134 PLANTS IN SCRIPTURE 



which is wild by nature, and wert grafted, contrary to 

 nature, into a good olive tree, how much more shall 

 these which be the natural branches, be grafted into 

 their own olive tree ? " In which place, how answer- 

 able to the doctrine of husbandry this expression of 

 St. Paul is, you will readily apprehend who understand 

 the rules of insition or grafting, and that way of 

 vegetable propagation ; wherein it is contrary to nature, 

 or natural rules which art observeth : viz. to make use 

 of scions more ignoble than the stock, or to graft wild 

 upon domestic and good plants, according as Theo- 

 phrastus hath anciently observed, 1 and, making instance 

 in the olive, hath left this doctrine unto us : urbanum 

 sy/vestribus ut satis oleastris inserere. Nam si e contrario 

 sylvestrem in urbanos sevens, etsi differentia quadam erit, 

 tamen bona frugis arbor nunquam profecto reddetur : 

 which is also agreeable unto our present practice, who 

 graft pears on thorns, and apples upon crabstocks, not 

 using the contrary insition. 2 And when it is said, 

 " how much more shall these, which are the natural 

 branches, be grafted into their own natural olive tree ? " 

 this is also agreeable unto the rule of the same author ; 

 ecru St ySeAnW kyKVTpurjx6% 6/Wcov eis ofxoia, insitio 



1 Dt Causis Plant., lib. i., cap. 7. 



2 See "Observations on Grafting," post, p. 158. 



