Verbanus Ticinus in Benacus Mincius in Seuinus Ollius in Lemanus lake the riuer Rhodanus As for this riuer beyond the Alpes and the former in Italy for many a mile as they passe carry forth their owne waters from thence where they abode as strangers and none other and the same no larger than they brought in with them This is reported likewise of Orontes a riuer in Syria and of many others Some riuers again there be which vpon an hatred to the sea run euen vnder the bottom thereof as Arethusa a fountaine in Syracusa wherein this is obserued that whatsoeuer is cast into it commeth vp againe at the riuer Alpheus which running through Olimpia falleth into the sea shore of Peloponnesus There go vnder the ground and shew aboue the ground againe Lycus in Asia Erasinus in Argolica Tygris in Mesopotamia And at Athens what things soeuer are drowned in the fountain of Aesculapius be cast vp againe in Phalericus Also in the Atinate plaines the riuer that is buried vnder the earth twentie miles off appeareth againe So doth Timavus in the territory of Aquileia In Asphaltites a lake in Iury which ingenders Bittumen nothing will sinke nor can be drowned no more than in Arethusa in the greater Armenia and the same verily notwithstanding it be full of Nitre breedeth and feedeth fish In the Salentines countrey neere the towne Manduria there is a lake brim full lade out of it as much water as you will it decreaseth not ne yet augmenteth poure in neuer so much to it In a riuer of the Ciconians and in the lake Velinus in the Picene territory if wood be throwne in it is couered ouer with a stony barke Also in Surius a riuer of Colchis the like is to be seen insomuch as ye shall haue very often the bark that ouergrowes it as hard as any stone Likewise in the riuer Silarus beyond Surrentum not twigs onely that are dipped therein but leaues also grow to be stones and yet the vater thereof otherwise is good and wholesome to be drunk In the very passage and issue of Reatine meere there growes a rocke of stone bigger and bigger by the dashing of the water Moreouer in the red sea there be oliue trees and other shrubs that grow vp green There be also very many springs which haue a wonderfull nature for their boiling heat yea and that vpon the very mountains of the Alpes and in the sea between Italy and Aenaria as in the Firth Baianus and the riuer Liris and many others For in diuers and sundry places ye may draw fresh water out of the sea namely about the islands Chelidoniae and Aradus yea and in the Ocean about Gades In the hot waters of the Padouans there grow greene herbes in those of the Pisanes there breed frogs and at Vetulonij in Hetruria not far from the sea fishes also are bread In the territory Casinas there is a riuer called Scatebra which is cold and in Summer time more abounding and fuller of water than in winter in it as also in Stymphalis of Arcadia there breed come forth of it little water-mice or small Limpins In Dodone the fountain of Iupiter being exceeding chill and cold so as it quencheth and putteth out light torches dipped therein yet if you hold the same neere vnto it when they are extinct and put out it setteth them on fire againe The same spring at noon-tide euermore giueth ouer to boile and wants water for which cause they call it Anapauomenos anon it begins to rise vntill it be midnight and then it hath great abundance and from that time againe it faints by little and little In Illyricum there is a cold spring ouer which if ye spread any clothes they catch a fire and burne The fountaine of Iupiter Hammon in the day time is cold all night it is seething hot In the Troglodites countrey there is a fountaine of the Sunne called the sweet Spring about noon it is exceeding cold anon by little and little it growes to be warm but at midnight it passeth and is offensiue for heate and bitternes The head of the Po at noon in Summer giueth ouer as it were and intermits to boile and is then euer drie In the Island Tenedus there is a spring which after the Sommer Sunsteed euermore from the third houre of the night vnto the sixt doth ouerflow And in the isle Delos the fountain snopus falleth and rises after the same sort that Nilus doth and together with it Ouer against the riuer Timavus there is a little Island within the sea hauing hot wels which ebbe and flow as the tide of the sea doth and iust therwith In the territory of the Pitinates beyond Apenninus the riuer Nouanus at euery midsummertime swelles and runnes ouer the bankes but in mid-winter is cleane dry In the Faliscane countrie the water of the riuer Clitumnus makes the oxen and kine white that drinke of it And in Baeotia the riuer Melas maketh sheepe blacke Cephyssus running out of the same lake causeth them to be white and Penius again giues them a black colour but Xanthus neere vnto Ilium coloureth them reddish and hereupon the riuer tooke that name In the land of Pontus there is a riuer that watereth the plaines of Astace vpon which those mares that feed giue blacke milke for the food and sustenance of that nation In the Reatine territorie there is a fountaine called Neminia which according to the springing and issuing forth out of this or that place signifyeth the change in the price of corne and victuals In the hauen of Brind is there is a Well that yeeldeth vnto sailers and sea-fering-men water which will neuer corrupt The water of Lincestis called Acidula i. Soure maketh men drunken no lesse than wine Semblably in Paphlagonia and in the territory of Cales Also in the Isle Andros there is a fountaine neere the temple of Father Bacchus which vpon the Nones of Ianuarie alwaies runneth with water that tasteth like wine as Mulianus verily beleeueth who was a man that had beene thrice Consull The name of the spring is Dios Tecnosia Neere vnto Nonacris in Arcadia there is the riuer Styx differing from the other Styx neither in smell nor colour drinke of it once and it is present death Also in Berosus an hill of the Tauri there be three fountaines the water whereof whosoeuer drinketh is sure to die of it remedilesse and yet without paine In the Countrey of Spaine called Carrinensis two Springs there bee that runne neere together the one rejecteth the other swalloweth vp all things In the same countrey there is another water which sheweth all fishes within it of a golden colour but if they be once out of that water they be like to other fishes In the Cannensian territory neere to the lake Larius there is a large and broad Well which euery houre continually swelleth and falleth downe againe In the Island Sydonia before Lesbos an hot fountaine there is that runneth
beforesaid be consumed Some take of sea water ten Sextares of raine water as much and when they be mingled together suffer them to worke in the hot Sun for the space of fortie daies This drinke they vse to giue vnto patients for such maladies as they feare wine would be hurtfull to A second made wine there is called Millet Wine after this sort Take of Millet feed that is ripe huske head and all a pound and a quarter put it into two gallons of Must or new wine after that it hath lien there infused seuen moneths let the liquor run from it into another vessell and keepe it for your vse As touching the wines of Lotus as well the tree and shrub as the herbe we haue shewed sufficiently how they ought to be made Moreouer there be many wines made of sundry fruits which we will write of hereafter more at large with a supplement and addition of such interpretations only as be necessarie And in the first place commeth the date wine which the Parthians Indians and all the Nations of the East in generall do ordinarily vse A Modius or pecke of ripe and sweet dates which they call Chideae they let lie to steep in 3 gallons of water and so presse for a liquor for the Date wine Also the Fig-wine Sycites of the fig which some cal Palmiprimum as a man would say Dates fellows or next to Dates others Catorchites is made after the same fashion But if a man list not to haue it so sweet in stead of water they vse to put so much of the stones skins seeds of grapes Of the Fig of Cypres there is an excellent Vinegre made yea and a better than it of the Alexandrine Figs to wit growing vpon the Sycomore Likewise a wine is made of the fruit in Syria called Siliquae as also of peares and all kind of apples As for the wine of Pomegranates the Greeks name it Rhoites besides the fruit of the Corneil or wild Cherry tree Medlars Seruices dry Mulberries and Pine-nuts doe yeeld seuerall sorts of wine As for those pine nuts they must lie steeped in new wines before the wine be pressed out of them The rest all be pleasant enough of themselues and will serue alone for to make wines The maner of making Myrtle wine according to the receit and prescription of Cato we will declare soon hereafter For the Greekes haue another way of their owne to wit when they haue sodden in white Must or new wine the tender branches of the Myrtle together with the leaues and then stamped the same they put a pound thereof in three gallons more of Must and cause it to boile vntill such time as a third part of the wine be consumed Now that which is made after the same maner of the wild Myrtle berries they call Myrtidanum and this will colour and staine ones hands blacke Furthermore the herbs of the garden do afford vs many wines namely Radish Sperage Savory Majoran Origan Smallach seed Southernwood wild Mints Rue Nep or Calaminth running Thyme or Horehound To make these wines take of the herbes abouesaid two handfulls and when they be stamped put them into a little barrell of new Wine containing twelue or thirteen gallons together with a wine quart of Cuit sodden to the thirds and a pint of sea-sea-water But for the wine of Navews you must take eleuen drams of them and two quarts of new wine and so put them together in maner aforesaid In like sort also the wine Squilliticum is made of the root of Scilla or the sea Onion To proceed vnto wine made of floures you