The Description.

Some call this Uva marina, and others have thought it the Lenticula marina of Serapio, but they are deceived, for his Lenticula marina described in his 245th chapter, is nothing else than the Moscus marinus or Bryon thalassion, described by Dioscorides, lib. 4. cap. 99, as any that compares these two places together may plainly see.

1. The former of these hath many winding stalks, whereon grow short branches set thick with narrow leaves like those of Belvidere, or Besom Flax, and among these grow many skinny, hollow, empty round berries of the bigness and shape of lentils, whence it takes the name: this grows in divers places of the Mediterranian and Adriatic seas.

2. This differs little from the former, but that the leaves are broader, shorter, and snipped about the edges. But this being in probability the Sargasso of Acosta, you shall here what he says thereof. In that famous and no less to be feared navigation del Sergazo (for so they which sail into the Indies call all that space of the Ocean from the 18th to the 34th degree of Northerly latitude) is seen a deep and spacious sea covered with an herb called Sargasso, being a span long, wrapped with the tender branches as it were into balls, having narrow and tender leaves some half inch long, much snipped about the edges, of colour reddish, of taste insipid, or without any sensible biting, but what is rather drawn from the salt water, than naturally inherent in the plant. At the setting on of each leaf grows a seed round like a peppercorn, of a whitish colour, and sometimes of white and red mixed, very tender whenas it is first drawn forth of the water, but hard when it is dried, but by reason of the thinness very fragile, and full of salt water: there is no root to be observed in this plant, but only the marks of the breaking off appears; and it is likely it grows in the deep and sandy bottom of the sea, and hath small roots; yet some are of opinion that this herb is plucked up and carried away by the rapid course of waters that fall out of many islands into the Ocean. Now the Master of the ship wherein I was did stiffly maintain this opinion; and in the sailing here we were becalmed; but as far as ever we could see we saw the sea wholly covered with this plant, and sending down some young sailors which should drive the weeds from the ship, and cleanse the water, we plainly saw round heaps thereof rise up from the bottom of the sea where by sounding we could find no bottom.

A. This plant pickled with salt and vinegar hath the same taste as Samphire, and may be used instead thereof, and also eaten by such as sail, in place of capers. I willed it should be given newly taken forth of the sea, to goats which we carried in the ship, and they fed upon it greedily.

B. I found no faculties thereof; but one of the sailors troubled with a difficulty of making water, casting out sand and gross humours, ate thereof by chance both raw and boiled, only for that the taste thereof pleased him: after a few days he told to me that he found great good by the eating thereof, and he took some of it with him, that so he might use it when he came ashore. Hitherto Acosta.