Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

Of Olea. chap. 111.

OLea is a trée, and the fruit thereof is called Oliua, and the iuyce Oleum, as Isidore sayth, lib. 17. But this trée is oft called Oliua, and is a worthy trée, and a tree of peace, as he sayth. For the story of the Remanes meane, y^t without bran∣ches of Oliue no messengers were sent to Rome to get peace, nor to proser peace to other men. Remigius sayth, that the worthinesse of this trée is knowen, for in token of reconciliation & peace made be∣tweene God and man, the Doue came to the windowe of Noes shippe with a to∣ken in her mouth, that was a braunch of Oliue, and of none other trée.

And libro. 15. Plinius sayth, that a∣mong the Athenienses, vidours were crowned with Oliue. And afterwarde the Gréekes ordeined, that theyr victours should be crowned with Ol••aster, as hée sayth. And the Oliue is a faire Trée in croppe, in gréene colour, and in multitude of boughs and braunches, with whitish braunches. And this trée is gréene all the Summer and Winter long, & hath smal leaues with good smell, and harde rinde, and bitter roote, and fat fruit, sauoury and swéete. For as Isidore sayth, the Oliue springeth of a bitter roote, that is nouri∣shing of light, medicine of wounds, & fée∣ding of the hungrye. For Oyle is put in Lampes to susteine and to nourish the fire, to sore members, them for to heale, and in meate, men for to féede. And also to make meat liking and sauourie, as hée sayth. And Oyle is nourishing of fire & of lyght, remedie of euills and fores, and maketh meate most sauourie and swéet, as Isidore sayeth. Then the Oliue bea∣reth fruite, and is medicinall. And leaues and rinde and fruite thereof accordeth to medicine. The Trée thereof is most sadde and fast, and pure and cleane with∣out rotting. And though it bée ryght harde without, yet neuerthelesse with∣in the pith, is much humour and fat∣nesse.

Libro. 15. Plinius speaketh of Oleis, & of Oliues and sayth, that many manner Oliue trées that beare fruit, thrine not in Countries that be too colde or too hot, but in Countries that drawe more to heate then to colde. Therefore as Plinius say∣eth, Cato woulde haue Oliues set in hot ground, that is not too fat nor too leane. For heauen comforteth them well, and they loue much the dew of heuen, & faire weather. And if there be much Rayne when they be ripe, then the Oyle is ap∣paired & wasted, but if faire wether, come soone after to temper the thicknesse of the Oyle and liquor.

And Plinius sayth, cap. 3. That the Oliue Trée needeth not to be pared nor shred with hooke nor with Bill, as vines be, but it is betaken to the Sun, and to the dew of heauen: and is glad in spring∣ing time, & beginneth thē to bloome. And fruite therof is first gathered about win∣ter,

and when the fruite is gathered, the tillers of Oliues vse to open the earth about the roote, and to pare away proper∣ly the bompes or knobs, and naughtye small sprayes of the rootes. And some I∣talians vse to call such superfluity about the roote, the goutes of the Oliue trée: and so when such superfluite is alwaye, the Oliue thriueth the better, and beareth fruit, and is wonderfully amended. And the Oliue will not bée harde beaten with stones & powles to gather the fruit therof, as some men do that be vntedy & vnwife. For such beating tourneth to harme of the tree, & to damage of the next yeare: For it beareth the worse if it bée beaten, as Plinius saith.

Of this trée is many manner kinde. And each is known by diuersity of fruit. And Isidore sayeth, that this name O∣liua is the name of the fruite of the trée Ole••: And thereof is many manner di∣uersity sound, as Isaac sayth. For some Olives be tame, & some grow in woods. The some beareth fruit, sometime ripe, and somtime not ripe, & somtime the ant betweene. And among these fruits of the Oliue, the first be earthy, fowre & gréene. And the second reddish, or Iacinctuous, as Dioscorides sayth, and the last séemeth black: and y^e more black they be without, the more ripe they be within, & the more fat and able to yéeld Oyle. And Aristo∣tle saith, that it ripeth neuer perfectly on y^e trée, though it hang on it many a yere: but to make the perfectly ripe, they must be layd on a heape together, & they must lye so long time, y^t by pressing the heat & may be comforted, & come into the in∣ner partes thereof, and ripe the fruit at full. And Isaac in Die. sayth, that Oliue beryes, if they be red, and not full ripe, nor right la••, they comfort well the sto∣macke, and bée binding, and excite appē∣tite, also namely if they be art••ied with vineger or with sauce. Neuerthelesse they be hard to defie: and nourish lesse then other. And the blacke that bée as it were ••••pe, be froste and temperate, be∣tweene moyst and drye. And nourish much, and seemeth the wombe. For by fatnesse thereof they ••••ee••e in the fro∣m••elle, and come not downewarde into the place of digestion. And they tourne soone into corruption of humours, and be the lesse worthy to meat. But they be good in medicine For if they be stamped and layde to a place that is burnt with fire, or sealded with water, they kéepe, that blaines shall not arise, and do beare them downe, if they be risen, and ope∣neth the pores, and maketh the fumosity to passe but that is closed in the skinne, of blaines and swelling. Huc vs{que} Isaac in Dietis.

Libro. 15. cap. 3. Plinius sayth, that verses of Oliue appaire not while they be on y^e trée. For they be the better: for they gather alwase vertues now & newe, and hang and fit the faster. The Be∣ry thereof is compounded as he saith, of the fieruell, flesh, Oile, & drast y^t is called Amurca, and is bitter: and is neuerthe∣lesse profitable in medicine. And y^e shales when y^e Oile is wrong out, with leaues, be good to nourish fire, and make swine ••a••, as it is said.

(The Garden Oliues are better then the wilde Oliues: being gréene, they strengthen the stomack, & prouoke appe∣tite to eate.)

Notes

• Additiō.