are of fine filk, and fome of horse-hair, which the poorer fort wear; and over their head they put some white fearfs made of cotton, which are fo broad that they not only cover their heads but their arms and fhoulders, they look in them almoft like our maids, when, to keep themselves from the wet, they put a table-cloth or fheet over their heads. But because the Turks are very jealous, therefore their wives feldom meet in the streets or markets, but only in the hot-houses, or when they go to vifit the tombs of their deceased parents or relations, which generally are out of town near the highways. When they go thither, they take along with them bread, chcefe, eggs, and the like to eat there, which was call'd Parentalia by the Latins, just as the Heathens used to do in former ages; and fometimes they leave fome of their cheer behind them, that the beafts and birds may eat it after they are gone; for they believe, that fuch good beftow'd upon the beasts is as acceptable to God as if it were beftow'd on men. Their graves are commonly hollow cover'd at the top with great ftones, which are like unto children's bed-fteads in our country, which are high at the head and feet, but hollow'd in the middle; they fill them up with earth, wherein they commonly plant fine herbs, but chiefly flags; they alfo put fome green myrtles in little air-holes that are round the tombs; and they are of opinion, that their relations are the happier, the longer these remain green and retain their colour And for the fake of this fuperftition there are in feveral places of the town myrtles to be fold that ftand in water, that they may remain fresh, which the women buy to ftick up at the graves of their relations. Their burying-places are always out of town near the highways, that any body that goeth by may be put in mind of them, and pray to God for them, which is the reason that fo many chapels are built about their burying-places, that people that go by, chiefly the relations of the deceafed, may go into them to pray to God in their behalf. When any of them dieth, they wash him, and put on his best cloaths; then they lay him on a bar or board, and ftrow him with fweet fmelling herbs and flowers, leaving only

his

his face bare, that every body may look upon him that knoweth him, as he is carry'd out. If it be a Tfchelebii, that is, a noble perfon, they put his helmet and his other ornaments at his head; his friends and acquaintance, which go before and follow the corps, keep no order, but hang upon one another, as if they were fudled, and go merrily and fhouting along to the grave; as alfo do the women, who come behind and hollow fo loud that you may hear them a great way off.

CHA P. IV.

A defcription of the plants Igather'd at Tripoli.

CONSIDERING that

CONSIDERING that I undertook this journey countries, not only to fee thefe people, and to obferve their manners, &c. but also, and that principally, diligently to enquire and to fearch out the plants that were growing there; I cannot but fhortly defcribe those I found about Tripoli, during my ftay there, and will begin with fuch as grew on the feafhores, which were Medica marina, Gnaphalium marinum, Leucoium marinum, Juncus maritimus, Peplis, Scammonium Monfpelienfe, which the natives call Meudheuds; but Rhafis in his book ad Almanf. call'd it Coriziala, Braffica marina, which spreads it's roots above the fand for fome cubits round, and has inftead of round leaves rather square ones. A kind of wild white lillies by the Latins and Greeks call'd Hemerocallis, which did not only grow on the fea-fhore, but alfo in iflands thereabouts in great plenty, with a great many others, which I forbear to mention here, being common. hind the custom-house, near the harbour, I found in the ruins of the old walls that are left of that city, Hyofcyamus, and hard by it in the fand an herb not unlike unto Cantabrica fecunda Caroli Clufii, faving only the stalks and leaves which are woolly. But the Ricinus groweth there above all in fo great plenty, that you cant hardly make your way through it; the inhabitants call it ftill by it's old Arabian name Kerva.

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If you turn from thence to the high-way towards your right hand, you see the Tythimalus Paralius, and also a kind of Conyza Diofc. out of one root there spring up feveral stalks, whereof fome grow upright, but the greater part of them lie down upon the ground, and fo fhoot new roots, which afterwards fprout out into new stalks; it beareth long olive-leaves, which are thick, fattish, and fomewhat woolly, and have a ftrong and equally sweet smell; for the reft, as the flowers, it is very like unto the great one. You find there also the greater and leffer Medica, which the Moors to this day call Fafa. Likewife fo great and many Squills that the inhabitants weed them up, chiefly those that grow near their gardens, and fling them up in high heaps like ftones. There alfo groweth Securidaca minor, Tribulus terreftris, by the inhabitants call'd Hafeck, and a kind of Echium, which groweth by the way as you go to St James's church, which from thence is fituated upon an at afcent a mile's diftance. Hereabouts, and in other adjacent places, groweth a great quantity of fugar-canes, fo that there is yearly fold a great many fugar-loaves that are made thereof. These are as high and big as our canes, and not much differing from them, but within and down towards the root, where they are beft, they are full of this pleasant juice, wherefore the Turks and Moors buy a great many of them, being very pleasant to them to chew and eat, for they are mightily pleafed with sweet-meats, whereof they have variety. Before they begin to eat or chew them, they ftript off the long leaves and cut away what is taftelefs, fo that only the juicy and good remaineth, which is hardly two foot. Of the thus prepared canes they carry many along with them through the ftreets, and cut off one piece after another, skale them, and fo chew and eat them openly every where in the street without fhame; for they are, principally near the root, very tender, and feel as mellow between your teeth as if it were sugar itfelf. the Turks use themselves to gluttony, and are no more fo free and courageous, to go against their enemies to fight, as they have been in former ages. The fugar canes do not grow there from feeds, neither are they propagated by the root, but by the canes themselves,

