OF THE SCRIPTURES. 2S7 
Luke xix. ver. 4. rvMpovpici. The tree on 
which little Zachteus climbed near Jericho, to fee 
Chrift pafs. The Greek text fhews it was a fyca- 
more » therefore the Roman Catholicks, Greeks 
Jtnd Armenians are led into an error, when they 
vifit the holy places, for they are fhewn a tree of 
a different genus, and contend that it was on one 
of thofe Zachteus climbed. This is a-kin to the 
prunus, (plumb-tree) and has oval leaves, &c. 
an Eleagnus ? (wild olive?) it grows in the 
plains near the ruins of Jericho ; from this fruit, 
the Arabs extract an oil, which they fell to travel- 
lers, who keep it amongft their other holy things, 
and pretend it poffdies a fingular virtue in curing 
wounds, for which reafon, they call it the Oil of 
Zachteus , attributing its virtue to the flay Zachaeus 
fnade on the tree. Of the ftone of the fruit, which 
is of an oval form, with four ridges, and almoft the 
fize of a walnut, the Latin monks make beads 
^hich they fend to Europe as being of great value. 
I have before obferved, that Luther interpreted 
this paffage very badly, when he called the tree 
a mulberry-tree ; for the mulberry-tree is not, at 
Prefent, found growing naturally in the territory 
of the town of Jericho, where the affair hap- 
pened, and much lefs is it cultivated there at this 
fime, as it fcarcely ever grew in Judaea, very little 
i n Galilee, but in abundance in Syria and Mount 
dbanon : neither did I fee the Sycamore growing 
Oear Jericho, but it is probable it grew there for- 
merly, being to this day found in Judsea, and 
v y as once doubtlefs very common, as it is men- 
ll °ned fo often in the Scriptures. 
Poma fodomitica, or mad apples, are the fruit of 
Planum Melongena Linnaei, by other authors 
called 