haue first and formost wine Rosat after this manner Take the weight of 40 deniers i. fiue ounces of Rose leaues well stamped put them into a linnen cloth together with a little weight that they may settle downward not flote aloft let them hang thus in 20 Sextars i. three gallons and two wine quarts of Must keep the vessell close stopped in any case for 3 moneths then open it and strain the said floures vnto the liquor In like maner is there a wine made of the Celtick Spikenard as also of the Nard sauage I find also that they vse to make a kind of spiced wine or Ipocras not for sweet perfumes and ointments only but also for to drinke At first as I haue shewed they made these aromaticall wines with myrrh only but soone after they added thereto Nard Celticke sweet Calamus and Aspalathus either slicing these drugs or putting them by gobbits into new Must or some dulcet wine Some aromatise their wine with Calamus Squinanth Costus Spikenard Amomum Casia Cinamon Saffron Dates and Azara-bacca put therto in like maner by gobbets Others take Spikenard and Malabathrum of each halfe a pound to two gallons of new wine Much after the same maner we spice our wines now adaies also but that we adde pepper and hony therto which some call Condite others Pepper wines Moreouer there is deuised a Wine called Nectarites made of Elecampane named by some Helenium of others Medica Symphyton Idaea Orestion and there be also that term this herb Nectarea Now the order of it is to take of the root forty drams to six Sextars of Must or new wine and hang it in a cloth together with a weight in maner aboue said Moreouer there be wines made of other herbs to wit of wormwood in this sort Take of Ponticke Wormwood one pound seeth it in forty Sextars about six gallons and a halfe of new Wine vntill a third part be consumed or without boiling put certain handfulls or bunches thereof into a vessell of Wine and so let it lie infused After the same sort is Hyssop wine made to wit of three ounces which is a quarter of a pound of Cilician Hyssope cast whole as it is into two gallons of Must and so let them worke together or else stampe the Hyssop and so put it into wine But both these wines are made another maner of way namely by sowing or setting wormwood Hyssop at the very root of the Vine-plant for so Cato teacheth vs to make Elleborewine of blacke Ellebore or Beare-foot growing at the Vine root And in like maner also is made the Scammonite wine A wonderfull nature and propertie these vines haue to draw and sucke into them the very taste of other herbs and plants that are set neere vnto them for euen so all the grapes about Padua haue a rellish of the Willows and Osiers that grow there in the marish grounds Thus the men of Thasos do plant and sow either Ellebore or wild Cucumber or els Scammonea about their Vines to make thereof their diuellish wine Pthorium so called because it causes a sleep and procures vntimely birth Of more herbs besides there be other wines made the vertues of which herbs we wil set downe elsewhere in place conuenient and namely of Stoechos the root of Gentian of Tragoriganum of Dictamum Asarabacca of
the carpenter must goe euery way about it with axe and plaine contrariwise that of the female is more frim and gentle And commonly the axe or the hatchet wil tell the difference of male and female in any tree for what wood soeuer it be it will soone find and feele the male for hardly is it able to enter but either turnes edge or rebounds again and whether a man hew or cleaue withall it maketh more crashing and a greater noise where it setleth and taketh hold it sticketh also faster and with more ado is plucked forth Moreouer the very wood of any male tree is of a more brown and burnt colour yea and the root of a blacker hew About the forrest Ida within the territory of Troas there is another distinction of trees in the same kind for some grow vpon the mountaines others toward the coast on the sea side In Macedony Arcadia and about Elis these trees eftsoons change their names so that the Greek writers are not agreed how to distinguish their seueral sorts and range them in their due kind I therefore haue exprest them according to the iudgment of Roman and Latine Authors Of al the trees aboue named the Firs surpasse for bignesse and the femals are the taller The timber also is more frim and soft more profitable also and easier to be wrought the tree it self rounder and so it brancheth archwise the boughes as they resemble wings stretched out and displaied so they stand so thicke with leaues that they will beare off a good shower insomuch as no rain is able to pierce through In sum the female Firre is far more louely and beautifull euery way than the male All the sort of these foresaid trees saue onely the Larch beare certain knobs like Catkins or Chats composed as it were of many scales wrought one ouer another and those hang downe dangling at the branches These knobs or clogs in the male Firre haue in the vpper end a kernel within but those of the femal haue no such thing Moreouer the pitch tree as it hath such catkins lesse and slenderer so all within from one end to the other the kernels be passing little and black withall like to lice or fleas which is the reason that the Greekes call it Phthirophoâ—…os The said catkins of the male pitch trees are more flat and nothing so round as those of the females lesse gummie aâ—…so and not so moist of the rosin To come now to the Yugh because we would ouerpasse none it is to see to like the rest but that it is not so green more slender also and smaller vnpleasant and fearefull to looke vpon as a cursed tree without any liquid substance at all and of these kind of trees it alone beares berries The fruit of the male is hurtful for the berries in Spain especially haue in them a deadly poison And found it hath bin by experience that in France the wine bottles made thereof for wavfaring men and trauellers haue poisoned and killed those that drunke out of them Sestius saith That the Greekes call it Smilax and that in Arcadia it is so venomous that whosoeuer take either repose or tepast vnder it are sure to die presently And hereupon it commeth that those poisons wherewith arrow heads be invenomed after some were called in times past Taxica which wee now name Toxica But to conclude it is seen by good proofe that if a brasen wedge or spike be driuen into the very body of the tree it loseth all the venomous nature and becommeth harmlesse CHAP. XI ¶ How to make all kinds of Pitch The maner how Cedrium is made Also of thicke Pitch how it is made and in what sort Rosin is boiled THe liquid Pitch or Tar throughout all Europe is boiled out of the Torch tree and this kind of pitch serueth to calke ships withall and for many other vses Now the manner of drawing Tarre out of this tree is to cut the wood thereof into pieces and when they are piled vp hollow into an heape to make a great fire within as it were vnder a furnace being claied without-forth thus with the heate of the fire it doth fry and seeth again The first liquour that sweateth and issueth forth runneth cleare as water in a channell or pipe made for the purpose and this the Syrians cal Cedrium which is of such force and efficacy that in Egypt they vse to embalme the dead bodies of men and women departed and keep them from putrefaction At the next running it is thicker and this second liquor is very pitch Howbeit this is cast again into certaine coppers or cauldrons of brasse and together with vineger sodden a second time vntill it come to a thick consistence and when it is thus thickened it taketh the name of Brutian pitch good only for tuns barrells and other such vessels Much like it is to the former pitch but that it is more glutinous and clammy redder also of colour and more fatty And thus much concerning the pitch made of the Torch tree As for that which comes of the pitch tree the rosin thereof is drawne with red hot stones in certain vessels made of strong and thick oken planks or in default thereof the wood is clouen into pieces and piled together after the order of a charcole hearth so the pitch boiles forth The vse hereof when it is beaten into a kind of meale or pouder is to be put into wine and it is of a blacker colour than the rest The same pitch-rosin if it be boiled more lightly with water and be let to run through a strainer comes to a reddish colour and is glewie and thereupon it is called stilled Pitch And for this purpose lightly is set by the more grosse and faultie substance of the rosin together with the bark of the tree But there is another composition and maner of making of pitch that serueth for heady wine called Crapula For the floure of the Rosin is taken green and fresh as it distilleth from the tree together with a good quantitie of small thin and short spils or chips of the tree plucked away with the same the same are minced or shred so small as they may passe through a sieue or a riddle which don all is put into scalding water and there boileth vntill it be incorporate with the water The fat substance that is strained and pressed from hence is the excellent pitch Rosin hard to come by and not to be found in Italy vnlesse it be in few places vnder the Alps and very good it is in physick Now to make it passing white there must be taken one galon of the rosin sodden in two gallons of rain water But some think it the better way to seeth it a whole day together at a soft fire without any matter at all in a pan or vessell of Latton Others there be likewise that boile Turpentine in a hot frying pan and are of opinion that this is
