Buenos noches Hiftanis. The headcs with feedes 
of the true Sarfaparilia as it u fuppofed. 
nothing from it. Matthiolus fetteth downe this relation in his 
Commentaries, in the 1i1. chapter of his firft booke of Diofcori- 
des, fpeaking of Sarfaparilia, what plant it fhould be, andagree- 
eth with G kirns, that the Smilax after a (with red berries, for in 
not fpeaking of the other he declareth that he knew it not ) was 
the true Sarfa , which both Ghintts and others likewife had proved 
by many trialls, to be as effeduail to cure the French difeafe, as 
rheStfr/4of the Indies, profter Alpinus likewife in his booke of 
Egyptian plants, declareth that he found in the Iftand Zacjnthus , 
the rootes of Smilax aft era, whofe leaves he fetteth forth to bee 
without prickles, growing by a running river fide, to be greater 
larger and fuller of fubftance, than ever he had fecne them, in any 
other place in Italy before; and being fo like the true Sarfa of the 
Indies,thathe was fully perfwaded the Sarfaparilia that commeth 
from Peru, was the rootes of Smilax adfera-, the difference be- 
tweenethem, in greatnefle or goodneffe, if any be, to be onely in 
the climate and foyle; and faith that an Apothecary in that Ifle, 
had gotten much money thereby,both by his owne pradife, and the fale of them to others for Sarja : and faith 
moreover that he faw himfelfe, in fome bundles of the Indian Sarja , fome of the rootes, that had the knots at 
them, as the Smilax aft era hath, and fome leaves therein alfolike it, which my felfe have fometimes feene in 
them likewife. Cjabriel Fallopius likewife in the booke that he wrote of the cure of the French difeafe, in the 
chapter of Sarfaparilia faith thus; I was perfwaded faith he, and flood in that opinion along time, that the Sar¬ 
faparilia , was therooteof Ebulusox Wall worte,»untilla Spaniard that brought the whole plant unto the Duke 
of Florence , made my errour knowne unto my felfe, for I faw it to be the roote of that Smilax aft era, that ‘Dio- 
fcorides and other the ancients make mention of in their writings; and was better confirmed in my opinion, by 
the experience I had thereof, in curing diverfe about Pifa as perfectly of the French difeafe, by the rootes of 
this Smilax aft era, which I caufed to bee digged up for my ufe, growing on the hill of S. Julian, as with the 
rootes of Sarfaparilia for two yeares while 1 flayed thereto pradife Phyfickc; which opinion alfo Amatus Lu- 
fitanus, a Phyfitian of good note, although a lew, confirmeth in the fift booke of his Centuries. ■“ ?****{ a “° 
fheweth another note of difference, in the rootes of Smilax afpera, whereat many in his time (tumbled: for 
they faw the rootes of Smilax aft era growing in Italy, to be fhort and full of knots, with fmall fibres at the end; 
and the rootes of the other to be long and fmooth without any knots: to enforme you therefore throughiy herein, 
and take away this doubt; he fheyveth that the firft rootes of Smilax aft era, are downe right, fhort, and full of 
J joynts 
