CHERRY. 77 



Mithridates, whom Cicero considered the greatest mo- 

 narch that ever sat on a throne, and who had vanquished 

 twenty-four nations, whose different languages he had 

 learnt, and spoke with the same ease and fluency as his 

 own, found time to write a treatise on botany in the 

 Greek language. His skill in physic is well known : 

 there is, even at this day, a celebrated antidote, called 

 Mithridate, a particular translation of the account of 

 which will be found in the history of the walnut. 



It was in the 68th year before the birth of Christ, that 

 Lucullus planted the cherry-tree in Italy, which ft was so 

 well stocked," says Pliny, " that in less than twenty-six 

 years after, other lands had cherries, even as far as Bri- 

 tain beyond the Ocean." This would make their intro- 

 duction to England as early as the forty-second year 

 before Christ, although they are generally stated not to 

 have been brought to this country until the early part of 

 the reign of Nero, A.D. 55. 



Some idea may be formed of the Roman gardens, by 

 the luxurious manner in which Lucullus lived in his re- 

 tirement from Rome and the public affairs. He had pas- 

 sages dug under the hills, on the coast of Campania, to 

 convey the sea-water to his house and pleasure grounds, 

 where the fishes flocked in such abundance, that what 

 were found at his death sold for more than twenty-five 

 thousand pounds, Pliny mentions eight kinds of cherries 

 as being cultivated in Italy when he wrote his Natural 

 History, which was about the seventieth year A.D. " The 

 reddest cherries," continues he, " are called apronia ; the 

 blackest, actia ; the Chilian are round. The Julian 

 cherries have a pleasant taste, but are so tender that they 

 must be eaten when gathered, as they will not endure 

 carriage." The Duracine cherries were esteemed the best; 

 but in Picardy the Portugal cherries were most admired. 

 The Macedonian cherries grew on dwarf trees ; and one 



