The historie of the vvorld: commonly called, The naturall historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Translated into English by Philemon Holland Doctor of Physicke. The first [-second] tome

CHAP. XXVIII.

¶ The juice and sap of Fruits and Trees: their colours and odours: the nature of Apples, and such soft Fruits: and the singular commen∣dation of all Fruits.

TO begin withall, The Peare, The Mulberry, & the Myrtle-berrie, haue a juice or sap with∣in them, resembling wine, no maruell then, of Grapes, if they haue the like. Oliues, Bay∣berries, Walnuts and Almonds, haue a fattie liquor in them. The Grape, the Fig, and the [unspec C] Date, carie a sweet juice with them. Plums haue a waterish tast.

There is no small difference in the colour also that the juice of fruits do beare: Mulberries, Cherries, and Corneils, haue a sanguine and bloudie liquor: so haue the blacke grapes; but that of the white grapes, is likewise white. The juice of Figs toward the head or neck of the fruit, is white like milke; but of another color in all the bodie besides. In Apples, it is in manner of a froth or some: in Peaches, of no colour; and yet the Duracina of that kind, be full of liquor; but who was euer able to say, what colour it was of?

The odor and sauor likewise of fruits, is as strange and admirable: for the smell of Apples is sharpe and piercing; of Peaches, weake and waterish. As for sweet fruits, they haue none at all: for verily we see, that sweet wines likwise haue little or no smell, wheras the small and thin are [unspec D] more odoriferous: and all things in like manner of a subtill substance, do affect the nosthrills more, than the thicke and grosser doe: for whatsoeuer is sweet in sent, is not by and by pleasant and delicate in tast; for sent and smacke are not alwaies of like sort: which is the reason that Pomecitrons haue a most piercing and quick sauor, wheras in rellish they are rough and harsh: and so it fares in some sort with Quinces. As for Figs, they haue not any odor. And thus much may suffice in generall, for the sundrie kinds and sorts of fruits which are to be eaten, it remai∣neth now to search more narrowly into their nature.

To begin then with those that are enclosed within cods or husks: ye shal haue some of these cods to be sweet, and the fruit or seed contained within, bitter, and contrariwise, many of those graines or seeds are pleasant and toothsome enough; but eaten with the huskes, they be starke [unspec E] naught and loathsome.

As touching berries, there be that haue their stone or wooddie substance within, and the fle∣shy pulp without, as Oliues, and Cherries: and there be again, that within the said woody stone haue the carnositie of the berry as some fruits in Aegypt, whereof we haue alreadie written. As for berries carnous without-forth, & pulpous fruit called Apples, they be of one nature. Some haue their meat within, & their woodie substance without, as nuts: others, their carnosity with∣out, and their stone within, as Peaches and Plums. So that in them we may say, That the faultie superfluity is enuiroued with the good fruit, wheras fruit otherwise is ordinarily defended by the said imperfection of the shell. Walnuts and Filberds are enclosed with a shell: Chestnuts be contained vnder a tough rind, that must be pulled off before they be eaten; wheras in Med∣lars [unspec F] the cornositie and it be eaten together. Acornes, and all sorts of mast, be clad with a crust; Grapes with a skin, Pomegranats with a rind and a thin pannicle or skin besides. Mulberies do consist of a fleshy substance and a liquor. Cherries, of a skin and a liquid juice. Some fruits there be, the substance whereof will soon part from their woodie shell without, or stone within,

as nuts and Dates: others sticke close and fast thereto, as Oliues and Bay berries. And there be [unspec G] againe that participate the nature of both, as Peaches: for in those that be called Duracina, the carnous substance cleaueth hard to the stone, so as it cannot be plucked from it, wheras in the rest, it commeth easily away. Now ye shall meet with some fruits, that neither without in shell, nor within-forth in kernell, haue any of this woodinesse, as a kind of Dates [named Spadones.] And there be againe whose very kernell and wood is taken for the fruit it selfe, and so vsed; as a kind of Almonds, which (as we said) doe grow in Aegypt. Moreouer, yee shall haue a kind of fruits furnished with a double superfluity of excrement to couer them without-forth, as Chest∣nuts, Almonds, and Walnuts. Some fruits haue a substance of a threefold nature, to wit a bo∣die without; then, a stone or wood vnder it; and within the same, a kernell or seed, as Peaches. Some fruits grow thick and clustred together vpon the tree, as Grapes, and likewise Seruises, [unspec H] which claspe about the branches and boughes, bearing and weighing them downe as well as grapes. Others for it, hang here and there very thin, as Peaches. And there be againe that lye close, contained (as it were) within a wombe or matrice, as the kernells of the Pomegranates. Some hang by smal steles or tailes, as Peares: others in bunches, as Grapes and Dates. Ye shall haue some fruit grow by clusters, and yet hang by a long taile, as the Berries of Iuie and Elder: and others againe cleaue fast to the branch of the tree, as Bay berries: some both waies, as O∣liues, for there bee of them that haue long steles, and others againe short tailed. Some fruits there be also, that are formed like cups or mazers, as Pomegranats, Medlars, the Egyptian bean or Lote, and that which groweth about the riuer Euphrates.

As for the singularities and commendable parts in fruits, they be of diuers sorts, Dates are [unspec I] most set by for their fleshie substance; and yet they of Thebes aboue in high Aegypt, are estee∣med onely for their outward coat or crust that they haue. Grapes, and the Dates called Caryo∣tae, are in great account and estimation for their iuice and liquor: Peares and Apples be most accepted for their callous substance next vnto their skin or paring; but the honey-apples Meli∣mela, are liked for their carnositie and fleshie pulpe within: Mulberies content the tast with their gristle or cartilage substance: and the best part of the nut, is the very graine of the kernel. In Aegypt, some fruits are regarded only for their vtmost skin, as drie Figs: when Figges bee green, the same is pilled off and cast aside like a shell; but be they once drie, the said skin is pas∣sing good. In all kind of Papyr-reeds, Ferula plants, and the white thistle Bedegnar, the verie maine stemme is the fruit to be eaten. The shoots also and tender sprigs of the Frg-tree, are reputed for good meat, and also medicinable. To come vnto the shrubs kind, the fruit of Ca∣pres [unspec K] is eaten together with the stalke. As for Carobe, what is it else but a meere woodie sub∣stance that folke do eat? (and yet the seed and graines within them, are not altogether to be de∣spised for the propertie that they haue) although to speak precisely, it cannot properly be cal∣ed eith er flesh, wood, or gristle; neither hath it found any other conuenient name to be tear∣med by.

Notes

• Minimae quod miremur uvis. Others distin∣guish thus, Minime (quod miremur) uvis, to this sense: whereas in grapes (and that may be a wonder) there is none such.