you shall see it turn finely and softly three or four turns, which is caused by the untwining of the beard by the moisture. You may see it more evidently, if you stick the cross between your fingers instead of the box; and therefore you may see, that this motion, which is effected by so little wet, is stronger than the closing or bending of the head of a marygold. 495. It is reported by some, that the herb called "rosa solis," whereof they make strong waters, will, at the noon-day, when the sun shineth hot and bright, have a great dew upon it. And therefore that the right name is "ros solis," which they impute to a delight and sympathy that it hath with the sun. Men favour wonders. It were good first to be sure, that the dew that is found upon it be not the dew of the morning preserved, when the dew of other herbs is breathed away; for it hath a smooth and thick leaf, that doth not discharge the dew so soon as other herbs that are more spongy and porous. And it may be purslane, or some other herb, doth the like, and is not marked. But if it be so, that it hath more dew at noon than in the morning, then sure it seemeth to be an exudiation of the herb itself. As plums sweat when they are set in the oven: for you will not, I hope, think, that it is like Gideon's fleece of wool, that the dew should fall upon that and nowhere else. 496. It is certain, that the honey dews are found more upon oak leaves than upon ash, or beech, or the like: but whether any cause be from the leaf itself to concoct the dew, or whether it be only that the leaf is close and smooth, and therefore drinketh not in the dew, but preserveth it, may be doubted. It would be well inquired, whether manna, the drug, doth fall but upon certain herbs or leaves only. Flowers that have deep sockets, do gather in the bottom a kind of honey, as honey-suckles, both the woodbine and the trefoil, lilies, and the like. And in them certainly the flower beareth part with the dew. 497. The experience is, that the froth which they call woodseare, being like a kind of spittle, is found but upon certain herbs, and those hot ones: as lavender, lavender cotton, sage, hyssop, &c. Of the cause of this inquire further: for it seemeth a secret. There falleth also mildew upon corn, and smutteth it; but it may be, that the same falleth also upon other herbs and is not observed. 498. It were good trial were made, whether the great consent between plants and water, which is a principal nourishment of them, will make an attraction at a distance and not at touch only. Therefore take a vessel, and in the middle of it make a false bottom of a coarse canvass: fill it with earth above the canvass, and let not the earth be watered; then sow some good seeds in that earth; but under the canvass, some half a foot in the bottom of the vessel, lay a great sponge, thoroughly wet in water; and let it lie so some ten days, and see whether the seeds will sprout, and the earth become more moist, and the sponge more dry. The experiment formerly mentioned of the cucumber creeping to the pot of water is far stranger than this. Experiments in consort touching the making herbs and fruits medicinable. 499. The altering of the scent, colour, or taste of fruit, by infusing, mixing, or letting into the bark, or root of the tree, herb, or flower, any coloured, aromatical, or medicinal substances, are but fancies. The cause is, for that those things have passed their period, and nourish not. And all alteration of vegetables in those qualities must be by somewhat that is apt to go into the nourishment of the plant. But this is true, that where kine feed upon wild garlic, their milk tasteth plainly of the garlic: and the flesh of muttons is better tasted where the sheep feedeth upon wild thyme, and other wholesome herbs. Galen also speaketh of the curing of the" scirrus" of the liver, by milk of a cow that feedeth but upon certain herbs; and honey in Spain smelleth apparently of the rosemary, or orange, from whence the bee gathereth it: and there is an old tradition of a maiden that was fed with "napellus;" which is counted the strongest poison of all vegetables, which with use did not hurt the maid, but poisoned some that had carnal company with her. So it is observed by some, that there is a virtuous bezoar, and another without virtue, which appear to the show alike: but the virtuous is taken from the beast that feedeth upon the mountains, where there are theriacal herbs, and that without virtue, from those that feed in the valleys where no such herbs are. Thus far I am of opinion; that as steeped wines and beers are very medicinal; and likewise bread tempered with divers powders; so of meat also, as flesh, fish, milk and eggs, that they may be made of great use for medicine and diet, if the beasts, fowl, or fish, be fed with a special kind of food fit for the disease. It were a dangerous thing also for secret empoisonments. But whether it may be applied unto plants and herbs, I doubt more, because the nourishment of them is a more common juice; which is hardly capable of any special quality, until the plant do assimilate it. 500. But lest our incredulity may prejudice any profitable operations in this kind, especially since many of the ancients have set them down, we think good briefly to propound the four means which they have devised of making plants medicinable. The first is, by slitting of the root, and infusing into it the medicine; as hellebore, opium, scammony, treacle, &c., and then binding it up again. This seemeth