¶ The Description.
THe Beech is an high tree, with boughes spreading oftentimes in manner of a circle, and with a thicke body hauing many armes: the barke is smooth: the timber is white, hard, and verie profitable: the leaues be smooth, thin, broad, and lesser than those of the blacke Poplar: the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or blowings be also lesser and shorter than those of the Birch tree, and yellow: the fruit or Mast is contained in a huske or cup that is prickly, and rough bristled, yet not so much as that of the Chestnut: which fruit being taken forth of the shells or vrchin husks, be couered with a soft and smooth skin like in colour and smoothnesse to the Chestnuts, but they be much lesser, and of another forme, that is to say, traingled or three cornered: the kernell within is sweet, with a cer∣taine astriction or binding qualitie: the roots be few, and grow not deepe, and little lower than vnder the turfe.