The Garden of p/cti/anf Flowers. 401 



yellowifh greenc vnderneath : at the tops of the young branches come forth the flow- 

 . which in the one fort before they are open, are of an excellent bright crimfon co- 

 lour, and being blovven, conlilt of foure long and narrow leaues, round pointed, 

 l~omewh.it twining themlclues, of a paler red colour, almoft tending to blufh, and in 

 the other arc white, the greene leaues alfo being of a little frclher colour: after the 

 flowers arc- pall, in the hot countries, but neuer in ours, there come vp long bending or 

 crooked rial pods, whole outward (hell is hard, almoll woody, and of a browne co- 

 lour, wherein is contained fmall flat brownilh feede, wrapped in a great dealc of a 

 brownifh yellow doune, as fine almolt as lilke, fomewhat like vnto the huskes of Af- 

 clcpiiis, or Pcriphca, but larger, flatter and harder ; as my felfe can teftifie, who had 

 tome of the pods of this Rofe bay, brought mee out ot Spaine, by Mailer Dodtor 

 lohn More, the feedes whereof I fowed, and had diuers plants that I raifed vp vnto 

 a reafonable height, but they require, as well old as young, to bee defended from the 

 coldc of our winters. 



3. Laurocerafus. The Bay Cherry. 



This beautifull bay in his naturall place of growing, groweth to bee a tree of a rea- 

 fonable bignefle and height, and oftentimes with vs alfo if it bee pruined from the 

 lower branches ; but more vfually in thefe colder Countries, it groweth as a fhrub or 

 hedge bulh, (hooting forth many branches, whereof the greater and lower are couered 

 with a darke grayifh greene barke, but the young ones are very greene, whereon are 

 fet many goodly, faire, large, thicke and long leaues, a little dented about the edges, 

 of a more excellent frefh fhining greene colour, and farre larger then any Bay leafe, 

 ;ind compared by many to the leaues of the Pomeritron tree (which becaufe wee haue 

 none in our Countrey, cannot be fo well known) both for colour and largeneffe, which 

 yeeld a moft gracefull afpect : it beareth long ftalkes of whitifh flowers, at the ioynts 

 of the leaues both along the branches and towards the ends of them alfo, like vnto 

 the Birds Cherry or Padus Theophrafti^ which the French men call Putier & Cerifer 

 blanc, but larger and greater, conlifting of fiue leaues with many threds in the middle : 

 after which commeth the fruite or berries, as large or great as Flanders Cherries, ma- 

 ny growing together one by another on a long ftalke, as the flowers did, which are 

 very blacke and mining on the outfide, with a little point at the end, and reafonable 

 fweete in talte, wherein is contained a hard round ftone, very like vnto a Cherry done, 

 as I haue obferued as well by thofe I receiued out of Italic, as by them I had of Mafter 

 lames Cole a Merchant of London lately deceafed, which grew at his houfe in High- 

 :;;ue, where there is a faire tree which hee defended from the bitternefle of the wea- 

 ther in winter by carting a blanket ouer the toppe thereof euery yeare, thereby the 

 better to preferue it. 



The Place. 



The firlt is not certainly knowne from whence it came, and is communi- 

 cated by the fuckers it yeeldeth. The fecond groweth in Spaine, Italic, 

 Grece, and many other places : that with white flowers is recorded by Bel- 

 lonius, to grow in Candy. The latt, as Matthiolus, and alter him Clulius 

 report, came firft from Conftantinople : I had a plant hereof by the friend- 

 ly gift of Mailer lames Cole, the Merchant betore remembred, a great lo- 

 uer of all rarities, who had it growing with him at his countrey houfe in 

 Highgate aforefaid, where it hath flowred diuers times, and borne ripe fruit 

 alfo. 



The Time. 



The firll flowreth many times in the end of the yeare before Chriftmas, 

 and often alfo in January, but the moft kindly time is in March and Aprill, 

 when the flowers are fweeteft. The fecond flowreth not vntill lufy. The 

 lall in May, and the fruit is ripe in Auguft and September. 



E 3 The 



