Section 30

Pomegranates may be preferved in a Pipe or But that is half full of water as PaUdiut fhiweth. You muft hang up your Pomegranates wuhin the But ; yet fo, tha- they muit not touch the water j and the But muft be fhut up dole, that the wi-d may not come in. And as fruit may be thus preferved, if the veffels be drowned ia water or other liquor ; fo there are fome of opinion, that, if you bide thofe veffels underneath the ground, you may by this means alfo efchew the danger of the alterations that are in the air. Columella fheweth, thac
Cervifes being (hut up clofey and fo laid under ground, will thereby [aft the longer. When you have gathered your Cervifes charily by hand, you muft put them into veffels that are well pitched, and lay alfo pitched coverings upon them, and plai- fler them over with morter : then make certain ditches or trenches about two foot deep in fome drv place within doors ; and in them fo place your pitchers, that the mouth may be downward: then throw in the earth upon them, and tread it in fome- what hard. It is beft to make many trenches, that the veffels may ftand afunder, not above one or two in a trench; for when you have ufe of them, if you would take up any one of the veffels, none of the reft muftbeftirred; for if they be, the Ceruies willfoon purrifie. Pliny reports the like out of Catox that Cervifes are put into earthen veffels well pitched, the covering being plaiftered over with mor- ter,and then put in certain ditches or pits about two foot deep ; the place being fomewhatopen, and the veffels fet with the mouth downward. And PaUadim Writes our of thofe two Authors, that Cervifes muft be gathered while they be fome- wbat hard, and laid up even when they be°in to be ripc.they muft be put in earthen pitchers, fo that the veffels be filled up to the top, and covered over with morter, and laid in a ditch two foot deep, in a dry place where the Sun cometh; and the mouths of the veffels mul> ftand downward, and the earth muft be trodden in upon them. The fame Author wriceth that
Tetrs being(hur up in veffels, ani fo laid under the ground, will Uft the longer. You muft take thofe pears which are hard both in skin, and in skin and fubftance s Tbefe you muft lay upon *n heap ; and when they begin to wax foft, put them into an earthen veffel which is well pitched, and lay a covering on it, and pi aifter it over with morter. Then the veffel muft be buried in a fmali ditch , in fuch a place a? the fun doth daily fhine upon. Others as foon as the pears are gathered , lay them up with their ftalks upon them in pitcht veffels , and clofeupthe veffels with morter or elfe with pitch ; and then lay them abroad upon the ground , co- vering them al l over with fand. Ochers make fpecial choice of fuch pears as are ve- ry found , fc mcwhac hard and green ; and thefe they Quit up into a pitcht veffel, and then covr r it and fet the mouth of it downward , and bury ir in a little ditch in fuch a place as the water runs round about it continually. In like manner alfo
Apples being (hut up clofe , may be hidden within the ground for their better prefer- vation,
As PUny fheweth. You muft dig a trench in the ground about two foot lay fand in the bottom of ir , and there put in your apples ; then cover the pit firft with an earthen lid, and then with earth thmwn upon it.Some put their apples in earthen bafons , and then bury them. Others put them into a ditch that bath fand call into the bottom of it , and cover it oncly with dry earth. The like device k is whereby
Pome-
Natural Magick. iSoofol
Pomegranates are preserved in fmall Buts which have fand in them. You muft fill a fmall But up to the middle with land , and then take your ponvra- mtes , and put the ftalk of them every one into a feveral cace , or into the bou|n of 4ti Elder-tree ; and let them be fo placed afunder in the fand, that the ftuit may ftand fame four fingers above the fand : but the veffel mull be fet within the "round in tome open place. This alio may be done within doors, in a ditch two foot deep. Others fill up the But half full of water, and hang the pomegranates within the But , that they may not touch the water ; and fhut up the But dole that no air may come in. Cato fheweth how
Filberds maybe preferred within the ground, You muft take them while they be new, and put them into a pitcher, and fo lay them in the ground ; and they will be as frefh when you take them forth, as when you put them in. In like manner Palladia fheweth that
(fheftnuts may be preferred, ■
if youpuc them in new earthen veffels, and bury them in fome dry place within the ground. He faith alfo that
Rqfes being (hut up t may be buried in the ground for their better prefer ration, if they be laid up in a pot , and well dofed , and fo buried in fome open place. Buc now we will fhew'
How all things that are fhut up, may be preferred for many years.
