L i b. 3. Of the Hiftorie of Plants. 
1401 
gloues and diuers ocher things 5 and is vulgarly knovvne by the name of Oy le of Ben. 
«[f The Pi mc. 
1. 2. Thefe trees grow not wilde in England, but I haue them growing in tny garden in very 
great plenty. 
They floure in Aprill and May, but as yet they haue not borne any fruit in my garden, though 
in Italy an'd Spatne their fruit is ripe in September. 
The later Phyfitians call the firft Syringa, or rather that is to fay, a Pipe,becaufe the ftalks 
and branches thereof, when the pith is taken out, are hollow like a pipe : it is alfo many times fyr- 
named Candida, or white, or Syr/nga Candida fore, or Pipe with a white floure, becaufe it fliould dif- 
fer from Littach, which is fometimes named Syringaca:riilea,ox blew Pipe: in Englifli, White 
Pi De> . 
Blew Pipe the later Phyfitians, aswe haue feidjjdo name EtUacb^x Lilac : of fome, Syringa cce- 
rtilc.i or blew Pipe :moft do expound the word LilUch] and cillit Betf'- Scpapio’s and the Arabians 
Ben is Gians unguent art a, which the Grecians name mt‘^\ f»pm which Li/lach doth very much 
differ : among" other differences it is very apparant,that tiHsich Iftingeth forth no Nut, howfoeuer 
Matthiolns doth fallly picture it with one ; for it hath only a little cod, die feed whereof hath in it 
nooileatall. The figure' of the Balamts Myrepfica we haue thought good to infert in this chapter. 
Concerning the vfe and faculties of thefe flirubs neither we our felues haue found out any thing A 
nor learned ought of others. 
f ThcBa/anns Myrepfica takeninthequantitieof adram,caufeth vomit • drunk with Hydromel B 
it purges by ft oole, but is hurcfull to the ftomacke. 
Theoile preffed out of this fruit, which is vfually termed oyle of Ben, as it hath no good or plea- C 
ling fmell, fo hath it no ill fent, neither doth it become rancide by age, which is the reafon that it 
is much vied by perfumers. 
The oile fmoothes the skin, foftens and diffolues hardnefle,and conduces to the cure of all cold D 
affefts of the finewes • and it is good for the paine and noife in the eares, being mixed with Goofe- 
greafe,and fo dropped in warme in a fmall quantitie. £ 
W Idow-waile is a fmall fhrub about two cubits high. The ftalke is of a wooddy fubftance, 
branched with many fmall twigs, full of little leaues like Priuet, but fmallerand blac- 
ker, on the ends whereof grow fmall pale yellow floures : which being paft,there fuccee- 
deth a three cornered berrie like the Tithymales,for which caufe it was called Tricoccos, that is, ^ 
three berried ChameUa : thefe berries are greene at the firft, red afterward, and brownc when they 
be withered, and containe in them an oylie fatnefte like that of the Olme, being of an hot and bi- 
ting tafte, and that doe burne the mouth, as do both the leaues andrinde. The rootishardand 
wooddy. _ f 
The Place. 
It is found in mod vntilled grounds of Italy and Languedoc in France, in rough and defart pla- 
ces. I haue it growing in my garden. 
00 -rr t 
TheTime. 
The Name's. 
for want of a more conuenient roome. 
qj The Temperature andVcrUtcs . 
The Defcriftion. 
TheTime. 
It is alwaies greene : the feed is ripe in Autumne. 
The Names. 
1 nerruit is iuiuieuui ui.ii.i3, — , - 
Diofcoridcs, that nameth the fruit of Spurge-OIiue , Coccus Cntdh 
meUa, or Spurge Oliue, CMezereen .- vnderwhich name notwithft, 
both the Chameleons or Carlines • and fohaue they confound ed 
theCarlines, and likewife T^yw^/ta, or Spurge flax 
Bbbbbb 3 
The 
