208 
HAREBELL. 
we should suspect that these were the remains 
of the bulbs brought into this country by the 
Romans, as the places noticed, where they 
have been found, are known to have been the 
station of that people when in this part of the 
world. 
“ The fresh roots of this plant are said, by 
Dr. Withering, to be poisonous. Gerarde 
tells us that the juice which they contain, an¬ 
swers the same purposes as gum, and that 
with the exception of the Wake-Robin, it 
makes the best starch. This kind of starch was 
used in the time of Queen Elizabeth, to stiffen 
the ruff which was then worn both by gentle¬ 
men and ladies,and also to paste books, and 
to fix feathers upon arrows.” 
