50 - Pearls, 



and when time commeth, labour to be delivered 

 hereof ; and the fruit of these shell-fishes are the 

 Pearls, better or worse, great or small, according 

 to the qualitie and quantitie of the dew which 

 they received. For if the dew were pure and 

 cleare which went into them, then are the Pearles 

 white, faire, and orient ; if grosse and troubled, 

 the Pearles likewise are dimme, foule and duskish ; 

 pale (I say) they are, if the weather were close, 

 darke, and threatning raine in the time of their 

 conception. Whereby, no doubt, it is apparent 

 and plaine that they participate more of the aire 

 and skie, than ot the water and the sea ; for, ac- 

 cording as the morning is faire, so are they cleare ; 

 otherwise, if it were mistie and cloudie, they also 

 will be thicke and muddie in colour. If they may 

 have their full time and season to feed, the Pearles 

 also will thrive and grow bigge ; but if in the time 

 it chaunce to lighten, then they close their shells 

 togither, and for want of nourishment are kept 

 hungrie and fasting, and so the Pearles keepe at a 

 stay and prosper not accordingly. But if it thun- 

 der withail, then sodainly they shut hard at once, 

 and breed onely those excrescences which be called 

 Physemata, like unto bladders puft up and hooved 

 with wind, ond no corporall substance at all ; and 

 these are the abortive and untimely fruits of 

 these shell-fishes. Now those that have their full 



