1528 C«AF; 
89, 
'1 beatram ’Botankum . 
T R I B E 16. 
Chap. LXXXIX. 
BAyunum penuinnm miejuorum. The true Balme or Balfamc tree of the ancients. 
P unto you this Balfame tree as I (Itould, and as it ought and defetveth, Ifomewhat doubt of 
! my ability, tot who is fit for fo rare, fo excellent a fub/eff, being heretofore accounted as one of the 
greateft jewels.and richeft endowments of theearth, and asa parcell of the treafure of meat K.ngs 
d,d nr C a "?, Prwc ‘ :s - and IC15 th0 ^ hc tynny « h « the S reateftand werthyeft prefent that the Queene of StlU 
tJ f . . * ,y 
one of the greateft Icwels the firfl Ttolomoy cculd bring 
away from thence into fgypt, as Au hours doc record 
it : butnow the times are fo changed, that I thinke I 
(hall fcarccgaine credit,that the fame true Bulfamum is 
extant in rerum natum : but lead my gates grow grear 
ter then my City, and f> itrunneout atihem, let me 
leave any further preamble, and {hew you the thi ng. 
The Ballrme or Baltne ttee,nevergrowethvery great, 
no not in the naturall places, being lufrercd to grow as 
it will, but unto five or (ixe cubits high or thereabouts, 
and in otheis moth lower,w ith divers final and (fraight 
(lender branches ifluing from thence, ofa brownilh red 
colour, elpecially the younger twigs, covered with a 
double barke, ti e red out, t moll, and a greene one un¬ 
der it, which are ofa very fragrant find!, and of ar. a- 
romatical! quicke talle, 1'omewhat affringent and gum¬ 
my, cleaving to the fingers, the wood under thebarke 
being white, and as infipide as any other wood; on 
thefe branches come forth fparfedly and without order 
iundry flalkes ol winged leaves, fotnewhat like unto 
. thofc of the Mallicke tree, confifting fome but oftluee 
leaves which are thole that firff come forth and the 
lowelf, others of five or leven leaves, and feidoinca- 
bove, which are fet by couples.the loweft ftmlleft,and 
the next larger, and the end one larged of all, ofa pale 
greene colour, fmelling and tafting fomewhatlike the 
birkeof the branches; a little clammy alio, and abi¬ 
ding on thebufhes Winter as well as Summer: The 
flowers are many and final!, (handing by three together 
on fmall flalkes, at the ends of the branches made of 
fix fmall white leaves a peece, which are lucceeded by 
fmall brownifh hard berries, little bigger then lum¬ 
per berryes, fmall at both end-, crefled on die (ides and 
very like unto the berryes of the Turpiminc tiee, ofa 
very (harpefent, having a yellow hony like jubilance 
within them fotnewhat bitter, but arorr,a;icall in ufle, 
and biting on the tongue like the Opslafamum • From 
the body hereof being wounded, commcth forth a li - 
q iour (ard fometimtsa littleo( it felfe withoutfcari(ying) of 
Valf.imem gennitmm ant:quorum. 
The t: lie Balme or Sulcatum tree of the ancients, 
-- ..wien ju.ttariiyingy 01 a troubled whitifhcolour attliefitft, which after 
fome lrnail time groweth cleare, being fomewhat thicket then oyle in Summer,of fo fharpe a piercing Cent, that 
it will pierce the noftnls of them that lmell thereunto,like unto oyle of fpike almoft, but as it groweth in age lo 
it decayetn both in the chinr.efTeof the fubftance growing thicker, and in thefmdl nothing lo quicke and m the 
colourbecomanng ye,low like hony.ot brown.- tliickclurpintine, as it groweth older. 
The TUce and Time . 
Arabia felix about -Jliecha.. and CMedin r,and a fmall village neere them called Bedrunia, with the hils rallies 
and fandy grounds about them, and the Country of the Sabeems next it, are thought by many to be theonelv 
naturall places, where this tree hathbecne ever knowncin rhelcor the former dayes to grow, and from thence 
hath 1 h<U* and Egypt ever beene fcrmfhed.whatfocver hath growne therein as Alpiuut relateth - but it is lome- 
what probable to me,that the hils of Gilead Aid nourifli this tree long before the Queene of Sb*i* brought any as 
it is thought to Salomon, in that the IJbmaliui that bought Irfiphofhis Brethren, as it is (etdowne Ge» -7 v 
= 4- arc laid to carry from Gilead Balme See. downe to Egipt, and <?«.+,. ? M „b willeth his Sonnes t-ocar- 
ry to loftpb in Egip>. fome of the belt frmtes of the Land, fc. Roffin &c. which I take to be underflood this 
Balme, or die Ruffin limply might be thought too [imple a prefent f r hfepb, and not one of the beft fruitcj of 
the Country : but I doubt of the truth of that tale that the Queene of Shaba did firff bring the Balfame trees to 
, J "•!, t,u ! fj" P. !aiir , ed th:m ,n the valley by Iericha, but rather that they were fetched from the hils of Gi. 
lead , and planted b/ntm therein Orchards, the better to betended. Ieremj the Prophet doth alfo often men¬ 
tion the Balmeof o,. end. And yearely prmned both by the Iewes and Arabitnr, t 0 have the greater (lore ofliquor. 
It llowrcth m the Spring with the Turpintine tree,and frudifyeth wich it in the Autumne. 
The Names, 9 
From the .Mint who caU it 3«*/<i» l hwe the Greekes called itand the Latines BAfnaum : the 
liqtiour 
