Book 1.

what «Vocr » Dutch*
Art's - fice-
yelkofanEgg, or like our Marigold flowers, or Saffron. There are fome learned Profeflours in the Low-Countries, who think that this matter underground, that is dug out of the bowels of the Earth, as a child taken from its Mothers womb, is made of the flocks and roots of Trees, when Woods were overthrown by the Seas inundation, and the earth by degrees driven over them, but their argument is weak,bccaufe flicks, and twigs, and reeds, and Moriflh canes are found in the turf. But I fee they have not well obferved the mines and bowelsof the earth in all places, fince in Bralfe, Gold, Silver, and other mettals, we may fee a kind of boughs, and veins run along in them, which they get in the bot¬ tom of the Earth by a vegetable force , and influence of the Star?.
For nature is never negligent qr idle, but doth attempt many and great things, and it doth form and beautify not onely the fuper- fleies of the earth, but all the fecret and hidden parts of it. Hence it is that the Jafper, Pophyr-ftonc , and Marble, are naturally wrought with divers lines, and are chequer’d with divers colours* So the Nutmeg is chamfered wit lines running betwixt. Which alfowe may obferve in citron Tables, and in our Oaks, and other kinds of wood cut into fhingles, that with many veins run¬ ning up and down in them, and with many ftrikes and turnings are very beautifully chamfered, as garments made of Goat-skins, and Noblemens Robes that are wrought, varioufly woven. And many fuch things that are dug forth of the bowels of the earth, wrought fo curioufly, as if fome Graver or Carver had wrought theminto that form. So Coral in the bottom of the Ligurian Sea, bears leaves and fruit, and being drawfc forth with nets, it pre- fently hardneth like a done, and becofics black or red, or if the moiflurebe leffc digefted, white 5 So in that part of t? afw, Belgua , where the Eburones, Menapii, andSicambri lived, there are ftone- cole dug forth, that are of the Nature of hardned bitumen, with which the inhabitants not onely melt Iron, but make good fires iti their houfes, and if they be quenched once, and again, they Will . revive if they be put near the fire. And whereas all other fires arc wmbedmib inflamed with oyle, thefe cole burn more if you caft water on, oyie, but bums ^t are quenched with oyle. Other Countries have alfo their Tvith water. j^ihes and minerals under ground, fome afford Brimftone, Lime, •Vr ' ' Gypfe, Ocre, Alum, pieces and clods of Gold and Silver, through “ which fountains run in the fecret paffages of the Earth, and they impart their qualities to the waters, and fo are made fit to cure di- feafes. So Mines near the Sea, are of a bituminous nature. For the clods dug forth thence, fmell fo much of brimftone, that thofe that fit by, faint, and fvvound away, and pit coles, and fuch is a re made, breed the fame inconvenience, unlefle you fprinkle fait up- r!ricoZetM tfle fire. For by this means, the Venome that offends the brain
bates the fknth. isdifcuflsd.
tamelot da maft*
Coral is 4 fhwb ♦
Sme-coic.
jj
The
Ch. 1 7. and mill lofe their forces & form ^unlefl they he drefjed continuity.
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The venome^ and 0 fen five humour hoy let h forth.
Someafcribe this generative force of the Earth to the Srars(which doubtleffe do efte&ually operate upon inferiour bodies ) be- caufe we fee paany things decay, and new things come in their places, never feeii before, that arc far better. But as I deny not this, fo I believe, especially concerning plants, that many of them fail and degenerate, chiefly by reafon of the negligence or igno¬ rance of Gardners. So Wheat, as Theophrafltu faith, is changed into Darnel, Bafii into wild Marjorum, water-Mints into Mints in fmell,but in forni into Galamint, and many kinds of herbs, if care be not taken, do commonly, not onely change their form, but lofe alfo their imbred Vertues. Which as in many herbs. So I have obferved in the Violet called zltiliSy a mod beautifull flower, which unlefle it be yearly tranfplanted, it degenerates into a mean low flower that is not fo fweet. Virgin confirms this:
i fee the heft plants mill degenerate If not tranfplantedy for all things by fate ,
Decline , and fall unto a lower rate ;
y- V' i'.-; ‘
On the contrary if you drefte wild Plants* they will grow like thofe of the Gardens, and lay a fide their wild natures, as Virgin alfo obferved.
%A ll Plants by Nature, rtf i up frong and fairy Though barren from tie ground) yet theje by care 5 Tranfplanted, and manured) mill grow mild ,
And belter for our uf ?, than they are mildi
. ’ f * • • 1 * r . ■ -*.i ■ r a , ! v ' I r C ! *r ^ 1 *t on i ! 1 ■ ■ ” f ‘ ' 1 !k i 4 T M 1 V * t f ] d 'J
J r I y T V.j ' 1 J il u l j * j >„■ , , j I i . \ * «• » 1 * v ■*
Wherefore Nature brings forth continually nfcw plants, tin- heard of before, and the influence of the Stars produced! many alfo, but the Arc of Gardning prodiiceth moft of all; Atid as Rats, Dormice, Eels, Lampreys, ShelL-fifU, Snails, Earth-worms, donor alwaies breed from feed> but oft-times from (lime of the earth, and from filch and corruption. So in Tandy grounds, fuch as are the Tandy Mountains in Zealand , which the people call the Dunen , many ihrubs come forth naturally by the confluence of nutriment, and becaufe that place lieth open to the Sun, and is fit to breed plants, which once bred from the raoyfture of the Earth, do afterwards grow up from their own feed, and increafe abun¬ dantly. Wherefore let no man admire that plants are lubjeft to be changed, and to lofe their forces and figure, when as that, un- leffc it chance that they be confounded by affinity one with ano¬ ther, may proceed from the feituation of the place, the quality of the ambient Ayrc, and the Art of the Gardner. So Pepper, Car¬ damon, large Gummin,Rhapontick, fowed in our climate, are
N changed
Li. Georg,
The effeftt eg the Stars upo* inferiour bo¬ dies.
Of the cattfes ^ plants.
All things ba ur by dreffing.