C HAP.4. Theatrum Botanicum. T r 1 bk 4 
forme of the leaves and colour of the flowers, fcarfeany well knowing whereunto better to referre it, Label 
from the natural! place of the growing and infipidity of the tafle, calleth it Licher.is facie & natality:, and Bejlerut 
that let forth the huge great booke of the Bifhop of Eyfiot his garden .following Label calleth it Hepatica paluftri,. 
Tabermontamn calleth it Chryfofpleninm ; Flips Aldroandus tooke it to be a kinde of Eryfimum but farre unlike- 
ly. 
The Vertuex. 
The infipide tafle as I faid before, doth not argue any certaine effeiil or property to worke upon the (lone or 
gravel! either to diffolve or expell it, unleffe it be by fome fpecificall or hidden property therein, yet affuredly it 
could not in my opinion have received the name of a Saxifrage among fo many authors without fome proper ef¬ 
fect therefore, which rofe no doubt from fome Empyricall obfervation and praftife, which gave it both the 
name and the opinion, unleffe it might from the likeneffe of the leaves as I faid before judged, which becaufe I 
cannot maintaine nor difprove, I leave it for others to difprove ifthey can. 
Chip. IV. 
Saxifraga vera Diofcondis tAHatthioli, ALatthiolw his true Saxifrage of Dio/corides 
~ He true Saxifrage of Diofcerides, according to the judgement of Matthwlut and others, from 
whom he received it, is a fmall low fhrubby Plant, that fendeth forth divers fmall wooddy,and 
fomewhat hairy ffalkes, full ofjoyntsclofefetoneunto another, having divers fmail fhort and 
whitifh narrow leaves, growing divers together at every joynt.at thetoppe whereof come forth 
very (mail purplifh white flowers,fet with fome leaves under them, this doth fomewhat refem- 
blcTime, both in the lowneffe and manner ofgrowing, but hath no fuch fweete fent, or hot 
flrarpe tafle like unto it, whereby it may be knowne to be a dif¬ 
ferent Plant. 
The Place, 
It hath beene fent unto us out of Italy among other rare feeds, 
but where the naturall place of growing is, it is not readily 
knowne. 
The Time, 
It is very flow in growing, fo that it did not flower untill fo 
late m the yeare, that an early ftoftcaufed it to periili, that we 
could gather no (eede. 
The Namesj 
It is very probable that it is the true Sarxiphragon 
or Saxifragon of Diofcerides, and differeth much from the Sa- 
titreia or Thymbra St. Iuliam of / or,a and Lobel,lct forth before 
ir. this worke, which Bmhintu calleth fpicata, (that it may the 
better agree with Diofcarides his Samreia) and fuppofeth to be 
this plant of M.nthio m, but 1 by the fight and tafle of the plant 
not finding it to agree, with the fmell or tafle of either Time 
or Savory, cannot agree unto him, but doe rather judge it to be 
a peculiar plant of it felfe, and to come neerer unto his Thymum 
inodonim before mentioned, and therefore have feparated it 
from the other Saxifrages that follow Dodonew. (and Gerard 
who hath but onely tranflated his words ) judgeth the Serpyl- 
InmvHlgarc , to be ‘Diofcorides his Saxifrage, but they are both 
deceived. 
The Venues, 
I doe verily beleeve that this plant, hath either the fame e- 
fpeciall vertues againfl: the ftone and gravell, reflraint of ma¬ 
king water and other the qualities, whereunto Dio fan-ides doth 
appropriate his Saxifrage, or commeth fomewhat neere there¬ 
unto, and I am hereunto chiefly led by the light and forme of 
the plant, and from the name of Saxifraga Diofcoridi ,, where¬ 
by it was fent unto us. 
Chap. V. 
I. Saxifraga major Italorttm Matthioli, Alatthiolus his Italian great Saxifrage. 
E He great Saxifrage of the Italians ,as relateth it, hath agreatwooddy ftemme of the big- 
neffe of ones finger, toward the lower end, full ofehinkes or clefts, fpreading very thicke, with 
many (lender hard whitilh branches full of joynts, and two fmall long whitifh greenc pointed 
leaves, fet at every joynt very like unto Pinkes, and many other fmaller and (horcer (landing with 
them: the flowers hand at the toppes of the branches, out of whitifh greene hi^kes, confiding of 
Saxifraga vera Dio/coridis Matthioli. 
Mattbiolui his true Saxifrage of ‘Diofcoride r. 
