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HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



white. The tree is thick, and larger than the black ; 

 and its leaves alfo are larger. Befides, the black is pe- 

 culiar to a warm climate ; but the white, on the contrary, 

 belongs to the cold and temperate climates. 



The Chicozapote, (in Mexican Chidzapotl) is of a 

 fpherical fliape, or approaching thereto ; and is one and 

 a half, or two inches in diameter. Its fkin is grey, the 

 pulp white, and the ftones black, hard, and pointed. 

 From this fruit, when it is ftill green, they draw a glutin- 

 ous milk, which eafily condenfes, called by the Mexicans, 

 Chidli ; and by the Spaniards, Chicle : the boys and girls 

 chew it ; and in Colima they form it into fmall ftatues, 

 and other fanciful little figures fdj. 



The Chicozapote, fully ripe, is one of the mofl delici- 

 ous fruits ; and by many Europeans reckoned fuperior to 

 any fruit in Europe. The tree is moderately large, its 

 wood fit for being wrought, and its leaves are round, in 

 colour and confidence like thofe of the orange. It fprings 

 without culture in hot countries ; and in Mixteca, Huax- 

 teca, and Michuacan, there are woods of fuch trees 

 twelve and fifteen miles long fej. 



The Capollino or Capulin, as the Spaniards call it, is 

 the cherry of Mexico. The tree is little different from 

 the cherry tree of Europe ; and the fruit is like it in fize, 

 colour, and flone, but not in tafte. 



The 



(d) Gemelli is perfuaded that chicle was a compofition made on purpofe ; 

 but he is deceived, for it is nothing elfe than the mere milk of the unripe fruit 

 condenfed by the air. Tom. 6. lib. ii. cap. lo. 



(<?) Amongft the ridiculous lies told by Thomas Gage, is the following, that in 

 the garden of S. Giacinto, (the hofpital of the Dominicans of the Miflion from 

 the Philippine ifles, in the fuburbs of Mexico where he lodged feveral months,) 

 there were Chicozapoti. This fruit could never be raifed either in the vale of 

 Mexico or any oth.er country fubjed to white froft. 



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