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Show The firft Bookeof thefirst part se re a : ; : Cuari4.f j , np «4rifobalasaffirmeth,that fiftie Horfemen may fhadow themfelues vnder one of thefe Trees. Oneficriti rayfeth this numberto foure hundred. This tree (faith Theophraitu) confirme : to the trunke exceedeth all other in bigneffe,which alfo Plinie & Oneficritus But it may bee, repeate. to fhame 1 amagnitude,as {uch give Authors ofwhich,thefe is not fo rarea Fig-tree Indian they all {peake by an ill-vnderftood report. For this plant, as Becamue conceiueth, who becauifelhee foundit no where elfe, would needes draw the Garden of Paradifeto the Tree, and fet it by the rier Acefines. But many parts,ofthe world haue them,and I my felfe hauefeene twentie thonfandof them in one Valley, notfarre from Paria in Aimerica. They grow in moift grounds,andin this manner: After they arefirft.fhot vp fomeitwentieorthirtic foot in length ( fome more, fomelefle,according to the foile) they {pread avery largetop,hauing no boughnot twigge inthe trunke or ftemme:for fromthe vtmoft end ofthe head branches thereif fucth out a gummiy ivyce, which hangeth downewardlike a cordorfinew, andwithin a few moneths reacheththe ground; which itnofoonertoucheth but it takethrote, and then being filled both from the top boughes, and from his owne properroote,this cord makethit felfe a Tree exceeding haftily:From thevtmoft boughesof thefe young Trees there fallagaine the like cords,whichin one yeare and leffe (in that World ofa perpetuall Springbecome alfotreesof the bigneffe ofthe neatherpart of a Lance, andas ftraight as art or nature can make any thing, cafting fuch a fhade, and making fuchakindof Groue,as no other Tree in the worldican doe.Now, one of thefe Treesi confidered withall his young ones,may (indeed) {hrowd foure hundredorfoure thor fand Horfemen,ifthey pleafe; for they ‘couer whole Vallies of groundwhere thele Trees growneate the Sea-banke, as they doe by thonfands in theinner parts ofTrinidado. The cortles which fall dovvne ouer the bankes into the Sea, fhooting alway downewardto finde roote vader water,are inthofe Seas of the Indies, where: Oy- fters breede,intangled intheir beds, fo as by pulling-vp oneof thefe cordesoutofthe Sea, I hauefeene fiue hundred Oyfters hanging ina heape thereon ; wherofthe repott came,that Oyfters grew on Treesin India. Butthatthey beare any fuch huge leaues, or any fuch-delicate fruit, [could neuer finde, and-yet I haue trauailed a dozon miles together ynderthem : but to returne to Goropius Becanus.This Tree (faith he)was gooy for meate and pleafing tothefight, as the Tree ofknowledge ofgoodand euill is de- {cribed to be. Secondly,this Tree hauing fo huge a.trunke (asthe former Authors report, afd Becanus beleeucth) it was in this Tree that dam and Euehid themfelues fromtheprefence of God; for no othertree (faith he) could containethem. But firft itis certaint, that this Tree hath no extraordinarie magnitude,as touchingthe trunke or ftemme,{o! among ten thoufand ofthemit is hard to finde any one bigger thanthereft, andthele are all but of améane fize. Secondly,the words ofMofes tranflated,in medio ligni,are by all. che Interpreters vnderftood in theplurall number(thatis )dzthe imiddeft of the Truk But lis third argument (orrather the argument of Ado/es Bar- Cephas,wordfor word) is,# Fen.3.7 Pind 120.5. "That when 4dam and Ewe found themfelues naked, they made thembreechesofFig' leaues; which proucth (indeed )that eitherthe tree it felfe was a Fig-tree,orthat a Fig' tree grewneate it: becaufe Adam being poffeft with fhame, did not run vpand dowse the Gardentofetke outledues to couer him, but found them in the placeit felfe; and thefe leaues of all other were moft commodious by reafon of their largeneffe; which Pliage auowethinthefe words : Latitudefoliorums pelta effigiem Amazoni« habet ; qhe breadth of the leanes hath the (bape of an Amazonian[bield: whichalfo Theophrap contil- meth; the forme of which Targets Virgdtoucheth : Virg.Aen..