Chap. VI.
Lilium Album.
The White Lilly.
Now remaineth onely the White Lilly, of all the whole family or stocke of the Lillies, to bee spoken of, which is of two sorts. The one is our common or vulgar White Lilly; and the other, that which was brought from Constantinople.
Lilium Album vulgare. The ordinary White Lilly.
The ordinary White Lilly scarce needeth any description, it is so well knowne, and so frequent in euery Garden; but to say somewhat thereof, as I vse to doe of euery thing, be it neuer so common and knowne; it hath a cloued or scaly roote, yellower and bigger then any of the red Lillies: the stalke is of a blackish greene colour, and riseth as high as most of the Lillies, hauing many faire, broad, and long greene leaues thereon, larger and longer beneath, and smaller vpon the stalke vpwards; the flowers are many or few, according to the age of the plant, fertility of the soile, and time of standing where it groweth: and stand vpon long greene footstalkes, of a faire white colour, with a long pointell in the middle, and white chiues tipt with yellow pendents about it; the smell is somewhat heady and strong.
Lilium Album Byzantinum. The White Lilly of Constantinople.
The other White Lilly, differeth but little from the former White Lilly, either in roote, leafe, or flower, but only that this vsually groweth with more number of flowers, then euer we saw in our ordinary White Lilly: for I haue seene the stalke of this Lilly turne flat, of the breadth of an hand, bearing neere two hundred flowers vpon a head, yet most commonly it beareth not aboue a dozen, or twenty flowers, but smaller then the ordinary, as the greene leaues are likewise.
The Place.
The first groweth onely in Gardens, and hath not beene declared where it is found wilde, by any that I can heare of. The other hath beene sent from Constantinople, among other rootes, and therefore is likely to grow in some parts neere thereunto.
The Time.
They flower in Iune or thereabouts, but shoote forth greene leaues in Autumne, which abide greene all the Winter, the stalke springing vp betweene the lower leaues in the Spring.
The Names.
It is called Lilium Album, the White Lilly, by most Writers; but by Poets Rosa Iunonis, Iuno’s Rose. The other hath his name in his title.
The Vertues.
This Lilly aboue all the rest, yea, and I thinke this onely, and none of the rest is vsed in medicines now adayes, although in former times Empericks vsed the red; and therefore I haue spoken nothing of them in the end of their Chapters, reseruing what is to be said in this. This hath a mollifying, digesting, and cleansing quality, helping to suppurate tumours, and to digest them, for which purpose the roote is much vsed. The water of the flowers distilled, is of excellent vertue for women in trauell of childe bearing, to procure an easie deliuery, as Matthiolus and Camerarius report. It is vsed also of diuers women outwardly, for their faces to cleanse the skin, and make it white and fresh. Diuers other properties there are in these Lillies, which my purpose is not to declare in this place. Nor is it the scope of this worke; this that hath been said is sufficient: for were it not, that I would giue you some taste of the qualities of plants (as I said in my Preface) as I goe along with them, a generall worke were fitter to declare them then this.