Plinies Natural! Hiftorie* 5<^7 



A nation ofParthicke bread.But howfocver it be^ the beft bread is ofthe fineft wheat floiitCj tvhich 

 hath pafled through a finall tamis bulter. Some countries there be, that knead their dough with 

 miike or egs 5 others alfo put butter thereto: but thofebcefuch nations as are not troubled with 

 warsjfincc that they can have while to fet their minds on fundrie fores of pai^rie. The Picenes in 

 times paft invented a way by themfelves of making bread j with the very matter or fubdance of 

 the frumcntie Alica ;andfurely thac devife holdeth ftill and is much ufed. The manner thereof 

 is this : They take thcfaid frumentie paft and ftcepe it in water nine daies ; on the tenth day they 

 workeor knead it with the juiceof Raifonsjtothefafhionof aParthickc cake driven thin and 

 broad 3 after this they put it in earthen potSj fet them in ovensforto frieandbake^ that thefaid 

 pots may there brcake in funder : and being thus hard baked, it is not to be eaten unlcfle it be fo* 



B kcd in fomc hquorjwhich ordinarily is milkCjOr mead efpecially. 



TherewercnoBakersknowneatRomeforchefaccof 580 yearesafter thefoundation of the 

 citicj untill the Pcrfian warre. Before that time every Romanccitizen had his owne bread baked 

 at home, and womensworke commonly it was, like as at this day it is in moft countries : for this 

 appcarethbyP/^/»//^-^,whoin hisComoedieentituledAululariajmakcthiTrentionof^Artopiaj *2?^o;r^„^j^^ 

 a baking- pan [which men have ufually in their houfes :] and hereupon is grownc nuich difpute wptam ex profu 

 and controverfiebetweene learned men about this Queftionj Whether that verlewere of that ^'^y*""'^'*'^ 

 Poets making or no ? for certein it is (according to the opinion of ^iteu/^s Cdpii(;)ihat at fueh 

 mens bourds as kept great fioufes and delicate {arc, there was no other bread eaten butfuch as 

 Cookes were wont to make thcm^after the manner of fimncls : for Piftores were thole only then 



p called, who husked and cleanfcd the bearded red wheat named in Latine Far 3 and other Bakers 

 than they,vv'ere there none.Neither had the Romane citizens in ordinaric, any Cookes as theic 

 houQiold fervantSjbut hired them out of the market whenfoevcr they had any meat to dreflc. 



Divers forts of fieves and bulters there be . The Sarce made of horle hairc, was a devifc of 

 the Frenchmen: the tamis raunger for courfe breadj as alfo the fine floure bulter for mancher^ 

 (made both of linnen cloth) the Spaniards invented. In ^Egypt they made them of papyr reed 

 and rufhes.But now that wee arc entrcd (6 far into this matter as touching cornc, I thinke it not 

 amifle before I proceed any farther^tofpeai^Cwith thefirft) of thefrumenciecalled Alica^and the 

 manner thereof, being(as it is)ro excellent and holefomc to be eaten ;and whichjrto doubr^tho- 

 roughout all Italyjbeareth the name for the very beft of all corne whatfoever. Noxjueftioujbuc 



i) there is made thereof in ^Egypt 5 howbeit nothing to the other. In Italy,many places there bee 

 where it is to be hadjas namely in the territories oi Verona andPifa: : but that of Campaineca- 

 rieth the price and praife above all the rcib a champion or plainecountrey this is, for the fpacc 

 of fortic miles lying as a vale under the hills and mountaines, fubjeCt to watery clowds and tem- 

 peftuous winds. The foile of this whole mdc (to fpeake direjflly of the nature thereof and defer 

 no longer) is light and duftiCjif a man refped the upper coat thereofjbut underneath it drinketh 

 in much moifture, whereunto apt it is by reafon of certain fiftulous poroficics therein.like a pu- 

 mifh ftone : in which regard^the mountains commaundingtherepIaines (iii neighbours other- 

 whiles) doe it much good and mend the foile very well ^for many a found diowre(which ordsria- 

 riefallethfrom the hills) paffeth and runneth dirough it,as it were a colander; by means where- 



E of,thc ground ftandeth not drenched and fokcd with water, bur is thereby more pliable & cafie 

 to be tilled.Now this foile having thus received ftore of water, doth not yceld it up againe boi- 

 ling out atany fpringSjbutkeepeth and cherillicth it ftill within , as it were the radicall andnu- 

 ' tritive humour,concoding the fame to a very good temperature. All the yeere long a man fhall 

 fee it fown and ftanding with corn jone or other5for the fame ground beareth one crop of Panick, 

 and two of the red wheat Far : it never refteth but beareth fomewhat : for fay that fomc lands lye 

 fallow betwecn-while,and are notfowed with corne; they yeeldirofes in thefpring of thcmfelves 

 naturally,and thofefar fwecter than the garden rofes:fo fruitfull is it and cannot abide to be idle 

 and do nothing.Hercupon arole the proverb of this land of Czm^Ainz^Th at great erjt ere is there 

 to be found of fweei perfumes and odoriftrou^s ointments ^th an offimpk eykw othtr countries whatfie" 



F And lookc how much this tra<5l of Campain furpaffeth all other lands in goodnefle and fer- 

 tilitic/o much excelleth one quarter ihereot(called in Latine Laboria2,and by the Greeks Plile- 

 gra3um)all the reftjand goeth beyond it felfe. f his plaine aforcfaid named Laboriae, is confined 

 . on both fides with the great caufies or high waies railed by the Confuls, and thereupon called 

 Confularesjthc one goeth from Putcoli jthc other from Cumesjand lead both to Capua. 



Cccij Bui 



