Piinies Naturall Hiftbrie. 



A They fend therefore as far as the Helymseans, for a tree named Br iita^ ,\ikc to a fpreading 

 CypreflCj having boughes covered with a whitifh barkcj calling a pleafant f^iielling perfume 

 when it burneth, and highly commended in the chronicles and hWionQoi Ckti dim c^firiot 

 ftraunge vertues and wonderfull properties. For he writeth. That the Parthians tife to put the 

 leaves thereof in their drinke/or to give it a good taft and odoriferous fmell. The odour thereof 

 refembleththeCsedar very much: and the perfume is a fingular remedic againfttheftinking 

 and noifome fumes of other wood.It groweth beyond the great channell of the river Tigris^cal- 

 ledPafitigriSjUpon the mount Zagrusneare unto the citieCitaca. , ; ; 'i,v;/.^ ; 



They fend moreover to the Garmanians for another tree called Strobbsjandallto ii^afe 

 fweet perfumes :but firft they infufe the wood thereof in Date- wine^and then burne it. This is asi 

 B excellent perfume : for it will fill the whole houfe, rifing up to the chambers ak)ft to the arched 

 feelings of the roufe, and returning downeagaine to the very floore and ground beneath ^ moft 

 pleafantly.But it fluffeth a mans headjhowbeic without any paineor achat all. With this per- 

 fume they procure fleepe to fick perfons. And for the traffick of this commoditiejthe merchants 

 meet at the citie Carras^whcre they keepe an ordinariefaire or mart 5 and from thence they went 

 cuftomably toGabbajtwentie daics journey off, where they were wont to have a vent for their 

 merchandife5andtomakereturne;and fo forward into Palei^ineof Syria . But afterwards (as 

 K. luba faith) they began to goe to CharacCjand to the kingdome of the ParthianS;,for the fame 

 purpofe. Formineownepart)Ithinkc rather with Her odom, .Jhzt ihs Arabians traniported 

 thele odours andfpices to the Perfians firfl, before that they went therewith either into Syria or 

 Q ^gypt : and I ground upon the teflimony oiHeradom^v^ho af firmeth^That the Arabians paid 

 every yeare unto the KK. of Perfia the weight of a talent in Frankincenfej for tribute 



Out of Syria they bring backe Storax^ with the acrimonie&hotfmeli whereof, being burnt 

 upon their berths^ they put by and drive away the loathfomnefTe of their ovyne odors^wherwith 

 they are cloyed :for the Arabians ufe no other fucU at all forcheir fires, but.fwectwood. Asfor 

 the Sabieansjthey feeth their meats in the kitchin, fome with the wood of the Incenfe tree, and 

 others with that of Myrrhe ; infomuch as both in citie and coiuntrey their houfes bee full of iht 

 fnoke and fmell thereof^ as if it came from the fa$rifi(j0 Upon the altars.For toquahfie therefore 

 this ordinarie fent of Myrrhe and Frankinccnfe wherewith they are fluffedj they perfume their 

 houfes with Storax,which they burriein Goats skin^.Loe, how there is nople^fcrewhatfoever, 

 D but breedethlothfornneflejifa man continue longtojr.Thefame Storax they life toburnefot 

 the chafing away of Serpents, which in thofe forrctts of fweet trees^are moil rife and common. 



Chap, XViiI. 

 of t he felmtie of K^rahiit, 



N Either Cinamon nor Cafia doe growin Arabia^and yet is it named Happie : iinworthie 

 countreyasitiSiforthatfurname, in that ittaketh it felfe beholden to the godsabovc 

 . therefore, whereas indeed they have greater caufe to thanke the infernall fpintsbepeath. 

 For \vhat hath made Arabia blefTedjrich^andhappiejbutthe fuperfluous expcnlc that .mc^ bs 

 E atj in funerals ? employing thofe fweet odors to burne thebodie.s of the dead, which they knew 

 by good right were due unto the g6ds. And verily it is conftoiitly affirmed b/ them who.a^e ac- 

 quainted well with the worldjandknow what bdongeth to thefe matters That there coipnaeth 

 not fo much Incenfe of one whole yeeres encreafe in Sabajasthe Emperour ^V^^^? /pent in one 

 day, when he burntthe corps of his wife Popjjca, Cafl then, how many fuAerals every yeerc ^fter 

 were made throughdut the world twhatheapes of odours have been beflpyye^in the.hpnc>M^,pf 

 dead bodies : whereas we offeruntothe gods by crum sand grainesonely* And yet whci^^s^en 

 made fupplication unto them withthe oblatiofi of a little cake made of fait and mea|ej)aijjcl.;.np 

 moTc ; they were no leffe propitiaus and mercifull, nay they weje more gp.tip.u^ and faypiy^l^ 

 a great deaie, as may appeare by hiftories. But to returne ^gajne ro Arabi^^theSea cnrichelbit 

 p more than the land, by occafioii of the orient pearles thatityeeldeth and ipj?detli« unto us.And 

 furelyour pleafures^ our delights,and our womfen togithera^reib c^ftly untolu§jthat the^ is not 

 a yeare goeth over our heads, biitwliatin pekries^ perfumes,aod filk^s 5 In^i^^hje Sere^japa that 

 demy 4Iand of Arabia, flandeth us at the leaft inin hundred millions of Seteces^andfo much 

 fetch they from «sin sood money> within theGompaffe of qui ,Empi):e,:But of all this maffe of 

 ...0 ^ Spice 



