Plinies Natumii Hiftorie. 5ff 



A Poppies dbe {bed their leaves . All pulfe is long in the bloorae^ and naiiiely, Ervile and ihc 

 Cich peafe : but Beanes continue longeft, even for the fpace of fortie daies togi ther. Kdwbeitj 

 every fingle ftalke beareih not bloume fo long : but thus it is, as one hath dons and given overj 

 another beginncth afrefh. Neither bloumeth the whole field all at once, asipiked come doth* 

 Alfo, all kindsof Pulfe doe cod at fundrietimeSj and not upon the fameday : beginning fiift 

 at the bottomCjandfolikewife the flower rifeth up higher by little andlitde. All corne growing 

 in fpike or eare/o foone as it hath done blouming, waxcth big and ftrongjand eonimctli to the 

 maruritie within fortie daies at the fartheft/o doc Beanes alfo : bur the cich peafe rccciveth her 

 full perfedion in very few daies : forfrom the time that it was firflfowed, it. groweth to bee ripe 

 in fortie daies . Myllet/Panicke, SefamCjand all Summer corne^ have theitfull ripenelTe fortie 

 B daies after their blouming. But herein there is great diverfitie, according to the clin^.c and the 

 foile : in which refpeas corne ripeneth fooner or later.For in /Bgypt;,Barly is readie to be reaped 

 in the fm month after itwasfowed, and Wheat in the feventh : but in the region of Hellas in 

 Greecejthe Barley tarieth feven monthsj&inPeloponnefus or Morea.eight.As for Wheat and 

 fuch like hard corne,longer it is ere it be ripe and ready for the fycle. All corne thai groweth aloft 

 upon a ftalke or ftraw, beareth the graines arraunged fpike- wife^and as if they were plaited and 

 braided like a border of haire. In Beane ftalkes^and other fuch likcPulfe,ihe cods grow inaltetr 

 native courfe/ome on the right fidejOthers on theleft^in order. Wheat & fuch likefpiked corne^ 

 withftandthe Winter cold better than Pulfe: butthelcyeeldaftronger food, and fill the bellic 

 fooner. Wheat, Rie^ and fjch likegrainc, are well lapped within man jtunicles. Barley for the 

 Q moil part lieth bare and naked ;fo doth Arincajp.a kind of Rice or Amel-cornejand Oats efpe- 

 cially.The ftraw of Wheat and Rie is commonly taller than that of Barley .But the eiles of Bar» 

 ley are more rough and prickie than thofe of the other.Pol-Wheat,both red and white^yea.and 

 Barley alfo is threfhcd and driven out of the huske upon a floore ; and being thus threfhcd clean 

 and pure;, it is either ground or fowne againe^without any parchingor drying in a furnace. Con- 

 trariwife/hc Beare corne or bearded Wheaf^Far^MilletjandPanicke, cannot pofTibly be made 

 cleanejunleffe they be firft fendged and fo dried. Thefe forts of graine therefore ufe to bee fowed 

 raw and rude with their very huls: like as the Eearecorne or bearded Far, men are wont to keeps 

 ftillencloied within the huske againft feed time^, and never parch or drie it at the fire. Of all the 

 forts of graine before rehearfed. Barley is the lightefl: 3 for a Modius or pecke thereof feldomc 

 D weighech above fifteene pounds : whereas the like meafureof Beanes poifeth two and twentie. 

 The bearded corne Far is yet more ponderous than it: and Wheat more than all the reft. In JE- 

 gypc they ufe to make certain fourmentie meat or naked groats ot a kind of Rice or white Amei- 

 corne,called 01yra;which is among them holden for the third fort of Spike corneJn Gaule like- 

 wife they have a'kindof fourmentie corn or gurts by themfelves^named in their language Brance,^ 

 and with us in Italie and about Rome,Sandalura: this graine is of all others moft neat and faire, 

 and this fingular prbpertic it hath befides different from the reft. That ordinarily in every mea^ 

 fure.called iViodius5it yeeldeth morebread by foure pound weight^than any othercorne husked 

 and drefled in manner aforefaid.Firrm reportech/i har the people of Ron;e for ihxcc hundred 

 years together ,uf^d no other food than the groats made of common Wliear . And as touching 

 £ Wheat, there be many forts thereof, diftinguifhed by the names of the regions and countries 

 vdicre they be found growing.Howbeit/or my part I thinkc verily ^that there is no Wheat in the 

 world comparable to o urs here in Italie.for it furpaffeth all others both in whitencffc and alfo in * For whereas 

 weiglit; by whichtwo markes efpecially^as it isknowne from the rei^/o it is reputed for the veric °„\v\^4r'fiJ5 

 bcff.Andyetifyoutake the Wheat growinginthc mountaine countries of ltalie,thebeft haply dcmkCtxlsn, 

 of forraine regions may match it,3nd that is the W^heat of Boeotia j the pnncipall of all others, [1;^^^^'^ 

 next to it,is that which groweth in Siciliejand then that of Affricke may bee r.uinged in the laft ^'^^ ^^^^^ 

 place : in a third ra'nke is to be reckoned the Thracian and Syrian Wheat;and after tbem the JE- ckou three 

 gyptian,in regard of the* weight that it carieth.Now thefe degrees of weight wee gather by the J^'.'^^ 

 ' proportion affigned to champions and wreftlars, whofe allowance was much like to the liurie them of ihc 

 |5 . given to labourmg horfes, and as much in manner would their paunches both require and re- B^m.^nn^ u 

 ceive: for according as they could eat of the one fort more meafures than of the other,^fo arofc j^^j^^. ^.^creby 

 thefe dift ina degrees in the weight abovefaid. The Greekes make great account of the Wheat k waj coik- 

 growing by Pontus,and highly commend it : but this never cameinto Italie, neither know wee Jj^™;^^^^^^^^ 

 whatit is . The fameGrecians preferred before ail other graine^thefe three forts,to wit,Dracon- than thac 



