448 ESSEX AND THE EARLY BOTANISTS.
British plants, others already noticed by 'that excellent, painefull
and diligent Physition Mr. Doctor Turner of late memorie in his
Herbal.' In many parts of Essex he found the curious herb
paris, with its 'foure leaves set directly one against another in
manner of a Burgundian crosse or True-love knot,' in Chalkney
Wood, 'neare to wakes Coulne seven miles from Colchester,' in
'the parsonage orchard at Radwinter, in Bocking parke by Brain-
tree.' In the latter neighbourhood he noticed the small teasel,
then apparently a rare plant, for he adds that he never found it
'in any other place except here and there a plant upon the high-
way from Much-Dunmow to London.' In the same district, and
perhaps on the same occasion, he lighted upon a plant which he
calls Gentiana minor cruciata, or 'Crossewoort Gentian,' growing
'in a pasture at the west end of Little Rayne on the North side
of the way leading from Braintree to Much-Dunmow and in the
horse way by the same close.' This entry is of unusual interest,
not simply on account of the precise manner in which Gerarde
particularises the locality, but also because of the difficulty in
identifying his species. For what is now known as the Crosswort
gentian is not a British plant, and Gerarde's record has never been
confirmed. At the same time it may be taken as beyond question
that at the spot indicated he found a plant which he considered
worthy of notice and which he took to be an unusual form of
gentian. Many explanations of the difficulty have been offered.
It is the writer's belief that the plant was Gentiana Amarella, L.,
the autumn gentian. At any rate when towards the end of last
summer he was searching for simples at 'little Rayne,' and bearing
in mind the entry in the old Herbal, he came across, in a green
lane or 'horse-way,' not far from if not actually identical with
Gerarde's locality, a small but flourishing colony of this pretty
plant. Now the autumn gentian is very rarely met with in this
part of Essex, but there, on one spot in the grassy lane, beneath
the tall and overhanging hedgerow—for the lane is no longer used
even as a 'horse-way'—were clustered together some twenty or
thirty plants. It is not impossible that these were the descendants
of the gentian with 'flowres of a light blue colour,' which attracted
the notice of Gerarde in the sixteenth century. Continuing his
journey along Rayne 'Street,' as the road through the village is
still termed, recalling the fact that here the Roman way once ran,
our herbalist in due course arrived at Much-Dunmow, then as
now famous for a curious custom, 'that whoever did not repent
of his marriage, nor quarrell'd with his wife within a year and a