Chapter VIII.
On the virtue of planting; and on the truly remarkable mode of germination and fruit bearing: also on the fertility of the earth, the beauty of the full field, and the healing power and remedies of herbs.
33. Let the earth bring forth grass, he says, according to its kind. In all things that are said to be born from the earth, the first thing is the seed; when it has lifted itself up a little, it becomes a plant, then hay, and then it becomes fruit. There are things that germinate from the root, like trees that are not sown, they grow from the roots of other trees. In the reed we see how at its extremity a certain knot is formed on the side, and from there another reed sprouts. Therefore, there is a certain force in the root of the seed. The shoots also sprout in the upper parts. Thus, in some cases, a series of succession is acquired from the root, and in other cases, a different function. For in each individual that is born, there is either a seed or some kind of seminal power, and this power is according to its kind, so that what is born from it may produce something similar to what was sown or originated from the root. From wheat comes wheat, from millet comes millet, and from wheat produces white flowers; similarly, the chestnut tree emerges from the root of the chestnut tree.
54. \"The earth,\" he says, \"may produce grass according to its kind.\" And immediately the earth, as if in labor, brought forth new offspring and clothed itself in the garb of greenness, assumed the grace of fertility, and, adorned with various shoots, assumed its own ornamentation. We marvel that it has sprouted so quickly; how much greater are the miracles if you consider each individual thing, how seeds, once thrown into the earth, are dissolved and, unless they are dead, produce no fruit; but if they are dissolved by a kind of death, they rise again into more abundant fruitfulness. So the rotten grain receives the earth in its womb, and the scattered stalk holds it back, and as if it were nurtured in its mother's lap, it cherishes and compresses it. Then, when that grain has dissolved, it brings forth grass, a pleasant species of greenery itself, which immediately reveals the likeness of its cultivated kind; so that at the very beginning of its own line you can recognize what kind of herb it is, and in herbs the fruits appear; and gradually it grows like hay, and it rises up and becomes covered in stems. But when the kneeled spike has already been raised, certain sheaths are prepared for the future grain, in which the inner grain is formed; so that its tender beginnings are not harmed by cold or burned by the heat of the sun or shaken by the harshness of the winds or the violence of the rain. Certain rows of spikes follow, formed with marvelous skill, either pleasing to the eye or bound together by a certain natural connection as a means of protection, which divine providence formed. And so that the support of the heavier grain may not yield, like a certain prop of stems, the stem itself is enclosed in certain sheaths, so that with doubled strength it may be able to support manifold grain, lest it be bent to the ground by an uneven burden. Then above the grain itself a wall is built of awns, as if to protect it with a kind of fortress, lest it be harmed by the nibbles of smaller birds, or be stripped of its own fruit, or be trampled by footsteps.
35. What can I say about how the mercy of God has looked out for the benefit of humanity? It restores what it receives with interest, and multiplies it with a heap of usury. People are often deceived, and they themselves defraud their own usurer in turn: the land remains faithful. And if ever it does not repay, perhaps due to the harshness of winter, or excessive drought, or an immense amount of rain, it compensates for the losses of the previous year in the following year; and likewise, when the crop fails to fulfill the farmer's hope, the land is not to blame: and when it smiles, the abundance of the fruitful mother pours itself out into childbirth, so as never to bring any harm to its creditor.
But what a sight is a full field! What a scent! What sweetness! What pleasure for farmers! What can we adequately describe, if we use our own speech? But we have testimonies from Scripture, by which we compare the sweetness of fields to the blessing and grace of the saints, as holy Isaac says: The scent of my son is like the scent of a full field (Gen., XXVII, 27). So, what can I describe? The purplish violets, the white lilies, the shining roses, the depicted fields now with golden, now with various, now with yellow flowers, in which you do not know whether the beauty of the flowers or the delightful fragrance is more pleasing. The eyes are nourished by a pleasing spectacle, the fragrance spreads far and wide, and we are filled with its sweetness. Hence the divine Lord says: 'And the beauty of the field is with me' (Psalm 49:11); for what he formed is with him. For what other artist can express such singular beauty of things? Consider the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:28), how great is their brightness in the leaves, how the clustered leaves themselves seem to rise from the bottom to the top, as if they were expressing the form of a cup, as if a certain brilliance of gold were shining inside, which, however, enclosed by the rampart around the flower, opens to no damage. If anyone were to pick this flower and release its petals, what great skill of an artist would be able to reform it into the shape of a lily? Who is such a great imitator of nature, that he presumes to restore this flower, of which the Lord gave such testimony, saying: 'Not even Solomon, in all his glory, was dressed as one of these' (ibid., 29)? The most wealthy and wise king is considered inferior to the beauty of this flower.
Why should I enumerate the beneficial juices of herbs? Or the remedies of shrubs and leaves? A sick deer gnaws on olive branches and becomes healthy. Locusts, too, are relieved of illness by olive leaves soaked in water. Snake is killed by placing raspberry leaves on it. Mosquitoes will not touch you if you boil wormwood herb with oil and anoint yourself with it.