Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/344

 Chafs-IX. O F/ jMcA'iN O BETTER- &$ fruit in Wales' in, Bretagne in Ireland and hi England,- Per, Feren/ Piorra, and Pear, were brought by the Romans into Britain. But Cerafi, Kcres, or cherries were the native growth of Pontus and of Egypt,, and were firft introduced into the weft by Lucullus, the" coliqueror of the former ; being tranfplanted by hkn- into Italy 'in the feventy-third year before the Chriftian aera, and be- ing-carried, by others into Britain upon the firft fettlement of the Romans and within five years after the firft permanent conqueft within it 'V The d&mafcene had been lopg taken from the vir cinity of its native Damafcus, and long familiarised to tho cli- mate of Italy, when the Romans firft entered the county of LanCafter " ; and the Britifti appellation of it, Daimftiin or Damibn, ftill remaining among the Irtih and ourfelves, evinces it to have been introduced into Britain by the Romans. The quince was originally (he produce of the Cretan ihores ". And. the peach, tranfplanted early from its own Perfia into Egypt, but introduced very late into the weft, was very common in Gaul about the epoch of Agricola's conquefts in Britain ". And to thefe we may fubjoin the Moras, Muyar, or mulberry, the Cafbnea, Kaftanuydh, or chelhut, the Ficus, Fik, or fig, the Sorbus or fcrvis, and the Mefpilus or medlar '*. The chefnut was originally the produce of Sardis in the Lefler Afia : but be- fore the reign of Vefpafian it was cultivated with great fuccefs at Tarentum and at Naples "• And the medlar was unknown to the Romans at the period of the laft Punic war, and was ori- ginally brought irito the weft from Greece ,6 . • The beds of the Britifti garden at firft njuft have been reple- nished only with the flowers that naturally checkered the {lopes of our hills, and with the plants that naturally Drifted the edges of our wobds. But the Roman garden fpon lent its friendly afiiftance, and tranlinkted fome of its own plants and flowers into Britain* There, even beneath the greater moifture of the Britilh foil and the fainter livelinefs of the Britifti fun, they took toot in the ifland, and became familiarized to the clime. The latter: particularly are now fb thoroughly diflcminated bver the country, ffroot up fb generally under the flieker of bur hedges* S f and