are drawn down, or left by the Moon in the <lb/>
lowe&longs;t Roots, the Re&longs;t of the Timber is clearer <lb/>
and &longs;ounder. </s> <s>Moreover they think that the <lb/>
Tree will be much more &longs;erviceable, if it is not <lb/>
cut quite down immediately, but chopt round <lb/>
about, and &longs;o left &longs;tanding upon the Stump to <lb/>
dry. </s> <s>And they &longs;ay, that if the Fir (which is <lb/>
not the mo&longs;t unapt to &longs;uffer by Moi&longs;ture) be <lb/>
barked in the Wane of the Moon, it will never <lb/>
afterwards be liable to be rotted by Water. <lb/>
</s> <s>There are &longs;ome who affirm that if the Oak, <lb/>
which is &longs;o heavy a Wood that naturally it <lb/>
&longs;inks in the Water, be chopt round the Bot<lb/>
tom in the Beginning of Spring, and cut down <lb/>
when it has lo&longs;t its Leaves, it will have &longs;uch <lb/>
an Effect upon it, that it will float for the <lb/>
Space of ninety Days and not &longs;ink. </s> <s>Others <lb/>
advi&longs;e to chop the Trees which you leave thus <lb/>
upon their Stumps, half way through, that the <lb/>
Corruption and bad Juices may di&longs;til through, <lb/>
and be carried off. </s> <s>They add, that the Trees, <lb/>
which are de&longs;igned to be &longs;awed or planed, <lb/>
&longs;hould not be cut down till they have brought <lb/>
their Fruits and ripened their Seeds; and that <lb/>
Trees &longs;o cut, e&longs;pecially Fruit-bearers, &longs;hould <lb/>
be barked, becau&longs;e while they are covered with <lb/>
the Bark, Corruption is very apt to gather be<lb/>
tween the Rind and the Tree.</s>

 <s>CHAP. V.</s>

 <s><emph type="italics"/>Of pre&longs;erving the Trees after they are cut, what to plai&longs;ter or anoint them with, <lb/>
of the Remedies again&longs;t their Infirmities, and of allotting them their proper <lb/>
Places in the Building.<emph.end type="italics"/></s>

 <s>After the Timber is cut, it mu&longs;t be <lb/>
laid where the &longs;corching Heat of the <lb/>
Sun or rude Bla&longs;ts of Winds never come; and <lb/>
e&longs;pecially, that which falls of it&longs;elf, ought to <lb/>
be very well protected with Shade. </s> <s>And for <lb/>
this Rea&longs;on, the ancient Architects u&longs;ed to <lb/>
plai&longs;ter it over with Ox-Dung; which <emph type="italics"/>Theo<lb/>
phra&longs;tus<emph.end type="italics"/> &longs;ays they did, becau&longs;e by that Means <lb/>
all the Pores being &longs;topped up, the &longs;uperfluous <lb/>
Flegm and Humidity concreting within, di&longs;<lb/>
tils and vents it&longs;elf by Degrees through the <lb/>
Heart, by which Means the Dryne&longs;s of the <lb/>
other Parts of the Wood is conden&longs;ed by its <lb/>
drying equally throughout. </s> <s>And they are of <lb/>
Opinion that Trees dry better, if &longs;et with their <lb/>
Heads downward. </s> <s>Moreover, they pre&longs;cribe <lb/>
various Remedies again&longs;t their decaying and <lb/>
other Infirmities. <emph type="italics"/>Theophra&longs;tus<emph.end type="italics"/> thinks that <lb/>
burying of Timber hardens it extremely. <emph type="italics"/>Cato<emph.end type="italics"/><lb/>
advi&longs;es to anoint it with Lees of Oil, to pre<lb/>
&longs;erve it from all Manner of Worms; and we <lb/>
all know that Pitch is a Defence to it again&longs;t <lb/>
Water. </s> <s>They &longs;ay that Wood, which has been <lb/>
&longs;oaked in the Dregs of Oil, will burn without <lb/>
the Offence of Smoak. <emph type="italics"/>Pliny<emph.end type="italics"/> writes, that in <lb/>
the Labyrinth of <emph type="italics"/>Egypt,<emph.end type="italics"/> there are a great <lb/>
many Beams made of the <emph type="italics"/>Egyptian<emph.end type="italics"/> Thorn <lb/>
rubed over with Oil, and <emph type="italics"/>Theophra&longs;tus<emph.end type="italics"/> &longs;ays, <lb/>
that Timber dawbed over with Glue will <lb/>
not burn. </s> <s>Nor will I omit what we read in <lb/>
<emph type="italics"/>Aulus Gellius,<emph.end type="italics"/> taken out of the Annals of <emph type="italics"/>Quin<lb/>
tus Claudius,<emph.end type="italics"/> that <emph type="italics"/>Archelaus, Mithridates<emph.end type="italics"/>'s Præ<lb/>
fect, having thoroughly debawbed a wooden <lb/>
Tower in the Piræum with Allum, when <lb/>
<emph type="italics"/>Sylla<emph.end type="italics"/> be&longs;ieged it, it would not take Fire. </s> <s>Se<lb/>
veral Woods are hardened and &longs;trengthened a<lb/>
gain&longs;t the A&longs;&longs;aults of Storms in various Man<lb/>
ners. </s> <s>They bury the Citron-wood under <lb/>
Ground, plai&longs;tered over with Wax, for &longs;even <lb/>
Days, and after an Intermi&longs;&longs;ion of as many <lb/>
more, lay it under Heaps of Corn for the &longs;ame <lb/>
Space of Time, whereby it becomes not only <lb/>
&longs;tronger but ea&longs;ier to be wrought, becau&longs;e it <lb/>
takes away a very con&longs;iderable Part of its <lb/>
Weight; and they &longs;ay too, that the &longs;ame <lb/>
Wood thus dryed, being afterwards laid &longs;ome <lb/>
time in the Sea, acquires a Hardne&longs;s incredibly <lb/>
&longs;olid and incorruptible. </s> <s>It is certain the Che&longs;<lb/>
nut Tree is purged by the Sea-water. <emph type="italics"/>Pliny<emph.end type="italics"/><lb/>
writes, the <emph type="italics"/>Ægyptian<emph.end type="italics"/> Fig-tree is laid under <lb/>
Water to dry and grow lighter, for at fir&longs;t it <lb/>
will &longs;ink to the Bottom. </s> <s>We &longs;ee that our <lb/>
Workmen lay their Timber under Water or <lb/>
Dung for thirty Days, e&longs;pecially &longs;uch as they <lb/>
de&longs;ign for turning, by which Means they think <lb/>
it is better dried and more ea&longs;ily worked for <lb/>
all Manner of U&longs;es. </s> <s>There are &longs;ome who af<lb/>
firm, that all Manner of Woods agree in this, <lb/>
that if you bury them in &longs;ome moi&longs;t Place <lb/>
while they are green, they will endure for ever; <lb/>
but whether you pre&longs;erve it in Woods, or bury, <lb/>
or anoint it, the Experienced are univer&longs;ally of <lb/>
this Opinion, that you mu&longs;t not meddle with <lb/>
it under three Months: The Timber mu&longs;t have