to me the least probable; because the root draweth immediately from the earth; and so the nourishment is the more common and less qualified: and besides, it is a long time in going up ere it come to the fruit. The second way is to perforate the body of the tree, and there to infuse the medicine; which is somewhat better for if any virtue be received from the medicine, it hath the less way, and the less time to go up. The third is, the steeping of the seed or kernel in some liquor wherein the medicine is infused: which I have little opinion of, because the seed, I doubt, will not draw the parts of the matter which have the propriety; but it will be far the more likely, if you mingle the medicine with dung; for that the seed naturally drawing the moisture of the dung, may call in withal some of the propriety. The fourth is, the watering of the plant oft with an infusion of the medicine. This, in one respect, may have more force than the rest, because the medication is oft renewed; whereas the rest are applied but at one time; and therefore the virtue may the sooner vanish. But still I doubt, that the root is somewhat too stubborn to receive those fine impressions; and besides, as I said before, they have a great hill to go up. I judge therefore the likeliest way to be the perforation of the body of the tree in several places one above the other; and the filling of the holes with dung mingled with the medicine; and the watering of those lumps of dung with squirts of an infusion of the medicine in dunged water, once in three or four days. CENTURY VI. Experiments in consort touching curiosities about | but there is ordinary experience of fruit that grow fruits and plants. OUR experiments we take care to be, as we have often said, either "experimenta fructifera," or "lucifera;" either of use, or of discovery: for we hate impostures, and despise curiosities. Yet because we must apply ourselves somewhat to others, we will set down some curiosities touching plants. 501. It is a curiosity to have several fruits upon one tree; and the more, when some of them come early, and some come late, so that you may have upon the same tree ripe fruits all summer. This is easily done by grafting of several cions upon several boughs of a stock, in a good ground plentifully fed. So you may have all kinds of cherries, and all kinds of plums, and peaches, and apricots, upon one tree; but I conceive the diversity of fruits must be such as will graft upon the same stock. And, therefore, I doubt, whether you can have apples, or pears, or oranges, upon the same stock upon which you graft plums. 502. It is a curiosity to have fruits of divers shapes and figures. This is easily performed, by moulding them when the fruit is young, with moulds of earth or wood. So you may have cucumbers, &c., as long as a cane or as round as a sphere; or formed like a cross. You may have also apples in the form of pears or lemons. You may have also fruit in more accurate figures, as we said of men, beasts, or birds, according as you make the moulds. Wherein you must understand, that you make the mould big enough to contain the whole fruit when it is grown to the greatest for else you will choke the spreading of the fruit; which otherwise would spread itself, and fill the concave, and so be turned into the shape desired; as it is in mould works of liquid things. Some doubt may be conceived, that the keeping of the sun from the fruit may hurt it: eth covered. Query, also, whether some small holes may not be made in the wood to let in the sun. And note, that it were best to make the moulds partible, glued or cemented together that you may open them when you take out the fruit. 503. It is a curiosity to have inscriptions, or engravings, in fruit or trees. This is easily performed, by writing with a needle, or bodkin, or knife, or the like, when the fruit or trees are young; for as they grow, so the letters will grow more large and graphical, -Tenerisque meos incidere amores 504. You may have trees apparelled with flowers or herbs, by boring holes in the bodies of them, and putting into them earth holpen with muck, and setting seeds or slips of violets, strawberries, wild thyme, camomile, and such like, in the earth. Wherein they do but grow in the tree, as they do in pots though, perhaps, with some feeding from the trees. It would be tried also with shoots of vines, and roots of red roses; for it may be they being of a more ligneus nature, will incorporate with the tree itself. 505. It is an ordinary curiosity to form trees and shrubs, as rosemary, juniper, and the like, into sundry shapes; which is done by moulding them within, and cutting them without. But they are but lame things, being too small to keep figure; great castles made of trees upon frames of timber, with turrets and arches, were anciently matters of magnificence. 506. Amongst curiosities I shall place coloration, though it be somewhat better; for beauty in flowers is their pre-eminence. It is observed by some, that gillyflowers, sweetwilliams, violets, that are coloured, if they be neglected, and neither watered, nor new moulded, nor transplanted, will turn white. And it is probable, that the white with much culture may turn coloured. For this is certain, that the white colour cometh of scarcity of nourishment; except in flowers that are only white, and admit no other colours. 