Plinies Natural! Hiftonea 



A time being within the common baineSjthey were skarcd with the crackc that the ^oorc gave, 

 and ran forth fpeediJy, before all fell, l^inesj Pitch treesjandAllar, are very good for to make 

 pumps and conduit-pipes to convey water 5 and for thispurpofe their wood is boared hollow: 

 lying buried under the ground, they will continue many a yeare found and goodi let them be 

 iHicovered without any mould and lie above-ground, they will quickely decay. But ifwatcr alfo 



' ftand above the wood, a wonder it is to fee how they will harden therewith and endure. Fine or 

 ' Dealewood, is of all other fureft and ftrongcft forroufes above head : the fame alio is palling 

 good for dorc leavcs/or bolts and barres : alio in all feelings and wainfcot whatioever it be, whe- 

 ther GrcekidijGampainCi or Sicilian, it is the beft, arid maketh very faire worke . Amanihall 

 fee the fine (havings thereof runalwaies round and winding, like the tendrils 5f a vine , as the 



B loyner runneth over the painels and quarters with his plainer. Moreover, the timber of it is 

 commendable for coches and chariots. And there is not a wood that maketh a better arid ftron- 

 ger joynt with glew, than it doth : infomuchj as the found planke will iboner cleave in any othe s 

 place, than in the joynt where it was glcwed. 



Chap, XLiit. 

 ?^ of gleivin^ timber :$f rent^ cUvcn^nd farvcupainelL • 



Rcat cunning there is in making ftrong glew, and in the feat of joy ning with it^ as well in 

 J regard of feelings and wainskot made ot thin bourd and painell, as of marquetrie & other 



C inlaid workes: and for this purpofejioyners doe chufe the miftrellethrcadiegraine that is 

 moft ftrcight, which fome call the Fertill veine, bccaufe ordinarily it breedeth others ; arid yee 

 fhallfeeit braunchingandcurled,as ifitfhedteares andthofe trickling downc. In every kind of 

 wood whatfoe ver, the crifped graine will not take glew and bear a joynt. Some wood it is impof- 

 fibletoglewand joyne,withpeecesof their owne kind, much leffe of other woodjas thehard 

 oke Robur. And lightly yee lliall not have peeces of a divers naturCjknit and unite well in a joint, 

 no more than if a man fhould goe about to glew and joyne ftonc & wood together.The Servile 

 tree wood cannot in any wile fort in a joynt with the Corneill wood 5 no more can the Home- 

 beamc and the Box ; after them, theTillet or Linden wood may hardly away with his fbcietie.To 

 Ipeake generally, whatfoever wood is gentle and apt to bend, (fuch as we call pliant) the fame is 



D good and eafie to bee wrought to any worke that a man would haves to which,you may put the 

 Myrde and wild Fig-tree. Durable and handfome withall, cither to bee cut,fquared, cloven, or 

 fawen, are all ihofe kinds ofwood which be by nature moift. Asfordrie peeces of nmber, they 

 givenotwayfo fafttothefaWjasgreene:andyetyou muft except the Oke and the Box wood, 

 which although they be greene,doeftiffelywithfl:and the fa w-gate, choking and filling up theic 

 teeth even 5 by which meanes the flit is hindred, and the worke goeth not forward : which is the 

 caufe alfo that the lawyers draw up and let downe the (aw twice, before the teeth fend from them 

 any du(t into the pit. Asfor the A('h,it is moft eafie tobe wrought, p ut u to what u(e you will,and 

 maketh the faireft worke : and namely for horfemens ftaves, better it is than Hazelljlighter than 

 the Corneil,and more gende and pliable than the Serviie wood. The French white Afh, it will 



E bend well for cart-thills and fellies. The Elme would be very like vine- wood, but that it is more 

 ponderous and heavie. The Beech is eafie to bee wrought into any forme, brittle though it be' 

 and tender : yet thereof are made fine trenchers, thm flimdlesjand fuch like,as will wind & bend 

 every way : and therefore it is the only wood commendable for to make pretie caskets, paniers, 

 andboxes.Themaft-Holmealfomaybe cut into fine thin foile or leaves like plates, and thole 

 alfo are of a daintie and pleafant colour: but fingular good is tht wood thereof for fuch things as 

 fret and weare with rubbing, and namely,the axeltrees in wheeles : an(3 as the Holme (I fay) is 

 fit for this purpofe in regard of the hard wood ; fo the Afh likewife,beG^auic it is fo ly th and plia- 

 ble : in which two refpeSs, the Elme is chofcn before them both, Mc^reovcr, the wood of thefe 

 trees before-named, are notable to make many pretie tooles that ferve artistans in their daily 



F worke : and therefore it is commonly faid. That the wood of the wild Olive, Box, maft-Holme, 

 Elmc,and Afh, are excellent good for a^gre-handles and wimble ftocks. Of the fame alfo are 

 made mallets 3 but beetle heads of the bigger fort, of the Pine and Holme, A great rcafon why 

 thefe kinds of wood are the more tough & harder, is when the trees have their right fcafon, and 

 be cut downc in their beft time, rather than coo fooneandbefoic they are cometomaturitie. 



' Vu Thus 



