Plimes Naturall Hiftorie. 



A braunches immediately from the footjof a (pan or nine inches long : very proper and handfome 

 to draw workesjOr to clad arbours withall in a garden^ alfo to make guirlands and chaplets. The 

 leaves are more lharpe and pointed/ofter alfo and whiter than thofe of the My rtle, yeajSc have 

 within them a bigger grain or feed^of colour red.Great plentie tberof groweth upon die moun- 

 taine Ida3likewile aboucHeraclea in Pontiis : andin oi-ie word^never but p hlllie and aiouotaiRfi 

 countries. * 



- ... Asfor the hearbeDaphnoeidcsor Laureola^it hath many. narhes.For feme tearme itPelaf- 

 gvuTijOthersEupetalonjancltherearc againewhowouldhaveittobeSreph.inos Alexandn[/.4- 

 /^^-^Wffjchaplet.] This plant alfo is full of branchesjcarying a thicker and fofter leafe than the 

 common Lawrell : and if a man taft therof^it will fet both the mouth and alfo the throat on a 



B ■ thebja:riesthatitbearethbeblackifb5incliningro a kind of red.Ithath been noted and obferved 

 in auncient writerSjthat no kind of Lawrell in old time was to be foun d in the Iflaiod Coi (icai^nd 

 yetin!thefc dales it is there planted, and thriveth weliynough. The Lawrell betokeneth ^e^ccj. 

 ioibmuchjas if a braunch thereof be held outamong armed enemiesjit is a fignc of quietnes.and; 



• ceffation from arms.Moreover,the Romans were wont to fend their milTive letters adorned with 

 Lawrell, when they would give advertifementof fome fpeciall good newes or joifuUviiaorie.- 

 they ufed befides to garnifh therewith their launces^pikes^and fpeares.Theknitches alfo & bun- 

 ches of rodsjborne before grand captaines and generals of the armie5werc beautified and let out 

 wlth'Bay branches. Herewith they fticke and bedecke the bofome of that moft great and gracir 

 dus lustier fo often as there commeth glad tidings of feme late and frefb vi6^:orje. And all this 



G honoris done to the Lawrell, not becaule it is alwaies greene^nor for that it pretendcth and (lie- 

 vf0^ peacejfor in both thefe relpe(|:s the olive is to be preferred before it)but ip this reg.ird Jhat 

 the faireft and goodlieft of them grow upon the mountaine PernalTus j and therefore alfo is it fo 

 2C|ept^ble to Apglio^^oi which#:aufe (as may appeare by i:.B/f//^^tf) the Roman kings in old time 

 wsie aeeulfomed t6 lend great prefents and oblai?ions thither to the temple of Jfotio : or peraH- 

 venture it was in memoriall of ;that ground that bare Lawrell treesjand which according torthe 

 Oraclebf Jpoi/o^xht faid L,Brki^s kilTedjwhen he-intended the publicke freedome of the cittiej 

 and minded to deliver it {ronl the yoke and fervitude of the kings : or haply^becaufe it alone ei- 

 ther fet with the hand before thedores^ or brought into the houle, is not blaftedand iinitten 

 withhghtning. And thefe reafons verily induce me to beleevcj that in times paihhey chofe the 



D Bay tree for their triumphs, before any other : rather than as CMjifJurms would have it, becauic 

 the Lawrell lerved for a folemne perfume^to expiate and alToile the carnage and execution done 

 upoiithe enemies.. And fo farre were men in old time from common uling cither Lawrell ot 

 01ive5& poilutingthefame in any prophane ufc,that they could not be permitted to burn there- 

 ofu-pon their altars when tliey facrificed or offered Incenfe,although it were to doe honor to the 

 gods,and to appeafetheir wrath and indignation. Evident it is^that the Bay tree leaves, by their 

 eriicklingthat they make in the fire, doe put it from them^ andfeemetodeteftandabhorreit. It 

 cureth moreover <thedifc ales of the guts[the Matrice and the Bladder]alfo the lalTitude and wea-. 

 rinelfe-of the finewes. It is repe/rtedjthat Tiberius Cdf xr the Emperor ufed ever to weare a chaplet 

 thereof whenitthunderedjforfeareofbeingftruckenwithlightening. . v 



E " Moreover,certaine ftrange and memorableevents as touching the Bay tree,have happened 

 i^mm-AuguJ{m C£fAr, For Li-vLi Drnfilla ^{\s\\o afterwards by mariage with the faid Jugufimy 

 became Empreflfejarid was honoured with the title of August a) at what time as Aie was affianced 

 and efpoufed to Ctf/irjchaunced as fhe fat ftilljto have an exceeding Hento light into her 

 lap(which an iEgle flying aloft,lei fall from on high) without any hanne at all to the faid pullet. 

 Now when this ladie or princeffeadvifedandconfidered well the Hen, without being aifonied 

 & amazed atfo ftrange and miraculous a fightjfhe perceived that the Hen held in her bill a Law- 

 rell^branchal full of iiay beriies.The Wifards and Soothfaiers were confulted withall about this 

 wonderfuU occurrent,and gave advife in the end to preferve the bird and the b'rood therof : like- 

 wife to fet in the ground the forefaid braunch, and duly to tend and looke unto it. Both the one 

 F and the other was done and executed accordingly,about a cettaine houfeinthc councrie belon- 

 ging to the CdL^ars^ feared upon the river Tyberis, neare the caufey or port- way Flaminia, about 

 nine miles from Rome: which houfe therupon was called, Ad Gallinas,as a.raan would fay, The 

 figne of the Hens.VVelljthe forefaid braunch mightily profpered,and proved afterwards to be a 

 grov^ of Lawrelsjwhich all came from that firfl: ftocke. In proccfle of xxvaZyAuguJim Cafar when 



he 