it came vp without sowing euen in the very woods and carried a more duskish green leafe and the same rougher It is said that if men eat the seed it wil extinguish vtterly their own seed The juice of green Hemp-seed being dropped into the eares driueth out any wormes or vermin there ingendred yea and what ear-wigs or such like creatures that are gotten into them but it will cause head-ach withall So forcible is this plant that by report if it be put into water it will make it to gather and coagulat Which is the reason that if horses haue the gurry they shall find help by drinking the said water The root if it be boiled in water doth mollifie and softenioints that be shrunk vp it assuageth the pains likewise of the Gout and such like wicked humors that fall down vpon any part Being yet green and reduced into a liniment and so applied it is good for burnes or scaldings but it must be often remoued and changed before it be drie As for Ferula or Fennel geant it carrieth a seed like to Dill. That kind which riseth vp in one stem and then diuideth it self and brancheth forth in the head is supposed to be the female The stalks are good to be eaten boyled and the right sauce wherein they be serued vp to giue them a more commendable tast is new wine and hony tempered accordingly and so prepared they be good for the stomack Howbeit if one eat ouer-liberally of them they cause head-ach Take the weight of one denier Roman of the root beat it to pouder and drinke it in two cyaths of wine you shall find it a soueraigne medicine against the stinging of serpents but you must not forget mean while to apply the root it self stamped into a cataplasme vnto the hurt place After this manner it helpeth the wringing torments of the guts Make a liniment or vnguent thereof and vineger together annoint the body therewith it restraineth the immoderate sweats that burst out although the Patient be sick of a feuer The juice of Ferula if it be eaten to the quantity of a Beane doth loosen the belly The small tendrils or branches of greene Ferula is good for all the infirmities abouenamed Take ten grains of Ferula seed in pouder with wine or so much of the pith within the stalk it stancheth bloud Some hold it good to giue a spoonful thereof euery fourth sixth and seuenth day after the change of the Moon to preuent the fits of the falling sicknes The nature of all these Fennel-geants is most aduerse to Lampreies for if they be touched neuer so little therewith they will die vpon it Castor was of opinion That the juice is excellent good to cleare the eye-sight And forasmuch as I haue spoken somewhat of Thistles and Artichoux how they should be ordered in my treatise of other garden plants I will put off no longer to discourse also of their properties and vertues in Physick Of the wild Thistles there be two kinds the one more ful of branches shooting out immediatly from the root the other riseth vp in one intire stem and the same is thicker withall Both of them haue but few leaues and those beset with prickles they beare heads pointed with sharp pricks round about in manner of caltrops Howbeit there is one kind which is the Artichoke which putteth forth a purple floure amidst those sharpe pointed prickes which very quickly turns into an hoarie downe readie to flie away with euery puffe of wind and this thistle the Greeks cal Scolymos The juice of the Artichoke stamped pressed out before it bloome bringeth haire again thicke if the naked place be annointed therewith The root either of Thistle or Artichoke sodden in water and so eaten is as good as a shooing-horne to draw on pot after pot for these great bibbers that desire nothing more than to be thirsty and to make quarrell to the cup. It strengtheneth the stomacke and if we may beleeue it is so appropriate vnto the matrice of women that it disposeth and prepareth it to conceiue men children In good faith Chaereas the Athenian and Glaucias especially who seemeth to be most curious in describing the nature and properties of these Thistles or Artichokes giue out no lesse To conclude if one chew them in his mouth hee shall finde that they will cause a sweet breath CHAP. XXIV ¶ The composition of a Treacle which was the ordinarie and familiar medicine of King Antiochus BVt before that we go out of the garden and leaue the herbes there growing I think it good to set down one confection made of them thought to be a most excellent and soueraigne antidote or preseruatiue against the poison of all venomous beasts whatsoeuer and which for the excellency thereof was ingrauen in stone vpon the forefront of the temple dedicated to Aesculapius in this maner following Take of wild running Thyme the weight of two deniers of Opopanax and Meu of each the like quantitie the seed of Dil Fennel Ameos and Parsly of each the weight of six deniers of Ervil floure twelue deniers or drams Let these be beaten into pouder and finely searced and when they be incorporat in the best wine that may be had they ought to be reduced into the form of Trosches euery one weighing a victoriat or half denier When occasion is to vse this composition dissolue one of these Trosches in three cyaths of wine and drinke it This is that famous Treacle or countrepoyson which great Antiochus the King was wont by report to take against all venoms or poysons whatsoeuer THE TVVENTY FIRST BOOKE OF THE HISTORIE OF NATVRE WRITTEN BY C. PLINIVS SECVNDVS The nature of Floures and namely those of Chaplets and Guirlands CHAP. I. ¶ The wonderfull varietie of Floures CAto in his Treatise of Gardens ordained as a necessary point That they should be planted and inriched with such herbs as might bring forth floures for Coronets and Garlands And in very truth their diuersitie is such that vnpossible it is to decipher and expresse them accordingly Whereby wee may see that more easie it was for dame Nature to depaint adorn the earth with sundrie pictures to beautifie the fields I say with all maner of colours by her handy-worke especially where she hath met with a ground to her minde and when she is in a merrie humour and disposed to play and disport her selfe than for any man in the world to vtter the same by word of mouth Wherin certes her admirable prouidence she hath shewed principally in this That whereas she hath giuen vnto those fruits of the earth which serue for necessities the sustentation of man long life and a kind of perpetuitie euen to last yeares and hundreds of yeres these floures of pleasure and delight good only to content the eye or please the sence of smelling she would haue to liue and die in one day A great document and lesson for vs men in generall to
property it hath moreouer to stir vp and quicken the Bees and make them more liuely and nimble about their businesse As for the Spiders aforesaid they verily are not so harmful be soon destroied but the Butterflies do the more mischiefe are not so easily rid away Howbeit there is a way to chase them also namely to wait the time when the Mallow doth begin to blossome to take the change of the Moone and chuse a faire and cleare night and then to set vp certaine burning lights just before the Bee-hiues for these Butterflies will couet to flie into the flame But what is to be done when you perceiue that the bees do want victuals then it wil be good to take dry Raisins of the Sun and Figs to stamp them together into a masse and lay it at the entry of the hiue Item It were not amisse to haue certain locks of wool well touzed and carded and those wet drenched in cuit either sodden to the thirds or to two thirds or els seked in honied wine for them to settle vpon and suck Also to set before them in their way the raw carkases of Hens naked and pulled to the bare flesh Moreouer there be certain Summers so dry and continually without raine that the fields want floures to yeeld them food and then must they be serued with the foresaid viands as well as in Winter season When hony is to be taken forth of the hiues the holes and passages for the ingresse and egresse of the bees ought to be well rubbed and besmeared with the herb Melissophyllon and Genista brused and stamped or else the hiues must be compassed about in the middest with branches of the White Vine for feare lest the Bees depart and flie away The vessels whereout hony hath been imploied yea and honey combes would be well rinced and washed in water which being throughly sodden maketh a most wholesome and excellent vineger As touching wax it is made of the combes after the hony is pressed and wrong out of them But first they must be purified and clensed with water and for three daies dried in some darke place vpon the fourth day they are to be dissolued and melted vpon the fire in a new earthen pot neuer occupied before with so much water as will couer the combs and then it should bee strained through a panier of reeds or rushes which done the wax is to be set ouer the fire a second time in the said pot and with the self-same water and sodden again and then it ought to run out of it into other vessels of cold water but those first should be al about within annointed and besmeared with honey The best wax is that which is called Punica i. of Barbary and is white The next in goodnesse is the yellowest and smelleth of hony pure and clean without sophistication such commeth from the country of Pontus and verily I wonder much how this wax should hold good considering the venomous hony whereof it is made In the third place is to be ranged the wax of Candy for this standeth much vpon that matter which they cal Propolis wherof I haue already spoken in the Treatise of Bees and their nature After all these the wax of the Isle Corsyca may be reckoned in the fourth rank which because it is made much of the Box tree is thought to haue a vertue medicinable Now the making working of the first and best Punick white wax is after this manner They take yellow wax and turne it often in the wind without the house in the open aire then they let it seeth in sea-water and namely such as hath bin fet far from the shore out of the very deep putting thereto Niter this done they scum off the floure that is to say the whitest of it with spoons this cream as it wer they change into another vessell which hath a little cold water in it Then once againe they boyle it in sea-sea-water by it selfe alone and set the vessel by for to coole After