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 Ficu. cap. 61.

THE Figge trée is called Ficus, and hath that name of fruitefulnesse, for it is more fruitful, than other trees, for it beareth fruite thrée or foure times in one yeare, & while one ripeth, another spring∣eth anone or soone. And & Figge trée of Aegypt is more fructuous holden, and the stocke thereof done in water, sinketh anone to the ground, and riseth and com∣meth vp aboue the water, after that it hath lyen in the mudde, against the com∣mon course of kinde, for when it is wet, it should by waight of the moysture, a∣bide vnder the water. Before Pithago∣ras time, Hawkes were sed with figges, and after he brought them to the vse of flesh, that is the stronger meate. It is said, that figs doe away the shriueling of the skinne of the face, or wrinkles on the hands of olde men, if they eate ther∣of among theyr meate: and telleth that full cruell Bulls become milde anone, if they be tied to a fig trée. And he telleth that the figge trée may be made to beare well fruite, by remedy of a trée, that is called Capriticus. Huc vs{que} Isido. lib. 7. cap. 7.

In libra vegitab. Arist. saith, that the humour of the rinde of a tree, that is as is were bloud in beastes, is white, & mil∣kie in some trée, as in a fig tree, and in a Mulbery trée, that is called Morus, but the milke of the figge tree hath vertue of running together, to make chéese, as the floure of Corde•• casealis. The humour thereof is full vnctuous, therefore the fig tree beareth much fruite, for what is vnc∣tuous tourneth into fruite, and what is thin and watrye, tourneth into leanes, which be broad, and clouen, and sharp in the endes. It is sayd if the genitals be baulined with the iuyce thereof, they be moued to lecherie. And such mouing is spoken of in the Glose sup. Gen. 3. Ibi. Fécerunt sibi de folijs sicus perisumata. Arist. saith, that it happeneth that the fig trée wereth barren sometime for default of humour, and sometime for superfluitie of humour: and in either case needeth medicine. In default of humour, y^e Gar∣deiner doth thereto couenable dounge & fresh water. And if it be for superfluitie of humour, then he pearceth y^e tree with nailes, & voydeth the superfluitie of hu∣mour, as it is sayd before, De arborum medicina lib. 14. ca. 8. Plinius speaketh al that is before rehearsed of Isid. and saith, that y^e fig trée of Aegypt beareth most, and is like the trée Morus in quantitie, to leaues, and in sight: and beareth fruit foure times in the Summer, but the first springeth and is not ripe: and héerto the fig tree of Cipris is like, and burgeneth and bringeth fruite foure times, but the burgening thereof ripeth not, except they be first carued and cut, that the superflu∣itie of milke may passe out thereof. And knops thereof commeth foorth without leaues in the ende of boughs, and is like to Populer in the roote, and to Oliue in leaues, and lyke thereto in greatnesse of the trée. And the fig trée is a tender trée, & feeble, and is therefore soone grieued with strength of colde, & namely when it be∣ginneth to burgen or spring.

Also libr. 12. ca. 6. Plin. saith the same: and he saith, that there is a figge tree of Inde, that beareth certaine small apples, and hath many boughs and thicke, that bend so to y^e groūd by their own weight, that they sticke in the ground, & of them spring new branches about y^e old stock, and maketh so great a shaddowe, that

heards come and abide there vnder for succour against heate, winde, and wea∣ther. And the ouermost boughes of this trée, stretch vpward full high, & the side voughes spread wide about the olde trée, as it were growen, and make a great shadow, and the leaues thereof are full broad, and shaped somewhat lyke to a shield, and beareth many apples, but they be small, & passe vnneth the bignesse of a Beane, & be so riped among the leaues with heate of the Sunne, that they are so swéete, that it is accounted a miracle. Héereto lib. 15. cap. 19. Plin. saith: That there is a trée, that is called a wilde fig trée, and hath another name, and is called Caprificus, & ripeth neuer, but it giueth to other, that that it hath not of it selfe: for often Gardeiners make cliftes in the rinde and roote of a fig trée, & graffe ther∣on graffes of the Caprificus, and by co∣uenable graffing thereof, the roote is dis∣posed, and receiueth new aire, and good humour, and also might and vertue and gréene colour. And so white humor, that is matter of figs, passeth into nourishing thereof, as it is rehearsed before, in y^e tre∣tise De causa fructificationis arbonim &c herbarum. Also he saith, that some trées shall be set nigh Trées that beare well fruit, that blasts of winde may be borne therefrom to the figge trée: and thereto the Southerne winde is better than the Northerne winde, for the Northerne winde grieueth the fig trée more than thé Southerne winde. Therefore fig trées thriue the lesse in the North Countrey: for the white humor thereof is some wa∣sted and remoued, where such wind hath the masterie. Of the effect and doing of the fig trée, touching the rootes, leaues, & rinde, and fruite: looke before In tarcta∣tu de Carica, in litera C. There it is o∣penly contained.

(* 1.1Ficus satiua, and Ficus Siluestris. Figges pound with Salt, Rue, and Nut∣megs, withstandeth all poyson, and cor∣ruption of the aire: and this was a se∣cret Preseruatiue, which Mithridates King of Pontus, vsed against all venime and poyson.)

Notes

• * 1.1

  Additiō.