Of Roses
The Kindes.
THe Plant of Roses, though it be a shrub full of prickles, yet it had bin more fit and convenient to have placed it with the most glorious floures of the world, than to insert the same here among base and thorny shrubs: for the Rose doth deserve the chief and prime place among all floures whatsoever; beeing not onely esteemed for his beauty, vertues, and his fragrant and odoriferous smell; but also because it is the honor and ornament of our English Scepter, as by the conjunction appeareth, in the uniting of those two most Royall Houses of Lancaster and Yorke. Which pleasant floures deserve the chiefest place in crownes and garlands, as Anacreon Thius a most antient Greeke Poet affirmes in those Verses of a Rose, beginning thus; The Rose is the honour and beauty of floures, The Rose in the care and love of the Spring: The Rose is the pleasure of th' heavenly Pow'rs. The Boy of faire Venus, Cythera's Darling, Doth wrap his head round with garlands of Rose, When to the dances of the Graces he goes.
Augerius Busbequius speaking of the estimation and honor of the Rose, reporteth, That the Turks can by no means endure to see the leaves of Roses fall to the ground, because some of them have dreamed, that the first or most antient Rose did spring out of the bloud of Venus: and others of the Mahumetans say that it sprang of the sweat of Mahumet. But there are many kindes of Roses, differing either in the bignesse of the floures, or the plant it selfe, roughnesse or smoothnesse, or in the multitude or fewnesse of the flours, or else in colour and smell; for divers of them are high and tall, others short and low, some have five leaves, others very many. Moreover, some be red, others white, and most of them or all sweetly smelling, especially those of the garden.
The Description. 1 IF the Curious could so be content, one generall description might serve to distinguish the whole stock or kindred of the Roses, being things so wel knowne: notwithstanding I thinke it not amisse to say somthing of them severally, in hope to satisfie all. The white Rose hath very long stalkes of a wooddy substance, set or armed with divers sharpe prickles: the branches wherof are likewise full of prickles, whereon grow leaves consisting of five leaves for the most part, set upon a middle rib by couples, the old leaf standing at the point of the same, and every one of those small leaves somwhat snipt about the edges, somewhat rough, and of an overworne greene colour: from the bosome whereof shoot forth long foot-stalks, whereon grow very faire double flours of a white colour, and very sweet smell, having in the middle a few yellow threds or chives; which being past, there succeedeth a long fruit, greene at the first, but red when it is ripe, and stuffed with a downy choking matter, wherein is contained seed as hard as stones. The root is long, tough, and of a wooddy substance. 2 The red Rose groweth very low in respect of the former: the stalks are shorter, smoother, and browner of colour: The leaves are like, yet of a worse dusty colour: The floures grow on the tops of the branches, consisting of many leaves of a perfect red colour: the fruit is like-wise red when it is ripe: the root is wooddy. 3 The common Damaske Rose in stature, prickely branches, and in other respects is like the white Rose; the especiall difference consists in the colour and smell of the flours: for these are of a pale red colour, of a more pleasant smel, and fitter for meat and medicine. 4 The Rosa Provincialis minor or lesser Province Rose differeth not from the former, but is altogether lesser: the floures and fruit are like: the use in physicke also agreeth with the precedent. 5 The Rose without prickles hath many young shoots comming from the root, dividing themselves into divers branches, tough, and of a wooddy substance as are all the rest of the Roses, of the height of two or three cubits, smooth and plain without any roughnesse or prickles at all: whereon grow leaves like those of the Holland Rose, of a shining deep green colour on the upper side, underneath some-what hoary and hairy. The flours grow at the tops of the branches, consisting of an infinite number of leaves, greater than those of the Damaske Rose, more double, and of a colour between the red and damask Roses, of a most sweet smell. The fruit is round, red when it is ripe, and stuffed with the like flocks and seeds of those of the damaske Rose. The root is great, wooddy, and far spreading. 6 The Holland or Province Rose hath divers shoots proceeding from a wooddy root ful of sharpe prickles, dividing it selfe into divers branches, wheron grow leaves consisting of five leaves set on a rough middle rib, & those snipt about the edges: the flours grow on the tops of the branches, in shape and colour like the damaske Rose, but greater and more double, insomuch that the yellow chives in the middle are hard to be seene; of a reasonable good smell, but not fully so sweet as the common damaske Rose: the fruit is like the other of his kinde.
The Place.
All these sorts of Roses we have in our London gardens, except that Rose without pricks, which as yet is a stranger in England. The double white Rose groweth wilde in many hedges of Lancashire in great aboundance, even as Briers do with us in these Southerly parts, especially in a place of the country called Leyland, and at Roughford not far from Latham. Moreover, in the said Leyland fields doth grow our garden Rose wilde, in the plowed fields among the corne, in such aboundance, that there may be gathered daily during the time, many bushels of roses, equal with the best garden Rose in each respect: the thing that giveth great cause of wonder, is, That in a field in the place aforesaid, called Glovers field, every yeare that the field is plowed for corne, that yeare it wil be spred over with Roses, and when it lieth ley, or not plowed, then is there but few Roses to be gathered; by the relation of a curious gentleman there dwelling, so often remembred in our history. (Dagger)I have heard that the Roses which grow in such plenty in Glovers field every yere the field is plowed, are no other than Corn Rose, that is, red Poppies, however our Author was informed.(Dagger) The Time.
These floure from the end of May to the end of August, and divers times after, by reason the tops and superfluous branches are cut away in the end of their flouring: and then doe they somtimes floure even untill October and after. The Vertues.
The distilled water of Roses is good for the strengthning of the heart, and refreshing of the spirits, and likewise for all things that require a gentle cooling.
The same being put in junketting dishes, cakes, sauces, and many other pleasant things, giveth a fine and delectable taste. It mitigateth the paine of the eies proceeding of a hot cause, bringeth sleep, which also the fresh roses themselves provoke through their sweet and pleasant smell.