[1] _Harmonie universelle_ (Paris, 1636), bk. v. prop. 9, pp.
241-244.
[2] For an illustration of one of these bass flutes see article
FLUTE, Fig. 2.
[3] _Syntagma musicum_ (Wolfenbuttel, 1618), pp. 40-41 of Reprint.
[4] _Musica instrumentalis_ (Wittenberg, 1529).
[5] _Musica getutscht und auszgezogen_ (Basel, 1511).
[6] See Sir S.D. Scott, _The British Army_, vol. ii. p. 396.
[7] See H.G. Farmer, _Memoirs of the Royal Artillery Band_ (London,
1904).
[8] _Id._
[9] _Id._
[10] Stowe's _Chronicles_, p. 702.
[11] Grose, _Military Antiquities_ (London, 1801), vol. ii.
[12] See Colonel P. Forbes Macbean, _Memoirs of the Royal Regiment of
Artillery_.
FIFTH MONARCHY MEN, the name of a Puritan sect in England which for a
time supported the government of Oliver Cromwell in the belief that it
was a preparation for the "fifth monarchy," that is for the monarchy
which should succeed the Assyrian, the Persian, the Greek and the Roman,
and during which Christ should reign on earth with His saints for a
thousand years. These sectaries aimed at bringing about the entire
abolition of the existing laws and institutions, and the substitution of
a simpler code based upon the law of Moses. Disappointed at the delay in
the fulfilment of their hopes, they soon began to agitate against the
government and to vilify Cromwell; but the arrest of their leaders and
preachers, Christopher Feake, John Rogers and others, cooled their
ardour, and they were, perforce, content to cherish their hopes in
secret until after the Restoration. Then, on the 6th of January 1661, a
band of fifth monarchy men, headed by a cooper named Thomas Venner, who
was one of their preachers, made an attempt to obtain possession of
London. Most of them were either killed or taken prisoners, and on the
19th and 21st of January Venner and ten others were executed for high
treason. From that time the special doctrines of the sect either died
out, or became merged in a milder form of millenarianism, similar to
that which exists at the present day.
For the proceedings of the sect see S.R. Gardiner, _History of the
Commonwealth and Protectorate_, _passim_ (London, 1894-1901); and for
an account of the rising of 1661 see Sir John Reresby, _Memoirs_,
1634-1689, edited by J.J. Cartwright (London, 1875).
FIG, the popular name given to plants of the genus _Ficus_, an extensive
group, included in the natural order Moraceae, and characterized by a
remarkable development of the pear-shaped receptacle, the edge of which
curves inwards, so as to form a nearly closed cavity, bearing the
numerous fertile and sterile flowers mingled on its surface. The figs
vary greatly in habit,--some being low trailing shrubs, others gigantic
trees, among the most striking forms of those tropical forests to which
they are chiefly indigenous. They have alternate leaves, and abound in a
milky juice, usually acrid, though in a few instances sufficiently mild
to be used for allaying thirst. This juice contains caoutchouc in large
quantity.
[Illustration: FIGURE 1.--Fruiting Branch of Fig, _Ficus Carica_; about
2/7 nat. size.
1. Unripe fruit cut lengthwise; about 1/2 nat. size. 2. Female flower
taken from 1; enlarged. 3. Ripe fruit cut lengthwise; about -1/2 nat.
size.]
