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 Frctu. chap. 74.

FRuit is called Fructus, & hath y^t name of Frumen, as Isidore saith. For Fru∣men is the ouer part of the throate, and there through meale passeth when it is chewed, as Isidore sayth, li. 17. And ther∣of commeth this name Fruges. Corne & fruit of trées and of fields that wée vse & eate, is properly called Fructus, though wée speake vnproperly sometime, and cal the broode of the beastes, fruit. Also it is generally knowen, that the most noble & vnctuous part of trées and hearbes,* 1.1 both in pith and in root, is often kindly drawn by heat, that blossomes and flowres may passe out and spring in their time, and dis∣pose the springing of fruit, that matter of fruit may be gendered of the foresay be noble part, that is so drawen out of the pith and roote, and that the master maye be nourished and fed with goodnesse of humour and of heate, and defended with couering of leaues,* 1.2 and be made perfect by heat of the Sun, and influence of the vertue of 〈…〉〈…〉 that the fruite may bee taken to y^e vse of meat, whē it is ripe at ••••st. Greene fruit and raw, and not dige∣sted, 〈…〉〈…〉 bodyes and make them swel and ••••mely bodyes of children & of fée∣blesome, and bréede in the wombe long wormes; & other wormes also. And nou∣rish and feed euill humours and corrupt, and appaire kinde tast and sauour, as it fareth in women with colde, that wile most greene fruit that is for ripe, as Pli∣nius sayth. But good fruite and ripe af∣forde both to meate and to medicine, so that euery manner fruit be taken in due manner according, & drink be taken ther∣after in couenable and due time, as it is more plainly taught in li. Dietarum. Ge∣nerally fruit is first gréene & vndigest, & sowre or bitter, but y^e vtter heat comfor∣teth the inner heate, & maketh digestion in y^e sowre humour, & dissolueth it, & the earthy matter therof. And the néerer ripe the fruit is, y^e more swéet sauour & plea∣sing it taketh. And fruite that groweth most high in the tops of boughs, and that is most straight afore the Sunne ripeth most hastely. Token of ripenes is chan∣ging of gréene colour or earthie and pale colour, red, or yeolow, and chaunging of bitter sauour or sowre into sweet & plea∣sing sauour, and liking to the tast. First, fruit springeth gréene, & when it ripeth, heat hath mastry therein, and then fruite chaungeth both colour and sauour. And y^e more hardnesse of earthy mater 〈…〉〈…〉∣ked & softned by might & vertue of heat, and the more mastry moysture of water or of aire hath therin, y^e neerer ripe is y^e fruit. Therfore ripenesse of fruit is assai∣ed, not onely by sight and colour, nor by fast and sauour: but by groping & bru∣sing, if the finger bruteth in thereto, and findeth it soft, as Isaac sayth in Dieti••. And fruit of trées that growe in moun∣taines be more pure, more sauourye, and more wholsome the fruit of trees y^t grow in valleys & in low places. And that is for more swéete and more pure, & more temperate féeding & nourishing, that is in mountaines, then in valleys, as Ari. sayth. Looke before de diuersiete at bo∣rū quoad fructus circā sinem. And some fruit is first sweet and sauoury, and af∣terward

bitter and sowre, as Mirabola∣ni, as Aristotle saith. Though such fruit be not of himselfe good to eate, yet with other they be good and medicinable. And sweete fruit, as Isaac sayth, is most tem∣perate in foure qualityes, and bée more temperate, and more moist and hot and more softning then other. And colde fruit that is sowre and hard, stoppeth and con∣straineth. Neuertheles it comforteth the stomacke, and exciteth the appetite, speci∣ally if it be eaten fasting: but & it be ea∣ten after meat, it comforteth y^e mouth of the stomacke, and thrusseth togethers & showeth downward the meat, and layeth and maketh soft the wombe. And if the fruit be sowre and compounded of watry matter and earthie, then it quencheth sharpnesse of Cholera, and comforteth y^e stomack, and dissolueth & departeth thick humours and colde, and sharpeth swéet humours, and giueth to them vertue and might to thirle and to passe into all the body. Unsauery fruite, in which watrye moisture hath mastry, is lesse worth then other fruit, and helpeth not the stomack, but bréedeth abhomination & wambling. And if fruite bée perfect ripe, it hath good sauour and merrie smell, if it be not rot∣ten, neither worme eaten, nor infected with euill humours, nor with corrupt aire. And such fruit is best kepte, and du∣reth longest in a cleane place and dry, & namely in bey or straw. And rotteth soone in a moist place or lowe by the ground. Also ripe fruite falleth sooner then the graine, and sooner by night then by daie: for they be more heauie when they bee wet with the night dew, and fall the soo∣ner. Of speaking of fruit this sufficeth at this time, for much is shewed of fruit be∣fore in y^e same booke, in tractatu de arbo∣ribus in generali. Looke there in A.

Notes

• * 1.1

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• * 1.2

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