many Itarre-like flowers on the toppe, in a long fpike one aboue another, flowring by 

 degrees, the loweft tirft, and fo vpwards, whereby it is long in flowring, very like, as 

 well in torme as bignefle, to the flowers of the great Starre of Bethlehem (thefe flow- 

 ers I haue likewife feene (hooting out of fome of the rootes, that haue been brought in 

 the like manner :) after the flowers are part, there come vp in their places thicke and 

 three fquare heads, wherin is contained fuch like flat, black, and round feed, as the Spa- 

 nidi duskie lacinth before defcribed did beare, but greater : the root is great & white, 

 couered with many peelings or couerings, as is plainly enough feen to any that know 

 them, and that fometimes wee haue had rootes, that haue beene as bigge as a pretty 

 childes head, and fometimes two growing together, each whereof was no lefle then 

 is faid of the other. 



Scilla rubra Jiuc Pancratium verum. The red Sea Onion. 



The roote of this Squill, is greater oftentimes then of the former, the outer coates 

 or peelings being reddi(h, bearing greater, longer, ftiffer, and more hollow leaues, in 

 a manner vpright : this bringeth fuch a like rtalke and flowers, as the former doth, as 

 Fabianus Ilges, Apothecary to the Duke of Briga, did fignifie by the figure thereof 

 drawne and fent to Clufius. 



The Place. 



They grow alwayes neare the Sea, and neuer farre off from it, but often 

 on the very baich of the Sea, where it wafheth ouer them all along the 

 coarts of Spaine, Portugal, and Italy, and within the Straights in many 

 places : it will not abide in any Garden farre from the Sea, no not in Italy, 

 as it is related. 



The Time. 



The time wherein they flower, is exprefled to be in Auguft and Septem- 

 ber : the (cede to be ripe in October and Nouember, and the greene leaues 

 to fpring vp in Nouember and December. 





The Names. 



Thefe are certainly the true kindes of Scilla that (hould bee vfed in medi- 

 cines, although (as Clulius reporteth) the Spaniards forbade him to tafte of 

 the red Squill, as of a moft ftrong and prefent poifon. Pliny hath made 

 more forts then can be found out yet to this day with vs : that Scilla that is 

 called EftmcxutiOt becaufe it might be eaten, is thought to be the great Orni- 

 thogalum, or Starre of Bethlehem. Pancratium is, I know, and as I faid be- 

 fore, referred to that kinde of baltard Sea DafFodill, which is fet forth be- 

 fore in the end of the hiftory of the bartard Daffodils ; and diuers alfo 

 would make the Narcijfus tertius Matthioli, which I call the true Sea Daffo- 

 dill, to be a Pancratium ; but feeing Diofcorides (and no other is againft him) 



maketh 



