284 S Y L V A BOOK ii 



2. The uses of cork is well known amongst us, 

 both at sea and land, for its resisting both water and 

 air : The fisher-men who deal in nets, and all who 

 deal with liquors, cannot be without it : Ancient 

 persons prefer it before leather for the soles of their 

 shooes, being light, dry, and resisting moisture, 

 whence the Germans name it Pantqf el-holts (slipper- 

 wood) perhaps from the Greek Ilavroc GfytAAoe ; for I 

 find it first applied to that purpose by the Grecian 

 ladies, whence they were call'd light-footed ; I know 

 not whether the epithet do still belong to that sex ; 

 but from them it's likely the Venetian dames took it 

 up for their monstrous choppines ; affecting, or usurp- 

 ing an artificial eminency above men, which nature 

 has denied them. Of one of the sorts of cork are 

 made pretty cups, and other vessels, esteem'd good to 

 drink out of for hectical persons : The Egyptians 

 made their coffins of it, which being lin'd with a 

 resinous composition, preserv'd their dead incorrupt : 

 The poor people in Spain, lay broad planks of it by 

 their beds-side, to tread on (as great persons use Turky 

 and Persian carpets) to defend them from the floor, 

 and sometimes they line or wainscot the walls, and 

 inside of their houses built of stone, with this bark, 

 which renders them very warm, and corrects the 

 moisture of the air : Also they employ it for bee- 

 hives, and to double the insides of their contemplores^ 

 and leather-cases, wherein they put flasquera's with 

 snow to refrigerate their wine. This tree has be- 

 neath the cortex or cork, two other coats, or libri^ of 

 which one is reddish, which they strip from the 

 bole when 'tis fell'd only ; and this bears good price 

 with the tanner ; The rest of the wood is very 

 good firing, and applicable to many other uses of 



