Plinies Naturall Hiftcrie. 487 



A Thctt is no vuood but floceth aloft the water, md waveth in lengtli : like as that part wliicfi is 

 next to the rootjisfarre more weightiCjfetleth fader downe and finketh. Some wood hath no 

 veincs at all, but confiftcth oncly of amecre grainCjftreight andfiiiall in manner of threds : and 

 fuch commonly is cafie to be cloven. There isagainewood which hath nofuch dire6l grain, and 

 that will fooncr breakc out than clcavCjand of this nature is the Olive and Vine- woodi Contra- 

 riwilcj the whole bodie and woodiefubftance of the Fig-tree, is nothing but fldli. The Maft- 

 holmCjCornelljOkCjTretrifoliejMulbcrriejEbeniCjand Lotus, which havenopirh and hiarrow 

 , within^as is beforefaidjarc all heart. All woodfor the moft part turneih to a bLickiih colour. Ihc 

 Cornell tree is of a deepc yellow, whereof arc made the faire Bore-fpeare ftavcs, which fhine 

 againe, and bee ftudded (as it were) with knots^ and chamfred betweene, both for deccncie ansi 



B handfomeneffcTheCedar^Larch^andluniperwoodjisredi 



Chap. xxxi3^. 



J§» Oftk Larch /k Firre^nd the Sapne : the mavner of catting orfdling 



fuch hh trees t 



THere is a female Larch tree which the Grcekcs call ^giS:thewood whereof is of aplei^ 

 fantcolourjhketohonie. Painters have found by experience, that it is excellent good for 

 their tablesjboth for that it is fo even and fmooth, not apt befides to chinke and cleare \ as ; • 

 alfo bccaulc it will endure and laftfor ever. And that part they chufe which is tlie very heart of it^ 

 C and nest the pithjwhich in the Fir tree the Greekes call Lculbn. In hke fort the heart of the Ce- 

 dar is hardeft, which licth next to the pith or marrow abovenamed (much after thd manner of 

 bones in the bodies oflivingcreatures)when the muddiecarnofitie is fcrapcdolf& taken away. 

 The inward part alfo of thcElder by report is wondcrous hard and tough, and they that vci2kQ thcophr4u: 

 thereof ftaves for Borc-lpeares,prefer it before any wood whaifoever.For it ftandcth onely upon "^Nuwh this 

 skin and bonCjihat is to fay^of the rind and heart. uee'^^*^^"' 



As touching the falling and cutting downe of trees, to fer\'eeidier in temples or for other 

 iiles^round and entire as they grow,without any fquaringsasalfofortobark rhem ; the only time 

 and feafon is,when the fap runneth, and that they begin to bud forth : otherwile you fball never 

 be able to get off theirbarkc:forbarkethemnot, they will rot and become worme- eaten under 

 D the faid barke, and the timber withallwaxeduskifh and blacke. Asfortheothertimber that is 

 fquaredv-^iththeaxe, andbythat mcancs rid from the barke, itwould bee fallen or cut downe 

 betwccne mid-winter and the time that the wind Favoniusbioweth:orjif weebce forced to 

 ufe the timber before^ and to prevent that tisnc, trees may be fallen at the letting of the ftar Ar- 

 durusjor of the Harpe ftar before it. Finally ,ihe utmoii and lafl: time thereof is at the Summer 

 Sunficad. Butibrasmuchasmoft men be ignorant of thefefeafons, and know not when thefe 

 ftars abovenamed dpe either rife orfall, I will hereafter fhew the reafon both of the one and the 

 other in place convenient. For this prefent, as touching the time of felling trees, the common 

 fort make no more fcruplejbut thinke it fufficient to obfervCsthai no trees which are to be hewn^ 

 iquare for Carpenters worke be call downe and laid along before they have borne their fruit. As 

 E for the hard and favage Oke,if it bee felled in the Spring,it will be fubjed to tlie worme : but cut 

 it downe in midwinter, it will neither warpe, nor yet cleave and chinke : being otherwile fubjed 

 unto both, namely, as well to caft and twine, as to rift and gape ; a thing inc ident to the Corke 

 •woodjbee it cut downe in as good a feafon as itispofliblc. Moreovetjitpafleth to fee bow much 

 the age of the Mooneavaileth in this cafe. For it is commonly thought^ that timber would Hot 

 be fallen but in the wane, and namely ,in the lafl quartetjfrom the twentieth day of the Moone^ 

 untill the thirtieth. And this is generally received among all good workemen,Thatthe.befl time 

 to cut downe any timber,is in the conjunction of the Moone with the Sunne,even the very day 

 of the changCjbefore the fheweth new. Cmcs^Tiherm Cdfar theEmperour,gave order to fell 

 the Larch trees that came out of Rhoetia jto repaire and rcedifie the bridge that ferved to repre- 

 F fcnt the lliew of a navall battcll upon the water (which fortuned to be confumed with fire) juit at 

 thechaunge of theMoonc.Somcfay,thatwemuii precifelyobfcrvc the point of theconjundii- 

 on,and that the Moone withall be under the earth,when fuch ticesfhould befelled: which can- 

 not be but in the night. But if it fall out befidcs,that this conjunction or change of theMOonc, 

 and thclalt day of the winter Sunftead meet together at oneinftant : the timber then cut downe 



