

The Garden of p leaf ant Flowers. 4.33 



reddilh on the outlide, and containing within it a bloudy red clammy iuycc, making 

 the vrine of them that eate of than as red as blond, which many feeing, were in doubt 

 of thnnfelues, lell their vrine were not very bloud ; of what fweetnefie, like a figge, 

 in the natural! places, I am not well allured, yet affirmed : but thole that haue beene 

 brought vnto me, whofc colour on the outfide was greenifh, were of a reddifh purple 

 within, and contained within them round, fmall, hard feedc, the tafte was flat, wate- 

 rifti, or inlipide : the roote is neither great, nor difperfeth it felfe very decpe or farre, 

 but Ihooteth many fmall rootes vnder the vppcr cruft of the earth. 



There is a greater kimle hereof, whofe leaues arc twice or thrice as bigge, which ha- 

 uing been often brought vs, will feldome abide more then one Summer with vs, our 

 Winters alwaies rotting the leaues, that it could not be longer kept. 



The Place. 



This Indian Figge tree groweth difperfedly in many places of Ame- 

 rica, generally called the Weft Indies : The greater kinde in the more re- 

 mote and hot Countries, as Mexico, Florida, &c. and in the Bermudas or 

 Summer Iflands, from whence wee haue often had it. The letter in Virgi- 

 nia, and thofe other Countries that are nearer vnto vs, which better endu- 

 rcth with vs. 



The Time. 



It flowreth with vs fometimes in May, or lune ; but (as I faid) the fruit ne- 

 uer commeth to perfection in this Country. 



The Names. 



Diuers doe take it to bee Opuntia Ptinij, whereof hee fpeaketh in the 2 1 . 

 Booke and 17. Chapter of his Naturall Hiftory : but he there faith, Opun- 

 tia is an herbe, fweete and pleafant to be eaten, and that it is a wonder that 

 the roote (hould come from the leafe, and fo to growe ; which words al- 

 though they defcipher out the manner of the growing of this plant, yet be- 

 caufe this is a kinde of tree, and not an herbe, nor to be eaten, it cannot bee 

 the fame : but efpecially becaufe there is an herbe which groweth in the 

 fame manner, or very neare vnto it, one leafe ftanding on the toppe or fide 

 of another, being a Sea plant, fit to be eaten with vinegar and oyle (as many 

 other herbes are that growe in the fait marines, or neare the Sea, whereof 

 Sea Purflane is one) which Clufius calleth Lychen Marinus, and (as Clufius 

 faith) Cortufus very fitly called Opuntia marina, and out of doubt is the ve- 

 rie fame Opuntia that Theopraftus maketh mention of, and Plinie out of 

 him. Our Englifh people in Virginia, and the Bermuda Ifland, where it 

 groweth plentifully, becaufe of the form of the fruit, which is fomewhat like 

 to a Peare, &c not being fo familiarly acquainted with the growing of Figs, 

 fent it vnto vs by the name of the prickly Peare, from which name many 

 haue fuppofed it to be a Peare indeede, but were therein deceiued. 



The Vertues. 



There is no other efpeciall property giuen hereunto, by any that haue 

 written of the Weft Indies, then of the colouring of the vrine, as is be- 

 fore faid. 



CHAP. 

 13 



