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Show 770 Cuar.21. Theatrum Botanicum, Tripe'6, 3 2 6. Cacurbite byemales. Wanter Gourdsor Millions. _ Thefe Gourdsdiffer little in forme of growing from the other forts before mentionedbut in the maturitie and durabilitic oftheir fruite : for there are of them that ate greater then others, and ofdifferent colours, as fome yellow others greene or of other colours : butall ofthem doe ripen later,and doé better endure the firft approach ofWinter then the others,for they are not full ripe andfit to be eaten before they are hung up in a Chainberafter cay pene i Cucurbite Indice rotunde & diverfi formes, RoundIndian Gourds, or canes ioe eo ofother formes. variecie of thefe Gourds (or Millions as fomecall them, or Pompions, as TheBheater of Plants: Prise 6. er EN Cuar.22. oma 974 —aoeape you fee I have endeavonred’as muchast cantoayoyd. But to give yott one note worth the obfervation to know the feverall varieties of chef and the otlier forte of Millions, Citrulis, Cowcumbers,&&c, is dilligently to marke the formeof the feedes, for the feede of the ordinary bottle Gourds ar¢-formed quite differing from all the other forts, and therefore whatfoever flrange feede fhall come to your hands formed fomewhatlike untothem, you may certainly conclude them kinds ofGourds, fo likewife of the Pompions or Millions w hich are flat; white, and greater then either Muske Melon. or Cowcumber: in like manner the itrull hath a thicke hard fhelled j maycall fomé sttatercaeoF of America orthe Welt Indies, from fandry places, both farther Sonth among the Spanifo Colonies,and nearer hand in our owne of Virginia; New-England,eec, Some whereofin their forme are as round aslong, fomelonger likea Peare, fome more long then round, and fomeflat ar the botrome : fome alfoas great as ourPompions, fomeas {mall as an Apple, and {ome of divers other fifes, meaner or greater or lefler, fome with much moyfture or water that is very {weeteand pleafant inthem, and fome havinglittle or no meate, or moylture: fome againe difcoloured on the ontfide, greene, with whitifh or yellowifh{tripes in thein,or {potted deepe fo finely that they give great delight to behold them, fomealfo reddith {potted or ftriped, and fome ofa yellow colour, the {eedes in thefe likewife are variable in divers, fome morelike unto the ordinary Gourd feed, bat blacker or browner, orred, inothers white, either like the long Gourd, or like to our Pompions, yer few fo large as our Pompion, and others as {mall almoft as the Cowcumberfeede, fo that to give you an ample de= claration ofevery one of them wetea worke ofcuriofitie, and of more travell then profit, and rherefore I mutt leaveit for them that can intend it,and will gather them all together and publifh facha peece, I maft convert my pen to otherparts which I hope {hall proove mare beneficiall to the Commonwealth. Divers other forts of Gourds or Millions,or Pompions, or whatfoever elfe you pleafe to call them, are grow- ing and have beene brought us from fandry places, both Syria and the Eaft Indies differing from manyhere expreffed, fome being asted as blood both within and withont, and muchpleafanter in eating then in anyof thefe Countries, whereof ro write morelargely were almoft furperfluous, the diverfitie being fo great that we yearely almoft fee fomefort not before feene ofus,and ee fo will may quote thofé theylike in the margent . Place, pe *neeof, Gourds are ftrangers and brought from feverall places ,fome out of the Levant,as egypt, Syria, ec. others as I faid before ont of America , both furtheroff and nearer tous,as in Virginia,cc, The Time. Theyareall to be planted of the feede in the Spring, and invery good ground that malt not want plenty of moyfture,or elf the heate of our owne Country willnot ferve toripen them, e Names, The Gourdeis called in Greeke xontxevSu or noarbxuy Sa eddu@ Colocynthaedulis, to fhew the difference fromthe other xoaduurSis or nonbxurSu cigs ordackardetyn or ena mKecy the wilde or bittér Gourde called Colocynthis or Colo quintida before {poken of ; in Latine Cacurbita aconcurvatn (asit is thought) quodfacile fiquid obfteterit quomix nus exctendatur incurvefcat :the Antientsas I fayd in the beginning have beene very variable in their denominationsof Gourdes, Cowcumbers,&c. for they have by the word ave whith is Cicumis, called divers other forts Indi~ of thefe fruits. Athenee fetteth it downein his fecond booke that Emthydamus called the Gourde Cascumss eas, becaufe ashe there faith, the {cede was firftbrought out of India, andthat Menedorus made the