128 
M. Link on the Ancient History of 
according to Du Fresiie’s Glossary^ Spinage is first mentioned 
in the middle ages. I add to this, that among the Arabians 
Spinage was well known, although they did not reckon it worth 
their while to describe it, as appears from Ebn Baitar. Yet the 
name Spinachia seems to be the original, for the Arabian name 
has not the appearance of an original Arabic word. The Span- 
ish word Kraut^ which is quoted by some authors, is doubtless 
a corruption of the Arabic word, which is written Hospanach 
and Hispanach. The native country of spinage is unknown. 
But Marshal of Biberstein found a nearly related species, Sp. 
tetrandta^ growing wild in eastern Armenia, which is also eaten 
by the natives ; and he thinks our Sp. oleracea is merely a va- 
riety of it ; a very likely supposition. 
A garden-vegetable, well known to the ancients, was the La-- 
pathum, and there is no doubt that it is the Rumeoc patientia. 
Dioscorides describes several species of Lapathum, (1. ii. c. 140. 
141.), but it is difficult to deduce any thing from his descrip- 
tions. Some expressions of Theophrastus (1. vii. c. 2. s. 7.) 
are characteristic ; those which relate to the size and strength of 
the root, as we see in Rumeoc patientia. The plant grows wild 
on the elevated meadows of middle and southern Europe. 
Thus says Horace, Herha lapathi prata amantis. Pliny asserts 
that the wild Lapathum is better than the cultivated, and al- 
ways contains more acid. Formerly Rumex patientia was much 
eaten as greens in Germany, and to this day it is occasion- 
ally cultivated as greets, under the name of English Spinage. 
The name Patientia is derived from the French word, patience, 
because it is eaten at a time of the year when there are few 
greens, and people arc forced to make use of this. Under the 
species of Lapathum, Dioscorides also mentions the or 
uvulvgig. Our Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) cannot be this plant, for 
it is described as being very low ; probably it is the Rumex 
scutatus, the Garden-sorrel, a plant which is very common in 
the whole of southern or central Europe. 
0^{^£6x/v}j, or Lactuca, if we judge by the name, which 
remains unchanged in all the modern tongues, is our Lactuca 
sativa. The plant was too well known to be particularly de- 
scribed. What the ancients say of the effects of Lactuca, does 
not oppose the idea, that our Lactuca was the same with the 
