dead; a story somewhat agreeable unto the fable of the serpent's teeth sowed in the earth by Cadmus; or rather, the birth of Orion, from the urine of Jupiter, Mercury, and Neptune. Now this opinion seems grounded on the former, that is, a conceived similitude it hath with man; and therefore from him, in some way, they would make out its production. Which conceit is not only erroneous in the foundation, but injurious unto philosophy in the superstruction; making putrefactive generations correspondent unto seminal productions, and conceiving in equivocal effects an univocal conformity unto the efficient. Which is so far from being verified of animals in their corruptive mutations into plants, that they maintain not this similitude in their nearer translation into animals. So when the ox corrupteth into bees, or the horse into hornets, they come not forth in the image of their originals. So the corrupt and excrementitious humours in man are animated into lice; and we may observe that hogs, sheep, goats, hawks, hens, and others, have one peculiar and proper kind of vermin; not resembling themselves according to seminal conditions, yet carrying a settled and confined habitude unto their corruptive origi nals. And therefore come not forth in generations erratical, or different from each other; but seem specifically and in regular shapes to attend the corruption of their bodies, as do more perfect conceptions the rule of seminal productions. The third affirmeth the roots of mandrakes do make a noise, or give a shriek, upon eradication;6 which is indeed ridiculous, and false below confute; arising, perhaps, from a small and stridulous noise, which being firmly rooted, it maketh upon divulsion of parts. A slender foundation for such a vast conception; for such a noise we sometimes observe in other plants, in parsnips, liquorice, eryngium, flags, and others. The last concerneth the danger ensuing; that there follows an hazard of life to them that pull it up; that some • The third affirmeth, &c.] To this Shakspeare alludes :— Wherefore should I curse them? Would curses kill, as doth the mandrake's groan, I would invent as bitter-searching terms, evil fate pursues them, and they live not very long after. Therefore the attempt hereof, among the ancients, was not in ordinary way; but, as Pliny informeth, when they intended to take up the root of this plant, they took the wind thereof, and with a sword describing three circles about it, they digged it up, looking toward the west. A conceit, not only injurious unto truth, and confutable by daily experience, but somewhat derogatory unto the providence of God; that is, not only to impose so destructive a quality on any plant, but to conceive a vegetable, whose parts are useful unto many, should, in the only taking up, prove mortal unto any. To think he suffereth the poison of Nubia* to be gathered, napellus, aconite, and thora, to be eradicated, yet this not to be moved. That he permitteth arsenic and mineral poisons to be forced from the bowels of the earth, yet not this from the surface thereof. This were to introduce a second forbidden fruit, and enhance the first malediction, making it not only mortal for Adam to taste the one, but capital unto his posterity to eradicate or dig up the other. Now what begot, at least promoted, so strange conceptions, might be the magical opinion hereof; this being conceived the plant so much in use with Circe, and therefore named Circea (as Dioscorides and Theophrastus have delivered), which being the eminent sorceress of elder story, and by the magic of simples believed to have wrought many wonders, some men were apt to invent, others to believe any tradition or magical promise thereof. Analogous relations concerning other plants, and such as are of near affinity unto this, have made its current smooth, and pass more easily among us. For the same effect is also delivered by Josephus concerning the root baaras; by Ælian, of cynospastas: and we read in Homer the very same opinion concerning moly: Μῶλυ δὲ μὲν καλέουσι θεοὶ, χαλεπὸν δε τ ̓ ὀρύσσειν Is dangerous unto man; but gods they all things may. *Granum Nubiæ. 7 Circaa.] Enchanter's nightshade. Now parallels or like relations alternately relieve each other; when neither will pass asunder, yet are they plausible together; their mutual concurrences supporting their solitary instabilities. Signaturists have somewhat advanced it; who seldom omitting what ancients delivered, drawing into inference received distinctions of sex, not willing to examine its humane resemblance, and placing it in the form of strange and magical simples, have made men suspect there was more therein than ordinary practice allowed; and so became apt to embrace whatever they heard or read comformable unto such conceptions. Lastly, the conceit promoteth itself: for concerning an effect whose trial must cost so dear, it fortifies itself in that invention; and few there are whose experiment it need to fear. For, what is most contemptible, although not only the reason of any head, but experience of every hand may well convict it, yet will it not by divers be rejected; for prepossessed heads will ever doubt it, and timorous beliefs will never dare to try it. So these traditions, how low and ridiculous soever, will find suspicion in some, doubt in others, and serve as tests or trials of melancholy and superstitious tempers for ever. 2. That cinnamon, ginger, clove, mace, and nutmeg, are but the several parts and fruits of the same tree, is the common belief of those which daily use them; whereof to speak distinctly, ginger is the root of neither tree nor shrub, but of an herbaceous plant, resembling the water fleur-de-lis, as Garcias first described, or rather the common reed, as Lobelius since affirmed. Very common in many parts of India, growing either from root or seed, which in December and 8 Signaturists.] Those who hold the doctrine, that plants bear certain marks and signatures, indicative of their qualities or properties. 