286 SCRIPTURE NATURAL HISTORY. 



tainly purchased by the Israelites at the mouth of the Red Sea, 

 where was the market for Indian goods ; and at the same place 

 they must have bought the myrrh, for that neither grew, nor grows 

 any where else than in Saba or Azabo, East of Cape Gardefan, 

 where were the ports for India, and whence it was dispersed over 

 all the world. 



THE CYPRESS TREE, 



THIS tree is only mentioned in Isaiah xlv. 14, and critics are not 

 agreed whether the Hehrew word does really denote the cypress. 



The cypress is a Tall straight tree, which, is cultivated with great 

 difficulty. Its fruit is not edible ; its leaves are bitter ; and, accord- 

 ing to Piiny, its very smell and shade are highly dangerous* 

 Hence, the Romans considered it aft a fatal tree, and used it at fu- 

 nerals and mournful ceremonies. The wood is always green, very 

 heavy, of an aromatic smell, and is not subject to rot, or liable to 

 be eaten by worms. The tree is distinguished into male and fe- 

 male : the branches of the male incline horizontally, those of the 

 female are upright. Its fruit is round, olive-colored, and of the 

 size of nuts, growing in separate places, and containing small anr 

 gular seeds. 



Bochart, Fuller, and other writers, have maintained, that the go- 

 pher-wood of which the ark was made (Genesis vi. 11) was cy- 

 press. Says Park hurst, perhaps gopher may be a general name 

 for such trees as abound with resinous, inflammable juices, as the 

 cedar, cypress, fir-tree, pine, &c 



THE LIGN ALOE. 



THE aloe tree is a native of India, and grows to the height of 

 about eight or ten feet ; having at its head large bunches of leaves, 

 thick and indented, broad at the bottom, but narrowing towards 

 the point, and about four feet in length. The blossom is red, inter- 

 mixed with yellow, and double, similar to a pink : from this blos- 

 som proceeds the fruit, round, like a large pr>a, white and red. But 

 there is another description" of tree, called the Syrian aZoe, other- 

 wise aspalatha, which is a little shrub covered with prickles; of the 

 wood of which, perfumers (having taken off' the bark) make use, 

 to give a consistency to their perfumes, which otherwise would be 

 too thin and liquid. Cassiodorus observes, that this is of a very 

 sweet smell, and that in his time they burned it before the altars, 

 instead of frankincense. It is probable that this is the shrub de- 



