104 



COFFEE. COFFEA. 



Natural order, Stellala. A genus of the Pentandrla 

 Monogynia class. 



COFFEE is named after Caffa, in Africa, where it 

 grows abundantly. This berry, which affords such a 

 wholesome and agreeable beverage, is said jto have been 

 drunk from time immemorial in Ethiopia, but for this we 

 have no satisfactory authority ; and as the use of most 

 plants has been accidentally discovered, it is probable 

 that the properties of coffee might have been first found 

 out in the manner related by Chambers, who says that 

 a goatherd having observed that his cattle, after browsing 

 on this tree, would wake and caper all night; this fact the 

 prior of a certain monastery, being informed of it, first tried 

 it on his monks, to prevent their sleeping at matins. 



About the fifteenth century the use of coffee appears to 

 have been introduced from Persia by Gemaleddin, Mufti 

 of Aden, a city near the mouth of the Red Sea. He, 

 finding it dissipate the fumes which oppress the head, 

 give cheerfulness, and prevent sleep, without injury, re- 

 commended it to his dervises,with whom he used to spend 

 the night in prayer. It was soon after this drunk at 

 Aden by all studious persons and those who travelled by 

 night. It was progressively used at Mecca, Medina, &c. 

 and Grand Cairo : hence it continued its progress to Da- 

 mascus and Aleppo. From the two latter places, it was 

 introduced into Constantinople by persons of the name of 



