The twelfth Bdoke of 



Anders heartjand fo well he caried it in mcmoriejth at after he had indeed made conqncft of Ara- Q 

 ijia^he fcnt unto the faid Leonides his Tu£or,a ftiip full fraught and charged with Incenfe^ willing 

 him not tofparc,but liberally to beftow upon the gods when hefaerificed^Toreturncagain un- 

 to our hiftoricWhen the Inccnfe is gathcred(as is beforefaid)conveighed it is to SabotajUpoa 

 Cammels backes^and at one gate(ret open for that purpofe)is it brought into the citie. For by 

 law forbidden it is upon paine of deathato take anyother way. Which donc^tbc Priefts tlierc of 

 the god whom they call Sahis^ take the diftnc or tenth part of the Inccnfe^by raeafur e^ and not 



: by weightjand fet it apart for that god.Neither is it lawftill for any man to buy or felijbefpre that 

 dutie be paicd : which fervcth afterwards to fupport certain .publicke ^xpenfes of thecittiCi For 



. all flrangers and travellers within the sonnpairc of ccrt^ine daies journeyjif they come to the ei- 

 tiCjare eourteoufly recGivcdjand liberally entertained at the cpft and«harge*^of the faid god Sa-^ j| 

 bis, Caried forth of thecountrcy it cannot be, but through the Gebanites : and therefore there 

 is a cuftome paiqd unto their king* Thehead citie of that kingdomCjThQmnajis from Ga2a(thG 

 licxt port-tovvneinludaea toward our coaft) leY€iaandjwentie na^ an^ 2 



this way is devided into three(core and two daies jipuEni?s,l>y Cammels, Moreover^ befides the 

 ty :h beforcfaid^thcre be certainc meafures beftowed iipqn the Priefts.to,their owne ulc:& others 

 likewifc to the kings Secretaries and Scribes. And not onely thefe hay^ a fharejbut.airo the Keet 

 perSjScxcons/and Warden§.of the templcjtlie Squires of the be^^Jic^the Guard andPenlioners, 

 the kings officcrs^the PorterSjGroomesjand other reryitourspill and poll^and every one hath a 

 fnarch. Moreover^all the way as they travell : in one place they pay for their waier^in another for 

 fodder and provender,, or elsfor their lodging and ftable-roumea and every whcr^ for one thing > 

 or other they pay toll : fo as the charge of every Camell from thence xp the lea upon C)ur coaft^ ^ 

 commeth to ($S8 deniers : and yet we are not come to an end, of paiments . For our Publicanes 

 and cuftonicrs alfo belonging unto ourEmpire^muft have a fleece for their parts. And iherforc 

 a pound of the b eft Incenle will Goft i ^ deniers : of the fecond i j :and the third i4.VVith us it is 

 mingled and fophifticated with parcels of awhite kind of Rofm which is very like untoii:but 

 the traud is foone foundjby the meanes above Ipecified.The beft Incenfe is tried and knowne by 

 ^thcfernarkcs^'y;^;. Ifit be white, large, brittle^andeafie to take a flame when it comes neare a 

 coaleof fire ; laftofall, if it will not abide the dent of the toothy but fiie in pecces and crumble 

 fooner than luiier the teeth to enter into it- 



Chap. XV. K 



}^ of iMjrrhe^ndtheTreesthatyeeUit, 



SOme have written^ That the Trees vvhich beare the Myrrhcjdoc grow confufedly here and 

 there in the fame woods, among the Incenle Trees : but more there are who afiBrmc, That 

 they grow apart by themfclvcs^ And in truth/ound they are in many quarters of Arabia^as 

 fhall be faid when we treat of the feverall fpecies of My rrhe.Therc is very good My rrhe brought 

 out of the lilands rand the Sabjesjispafle the fcasjand travell as farastotheTrogloditescoun- 

 trcyforit. There is a kind of My rrhe tree planted by mans hand in Hort-yards^ and much pre- 

 ferred it is before the wild that groweth in the woods. Thefe Trees love to bee raked, bared, and L 

 cleanfed about the rootes j they delight (I fay) to have the fuperfluous ipurnes rid away from 

 the root : and the more that the root is cooled, the better thriveth the Tree . The plant groweth 

 ordinarily five cubitcs high, but notalhhat length is it fmooth and without prickes*. the bodie 

 and irunke is hard and wry then^thicker than the Incenfe trees : it is greateft toward theroot,and 

 lb arifeth fmaller and fmallerjtaperwife. Some fay, that the barke is fmooth and even,like unto 

 that of the Arbuie Tree : others againc affirmejthat it is prickly and full of thornes.It hath a leafe 

 like to the Olive, but more criiped and curled, and withall it is in the end fharpe-pointed like a 

 needle. Butking/»^i writeth,thatitbearcththcIeafeof Loveachor Alifanders. Therebe who 

 writCjthat it refembleth the Iuniper,fave onely that it is more rough and befetwithfbarp pricks. 

 And fomc let not to dreame and talke, that both Myrrhe and alfo Incenfe came from one and M 

 ihe fame Tree. Indeedjthe Myrrhe trees are twice cut and launced in one yeare, and at the fame 

 ieafons, as well as the Incenfe trees : but the flit reacheth from the very root up to the boughcsj 

 if they may beare and abide it * Howbeit, before that incifion be madc,they fweat out of them- 

 felves a certaine liquor called Sta^te,which is very good Myrrhc^and none better. As well of this 



frankg 



