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Show ~ = SeePeOre THEYTHIRD BOOKE OF: HISTORIE OF PLANTS THE 1341 Saffafras. TheSaffaftas tree, & The place. His ftrange and admirable tree groweth verygreat, refembling thePine tree, byreafonit doth alwaies flourifh,and hath his boughes or branches ofequall length and bignes,which are bate or naked,of eight or nine cubits long andofthe bigneffe ofa mans arme: from the ends of which do thoote out leaues ofacubite andahalfe long,and ful twoinches broad,fomwhat thicke,and raifed vp in the middle,then thinnerand thinnerlike a two edged fword: among which comefoorthlittle moffic lowers, of fmallmoment,which turne into berries ,ofthe bignes of Cher. This tree groweth in the moft parts of the welt Indies,e{pecially about the cape of Floridaie Win: gaudico, and Virginia, otherwife named Norem: bega. ries,of.ayellowifh colour, round, light and bitter,coucred with a threefoldeskin or filme,wherein is to be feene,as Afonardus and diuers other report,the forme ofa dragon, hauing along necke,or % The names, gapingmouth the ridge or backe armed withfharpeprickles, like the Porpentine; ithath alfoa longtaile,& fowerfeet,very eafic to be difcerned:thefigure ofit we hauefet foorth vnto youaccor. ding to the greatnes thereof,bicaufe our words and meaning may be the better vnderftood,andal- The Spaniards and French men have namedthis tree, Sa/fafras: thé Indians in theirtoong Pawames for want of an Englith nameweare contented to calli the Ague tree, ofhis vertuein healing the fo the leafe of the treein his full bignefle, bicaufe itis impoflible to be expreffed in the figure: the Ague, trunke ot body of the tree is couered with a roughbarke,verythin,and eafie to be opened or wounded with any finall toole or inftrument; whichbeing fo woundedin the Dogge ‘daies , brufed ot bored,dothyeeld foorth drops ofa thicke red liquor which ofthe nameof the tree are called Dragonsteares, or Sanguis Draconis ,Dragons bloud: diuers haue doubted whethertheliquor or gummie iuice were allone with Cimabir#s (not meaning that Ci#aber made ofquicke filuer)buctherecejiitd opinionis,theydiffer nor, by reafontheir qualitie and temperatureworke thelike effedt, % Theplace. This tree gtowethin an Iland which the Portingales call Madera , andin one of the Carnarie %& The temperature, The boughes and branches heereofare hot and dty in the fecond degteesthe rinde is hotter, for that it entreth into the third degreeofheate and drines, asis manifeftly perceiued in the decoction, % The vertues, Thebeft ofall the trec is the roote,and that wor- 4 keth the beft effe@, the which hath therinde clea uing very faft to the inner part,and is of colour tay although Tlands, calied Zwfula Portus Sanéfi: and as it {eemethit was firft brought out of Afftike, fome ate ofa contrarie opinion,andfay, thatit was firft brought from Carthagena, in Nowa orbe,by the bifhop ofthe fame prouince. % Thetime. : Thetime of his growing we haue touchedin the defcription,where we faid thatit flourifheth and groweth greeneall the yeere. %& The names. % The temperature andvertues. Of the Dragontree or ofthe fruice thereof , there hath not beene anycertaintie affirmed byany the fo difficile, referring of authoritie, therefore we haue forborne to write affirmatiuely of a thing reft to a fecond edition,or a furtherconfideration. nie,and much more {weete of {mell then all the tree andhisbranches, The rindetafteth ofa more fiveete finell then the B tree; and the water being fodden withthe rooteis of greater andbettereffects then anyother part of thetree, and is of amore fweete fmell , and there- ; The names haue benefufficiently fpoken of in the deferiptionand in their feuerall ticles, Of the Saffafras,or Agne tree. ‘ par LN s forethe Spaniards vic it,for thatit worketh better and greater effects, Itisa tree that growethneere vnto the fea, and in temperate places that haue not much drouth, C formoifture : there be mountaines growing full of them, andtheycaft foorth a moft fweere {mell, fothatat the beginning when they{aw them firft, they thought they had beenetrees ¢ f Cinamon, hathas fweetea linell as Cinamon andin part they were notdeceiued;for that therinde ofthis tree finell: and fo che water hath,and doth imitateit in colour andfharpnes oftafte, and pleafantne s of atismadeof ic is of a moft fweet finel and tafte,as the Cinnamon is;S¢ srocurech the fame works andeffeéts as Cinnamondoth. of Claret wine, and The wood heerofcut into finall peeces and boiled in water, t0 the cok our A g of the! Chap.v36. D dtunke for certaine daies togither,helpeth the dropfie,remooueth oppilation ot ftopp tet, cureth quotidian and tertian agues,andlong fevers. ons to comfort B Theroote of Saffafras hath power to comfortthe liuer , anc 1to diffolue oppilati Meweake and feeble ftomacke, tocaule a goodappetite, to cor fume wind;ines % The defeription. is the trunke or body ‘He Saffafras tree groweth very great , muchlike vnto the Pine tree: tha two fold grofle wi ftraight, {mooth,and voide of boughes, of a great height: itis cou ered colourzon the top rinde , the vppermoft of the colour ofafhes, that next the wood ofataw nie » growe greene dc whereon , Palmetree the ecome foorth many goodly branches like thofe of burmuch fwe ene Ieaues,fomewhatlike thofe ofthe Figtree,of a {weete finell when they be greene, are gre y the f00 Fhe ratte: in fweetnes ter whenthey be drie,declining to the fnell of Fenell,with much asit s al ie foere is alrogither barren winter and fommer,neither bearing fruite nor flowers,but eae with are groffe,conformableto the greatnes of the tree,of a tawnie colour, difperfingt are often ¢ abroade vnder the vppercruft of the earth, by meanes whereofthey maeane blaftes ofwinde. sii , the chiefeft caule ofctuditieand indigeftion,ftay vomiting,and make {weete a ftinking br eath. : barrennes an {maketh women F *Prouoketh vrine, remooueththe impediments that docaufe Mttoconceaue; Of the Storax tree. (hap 137: of. The deferiptions sree :the trunke orbodie is ng limmer, the height and bignes af abe ahaa sie {malia He Storax cree groweth to Coueted with a barke or rinde 5 like vato the pcan “tithabound whiter vndernea among ; wherondo erow leaueslike thofe ofthe Quince tree,grecnit zz AE % Thetwme. Tr flourifheth and keepethgreene winter andfom: mer, (ep eee, Ss % The defirijtion. |