CHAP, viii S Y L V A 99 



peel'd to lay in the troughs, and impress a fancy in 

 his father-in-law's conceiving ewes, were of this 

 material. The coals are excellent for the smith, 

 being soon kindled, and as soon extinguisht ; but the 

 ashes of chesnut-wood are not convenient to make a 

 lee with, because it is observ'd to stain the linnen. 

 As for the fruit, 'tis better to beat it down from the 

 tree, some little time before they fall off themselves ; 

 thus they will the better keep, or else you must 

 smoke-dry them. But we give that fruit to our 

 swine in England, which is amongst the delicacies of 

 princes in other countries ; and being of the larger 

 nut, is a lusty and masculine food for rusticks at all 

 times ; and of better nourishment for husbandmen 

 than coal, and rusty bacon ; yea, or beans to boot, 

 instead of which, they boil them in Italy with their 

 bacon ; and in Virgil's time, they eat them with 

 milk and cheese. The best tables in France and Italy 

 make them a service, eating them with salt, in wine, 

 or juice of lemmon and sugar ; being first roasted in 

 embers on the chaplet ; and doubtless we might pro- 

 pagate their use amongst our common people, (as of 

 old the BaAavotfxryoi) being a food so cheap, and so 

 lasting. In Italy they also boil them in wine, and 

 then smoke them a little ; these they call anseri or 

 geese, I know not why : Those of Piemont add 

 fennel, cinnamon and nutmeg to their wine, if in water, 

 mollify them with the vapour only ; but first they 

 peel them. Others macerate them in rose-water. 

 The bread of the flower is exceeding nutritive ; 'tis a 

 robust food, and makes women well complexion'd, 

 as I have read in a good author : They also make 

 fritters of chesnut-flower, which they wet with rose- 

 water, and sprinkle with grated parmegiano^ and so 



