THE OAK. 



51 



failm-e of the mast in that season is particularly 

 recorded : ^ This year, also, was so deficient in 

 mast, that there never was heard such in all this 

 land, or in Wales.'"* 



During the Peninsular war, both the natives 

 and the French frequently fed on the acorns they 

 met with in the woods of Portugal and Spain. In 

 Morocco and Algiers, the acorns of Quercus Bed- 

 lota are sold in the public markets, and eaten by 

 the Moors both raw^ and roasted. Those of our 

 own Oaks, when roasted, and treated like coffee, 

 are said to aff'ord a liquor closely resembling that 

 beverage ; and when sprouted acorns are treated 

 like malt, theyaiford a liquor from which a strong 

 spirit may be distilled. Acorns," says Evelyn, 

 " before the use of Wheat-corn was found out 

 were heretofore the food of men, — nay, of Jupiter 

 himself, as well as other productions of the earth, 

 till their luxurious palates were debauched. And 

 even in the time of the Romans the custom was 

 in Spain, to make a second service of acorns and 

 mast, as the French do now of marrons and chest- 

 nuts, which they likemse used to roast under the 

 embers. And men had indeed hearts of oak ; I 

 mean not so hard, but health and strength, and 

 lived naturally, and with things easily parable and 

 plain. And even now I am told that those small 

 young acorns which we find in the Stock-doves' 

 craws are a delicious fare, as well as those incom- 

 parable salads, young herbs taken out of the maws 



* The Greeks, in alliision to the use of acorns as food, called one 

 species of Oak pliagos^ or phegos, and the Latins esculus, as much as to 

 say, the tree of eating ; like our word mast for acorns : whence masten^ 

 to feed or fatten, and masticate, to chew. From glans, the French 

 derive their glaner, and we our glean.^ gleaner^ for the collecting of 

 scattered corn. — Saturday Magazi/ie, 



