LILY OF THE VALLEY. 261 



Of the SolomonVseal called in French le sceau de Salo- 

 mon ; le signet de Salomon ; Therbe de la rupture [rupture- 

 wort] ; le genouillet : Italian, il ginocchietto ; sigillo di Sa- 

 lomone there are seven species, and varieties of each : the 

 Narrow-leaved, the Single-flowered, the Broad-leaved, the 

 Many-flowered, the Cluster-flowered, the Star-flowered, and 

 the Least Solomons-seal, or One-blade. 



" The root of the Single-flowered species," says Mr. 

 Martyn, " is twisted and full of knots- On a transverse 

 section of it, characters appear that give it the resemblance 

 of a seal : whence its name of SolomonVseal." It is also 

 called White-root. 



The roots of this and the Broad-leaved kind have, in 

 times of scarcity, been made into bread ; and the young 

 shoots of the latter species are eaten by the Turks as we 

 eat asparagus. All the species are elegant plants. They 

 are hardy ; and, in a light soil and a shady situation, in- 

 crease very fast by the roots. The best time to transplant 

 them, and to part the roots, is in autumn, soon after the 

 stalks decay. They should not be removed oftener than 

 every third year ; but should have fresh earth, as deep as 

 it can be changed without disturbing the roots, every spring. 

 The earth should be kept moderately moist. 



Gerarde gives a curious account of the virtues of these 

 plants ; not, however, of so much importance to the female 

 sex, in the present day, as it might have been in his time : 



" The roote of Solomon 1 Scale stamped, while it is freshe 

 and greene, and applied, taketh away in one night, or two 

 at the most, any bruse, black or blew spots gotten by fals 

 or women's wilfulnesse, in stumbling upon their hasty hus- 

 bands 1 fists, or such like." 



There is something delightfully fresh and cool in the 

 appearance of these Lilies ; of which the flowers are so 

 pleasantly shaded by their large light-green leaves, that one 



