^aturall Hijlory : 



There is a Kind of Spongie Excrefcence, which groweth chiefly upcn the 

 Roots of the LaJer-Tree^And fometimes upon Cedar, md other Trees.lt is ve- 

 ry White,and Light, and Friable : Which we call Agarick. It is famous in 

 Phyftck for the Purging of T ough flegme.hnd it is alio an excellent Opener for 

 the Liv *r.;But OrTenfive to the Stcmack And in Tafie it is,at the hxR^Sweet 

 and after £/7f a*. 



We find no Super- Plant, that is a Formed Plant, tut Miflcltoe. They 

 have an idle Tradition,that there is a Bird, called a -Miffs I- End, that feedeth 

 upon a which many times (he cannot difgeft , and fo expelleth is 

 whole with her Excrement : which falling upon a Bow of a _>(r, that hath 

 fome Rift, putteth forth Mifeltoe. But this is a Fable • For it is not 

 probable, that Birds mould feed upon that they cannot difgeft. But allow 

 that,~yet it cannot be for other Reafons : For Firft, it is found but upon cer- 

 tain Trees -, And thofe T rees bear no fuch Fruit fis may allure that Bird to fit 

 and feed upon them. It may be, that Bird feedeth upon the Mifeltoe- Berries 

 andfo is often found there ^ Which may have given cccaficn to the Tale. 

 But that which maketh an End of the Queftion, is, that Mifeltae hath been 

 found to put forth under the Boughes, md not (only) above the Boughes i So 

 it cannot be any Thing that falleth upon the Bough. Mifteltoe groweth chief- 

 ly upon Crab-T rees, Apple-T rees, fometimes upon Hafles •, A nd rarely upon 

 Oakes ; The Miffeltoe whereof is counted very MedicinatL It is ever green, 

 Winter and Summer $ And bearethaW#/tt G lifer ing Berry And it is a 

 Plant, utterly differing from the P lam upon which it groweth. Two things 

 therefore may be certainly fet down : Firft, that Super-f station muff be by 

 Abundance <jt'Sap,\n the Bough that putteth it forth : Secondly, that that Sap 

 muff be fucb, as the Tree doth excerne, and cannot affimilate ; For elfe it 

 would go into a Bough 5 And befides, it feemeth to be more Fat and Un- 

 ctuous,than the Ordinary Sap of the Tree y Both by the _?«ry,which is Clam- 

 mie -, And by that it continueth green, Winter and Summer, which the 

 Tm'doth not. 



This Experiment of Mifeltoe may give Light to other Practices. There- 

 fore Triall would be made, by Ripping of the Bough of a Crab-Tree, in the 

 Bark •, And Wiring of the Wound every Day, with Warme Water Dunged, 

 tofeeifit would bring forth Mijjeltoe, or 'any fuch like Thing. But it were J 

 yet more likely to trie it, with fome other Watring or Anointing, that were 

 not fo Naturall to the T ree, as Water Is 5, As Oyl, or Bar me of Drink, &c. 

 So they be fuch Things as kill not the Bough. 



It were good to trie, what Plants would put forth, if they be forbidden 

 to put forth their Natur all Boughs : Poll therefore a Tree, and cover it, fome 

 thicknefs,with Clay on the Top ^ And fee what it will put forth. I fuppofe 

 it will put forth Roots For fo will a Cions^ being turned down into Clay : 

 Therefore, in this Experiment alio, the Tree would be clofed with fome- 

 what, that is not fo Naturall to the Plant, 2s Clay is. Trie it with Leather, or 

 Cloth, or Painting, fo it be not hur tfull to the T ree. And itis certain, that a 

 Brake hath been known to grow out of a Pollard. 



A Man may count the Prickles of T rees to be a kind of F xcrefcence, For 

 they will never be Boughes, nor bear Leaves. The Plants that have Prickles, 

 are Thornes, bhek and white - ? Brier Roje- Limon-T rees % Crab-Trees-^ cofe- 

 Berry, Berbery ; Thefe have it in the Bough ; The Plants that have Prickles in 

 the Leafe^ie^ Holly-ffuniper-, Whw-brtfl) • Thiflle Nettles alfo have a fmall 

 Venemous Pmi/^'Sohath Borr age, but harmelefs. The Caufe muft be Ha- 

 fie Putting forth h Want of Moifiure •, And the Clofenefoi' the Barke ; For 

 tn e 



