The Description.

Instead of the description and place mentioned by our author (which were not amiss) give me leave to present you with one much more accurate, sent me by Mr. John Goodyer.

Taxus glandifera bacciferaque.
The Yew bearing acorns and berries.

The Yew tree that beareth acorns and berries is a great high tree remaining always green, and hath usually an huge trunk or body as big as the Oak, covered over with a scabbed or scaly bark, often peeling or falling off, and a young smooth bark appearing underneath; the timber hereof is somewhat red, near as hard as Box, universally covered next the bark with a thick white sap like that of the Oak, and hath many big limbs divided into many small spreading branches: the leaves be about an inch long, narrow like the leaves of Rosemary, but smooth, and of a darker green colour, growing all alongst the little twigs or branches close together, seldom one opposite against another, often having at the ends of the twigs little branches composed of many leaves like the former, but shorter and broader, closely compact or joined together: amongst the leaves are to be seen at all times of the year, small slender buds somewhat long, but never any flowers; which at the very beginning of the spring grow bigger and bigger, till they are of the fashion of little acorns, with a white kernel within: after they are of this form, then groweth up from the bottoms of the acorns a reddish matter, making beautiful reddish berries more long than round, smooth on the outside, very clammy within, and of a sweet taste, covering all the acorn, only leaving a little hole at the top, where the top of the acorn is to be seen: these fallen, or devoured by birds, leave behind them a little whitish husk made of a few scales, appearing like a little flower, which peradventure may deceive some, taking it to be so indeed: it seems this tree if it were not hindred by cold weather, would always have acorns and berries on him, for he hath always little buds, which so soon as the spring yields but a reasonable heat, they grow into the form of acorns: about the beginning of August, seldom before, you shall find them turned into ripe berries, and from that time till Christmas, or a little after, you may see on him both acorns and red berries.

Taxus tantum florens.
The Yew which only flowers.

The Yew which only beareth flowers and no berries, is like the other in trunk, timber, bark, and leaves, but at the beginning of November, or before, this tree doth begin to be very thick set or fraught on the lower side or part of the twigs or little branches, with small round buds, very near as big, and of the colour of Radish seed, and do so continue all the winter, till about the beginning or middle of February, when they open at the top, sending forth one small sharp pointel, little longer than the husk, divided into many parts, or garnished towards the top with many small dusty things like flowers, of the colour of the husks; and if you shall beat or throw stones into this tree about the end of February, or a good space after, there will proceed and fly from these flowers an abundance of dusty smoke. These dusty flowers continue on the trees till about harvest, and then some and some fall away, and shortly after the round buds come up as aforesaid.

Dec. 19, 1621. John Goodyer.

The Place.

These trees are both very common in England: in Hampshire there is good plenty of them growing wild on the chalky hills, and in churchyards where they have been planted.

The Time.

The time is expressed in their descriptions.

The Names.

This tree is named by Dioscorides, Smilax, by Theophrastus, Milos: but Nicander in his book Of Counterpoisons, Smilos: Galen doth also call it Kaktos: it is named in Latin Taxus: in High Dutch, Eybenbaum: in Low Dutch, Ibenboom: in Italian, Tasso: in Spanish, Toxo, and Taxo: in French, Yf: in English, Ewe, or Yew tree: in the unlearned shops of Germany, if any of them remain, it is called Tamariscus; where in times past they were wont not without great error, to mix the bark hereof in compound medicines, instead of the Tamarisk bark.

The Temperature.

The Yew tree, as Galen reporteth, is of a venomous quality, and against man's nature. Dioscorides writeth, and generally all that heretofore have dealt in the faculty of herbarism, that the Yew tree is very venomous to be taken inwardly, and that if any do sleep under the shadow thereof it causeth sickness and oftentimes death. Moreover, they say that the fruit thereof being eaten is not only dangerous and deadly unto man, but if birds do eat thereof, it causeth them to cast their feathers, and many times to die. All which I dare boldly affirm is altogether untrue: for when I was young and went to school, divers of my school-fellows and likewise myself did eat our fill of the berries of this tree, and have not only slept under the shadow thereof, but among the branches also, without any hurt at all, and that not one time, but many times. Theophrastus saith, That animalia, Galen translates them Iumenta, or labouring beasts, do die, if they do eat of the leaves; but such cattle as chew their cud receive no hurt at all thereby.

Nicander in his book Of Counterpoisons doth reckon the Yew tree among the venomous phants: setting down also a remedy, and that in these words, as Gorræus hath translated them.

Parce venenata Taxo, quæ surgit in Oeta
Abietibus similis, lethoque absumit acerbo
Ni præter morem pleno cratere meraca
Fundere vina pares, cum primum sentient æger
Arctari obtructas fauces animæque canalem.

Shun the poisonous Yew, the which on Oeta grows,
Like to the Fir, it causes bitter death,
Unless besides thy use pure wine that flows
From empty'd cups, thou drink, when as thy breath
Begins to fail, and passage of thy life
Grows strait.

Pena and Lobel also observed that which our author here affirms, and daily experience shows it to be true, that the Yew tree in England is not poisonous: yet divers affirm, that in Provençe in France, and in most hot countries, it hath such a malign quality, that it is not safe to sleep or long to rest under the shadow thereof.