The Description.

The Date tree groweth very great and high: the body or trunk thereof is thick, and covered with a scaly rugged bark, caused by the falling away of the leaves: the boughs grow only on the top, consisting of leaves set upon a woody middle rib like those of Reeds or Flags: the inner part of which rib or stalk is soft, light, hollow, and spongy. Among the leaves come forth the flowers included in a long skinny membrane, as it were a sheath or hose, like that which covereth the Fleur-de-Lys before it be blown, which being opened of itself, white flowers start forth, standing upon short and slender footstalks, which are fastened with certain small filaments or thready strings like unto little branches: after which spring out from the same branches the fruit or dates, which be in fashion long and round, in taste sweet, and many times somewhat harsh, of a yellowish red colour; wherein is contained a long hard stone, which is instead of kernel and seed; the which I have planted many times in my Garden, and have grown to the height of three foot: but the first frost hath nipped them in such sort, that soon after they perished, notwithstanding my industry by covering them, or what else I could do for their succour.

The Place.

The Date trees grow plentifully in Africa and Egypt; but those which are in Palestine and Syria be the best: they grow likewise in most places of the East and West Indies, where there be divers sorts, as well wild, as tame or manured.

The Time.

The Date tree is always green, and flowereth in the spring time: the fruit is ripe in September, and being then gathered they are dried in the sun, that they may be the better both transported into other countries far distant, as also preserved from rotting at home.

The Names.

The tree is called in Greek, Phoinix: in Latin, Palma: in English, Date tree.

The fruit is named in Greek, Balanos Phoinikos: that is to say, Glans Palmarum, or the fruit of the Date trees: and by one word, Phoinikobalanos: in Latin, Palmula: in shops, Dactylus: in High Dutch Dattelen: in Low Dutch, Dadelen: in Italian, Dattoli: in French, Dattes: in Spanish, Tamaras, and Dattiles: in English, Date.

The cod or sheath wherein the flowers and dates are wrapped, is called Elate: and of some, Birassos.

The Temperature and Virtues.

A. All manner of dates whatsoever are hard of digestion, and cause headache: the worser sort be those that be dry and binding, as the Egyptian dates; but the soft, moist, and sweet ones are less hurtful.

B. The blood which is engendered of dates in man's body is altogether gross, and somewhat clammy: by these the liver is very quickly stopped, especially being inflamed and troubled with some hard swelling: so is the spleen likewise.

C. The dates which grow in colder regions, when they cannot come to perfect ripeness, if they be eaten too plentifully, do fill the body full of raw humours, engender wind, and oft-times cause the leprosy.

D. The drier sorts of dates, as Dioscorides saith, be good for those that spit blood, for such as have bad stomachs, and for those also that be troubled with the bloody flux.

E. The best dates, called in Latin Caryotæ, are good for the roughness of the throat and lungs.

F. There is made hereof both by the cunning confectioners and cooks, divers excellent cordial, comfortable, and nourishing medicines, and that procure lust of the body very mightily.

G. They do also refresh and restore such unto strength as are entering into a consumption, for they strengthen the feebleness of the liver and spleen, being made into convenient broths, and physical medicines directed by a learned physician.

H. Dry dates do stop the belly, and stay vomiting, and the wambling of women's stomachs that are with child, if they be either eaten in meats or otherwise, or stamped and applied unto the stomach as a pectoral plaster.

I. The ashes of the date stones have a binding quality, and emplastic faculty, they heal pushes in the eyes, Staphylomata, and falling away of the hair of the eyelids, being applied together with Spikenard: with wine it keepeth proud flesh from growing in wounds.

K. The boughs and leaves do evidently bind, but especially the hose, that is to say, the sheath or case of the flowers: and therefore it is good to use these so oft as there is need of binding.

L. The leaves and branches of the Date tree do heal green wounds and ulcers, refresh and cool hot inflammations.

M. Galen in his book Of Medicines According to the Kinds mentioneth a composition called Diapalma, which is to be stirred with the bough of a Date tree instead of a spature or a thing to stir with, for no other cause than that it may receive thereby some kind of astriction or binding force.