Gourd alfoinhis 19. to be of two forts, the one of India called xia cacumis,che othercalled wentuuvsy colocyntha, Pl-ny Booke and fift Chapter maketh the Pepo or Pompion, a kinde of Cowcumber, faying Cucumeres cum magnitudine exceffere Pepones vocari, but Galen faith lib,2, alimentorom that mimwy (which fignifieth 7 memevoy ripe.and may be appropriate to all fruits) is yet given to one peculiar,but thenit is called ciwoyzizmy Pepo cncumeraliz, but hereof } {hall {peakea little more inthe next Chapter. Pliny hath two forts of Gourds, the one hee calleth Cucurbita (ameraria, becaufe it was planted or placed neare unto Chambers and windowesto be a fhade and coole refrefhing from the heate,which by climing up and leading it which way they pleafed it did performe, for ashe faith it is /ublimitatis avida : the other he called Cucurbita plebcia, whichlay uponthe ground andclimed not, which I doubt whetherit be any of thofe forts here fpoken of, forall of themexcept the C/ypesformis Will clime ifthey have any high thing ftand neare them whereon they may tife. The Arabians call them Hara, Charhaand Harakarha,the Italians Zucca : the Spaniards Calabaffa, the FrenchCourge and (oucourde, the Ger- Lugdumans Kurbff, the Dutch Canmerderen, and wee in EnglifoGourds, Thetwo firft are called by Lebe/and oblonga by nenfissCucurbita lagenaria major & minor,and Cameraria major cminor : the third iscalled Cucurbita almoft ail Authors except Dodonaus, Lobel and Gerard,who call it Cucurbita auguinn s the fourthis called Cucur- bita fellata & feffilu by Camerarins and Gefner in hortis : by Tabermontanus Cucurbita capitata, by Gerard Cucurbita {ylveftris fungiformis ,P epo Indicus fungiformis, and Pepo maximus clypeatis, for all thefe his three figures ex- preffe but this one fort of Gourd, and by Dedoneus Pepolatus : the fift is called Cucurbita Indica by Mattbialus, rotunda of Cefalpinus and Lugdunenfis, and Indica major or minor of Tabermontanus : Zuccha major rotunaa of Cordus and Citrullus maior and Pepe maior[ylveltris of Gerard, which althoughhe exprefie thefe as he did the formerfor fandry plants yet they are notfo : of this kinde Afatthiolws and others have made mention of much varietie which they faw intheirtime, and wee Ithinke in ovrs many moreasIhave declared before : the fixtis mentioned by Lugdunenfis onely by the name of Cucurbita verrncofa : the laft fome call Cucumeres byemales, but Thad rathercall itCucurbita byemalis partly for the reafons beforefet downe, but chiefely for the feeds fake whichis morelike a Gourd thena Cowcumber, WhatI faid before concerning the variableneffe of the ancient Authorsinthefe things, I may as well fay of our moderne writers in confounding Pepo,Melopepo and Cucurbita fo promif{cuoufly, that itis not poffible to finde out the diftinét certair.tie of them all, for fome. make that to o Pepo that others call “Melopepo and othersCacurbita. And Basbires who taketh upon himto refine all . fe mens writings and diltinguith of chem,in making Pepo, Afelopepo, and Cucurbita feveralikinds of plants, dot fe huddle and confound themtogether,as any that will reade him advifedly and compare him may foonefee that he giveth feverall names to one andthe fame plant in divers places; which errour andthe prolixitie about a blacke barcke and’rounder then the Gourd,and therefore what feede is neareft theretoin likeneffe you may ins clude themunder their family, the Maske Melons and Cowcumbersare verylike one unto another, and therefore T would conclude them both under onegewm, yetif youwill well obferve them you fhall fooneknowtheir diffe> rence by the yellower and harderfhell of the Melon, & greater alfo when as thofe of the Cowcnmber are whiter, {mallerand tenderer fhelled: I know none other of thefé kinds of fruites but may be moft truly referred by their feedee(pecially ,butnotcither by forme,colonrortalte,to one of thefe foure forefhewedforts. Some other things more; before leave thisnarrationI thinke.good to fhewyou, namely, the divers errours borh of Plixy andothers, both ancient and moderne, who thinkethatall or moft of thele varieties of Gourdes have come from the feede of one kinde, véx. that the feede that lyeth in the necke of the Gourde will give long Gourdes, thofein the middle round like Gourdes,and thofe in the bottomeor loweft parts, flac or bottle like Gourds, and that the varietic of formes in them isalfo cafed by the Art of Gardiners, who by mouldesand fichlike, doe bring them unotowhat forme they pleafe,which forme,fay they.they will continually keepe afterwards cach from their own feede, whichis