"The wild Thyme (Serpyllum hortense sive maius), growth upright, but yet is low, with divers slender branches and small round green leaves, somewhat like unto small fine Marjoram, and smelling somewhat like unto it. The flowers grow in roundels at the tops of the branches of a purplish color. And in another of this kind they are of a pure white color. There is another also that smelleth somewhat like unto Musk, and therefore called Musk Thyme, whose green leaves are not so small as the former, but larger and longer."
SAVORY (Satureia). This herb is mentioned by Perdita. It was a great favorite in the old herb-garden and was probably introduced into England by the Romans. It is mentioned in Anglo-Saxon recipes as "savorie." Both the winter and summer savory were used as seasoning for dressing and sauces. "The Winter Savory is used as a condiment and sauce to meat, to put into puddings, sausages and such-like kinds of meat." So says an old writer, who continues: "Some do use the powder of the herb dried to mix with grated bread to bread their meat, be it fish or flesh, to give it the quicker relish."
Parkinson writes:
"The Winter Savory (Satureia sive Thymbra) is a small, low, bushy herb, very like unto hyssop, but not above a foot high, with divers small, hard branches and hard, dark, green leaves thereon, thicker set together than the former by so much, and as thick as common Hyssop, sometimes with four leaves, or more, at a joint, of a reasonable strong scent, yet not so strong or quick as the former. The flowers are of a pale purplish color, set at several distances at the tops of the stalks with leaves at the joints also with them, like the former. The root is woody with divers small strings thereat, and abideth all the winter with his green leaves. It is more usually increased by slipping, or dividing, the root and new setting it, severally again in the Spring, than by sowing the seed."
IV
Sweet Balm and Camomile
SWEET BALM (Melissa officinalis). Sweet Anne Page commanded the elves to bestow good luck throughout Windsor Castle:[81]
The several chairs of order look you scour
With juice of balm and every precious flower.
[81] "The Merry Wives of Windsor"; Act V, Scene V.
The Greek and Latin names, melissa, melissophyllum, and apiastrum, show that this was a bee-plant, which was still the case in Shakespeare's time.