372 C II O 
during all which time of ploughing, or digging, and har¬ 
rowing, fifteen or more people will find work enough to 
follow and gather the heads as they are turned up. They 
are next to be carried to the houfe in facks, and there 
cleaned and rafed ; this labour confids in cleaning the 
roots thoroughly from earth, and from the remains of 
old roots, old (kins and excrefcences, and thus they be¬ 
come fit to be planted in new ground immediately, or to 
be kept for fome time without danger of fpoiling. The 
quantity of roots taken up in proportion to thole which 
were planted, is uncertain; but at a medium it maybe 
faid, that allowing for all the accidents which happened 
to them in the ground, and in breaking up from each 
acre, may be had twenty-four quarters of clean roots, all 
fit to be planted. The owners are fure to choofe for 
their own ufe the larged, plumped, and fatted, roots, but 
do lead ot all approve the longed pointed ones, which 
they call fpickets, or fpikards, for very fmall, round, or 
flat, roots, are fome times obferved to flower well. 
This is the whole culture of faffron in the country 
above-mentioned, and we have only now to confider the 
charges and profits which may be fuppofed, one year 
with another, to attend that branch of agriculture ; and 
of thefe I have drawn up the following computation for 
one acre of ground, according to the price of labour in 
this country : 
£. s. d. 
Rent for three years - -- -- -- -300 
Ploughing for three years - -- -- -- 0180 
Dunging - - - -. 3120 
Hedging . --1160 
Spitting and fetting the heads - -- --1120 
Weeding or paring the ground -----140 
Gathering and picking the flowers - - - - 6 ro o 
Drying the flowers.160 
Indruments of labour, with the kiln, about - o 10 o 
Ploughing the ground once, and harrowing twice o 12 o 
Gathering the faffron heads - -- -- - 1 00 
Raiding the heads --------- 1120 
Total charge - 23 12 
This calculation is made upon fuppofition, that an acre 
of ground yields twenty-fix pounds of nett faffron in three 
years, which 1 dated only as a mean quantity between 
the greated and tire lead, and therefore the price of faf¬ 
fron mud be judged accordingly, which I think cannot 
be done better than by fixing it at thirty (hillings per 
pound ; fince in very plentiful years it is fold at twenty, 
and is fometimes worth between three and four pounds; 
at this rate, twenty-fix pounds of faffron are worth thirty- 
nine pounds, and the nett profits of an acre of ground 
producing faffron, will, in three years, amount to'fifteen 
pounds thirteen (hillings, or about five pounds four (hil¬ 
lings yearly. This, I fay, may be reckoned the nett pro¬ 
fit of an acre of faffron, fuppofing that all the labour 
were to be hired for ready money ; but, as the planter 
and family do a confiderable part of the work themfelves, 
(Tome of this expence is laved ; that is, by planting faf¬ 
fron, he may not only reafonably expert to clear about 
five pounds yearly per acre, but alfo to maintain himfelf 
and family for fome part of each year; and it is upon 
this fuppofition only, that the refult of other computa¬ 
tions can be faid to have any tolerable degree of exaft- 
nefs, but the calculations themfelves are undoubtedly 
very inaccurate. I have faid nothing here concerning 
the charge in buying, or profits in felling, the faffron 
heads, becaufe, in many large trails of ground, thefe 
muff at length balance one another, while the quantity 
of ground planted yearly continues the fame, which has 
been pretty much the cafe for feveral years pad. See 
Hypoxis, Ixia, and Memecylon. 
CRO'CUS, J. in chemiftry, the yellow or faffron-co- 
loured calces oi iron and copper, called crocus martis, 
and crocus veneris, Thefe terms are now feldom met 
C R CE 
with in the writings of modern chemifts, though they 
ftill are retained in various difpenfatories. 
CRO'CY, a town of France, in the department of the 
Calvados, and chief place of a canton, in the diftricl of 
Falaife : two leagues eaft of Falaife. 
