THE INTRODUCTION OF THE TULIP, AND THE TULIPOMANIA. 23 



stating that he has recently discovered in the Archives of Haarlem papers 

 relating to disputes over Tulips as early as 1611, but as I have not yet 

 seen them I cannot say what bearing they have upon this point. Munting 

 says that the mania originated in France, where the nobility, especially in 

 Paris, gave hundreds and sometimes thousands of florins for a single 

 Tulip bloom ; the more beautiful the colour, the higher the price paid. 

 But we have already seen that Tulips were greatly prized when Clusius 

 was at Leiden, for those he grew were coveted and stolen. It would seem 



0 0 0 6 



2.1 gram at 43 azen 1.6 gram a 33 azen. 1.5 gram * 31 azan. 1 gram ta 20 «ien 



[Copyright: James Murray & Sons. 



Fig. 3. — Diagrams showing relative sizes of Bulbs weighing 20 azen to 



1062 azen. 



(The vertical line in the middle of the top row represents 1 inch.) 



more probable that the demand increased with the number of amateur 

 collectors, who would pay high prices for a fashionable or rare specimen, 

 just as to day large amounts are paid for certain postage stamps ; but the 

 period of the actual gamble in the bulbs, which was entered into by 

 weavers, carpenters, carmen, and even servant girls, may not have 

 commenced till 1634. 



Wassenaer (1623-1625) commented upon the principal varieties of the 

 year ; the 1 Semper Augustus ' is described as the most valuable and 