they haue done thus three times they let it dry in the open aire vpon an hurdle of rushes in the Sun and Moon both night and day and this ordering bringeth it to be faire and white Now in the drying for feare that it should melt they couer it all ouer with a fine Linnen cloth But if they would haue it to be exceeding white indeed they seeth it yet once more after it hath bin thus sunned and mooned In truth this Punick white wax is simply the best to be vsed about medicines If one be disposed to make wax black let him put therto the ashes of paper like as with an addition or Orchanet it will be red Moreouer wax may be brought into all manner of colours for painters limners and enamellers and such curious artificers to represent the forme and similitude of any thing they list And for a thousand other purposes men haue vse thereof but principally to preserue their walls and armors withall All other things as touching Hony and Bees haue bin handled already in the peculiar Treatise to them and their nature belonging Here an end therefore of Gardens and Gardinage CHAP. XV. ¶ Of hearbs which come vp of themselues and such especially as be armed with prickes IT remaineth now to speake of certain wild herbs growing of their own accord which in many nations serue for the kitchin and principally in Aegypt for this countrey although it bee most plentifull in corne yet may seem to haue least need thereof and of all nations vnder heauen best able to liue without the same so well stored it is with hearbs wherof the people doth ordinarily feed whereas in Italy here we know as few of that kind good to be eaten namely Strawberries Tanus Ruscus Crestemarine or Sampire as also Batis Hortensiana which some call French Sperage we haue also the wild Parsnep of the medowes and the Hop but wee vse them rather for pleasure and delight and to giue contentment to ourtast than for any necessary food to maintain life But to come again to Egypt there is to be found the noblest plant of all others Colocasia which some name Cyamos i. the Egyptian beane this herbe they gather and cut downe out of the riuer Nilus it putteth forth a main stem which being sodden yeeldeth in the eating and chewing a certaine threddy matter or woolly substance drawing out in manner of a cob-web but the stalk as it groweth vp amid the leaues maketh a faire and goodly shew for indeed the said leaues be exceeding large and comparable to the broadest that any tree beareth resembling those for all the world of the Clote or great Burr he growing in our rivers which we cal Personata A wonderful thing it is to see what store they in Aegypt set by the commodities that their riuer Nilus doth afford for of the leaues of this Colocasia plaited infolded naturally one within another they make
Bruised and so eaten or sodden with Garlick they be excellent good against coughes that were thought past cure and remedilesse yea and imposthumes in the brest grown to suppuration but the patient ought to feed thereof continually euery day Also if one chew them fasting and so apply them to a fellon they are thought passing good either to ripen or to discusse the same Boiled in wine and so laid too they assuage the swellings of the cods and priuy parts seruing to generation Bean floure sodden in vineger doth ripen and breake all tumors in like manner it dissolueth black bruised bloud lying vnder the skin and healeth burns M. Varro is of opinion that it is good for the voice Bean stalks and bean cods burnt to ashes and so incorporat with old Swines seam is good for the Sciatica and all inueterat pains of the sinews The very husks of beans alone sodden to the thirds do stop the lask and running out of the belly The best Lentils be they that are most tender and ask least seething also such as drink much water Lentils verily do dim the eie-sight and breed ventosities in the stomacke but taken in meat they stay the flux of the guts and the rather if they be throughly sodden in rain water but in case they be not fully boiled they do open the belly and make the body laxatiue the escares or roofs remaining vpon cauterized or blistered sores they break and make to fall off those vlcers which are within the mouth they mundifie and clense Applied outwardly they appease the pains of all imposthumes especially if they be exulcerat and ful of chaps and reduced into a cataplasm with melilote or a quince they are singular for to represse the flux of humors to the eyes but for to keep impostumes and tumors from suppuration they are laied too with Barley groats or the grosse meale thereof torrified The juice of Lentils after they be sodden is good for the exulcerations of the mouth and the genitors likewise with an addition of oile Rosat or Quince for the inflammation of the seat or fundament But if the parts affected and exulcerat do require stronger and sharper remedies the same would be applied with the rind of a pomgranat and a little hony put thereto And to the end that the said cataplasme shal not dry quickly they vse to put thereto Beet leaues Lentils sodden throughly in vineger serue for a cataplasm to be laid vpon the swelling kernels called the Kings euill and other fell biles whether they be ripe or in the way only of maturation Applied with honied water they be very good for any clifts and chaps but with the pill or rinde of a pomgranat for Gangrenes In like manner with barly groats they be appropriat for the gout the kidnies the naturall parts of women for kibes and such vlcers as be hardly brought to cicatrice Thirty grains of Lentils swallowed down by way of Bole are singular for the feeblenesse and dissolution of the stomacke In dysenteries or bloudy fixes in the violent rage of cholerick humors which cause euacuations both vpward downward Lentils do effectuat their operation much more if they be sodden in three waters For which purpose also better it is to torrifie them first and then to pound or beat them small that they may be giuen to the patient as fine as may be either by themselues alone or els with a Quince with Pears Myrtle berries wild Cichory black Beets or Plantain Howbeit note thus much That Lentils are nought for the Lungs for head-ache for all neruous parts and the gall and this ill property they haue besides to keep the patient from sleep Being sodden in sea-water they are good for pushes and angry wheales for S. Anthonies fire and the accidents that befall womens breasts but if they be boiled in vineger they discusse all hard tumors the kings euil They that haue but weak and bad stomacks vse verily to put Lentils to thicken their pottage and gruels instead of Barly groats and find thereby much ease If they be halfe sodden in water afterwards braied or stamped then let passe through a tamise that the brans might be separat from the rest they are thought very good for burns but then within a while as the cure goeth forward they must be applied with honey also put thereto Finally if they be sodden in Oxycrat or water and vineger together they help the swelling bunch of the throat called Bronchocele There is a kind of marish or moory Lentils called Ducks meat growing of it selfe in standing waters This herb is by nature refrigeratiue in which regard it serueth to make a liniment vsed for inflammations and hot imposthumes but principally for all manner of gouts either alone or mingled with Barly groats The same hath vertue to knit consolidat ruptures when the bowels are fallen downe Moreouer there be wild Lentils called by the Greeks Elelisphacos by others Phacos These be lighter than the tame Lentils which are sowed bearing a smaller leafe drier also more odoriferous than the other Of which wild Lentils there is a second sort carying a strong smel in somuch as the former kind is counted the milder These Lentils haue leaues formed to the fashion of quince leaues but that they be lesse and white and commonly they are sodden branch and all together Their medicinable vertues be to bring down the monthly sicknesse of women to prouoke vrines and to heale the wounds occasioned by the venomous prick of the sea puffin or fork-fish Now the nature of this fish is to benum and mortifie the place which is strucken Of these Lentils and Wormwood there is a drink made good for the dysentery or bloudy-flix The same taken with wine draweth down womens fleurs that stay vpon them but if their bare decoction be drunk it wil stay them when they flow immoderatly The herb alone applied outwardly represseth the ouermuch bleeding of fresh wounds it cureth the sores occasioned by the stinging of serpents The decoction thereof in wine doth mitigate the itching of the cods if they be bathed and fomented therewith Our moderne Herbarists in these daies doe call that in Latine Saluia i. Sange which the Greeks name Elelisphacos An herb it is much resembling Mints of a gray and hoary colour and withall odoriferous Beeing applied to the naturall parts of women it fetcheth away the dead infant within the womb it riddeth the ears also and festered vlcers of those wormes and vermin which breed therein Moreouer there is a kind of wild Cich-pease bearing leaues like to the other of the garden and which be sowed saue that their smell is strong vnpleasant If a man feed largely of them they stir the belly and moue to the siege they breed ventosities cause the collick and wringing of the guts Howbeit if they be parched or torrified they are reputed the wholsomer The Cichling or pety Cich-pease is thought to be better and more wholsome to
