Enquiry into Plants/Volume 1/Chapter 72

by Theophrastus

Of the woods used in house-building.

For house-building a much greater variety is used, silver-fir fir and prickly cedar; also cypress oak and Phoenician cedar.^[1] In fact, to speak generally,^[2] any wood is here of service, unless it is altogether weak: for there are various purposes for which different woods are serviceable, just as there are in ship-building. While other woods are serviceable for special articles belonging to various crafts, such as furniture tools and the like, the wood of silver-fir is of use for almost more purposes than any other wood; for it is even used for painters' tablets. For carpentry the oldest wood is the best, provided that it has not decayed; for it is convenient for almost anyone to use. But for ship-building, where bending is necessary, one must use wood which contains more moisture (though, where glue is to be used, drier wood is convenient). For timber-work for ships is set to stand when it is newly^[3] made: then, when it has become firmly united,^[4] it is dragged down to the water, and then it closes up and becomes watertight,—unless^[5] all the moisture has been dried out of it, in which case it will not take the glue, or will not take it so well.

1. ἐλάτη … ἄρκευθος conj. W.; ἐλάτη τε καὶ πεύκη καὶ κέδρος ἔτι κυπάριττος δρῦς πεύκη καὶ κέδρος ἄρκευθος U; ἐλάτη τε καὶ πεύκη καὶ κέδρος καὶ ἄρκευθος Ald. H.; so also MV, omitting καὶ before ἀρκ.
2. ὡς δ᾿ ἁπλῶς conj. Sch.; ἁπλῶς δ᾿ ὡς Ald.
3. καινὰ conj. Sch.; καὶ νῦν Ald.
4. συμπαγῇ conj. W., which he renders 'when it has been glued together'; συμπίῃ Ald. G's reading was evidently different.
5. πλὴν ἐὰν μὴ conj. W.; π. ἐὰν τε M; π. ἐὰν γε Ald.

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