138 I 3\(jSHrall Hiftory : 



j to fome other //^iEfpecially fuch as are Strong ^ As Tarragon. Muftard- 

 I Seed, Rocketed the like.. 



It is ftrange, that i t is generally received, how f°me Poyfonom Beafts affect 

 Odorate and wholfome Herbs-, As that the Snake loveth Fennel-, That the 

 Toad will be much under Sjtge s That Frogs will be in Cinque foile. It may be, 

 it is rather the Shade, or other Covert ure,that they take liking in,than the 

 Vertue of the Herb. 



It were a Matter of great Profit, (fave that I doubt it is too Conjectural 

 to venture upon,)if one could difcerne, what Corn,Herbs, or Fruits, are like 

 to be in Plenty,ov Scar city Joy fome Signes and Prognofiicks , in the Beginning 

 of the Year : For as for thofe,that are like to be in Plentythey may be bar- 

 gained for, upon the Ground ; As the Old Relation was of Thales ; who to 

 fhew how eafie it was for a Philosopher to be rich, when he fore-faw a great 

 Plenty of Olives,m2idt a Monopoly of them. And for Scarcity, Men may make 

 Profit in keeping better the Old Store.Long Continuance of Snow is believed 

 to make a Fruitful Tear of Corn : An Early Winter or a very Late winter , a 

 Barren Tearoi Corn: An Open and Serene winter, an ill Year of Fruit: 

 Thefe we have partly touched before.-But other Prognofticks of like Nature 

 are diligently to be enquired. 



There feem to be, in fome Plants, Singular z'^V^ wherein they differ from 

 all Other j The Olive hath the Oily Part,oncly on the Out-fide-, Whereas all 

 other Fw'tthave it in the Nut or Kernel.Thc Firre hath (in effect) no Stone, 

 Nut,nor Kernel ; Except you will count the little Graines, Kernels. The 

 Pomegranate and Pine-Apple have onely, amongft Fruits , Graines diftincl: in 

 fcveral Cels, No Herbs have Curled Leaves Jdut Cabbage,and Cabbage- Lettuce. 

 None have double Leaves, one belonging to the Stalk, another to the Fruit 

 or Seed, but the Artichoake : No Flower hath that kind of Spread that the 

 wood-bine hath.This may be a largeField of Contemplation ; For it fheweth 

 that in the Frame of Nature, there is, in the Producing of fome Species, a 

 Compofition of Matter, which hapneth oft,and maybe much diverfified: 

 In others, fuch as happeneth rarely, and admittcth little Variety : for fo 

 it^s likewife in Beafts : Dogs have a re-femblance with wolves, and Foxes ; 

 Horfes with Afj'es, Kint with Bufles-, Hares with Coneys, &c. Aud fo in Birds: 

 Kites and Keftrels have a Refemblance with Hawkes; Common-Doves with 

 Ring- Doves, and Turtles-, Black Birds with Thrushes, andMaviJJes^ Crowes 

 with Ravens, Dawes,and Choughs,&c. But Elephants,a.r\d Swine amongft Beafts-, 

 And the Bird of Paradife , and the Peacock amongft Birds ; And fome few 

 others -, have fcarce any other Species, that have Affinity with them. 



We leave the description of Plants ,and their Vertues to Serials, 

 and other like 'Books of Natural Hislory : Wherein Mens Diligence 

 hath been great, even to Cuirofity. For our Experiments are onely 

 fuch, as do ever afcend a Degree to the Deriving of Caufes 7 and 

 EtraBing of Axiornes, which,we are not ignorant, but that fome, 

 both of the Jncient, and Modern Writers , have alio labouredjBut 

 their Caufes, and Axiomes, are fo full of Imagination , and Co in- 

 fected with the old Received Theorie. y as they are meer Ltquina- 

 tionsof Experience, andConcoel; it not. 



674 

 675 