foundutterly untrue, for howfoever they may by mouldes, &c. bring them in theirgrowing to the forme of rhe mould, yet the {eede thereof affurc dly will give no.other forme than the firft naturall, unlefleit be forcedagaine. Another etrour or opinion poffeffeth many that by the ftanding of water ina pot three or foure foot offfromthe place where it groweth,it will fhoote and {pring wondrous faft,and that ifoyle be fet neare ir,it will fhrinkeinas faft: and againe, that ifwomen when they havetheir courfes fhall touch any part of them, it illhinder their growing : andlaftly, thatto make them come without (cede, is to fteepe the feede in oyle of amare before youfet it, all which areas erronious asthe former, The Vertues, Allthefé forts of Gourdes however differentin forme,yet are of one qualitie, that is, cold and-moift in the fe- cond degree : they are eatenin the hot countries with muchdelight, kept and preferved withgreat care, art, and paines to be fpent almoft all the yeare after, and have there, as I faid. before, a farre more {weete and pleafant rellifh thanin thele colder climates, where being more waterith, they are the more unfavorie, atthe leat more in- fipide : they are eaten boyled'or ftewed, but much better being fried whereby they give the better nourifhment to the body : for by their moifture being boiled or ftewed, they are the more lubricke, and make the body the morefoluble, and fo they doe alfobeing pickled upas many.nfe to doe: Wine alfo kept ina freth Gourdeall night, after ir hath beene clenfed from the loofe inward pulpe and-feede and diunke in the morning will canfe the body to be foluble. They are conveniently given to hot & cholericke bodies to coole rhe heat and inflammation ofthe liver and ftomacke : but the diftilled water of them before theyare throughripe drunke withfome Sugar, doth wonderfully helpe to affwage thirft, and the hot fits ofagues, For want of aStillto make water, you may make fome effe@tuall in this manner. Put a whole Gourd whenyouhave cut offthe upper head and clenfed it feede, into an Qvenwith batch of bread, in the middle whereofthere willbe gathered a fine cleare r, which being powred out, may be kept to ufe as neede requireth : the leaves and youngbranchesare conntly appliedto all the hot humors,empoftumes andinflammations,and to aflwage paines ofthe headach, the rednefle and heat inthe eyes, the paines inthe eares, and the paines of tke gout, if either the juice of them, or the vater be applied in clothes and fpunges wet therein:the fame applied to womens brealts pained with the abunnce of milke eafech them by cooling and reftraining the hot qualitie and quantitie thereof: the water of juice 3 drunkeor outwardly applied tothe privie parts of man and woman, reftraineth the immoderateluft ofthe the afhes ofburnt Gourds are ufed of many to clenfe and heale old ulcers andfores, as well inthe genitos other. parts of the body, and to helpe fcaldings or burnings by fire or water: they are a ccounacilent lean€ and _weake bodiesto feede on, as they are hurt full to frchas have the winde cholom they are not to be given at any hand. The feedes of Gourds are one of the foure greater forts of cold feedes ufed very much in Phyficke,and are very availeable in deco€tions, Tuleps, Emulfions or Almond milkes to coole the heate ofthe liver, the reines or backe and urine, and to give much eafe to themthatare trou- bled with the {tone or gravell in the kidneyes, and theulcers or fores of the inwardparts and bladder. The Sime fi ts lin az forts are leffe fit for meateor medicine. fed any good way, is both more acceptable meate, and is.noleffe effe- fome more waterith, others more folide, and according ive Citrullus, The Citrull or Tarkie Million. oH He Citrull or Tzrkie Millionhath alfo fome varieties beinga fruit different from the other, as well in 4 the forme therof.as of the feed, which much leadeth me todiftincuith of them, or joyne themtogether, jy Yet becanfe {ome doe account them kindes of Cowcumbers, I will give you the figures bothof fome forts of Cowcumbers and Muske Melonsalfo, wrhis ted I. Angur Jive Citrullus vulgatior, The ordinary Citrull or Turkie Million. Reed0s Million growethiike as other ‘Melons and Cowcumbers doe. withroughtrailing branches, the es whereof are hairy,longer and narrower than in any other, and moredivided into feverall parts, and hath {mall clafpers and yellow flowers, but the fruit is greater than a Melon, fomewhat nearethe fafhion of a PomPlon, Witha fmooth greenifh barke which will change yellow by time, having fome ribbes thereon, the meate Yun 2 Or |
