NATURAL HISTORY. 
283 
they will produce great quantities of flowers 
and fruits for a feries of years. The man- 
drake is mentioned in the thirtieth chapter of 
Genefis, where Reuben is faid to have found 
one in the field during the wheat harveft : 
it being faid in the Canticles, “ The man- 
“ drakes give a fmell, and at our gates are 
“ all manner of pleafant fruit,” feems as if 
the fruit of the mandrake was delightful in 
fmell ; for furely Solomon muft mean a grate- 
ful fmell, otherwife he w^ould never have 
chofen it as an embellifliment of a paftoral 
fong. However, the mandrake known to 
us at prefent has no fuch delightful quality as 
to render it fo valuable as to caufe a woman 
to exchange her hulband, as Rachel did, for 
one of them. 
BALM OF GILEAD. 
F ROM the trunk of this plantflows Rwhite 
liquid balfam, which bears the name of the 
vegetable. The plant bears leaves like rue j 
and white, ftarry flowers, which produce, in 
their middle, berries enclofing a finall kernel. 
When the balfam firfl runs, it is of the con- 
fiftence of oil of Iweet almonds ; but age 
caufes it to refemble turpentine ; when it 
loies great part of its perfume, and turns 
rather' blackilh. When frefli, the fmell is 
moll agreeably aromatic, and the talle like 
citron- peel. 