507. It is good, therefore, to see what natures do accompany what colours; for by that you shall have light how to induce colours, by producing those natures. Whites are more inodorate, for the most part, than flowers of the same kind coloured; as is found in single white violets, white roses, white gillyflowers, white stockgilly flowers, &c. We find also that blossoms of trees, that are white, are commonly inodorate, as cherries, pears, plums; whereas those of apples, crabs, almonds, and peaches, are blushy, and smell sweet. The cause is, for that the substance that maketh the flower is of the thinnest and finest of the plant, which also maketh flowers to be of so dainty colours. And if it be too sparing and thin, it attaineth no strength of odour, except it be in such plants as are very succulent; whereby they need rather to be scanted in their nourishment than replenished, to have them sweet. As we see in white satyrion, which is of a dainty smell; and in bean-flowers, &c. And again, if the plant be of nature to put forth white flowers only, and those not thin or dry, they are commonly of rank and fulsome smell; as may-flowers, and white lilies. 508. Contrariwise, in berries, the white is commonly more delicate and sweet in taste than the coloured, as we see in white grapes, in white rasps, in white strawberries, in white currants, &c. The cause is, for that the coloured are more juiced, and coarser juiced, and therefore not so well and equally concocted; but the white are better proportioned to the digestion of the plant. 509. But in fruits the white commonly is meaner: as in pear-plums, damascenes, &c., and the choicest plums are black; the mulberry, which, though they call it a berry, is a fruit, is better the black than the white. The harvest white plum is a base plum; and the verdoccio, and white date-plum are no very good plums. The cause is, for that they are all over-watery; whereas a higher concoction is required for sweetness, or pleasure of taste; and therefore all your dainty plums are a little dry, and come from the stone; as the muscle-plum, the damascene-plum, the peach, the apricot, &c., yet some fruits, which grow not to be black, are of the nature of berries, sweetest such as are paler; as the cœur-cherry, which inclineth more to white, is sweeter than the red; but the egriot is more sour. 510. Take gillyflower seed, of one kind of gillyflower, as of the clove-gilly flower, which is the most common, and sow it, and there will come up gillyflowers some of one colour, and some of another, casually, as the seed meeteth with nourishment in the earth; so that the gar deners find, that they may have two or three roots amongst a hundred that are rare and of great price; as purple, carnation of several stripes: the cause is, no doubt, that in earth, though it be contiguous, and in one bed, there are very several juices; and as the seed doth casually meet with them, so it cometh forth. And it is noted especially, that those which do come up purple, do always come up single: the juice, as it seemeth, not being able to suffice a succulent colour, and a double leaf. This experiment of several colours coming up from one seed, would be tried also in larks-foot, monks-hood, poppy, and holyoak. 511. Few fruits are coloured red within: the queen-apple is; and another apple, called the rose-apple: mulberries, likewise, and grapes, though most towards the skin. There is a peach also that hath a circle of red towards the stone: and the egriot cherry is somewhat red within; but no pear, nor warden, nor plum, nor apricot, although they have many times red sides, are coloured red within. The cause may be inquired. 512. The general colour of plants is green, which is a colour that no flower is of. There is a greenish primrose, but it is pale and scarce a green. The leaves of some trees turn a little murry or reddish, and they be commonly young leaves that do so; as it is in oaks, and vines, and hazel. Leaves rot into a yellow, and some hollies have part of their leaves yellow, that are, to all seeming, as fresh and shining as the green. I suppose also, that yellow is a less succulent colour than green, and a degree nearer white. For it hath been noted, that those yellow leaves of holly stand ever towards the north or northeast. Some roots are yellow, as carrots; and some plants blood-red, stalk and leaf, and all, as amaranthus. Some herbs incline to purple and red; as a kind of sage doth, and a kind of mint, and rosa solis, &c. And some have white leaves, as another kind of sage, and another kind of mint; but azure and a fair purple are never found in leaves. This showeth, that flowers are made of a refined juice of the earth, and so are fruits; but leaves of a more coarse and common. 513. It is a curiosity also to make flowers double, which is effected by often removing them into new earth: as on the contrary part, double flowers, by neglecting and not removing, prove single. And the way to do it speedily, is to sow or set seeds or slips of flowers; and as soon as they come up, to remove them into new ground that is good. Inquire also, whether inoculating of flowers, as stockgilly flowers, roses, musk-roses, &c. doth not make them double. There is a cherry-tree that hath double blossoms; but that tree beareth no fruit: and it may be, that the same means which, applied to the tree, doth extremely accelerate the sap to rise and break forth, would make the tree spend itself in flowers, and those to become double: which were a great pleasure to see, especially in apple-trees, peachtrees, and almond-trees, that have blossoms blushcoloured. though it giveth a finer nourishment, yet it giveth a scanter than the earth at large. 