N 



But thofc plants that arc cndvicd Ayith a confpicuous 

 root- and more obvious to the fcnfes, differ amons 

 thcmf^-lYes very much in this part : for fome are,bul~ 

 bousj fome are fquamous, or tuberous, others eru- 

 mous, others fibrous, and laftly, others nodous ; 

 which, as it will be fufficient to have taken notice of 

 tlie primary differences of roots, I ihall omit their 

 articular definition in this place, and referthem to their 

 eyeral heads, where each of them fliall be particu- 

 larly defcribed. 



The firft part of the root, yi'hich is called the Epi- 

 dermis, or cuticle, is, for f he moH partly of a brown 

 or dufky colour, v^ry thin, aixd eafily peeled off from 

 the under fl^in (if it be firft foaked in warm water) ; 

 \yhjch being vie\Ypd by a microfcope, fliews its moll 

 tender {IrutTture much like a net pierced through with 

 many fmall hokg. And thefe little orifices' of the 

 epidermis being dilated, "and filled ^yith the received 

 pioiftufe, refcmbllng veficl^s., vhicli, being exhaufted 

 yearly by the mutation 9|" tlj^e d\V tj^^come confoli- 

 4ated, and periJKv^i;p Y^i^t, tliis being ^rlyen but" by 

 a iip\y cviticie growing under it, after the fame man- 

 ner as fquammige^QUs animals aniiually cad the old 

 epidermis, a new cuticle coming under it; fo that 

 t^iefe little yeffels, fibrils, qr l^y -vyh^t n;^me focver they 

 are called, ^\^y not unfitly be compared to the veins 

 of animals. 



;put the other part, ^yl^ich op tlie outfide conftitutes 

 the corte^f, qr outer ba^If , and 9^ the infide the li- 

 ber, or inner bark, i^ 'galled cutis ;' in v/hich there 

 are parts to be confidered of a foiir-fold knid. 



N A 



\ 



I 



ilrong fibres, cohering ancj elaflic, (I 



out vertically with the lateral fibres cqmmunicatino- 

 among themfelves, and compac^ing^ or thrufling in 

 the former, they form a hollow cy}ind,er, or zorje, 

 under the epidermis j and this hath another under it, 

 which alio includes a third -, and fo of tfieVeft^ to the 

 mofl inward of all, which luxuriates near the wood, 

 and is by a pecuhar name called liber, or inward'lp^r'k. 

 And thcfe zones, or girdles, although' they ^Jrenigll: 

 innumerable, may all be peeled off as the laip'fll^^'of 



bulbs. 



^ 



much as thoie fibres in tjie harder roots of t^ees are 

 abnofl of a bony nature, they procure a firmneij^o 

 the cortex or outward bark •, and tlaefe fibres are in 

 all plants, and appear as well in gra/s" as in the Cedar 

 tree, although they are more compaft in trees/ than 



ft 



» ^ 



jfuftained. 



^ 2. In the area;;, or fpaces, Avhich are between the fi- 

 bres and tljcu- anaflofiiofes, there are every where 

 ^ piembranaceous velTels full of moiflure, or little utri- 

 ■ cles, which, in tlie are^, or intercepted fpace's tKat 

 • are of a diffei;e;at figure, 'are found to be various, and 

 jiccommodai,c.d to all the fpaces ; but all thefe utri- 

 cles con-iinunicate among themfelves, as is beft feen 

 in the greater celandine, when we fqueeze out that 

 golden coloured liquor )yith which it is filled ; and 

 ■the middle fpaces betwixt thcfe zones have like utri- 

 cles, and aU the fibres coniiitute hollow canals ; but 

 the utricles have rece^taclps communicating among 

 themfelves. 



■ * -- . 



3- Aereal vclTds, or tr^chp.^e, are open from the 

 lower to the upper part of tlie plaijt, an,d are twifted 

 or curled after an admirable manner, and difpofed 

 rourid about \yith fibres and utrjcje^s in form almoft of 

 a fpiral line, which in their cavities contain an elaliic 

 air ; which being afte6ifd by the external air, firft ex- 

 panded, and afterwards condenfed, wijl be changed 

 after a like maqner, and §.".'^1 the fame^viciflltudefof 

 cold and heat, and will undergo a reciprocal motion 

 of cold and heat. This aftion is exerted hi the ycf- 

 fels filled >vidli .moifture, which when they cannot be 

 condenfed, give place, ajul"afe driven to thofe that 

 ai-e higher", and arc moved forward, 

 4; L-.aftly, befides fibres^ utrkfes, ajid tr^cliec-E, 

 peculiar kind qf veffels appcpj, cont^nijig 't|ie* 9^oi- 

 ltures,_ a,s ,i; fcems fecrcteni l^ tije'grgapical difpofi- 

 tionof tl>e pl^mt jtfelf, wj^ph j^-ater, ormoiftennot 

 Q\\ij the cpjtcx, „l^ut tlip iiyood. and tJie reft of the 



■ ' 



parts of vegetables, and ajx- turgid witli a concoaed 

 •juice, which feems TaK more elaborate tlian Is the 

 moifture coatained in the fibres of utricles ; and the 

 mouths ot thefe veffels being' of a aifierent figure 

 pour forth fom.etinies -a various liquor,' accordiiil to 

 Its peculiar nature,' chiefly hear tKe outward region of 

 the cortex i fo the Tithymarusana'eichory' com- 

 monly diftil a milky humour, and* tTie Cyprefs, Fir, 

 and Pine, a certain fpecies of turpentiiie. ' " :' 

