CHAPTER V. 

 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



SEC. I. WOODS. 



T H Y I N E. 



THIS wood is mentioned, in Rev. xviii. 12, among the various ar~ 

 tides of luxury imported into the modern Babylon. 



Thepphrastus says, that the thyon or thya-tree grows near the 

 temple of Jupiter Ammon (in Africa), in the Cyrenaica, that it is 

 like the cypress in its boughs, leaves, stalk, and fruit, and that its 

 wood never rots. It was in high esteem among the heathen, who 

 often made the doors of their temples and the images of their god* 

 of this wood. 



CASSIA. 



IN Exodus xxx. 24, Cassia is prescribed as one of the ingredient* 

 for composing the holy anointing oil. It is the bark of a tree of the 

 bay tribe, which now grows chiefly in the East Indies. This bark 

 was made known to the ancients, and highly esteemed by them ; 

 but, since the use of cinnamon has been generally adopted, the 

 cassia bark has fallen into disrepute, on account of its inferiority. 

 It is 'thicker and more coarse than cinnamon, of weaker quality, 

 and abounds more with a viscid mucilaginous matter. For many 

 purposes, however, Cassia, as being much less expensive, is substi- 

 tuted for cinnamon, but more particularly for the preparation of 

 what is called oil of cinnamon. 



Cassia was one of the articles of merchandize in the markets of 

 Tyre, Ezek. xxvii. 19. The Cassia mentioned in Psalm xlv. 8, is 

 thought to have been an extract, or essential oil, from the bark. 