520. Seeds, if they be very old, and yet have 514. The making of fruits without core or strength enough to bring forth a plant, make the stone, is likewise a curiosity, and somewhat bet-plant degenerate. And therefore skilful gardenter; because whatsoever maketh them so, is like ers make trial of the seeds before they buy them, to make them more tender and delicate. If a cion whether they be good or no, by putting them into or shoot, fit to be set in the ground, have the pith water gently boiled; and if they be good, they finely taken forth, and not altogether, but some will sprout within half an hour. of it left, the better to save the life, it will bear a fruit with little or no core or stone. And the like is said to be of dividing a quick tree down to the ground, and taking out the pith, and then binding it up again. 515. It is reported also, that a citron grafted upon a quince will have small or no seeds: and it is very probable that any sour fruit grafted upon a stock that beareth a sweeter fruit, may both make the fruit sweeter, and more void of the harsh Inatter of kernels or seeds. 516. It is reported, that not only the taking out of the pith, but the stopping of the juice of the pith from rising in the midst, and turning it to rise on the outside, will make the fruit without core or stone: as if you should bore a tree clean through, and put a wedge in. It is true, there is some affinity between the pith and the kernel, because they are both of a harsh substance, and both placed in the midst. 517. It is reported, that trees watered perpetually with warm water, will make a fruit with little or no core or stone. And the rule is general, that whatsoever will make a wild tree a garden tree, will make a garden tree to have less core or stone. Experiments in consort touching the degenerating of plants, and of the transmutation of them into one another. 521. It is strange which is reported, that basil, too much exposed to the sun doth turn into wild thyme; although those two herbs seem to have small affinity; but basil is almost the only hot herb that hath fat and succulent leaves, which oiliness, if it be drawn forth by the sun, it is like it will make a very great change. 522. There is an old tradition, that boughs of oak put into the earth will put forth wild vines: which, if it be true, no doubt it is not the oak that turneth into a vine, but the oak-bough putrefying, qualifieth the earth to put forth a vine of itself. 523. It is not impossible, and I have heard it verified, that upon cutting down of an old timber tree, the stub hath put out sometimes a tree of another kind; as the beech hath put forth birch; which, if it be true, the cause may be, for that the old stub is too scant of juice to put forth the former tree; and therefore putteth forth a tree of a smaller kind, that needeth less nourishment. 524. There is an opinion in the country, that if the same ground be oft sown with the grain that grew upon it, it will in the end grow to be of a baser kind. 525. It is certain, that in very sterile years corn sown will grow to another kind. "Grandia sæpe quibus mandavimus hordea sulci Infelix lolium, et steriles dominantur avenæ." And generally it is a rule, that plants that are brought forth by culture, as corn, will sooner change into other species than those that come of themselves; for that culture giveth but an adventitious nature, which is more easily put off. This work of the transmutation of plants one into another, is "inter magnalia naturæ:" for the transmutation of species is, in the vulgar philo 518. The rule is certain, that plants for want of culture degenerate to be baser in the same kind; and sometimes so far as to change into another kind, 1. The standing long, and not being removed, maketh them degenerate. 2. Drought, unless the earth of itself be moist, doth the like. 3. So doth removing into worse earth, or forbear-sophy, pronounced impossible, and certainly it is a ing to compost the earth; as we see that watermint turneth into field-mint, and the colewort into rape, by neglect, &c. 519. Whatsoever fruit useth to be set upon a root or a slip, if it be sown, will degenerate. Grapes sown, figs, almonds, pomegranate kernels sown, make the fruits degenerate and become wild. And again, most of those fruits that use to be grafted, if they be set of kernels, or stones, degenerate. It is true that peaches, as hath been touched before, do better upon stones set than upon grafting; and the rule of exception should seem to be this: that whatsoever plant requireth much moisture, prospereth better upon the stone or kernel than upon the graft. For the stock, thing of difficulty, and requireth deep search into nature; but seeing there appear some manifest instances of it, the opinion of impossibility is to be rejected, and the means thereof to be found out. We see, that in living creatures, that come of putrefaction, there is much transmutation of one into another, as caterpillars turn into flies, &c. And it should seem probable, that whatsoever creature, having life, is generated without seed, that creature will change out of one species into another. For it is the seed, and the nature of it, which locketh and boundeth in the creature, that it doth not expatiate. So as we may well conclude, that seeing the earth of itself doth put forth plants without seed, therefore plants may well have a transmigration of species. Where- | herbs some earths do put forth of themselves, and fore, wanting instances which do occur, we shall give directions of the most likely trials; and generally we would not have those that read this work of "Sylva Sylvarum" account it strange, or think that it is an over-haste, that we have set down particulars untried: for contrariwise, in our own estimation, we account such particulars more worthy than those that are already tried and known; for these latter must be taken as you find them; but the other do level point-blank at the inventing of causes and axioms. 