 And by how much thefe circles' are more outward, 

 by fo much the middle fpace's between the two zones 

 are greater ; and are l?flened alv/ays to\vai-ds the more 

 inward in a certain 'proportion, which fce'ms to de- 

 pend on this, viz', tlie outward air afting on' all fides 

 with an equal prelTure, and by a certain power preffes 



the fecond; and tl)is alfo by this means, is preffed by 

 Its own condenfed air," and preffes together thofe 

 which 'are more inwai-d, becaufe it cannot exert its 

 force upon the external air; therefore the fecond cir- 

 cle is neceiiarily moi-e'compreffed than the firft, and 

 the third more 'than tlie fecondj ancl fo of the reft. 

 And tHe utricles pFaced between the circles are nreffed 

 by the fame proportion'; which, by degrees, are more 

 and more exhaulled; thence the inner circle lofes 

 rhoft of all the compreflTed and condenfated utricles, 

 and' by degrees grows folid.' ' " ' ^ ' ' ■ 



And this is properly called Liber (the inward bark), 

 andis t¥ataixle, whicli^'l^ by place 



and riatureV' between the cortex,' or outward bark, 

 and the ,wood, comes' nearefl to the nature of tlie 

 wood, and in time gaffes Into it ; for the corte^ lofes 

 9very year one fuch'cTrcIeVand becomes wood, which 

 may be 'diftin|uiftied frorh the former circles of the 

 ^^?h ftockj or trunk i 'and if they are cut horizon- 

 tally, will ftiew the riumKer of fuch circles, and how 

 many yearsthetree'is old, '■' v •• ■ 

 And tl>is fucceffive mutation ' of tlie cortex into li- 

 b^r, apd of liber Info wood; Is like to that we ob- 

 ferye in^the human body in the beginning of a cal- 

 l,u§ ; for a. callus confifts oT{kin, 'but fo'cornpreffed, 

 tJiat.aU tlaevelpfls-afeToffit aiid'that fldn, 'being be- 

 come foUd, is increa{ed,"and grows to a greater bulk. ' 

 But, befides thefe hitherto defcribed, there occur cer- 

 tain peculiar veffck (of whiclfiheritibri has been made 



deltpbing tl;i 



-r 



f^ 



P^^£ 



Ter)cyof ^he moifture. " . ^^ ^'^^*;'"^-^ ^ ; " ■ 



5^'^^ ^^'\ ai^id ia/t part is the moft inward, the 



^^^■4h1!?^ 9^ F^^^' ^iipoftd in the middle cehter of the 

 root ; and as it feems difijerent ftom the former, fee- 

 ing this is fometimes wafted, and that hever, this ap- 

 pears niore fungous, ,t;]i^t.more durable. ■ . " 

 As to^the manner of t^e root's performing its func- 

 tion,' it may be pblery^d, that the root having im- 

 bibed the faline and aqueous juices of the earth, and 

 faturated itfelf with them, "for thp nqurifliment of the 

 tree, thofe juices are put into motion by heat ; \Yhich 

 having entered the mouths 'of the arterial veffels from 

 the root, they mount to' the top with a force anfwer- 

 able to what lets them in rnbtion ; and, by this means, 

 they gradually open the m'inute yeftels rolled up, and 

 expand theiii into leaves. ' ^ '■ 

 2. The wood; this is confidered as cqnfifting of ca- 



■ pillary tubes, running parallel from'the root thrcuo-h- 

 out^the ftalk. Some call the capillary tubes arterial 

 vcfiels, becaufe the fap rifes from the root through 

 thcfe. The aperture of thefe tiibcs are; for the moft 

 part, too minute to be perceived "by tliel^are eye, un- 



. lefs in a piece of charcoal, cane, or the like. 

 Wood, fays Dr. Grew, by mlcrofcopicaf obfervati- 

 ons, appears to be only an aiTerriblage of infinitely 

 minute canals, or hollow fibres, fome of v/hich arife 

 from tlie root upwards,' and are difpofed in form of 

 a circle-, and the others,' whicli are called infertions, 

 tend horizontally from the furface to the center,' fo 

 .^liatthey crofs each other, and are interwoven like the 

 threads of a weaver's web. ' ^ " ' - - - 



.> 



Befides 



