The twelfth Boolce of 



vetli ? f orfurelyjoF fruitfull trees Italic hath ftoreynough. And what tree lliouM that be,biic the G 

 very Plane? brought firft over the Ionian fea into the IflandDiomedea,for to beautifie the tomb 

 of Dhmedes^iom thence tranflated into SiciliCjand fo befbwcd at length upon Italie^S^ there 

 plantcdjas a moft ringularjuatejand fpeciall tree. But now is it caried at far as Terwin and Tour- 

 nay in Frauncc, where it is counted an appertenance to the very foile that paicth tribute; info- 

 much, as people that will but walkc and refrefli themfelves under the (haddow of it^muil pay a 

 cuftomc thcretorc unto the people of Romc.r)/(7w;/?/^king of Sicilie^andthe firft of that namCa 

 caufed them to be broughtfromRhegium in Calabria to his roiallcittie, where hispallacewas, 

 onely of a fingularitiCjbecaufe they fhould be fecn to give a fbade before his houfe^wherc after- 

 wards was made the CoIIedge or place of publick exercife.But ihefe trees did not greatly like the 

 foilcj for they never grew big, nor profpered to any purpofe. Howbeit, I find in writers, that 

 there were other befides in Italic, and namely about Adria^as alfo in Spaine. And ail this happe- 

 iiccl about the time that Rome was facked by the Gaules.But aftcrwardsthey came to be fo high- 

 ly eft^emedjthat for to make them grow the better^ men would be at the coft to water them with 

 wine : for this was found by experience, that nothing was fo good for them as to poure wine to 

 their roots. Thus have wee taught even our trees alfo to drinke wine, and be drunke. The Plane 

 trees of any great name atfirft^wcre thofe that grqw in the walking place of the Academia in A- 

 thcnsjwhere the root of one outwent the boughs33 ^cubits in length.Now in this age there gro,- 

 weth a famous one in Lycia^ncare unto the high way where men paffe too & fro^Se it hath a plca- 

 fant cold fountain adjoiningto it: the fame is hollow within like to an houfe^& yeeldeth a cave of 

 8 i foot in compafTe; b ut it carieth fuch an head withall like a giove/o large,fo broad^Si fo bran- 

 chedjthat every arm refembleth one entire tree: infomucb^as the fhadc therof takcth up & (prea- I 

 -deth a great way into the fields . And bccaufc in every refpeift, it might refemble a very cab bin 

 and cave indeedjthere are ftonie bankes & feats within^in forme of an arbor round about^madc 

 as it were of pumifh ftone overgrown with mofic. And in truthjthistree andthefituation therof, 

 is foadniirab]c,thatZ/f;>;;>^ tjMuuanm thrice Confulljand lately Lieutenant generall and go- 

 vernour of that province, thoughtthis one thingworihieto be recorded as a mcmoriall to po- 

 ftericiejThat he and eighteen moreperfonsof his companiCjUled to dine and fup within the hol- 

 lovvneflc of that tree r 'whcre the very leaves yceltled of the own fuflficient bed and bench-roume 

 to reft and repofe themfelves: where they.iiright fit fecured from daunger of wind to blow upon 

 them : where whileshefat at meatjhe wimed nothing more than the pleafure to hcarc the (bow- 

 ers of raine to pat drop by drop,and rattle over his headnpon the leaves ;& finally, that he tookc K 

 much more delight to lie within the fame cabbin, than in a (lately chamber built of fine marble, 

 all glorious within with hangings of tapiftrie and needleworkcjof fundrie colours, and thefame 

 (eeled over head with an embowed roofe laid with beaten gold. ^Aoxzosztfi align la the Emperor 

 had fiich anothetPlane tree growing in the countrcy about Velitrae, itioft artificially : wherein he 

 iifcd^o take great plcafurejwith admiration of the fundrie lofts and plankes one over another, 

 the large fettles alfo and fpacious branches tliat the boughs yeelded, where hec was wont to fit 

 at repaftjmaking one of the fifteene guefts.For the roumc was of that capacitiCjihat it would re- 

 ceive not only fo many to fit with eafe at the table^but alfo the gentlemen &fervitors that waited 

 and miniftred unto them: and he tearmcd this flipping place by the name of, Hisneaft:becau(e £^ 

 itfeemed like a birds nci^ in a tree. There is to be ieene at Goriyna,within the Ifland Candie,onc 

 Plane-tree near unto a faire fountain : recorded it is as well by Greeks as Latines in their writings, 

 and by the tcftimonie of them both,never H^eddeth the leaves, but remaineth alwaies greenc,as 

 well in Winter as Summer: by occafion whereof arofe the tale (fo much given is Greece to de- 

 vife fables by and by of every fmall matter)That ////'z/^;- under that tree defloured the young la- 

 ^ic Europa : as if (forfooih) there were no other Tree but it of the fame kind and nature, in Cy- 

 prus. But (as the natute of man is evermore curious, and feeking after novelties)the Candioies, 

 defirous to have of thefame race within Creetjfet many flips thereof in fundrie placcs,asif they 

 longed to have more fuch vicious fruit (asisbeforenamed:) for in very deed that Tree is in no 

 one thing more commendable, thanforexcludingtheheatof the Sunncin Summer, and ad- 

 mitring it in Winter: In the time of Claudius Cdfar^ late Emperour, there was an cnfranchifed 

 ilavebclonging-to MdrallU'St^erninm^ adainticgucldedEunuchofTheflalie, and exceeding 

 rich, who caufedcertaine Plane trees to be brought out of Candie into Italic, lor to plant them 

 at a manor which hec had in the territoric nearetoRome. This freed- Eunuch for to grow into 



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