164 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



plant, and Linnaeus thirty-nine. Aiton now 

 counts sixty that have been brought to this 

 country from various parts of the world, the 

 earliest of which was the Syrian sage, Clary, 

 Sclarea. This appears to have been intro- 

 duced as early as 1562, and the common gar- 

 den sage, Officinalis, which is a native of the 

 South of Europe, was first cultivated in 

 England in 1573. 



We have two species of wild sage indige- 

 nous to our soil, viz. meadow sage, Prat easts, 

 and the wild clary, Verbenaca. 



Gerard mentions several varieties which he 

 cultivated in his garden previously to 1597, 

 and says, " Sage is singularly good for the 

 head and brain, quickeneth the senses and 

 memory, strengthened the sinews, restoreth 

 health to those that have the palsie upon a 

 moist cause, taketh away shaking or trem- 

 bling of the members, &c. &c." He adds, 

 " No man needeth to doubt of the whole- 

 someness of sage ale." 



Sage-leaves dried and smoked in a pipe as 

 tobacco, are said to lighten the brain. 



The Chinese express their astonishment 

 that the Europeans should come to them for 

 tea, when we have what they think so supe- 

 rior. The Dutch have long been in the 



