Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 4.85 



A otteniceffarie implements for countrcylioufesj and to fitthehusbahd-men. Beeiing pilled, 

 they are the fairer and whiter^ morefmooth alfo and gentle in hand^ whereby they are excellent 

 good for the more delicate fort of fuch wicker ware, and better farre than ftubborn leather ; but 

 principally for leaning chaircs^wherein a man or woman may gently take a nap, fitting at cafe 

 andrepofemoftiwcetly. A Willow jthc more thatitiscutor lopt^the better fpring willjt fhoot 

 at rootj and beare the fairer head. Let that which you cut or fhred, be fp little and ihort withall, 

 that it re(em*l)le a mans fift_,rather than a boughjthe thicker yvill it come againe : a tree no doubt 

 that would not be fet in the loweftranke, but be well regarded, howfoever wemakc butbafe rec- 

 koning thereof : for furely there is not a tree for revenue and profit, .more fafc and certaines fbf 

 eoftjlefle chargeable; and for injuric of weather, in better fecuritic ■» Gertes CdtOy aniong the 



B commodities that commend a good ferme or manour^eftccmcth it in the third place, and pre- 

 ferreth the encreafe and benefit thereby, before the gainc that groweihfrom Oliverowes^corne 

 fields, and good medowes.Ya hereof weemuft notinferathativee are notfurnilbed with many 

 other things which will ferve for bands to bind withall jfor we havec^rfiih forts of ^Spart or Spa- 

 niflibroome, wee have Poplars, Elmes^thc Sanguine- fhriibs, Birch^ cloven Rceds^ leaves of 

 Cane j as for example in Liguria : the cuttings alfo of the very Vinc,and Briarsjfo their fharpc 

 pricks be cut away, to tie withall ; yea and th6 Hazell wands alfo, fo they be writhcn and twined's 

 wherein amanmayfeea wondcifullpropCTtic,ThatawDodf1iouldbcftrongerfortobind with- 

 all,when it it is crufhed and bruifed,than whiles it was entire and found. All thefe(I fay)are good 

 for bands, and yet the Willow hath a gift therein; beyond all the rcfl:. The Greek Willow is red, 



C and commonly is fliven for to make withes; The Amerian Ofier is the whiter, but more brittle, 

 and foone wiilcracke, and therefore it is put tothatufe of binding found and whole as it grow- 

 cth,and not cloven through. In Afia,they make account of threefbrts of Willows; the blackc, 

 which they employ to wind and bind withall, fo tough and pliant it is : the whitCj wherewith huf- 

 bandmcn make their wicker panicrs and baskets, with other fuch veflels for their ufc : as for the 

 third, it is the fhorteft of all other, and they call it Helix,or Heliee. With us alfo here in Italic, 

 there be as many kinds, and thofc difiinguiflbcd by their feverall nanles ; the firf^, ^hich is of a 

 dccpe purple colour, they call the free Ofier or Willow ; andthat isfbgood for bands : the fe- 

 cond, which is more thin and flender, is named * Vitelina, for the bright hew that it hath : the • or, Vhellinaih 

 third thatisfmallefl of all three, is the French Willow. ■ -A'l- ■ i.^....x\j:.-Ai rather, for the 



D To come now to the brittle Ruftiesthat grow in marifh grounds^which tcx^txo thatch hou- theydke 

 fcs and to make mats, and the pith whereof when the rind ispiiledi makethwiekc for watch- afegs. 

 candles,and funerall lights to bumc by a dead corps whiles it lieth above ground: they cannot 

 juftly be reckoned in the ranke either of Shrubs, or Brier-bufhcs and Brambles, ne yet of tal! 

 plants growing upwithftems and fialkes, nomorethan among Hearbs and Weeds creeping 

 along the ground J but are to be counted a ieverall kind by it felfe. True it is, that in fome places 

 there are to be found ruflics more ftifFe3hard,atid flrongjthan in others. For not onely mariners 

 and watermen in the river Po doe make failes thereof, but fifhermen alfo of AfFriekin the mains 

 fea : howbeit they hang their failes betweene the mails, from maft to maft, after a prepoflcrous 

 manner contrary to all other. The Mores alfo doe cover their cottages with Bulrufhes landfure- 



E ly if a man looke nearely to the nature of themjthey may feeme to ferve for that ufc which the 

 Papyrreedsintheneather-landofiEgypt are put unto, about the defcent and fall of the river 

 Nilus. 



As touching Brambles,they may goe among the llirubs of the water : fo may the Elders alfo, 

 which confiil of afpongeouskind of mattetj^ yet cannot well be counted among thofe plants 

 which be tearmedFenels-gyant: for furely the Elder ftandeth more upon the wood than they 

 doe. The fhcpheards are verily perfuadcd, that the Elder tree growing in a by-place farre out of 

 the way,and from whence a man cannot hearc a cockc crow out of any towH,raaketh more fhirill 

 pipes and lowder trumpes than ^ ny other. The Brambles beare ccrtainc berries like the Mul- 

 berries, even as the fweet Brier of another kind, which they call Cynosbatos oi the Eglantine, 

 F carrieth the refemblancc of a Rofe. A third (brt there is of Brambles,which the Greeks call Idxz, 

 ofthcmountainelda. This is theRafpis ifmallerit isand more (lender than the reft, with leflfc 

 pricks upon itjandnothingfo fharpe and hooked . The flower of thisRafpisbeeing tempered 

 with honey, is good to be laid to bleared and bloodfhotten eyes 3 as alfo to the wild-fire or dif- 

 eafe called Saint Ant homes fire. Being taken inwardly jand namely drunke with water, it is vcrie 



Tt iij comfor- 



