436 The Garden of p leaf ant Flowers. 



CHAP. CXVIII. 

 Arbor vitce. The tree of life. 



THe tree of life rifeth vp in fome places where it hath flood long, to be a tree of 

 a reafonable great bigneffe and height, couered with a redder barke then any 

 other tree in our Country that I know, the wood whereof is firme and hard, 

 and fpreadeth abroad many armes and branches, which againe fend forth many fmal- 

 ler twigges, bending downewards ; from which twiggy or (lender branches, being 

 flat themfelues like the leaues, come forth on both fides many flat winged leaues, fome- 

 what like vnto Sauine, being fhort and fmall, but not pricking, feeming as if they 

 were brayded or folded like vnto a lace or point, of a darke yellowifh greene colour, 

 abiding greene on the branches Winter and Summer, of a ftrong refinous tafte, not 

 pleafing to moft, but in fome ready to procure carting, yet very cordiall and peclorall 

 alfo to them that can endure it : at the toppes of the branches ftand fmall yellowifh 

 dounie flowers, fet in fmall fcaly heads, wherein lye fmall, long, brownifh feede, 

 which ripen well in many places, and being fowne, doe fpring and bring forth plants, 

 which with fome fmall care will abide the extreameft Winters we haue. 



The Place. 



The firft or originall place where it naturally groweth, as farre as I can 

 learne or vnderftand, is that part of America which the French doe inha- 

 bite, about the riuer of Canada, which is at the backe of Virginia North- 

 ward, and as it feemeth, firft brought by them from thence into Europe, in 

 the time of Francis the firft French King, where it hath fo plentifully en- 

 creafed, and fo largely beene diftributed, that now few Gardens of refpect, 

 either in France, Germany, the Lowe Countries, or England, are without it. 



The Time. 



It flowreth in the end of May, and in lune ; the fruit is ripe in the end 

 of Auguft and September. 



The Names. 



i 



All the Writers that haue written of it, fince it was firft knowne, haue 

 made it to be Thuyce genus, a kinde of Thuya, which Theophraftus compa- 

 reth vnto a Cyprefle tree, in his fifth Book and fifth Chapter : but Omne fi- 

 mile non eft idem, and although it haue fome likenefle, yet I verily beleeue it is 

 proprium fui genus, a proper kinde of it owne, not to bee paralleld with any 

 other. For wee finde but very few trees, herbes, or plants in America, 

 like vnto thofe that growe in Europe, the hither part of Africa, or in the 

 leffer Afia, as experience teftifieth. Some would make it to be Cedrus Lycia, 

 but fo it cannot be. The French that firft brought it, called it Arbor vita, 

 with what reafon or vpon what ground I know not : but euer fince it hath 

 continued vnder the title of the Tree of life. 



The Vertues. 



It hath beene found by often experience, that the leaues hereof chewed 

 in the morning fafting, for fome few dayes together, haue done much good 

 to diuers, that haue beene troubled with mortnefle of breath, and to helpe 

 to expectorate thinne purulentous matter fluffing the lungs. Other proper- 

 ties I haue not heard that it hath ; but doubtleffe, the hot refinous fmell and 



tafte 





