Boil the yolk of the egg and let it corrupt. The act of cutting the nostrils of horses is a thing worthy of laughter. And many fools observe this custom, almost as if they believed nature had failed in the necessary things, so that men must be its correctors. She has made the two holes of the nose, each of which by itself is half the width of the windpipe of the lungs, through which the breath exhales; and if these holes did not exist, the mouth would be sufficient for that abundant breathing. And if you should say to me, why then did nature make the nostrils in animals if breathing through the mouth is sufficient, I would answer you that the nostrils are made to be used when the mouth is occupied in chewing its food. When a tree is in some part stripped of its bark, nature, which provides for it, turns to that stripping a greater sum of nutritive humor than to any other place, so that, because of the aforesaid first deficiency, the bark grows much thicker there than in any other place. And this humor is so active that, having reached the succored place, it rises up in part, after the manner of the bounce of a ball, with various sproutings or germinations, not otherwise than a boiling water. Wrongly do men complain of the flight of time, blaming it for too much speed, not perceiving that it is of sufficient passage; but good memory, with which nature has endowed us, makes everything long past appear present to us. The painter who portrays by practice and judgment of the eye, without reason, is like the mirror that imitates within itself all the things set before it, without knowledge of them. Whoever wishes to see how the soul dwells in its body, let him look at how that body uses its daily dwelling; that is, if that is without order and confused, disordered and confused will be the body kept by its soul. He who disputes by citing authority does not use his wit, but rather his memory. Good letters are born from a good natural talent; and because the cause is to be praised more than the effect, you will praise more a good natural talent without letters than a good scholar without natural talent.

Cedar. The cedar, having a desire to make a beautiful and large fruit at its summit, set it in pursuit with all the forces of its humor. This fruit, having grown, was the cause of making the raised and straight top bend down.

Peach. The peach, being envious of the great quantity of fruits it saw the walnut its neighbor produce, and having resolved to do the same, loaded itself with its own fruits in such a way that the weight of said fruits pulled it, uprooted and broken, to the flat ground.

Walnut. The walnut, displaying upon a road to the passers-by the richness of its fruits, was stoned by every man.

Fig. The fig tree, standing without fruit, no one regarded it. Wishing, by making those fruits, to be praised by men, it was by them bent and broken.

Elm, fig. The fig, standing near the elm and seeing that its branches were without fruit and that it had the boldness to keep the sun from its unripe figs, said to it with reproaches: 'O elm, are you not ashamed to stand before me? But wait until my children are of mature age, and you will see where you will find yourself.' These children, once matured, when a squad of soldiers happened by, were, in order to take its figs, all torn and stripped of branches and broken. Then, standing thus crippled of its members, the elm asked it, saying: 'O fig, how much better it was to be without children than, on account of them, to come to so miserable a state!'

Wood notched twice a year, from small to large, then sawn, makes a board like jasper. And this needs to be a noble and hard timber, notched often with notches.

Many trees planted so that they touch: in the second year, once they are joined, remove the bark that is between one and the other, and they attach together. And with this method you will make the walls of gardens continuous, and moreover you will make in four years very wide boards.

Many grains or seeds of boxwood sown so that they touch, and then covered with a vessel full of holes and left to grow inside: these sprouted seeds will attach together and will make a beautiful clump. And if you take diverse seeds, this clump will seem a jasper.