CKNTUUY VII. 297 



never ripen to be sweet ; as tamarinds, berberries, 

 crabs, sloes, &c. The cause is, for that the former 

 kind have much and subtle heat, which causeth early 

 sweetness; the latter have a cold and acid juice, 

 which no heat of the sun can sweeten. But as for 

 the myrobalane, it hath parts of contrary natures ; 

 for it is sweet and and yet astringent. 



645. There be few herbs that have a salt taste ; 

 and contrariwise all blood of living creatures hath a 

 saltness. The cause may be, for that salt, though 

 it be the rudiment of life, yet in plants the original 

 taste rernaineth not ; for you shall have them bitter, 

 sour, sweet, biting, but seldom salt ; but in living 

 .creatures, all those high tastes may happen to be 

 sometimes in the humours, but are seldom in the 

 flesh or substance, because it is of a more oily nature ; 

 which is not very susceptible of those tastes, and the 

 saltness itself of blood is but a light and secret salt- 

 ness : and even among plants, some do participate 

 of saltness, as alga marina, samphire, scurvy grass, 

 &c. And they report, there is in some of the Indian 

 seas a swimming plant, which they call salgazus, 

 spreading over the sea in such sort, as one would 

 think it were a meadow. It is certain, that out of 

 the ashes of all plants they extract a salt which they 

 use in medicines. 



646. It is reported by one of the ancients, that 

 there is an herb growing in the water, called lin- 

 costis, which is full of prickles : this herb putteth 

 forth another small herb out of the leaf; which is 