9 ginger.] Amomum Zingiber, L. or Zingiber officinalis. 1 of India.] And in Europe, too, for itt hath been of old, and is lately found in Austria, at the foote of the mount Cognamus: vide Helym's Austria, p. 74. Germanice. There are two kindes of itt, white and brown, which I suppose differ only in age. Itt is commonly brought to us from China: to them from some upper parts in Tartary and therefore some call itt Radix Scythica: but this is an equivocall name, proper to glycyrisa, but applicable to ginger and rhubarbe, which both come also from thence. Offended with the earthynes of green ginger, : January they take up, and, gently dried, roll it up in earth, whereby occluding the pores, they conserve the natural humidity, and so prevent corruption. Cinnamon is the inward bark of a cinnamon tree,3 whereof the best is brought from Zeilan; this freed from the outward bark, and exposed unto the sun, contracts into those folds wherein we commonly receive it. If it have not a sufficient insolation it looketh pale, and attains not its laudable colour; if it be sunned too long, it suffereth a torrefaction, and descendeth somewhat below it. Clove seems to be either the rudiment of a fruit,5 or the fruit itself, growing upon the clove tree, to be found but in few countries. The most commendable is that of the isles of Molucca; it is first white, afterward green, which beaten down and dried in the sun, becometh black, and in the complexion we receive it. Nutmeg is the fruit of a tree differing from all these, and as Garcias describeth it, somewhat like a peach; growing in divers places, but fructifying in the isle of Banda. The fruit hereof consisteth of four parts; the first, or outward part, is a thick and carnous covering like that of a walnut; the I causd choyce to bee made of the whitest; paring of the barke totally: then bruisd itt in a stone mortar into strings; then stewd itt on a gentle fire till the water was consumed from three pintes to a quarte (the pared ginger being but a quarter of a pound). When wee thought the vertue wholy extracted (which would have tincted a pottel of water sufficiently), streyning away the ginger with some pressure, gentlye, they boyled the water into a syrup, whose vertues are such, after a meale (the quantity of a spoonfull), as noe dredg, powders, or lozenges, can equall in four times soe much for by a gentle mixture and fermentation, itt corrects all crude humors and flatulencyes, abates not the salivation, as all hot spices doe, and never heates further then stomache only. 2 occluding.] Shutting up. : 3 Cinnamon, &c.] The bark of Laurus Cinnamomum. The perfection of this spice depends on the tree being at a fit age, and on the relative proportion of the inner part of the bark, which is the sweetest and most fragrant. 4 insolation.] Exposure to the sun. 5 either the rudiment, &c.] Cloves are the calyces, with the embryo seed, of caryophyllus aromaticus, beaten from the tree, just after the delicate peach-blossom-coloured flowers have faded. The pungent quality is lessened if the seed is suffered to become more mature. 6 Nutmeg, &c.] This is an accurate description of the fruit of myristaca moschata, the nutmeg. second, a dry and flosculous coat, commonly called mace; the third a harder tegument or shell, which lieth under the mace; the fourth, a kernel included in the shell, which is the same we call nutmeg. All which, both in their parts and order of disposure, are easily discerned in those fruits which are brought in preserves unto us. Now if, because mace and nutmegs proceed from one tree, the rest must bear them company, or because they are all from the East Indies, they are all from one plant, the inference is precipitous, nor will there such a plant be found in the herbal of nature. 3. That viscus arboreus, or, miseltoe, is bred upon trees from seeds, which birds, especially thrushes and ringdoves, let fall thereon, was the creed of the ancients, and is still believed among us, is the account of its production, set down by Pliny, delivered by Virgil, and subscribed by many more. If so, some reason must be assigned, why it groweth only upon certain trees, and not upon many whereon these birds do light. For as exotic observers deliver, it groweth upon almond trees, chesnut, apples, oaks, and pine trees. As we observe in England, very commonly upon apple, crabs, and whitethorn; sometimes upon sallow, hazel, and oak: rarely upon ash, limetree, and maple; never, that I could observe, upon holly, elm, and many more. Why groweth it not in all countries and places where these birds are found? for so Brassavolus affirmeth, it is not to be found in the territory of Ferrara, and he was fain to supply himself from other parts of Italy. Why, if it ariseth from a seed, if sown will it not grow again, as Pliny affirmeth, and as by setting the berries thereof, we have in vain attempted its production? Why, if it cometh from seed that falleth upon the tree, groweth it often downwards, and puts forth under the bough, where seed can neither fall nor yet remain ?9 Hereof, beside some 7 in preserves, &c.] Whereof my auncient friend, Mr. Paul Clapham, sent me a pot of two pounds.-Wr. Little did "my auncient friend" suppose that his munificence would thus be immortalized! rarely, &c.] Ed. 1646 reads, "never upon bays, holly, ashes, elms, and many others." 9 under the bough, &c.] This one objection is soe vigorous and clever, as cuts off the foolish assertion for ever.- Wr. Yet is this apparently triumphant objection demolished, by the result |