1. Laurus. The Bay tree.
There are to bee reckoned vp fiue kindes of Bay trees, three whereof haue been entreated of in the first part, a fourth wee will only bring here to your consideration, which is that kinde that is vsually planted in euery mans yard or orchard, for their vse throughout the whole land, the other we will leaue to bee considered of in that place is fit for it.
The Bay tree riseth vp oftentimes to carry the face of a tree of a meane bignesse in our Countrey (although much greater in the hoter) and oftentimes shooteth vp with many suckers from the roote, shewing it selfe more like to a tall shrubbe or hedge-bush, then a tree, hauing many branches, the young ones whereof are sometimes reddish, but most vsually of a light or fresh greene colour, when the stemme and elder boughes are couered with a darke greene barke: the leaues are somewhat broad, and long pointed as it were at both the ends, hard and sometimes crumpled on the edges, of a darke greene colour aboue, and of a yellowish greene vnderneath, in smell sweet, in taste bitter, and abiding euer greene: the flowers are yellow and mossie, which turne into berries that are a little long as well as round, whose shell or outermost peele is greene at the first, and black when it is ripe; wherein is contained an hard bitter kernell, which cleaueth in two parts.
The Vse of Bayes.
The Bay leaues are of as necessary vse as any other in Garden or Orchard; for they serue both for pleasure and profit, both for ornament and for vse, both for honest Ciuill vses, and for Physicke, yea both for the sicke and for the sound, both for the liuing and for the dead: And so much might be said of this one tree, that if it were all told, would as well weary the Reader, as the Relater: but to explaine my selfe; It serueth to adorne the house of God as well as of man: to procure warmth, comfort and strength to the limmes of men and women, by bathings and annoyntings outward, and by drinkes &c. inward to the stomacke, and other parts: to season vessels &c. wherein are preserued our meates, as well as our drinkes: to crowns or encircle as with a garland, the heads of the liuing, and to sticke and decke forth the bodies of the dead: so that from the cradle to the graue we haue still vse of it, we haue still neede of it.
The berries likewise serue for stitches inward, and for paines outward, that come of cold eyther in the ioynts, sinewes, or other places.
2. Laurea Cerasus, siue Laurus Virginiana. The Virginian Bay, or Cherry Baye.
This Virginian (whether you will call it a Baye, or a Cherrie, or a Cherrie Bay, I leaue it to euery ones free will and iudgement, but yet I thinke I may as well call it a Bay as others a Cherrie, neither of them being answerable to the tree, which neyther beareth such berries as are like Cherries, neither beareth euer greene leaues like the Bay: if it may therefore bee called the Virginia Cherry Bay, for a distinction from the former Bay Cherry that beareth faire blacke Cherries, it will more fitly agree thereunto, vntill a more proper may be imposed) riseth vp to be a tree of a reasonable height, the stemme or bodie thereof being almost as great as a mans legge, spreading forth into diuers armes or boughes, and they againe into diuers small branches, whereon are set without order diuers faire broade greene leaues, somewhat like vnto the former Bay leaues, but more limber and gentle, and not so hard in handling, broader also, and for the most part ending in a point but in many somewhat round pointed, very finely notched or toothed about the edges, of a bitter taste, very neere resembling the taste of the Bay leafe, but of little or no sent at all, either greene or dryed, which fall away euery autumne, and spring afresh euery yeare: the blossomes are small and white, many growing together vpon a long stalke, somewhat like the Bird Cherry blossomes, but smaller, and come forth at the ends of the young branches, which after turne into small berries, euery one set in a small cup or huske, greene at the first, and blacke when they are ripe, of the bignesse of a small pease, of a strong bitter taste, and somewhat aromaticall withall, but without any fleshy substance like a Cherry at all vpon it; for it is altogether like a berry.