(2l6l) 
moft part Eafterly Of the moft agreeable weather^ inNo^ 
vember and December^ when the Countrey is dry'd again from 
the iV//^ waters, and all things in a verdure^the winds gentle 
and the Son tolerable Of the violent heats, m /iprily JlJay^ 
Jmw^ and further til! the inundation of the iS^tle cooleth ihc 
Air ; which begins in July and ends in September or October 
and proveth the great and general manure of that Country^ 
when it arifeth above fmtccnbraccia or Italian Ells ; beneath 
which when it ftopSj the Inhabitants are not obliged to pay 
any tribute to the G. Signior^ The caufe of this inundation 
as tis principally the plenty of rain falling in AbjJJt?na, fo this 
Author taketh in the N^^r^l'fr/)' winds beginning inJuMj and 
lafting till OBobeVj and hindering the waters of the A% from 
diicharging theoifelves into the Mediteranean* Thcfe waters 
being generally efteem'd very good ^ are cleared from their 
turbidnefs by bitter Almonds beaten and thrown io. 
When he fpeaketh of the Animals of iy^y/^-^jhe taketh parti- 
cular notice of the great variety and abundance of BirdstWcx^:. 
When he fpecifieth the vaft number of Vegetables^ he giveth 
an account of the various ufes of the DaB^il tree^ an J parcico^ 
iarly, that the ftones of Dates are given to Camels in long vov-^^ 
agesi as alfo, ihuHorfesas long as they ' feed upon Irefoil^ 
have no drink given them* 
Treating of the FoJJih of Egypt, he obferveth 5 that their 
N/^^rismoft abounding in the Dcfert of Sc. Macare 5 and that 
about T/^^i^ there is digged up ftore of Marble ^ Forphyrcj 
Alablafter, Granates, ^c. 
Secondly, as to th.' ^^^r*?;?^^;^/ of the Egyptians^ herelatethat 
large their prait'fe of Agriculture, and noreth, that they do 
not cut, but pull up their Corn, and chat their Corn-harveft 'S 
from the middle o^Apnlio the middle of May^ yea that lomc~ 
timrscven b:fore the middle of ^^ri/'new bread is eaten in 
■C:iiro,\n Villagj^S) for waiitof Ovens, they bake their Bread 
und:r the hot A(h .'S:» and, in m.'ikinp^ their bread^ fooie put 
N/Z^M'nto the dou^h, toraife arid colour ic which m 11 ft be 
eaten new, or e'fe 'tis nor ^ood» Among their Drinks they 
hive i,M<?:j//;5which5rhough it in.ebriatethjvet they are permit- 
ted ro drink, though wine forbidden thnu: 2. A Liquor 
v: ry refreiliing.m-idc by the Mores of Licorijij. 
Ccc 2 As 
