PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 27f^ 



St Domingo " For, although our dates, 

 fays he, become foft, yellow, and as ic 

 ■were lufcious, and in a word, appear per- 

 fectly ripe ; yet they Jftill retain a certain 

 fliarpnefs, which ftiews they want at leaft 

 fome degree of maturity.*' Thus Pere 

 Labat. 1. c. 



Jo. Bauhinus * relates, that he faW 

 only one date-bearing palmtree at Mont- 

 pelier : " Centefimum annum fuperare 

 " creditur (fays he) et vulgo ibi perfua- 

 ** fum, ante granaein aetatem frudlum 

 ** npn proferre, et vix ante quinquagefi- 

 •* mum annum, ur quidem, perhibebant." 

 Hence Pontanus's fidion is ealily account- 

 ed for, if there be any truth in it j and 

 perhaps fome others, particularly con- 

 cerning the amours of thefe trees ; for 

 which fee Pliny f, and Caffianus Baf- 

 fus J. 



39. But I cannot omit the opinion of 

 Herodotus, the mod ancient author, who 



has 



• Hift. I. p. 360. 

 t L 13 c. 4. 

 X hx Ttcoph. p. 103. 