CROE'SE (Gerard), a Dutch proteflant divine, born 
at Amderdam in 1642. After going through the dudies 
preparatory to the minifterial office, in that city and at 
Leyden, he accompanied the fon of the famous admiral 
De Ruyter to Smyrna, mod: probably in the capacity of 
chaplain. On his return he made fome flay in England, 
where he was invited to fettle at Norwich ; but, prefer¬ 
ring his native country, he was fucceffively minifier to 
the Dutch garrifon at Ypres, and pallor of the church at 
Ablas, near Dordt, in South Holland. At that place he 
died in 1710. He was the author of, 1. Hijloria Quakcri- 
ana,Jive de vulqo diElis Ouakeris, ab ortu , ufque ad recev.s va. 
tumfchifma, 1695, 8vo. 2. Homcras Hcbraus, Jive Hijloria, 
Hcbraorum ab Homcro Hcbraicis nomivibvs at Sententiis con. 
feripta, in OdyJJea & lliade, expojjta & illvjlrata , 1 704, 121110 . 
together with, 3. Differtations on various Subjects, &c, 
Thefe works, whimfical and ftrange as the author’s turn 
of thinking may appear, will furnifh the learned reader 
with numerous ingenious criticifms and profound invef- 
tigations, from which he will receive entertainment, if 
not indruition. 
CRCE'SUS, a prince famous in ancient hi (lory, was 
the fifth and laft king of Lydia. At the age of thirty- 
five he fucceeded his father Alyattes, the date of which 
is reckoned about 557 years before Chrid. Actuated by 
the ambition of extending his dominions, he firit made 
war upon the Ephefians, wnofe city he took. He next 
attacked the Greek Hates of Ionia and AJolia, both of 
which he obliged to pay him tribute. Proceeding in his 
career of conquefi, he reduced all the dates of Lefler 
Alia between His own kingdom and the river Halys ; and 
it is faid that lie alfo obtained a figna! viitory over the 
Sacaeans, a nation of Scythia. By thefe fuccelfes he be¬ 
came one of the riched and mod powerful monarchs then 
living, and the wealth of Croefus palled into a proverb. 
He was extremely liberal of his donations to all the cele¬ 
brated temples of His time ; a fpecies of piety for which 
conquerors in all ages have been didinguiihed. He alfo 
entertained learned men at his court, and the vidt he re¬ 
ceived from the Athenian legidator, Solon, is a cele¬ 
brated incident in the life of- that philofopher. When 
Crcefus had made a difplay before him of all his trea- 
fures, he alked Solon whom he conceived to be the mod 
fortunate man he had ever known ; not doubting that 
the compliment would be paid to himfelf. Solon drft 
named Tellus, a virtuous Athenian, who died dghting 
vielorioufly for his country; then Cleobis and Biton,, 
two young Argives, who died fuddenly in the temple of 
Juno, after having given'a dgnal difplay of filial piety. 
“ And what do you think of me ?” faid the difappointed 
monarch. “ I pronounce no man fortunate (replied So¬ 
lon) before his death.” Croefus, it is faid, difmiffed 
the philofopher contemptuoully, as one unacquainted 
with the world ; but foon after he was made to teel the 
indability of his happinefs, by the lofs of his favourite 
fon Atys, who was accidentally killed in chafing the 
wild-boar. The conqueds of the great Cyrus, king of 
Perlia, then began to make him uneafy, and he determin¬ 
ed, if poffible, to check his progrefs. Before he en¬ 
gaged in this undertaking, he confulted the mod cele¬ 
brated oracles concerning the future event. That of 
Delphos is faid to have returned for anlwer, “ II Croe¬ 
fus croffes the Halys, he will put an end to a great em¬ 
pire.” Underdanding this refponfe in a favourable fenfe, 
he raifed forces, made alliances, and marched into Cap¬ 
padocia. He took feveral towns, and at length encamped 
near Sinope, where he was met by Cyrus at the head of 
a numerous hod. A general engagement enfued, which 
was indecidve in the field ; but Croefus thought proper 
next day to begin, his retreat. He reached his capital, 
Sardis, 