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whereof they lay into the ground fome green pieces of two or three joints long, and that they may grow the fooner, they bore pretty large holes in between the joints; when they begin to grow, they fprout out in the joints, and grow up into great canes, and fo bring in good profit.

There alfo by the rivers are found Anthilis Marina, Vifnaga, the firft Apocymum, and Oleander with purple flowers, by the inhabitants call'd Defle, and a delicate kind of Scabiofa Melifra Maluca, and if you go to the gardens, you see Heliotropium majus, Convolvulus folio acuto, Vitis nigra, Phafeolus Turcicus, with yellow flowers, which ftill retain the ancient name of Lubie, Lyfimachia lutea, and wild vines call'd Labrufca, whereon nothing groweth but only the flowers, call'd Ocnanthe; and alfo a fhrub like unto the Polygonus of Carol Clufius, which climbs up into high trees, and hang down again from the twigs; and I verily believe they are the fame with Ephedra, whereof Pliny maketh mention in the feventh chapter of his twenty fixth book.

When I went farther, with an intention to confider the plants that grew in the country, first came before. me fome Sycomores, whereof chiefly Diofcorides and Theophraftus make mention, and tell us of two forts; and when I call'd these things to mind, I light of one of the fecond fort of Sycomores, whereof abundance grow in Cyprus, wherefore thefe wild figg-trees might be call'd, the one the Cyprish Sycomore-tree, and the other the Egyptian Sycomore-tree, according to the places where they are most frequent and fruitful. I found a great many of them: the Moors and Arabians call them Mumeitz, they are as great and as high as the white Mulberrytrees, and have almoft the fame leaves, but they are only fomewhat rounder, and are alfo whole at or about the fides; they bear fruit not unlike to our figg-trees, only they are fweeter, and have no little feeds within, and are not fo good; wherefore they are not efteem'd,; and are commonly fold only to the poorer fort of people; they grow in all fields and grounds, as you may fee by the words of the fecond book of the Chronicles ix. 27. And the king made filver in Jerufalem as flones, and

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Cedar-trees made he as the Sycomore-trees that are in the low plains in abundance. Zacheus did climb upon fuch a one when he had a great mind to fee our Saviour. Effaias alfo maketh mention of them in his ninth chap. verf. 10, and Amos in his feventh chap. verf. 14, where he faith of himself: I was a herds-man, and a gatherer of Sycomore-fruit. These two forts are very like one another, in ftem, leaves, and fruit, only as the fruit of the one comes more out of the great stems and great twigs, fo that of the other does the fame, but not out of the stems and twigs immediately, but out of twigs or fprouts without leaves of the length of five or fix inches, whereon they grow fometimes very thick, and in a bunch together. These trees bear fruit three or four times yearly, which are fmall, of an afh-colour, oblong, round, like Prunes, and are found upon the trees almost all the year long, Hereabouts alfo grow many thorns, whereof is made mention in Scripture, by the inhabitants call'd Haufeit, and by the Arabians Haufegi, but the Latins call them Ahamnus; and alfo white Poplars, ftill to this day call'd Haur by the Arabians. There alfo groweth a great and high tree which beareth delicate leaves and flowers, pleafant to look upon, by the inhabitants call'd Zenfetacht, but by Rhafts and Avicenna, Aftirgar, & Aftergir, and Azadaracht, whereof you fee here and there feveral planted in the streets, to make a pleasant fhade in the fummer, the fruit thereof. remaineth upon them all the year long, until they put out again a-new, for they are hurtful, and kill the dogs if the eat thereof.

Near the town upon the highlands, (where you fee abundance of corn-fields, and abundance of pleasant Olive-trees, that reach quite up to mount Libanus) are found Polium montanum, Pecten veneris, ferrum equinum, Chameleon niger, with it's fharp pointed and black roots and leaves, very like unto the leaves of Carlina, whereof the ftalks are of a reddish colour, a fpan long, and of the thickness of a finger; whereon are small prickly heads, of a blewish colour, not unlike to thofe of the little Eryngium. Another fine plant grows thereabouts, call'd Sathar in their language, but when I confider it's beautiful purple-colour'd flowers, and it's fmall leaves which

are