MANUSCRIPT AND PRINTED HERBALS 49 



and that knoppe is grene. And whane it swellyth thenne 

 spryngeth out harde leuys and sharpe. . . . And whane they 

 ben full growen they sprede theymselues ayenst the sonne 

 rysynge. And for they ben tendre and feble to holde togyder 

 in the begynnynge; theyfore about those smale grene leuys 

 ben nyghe the red and tendre leuys . . . and ben sette all 

 aboute. And in the mydill thereof is seen the sede small and 

 yellow wyth full gode smell." 



There follows a description, too long to quote here, of the 

 growth of the rose hip, which ends with the remark : " But they 

 ben not ful good to ete for roughnesse that is hyd wythin. And 

 greuyth [grieveth] wythin his throte that ete thereof." . . . 

 " Among all floures of the worlde," he continues, " the floure of 

 the rose is cheyf and beery th ye pryse. And by cause of vertues 

 and swete smelle and savour. For by fayrnesse they fede the 

 syghte : and playseth the smelle by odour, the touche by softe 

 handlynge. And wythstondeth and socouryth by vertue ayenst 

 many syknesses and euylles." A delicious recipe is given for 

 Rose honey. " Rose shreede smalle and sod in hony makyth 

 that hony medycynable wyth gode smelle : And this corn- 

 forty eth and clenseth and defyeth gleymy humours." 



Of the violet we read : " Violet is a lytyll herbe in sub- 

 staunce and is better fresshe and newe than whan it is olde. 

 And the floure thereof smelly th moost. . . . And the more 

 vertuous the floure thereof is, ye more it bendyth the heed 

 thereof douwarde. Also floures of spryngynge tyme spryngeth 

 fyrste and sheweth somer. The lytylnes thereof in substaunce 

 is nobly rewarded in gretnesse of sauour and of vertue." 



Bartholomew's descriptions of flowers are usually brief, 

 and there is a clarity and vividness about them which give them 

 a charm peculiarly their own. How fresh and English, for 

 instance, is his chapter on the apple. I have never before seen 

 the taste of an apple described as " merry," but how true 

 the description is ! " Malus the Appyll tree is a tree yt 

 bereth apples and is a grete tree in itself .... it is more short 



