PImies Naturall Hiftorie. 



A and ricB fbilc is knowrie by flicking to ones fingers jas appcareth plainely in all forts of clay. And 

 verily/io earth doth fill up the trenches even againe^out of which it was caft, tha t th erby a msU 

 might find out whether the ground beefadjor hollow : and generally all forts thereof will caufe 

 yro^i to ruft that iliallbe put into itMorcover^there is no weighing of earth in ball ance^to know 

 by thatmeanes which is.lighter or heavier:for who could polTibly ever fet downe the juft weight 

 that earth fhould have ? Againe, the ground that is caft up into bankes by the overflow of grest 

 rivcrsjis not alwaies commendable: feeing thatfome plants there be thatciecay^if they be let in 

 water. And fay that fome fuch banke were ground good ynough,yet it continucth not fojlong^ 

 unleffe it be for Willowes and Oifiers oncly. But if you would know a rich ground indeed, one 

 of the beft arguments and fignes thereof is this,when you fee it to bring forth a thick and ftrong 

 B haulmeor flraw, fuch as ufually groweth in that noble territorie Laborine within Campaine-, 

 which is of that bignelTe^that the people of the countrey ufe it for fewell in fteed of wood .Now, 

 this ground,fo good as it isjwhere and whenfoever we have found it,is hard ynough to be tilled^ 

 and requircth great labour and husbandrie, putting the poore husbandman to more paines in 

 manner with that goodneffe of it, than polTibly hee could have with any defers and imperfedi- 

 ons thereof. For even the bote earth, called by the name of Carbunculus, which ufeth to burne 

 the corne fowne thereupon^may be helped St renicdied(as it is thought)by fetting it with plants 

 of poore and hungrie Vines.The rough gravell flonc which naturally will crumble as grit,ma- 

 ny waters there be that allow and commend/or Vines. As for r/r^//jhe findeth no fault with the 

 ground that beareth feme and brakcjfbr a Vineyard. The earth that isbrackifli, and ftandeth 

 C much upon faltpetrc, is thought to be more found for many plants than others-, and in regard of 

 vermine that ufe to breed thereinjmuch fafcr alfo. Neither do high bankes and hils remaine un- 

 tilled and naked for want of good husbandrie,iffo be a man have the caft of it.to care and break 

 them up skilfully. As for the plaines, they are not all of them expofed to the Sunne orfubjeato 

 thewind more than need requireth. And to fpcake of froftspiifts and fogs, there be Vines (as 

 we have faid alreadie)which are nouriflied and fed with them. And to conclude,hereby wee may 

 fee,that in every thing there is fome one deepe fccret or other, wherein it behoveth each man tO 

 employ his fpiritandfet his mind for tofcarchthemthroughly and find them out. What fhal! 

 wee fay then to thiSjThat oftentimes thofe things which have been approoved by long experi- 

 encc and many obfctvations,become otherwife, and chaunge their uiuall manner ? In Thcffalie 

 D about Larifla, the whole region j by reafon of a lake that was let out and drained drie, prooved 

 muchcolder.-andcheOlives which there grew before, left bearing and died all,upon it. In like 

 fort,neave unto ^nos,the Vines were all Icorched and burnt, by occafion,ihat the courfe of the 

 river Ebrus was brought neare unto them, an c;ccidenc that beforetimc never befell unto them; 

 Semblablyjabout the citie Philippi,the whole countrey beiing made drie by duces and trenches 

 ariificialljaltered withall the whole difpofition of the aire and weather, and chaunged the verie 

 habiteof the heaven above their heads. But in the territorie of SyracufajtheforraineColoners 

 thatthithercameto inhabiteandpra^lifehusbandriejbyriddingthegroundfromalliheflonesj 

 marred all the corne in the countrevjfo mirie and durtie it was by that meanes,untill fuch time as 

 they were driven to lay the ftones againe where they had them.InSyria,the husbandmen goe 

 E lightly over with their plough jand take no deepe ffitch in making their furrowes/orfeare of the 

 ftonie rocke lying ebbe under the good ground, which in Summer feafon would burne all their 

 grainc and feed fowne there.Now,ihere be certaine parts of the world,where a man fhall fee one 

 and the fame ctfed toproceed both of extreame heat,and alfo of exceffive cold. Thracia is ex- 

 ceeding cold,and thereby plentifuU in corne.Affrickc and ^gypt be as bote, and yet come not 

 afteritforfertilitieinthatkind.hiChalcia, an Ifland belonging to the Rhodians, there is one 

 place above the reft lb fruitfull,that the Barley which wasfowcd in the due time and leafon or the 

 yearcjthey mow once,and prefently put it into the ground againe ; which will be rcadie to be cut 

 downe the fecond time, with other corne in harvcft. In the Venafrane traft within the realme of 

 Naples,the gravellie ground is thought mceteft for Olive trees^ and therin they bear moft plen- 

 p tifully : contrariwife, about Boetica in Spaine, the fatteft foile is beft for that purpofe. The ex-^ 

 ccllent grape that maketh the good Punickc wine/ipeneth foone upon the very rockes : but the 

 Cxcuhc Vines ttand foaked and drenchcd(as it were)in the marifli low grounds of Pomptinuni*- 

 See what a difference, and diverfitie there is in caufes, tomakethisvarietiein fiindrie plots of 

 ground I C^/i?' Fopifiu^ being conventedbefore the Genfors^nd there pleading his caufcj affir* 