526. First, therefore, you must make account, that if you will have one plant change into another, you must have the nourishment over-rule the seed; and therefore you are to practise it by nourishment as contrary as may be to the nature of the herb, so nevertheless as the herb may grow, and likewise with seeds that are of the weakest sort, and have least vigour. You shall do well, therefore, to take marsh-herbs, and plant them on tops of hills and champaigns; and such plants as require much moisture upon sandy and very dry grounds. As for example, marsh-mallows and sedge, upon hills; cucumber, and lettuce seeds, and coleworts, upon a sandy plot; so contrariwise, plant bushes, heathling, and brakes, upon a wet or marsh ground. This, I conceive also, that all esculent and garden herbs, set upon the tops of hills, will prove more medicinal, though less esculent than they were before. And it may be likewise, some wild herbs you may make salad herbs. This is the first rule for transmutation of plants. 527. The second rule shall be, to bury some few seeds of the herbs you would change, amongst other seeds; and then you shall see whether the juice of those other seeds do not so qualify the earth, as it will alter the seed whereupon you work. As for example, put parsley seed amongst onion seed, or lettuce seed amongst parsley seed, or basil seed amongst thyme seed; and see the change of taste or otherwise. But you shall do well to put the seed you would change into a little linen cloth, that it mingle not with the foreign seed. 528. The third rule shall be, the making of some medley or mixture of earth with some other plants bruised or shaven either in leaf or root; as for example, make earth with a mixture of colewort leaves stamped, and set in it artichokes or parsnips; so take earth made with marjoram, or origanum, or wild thyme, bruised or stamped, and set in it fennel seed, &c. In which operation the process of nature still will be, as I conceive, not that the herb you work upon should draw the juice of the foreign herb, for that opinion we have formerly rejected, but there will be a new confection of mould, which perhaps will alter the seed, and yet not to the kind of the former herb. 529. The fourth rule shall be, to mark what VOL. II.-10 to take that earth and to pot it, or vessel it: and in that to set the seed you would change: as, for example, take from under walls or the like, where nettles put forth in abundance, the earth, which you shall there find, without any string or root of the nettles: and pot that earth, and set in it stockgillyflowers, or wallflowers, &c., or sow in the seeds of thein, and see what the event will be; or take earth that you have prepared to put forth mushrooms of itself, whereof you shall find some instances following, and sow in it purslane seed, or lettuce seed; for in these experiments, it is likely enough that the earth being accustomed to send forth one kind of nourishment, will alter the new seed. 530. The fifth rule shall be, to make the herb grow contrary to its nature; as to make groundherbs rise in height: as, for example, carry camomile, or wild thyme, or the green strawberry upon sticks, as you do hops upon poles, and see what the event will be. 531. The sixth rule shall be, to make plants grow out of the sun or open air; for that is a great mutation in nature, and may induce a change in the seed; as barrel up earth and sow some seed in it, and put it in the bottom of a pond, or put it in some great hollow tree: try also the sowing of seeds in the bottoms of caves; and pots with seeds sown, hanged up in wells some distance from the water, and see what the event will be. Experiments in consort touching the procevity, and lowness, and artificial dwarfing of trees. 532. It is certain, that timber trees in coppice woods grow more upright and more free from under-boughs, than those that stand in the fields: the cause whereof is, for that plants have a natural motion to get to the sun; and besides, they are not glutted with too much nourishment; for that the coppice shareth with them, and repletion ever hindereth stature: lastly they are kept warm, and that ever in plants helpeth mounting. 533. Trees that are of themselves full of heat, which heat appeareth by their inflammable gums, as firs, and pines, mount of themselves in height without side-boughs, till they come towards the top. The cause is partly heat, and partly tenuity of juice, both which send the sap upwards. As for juniper, it is but a shrub, and groweth not big enough in body to maintain a tall tree. 534. It is reported that a good strong canvass, spread over a tree grafted low, soon after it putteth forth, will dwarf it and make it spread. The cause is plain; for that all things that grow, will grow as they find room. 535. Trees are generally set of roots or kernels: but if you set them of slips, as of some trees you may, by name the mulberry, some of the slips will take; and those that take, as is reported, will be G |