Foreign Vegetables. 407 
<c the Leaves of Reeds, and is either formed from 
<c the Dew of the Heavens, or from the Sweet and 
“ fat Juice of the Reed itfelf.” This melleous Juice 
had fometimes the Name of Honey , fometimes of 
Salt , and fometimes of Sugar . “ There is (fays 
Diofcorides , when he enumerates the different 
Kinds of Honey) “ another Kind of concreted Ho- 
“ ney, which is called Saccharon ; it is found in 
ct Reeds in the Indies and Arabia Felix . It is har- 
ct dened like Salt, being like that brittle betwixt the 
tc Teeth.” Archigenes i\ ays, that the Indian Salt has 
the Colour and Confidence of common Salt, the 
Tafte of Honey, and the Size of a Lentil, or at 
the moil of a Bean. Galen upon Simple Medicines, 
/. 7. writes, that Sacchar is brought from the Indies 
and. Arabia Felix . 66 It is (adds he) a Kind of Ho- 
“ ney, but indeed lefs fweet than ours.” Pliny like- 
wile relates, that Arabia Felix produces Saccharon , 
but that a better Sort is found in the Indies : That it 
is a Honey collected in Reeds, gummy, fometimes 
white, brittle under the Teeth, of the bignefs of a 
large Filberd, and ufed only in Medicines. The 
fame Pliny 9 lib. 6. feems to have pointed out our 
Sugar-Canes which grow in the Canaries when he 
relates from the Teftimony of Juba, that in the 
Fortunate IJlands there are Trees growing like the Fe - 
rula, fome black, others white, and that from the 
Black they exprefs a bitter Water, and from the 
White a Water very pleafant to drink. 
From thefe Authorities it is evident, that in. the 
earlier Ages a fweet melleous Liquor was obtained 
by Expreflion from certain Reeds •, and alfo that a 
Juice flowed fpontaneoufly, and concreted into hard 
and brittle Tears, which we may call Native Sugar. 
But it mufl be confeffed, that no mention is found 
among the Ancients of Sugar made of this Juice 
by Art or Codtion, and compadted into large Maf- 
D d 4 fes, 
