«i+ THE H I S TO R Y Book I. and "fringe fb commonly the rills of our vallies, that they are conftantly eonfidered as the genuine natives of the fbiL But the names of both fiifficiently denote their origin, and their, Roman appellations betray their Roman extraction; Such, are the Britifli'fthos or the Englifh rofe, the Lili or lily, the Violed* or violet, the Tim or thyme, the Rofmarihum, Rhofmari, or rpfemary, the Papaver, Pabi, or poppy, and many others. The beft rofes in Europe were the Italian, and the beft in* ItTaJy were the Praeneftine and the Campanian l And thyme z in the days of Vefpafiah fo greatly oVerfpread the ftony* plains in the province of Narbonne, that many thoufands of cattle were brought every year from the diftant parts of the country to fatten upon it %i : Such klfo were- the more numerous and 'more beneficial plaiits and 1 feeds- of the Retdix or radifii, me afparagus* the cucumber, and'the melbfl, of PHa, Pis,Pez r <Jr pea's„ Fabae* Faens, or beanis, aiid Le&ucae or lettuces, ; and; off mint, bete, fennel, and many others. The aiparagus vtfas^ a great favourite among the Romans, was ftudxoafiy cultivated" By f lhfeir gardeners/ aiid was fed to fc enotmous a fae hr the gac^i. dens of RaSiennathat three of *hem only were *£tu&ify a pound r m weight * The' cucumber of the provinces was mush larger than the cucumber of Italy, which was equally gn?en and Ifoall; and which was fb greatly efteemed by Tiberius, tfaat he; tirdered pots of them to be fixed upon, carriages and regularly wheeled' into the' ftin fibm their flieds, that - ; h& ifliffht havd* a* cucumber every day 'in 'm£ 'fammer *-.- Afccfc lettuces wer$ ; iup~ pofed to be uncomm6iilj fHiftaty h£ the Romafcs ifter ti)& great • (Jure which Miii*a -effe&ed With a lettuce upon di& perfbn oi' Auguftiis-, when the empero**& : life 1 was expofed t^th^moftim^ rhinent Miiigit;, ari3 K 1vlien /! his phjrfidan-bdldiy tedfee/thticmgh; 4H;tht tiH& of ttitL jttaaScena bftter to p«*fti4be it forJiim *%. z Cofh mtfft have' been -originally the (pofttatieous->procHrce; o# fhenew-created'^rth ; ' and the frrft obvious irtethod of reducing continued in ufe among the Remans below the aura, of the reign of
