a kindred dye-wood in large
quantities: finally the original wood is robbed of its name, which is
monopolised by that imported from the new country. The Region of Brazil had
been originally styled _Santa Cruz_, and De Barros attributes the change of
name to the suggestion of the Evil One, "as if the name of a wood for
colouring cloth were of more moment than that of the Wood which imbues the
Sacraments with the tincture of Salvation."

There may perhaps be a doubt if the Land of Brazil derived its name from
the dye-wood. For the Isle of Brazil, long before the discovery of America,
was a name applied to an imaginary Island in the Atlantic. This island
appears in the map of Andrea Bianco and in many others, down at least to
Coronelli's splendid Venetian Atlas (1696); the Irish used to fancy that
they could see it from the Isles of Arran; and the legend of this Island of
Brazil still persisted among sailors in the last century.[6] The story was
no doubt the same as that of the green Island, or Island of Youth, which
Mr. Campbell tells us the Hebrideans see to the west of their own Islands.
(See _Pop. Tales of West Highlands_, IV. 163. For previous references,
_Delia Decirna,_, III. 298, 361; IV. 60; I.B. IV. 99; _Cathay_, p. 77;
_Note by Dr. H. Gleghorn_; _Marsh's ed. of Wedgwood's Etym. Dict._ I. 123;
_Southey, H. of Brazil_, I. 22.)

NOTE 3.--This is the _Colombine_ ginger which appears not unfrequently in
mediaeval writings. Pegolotti tells us that "ginger is of several sorts,
to wit, _Belledi_, _Colombino_, and _Mecchino_. And these names are
bestowed from the producing countries, at least this is the case with the
_Colombino_ and _Mecchino_, for the _Belledi_ is produced in many
districts of India. The Colombino grows in the Island of Colombo of India,
and has a smooth, delicate, ash-coloured rind; whilst the Mecchino comes
from the districts about Mecca and is a small kind, hard to cut," etc.
(_Delia Dec._ III. 359.) A century later, in G. da Uzzano, we still find
the _Colombino_ and _Belladi_ ginger (IV. 111, 210, etc.). The _Baladi_ is
also mentioned by Rashiduddin as an export of Guzerat, and by Barbosa and
others as one of Calicut in the beginning of the 16th century. The
_Mecchino_ too is mentioned again in that era by a Venetian traveller as
grown in the Island of Camran in the Red Sea. Both Columbine (_gigembre
columbin_) and Baladi ginger (_gig. baladit_) appear among the purchases
for King John of France, d