Plinies Naturall Hiftorie, 



A father J or yoii rather^that for fix trees bid loo millions of Sefterces ? Nowj if a man teedefirous 

 to knowj what thefe trees might be ? truly they wereno other but fixe Lote trees, very faire "and 

 bcauiifull indeedj but there was nothing in them commendable/ave only their Ipreading & ca- 

 • fting a goodly (hade. And verily jC^ci;;^ Largm^ a Nobleman & principall citizen of RomCjUfed 

 many atinie and often (I remember well) tofliew mewhen I was ayoungman, thofc trees about 

 his houfc. And fince our fpeech hath been of fuch trees as live very long5thefe I wote well jconti- 

 nuedforthefpace of i8o,yeares after Cr4/%deathjUnto the great fire chat iVfri?caufed to bee 

 made for toburne Romejfrefh and greene they were with good keeping jand looked young fiill^ 

 like to have lived many a faire day more, had not that Prince haftened the untimely death even 

 of trees alfo[as well as of cittizens.]Now Icaft any man ihould thinke^that all die fumptuofitie of 



B CYAffii^ confifted onely in thoft treeSjand that the furniture otherwife of his houfe was but mean 

 and fimplcjand could miniftcr unto Domitimno matter of fuch cootcfting and reproofe, difpo- 

 fed as he was to quarrell and find fault : Know he thus much,That the faid Crajjm had before that 

 time fet up in the open hall of that houfcjlbure goodly pillars of Hymettian Marble j which in 

 the yearc of his^dilcfliip were brought abroad to enrich and beautifie the Theatre,, the Stage 

 and Shcw-placc of the folcmnc plaies by him fet out : focas yet there had not been in publicke 

 place at Rome any marble pillar fcene. Loe how lately is come up this excefiivc expence in rich 

 and glorious building,fo common in thefe daies.See(I(ay)how in thofetimes^faire trees beauti- 

 fied pallaces more than any thing elfcjinfomuch, 3iSDmitmiox\hQ want of fix trees onely^ 

 would not ft and to the price that himfelfc firft madejn& not to buy his very enemie out of houle 



C and home with ir.But no marvcll if trees were accounted of fo highly ,feeing thais our anceftors 

 in old time thought not Icorne to take otheiwhiles theirfurnames from them. Tjhus that brave 

 and valiant fouldiour came to be named Fronditim^ who (maugre the beard of Amihdt) fwuni 

 over the river Vukurnus, with a chaplet of greeneleaves (anfwereable to his name) fet upon his 

 headland performed many feats of armes and worthie exploits againil him.Thus they of the no- 

 ble Licimmizm^AZ had for their addition Siolom (that is to fay, the unprofitable watcrfhoots 

 that put forth from the root or tree it felfejand never prove or come to any good.) And why fo > 

 For that one of the faid houfe devifed the meanes to cleanfe trees and vines of fuch fuperfluous 

 twigs(thepra6tife and feat of cutting which awayJscalledPampinatio) and thereupon was one 

 Licmm firfi furnamed Stolo. Moreover, our predeceffors in auncient time made good fl:atutes 



D and ordinances for the maiptenance of trees : and expreflcly provided it was by the lawes of the 

 twelveTables at RomCjin thefe words, ihal rvhojocvcr m^de ivilfullxvup^snd cut downe any trees 

 growing in amther mans ground ^^hould bepdmd in the court for a trefpa(^€ doKS\and forfeit for every 

 fuch tree jive and twentie found of brafje money. i3ut what fhouid we thinke of this ? Did thofc law- 

 makersjtrowyeejfuppofe or imagine that other wild trees would ever havegrowneto that high 

 reckoning abovenamcd, and which now they are come unto, who valued fruitfull trees at noi 

 greater price, & fet the penaltie for the trefpafle, fo low ? But never marvell we any more hereatj 

 confidering to what a proportion Apple-trees and fuch like are rifen unto. For there bee many 

 of them here about the citic of Rome,in the villages near adjoining,which are fet for ayearly rent 

 of two thoufand Seilerccs j and one ot them yeeldeth more profit and revenue by the year to the 



E -(ownerjthanapretiefermeintimespaftof good domaine, to the landlord. Hereupon came the 

 invention of grafting trees: for this purpofe have wee fuchbaftard fruits entermingled one with 

 anothetjof lundrie kinds ; as if Apples and other fruits were not for poore men to eat, but grew 

 onely for the rich.Hence forward now therefore will we fhew the right,perfiic^and abfolutc man- 

 ner how to order and chcrifh them,that it may appeare by what meanes elpecially, fuch annual! 

 commoditiecan bee made of ihem,as is beforelaid. For the better performance of which dif- 

 courfCjl meane to leave the common and ordinarie wayj neither will 1 handle the ufuall and vul- 

 gar manner of that point in husbandrie,whercin every man is pcrfed, and whereof no man ma- 

 kethqueffion: but deliver fuch matters onely, as be uncertaineanddoubtfull, whereby often- 

 times folkeare deceived and beguiled. For, to brcakc my head or bufie my btaines in needlcffe 



F trifles,and therein to affe(3: a kind of curiofiticjwas never my manner yetpor is it any part of my 

 meaning and intention now.Bui before I doc enter into particulars,my purpofeis to treat in ge- 

 neralitie of this matter, and touch breefely the confideration of heaven and earth both, fofarrc 

 forth as may concerne in common all kinds of trees whatfoev€r« 



Chap. 