% 49% AS pl Cua rgeS.3d. a (yD F ofthe Fiftorie oftheWorld, sve hane reported ofthis Fig-treesgna ont ofuncicnd writerdelivered; withthe niyatiin of Moss," to dare te 2uow,that ary other Tree'chn bee.found, which dothire properly an foversor agree therewith? Butfor my felfe; BecanfeT neither find this Tyee, faith in body,in largeneffe''of leaues,norin fruitto'this report, Trather' inclitie to thé opinion' ofPhilo: That the Earth neuebronght forth ary ofthefe'trees neither before nora ter; but [leaue ehery'man to his owne beli¢fe, for the miatievis Of Nd steat weight as touchinghis kinde:/ onely thereby, and by the eafie Commandement by God gitien to Adam, to forbeare to feede thereon, it ‘pleafed'God to miake trial of his' dbedi- ence: Prohibita, won propteralind, quam'ad commendamdims pare ac?fimplicis Obediene' syeu?de chit 30 tia bonnia'; Being forbidden, mot for any atber ve[pett; than thereby to consmend theBo0k=Dets.13.c.20, © neffé ofpure and fimple Obedience, 6. TIL Of BECANYS bis not vawitty alegorizing of theftary'ofhis Ficus Indca: Vt inthis I muft doe Beca#us right, that he hath very wittily allegorized this ree,allowing his fuppofition ofthe Tree it felfe to bee true, The effects @ whereof,becaule his difcourfes are exceeding ample, I haue gatheredin_thefe fev words. Asthis Tree (faith he) fo did We Man gtowftraight and vpright towards God, 0 x at yntill fuch time as he had tranfgreffed and broken the Commandementof his Créator. and then like ynto the boughes ofthis tree,he began to bend downeward,and ftooped toward the eatth,whichall the reft of Adams pofteritie after:him hate done, rooting, themfelues therein jand faftning themfelues to this corrtipt world, The exceeding vme bragioufneffe ofthis tree;he compareth to the darke & thadowed life of man, through which the Sunne of inftice being not ableto pierce, wee hatte all remainedin the thas dowofdeath, till it pleafed chrifto climbethe tree ofthe, Croffe for du enlightning and'redemption. The little fruite which it béareth,and whichis hardte find among fg manylarge leaues,may be compared( faith hee } to the little vertue, and: voperce ined, knowledge among folarge vanities, which obf{cureand {hadow it ouer. And as this 3° fruit is exceeding fweet, anddelicate to thetafte and ‘palate : fo ate the delights and rleafures of the world moft pleafing,while they dure. But as all thofethings which are tmetlifluous, arefooneft changed into choler and bitterneffe: fo. are our vanities ufiires contuiertedinto the bittereft forrowes and repentances. That the leaues <ceeding large,the fruit (for fich leauesexceeding little, in this, by compari; behold (faith he)the manycares and great labours ofworldly men, their follicitude,their outward fhewes, and publike oftentation, their apparant pride andlarge vanities ; and if wefecke for the fruit,which ought to bectlicix vertuous. and pious aCions,we find it ofthe bignefle ofthe {malleft peaze;glorie, to all the world apparanz; goodneffe, toall the world inuifible. And furthermore, as, the leaues, body, and, 4° Doughies of this Tree, byfo much exceedeall otherPlants.as the grcateftunien ofpower nd worldlyabilitie furpaffe the meanetft : fois thelittle fruit of fuch men, and, fuch t ~¢s,rather fitting and becomming the vnworthieft Shrub, and humbleft Bryar, or the reft and bafeft Man, than fuch a flourifhingftatelineffe, and magnitude. Laftly, hereas.ddam, after hee had difobeyed God, and beheld his owne nakednefle and fhame, fought for leaues to couer himfelfe withall,this mayferue to putys in mindeof his and our finnes.as often as we put onour garments, to couer and adorhéour rotten Smarr mort nortall}bodies ; 4 : to pamper and maintaine which, wee yle fo many vacharitable ret practices in this world. Ducit \Amazonidum lunatis agmina peltis §. TIII, PEN THESILAEA ‘farens. The Amazons with Crefcent-formedthield PENTHESILAE A leadesinto thefield. the tree of K . Ax Here Becanws defirethto be beleeued, or rather threatnethys all that reade him, © gine credit to this his borrowed difcouerie, vfing this confident ( or rather cholerické {peceh > Qwis erit tam imspudenter obflinatus, fi hac 2 nobis deficu hac ex antiquis (cript™™ bus cum Mosis warratione comparct,vt audeat dicere aliam arborem inneniri pot, ™ con ills magis quadret 27ho will befe jompudently gbitinate, if be compare the/e thing - 4 doe of good and euill : withforme other motes touching AMS fe Ow.as touching thefenfe of this tree Of Knowledge of good and euill, and what Operation the fruit tlicreof had; and as touching the propertie ofthe "falf in ancient Syrian Dogtor (trantlated by Aza~ tthefruit of this Trechad no fuch vertue or qualitic, as |