C) 
of Plintes Naturall Hiftorie, 83 
Cuap. 111% 
Oy Of the Rofe emplotedin Coronets, The diverfe kinds thereof « and where 
it is fet andgroweth, 
He plant whereupon the Rofe dooth grow, is more like a thorne or bufh than a fhrub or 
any thing elfe. For itwill come of avery brier or Eglantine alfo, where it will caft a {weet 
and pleafant fmell,although it reach not farre off. All Rofesat their firft knitting feeme ro 
bee enclofed within a certainecod or huske full of graines: which foone afterbeginneth tofwell 
and grow fharpe pointed into certaine greene endented or cut buds : then by little andlitde as 
they wax red, theyopen and fpread themfelves abroad, containing in the middeft of their cup 
as it were, certaine {mall tuffets or yellow threads ftanding out in the top. * Vied they arc ex- *//areias prope 
ceeding much in Chapletsand Guirlands, As touching the oileRofat, made by way of infufi- "”"" 
- on, it was in requeft before the deftruction of Troy,as may appeare by the Poet Homer, Morco- 
ver, Rofés enter into the compofition of {weet ointments and perfumes. Over and befices, the 
Rofe of it felfe alone as it is, hath medicinable vertues,and ferveth to many purpofes in Phyfick. 
Ir goeth into emplafters and collyries or eyefalves, by reafon of acertain fubtile mordacitic and 
penetrative qualitie that it hath, Furthermore,many delicats and daintie dithes are ferved up to 
the table, either covered and beftrewed with Rofe leaves, or bedewed and fineated all over with 
their juice; which doth noharme tofuch viands,but givea commendabletaft thereto, Wee at 
Rome make moftaccount of twokinds of Rofesabove the reft, to wit, thofe of Prenefte, and of 
Capua.And yet fome have raunged with thefe principall Rofes,thofe of Miletum,which are of a 
moft lively and deepe red colour,and have but twelve leaves in a flower at the moft, Thenext to 
then are the Trachinian Rofés,not foredall out. Thenthofe of Alabanda which bee of a bafer 
reckoning, witha weake colour enclining to white . Howbeit the meaneft and worft of all, isthe » 
Rofe*Spineola.Moft leaves in number it hath of all others, and thofe in quantitie fmaller. Fot «our whise 
this would be known,thatRofes differ one from another either in number of leaves,moreor lefle ; Rot. 
orels that {ome be fmooth,othersrough and prickie: alfo in cdlour,and {mell. The feweft leaves 
_ thataRofe hath,be five : and fo upward they grow ever {till more and mote, untill they come to 
thofethat have a hundred, namely abour Campaine inItalie,and neare to Philippos a cittie in 
Greece, wherenpon the Rofeis called in Latine Centifolia. Howbeit, the territorie of Philippi 
hath no fuch foile as to bring forth thefe hundred-leafe Rofes : for it isthe mountaine Pangzus 
neate adjoining, upon whicit they naturally do grow,with a number of leaves I fay, butthefame 
. finall: which being removed and tranfplantedby the neighbour borderers, doe mightily thrive 
in another ground namely,about Philippi aforefaid, and prove much fairer than thofe of Pan- 
geus. Yet are not fuch Rofes of the {weeteft kind, that are fo double and double again;no more 
than thofe which are furnifhed with the largett & greateft leaves. But in one word, if you would 
know a {weet fimelling Rofe indeed,chufe that which hath the cup or knob underneath the flour, 
rough,and prickie, C¢pio who lived in the time of Tzberim the Emperour, was of opinion, That 
the nundred-leafe Rofe had no grace at all in a Guirland,either for {mell orbeaurie; and therfore 
fhould not be put into Chaplets,unlefie it were laftin manner ofa tuft,tomake a fur-croift,or a-. 
bourthe edges as a border: no more than the Rofe Campion, which our men call the Grecke 
Rofe,andthe Greckes name Lychnis, which lightly groweth not butin moift grounds,and never 
hath more than five leaves; the flower exceedeth not the bignefle of acertaine Viclet, and cari- 
eth no fent or favour atall. Yet is there another Rofe named Grecula: the flowers & leaves wher- 
of are folded and lapped one within another,neither will they open of themfelves, unlefle they 
be forced with ones fingers,butlooke alwaies as if they were in thebud,notwithftanding,thatthe — 
leaves when they be out,are of all others largeft.Moreover,there be Rofes growing froma buth 
that hath a ttalke like a Mallow,and beareth leaves refembling thofe of the Olive : andthiskind 
isnained in Greeke Mofcheuton. Of a middle affife betweene thefe abovenamed, is the Rofe of 
Autumne,commonly called Coroneola.And tofay atruth,all the faid Rofes,unleffe it bee this 
Coroncola, andthatwhich groweth yponthe brier or Eglantine beforenamed, have no fmell 
with them in the whole world naturally, but are brought to it by many devifes and fophifticati- 
ons ; yea;& thevery Rofe itfelfc, which of the owne nature is odoriferous, carieth a better {mell 
in fome one foile than in another. For at Cyrene they pafle all other for iweetnefie and poh 
avour: 
