as the season and weather suits) and even in the severest
Winters in the conclave, are cut and contriv'd into various figures, and
of divers variegations, most likely to be produc'd by the seeds, as our
learned Mr. Ray believes, rather than by layers, suckers, or slips, or
from any difference of species: In the mean time, let gardeners make
such trials, whilst those most worth the culture, are the small and
broad-leav'd, the Tarentine, the Belgick, _latifolia_, and
double-flower'd, and several more among the curious; and of old, sacred
to Venus, so call'd from a virgin belov'd of Minerva, the garlands of
the leaves and blossoms, impaling the brows of incruentous, and unbloody
victors and ovations.

And now if here for the name only, I mention the _myrtus Brasantica_,
or candle-berry shrub (which our plantations in Virginia, and other
places have in plenty) let it be admitted: It bears a berry, which being
boil'd in water, yields a suet or pinguid substance, of a green colour,
which being scumm'd and taken off, they make candles with, in the shape
of such as we use of tallow, or wax rather; giving not only a very clear
and sufficient light, but a very agreeable scent, and are now not seldom
brought hither to us, but the tree it self, of which I have seen a
thriving one.

12. _Lentiscus_ (a very beautiful evergreen) refuses not our climate,
protected with a little shelter, amongst other exposed shrubs, by
suckers and layers: It is certainly an extraordinary astringent and
dryer, applicable in the hernia, strangury, and to stop fluxes; closes
and cures wounds, being infus'd in red-wine, is also us'd to tinge hairs
of that colour, to black and brown. Not forgetting the best
tooth-pickers in the world, made of the wood; but above all, the gum for
fastning loose-teeth in the gums; the mastick, gather'd from this
profitable bush in the Island of Scio; beside other uses: And as the
lentisc, so may the

13. Olive be admitted, tho' it produce no other fruit than the verdure
of the leaf; nor will it kindly breath our air, nor the less tender
_oleaster_, without the indulgent winter-house take them in. But the

14. _Granata_ [_malus punica_] is nothing so nice. There are of this
glorious shrub three sorts, easily enough educated under any warm
shelter, even to the raising hedges of them, nor indeed affects it so
much heat, as plentiful watering: They supported a very severe winter in
my garden, 1663, without any trouble or arti