Volume 2 — PART. I. (continued 3)

In their gardens the Turks love to raise all sorts of flowers, wherein they take great delight, and use to put them on their turbant, so I could see the fine plants that blow one after another daily, without trouble. In December, I saw our violets with dark-brown and white flowers, whereof they gave me in that season several nose-gays. Then came the Tulips, Hyacinths, Narcisses, which they still name by the old name Nergis. Before all other I saw a rare kind with a double yellow flower, call’d Modaph, and a strange Convolvulus hederæ foliis, with great purple flowers, whereout grew seed-vessels, as you see in the new Harmala, with three distinct Capsula’s, wherein is kept it’s black seed, to which they attribute the virtue of evacuating tough slime. This is found sometimes in gardens, and by the inhabitants call’d Hasnisca, and the Persians Acafra, and Serapio chap. 273. Habalnil; the Latins, Granum Indicum, and Carthamus Indicus, and he that hath a mind to know more of it, let him look into the author himself, in the above-mention’d place, in the 306th chap. of Avicenna and the 208th of Rhasis. I also found in their gardens, Balm, Basil, and a fine sort of Amaranthus, which for his colour’s sake may be call’d Symphonia Plinii, and therefore call’d parrots feather.

I cannot forbear, before I conclude, to mention some which I found here and there in the Batzars, and among them a strange sort of Lillies, which as I am told grow in sunny, moory, mossy, and moist places; whereon groweth a long stalk of the same colour and thickness of ours, only a great deal broader, but broadest of all at top, where it is about three fingers broad, so that it is like unto a Spatula that is painted at one end; on this stalk grow at each side several tender leaves, which are pretty long, but very small and pointed, and at the top thereof some white flowers like unto ours. When I was thinking of this at several times, what they were call’d by the ancients, it came into my mind, that I had read of them in Theophrastus, lib. 4. cap. 9. and I really believe it to be the same. But whereas Theophrastus writes in the quoted place, that they do not touch the ground, I can say nothing to it, for I never saw any of them growing. They have also some small roots to sell, call’d Mamirani tchini, good for eyes, as they say; they are yellowish like Curcuma, but a good deal longer, and thinner, and knotted, and very like unto our Poligonatum, and may be esteem’d the true Mamican, whereof Rhasis maketh mention in several places. There is also among others brought a great quantity of the juice of Scammony, that is still very soft, it cometh in leathern bags from out of the country, and so it is sold to our Merchants in their Fondiques; but those that buy it must have a great care, because it is often adulterated, that they be not cheated. There is also a good deal of the juice, by the Apothecaries call’d Opium, and by the inhabitants Ofium, which the Turks, Moors, and Persians and other nations take inwardly not only in war, at the time when they go to fight their enemies, to make them couragious and valiant, but also in time of peace, to drive away melancholly and care, or at least to ease it. Their religious people make also use of it, but above all the rest the Deruis, and take so much of it, that it maketh them presently drowsy, and without consideration, that when, after their barbarous and silly way, they cut, slash, or burn themselves, they may feel less smart or pain. If any one hath so begun to make use of it, (they take about the quantity of a large pea at a time) they cannot well leave it off again, except they have a mind to throw themselves into a sickness or other inconveniencies; for, as they confess themselves, that if they omit taking of it, they find themselves very ill in their bodies. Opium is commonly taken from the white Poppy-heads, in their language call’d Caschasch, wherein they cut, when they are young and tender, a spiral or winding-circle round about it from top to bottom, one under another; out of those runs some milk, which they let be there until it groweth thick, then they gather it and make it into balls, like unto our perfum’d soap-balls. Being that the Turks use this Opium so commonly, it happens sometimes that they take so much of it, that it is very dangerous; wherefore they have an antidote, as I was inform’d, that is the root Aslab, whereof I have made mention before, which they give to bring them to rights again.

I found also in the great Batzars a sort of Alga sold in their shops, which was dark-red, and therefore very useful for Dyers; it had stalks of the thickness of a finger, and was surrounded with several thin scales, or rather leaves, and round; wherefore it may be taken to be a Saderva Serab. and herb Alargivan of Andreas Bellunensis, whereof he maketh mention in his Index, where he interpreteth the Arabian words. For a kind of this may also be taken, because it affords a delicate purple colour, that Alga that is found in the seas near Candia, and is describ’d by Theophrastus in his fourth book and seventh chap. Lastly, among the rest, I did also enquire after the Amomum, and thought, because they were near unto the confines of Armenia, that therefore they might easily have it by the Caravans, which come daily from those parts; yet I was forc’d to run a great while after it, till at length I got a little stalk thereof in one shop; they call it by the name of Hamama. But of the other, so call’d by Dioscor. which is like unto it, and therefore may easily be taken for the right one, they had a great deal. These two small shrubs, altho’ they are very like to one another, yet for all that they may be distinguish’d by their stalks and different colours. Wherefore Dioscor. bids us, if we will not be imposed upon, to pick out the bigger and smoother, with it’s noble seed, and to leave the small. This stalk which I found about the length of a finger, is almost of the colour of the bark of the Cinnamon-tree, and also in it’s acrimony and good odour, altho’ it was old, still very strong. At the top had been several woody stalks, close to one another, whereon I believe had been the flowers and Seeds. But the twigs of the other sort, which are crack’d and bended, are of a brown colour, which at the top divide themselves into other less ones like a tree, whereon grow several stalks with little heads, like unto the Masaron, or Marum Syriacum from Crete, wherein is no great strength nor odour.

Thus much I thought convenient to mention of strange plants, chiefly of those the ancients make mention of, and so I conclude the first part of my TRAVELS.

End of the first Part.

Dr Leonhart Rauwolff’s TRAVELS into the Eastern Countries.

Wherein is treated of his Journey from Aleppo thro’ the Famous Town of Babylonia, to Bagdet; what he saw by the way, and what did befal him in going and coming by Water and by Land. With a brief Account of the high Mount of Libanus, of the strange Plants and Inhabitants thereof.