foment gangrenes small pocks running vlcers A drink made thereof is singular for the spleene and if hony be put thereto it prouokes womens fleurs which make no hast downward Take raw Lupines stamp them with drie figges and vineger into a cataplasme and apply them to the spleen it is an excellent remedy The root also sodden in water prouoketh vrine forcibly Lupines boiled in water with the herb Chamaeleon do cure the diseases incident to sheep and other such smal cattell if they do but thinke of this decoction Let them be sodden in the mother or lees of wine or mingle both their decoctions therewith they do heale the farsins scab and mange of all other foure-footed beasts what soeuer The fume of them as they burne killeth gnats Concerning Irio I said before in the treatise of corne and pulse that it was like Sesama and named by the Greeks Erysimon whereas the Gaules do call it Velarum This plant brancheth very much and beareth leaues like to Rocquet but that they be somewhat narrower and brings forth seed resembling that of Cresses This Irio taken with hony in form of a lohoch is excellent good for the cough and those who reach out filthy matter from their chest Giuen it is for the jaundise the diseases of the loins for the pleurisie the torments and wrings of the collicke and the fluxes occasioned by the debility and weaknesse of the stomacke Applied in form of a liniment it is singular good for the inflammations behind the ears for the cancerous vlcers also and the symptoms thereto belonging Laid to the cods with water and otherwhiles with hony it altereth their distemperature of heat and the inflammations whereto they are subject And soueraigne it is for infants Likewise a cataplasme made of it with figs and hony is singular for the accidents and griefes of the fundament as also for the gout and pains of the joints Taken in drink it is an effectuall counterpoison It cureth those who are short winded Applied outwardly with old hogs-grease it helpeth fistulous sores so there be care had that none of it go into the vlcers As for the graine Horminum it hath a seed resembling Cumin as I haue said before otherwise it is like to Porret and groweth to the height of a span or nine inches Two kindes there be of it whereof the one hath a blacker seed than the other and somewhat long This hath power to prouoke lust and is much vsed for the pin and web for the perle also in the eye the other hath a whiter seed and rounder Both the one and the other if they be stamped draw forth pricks and thornes out of the body if a liniment be made of them alone and applied with water But a cataplasme of the leaues with vineger or alone by themselues or else with honey discusse and resolue biles without suppuration In like manner they dispatch fellons if they be taken before they grow to any head and generally all tumors proceeding from sharp and hot humors And thus much of grain A strange thing that Nature hath so ordained That the very pestilent weeds which plague corne should haue their vse in Physicke For first and formost there is Darnel which albeit Virgill termeth Infoelix i. vnhappy yet if it be ground and sodden in vineger and so applied it cureth tettars and dry scabs joined with a great itch and the sooner doth it the deed the oftner it is remoued and changed Darnell floure laid too with Oxymell cureth the gout other pains And to say a truth the manner of this cure differeth from the rest For the preparing of which medicine the said floure must be ordered in this manner after this proportion for euery sextar of vineger it sufficeth to dissolue therein two ounces of hony take then three sextars of this mixtion and put thereto two sextars of Darnell meale sodden to a thicke consistence which done temper all together and apply this cataplasme to the grieued and pained members The same meale draweth forth spils of broken and shiuered bones A weed there is called Miliaria for that it killeth the grain Millet Beat this to pouder and mingle it with wine then poure this drench with an horne downe the throat of laboring jades they say it will cure their gouts As for Bromos i. wild Otes which the Greeks take for the seed of a certain spiked or eared weed counted it is for one of the imperfections growing among corne and may be ranged with the kinds of Otes for blade and stalk it commeth neere to wheat it beareth in the haw or 〈◊〉 certain grains hanging down which resemble small locusts the seed is good to be vsed in 〈◊〉 cataplasms into which barley and such like do enter the iuice or liquor made of it is singular for the cough A weed there is which we named Orobanche for that it choketh Eruile and other pulse some call it Cynomorion for the resemblance that it hath to the cullions and pizle or genitall member of a dog It riseth vp in a small stem without any leaues or blade fatty it is and red sometimes it is eaten alone otherwhiles it is serued vp tender sodden between two dishes with other viands Moreouer there do ingender in pulse certain little venomous vermins who will pricke and sting their hands who are imploied in the plucking yea and put them in danger of their life a kind they are of these Solifugae or Solpugae The remedies for all these be the same which are set downe against Spiders and Phalangia Thus much as touching all kinds of graine as far forth as they concerne Physick But this moreouer is to be noted that of corn there be certain drinks made as namely Zythus in Egypt Coelia and Ceria in Spaine Ale and Beere and many more sorts in Gaule and other prouinces Now the froth or barme that riseth from these Ales or Beers haue a property to keepe the skin faire and cleare in womens faces But for the operation that Ale and Beere hath in them who drink thereof I mean to passe them ouer here for I thinke it better to proceed to the treatise of wine but first I will discipher the medicinable vertues of trees and begin with the vine THE TVVENTY THIRD BOOKE OF THE HISTORIE OF NATVRE WRITTEN BY C. PLINIVS SECVNDVS The Proeme THus far forth haue we gone ouer the vpper face of the earth and shewed what medicinable vertues there be in all kinds of graine as well corne as pulse as also what Physicke may be found in woorts and pot-hearbs yea and in those garden plants which by reason of their faire floures and sweet odours serue mans turne for garlands and chaplets It remaineth now to speak of lady Pomona and her gifts who certes commeth not behind dame Ceres with all her riches And verily this Nymph and goddesse Pomona not content thus to protect maintaine and nourish vnder the shade of her trees those
the bread so made vnto them that cough to those who be short winded such also as cannot breath vnlesse they sit vpright and lastly to as many as reach vp filthy matter out of their brest Diodotus the Physitian made thereof an electuary or lohoch with hony for them to licke who are in a Phthisick or otherwise diseased in the lights and hee appointed it to be laid as a pultesse for fractures of bones There is not a beast or liuing creature whatsoeuer but if the shap or naturall parts be annointed therewith it will fetch away the fruit of their womb The juice drawn out of the root if it be incorporat with Attick hony scattereth the misty clouds and filmes in the eies that trouble the sight the same also cureth the defects and infirmities of the stomack And a syrrup made with the decoction thereof hony is good to stint a cough All vlcers whatsoeuer be they wolues cankerous sores or otherwise corrosiue and eating forward stil yea the very ill-fauoured Polype and Noli-me-tangere in the nosthrils the iuice of this root doth cure and heale wonderfully The leaues sodden in wine and oile are good to be applied vnto any burne or place scalded Being eaten in a salad with salt and vineger they purge the belly sodden with hony and applied as a cataplasme they are good for dislocations and bones out of ioint Semblably the said leaues whether they be green or dried are excellent for the gout in any ioint being laid too with salt Hippocrates deuised a plaster of them and hony together which was singular for all impostumations whatsoeuer For to bring downe the desired sicknesse of women 2 drams of the root or seeds it skils not whether taken in two cyaths of wine is a sufficient dose The same potion fetches away the after-birth in case it make no hast to come away after a woman is deliuered of child And for this purpose Hippocrates appointed the very bulbous root of Aron in substance to be applied to the nature of a woman in the like case It is said that in time of pestilence it is a singular preseruatiue if it be eaten with meats Certes it is excellent to keep them for being drunke who haue taken their liquor liberally or at leastwise to make them sober again And yet the perfume or smoke thereof when it burneth chaseth serpents away and especially the Aspides or els doth intoxicat their heads make them so drunk that a man shall find them lying benummed and astonied as if they were dead The same serpents moreouer will not come neere vnto those that be annointed all ouer with this herb Aros and oile of baies hereupon it is thought that it is a good preseruatiue against their stings if it be drunk in grosse red wine They say moreouer that cheeses will keepe passing well if they be wrapped within the leaues of Aron To come now to Dragons called in Latine Dracunculus wherof I haue spoken before the only time to dig it out of the ground is when barly beginneth to ripen and within the two first quarters of the Moon all the while that she doth increase in light Let one but haue the root of this herb about him in any part of the body it makes no matter how or where he cary it he shal be sure that serpents wil flie from him And therefore it is said that the greater kind of them is singular to be giuen in drink vnto those who are stung already by them as also that it stoppeth the immoderat course of womens fleurs in case it touched no yron instrument when it was gathered The juice thereof is passing good for pain in the ears As for tht Dragon which the Greeks name Draconatium it hath bin shewed described to me in three forms the one leaued like vnto the Beets growing with an vpright main stem with a floure of a purple colour this Dragon is like vnto Aron Others brought to me a second kind with a long root as it were marked forth and diuided into certaine ioints it putteth out three small stems and no more and they declared