Foreign Vegetables. 279 
Willow-Tree, upon which there was a large Collec- 
tion of it, one would have faid it was a Dew. 
This Liquor being depofited Drop by Drop upon 
Leaves and Stones, in a fhort Time concreted, and 
had the Whitenefs, Sweetnefs, Confidence, and Vir- 
tue of the bed Manna j and many Perfons gathered 
it for Ufe : But that which fell upon the Earth or 
in dirty Places was lod. Now it is probable that 
the Flies, having gathered this fweet Juice either 
from the Willow-Trees or other Plants, had fo fa- 
tiated themfelves with it, that they were forced to 
difcharge in different Places what they had got ; 
and this we may the rather fuppofe, becaufe cer- 
tain Parts of the Bodies of thefe Flies were obferv- 
ed to be more prominent than the red, and full of 
little Holes, from which a great deal of Moidure 
iffued, in very fmall white Drops, after the Manner 
of Sweat. 
With Refpedt to the latter Quedion, the Learned 
have been divided in their Opinions. Almod all 
the Ancients, both Greeks and Arabians , believed 
that the Manna which was collected upon fome 
Trees was formed of Vapours raifed from the Earth 
by the Heat of the Sun, and condenfed near its Sur- 
face by the Cold of the Night, in the fame Manner 
as Dew or hoary Frod *, or that it was an excellent 
Juice of the Earth, which being elevated by the 
Summer-Heat, and digeded in the Air into a fweet 
Liquor, was condenfed by the nocturnal Cold, and 
fell down like Dew upon the Leaves of Trees and 
Shrubs. Angelus Palea and Barthohmaus , two Fran- 
cifcan Friars, who publidied Commentaries upon 
Mefue in the year 1543. were the Hrd who alferted 
in Writing, that Manna was the infpiffated Juice of 
the Afh-Tree, as well of the common , as of the 
wild Tree, which is called Ornus. Afterwards Do- 
nat us Antonius Altomarus , a Phyfician and Philofo- 
T 4 pher 
