p1

^Chapter Seven^
IN THE BOOK OF ABU BAKR IBN WAHSHIJA under
the name Nabataean Agriculture he talks about the
Nabataeans and some of their talismans and he says:
"some of the wise-men had a long story about the
laurel tree and how it talked to the vineyard keeper as one
day he was sleeping in the middle of the garden and
surrounded with four laurel trees and he dreamt that one
of the trees told him, "Hey human do you have in your
garden anything better then me? Or who could say that
they have seen a tree like me". So the vineyard keeper said
"What is the meaning of this?" and the tree said "You need
to know my superiority over all the other trees and my
high standing with Jupiter so you can sympathize with me
and take care of me in watering and planting and in return
I will tell you what you need to do, get up at midnight and
bring with you some of the gillyflower oil, grease me with
the oil then lift you head to the sky and look at Jupiter and
say "Aye the source of all happiness, add to my life and to
my time fifteen years" and for sure you will be granted
fifteen more years more life above your life from that
date". "Then you need to say "1 mediate to you with this
tree". Then the tree told the vineyard keeper that he needs
to try it and he will find that it is true and it is useful to
grant him his wishes. The tree also said that he will see the
superiority and the high standing of the tree under
Jupiter's rulership. That is why the tree was called the
Laurel tree that talked to the vineyard keeper, they also
237