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Of the Wilde Roses

The Description. 1 THe sweet Brier doth oftentimes grow higher than all the kindes of Roses; the shoots of it are hard, thicke, and wooddy; the leaves are glittering, and of a beautifull greene colour, of smell most pleasant: the Roses are little, five leaved, most commonly whitish, seldom tending to purple, of little or no smell at all: the fruit is long, of colour somewhat red, like a little olive stone, & like the little heads or berries of the others, but lesser than those of the garden: in which is contained rough cotton, or hairy downe and seed, folded and wrapped up in the same, which is small and hard: there be likewise found about the slender shoots hereof, round, soft, and hairy spunges, which we call Brier Balls, such as grow about the prickles of the Dog-Rose. 2 We have in our London gardens another sweet Brier, having greater leaves, and much sweeter: the floures likewise are greater, and somewhat doubled, exceeding sweet of smell, wherein it differeth from the former. 3 The Brier Bush or Hep tree, is also called Rosa canina, which is a plant so common and well knowne, that it were to small purpose to use many words in the description thereof: for even children with great delight eat the berries thereof when they be ripe, make chaines and other prettie gewgawes of the fruit: cookes and gentlewomen make Tarts and such like dishes for pleasure thereof, and therefore this shall suffice for the description. The Place.

These wilde Roses do grow in the borders of fields and woods, in most parts of England. The last growes very plentifully in a field as you go from a village in Essex, called Graies (upon the brinke of the river Thames) unto Horndon on the hill, insomuch that the field is full fraught therewith all over. It groweth likewise in a pasture as you goe from a village hard by London called Knights brige unto Fulham, a Village thereby, and in many other places. We have them all except the Brier Bush in our London gardens, which we think unworthy the place.

The Vertues.

The fruit when it is ripe maketh most pleasant meats and banqueting dishes, as tarts and such like; the making whereof I commit to the cunning cooke, and teeth to eate them in the rich mans mouth.