Of the Hiflorie of Plants. 



1447 



Perfca alba. 



The white Peach. 



. 



4 Perftca luteal the yellow Peach tree is like 

 vnto the former in leaues and flours, his fruit is of 

 a yellow color on the out fide, and likewife on the 

 in fide , harder than the reft : in the middle of the 

 Peach is a wooddy hard and rough (tone full of 

 crefts and gutters.in which doth ly a kernel much 

 like to that of the almond , and with fuch a like 

 skin: the fubftance within is white, andoftafte 

 fomewhat bitter. The fruit hereof is of greateft 

 pleafure , and of beft tafte ofal/ the other of his 

 Icinde ; although there be found at this day diuers 

 other forts that arc of very good tafte,notrcmem- 

 bredofthcantient, or fctdownby the later Wri- 

 terSjWhcreof to fpeakc particularly would not bee 



reat to our pretended purpofe , considering wee 



aftentoanend. 

 $ 5 There is alfo kept in fomc of our choice 

 gardens a kind of Peach which hath a very double 

 and bcautifull floure , but it is feldom fuccceded 

 by any fruit 1 they call this Terfica fore fleno , The 

 double blofforaed Peach, t 



f The Place. 



They are fet and planted in gardens and Vine- 

 yards. I haue them all in my garden, with many 

 other forts. 



€J The Time. 



The Peach tree foone comes vp, it beares fruit 

 the third or fourth yeare after it is planted, and it 

 foondecayethjbeingnot of long continuance. It 



Hours in AprilJ,or a little after the leaues appeare, 

 and ripens his fruit in September. 



Ijjf The Names 



iMalus Perfica, and Perfu 



La 



t 



butch,pci;(3(c^bOnm:inlow-Dutch 5 ^etfebOOin:in Frcnch,/Vrfc^ 

 The fruit,as Galen teftifieth,is named m»*» iV'»f, and nym/i alfo,without any addition 

 ncmtalum Perjtcum^ud Pcrfuum : in high- Dutch, ^fetfitlg J in low-Dutch, 3&etfttt J in Italy, , 



Pcfche : in Spznittifexegos : in Vtcnch,Pifcbes : in Engli(h,Peach. 



C The Nature and Venues. 



Peaches be cold and moi ft } and that in the fecond degree,thcy haue a juice and alfo a fubftance A 

 that doth eafily purrifie, which yeeldeth no nouriflimenr, but bringeth hurt, efpecially eaten after 

 other meats, for then they caufe the other meats to putrifie. But they are IefTe hurtfull if they be 

 taken firft • for by rcafon that they are moift and (lippery, they eafily and qaickly defcend, and by 

 making the belly flippery,thjpy caufe other meats to flip down the fooner. 



The kernels of the Peaches be hot and dry,they open and clenfe,and are good for the (toppings B 

 oftheliuerandfpleen. 



Peaches before they be ripe do flop the laskc,hut being ripe they Ioofe the belly, and ingender C 

 *u£hty humors, for they are foon corrupted in the ftomacke. 



E 

 F 



The leaues of the Peach tree do open the (toppings of the liuer.and do gently Ioofen the belly : 



and being applied plaifterwife vnto the nauel of yong children,they kil the worms,and driue them 

 forth. 



The fame leaues boiled in milkedo kill the wormes in children very fpecdily. 



The fame being dried and caft vpon green wounds cure them. 



The ftoures of the Peach tree infufed in warrae water for the fpace of ten or twelqe houres, and CT 

 ftrained^and more floures put to the faid liquor to infufe after the fame manner, and (b iterated fix 

 °*eight times and (trained againe,then as much fugar as it will require added to the fame liquor, 

 and boiled vnto the confidence or thicknefle of a fyrrup,and two fpoonefulls hereof taken, doth (o 

 Angularly well purge thebelly 3 that there is neither Rubarb, Agarick,nor any other purger compa- 

 rable vnto it ; for this purgcth down wateri(h humors mightily.and yet without gricfe or trouble, 



either to the ftomacke or lower parts of the bod jr. 



Ffffff % 



The 



