124 . DR. G. BIRDWOOD ON THE GENUS BOSWELLIA. 
frankincense; but that which falleth upon the bare ground prooves the weightier. That 
which remaines behind, and stickes to the tree, is parted and scraped off with knives, or 
such like yron tooles, and therefore no marvell if it be full of the shavings of the bark. 
The whole wood or forrest is divided into certaine portions; and every man knowes his 
owne part : nay, there is not one of them that will offer wrong unto another, and encroch 
upon his neighbors. They need not to set any keepers to look unto those trees that be 
eut, for no man will rob from his fellow if he might, so just and true they be in Arabia. 
But, believe me, at Alexandria, where frankincense is tried, refined, and made for sale, 
men cannot look surely ynough to their shops and work-houses, but they will be robbed. 
The workeman that is emploied about it, is all naked, save that he hath a paire of trouses 
or breeches to cover his shame, and those are sowed up and sealed too, for fear of 
thrusting any into them. Hood-winked he is sure enough for seeing the way to and fro, 
and hath a thicke coife or maske about his head, for doubt that he should bestow any in 
mouth or eares. And when these workmen be let forth againe, they be stripped starke 
naked, as ever they were borne, and sent away. Whereby we may see, that the rigor of 
justice cannot strike so great feare into our theeves here, and make us so secure to keepe 
our owne, as among the Sabæans the bare reverence and religion of those woods. Butto 
returne again to our former cuts. "That incense which was let out in summer, they leave 
there under the tree until the autumne, and then they come and gather it. And this is 
most pure, cleane and white. 
** A second vintage and gathering there is in the spring : against which time they cut 
the barks before in the winter, and suffer it to run out until the spring, This comes 
forth red, and is nothing comparable to the former. The better is called Carpheotum ; 
the worse, Dathiatum. Moreover, some say, that the gum which issueth out of the 
young trees is the whiter; but ihat which comes from the old, is more odoriferous. 
There be others also of opinion, that the better incense is in the islands. But King 
Juba doth avouch constantly, that there is none at all in the islands. That which is 
round, like unto a drop, and so hangeth, we call the male incense, whereas in other 
things lightly we name the male, but where there is a female. But folk have a religious 
ceremonie in it, not to use so much as the tearme of the other sexe in giving denomina- 
tion to frankincense. Howbeit, some say that it was called the male for a resemblance 
that it hath to cullions or stones. In very truth, that is held for the cheife and best 
simply, which is fashioned like to the nipples or teats that give milk, standing thick one 
by another: to wit, when the former drop that distilled, hath another presently followeth 
after, and so consequently more unto them, and they all seem to hang together like bigs. 
I read, that every one of these were wout to make a good handfull, namely, when men 
were not so hasty and eager to carry it away, but would give it time and leisure to drop 
softly. When it is gathered in this sort, the Greeks use to call it Stagonias and Atomus; 
but the lesser goblets they name Orobias. As for the small crums or fragments which 
fall off by shaking, we called manna (i.e. Thuris). And yet there be found at this day 
drops of incense that weigh the third part of a pound, that is to say, about thirty-nine 
Roman deniers’. It happened on a time, that King Alexander the Great being then but 
e ! Or rather thirty-three and a scruple. 
