8 S Y L V A BOOK i 



almost as great importance to the life and prosperity 

 of trees and vegetables ; and therefore it is to be 

 wish'd for and sought, where they are defective; and 

 which commonly follow, or indicate the nature of 

 the soil, or the soil of them ; (taking soil here promis- 

 cuously for the mould ;) that they be neither too 

 keen or sharp, too cold or hot ; not infected with 

 foggs and poys'nous vapours, or expos'd to sulphurous 

 exhalations, or frigiverous winds, reverberating from 

 hills, and other ill-situate eminencies, pressing down 

 the incumbent particles so tainted, or convey'd 

 through the inclosed valleys : But such as may gently 

 enter and pervade the cenabs and vessels destin'd and 

 appointed for their reception, intromission, respira- 

 tion, and passage, in almost continual motion : In a 

 word, such as is most agreeable to the life of man, 

 the inverted head compared to the root, both vege- 

 tables and animals alike affected with those necessary 

 principles, air and water, soon suffocated and perishable 

 for the want of either, duly qualified with their 

 proper mixts, be it nitre, or any other vegetable 

 matter ; though we neither see, nor distinctly taste 

 it : So as all aquatics, how deeply soever submerged, 

 could not subsist without this active element the air. 

 The same qualification is (as we said) required in 

 water, to which 'tis of so near alliance, and whose 

 office it is, not only to humectate, mollify, and prepare 

 both the seeds, and roots of vegetables, to receive the 

 nutrition, pabulum, and food, of which this of water 

 as well as air, are the proper vehicles, insinuating 

 what they carry into the numerous pores, and 

 through the tubes, canales, and other emulgent 

 passages and percolutions to the several vessels, where 

 (as in a stomach) it is elaborated, concocted, and 



