BALSAM. 257 



commonly see pictures of their ancient people with flowers LlB- 1V&amp;gt; 

 in their hands, as heere they paint people with gloves in 

 their hands. I thinke this sufficient touching flowers. They 

 vse basil for the same purpose of perfume and recreation, 

 although it is no flower, but an hearbe onely, which they 

 were wont to plant carefully in their gar dins, but now they 

 regard it not, so as it growes onely about their pooles and 

 ponds. 



CHAP, xxvin. Of Balsam. 



The Soveraigne Creator hath not onely fashioned plants 

 to serve as meat, but also for recreation, for phisicke, and 

 for the cure of man. I have spoken somewhat of those 

 that serve for nourishment, which is the chiefe, and a little 

 of those that serve for recreation, and now we are to intreate 

 of those which are proper for phisicke, wherein I will speake 

 something. And although all plants are medicinall when 

 they are well knowne and applied, yet there are some things 

 especially, which wee see directly ordained by the Creator 

 for phisicke, and for the health of man, as liquors, oiles, 

 gummes, and rozines, which come from divers plants and 

 hearbes, and which easily shew by experience whereto they 

 are proper. Above all, balsam is with reason esteemed for 

 the excellent smell, but much more for the exquisite effect 

 it hath to cure woundes and divers other remedies, as 

 experience hath taught in the cure of diseases. The balsam 

 which comes from the West Indies is not of the same kind 

 of true balsam which they bring from Alexandria or Cairo, 

 and in old time was in ludea, which ludea (as Plinie writeth) 

 did of all the world possesse this greatnesse, vntill the 

 Emperor Yespasian broght it to Rome and into Italie. The 

 reason why I say the liquor of the one and the other are 

 not of one kinde, is for that the trees from whence it 

 comes are very different; for the balsam tree of Palestine 



