The Raysins of the Sunne are the best dryed grapes, next vnto the Damasco, and are very wholsome to eate fasting, both to nourish, and to helpe to loosen the belly.
The dryed Lees of wine called Argoll or Tartar, is put to the vse of the Goldsmith, Dyer, and Apothecary, who doe all vse it in seuerall manners, euery one in his art.
Of it the Apothecaries make Cremor Tartari, a fine medicine to bee vsed, as the Physitian can best appoint, and doth helpe to purge humours by the stoole.
Thereof likewise they make a kinde of water or oyle, fit to bee vsed, to take away freckles, spots, or any such deformities of the face or skinne, and to make it smooth. It causeth likewise haire to growe more aboundantly in those places where it naturally should growe.
The liquor of the Vine that runneth forth when it is cut, is commended to be good against the stone wheresoeuer it be; but that liquor that is taken from the end of the branches when they are burnt, is most effectuall to take away spots and markes, ring-wormes and tetters in any place.
Chap. VII.
Ficus. The Figge tree.
The Figge trees that are noursed vp in our country are of three sorts, whereof two are high; the one bearing against a wall goodly sweete and delicate Figs, called Figs of Algarua, and is blewish when it is ripe: the other tall kinde is nothing so good, neither doth beare ripe Figges so kindly and well, and peraduenture may be the white ordinary kinde that commeth from Spaine. The third is a dwarfe kinde of Figge tree, not growing much higher then to a mans body or shoulders, bearing excellent good Figges and blew, but not so large as the first kinde.
The Figge trees of all these three kindes are in leaues and growing one like vnto another, sauing for their height, colour, and sweetnesse of the fruit, hauing many armes or branches, hollow or pithy in the middle, bearing large leaues, and somewhat thicke, diuided sometimes into three, but vsually into fiue sections, of a darke greene colour on the vpperside, and whitish vnderneath, yeelding a milkie iuyce when it is broken, as the branches also or the figges when they are greene: the fruit breaketh out from the branches without anie blossome, contrary to all other trees of our Orchard, being round and long, fashioned very like vnto a small Peare, full of small white grains or kernels within it, of a very sweete taste when it is ripe, and very mellow or soft, that it can hardly be carried farre without bruising.
The other two sorts you may easily know and vnderstand, by so much as hath been said of them. Take only this more of the Figge tree, That if you plant it not against a bricke wall, or the wall of an house, &c. it will not ripen so kindly. The dwarfe Figge tree is more tender, and is therefore planted in great square tubs, to be remoued into the sunne in the Summer time, and into the house in Winter.