_Ficus Carica_ (figure 1), which yields the well-known figs of commerce,
is a bush or small tree--rarely more than 18 or 20 ft. high,--with
broad, rough, deciduous leaves, very deeply lobed in the cultivated
varieties, but in the wild plant sometimes nearly entire. The green,
rough branches bear the solitary, nearly sessile receptacles in the
axils of the leaves. The male flowers are placed chiefly in the upper
part of the cavity, and in most varieties are few in number. As it
ripens, the receptacle enlarges greatly, and the numerous single-seeded
pericarps or true fruits become imbedded in it. The fruit of the wild
fig never acquires the succulence of the cultivated kinds. The fig seems
to be indigenous to Asia Minor and Syria, but now occurs in a wild state
in most of the countries around the Mediterranean. From the ease with
which the nutritious fruit can be preserved, it was probably one of the
earliest objects of cultivation, as may be inferred from the frequent
allusions to it in the Hebrew Scriptures.[1] From a passage in
Herodotus the fig would seem to have been unknown to the Persians in the
days of the first Cyrus; but it must have spread in remote ages over all
the districts around the Aegean and Levant. The Greeks are said to have
received it from Caria (hence the specific name); but the fruit so
improved under Hellenic culture that Attic figs became celebrated
throughout the East, and special laws were made to regulate their
exportation. From the contemptuous name given to informers against the
violation of those enactments, [Greek: sukophantai (sukon, phaino)], our
word sycophant is usually derived. The fig was one of the principal
articles of sustenance among the Greeks; the Spartans especially used it
largely at their public tables. From Hellas, at some prehistoric period,
it was transplanted to Italy and the adjacent islands. Pliny enumerates
many varieties, and alludes to those from Ebusus (the modern Iviza) as
most esteemed by Roman epicures; while he describes those of home growth
as furnishing a large portion of the food of the slaves, particularly
those employed in agriculture, by whom great quantities were eaten in
the fresh state at the periods of fig-harvest. In Latin myths the plant
plays an important part. Held sacred to Bacchus, it was employed in
religious ceremonies; and the fig-tree that overshadowed the twin
founders of Rome in the wolf's cave, as an emblem of the future
prosperity of the race, testified to the high value set upon the fruit
by the nations of antiquity. The tree is now cultivated in all the
Mediterranean countries, but the larger portion of our supply of figs
comes from Asia Minor, the Spanish Peninsula and the south of France.
Those of Asiatic Turkey are considered the best. The varieties are
extremely numerous, and the fruit is of various colours, from deep
purple to yellow, or nearly white. The trees usually bear two
crops,--one in the early summer from the buds of the last year, the
other in the autumn from those on the spring growth; the latter forms
the chief harvest. Many of the immature receptacles drop off from
imperfect fertilization, which circumstance has led, from very ancient
times, to the practice of _caprification_.[2] Branches of the wild fig
in flower are placed over the cultivated bushes. Certain hymenopterous
insects, of the genera _Blastophaga_ and _Sycophaga_, which frequent the
wild fig, enter the minute orifice of the receptacle, apparently to
deposit their eggs; conveying thus the pollen more completely to the
stigmas, they ensure the fertilization and consequent ripening of the
fruit. By some the nature of the process has been questioned, and the
better maturation of the fruit attributed merely to the stimulus given
by the puncture of the insect, as in the case of the apple; but the
arrangement of the unisexual flowers in the fig renders the first theory
the more probable. In some districts a straw or small twig is thrust
into the receptacle with a similar object. When ripe the figs are
picked, and spread out to dry in the sun,--those of better quality being
much pulled and extended by hand during the process. Thus prepared, the
fruit is packed closely in barrels, rush baskets, or wooden boxes, for
commerce. The best kind, known as elemi, are shipped at Smyrna, where
the pulling and packing of figs form one of the most important
industries of the people.
This fruit still constitutes a large part of the food of the natives of
western Asia and southern Europe, both in the fresh and dried state. A
sort of cake made by mashing up the inferior kinds serves in parts of
the Archipelago as a substitute for bread. Alcohol is obtained from
fermented figs in some southern countries; and a kind of wine, still
made from the ripe fruit, was known to the ancients, and mentioned by
Pliny under the name of _sycites_. Medicinally the fig is employed as a
gentle laxative, when eaten abundantly often proving useful in chronic
constipation; it forms a part of the well-known "confection of senna."
The milky juice of the stems and leaves is very acrid, and has been used
in some countries for raising blisters. The wood is porous and of little
value; though a piece, saturated with oil and spread with emery, is in
France a common substitute for a hone.
The fig is grown for its fresh fruit (eaten as an article of dessert) in
all the milder parts of Europe, and in the United States, with
protection in winter, succeeds as far north as Pennsylvania. The fig was
introduced into England by Cardinal Pole, from Italy, early in the 16th
century. It lives to a great age, and along the southern coast of
England bears fruit abundantly as a standard; but in Scotland and in
many parts of England a south wall is indispensable for its successful
cultivation out of doors.
