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Aubrey, John, 1626-1697

"The Natural History of Wiltshire"


† Vide my Villa. "Quoque loco primum tibi sum male cognitus infans".
In Natalem, Ovid. Trist. lib. iii.
This north part of the shire is very naturall for barley. Till the
beginning of the civill warrs wheat was rarely sown hereabout; and the
brown bread was barley: now all the servants and poor people eat
wheaten bread.
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Strawberries (fragaria), in Colern woods, exceeding plentifull; the
earth is not above two inches above the free-stone. The poor children
gather them, and sell them to Bathe; but they kill the young ashes, by
barking them to make boxes to put them in.
Strawberries have a most delicious taste, and are so innocent that a
woman in childbed, or one in a feaver, may safely eate them: but I
have heard Sir Christopher Wren affirm, that if one that has a wound
in his head eates them, they are mortall. Methinks 'tis very strange.
Quaere, the learned of this?
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About Totnam-well is a world of yellow weed (q. nomen) which the diers
use for the first tinge for scarlet; and afterwards they use
cutchonele.
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Bitter-sweet (dulcamara), with a small blew flower, plenty at Box.
(And Market Lavington, in the withy-bed belonging to the vicarage.-
BISHOP TANNER.)
Ferne (filix); the largest and rankest growes in Malmesbury hundred:
but the biggest and tallest that ever I saw is in the parke at Draycot
Cerne, as high almost as a man on horseback, on an ordinary horse.


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