88 NATURAL HISTORY. 



ascribe it only to the vapour of lead, is less probable. 

 Qucere whether the. fixing may be in such a degree, as 

 it will be figured like other metals? For if so, you 

 may make works of it for some purposes, so they come 

 not near the fire. 



Experiment solitary touching &quot;honey and sugar. 



848. Sugar hath put down the use of honey ; inso 

 much as we have lost those observations and prepara 

 tions of honey which the ancients had, when it was 

 more in price. First, it seemeth that there was in old 

 time tree-honey, as well as bee-honey ; which was the 

 tear or blood issuing from the tree : insomuch as one 

 of the ancients relateth, that in Trebisond there was 

 honey issuing from the box-trees which made men 

 mad. 1 Again, in ancient time there was a kind of 

 honey which, either of the own nature or by art, 

 would grow as hard as sugar, and was not so luscious 

 as ours. They had also a wine of honey, which they 

 made thus. They crushed the honey into a great 

 quantity of water, and then strained the liquor ; af 

 ter, they boiled it in a copper to the half; then they 

 poured it into earthen vessels for a small time ; and 

 after tunned it into vessels of wood, and kept it for 

 many years. They have also at this day, in Russia 

 and those northern countries, mead simple, which 

 (well made and seasoned) is a good wholesome drink, 

 and very clear. They use also in Wales a compound 

 drink of mead, with herbs and spices. But meanwhile 

 it were good, in recompence of that we have lost in 



i Arist. Mirab. 17. The honey was made from box ; that is, apparently, 

 by bees which fed on the box flower. There is no authority for saying 

 that it issued from the box tree. 