Fig trees are propagated by cuttings, which should be put into pots,
and placed in a gentle hotbed. They may be obtained more speedily from
layers, which should consist of two or three years old shoots, and
these, when rooted, will form plants ready to bear fruit the first or
second year after planting. The best soil for a fig border is a
friable loam, not too rich, but well drained; a chalky subsoil is
congenial to the tree, and, to correct the tendency to over-luxuriance
of growth, the roots should be confined within spaces surrounded by a
wall enclosing an area of about a square yard. The sandy soil of
Argenteuil, near Paris, suits the fig remarkably well; but the best
trees are those which grow in old quarries, where their roots are free
from stagnant water, and where they are sheltered from cold, while
exposed to a very hot sun, which ripens the fruit perfectly. The fig
succeeds well planted in a paved court against a building with a south
aspect.
The fig tree naturally produces two sets of shoots and two crops of
fruit in the season. The first shoots generally show young figs in
July and August, but these in the climate of England very seldom
ripen, and should therefore be rubbed off. The late or midsummer
shoots likewise put forth fruit-buds, which, however, do not develop
themselves till the following spring; and these form the only crop of
figs on which the British gardener can depend.
The fig tree grown as a standard should get very little pruning, the
effect of cutting being to stimulate the buds to push shoots too
vigorous for bearing. When grown against a wall, it has been
recommended that a single stem should be trained to the height of a
foot. Above this a shoot should be trained to the right, and another
to the left; from these principals two other subdivisions should be
encouraged, and trained 15 in. apart; and along these branches, at
distances of about 8 in., shoots for bearing, as nearly as possible of
equal vigour, should be encouraged. The bearing shoots produced along
the leading branches should be trained in at full length, and in
autumn every alternate one should be cut back to one eye. In the
following summer the trained shoots should bear and ripen fruit, and
then be cut back in autumn to one eye, while shoots from the bases of
those cut back the previous autumn should be trained for succession.
In this way every leading branch will be furnished alternately with
bearing and successional shoots.
When protection is necessary, as it may be in severe winters, though
it is too often provided in excess, spruce branches have been found to
answer the purpose exceedingly well, owing to the fact that their
leaves drop off gradually when the weather becomes milder in spring,
and when the trees require less protection and more light and air. The
principal part requiring protection is the main stem, which is more
tender than the young wood.
In forcing, the fig requires more heat than the vine to bring it into
leaf. It may be subjected to a temperature of 50 deg. at night, and
from 60 deg. to 65 deg. C in the day, and this should afterwards be
increased to 60 deg. and 65 deg. by night, and 70 deg. to 75 deg. by
day, or even higher by sun heat, giving plenty of air at the same
time. In this temperature the evaporation from the leaves is very
great, and this must be replaced and the wants of the swelling fruit
supplied by daily watering, by syringing the foliage, and by
moistening the floor, this atmospheric moisture being also necessary
to keep down the red spider. When the crop begins to ripen, a
moderately dry atmosphere should be maintained, with abundant
ventilation when the weather permits.
The fig tree is easily cultivated in pots, and by introducing the
plants into heat in succession the fruiting season may be
considerably extended. The plants should be potted in turfy loam mixed
with charcoal and old mortar rubbish, and in summer top-dressings of
rotten manure, with manure water two or three times a week, will be
beneficial. While the fruit is swelling, the pots should be plunged in
a bed of fermenting leaves.
The following are a few of the best figs; those marked F, are good
forcing sorts, and those marked W. suitable for walls:--
Agen: brownish-green, turbinate.
Brown Ischia, F.: chestnut-coloured, roundish-turbinate.
Brown Turkey (Lee's Perpetual), F., W.: purplish-brown, turbinate.
Brunswick, W.: brownish-green, pyriform.
Col di Signora Bianca, F.: greenish-yellow, pyriform.
Col di Signora Nero: dark chocolate, pyriform.
Early Violet, F.: brownish-purple, roundish.
