Of Rice.
The description.
Rice is like vnto Darnell in shew, as Theophrastus saith: it bringeth foorth not an eare as corne, but a certaine mane or plume, as Mill, Millet, or rather like Panicke. The leaues as Plinie writeth, are fat and full of substance, like to the blades of leekes, but broder: but if neither the soile, nor climate did alter the same, the leaues of Rice that did growe in my garden, had leaues soft, and grassie like Barly. The flower did not shew it selfe with me, by reason of the iniurie of our vnseasonable yeere 1596. But Theophrastus concludeth, that it hath a flower of a purple colour. But saith my Author, Rise hath leaues like vnto Dogs grasse or Barly, a small strawe, or stemme, full of ioints like corne. At the top whereof groweth a bush or tuft, far vnlike to Barly or Darnell, garnished with round knobs like small gooseberries, wherein the seede or graine is contained: euery such round knob hath one small rough aile, taile, or beard like vnto Barly hanging thereat. Aristobulus as Strabo reporteth, sheweth that Rise is two yardes high, and hath many eares, and bringeth foorth plentie of seede. It is reaped at the setting of the seuen starres, and purged as Spelt, otemeale, or hulled, as French barly.
The place.
It groweth in the territories of the Bactrians, in Babilon, in Sufium, & in the lower part of Syria. It groweth in thefe daies, not onely in thefe countries before named, but alfo in the fortunate Ilands, and in Spaine, from whence it is brought vnto vs, purged and prepared, as we fee after the maner of French barly. It profpereth beft in fenny and waterifh places.
The time.
It is fowen in the fpring in India, as Eratosthenes witneffeth, when it is moiftened with fommer flowers.
The names.
The Grecians call it $\text{ὄρυζα}$, or as Theophrastus faith $\text{ὄρυζον}$: the Latines keepe the Greeke worde Oryza: in French it is called Riz: in the Germaine toong Rifz, and Rys: in Englifh Rife.
The vertues.
Galen faith, that all men vfe to ftaie the belly with this graine, being boiled after the fame maner that Chondrus is. In England we vfe to make with milke and Rife, a certaine food, or pottage which doth both meanely binde the belly, and alfo nourifh. Many other good kinds of foode is made with this graine, as thofe that are skilfull in cookerie can tell.
Text in Gerard's own spelling (the long s is printed as s), transcribed by the Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). A chapter may run onto pages not yet transcribed. Gerard wrote within Galenic medicine; nothing here is advice.