Fruits are to be laid up in vials of glafs, as we fhewed before : and when the pipe or neck of the glafs is ftopt clofe up , then they are to be drowned in cifiern?, and they will laft good for certain whole years. Likewife, flowers are to be clofed up in a veffel that is fomewhat long, and the neck of it muft be ftopt up, as we fhewed before, and then they muft be caft into the water: for by this means theyrmybe kept frefh for a long time. I have alfo put new wine into an earthen veflel that hath been glazed within, and have laid it in the water with a waight upon it to keep it down ; and a year after, I found it in the fame tafte and goodnefs, as when I put it into the veffel. By the like device as this is, we may preferve
'things that are fhut up, erenfor erer, if we wrap them up in feme commixtion with other things, fo that the air may not pierce them through ; buc efpecially, if the commixtion it felf be fuch , as is not fub- jeft to putrefaction. I have made trial hereof in Amber ; firft reducing it to a con- venient foftnefs , and then wrapping up in it that which I defired to preferve : For whereas the Amber may be feen thorow , it doth therefore reprefent unto the eye the perfect femblance of that which is within it, as if it were living,and fo fheweth it to be found , and without corruption. After this manner I have lapped up Bees andLyzards in Amber, which I have fhewed to many , and they have been per- fwaded that they were the Bees and the Lyzards that Martial fpeaks of. We fee eve- ry where that the hairs of beafts,and leaves, and fruits, being lapped up in this juice, are kept for ever ■ the Amber doth eternize them. Martial fpeaks thus of the Bee, A Bee doth lie hidden within the Amber, and yet ftie fhines in it too ; as though fhewere even clofed up within her own honey : A worthy reward fhe hath there for all her labours ; and, if fh? might make choice of her own death, it is likely fhe would have defired to die in Amber. And the fame Author fpeaks thus of the Vi- per, being caught as it were in the fame juice : The Viper comes gliding to the drop- ping Pine-tree, and prrfenrly the Amber juice doth overflow her: and while fne marvails at it , how fhe fhould be fo entangled with that liqour , upon t he fudden it clnteth upon her , and waxeth ftiff with cold. Then let not Cleopatra boaft her felf in her Princely Tomb , feeinq the Viper is interred in a Nobler Tomb then fhe. But if youdefire to know how to make Aubcr foft, though there be divers ways
whereby
whereby this may be effected, yet let this way alofte content yoti, to caft it into hot boiling wax that is fcummcd and clarified: for, by this means it will become fo foft and pliant, that you may ealily fafhion it with yoar fingers , and make ic frama* blc to any ufe. Onely you mult bee line that ic be very new.
Chap. IX.
How Fruits may be drenched in Honey, to mal^e them hft for a long time,
THe Antients finding by experience, that the (hutting up of fruits in veffels, and the drenching of thofe vtfleis in water, was a notable prefervative agaiuft cor- ruption , did thence proceed farther , and began to drench the fruits thcmfelves in divers kinds of liqoars ; fuppofing that they might be the longer preserved, if they were fowfed in honey, wine, vineger, brine, and fuch like , in as much as thefe li- quors have an efpecial vertue againft putrefaction : For honey hath an excellent force to preferve, not fruits onely, but alfo even the bodies of living creatures from being putrefied, as we have elfewhere fhewed that Alexanders body , and the carkais of the Htppocentaur were preferved in honey. Mcer water they did not ufe in this cafe ; becaufe, that being moift in it felf , might feem rather to caufe putrefaction. But of all other liquors, honey was molt in requett for this purpolc, they fuppofing it to be a principal prelerver againft corruption. Columella faith
That Quinces may be preferved . in honey without putrefaction ;
We have nothing mors cerrain by experience, faith he, then that Quinces are well preferved in honey. You mult take a new flagon that is very broad brimmed, and put your Quuinces into it, fo that they may have icope within , that one may noc bruife another j then when your poc is full to the neck, take fomc withy twigs, and plat themover the poc* mourn, that they may keep down the Quinces fomewhat clofe, leaft when they (hould fwell with liquor, they fhould float too high : then fill up your v-ffel to the very brimmc wuh excellent good liquefi d honey , fo that the Quinces may b" qaice drowned in ic. By this means , you (hall not onely preferve the fruit very Well, buc alfo you (hail procure fuch a well relifhed liquor, that it will be good to drink of. Buc in any cafe take heed, that your Quinces be through ripe which you would thus preferve: for if they were gathered before they were ripe j they will be fo hard ,that they cannot be eaten. And thi* is fuch an excellent way, that though the worm have fcized upon the Quinces before they were gathered, yet this will preferve them from being corrupted any farther: for fuch is the nature of honey , that it will fupprefs any corruption, and not futfer ic to fpread abroad : for which caufe it will preferve the dead carkafs of a man , for many years together, withouc putrefaction. Palladia iaitb, that Quinces mutt be gathered when they are ripe , and fo put into honey , whole as they are , and thereby they will be long preferved. Pliny would have them firft to be fmeared Over with wax, and then to be fowfed in honey. Apitiut faith, Quinces mult be gathered with the r boughes and leaves , and they muft be without any blemifh , and fo put into a veffel full of honey and new wine. The Quinces that were thus drefled , were called Mslimela,thzt is to fay, Apples preferved in honey : as Martial witnefleth, faying, Quinces fowfed in pure honey, that they have drunk thernfclves full, are cal- led Melimela. Likewife Columella fheweth that
Other kjnd of Apples may be fo preferved,
Not onely the Melimela , but alfo the Pome-paradife , and che Seftian Apples, and other fuch dainties may be preferved in honey i but becaufe they are made fweccer by the honey , and fo lofe their own proper relifli which their nature and kind doth afford , therefore he was wont to preferve them by another kind of pra&ife. PaHa- dim faith, That
Pears may be preferved w Honey,
v if
i}0 Natural Magick.