moreouer and gaue direction to seeth the leaues thereof in vineger against the sting of serpents There was a third sort shewed vnto me bearing a leafe bigger than that of the Cornell tree with a root resembling those of the canes or reeds and as they auouched parted into as many joints and knots just as it was yeares old and so many leaues likewise it had neither more nor lesse Those that presented it to me vsed to giue the same in wine or water against serpents There is an herb also named Aris growing in the same Egypt like vnto Aron abouesaid saue that it is lesse hath smaller leaues and not so big a root and yet the same is full as great as a good round and large oliue Of these there be two kinds the one which is white riseth vp with two stalks the other puts forth but one single stem Both of them haue vertue to cure running scals and vlcers to heale burns also and fistulous sores if a collyrie or tent be made thereof and put into the sore the leaues boiled in water and afterwards stamped and incorporate with oile rosat do stay the spreading of corrosiue eating vlcers But mark one wonderful property that this plant hath touch the nature or shap of any female beast therwith she wil neuer lin gadding vntill she die with one mischiefe or other Touching Mille foile or Yarrow which the Greeks call Myriophyllon we in Latine Millefolium it is an herb growing vp with a tender and feeble stalke like in some sort vnto Fenell and charged with many leaues whereupon it took the name it groweth in moores and fennie grounds vsed to very good purpose and with singular successe in curing of wounds Ouer and besides it is giuen to drink with vineger for the difficulty of vrine and the stoppage of the blader for those that take wind thick and shoâ—…t and such as are inwardly bruised by falling headlong from on high the same is most effectuall to take away the tooth ache In Tuscan they haue another herb so called growing in medowes which putteth forth on either side of the stalk or stem a number of pretty leaues as smal in maner as hairs The same also is a most excellent wound-hearb And it is auouched by the people of that countrey That if an Oxe chance to haue his strings or sinews cut quite atwowith the plough-share this hearb will conglutinat and souder them againe if it be made into a salue with swines grease Concerning bastard Navew called in Greeke Pseudo Bunion it hath the leaues of Navew gentle and brancheth to the height of a hand-bredth or span The best of this kind groweth in the Isle Candy where they vse to drink fiue or six branches thereof for the wringing torments of the belly for the strangury the pain of the sides midriffe and precordiall
of the said temple the tast wil turn to be waterish again Polyclitus writeth of a certaine fountaine of Cilicia neere vnto the citie Soli which yeeldeth an vnction or oleus water that serueth in stead of oile Theophrastus reports the same of another fountain in Aethyopia which hath the like quality And Lycus saith That among the Indians there is a fountaine the water whereof is vsed in lampes to maintaine light And the like is reported of an â—…ther water about Ecbatanâ—… the capitall citie of Media Theopompus writeth That neere to Scotusa in Macedonie there is a lake the water wherof is soueraign for the healing of wounds Moreouer king Iuba hath left in writing That in the Troglodites country there is a lake for the hurtful water that it beareth called the Mad lake which thrice a day becommeth bitter and salt and as many times for it turneth to be fresh and sweet which course it keeps also in the night season breeding otherwise white serpents twenty cubits long of which it is crawling full The same Prince mine author reports That in Arabia there is a spring boiling out of the ground with such a force that it scorneth and checketh any thing that is throwne into it and canot be kept downe with any weight whatsoeuer Theophrastus maketh mention of the fountain Marsyas in Phrygia neere vnto the town Celaenae which casteth vp great stones And not farre from it be two other springs Claeon and Gelon so called by the Greeks for the contrary effects which they worke At Cizicum there is a fountain of Cupid and whosoeuer drinke of the water thereof shall lay aside and forget all affection of loue as Mutianus doth both report and beleeue At Cranon there is a hot spring and yet not so boyling as many others be the water thereof if it be put into a bottle or flaggon of wine will maintain the heat thereof for three daies together that it shall drinke hot In Germany beyond the riuer Rhene there be waters so hot that whosoeuer drinketh therof shall sensibly find the heat in his body 3 daies after The springs that yeeld this water be called Mattiaci This peculiar property besides hath this water that about the edges and brims thereof there engender pumish stones Mow if any man suppose some of these strange reports to be incredible let him learne know that in no part of the world Nature hath shewed more admirable works than in this element of Water And albeit in the beginning of this mine historie I haue written in ample manner of many a wonder obserued in the waters yet somewhat remaineth still to be related For Ctesias saith That the Indians haue a lake or poole wherin nothing will swim but all sinks to the bottome And Coelius also our countryman auoucheth That the leaues which fall into the lake Avernus will settle downeward and not flote aboue And Varro auoucheth moreouer That what birds soeuer flie ouer it or approch the aire and breath thereof they will die presently Contrariwise in Apuscidamus a lake of Affrick nothing goes down but all swims aloft The like doth Appion report of Phinthia a fountain in Sicilie as also of a lake in Media and namely the pit or well of Saturne The fountaine Limyra is wont ordinarily to change his seat and to passe into places adjoyning but neuer for nought presaging alwaies thereby some strange accident to ensue And wonderfull it is that the fishes therein should follow and do the like Now when this water is thus remoued the inhabitants of the country desirous to know the issue of things to come repaire thither as to an Oracle and seek to be resolued by the foresaid fishes and therwith offer to them some meat if they come vnto it and swim away with all it is a good token this they take for an affirmatiue answer as if they said Yea to their demands but in case they refuse the meat and flirt it away with their tailes they collect the contrary and this is their flat nay There is a riuer in Bithynia called Olachas running close to Briazus which is the name both of a temple and also of the god therein honoured the water whereof will discouer and detect a perjured person for if he that drinketh thereof feele as it were a burning fire within his body take him for a false forsworne villaine Furthermore in Cantabria or Biscay the fountains of the riuer Tamaricus are endued with a secret vertue to presage and foretell future euents and three heads or sources there be of them eight foot distant one from another they meet all at length in one channell and maintaine the great and mighty riuer Tamaricus Howbeit twelue times euery day yea and otherwhiles twenty times they are dry and haue no shew at all or appearance of water notwithstanding there be another fountain or well neere to them that yeeldeth plenty of water and neuer giueth ouer running And this is held for an ominous and fearefull presage if when folke are desirous to see them they seeme not to run at all as it was seene of late daies by Lartius Licinius sometime lord Pretour and afterwards Lieutenant Generall vnder the Consuls For within a seuen-night after a great misfortune happened vnto him In Iurie there is a riuer which euery Sabbath day is dry Thus much of waters medicinable and miraculous and yet not simply hurtfull Contrariwise there be others of as wonderfull a nature but dangerous they are and deadly withall Ctesias writeth That there is a fountaine in Armenia breeding and bringing forth black Fishes wherupon as many as feed are sure to die for it immediatly I haue heard the like reported of such dangerous fishes about the head of the riuer Danubius vntill a man come to a fountaine which presently dischargeth it selfe into the channell of the said riuer for beneath that place such fishes go not nor enter lower into the riuer And hereupon the fountaine is by the generall voice of people taken to be the very source and head of Danubius aforesaid The selfe-same accident as touching fish is reported by a poole in Lydia called the poole of the nymphs In Arcadia neere vnto the riuer Pheneus there floweth a water out the rockes called Styx which is present death to as many as drink thereof as heretofore I haue shewed And Theophrastus saith moreouer that in this water there be certaine small fishes a thing that a man shall neuer see in any other venomous fountains and those likewise are as deadly as the water Thâ—…opompus writeth That in Thrasia there be waters about the place called Chropsos which kill those that drinke thereof And Lycus maketh report of another fountaine in the Leontines countrey wherof as many as drink die within three daies Varro hath left in writing That neare to the hill Soracte there is a fountaine foure foot large which at the rising of the Sunne ouerfloweth like boyling water but the birds that haue tasted
