F^lihies Naturall Hiftdhe. 



/\ hiinHred and fifa'e fold againc. The Procurator gcnerall of th at prdvince under AuguHm C^sfir^ 

 fcnt from thence imto hini one plant thereof (a wondroos thing and incredible to be reported) 

 whith hadlittle under 400 ftrawesfpringing from one grainej& mcetingall in one and the fame 

 root: as it appeateth upon records by thcletterslentj teftifying nokfle . Likewife to the Enipe- 

 rour Nero he lent 340 ftrawes out of the fame countrey, rifing al! irom one oitcly cornc .But to 

 goc no farther than to Sicilie; within the tcrritorie about Leontiunij therehave been certaine 

 fields knovsnCjVvherein one gtaine puttcth forth no fewer than a hund 



them: and not there onely, but alfo in many other parts of that Ifland .And this is ordinarie 

 throughoutallthekingdomeof Granadc5and Andalufiain Spaine. But above all, tlieland of 

 ^gyptmaymakeboaftin rendringfuchiniereftto the husbandmen ; Moreover, of all thofe 



B kinds of wheat which are fo plentifully there is principall account made of that vshkh braun- 

 cheth; as alfo ofanothcr which men call Centegranum, /.the wheat that bcarcthioo graines^ 

 To leave this kind of gt ainc, and to come to Pulfe : there hath been found in Italie^ and goa 

 no farther, one beaneftalke laden with an hundred beanes. Touching Summer come, to wit, 

 SefamajMilletjandPanicke^we have alreadic fpoken. Asfor Sefamajitcommethfrom thelndi- 

 ansjwhercofthey make a certaine kind of oile. The colour of this graine is white . Like unto it 

 there is another grain called Eryfiniimj which is rife in Afia and Gtecce : and I would fay i^ were 



* the very fame, that with us in Latinc is named Irio^but that it is more oleous and fattie i and in- 

 deed to be counted a medicinable or Phyficall plant, rather than a kind of come. Of the fame 

 nature, is that which the Grcekes call Hormium: it refembleth Cumin, and is ufuaily fowed 



C with Sefama : howbeit no beaft will cat thereof while it is greene^no more than they doe of Irio 

 aforefaid* 



To come now to the manner of husking and cicanfing of corn:thefcatisnotroeafilydone 

 in all, as in fomej for in Tuieane,thcy take the cares of their red wheat called Far, when tliey be 

 parched and dried at the fire, they pound or bray them witha peftill headed at the nether en<j 

 with yron,or elie fiftulous and hollow within^yet bound about with a hoopc or ring of yron,and 

 the fame withinforth toodied in manner of a ihuciCo as if they be not h&edf ull in the ftamping, 

 theyron-workc at the peftill end will either cut the comes in twainCjOr els bruic and brealv them 

 clcancln Italie(for tlie moil part)they ule a rude or, plain peftilljUot beaded with yron,to huske 

 and drelTe their corne ; or els cettaine wheels that are turned and driven apace with water,which 

 D going very fvVift doe alfo grind the faid corne , But lince wee are falne into this treatife concer- 

 ning husking and grinding of corne,it fhall not be amiflefor to let downe the opinion and refo- 



' lution of M.go in tiiisbehalfe : Firil, for common wheat he giveth order,thatit be well ftceped 

 and fokcd in good (lore of water 5 after\vgrds,to be rid from the hulls and eiles that it hath, in a 

 mortar : which done,it ought to be dried in the funne, and followed a fecond time with a petiiih 

 In like mannier (faith he)fhould barley be ufed : howbeit, two Sexrars or quarts of water will be 

 fufficient to befprinkle and wet tweniie Sexrars of barley. Asfor Lcniils, hee would have thcni 

 fiift parched and dried, andthenlightly punned or itamped togicherAvith brans: or els to put 

 unto twentieSextars thereof, a fragment or pccce of a broken lemeld brick,and halfe aModius 

 or pccke of fand.Ervilc would be clenfed or husked as Lentils be ; but Sefama, after it hath been' 

 E ^ infufcd or fbkcd in bote waietjhce faith, ought to bee laid abroad a funning 5 then to be rubbed 

 hard togithcr 5 afterwards to be put into cold water and therewith covered, foas the hulls or 

 chatfs doc floteandfvnm aloft j which done, to be laid forth a fecond time in the funnc upon lin- 

 ncn clothes, for to drie. Now if all this be not done one thing after ancther<ind diipatched vtfith 

 the more fpeed and haft, it will foone vincw or catch a mouldmelfc, and befides loofe the bright 

 native hew, and looke wan and of a leaden colour. Now,fay that corne be cleanfed and husked, 

 Ibmc one way and fome another, it is ground afterwards in divers forts. If the eares be bolted by 

 themfelves alone for goldfmithsworke, thechatfecomming thereof is called in Latine, Acus; 

 but if it be thrcfhed and beaten upon a paved floore,care,ff rawjand all together (as in moft parts 

 of the world they ufe to doe, for to fodder caitaile or give in provender to horfcs) then it is tear- 



F raedPalearbutthc refufc or chaffe remaining after that Panicke or Sefama bee cleanfed, they 

 call in Latine Appluda, howfoever in other counuies it be otherwife named. 



Tofpeakc mote particularly of Millet, there is great ftorc thereof inCampainc, and there 

 . theyfctmuchby it ;for ofictheymakca kind of whitegrucllor potage; alio the bread thereof 

 is palTing favorie and hveet.The Tarcarians alfo and nations in Sarmatia, f eedmoft of this water 



G c c gruell 



