Plinies Natural Hiftorie. 



A a thing that ye (hall not lightly fee in any others of that kind. As for thdfe Date trees which have 

 broader leavesj& the fame foft and pliablej very good to make windings to bind vines and (uch 

 likCjthcy be named by the Greekes Chamseropes.Great abundance there is of them in Creta, 

 but more in Sicily. Tlie wood of Date trees yeeldetheoales, that in the burning will keepcfire 

 long: howbeit a dead flame it is that they make,and nothing quickc. As touching thofe that be 

 fruitfull, fome bearc Dares witha lliort itone or kernell within ; others with a longer .-thcfe are 

 more foft^thoie be harder. Some carie a kernell of a boniefubftance, hkethe moonc croiflanr, 

 which many are wont to polifh with fome tooth, and in a kind of religion arc perfuaded^ that it 

 is good againft witchcraftjand is of vertue to procure womenslove.Some of chefe (iones be clad 

 and covered with many skins or pelliclesjand others with fewer : ye fliall have in this Dare^ thole 



B tunicles thicke and grolTe 5 in thatjthinner and more fine. In fumme, if a man would fearch into 

 them particularlyjhefhould find fiftiefundrie forts of Dates faveone^ with leverallllrange, and 

 bbrbarous namesj^c as many different wines made of them. But the principal! & moff excellent 

 of all the rertjfurnamed Roiall Dates, for that they were referved for the kings owne mouth of 

 Perfiaj were known to grow no where els but in Babylon, and in one hortyard or parke only of a 

 Bagous (for fo they life to call their cunuches or guelded perfons,and fuch in times paft leigned 

 as KK. over them :) and this parke was evermore annexed to the crown5and went witii the Roiall 

 Iceptetjasachiefe demaine of the Empire, and pafled from one prince to another by fuccef- 

 iion. But in the South countries and meridionall parts of the world,the Dates furnamed Syagri 

 are highly commended above all others, and moil eiieemed : and next to them, thofc which be 



C called iVlargandes, are in account and good requell: ; Thefe be (hortjwhiiCjand roundanore iike 

 in forme co berries and iiide buttons, than to maft-fruic and Dates indeed: wherupon they took 

 their name of Pear]s,which they do refemble. It is reported, that in the citie Ghor2>therc is one 

 of thefe trees which beareth Dates like to Pearles ; as alfo another that caricth the Dates Syagri, 

 I my felfe verily have heard ftraunge things of this kind of tree,, and namely in regard of the bird 

 Phoenix, which is (uppoied to have taken that name of this Date tree [called in Greek (^oivi|] 

 for it wasaflurcd unto me, thaithefaidbirddied with that tree, and revived of iiielfcasthe tree 

 Iprung againe.Now at the very time that I wrote thisHifforieof Natures workes, Ifaw thcfamc 

 treewithfruituponit;theDatethatitbearethisgreat,hardj rough in handling, and inrafl rc- 

 lemblingfome harfh and wild fruitj fane different from other kinds of Dates : in fuch fort, as I 



D wondred not at the name of Syagros, fo like it.iafted to the flefli and venifon of a wild Bore in 

 the forreffjthat commeth to our board. In a faiwth rank of Dates for goodnes,are to be raungcd 

 thofe which they call Sandalides,for the relemblance of flippers or pantcfles which iheyufed 

 in old time,named Sandalio . But in thefe daies they bee as rare, as otherwife pleafant , fb that 

 vsithin the bounds of Ethiopia (a wonderful! iDatter) there be not above five of them to be 

 found. After the Sandalides, the Dates Caryor32 are in grearefl: requeff : for they bee not onely 

 good to eat, but alfo a wine is macje of their juice, which they yeeld in great abundance : for all 

 the people oftheEafl: make theirfpecialldrinke thereof. But true it is, that this kindofwine is 

 hurtfull to the head, and therupon the Greeks gave it that name. Now as thefe countries above- 

 faid doe affourd plentie of Date trees, and the fame fruitful! enough, fo lurie alone carrieth the 



E name and the praifc for goodnes of Dates 5 and not alllurie neither,but the territorie about Je- 

 richo elpecially: and yet I muft needs fay, that there be gathered very good Dates in tlie vales 

 ■ of lury, which be named Archelais, Phafelis,and Livias. And thefe Dates of lurie, have this.ef^ 

 peciall propertieabove allQthers,Tobcfull of afatwhiteliquorreiembling milke, which hath 

 a certaine talf of v-^ine^and is exceedingfwectandpleafant withal! like honey . The drier kind of 

 thefe Dates be thofe that tooke name of one N/ccUs^and were called Nicolai : pafTing faire and 

 great they be above all others by farre; for foure of thcmjaid inarankeone at theend of ano- 

 ther,will make a cubitin length. Other Dates there be, not fo faire to the eye as thefe C aryotze, 

 butfurely for pleafant taft they may be welhheir fiffers, like as they bee called thereupon Adcl- 

 phides. And a third kind there be of the famq.Caryotc-e, which they commonly callPateton: 



F over-full they are of liquor, and fodrunkc (as a man would fay) with their owne juice, that they 

 burff even as they hang upon the tree their mother, yeelding tlieir wine in that manner of their 

 owne accord,asif tlqey were troden with mens feet in a wine-preffc ^and thereupon they got that 

 name. Another kind there is yet by it felfe,of thofe Dates that be drier than the reft, and they be 

 very long and llender, yea and otherwhilcs not ftreight, but bending and crooked . As foi thofe 

 > El ij ' which 