againe is subiect no more vnto putrifaction And as for cesterne waters the Physicians also themselues confesse That they breed obstructions and schirrhosities in the bellie yea and otherwise be hurtfull to the throat As also that there is not any kinde of water whatsoeuer which gathereth more mud or engendreth more filthie and illfauoured vermine than it doth Neither followeth it by and by that all great riuer waters indifferently are the best no more than those of any brooke or the most part of ponds and pooles are to bee counted and esteemed most wholesome But of these kinds of water wee must conclude and resolue with making destinction namely That there be of euery sort thereof those which are singular and very conuenient howbeit more in one place than in another The kings and princes of Persia bee serued with no other water for their drinke but from the two riuers Choaspes and Eulaeus onely And looke how farre soeuer they make their progresse or voyage from them two riuers yet the water thereof they carry with them And what might the reason be therefore Certes it is not because they be riuers which yeeld this water that they like the drinke so well for neither out of the two famous riuers Tygris and Euphrates nor yet out of many other faire and commodious running streames doe they drinke Moreouer when you see or perceiue any riuer to gather abundance of mud and filth wote well that ordinarily the water therof is not good nor wholesome and yet if the same riuer or running streame bee giuen to breed great store of yeeles the water is counted thereby wholesome and good ynough And as this is a token of the goodnesse so the wormes called Tineae engendered about the head or spring of any riuer is as great a signe of coldnesse Bitter waters of all others bee most condemned like as those also which soone follow the spade in digging and by reason that they lie so ebbe quickly fill the pit And such be the waters commonly about Troezen As for the nitrous brackish and salt waters found among the desarts such as trauell through those parts toward the red sea haue a deuise to make them sweet and potable within two houres by putting parched barley meale into them and as they drinke the water so when they haue done they feed vpon the said barly grots as a good and wholsom gruel Those spring waters are principally condemned which gather much mud and settle grosse in the bottome those also which cause them to haue an il colour who vse to drink thereof It skilleth also very much to mark if a water staine any vessels with a kinde of greene rust if it be long before pulse will be sodden therein if being poured vpon the ground it be not quickly sucked in and drunk vp and lastly if it fur those vessels with a thicke rust wherein it vseth to be boiled for all these be signes of bad water Ouer and besides it is a fault in water not only to stink but also to haue any smack or tast at all yea though the same be pleasant and sweet enough and inclining much to the rellice of milk as many times it doth in diuers places In one word would you know a good and wholsome water indeed Chuse that which in all points resembleth the aire as neere as is possible At Cabura in Mesopotamia there is a fountaine of water which hath a sweet and redolent smel setting it aside I know not any one of that qualitie in the whole world againe but hereto there belongs a tale namely that this spring was priuiledged with this extraordinary gift because queen Iuno forsooth sometimes bathed and washed her selfe therein for otherwise good and wholesome water ought to haue neither tast nor odor at all Some there be who iudge of their wholsomnesse by their ballance and they keep a weighing and poising of waters one against another but for all their curiositie they misse of their purpose in the end for seldom or neuer can they find one water lighter than another Yet this deuise is better and more certain namely to take two waters that be of equal measure and weight for looke whether of them heateth and cooleth sooner the same is alwaies the better And for to make a trial herof lade vp some seething water in a pale or such like vessel set the same down vpon the ground out of your hand to ease your arm of holding it hanging long in the aire and if it be good water they say it will immediatly of scalding hot become warm and no more Well what waters then according to their sundry kindes in generalitie shall we take by all likelihood to be best If we go by the inhabitants of cities and great towns surely wel-water or pit water I see is simply the wholsomest But then such wels or pits must be much frequented that by the continual agitation and often drawing thereof the water may be more purified and the terren substance passe away the better by that means And thus much may suffice for the goodnesse of water respectiuely to the health of mans body But if we haue regard to the coldnesse of water necessarie it is that the Wel should stand in some coole and shadowie place not exposed to the Sun and nathelesse open to the broad aire that it may haue the full view and sight as it were of the sky And aboue all this one thing would be obserued and seen vnto that the source which feedeth it spring and boile vp directly from the bottom and not issue out of the sides which also is a main point that concerns the perpetuitie thereof and whereby we may collect that it will hold stil and be neuer drawn dry And this is to be vnderstood of water cold in the owne nature For to make it seem actually cold to the hand is a thing that may be done by art if either it be forced to mount aloft or fal from on high by which motion and reuerberation it gathers store of aire And verily the experiment hereof is seene in swimming for let a man hold his winde in he shall feele the water colder by that means Nero the Emperor deuised to boile water when it was taken from the fire to put it into a glasse bottle and so to set it in the snow a cooling and verily the water became therby exceeding cold to please and content his tast and yet did not participate the grossenesse of the snow nor draw any euill qualitie out of it Certes all men are of one opinion that any water which hath been once sodden is far better than that which is still raw Like as that after it hath been made hot it will become much colder than it was before which I assure you came first from a most subtil and witty inuention And therefore if we must needs occupy naughty water the only remedy that we haue to alter the badnesse thereof
of a Dolphin and fry or torrifie it in an earthen pan vntil there come from it a kind of grease in manner of oile therwith annoint the patients in the cases abouesaid If women desire to be rid of the foule frectles spots and morphew that do injury vnto their beautie if they would looke young and haue their skin plumpe and void of all riuels let them take the ashes of Burrets and purple shels calcined incorporat the same with honey into the form of a liniment within one weeks space if they ply it with annointing they shal see the effect thereof namely the skin cleare and neat euen and smooth without wrinkles the cheekes not hollow but faire and full Mary vpon the 8 day they must not forget to foment and bath the place with the white of an egge wel beaten Among the kinds of Burrets called Murices are to be ranged those shell-fishes which the Greeks some call Colycia others Corythia shaped in the shell like to the rest in manner of a turbant but that they be far lesse howbeit more effectuall for that besides the other properties abouenamed this speciall gift they haue to maintaine a sweet breath As for the fish or glue called Ichthyocolla it hath vertue to lay the skin euen without riuels and to make it rise and appear firm but then it ought to boile in water the space of 4 houres afterwards to be stamped strained and wrought to the liquid consistence of hony and no more Thus prepared it must be put vp into a new vessell neuer occupied there kept When time serues to vse it to euery 4 drams weight thereof proportion two of brimstone of Orchanet as much of litharge of siluer 8 drams put them all together and stampe them with some sprinkling of water among Herewith let the face bee annointed and after foure houres wash it off againe For the spots and pimples in the face called Lentils as also for all other deformities the ashes of Curtill bones are thought singular if the skin be rubbed therewith and the same consume the excrescence of proud and rank flesh like as they dry vp any moist and rheumaticke vlcers CHAP. VIII ¶ Diuers receits set downe disorderly one with another for sundry maladies ONe Frog boiled in fiue hemines of sea-sea-water is singular to cause the scurfe of the mange or wild scab to fall off but sodden so long it must be vntill the decoction bee risen to the height of hony There is ingendred in the sea also that which is called Halcyoneum made as some thinke of the nests of the birds Halcyones and Ceyces but as others suppose of the filthy some of the sea thickened and indurat and according to the opinion of some it proceedeth from the muddie slime or a certaine hoary dry scum or froth of the sea Foure kinds there bee of it The first of an ash colour thick and massie of a quick and hot smell The second is soft and more mild fauoring in manner like to sea weeds The third resembleth the whiter kinde of checquer worke in marquettry The fourth is more hollow and fuller of holes in maner of a pumish stone in that respect resembleth a rotten spunge inclining much to the colour of purple and this is simply the best called also by the name of Halcyoneum Milesium yet in this kind the whiter that it is the worse it is to be liked The property of them all in generality is to exulcerat and mundifie Vsed they are being torrified euen without any oile Wonderfull is their operation if they bee tempered with Lupines and the weight of two oboli in sulphur for to take away the wilde scab or leprosie the foule tettars Lichenes and the pimples or spots of the skin called Lentils Halcyoneum also is commonly emploied about the scars or thick filmes appearing in the eyes Andreas the Physitian vsed much the ashes of a sea-crab incorporat with oile in curing the leprosie Attalus occupied as vsually the fat of a fresh Tuny new taken for the healing of vlcers The pickle of Lampreies together with the ashes of their heads calcined and brought into a liniment with hony healeth the kings evill And many are of opinion that to prick the wennes named the Kings euill aforesaid with