126 pliny's natural history. [Book XII. 



the almond-tree. Such, he says, is the appearance of the tree 

 as seen in Carmania and Egypt, where it was introduced and 

 planted under the auspices of the Ptolemies when reigning 

 there. It is well known that it has a bark not unlike that of 

 the laurel, and, indeed, some persons have asserted that their 

 leaves are similar. At all events, such was the case with the 

 tree as it grew at Sardes : for the kings of Asia also took con- 

 siderable care to have it planted there. The ambassadors 

 who in my time have come to Eome from Arabia, have made 

 all these matters more uncertain, even, than they were before ; 

 a thing at which we may justly be surprised, seeing that 

 some sprigs even of the incense-tree have been brought among 

 us, from which we have some reason to conclude that the 

 parent tree is round and tapering, and that it puts forth its 

 shoots from a trunk that is entirely free from knots. 



CHAP. 32. VARIOUS KINDS OF FRANKINCENSE. 



In former times, when they had fewer opportunities of 

 selling it, they used to gather the frankincense only once a 

 year ; but at the present day, as there is a much greater de- 

 mand for it, there is a second crop as well. The first, and 

 what we may call the natural, vintage, takes place about the 

 rising of the Dog-star, a period when the heat is most intense ; 

 on which occasion they cut the tree where the bark appears 

 to be the fullest of juice, and extremely thin, from being dis- 

 tended to the greatest extent. The incision thus made is gra- 

 dually extended, but nothing is removed ; the consequence of 

 which is, that an unctuous foam oozes forth, which gradually 

 coagulates and thickens. When the nature of the locality re- 

 quires it, this juice is received upon mats of palm -leaves, though 

 in some places the space around the tree is made hard by being 

 well rammed down for the purpose. The frankincense that 

 is gathered after the former method, is in the purest state, 

 though that which falls on the ground is the heaviest in 

 weight : that which adheres to the tree is pared off with an 

 iron instrument, which accounts for its being found mingled 

 with pieces of bark. 



The forest is allotted in certain portions, and such is the 

 mutual probity of the owners, that it is quite safe from all 

 depredation ; indeed, there is no one left to watch the trees 

 after the incisions are made, and yet no one is ever known to 



