Plinies Ktaturall Hiftorie« 



A the ordinaric white Foiirmentic wheat Triticumj are the commoneft of all others. And indeed 

 thefe grow all in nloft countries. As for Arinca, it loverh Gaule beftj and that,isthe native and 

 proper countrcyforit ^howbeitjtherc is plentic thereof in Italiealfo. As for Zea^Olyrajand Ty- 

 phejthey be fiindric forts of Wheat and Rie peculiar and appropriate to iEgypi, SyriajCilicia^ 

 Afiajand GreecCiThe ^Egyptians make Of their Wheat a kind of flower or fitted mcalcjbut no- 

 thing comparable to the Italian. Theythatule ZeaorSpeltj have not the hne redwheat.Far, 

 And yet we arc ftorcd therewith in Italie^andmoft of all in Campaine^ where it is called by the 

 general name of Seed.Which name no doubt was given unto it for excellencie and fingulariiiej 

 as fhall be ihcwed anone more at large. This is the very graine for which Homer the Poet called 

 the earth {dJ^oafQ^ Ifi^f «j ^ yeeldjng the come Zea : and not becaiife fhee giVeth life toall living 



B creatures, asforne would have to bee meant by that Epithete. Thereof is made alfoakind of 

 ftarehjbut grofler than the formerjwhereofwefpake before : for.no difference is there elie* Of 

 all kinds of whe.atjFaT(which is taken for the re4 bearded wheatjis moft hardie,& beft refifteth 

 winter cold: it will well abide the coldeft fbilc that is^ and that which is leaft laboiired and tilled : 

 it may endure alfo bote and drieplaces; it yeclded the firft food and meat to our.ai.incient forefa* 

 thers in Laiium yas may appearc by this good argumentjthat pubhcke prefents and rewards by 

 way of remuneration weregiven of Far^which they called Adorea3ashaih binfaidbe-fore.More- 

 ovcrjthatthc Romanes for a long time lived Qfa kind of batter orgrucllmadeofmeaie fodden, 

 and not of breadjis very evident by old records and Chronicles : for even at this day fuch thicke 

 gruels or pottage be called Pulmentaria in Latine. hndEnnm^2. moff auncient Poetjwhcn he 



Q would expteile the famin of a citie that had endured long fiegejreportethjThat the parentstookc 

 by force from their children their fops , notwithif anding they cried pitteoufly for vene hunger^ 

 MoreoverjCven in our time wherein we live, the facred and ceremonious feafis which we oblerve 

 in memoriall of our Birth daies and Nativiticjftandeth much upon FurmentiejGruellj FritterSj 

 and Pancakes. It ieemcthalfo^that our gruels and fuch like ppyage were as much unknowne to 

 Greekcsjas their Polenta or dried groats were if range to us here in Italic.There is no corne more 

 hungrie and grcedieof nouriilimcntjthan Seed[Whcat3]or that draweth more vcrtue & fat out 

 of the eaith for nutriment. As touching the winter grainejcalled in Latinc SiligOgl may be bold 

 to fay jit is the d^iintiefi: and moil delicate wheat that is/or whiteneifej mildnefle_,and li.ghtneffe<i 

 It agreeth well with moiff countries/uch as Italie is^& that part of Gaulecaiied Comaia3?.Lum- 



D bardie. Beyond the Alpes alio in Savoy onelyjand the territotie of the Mc.ninianSjit will endure 

 and hold the owne very well : maric^in other pares of that countrey, within two ycares it turneth 

 into the common wheat.The onely remedie thereforejis to ebufe foorth the heavieff and weigh- 

 tieff cornes^and them to fow. 



Chap. ix. 

 ^ OfPajine^of Grindmg.nndof CMtaU, 



T He beft manchet bread for to fervc the table^is made of the winter white wheat Siligoiand 

 the moft excellent workes of paftrie likewifc are wrought thereof. And yet in ItaliCjit pal- 

 c feth all the reft in cafe that ofCampaine bee blended with another fort which gtoweth a- 

 bout Pifa£:forthe wheat of Campaine is redder, but this of Pifx whiter: and more weightie it 

 isjif It come from a chalkie groundjOr have chalke mingled among. Moreovcrjthis is the oi di- 

 naric proportion,that of the very pure corne oiCampaine wheat^which they call guelciedy.wel 

 husked & cleanfed^a meafure named Modius lliould yeeld fourc fextars or quarts of fine meaie: 

 but ofthc vulgar and common grainejwhich isnotfo gueldedjfivefcxtaresjand halfeaModius 

 befides of boulted flower :andfor a courier houfhold bread, which they call the fecond bread, 

 fourc fextars of mealCj and as many of brans. Alf© of the Pifanc wheatjone Modius fhould yeeld 

 five fextars of good mcale, and the reftcquall to the former. As fortheClofine and Atetine 

 wheatjin every Modius it anfwercth againe fixe fextars of mealejthatis tofay^ene more than the 

 F reft : otherwife they bee all alike. Now if you lift to raungc and boult it for corke flower to iDake 

 bread,yec fhall have of manchet fixieene pound,of courfc houfhold bread thrce^^ halfe a Mo* 

 dius oi brans.But this proportion doth not alwaics hold/or it altereth according to the good or 

 bad grinding upon the mill.For that which is ground driCjrendercth againe mote meale :but if 

 . it be wet or befprinckled with fait water^it makcth the fairer mcakjand fuller of fine flower ; and 



