4 . 
. / 
86. | The oneand twentieth Booke a 
» Fole-foot; ja plant far different from Bacchar, as may appeate by the defcription therof, which G 
[have fet downe among the fundrie kinds of Nardus.And verely L doe find, that this plant is na- 
“Yeo wi oj, med * Afarum, becaule it is never ufed in making of guirlands and chaplets. 
eee eecaar, Concerning Saffron, the wildis the beft . To plantit within any garden in Italy, isheldno 
it adorneth no good husbandrie, for it will not quit coft, confidering there is never a quarter fet therewith, but 
chapiets. , Atasketh a*{cruple more in expence,than the fruit or encreafe commeth unto,when all thecards - 
fagule eee, be told. For to have Saffron grow, you mutt fet the cloves or bulbous heads of the root:and 
if youreferto being thus planted, it prooveth larger, bigger, and fairerthan the other: howbeit fooner far it. 
a drathme-fs- doth degenerat and becomea baftard kind: neither isic fruitfull and beareth chives in everie 
part leffe sbue place, nonot about Cyrene, where the goodlieft floures of Saffron in the world areto be feen at 
ito an ounce, all times. The principall Saffton groweth in Cilicia, and efpecially upon the mountaineCory- H 
me*4P ~ cus there: next toit,is chat of Lycia, andnamely upon the hill Olympus: and then in athird de-- 
gree of goodnefle,is reckoned the Saffron Centuripinum in Sicilie: although fome there bee, 
* phlegreo:but Who attribute the fecond place unto the Saffron of the mount * Phlegra. Nothing isfo fubje& ° 
ah ea fophiftication as Saffron :and therfore the onely triall of true Saffron indeed,is this, Ifa man_ 
cording to !4y his hand uponit, hee (hall heareit tocracke asf it were brittle and readie to burft: for that 
Diofeor. which is moift (a qualitie comming by fome indireé&t meanes and cunning caft) yeeldeth to the 
hand and makes no words, Yet is there another proofe of good Saffron, If aman after hee have 
handled it,reach his hand prefently up tohis mouth, and perceive that the aire or breath therof 
 {miteth to his face and eyes,and therewith fretteth and ftingeth them a litte; for then he may be 
fure that the Saffronisright, There isakind of garden Safiron by itfelfe;andthis commonlyis J _ 
thought beft, and pleafeth moft,when there appeareth fome white in the mids of the floure,and 
thereupon they name it Dialeucon ; whereas contrariwife this is thoughtto bea fault andimper- 
feCion in the Corycian Saffron, which is chiefe: and indeed the floure of it is blacker than any 
other, and foonett fadeth. But the beft {imply in any place wherefoever, is that which is thickeft 
and feemeth colike beft, having befides fhort chives like haires: the worft is that which fmelleth 
of muftinefle, utianws writeth, that in Lycia the practife isto take it up every feventh or eigth 
_ yeere, andremoove it toaplot of ground well digged and delved toa fine mould; where, if it 
_ bereplanted, it will become frefh againe and young, whereas it was readie before to decay and 
cegenerat. No ufe there is (in any place) of Saffron floures in garlands ; for the leaves are {mall 
and narrow,in manner almoft of threads. Howbeit with winc it accordeth paffing well, efpecially & 
ifitbe ofany {weet kind: and being reduced into powder and tempered therewith it is common: 
ly fprinkled over all the theatres, and filleth the place with a perfume. It bloometh atthe fetting 
or occultation of the ftar Vergiliz,and continueth in floure but few daies: and the leafe driveth 
out the floure, In the mids of winter, it isin the verdure and all greene, and then would it be ta- 
ken up and gathered: which done, it oughtto bee driedinthe fhadow; and the colderthat the 
fhade 1s,fo much the better. For the root of Saffron is pulpous and full of carnofitie sand no 
root liveth fo long above ground as it doth. Saffron loveth a-life to betrampled and trode upon 
under foor: and in truth, the more injurie is done unto itfor to mar it, the better itthriveth: and — 
therefore neare to beaten paths, and wells much frequented, it commeth forward and profpe- : 
reth molt, | 
a 
= Cuap. V1. 
Oy Of the flozres ufed in old time about coroncts and guirlands : the great diverfiticis 
aromaticall and feet {melling Simples. of Salinnca and Polum. 
~ Affron was (no doubt) in great credit and eftimation, during the flouring eftate of Troy: | 
for certes, the Poét Homer highly commenderhthefe three floures,to wit, Melilote,Saffron, . 
and Hyacinth. Ofall odoriferous and feet fenting fimples, nay of al] hearbs and floures 
whatfoever, the difference confifteth in the colour,the{mell,and the juice. And note this to be- 
gin withall, that feldome ornever you fhall meet with any thing {weetin fent, butitis bitter in 
taft;and contrariwife, {weet things in the mouth, be fewornone ddoriferous to the nofe : And 
thisis the reafon that wine refined, {inelleth better than new inthe lees; and fimples growing — 
wild, have a better favour far than thofe of the garden. Some floures, the farther they be off, the | 
more pleafant istheir fell: come nearer untothem, their fentis more dull and weaker than it 
' che was 
