296 NATURAL HISTORY. 



in the island Socotra : the herb amaranthus indeed is 

 red all over ; and brazil is red in the wood : and so 

 is red sanders. The tree of the sanguis draconis 

 groweth in the form of a sugar-loaf. It is like that the 

 sap of that plant concocteth in the body of the tree. 

 For we see that grapes and pomegranates are red in 

 the juice, but are green in the tear : and this maketh 

 the tree of sanguis draconis lesser towards the top ; 

 because the juice hasteneth not up ; and besides, it 

 is very astringent ; and therefore of slow motion. 



642. It is reported, that sweet moss, besides that 

 upon the apple trees, groweth likewise sometimes 

 upon poplars ; and yet generally the poplar is a 

 smooth tree of bark, and hath little moss. The moss 

 of the larix-tree burneth also sweet, and sparkleth in 

 the burning. Query of the mosses of odorate trees ; 

 as cedar, cypress, lignum aloes, &c. 



643. The death that is most without pain, hath 

 been noted to be upon the taking of the potion of 

 hemlock ; which in humanity was the form of execu 

 tion of capital offenders in Athens. The poison of 

 the asp, that Cleopatra used, hath some affinity with 

 it. The cause is, for that the torments of death are 

 chiefly raised by the strife of the spirits ; and these 

 vapours quench the spirits by degrees ; like to the 

 death of an extreme old man. I conceive it is less 

 painful than opium, because opium hath parts of 

 heat mixed. 



644. There be fruits that are sweet before they 

 be ripe, as myrobalanes ; so fennel seeds are sweet 

 before they ripen, and after grow spicy. And some 