Grizzly Bourjassotte: chocolate, round.
Grosse Monstreuse de Lipari: pale chestnut, turbinate.
Negro Largo, F.: black, long pyriform.
White Ischia, F.: greenish-yellow, roundish-obovate.
White Marseilles, F., W.: pale green, roundish-obovate.
The sycamore fig, _Ficus Sycomorus_, is a tree of large size, with
heart-shaped leaves, which, from their fancied resemblance to those of
the mulberry, gave origin to the name [Greek: Sukomoros]. From the deep
shade cast by its spreading branches, it is a favourite tree in Egypt
and Syria, being often planted along roads and near houses. It bears a
sweet edible fruit, somewhat like that of the common fig, but produced
in racemes on the older boughs. The apex of the fruit is sometimes
removed, or an incision made in it, to induce earlier ripening. The
ancients, after soaking it in water, preserved it like the common fig.
The porous wood is only fit for fuel.
[Illustration: FIGURE 2.--India-rubber Tree, _Ficus elastica_, showing
spreading woody roots.]
The sacred fig, peepul, or bo, _Ficus religiosa_, a large tree with
heart-shaped, long-pointed leaves on slender footstalks, is much grown
in southern Asia. The leaves are used for tanning, and afford lac, and a
gum resembling caoutchouc is obtained from the juice; but in India it is
chiefly planted with a religious object, being regarded as sacred by
both Brahmans and Buddhists. The former believe that the last avatar of
Vishnu took place beneath its shade. A gigantic bo, described by Sir J.
Emerson Tennent as growing near Anarajapoora, in Ceylon, is, if
tradition may be trusted, one of the oldest trees in the world. It is
said to have been a branch of the tree under which Gautama Buddha became
endued with his divine powers, and has always been held in the greatest
veneration. The figs, however, hold as important a place in the
religious fables of the East as the ash in the myths of Scandinavia.
_Ficus elastica_, the India-rubber tree (figure 2), the large, oblong,
glossy leaves, and pink buds of which are so familiar in our
greenhouses, furnishes most of the caoutchouc obtained from the East
Indies. It grows to a large size, and is remarkable for the snake-like
roots that extend in contorted masses around the base of the trunk. The
small fruit is unfit for food.
_Ficus bengalensis_, or the Banyan, wild in parts of northern India, but
generally planted throughout the country, has a woody stem, branching to
a height of 70 to 100 ft. and of vast extent with heart-shaped entire
leaves terminating in acute points. Every branch from the main body
throws out its own roots, at first in small tender fibres, several yards
from the ground; but these continually grow thicker until they reach the
surface, when they strike in, increase to large trunks, and become
parent trees, shooting out new branches from the top, which again in
time suspend their roots, and these, swelling into trunks, produce other
branches, the growth continuing as long as the earth contributes her
sustenance. On the bank's of the Nerbudda stood a celebrated tree of
this kind, which is supposed to be that described by Nearchus, the
admiral of Alexander the Great. This tree once covered an area so
immense, that it was known to shelter no fewer than 7000 men, and though
much reduced in size by the destructive power of the floods, the
remainder was described by James Forbes (1749-1819), in his _Oriental
Memoirs_ (1813-1815) as nearly 2000 ft. in circumference, while the
trunks large and small exceeded 3000 in number. The tree usually grows
from seeds dropped by birds on other trees. The leaf-axil of a palm
forms a frequent receptacle for their growth, the palm becoming
ultimately strangled by the growth of the fig, which by this time has
developed numerous daughter stems which continue to expand and cover
ultimately a large area. The famous tree in the Royal Botanic Gardens,
Calcutta, began its growth at the end of the 18th century on a sacred
date-palm. In 1907 it had nearly 250 aerial roots, the parent trunk was
42 ft. in girth, and its leafy crown had a circumference of 857 ft.; and
it was still growing vigorously. Both this tree and _F. religiosa_ cause
destruction to buildings, especially in Bengal, from seeds dropped by
birds germinating on the walls. The tree yields an inferior rubber, and
a coarse rope is prepared from the bark and from the aerial roots.