Another collection of philosophical conferences of the French virtuosi upon questions of all sorts for the improving of natural knowledg made in the assembly of the Beaux Esprits at Paris by the most ingenious persons of that nation / render'd into English by G. Havers, Gent. & J. Davies ..., Gent.

CONFERENCE CLXV. Of Trubbs or Truffs, and Mushroms.

AS there is some middle nature between a Plant and an A∣nimal, partaking of both so; there is also between a plain Mixt Body and a Plant, to wit, those Exuberances which grow sometimes on Trees, as Agarick; sometimes only out of the Earth, as Mushroms and other such fungous Productions, which are driven forth by the inward heat of the earth helpt by that of the Sun. The matter of them is a slime, or unctuous or viscous moisture fit to receive a sutable Form, which is vari∣ous according to the strength of Nature, and the Disposition of the places through which it is driven; as the Water of our Arti∣ficial Fountains puts on the shape of the pipe through which it passes. And as for Trubbs, 'tis Cardan's Opinion, That melted Snow sinking into the surface of the Earth, and finding fit mat∣ter there, produceth this Plant. Which the plenty of Spirits found in Snow, makes me willing to assent to; because they may serve for Seed to its Production.

The second said, That he lik'd the common Opinion, that Trubbs proceed from Thunder; whose agitation of the Air, and so of the Earth, awakens the hidden Seed of this Plant, as well of many others that grow of themselves; or else perhaps the Rain that follows Thunder being full of Celestial Vertue, proper for this Production, is the Seed thereof. For the Pro∣vidence of Nature sometimes supplies by an Universal Efficient the Defect of particular Causes destinated to the production of other Plants, which in most Trees and Herbs is the Seed, which this wants, as also all the ordinary parts of other Plants; because 'tis of the Nature of those Animals who have not their parts distinct one from another, having neither stalk, nor leaves, nor flower, nor root, unless you will call it all root; because it hath more appearance of than of any other part of a Plant: which perhaps is the cause of its excellent taste, which is neither sweet as most roots are, nor sowr as most leaves are, nor of any other kind of tast observ'd in the other parts of Plants, but mix'd of all tasts together, being very pleasant, after coction hath ma∣tur'd what was terrestrial and aqueous in it. As for Mushroms, both their Nature and Cause is different; but all proceed from an excrement which the Earth casts forth of it self, and which was bred therein by the perpetual transcolation of the Humidi∣ties of the earth; whence they are more or less hurtfull accord∣ing to the greater or less malignity of such Humours, but always of bad juice sutable to its Source and Material Cause.

The Third said, 'Tis the Rain of Autumn that makes the Mushrom; the too great cold of Winter, and that which yet re¦mains

in the Spring not permitting that Excrement to come forth, but shutting it up (as 'tis the property of Cold) and the heat and drought of Summer consuming the Matter that pro∣duces them as fast as it comes out of the Earth. But in Au∣tumn, when the Earth is cleft and chopt in many places by the foregoing heat of Summer, the Showers and rainy Season supply excrementitious matter proper for this Production. The same might be said of Trubs, if we saw not their generation to be made as 'twere in the turning of a hand, immediately af∣ter Thunder: whereof the clefts of the upper crust of the Earth are a manifest evidence; not in all soils, but only in bar∣ren and less cultivated; in which, culture would dissipate the matter before it could acquire the preparations requisite to this generation.

The Fourth said, That the story of Martius Licinius some∣times Praetor of Rome and Governour of Spain, who in Car∣thago Nova, biting a Trub or Tuber found in it a Roman peny of the value of seven English, shews that this lump is made of earth hardned together, as Stones and other mixt Bodies are, which grow naturally by the sole apposition of matter without being either sown or planted. For 'tis found in the earth with∣out either root or fibres: yea it may be call'd an imperfection of the earth, because 'tis never found in good ground but only in gravelly places near woods and bushes, and hath no certain bigness; some being very small, and others of the bigness of the fist and of a pound weight; some, full of sand; others not, which are the best. They are also of divers colours, according to that of the Soil, namely Red, Black and White, of a very savory rellish, but hard of digestion, and windy. Their com∣mon shape is round, but Pliny mentions some horned ones brought from Thrace, which therefore he calls Ceraunia; he al∣so addeth, that in some places (as particularly at Mitylene) the torrents produce them, and carry them along with their streams; that they last but a year, and are more tender in the Spring then at any other season. Some hold that they grow not at all, but are produc'd in an instant of their full bigness; and their rea∣son is, because they have no organs of Nutrition, without which they cannot grow; and indeed they do not generate. This opinion would be the more probable, if what Pliny saith were true, namely, that there is no sign of cleft or chink in the earth which covers them. But experience shews the contrary, Swine (who are greedy of them) being lead by the smell they exhale through those clefts, to find them and root them out of the ground.

The Fifth said, That Mushroms are to Plants, as Insects are to Animals; for both are generated of corruption, and that sud∣denly; both want distinct parts, and have somwhat of a hurtful or venemous quality (for the most part). But Mushroms are either Medicinal, as Agarick; or Alimental; or absolutely

poysonous; which two latter species oftentimes differ only ac∣cording to the soil. For such as grow in Meadows are the safest, and the Orange-colour'd are as good and delicious in Provence and Languedoc, as they are poysonous in France, Germany and Hungary, where they are ordinarily employ'd to kill Flyes, and where they cause visions. Such were those which kill'd the Emperour Claudius Father-in-law to Nero, who therefore term'd them the food of the Gods, because the Roman Emperours were deifi'd after their death. They are also sometimes dis∣cernable by the colour and smell: The blackish or livid, whose juice is yellowish and which smell like Copper, being deadly; but the white, the greyish, and those that are red underneath with a black juice and a pleasing smell, being alimental. The least to be suspected are those which grow by Art in dunged places, or Melon-beds enrich'd with Hogs-dung rotted for the space of two years. 'Tis said also that the good have a thicker stem then the bad, and also a circle or crown on the top. If any malignity remain in them, Cato advises to correct the same by setting a Colewort near them, which (he saith) draws to it self all the impurity of the earth; wherein, if soft, are bred Mushroms; if hard, Trubs; but both without seed: just as Yellow-Gilly-flower and Pellitory grow spontaneously upon walls made with Lime and Sand; Silver-weed, in Brooks; Cresses, in Springs; the Earth containing in it self the imper∣ceptible seeds of many animated bodies. To the Production whereof Nitre alone (by its above mention'd fecundity) suffices; for finding no seed to determine it to any other production, it spends it self in generating of Trubs. For besides their taste and most usual inward colour, (which is white or grey∣ish) their flatuosity and aptness to provoke Lust (which two qualities are proper to Nitre) testifie the same; as also doth their Nativity during the Thunder or Rain of Autumn, and of the end of the Spring; which seasons are full of Nitrous exhalations. The same may be said of Mushroms, which com∣monly spring out of Nitrous substances, as dung and earth where Salt-Peter grows.