if a hey be i© laid up t herein, that one of them may not touch another. So Africa- wjwreporcexh, That
Figgs may be long preferved in Honey ,
if they be fo difpofed and placed in it , that they neither touch each other, nor yet the veffel wherein they be puc; and when you have fo placed them, you muft make fait the lid of the veffel upon them, and there let them lie without troubling them. And Pall*diHt reports the fame : Green Figs, faith he, may be preferved in Honey", if you place them fo that they may not touch each other. Florentine alfo fhcwcth! That '
Cherries may he preserved in Honey,
it you put them into a veflel that is ftrawed in the bottom with Savory, and fo caft feme honey upon them ; but your honey muft be fomewhat fharpc. So likewife
Medlars may be preferved in Honey , tolaft a great while wichout rotting, as Palladia fheweth : but then they muft be gathered before they be throughly ripe. Martial fhe weth alfo, 1 hat
Nuts may be preferved in Honey ,
to be green all the year long ; and he fpeaks it of his own trial and experience. You muft take green Nuts, and pluck them out of their fhells, and fo let them be fowled in honey : and the honey wherein they are fowfed, will become very mcdicinable, infomuch that if you make a potion of it , it will be very helpful to cure the Arte* ries, and the Jaws. T 'alladim faith, That
'Peaches may be preferved in Honey,
if you take out the ftone before you fowfe them j and befides that they will laft long; this will alfo make them to be very well relifhed. He faith alfo that they may be well preferved in tbe liquor Oxymel. To be brief, Columella faith plainly thac there is no kind of fruit but may be well preferved in honey. But heprefcribes ic for a general rule in this cafe , that every kind of fruit (hould be preferved in feveral by it feff : for if you lay up divers kinds of fruits together , one of them will corrupt and marrc the other. So alfo
Crapes may be preferued in Honey,
and ihey will laft long without any blemifta in them, if they be fo preferved, as D/- dymus writetb. But we will nSew now,
What kinds of fruits are bejf preferred in Honey.
For, I have endeavoured my felf in this Pra&ife, hov* to krep f i nits wuhout putre- faSion, aad for this caufe, I laid up all kinds of fruit ii in veffels of ghfs filled with heney, that fo I might prove, which might be prefen ed longeft : and I found j,reac difference among them , fome kinds lafting long and iVme bm a !?ir lewhiie. For, the fruits that were by their own kind, full of moifture , that the honey being it felf attainted, was notp ffibiy able to nrefewe the fruit from putrefaction. Grape?, Figgs, and Pcachc? are foon putrified by rcafon of their moiiinefs ; Quinces, Apples, and Pears do laft longer uncorrupted ; but Nuts will will laft green and found a whole year together.
CHAP,
Oftncreafmg Houjhold U fluj) re. 13 1
Chap. X.
How fruits ma) be long preferved in ordinary wine, or fodden wine, or new wine, er elfe in wme- lees,
T He Ancients likewife perceiving , that wine Would keep all things, and that grapes-ftones lighting into the wine as it was barrelled up, did continue whole in the barrels for the fpace of a whole year ; thence they gathered, that thofe fruits which were laid up in wine , would be well preferred from putrefaction. Neither did they ftay there,but alfo proceeded to ule ibdden wine , new wine, vinegar, and win:-lees, for that purpofe, becaufe all thefe have a fmatch of the fubftance of wine it felf. But we confidering that there may be a very pure and durable liquour ex- tracted out of the fubftance of wine (for wine, as it is of it felf , will fooner be cor- rupted) have therefore ufed the help of that extraction, whereby to prefcrve things found and good time out of mind. But to return to them, and fee down their ex- amples. Talladim fheweth, That
Quinces may be preserved in wine*
For, if we lay them up in veffcls filled with very good wine, half with ordinary wine, and half with new wine, we fliall by this means preferve Quinces a great while. Others fowfe them in barrels of new wine onely, and foclofe them up ; whereby they caufe the wine to yield a very fragrant fmell. So Democritttt makes choice? of the faireft and foundeft quinces , and putteth them into barrels of new wine, and thereby doth preferve his quinces and better his wine. So