236 NATURAL HISTORY. 



spunge more dry. The experiment formerly men 

 tioned of the cucumber creeping to the pot of water, 

 is far stranger than this. 



Experiments in consort touching the making herbs 



and fruits medidnable. 



499. The altering of the scent, colour, or taste 

 of fruit, by infusing, mixing, or letting into the bark, 

 or root of the tree, herb, or flower, any coloured, 

 aromatical, or medicinal substance, are but fancies. 

 The cause is, for that those things have passed their 

 period, and nourish not. And all alteration of vege 

 tables in those qualities must be by somewhat that 

 is apt to go into the nourishment of the plant. But 

 this is true, that where kine feed upon wild garlic, 

 their milk tasteth plainly of the garlic : and the flesh 

 of muttons is better tasted where the sheep feed 

 upon wild thyme, and other wholesome herbs. Galen 

 also speaketh of the curing of the &quot; scirrus&quot; of the 

 liver, by milk of a cow that feedeth but upon certain 

 herbs ; and honey in Spain smelleth apparently of 

 the rosemary, or orange, from whence the bee ga- 

 thereth it : and there is an old tradition of a maiden 

 that was fed with &quot; napellus ;&quot; which is counted 

 the strongest poison of all vegetables, which with 

 use did not hurt the maid, but poisoned some that 

 had carnal company with her. So it is observed by 

 some, that there is a virtuous bezoar, and another 

 without virtue, which appear to the shew alike : but 

 the virtuous is taken from the beast that feedeth 

 upon the mountains, where there are theriacal herbs, 