the small bone or pricke that sticketh in the taile of that sea fish which is called Rana marina with this gage and rule of the hand that it wound not deep is very good for that disease but the same must be done euery day vntil they bee throughly cured and whole Of the same operation is the sharp prick in a Puffen of the sea-hare also applied to them so as neither the one nor the other be suffered to lie long to the place but bee soone renewed Also the shelly skin of the sea-Vrchin stamped to pouder and brought into a liniment with vineger as also the ashes of the sea Scolopendre incorporat with honey and the riuer craifish either puluerized or calcined and the dust or ashes thereof likewise tempered with honey are good to be applied to the same disease Wonderfull effectuall be the bones also of the cuttill fish beaten to pouder and with old swines grease brought into the form of a liniment and in this manner they apply this medicine to the tumors behind the ears like as the liuers of the sea fish Scarus Moreouer the sheards of such earthen vessels wherin salt fish was pouderd kept beaten to pouder tempered with old swines grease the ashes also of Burrets shels incorporat in oile serue in right good stead for the swellings behinde the eares and the tumours or wennes called the kings euill The stiffe cricke in the neck is mollified and made pliable againe so as it may turne which way a man would haue it with drinking of one dram weight of those creepers or insects which be called sea-lice and yet some take for the same Castoreum in honied wine adding thereto a little pepper and drinke this composition in the broth of frogs boiled in oyle and salt After which manner many Physitians cureth the crampe that draweth the neck backward the generall convuision also that stretcheth the body so as if it were of one piece and other particular spasmes and cramps of any part so there be some pepper put thereto The ashes of salt Cackerels heads burnt and reduced into a liniment with honey discusse and resolue the Squinancy cleane like as the broth of frogs boiled in vineger and the sayd broth is singular also for the inflammation of the tonsils The Creifishes of the riuer dried and beaten to pouder then put into water so as there be to euery one a hemine of water make a good liquor to gargarize withall for the squinancy The same also drunke in wine or hot water worke the like effect The sauce made of Maquerels called Garum put with a spoon vnder the uvula and there held a while putteth it vp
in salt giuen in wine to drinke do stir and prouoke the appetite vnto venerie Moreouer to feed vpon the fishes called Erythrines ordinarily at the table to hang about the necke the liuer of the frog called Diopetes or Calamita within a little piece of a cranes skin or the jaw tooth of a Crocodile fastened to any arme either els the Sea-horse or the sinewes of a Toad bound to the right arme incite greatly to wantonnesse and lecherie Put a toad within a piece of a sheeps skin newly flaied and let one weare it tied fast about him he shall forget all loue and amitie for euer The broth of froggs boiled in water do extenuat the scuruie thicke roufe in the farcins or mange of horses and make way that they may be bathed and anointed and verily it is credibly affirmed that if they be cured after this manner the scab will neuer returne againe The expert midwife Salpe affirmeth for certain That doggs will not barke if there be giuen vnto them in a morcell of bread or gobbet of flesh a liue frog In this discourse of Water and the things concerning it somwhat ought to be said as touching Calamochnus which otherwise in Latine is named Adarca it groweth about small canes or reeds and is engendred of the froth of sea water and fresh water together where they both meet and are intermingled a causticke qualitie it hath in regard whereof it entreth into the compositions called Acopa which serue for lassitude and those that are benummed with cold It is emploied also in taking away the pimples or spots in womens faces like to lentils As for Reeds and Canes this is their very proper place also wherein they should be treated of And to begin with that reed or cane called Phragmitis which is so good for mounds hedges the root thereof greene gathered and punned is singular for dislocations and the paine of the backebone if the place affected be annointed with it incorporat in vinegre But the rind of the Cyprian cane which also is named Donax burnt into ashes is singular for to recouer haire againe where it was shed by occasion of sicknesse and to heale old vlcers The leaues also serue very well to draw forth any spills pricks or arrow heads that sticke within the flesh yea and to extinguish S. Anthonies fire As for the floure or downe of their catkins if it chance to enter into the eares it causeth deafenesse The blacke liquor resembling inke which is found in the cuttle-fish is of that force that if it be put to the oile of a lamp burning Anaxilaus saith it will drown and put out the former cleare light and make all those in the room to looke like blackamores or Aethiopians The hedge frog otherwise called a toad boiled in water and giuen to swine among other draffe to drinke cureth all their diseases and of the same effect are the ashes of any other frogs besides Rub a piece of wood with the fish called Pulmo Marinus it will seem as though it were on a light fire in so much as a staffe so rubbed or besmeared with it may serue in stead of a torch to giue light before one CHAP. XI ¶ That there be of fishes and other creatures liuing in the Sea one hundred seuentie and six seuerall and distinct kinds HAuing thus treated before sufficiently of the natures and properties of Fishes and such creatures as the water doth yeeld it remaineth now for a finall conclusion to present vnder one view all those fishes name by name which are engendred and nourished not only in those mediterranean and inland arms of the sea which for many a mile take vp a great part of the continent and firme land but also in that vast and wide ocean without the main bounded as it were limited onely by the compasse and circumference of the heauen and those namely as many as be knowne may be reduced all into 176 kinds a thing which cannot be done either in the beasts of the land or foules of the aire For how is it possible to decipher particularize the wild beasts and foules of India Aethyopia of the desarts and of Scythia which we are not come to the knowledge of seeing we haue found so many different sorts in men of whom wee haue some notice and intelligence to say nothing of Ta probane and other Islands lying within the Ocean whereof so many fabulous reports are deliuered certes there is no man but hee must needs confesse and agree to this that it was not possible in this historie of Nature to comprise all sorts of creatures which the earth aire do yeeld Howbeit those that are bred in the Ocean as huge and vast as it is may be comprehended vnder a certaine number a wonderfull matter that we should be better acquainted with those considering how Nature hath plunged and hidden them in the deepe gulfes of the maine sea To begin then with the greatest monsters and beasts that this vnruly Element of the water doth breed we find therin the sea-Trees Whirlepooles greater Whales Priests Tritons i. sea Trumpetters Nereides i. Meremaids Elephants sea Men and Women Wheeles sea Tuns or Pipes Rams and smaller Whales accompanying the bigger Besides other Rams that resemble the ordinary shape of fishes Dolphins and the sea Calues or Seales whereof the Poët Homer writeth so much Furthermore the sea Tortoises which serue for roiot wantonnesse and excesse the Beuers which are so much in request among Physicians As for the Otters albeit a kind of Beuers they are yet because I neuer heard that they came into the salt water I make no great reckoning of them for my purpose is to rehearse those only which inhabit or haunt the sea moreouer the sea Dogs the Curriors Posts or Lacquies of the sea the horned fishes the Swordfish or Emperour of the sea and the Sawfish Ouer and besides those which liue indifferently in the sea the land the riuer to wit the water Horses and the Crocodiles others again that ordinarily keepe in the sea and yet come vp into the riuers but neuer land to wit the Tunies as well the growne Thunnies as the yonger sort Thunnides or Pelamides The Siluri the blacke Coracini and Perches As touching those that neuer came forth of the sea the Sturgeon the Guilthead the cod the Acarne Aphya Alopecias the Yeels and Araneus The billowing fish Box Batis Banchus Barrachus and Belone with all the kind of those which wee call Needle fishes and also Balanus The sea Rauen Corvus and Cytharus all the sorts of the Chrombi the Carpe Chalcis and Cobio Callarius of the Cods kind but that it is lesse Colias whether it be Parianus of Parium the Colony or Sexitanus so called of a city in Granado or Baetica a fish resembling Lizards of which and of the young Tunie Pelamis both bred in Moeotis being chopped and cut into pieces
beneath and as the one is an excrement cast vp from a matter whiles it is purging it selfe so the other is the refuse or grounds thereof after it is purged and setled Howbeit many there bee who make but two kindes of this fome or litharge the one * Steresitis as it were solid and massiue the other * Peumene as one would say puffed vp and full of wind As for the third named Molybdaena they reckon as a thing by it selfe to be treated of in the discourse or chapter of lead Now the litharge abouesaid ought for the vse that it is emploied about for to be prepared in this manner first the lumps aforesaid are to be broken into small pieces as big as Hasel nuts and set ouer the fire againe thus when it is once red hot by the blast of bellows to the end that the coles and cinders might be separated one from another there is wine or vineger cast vpon it both to wash also withall to quench the same Now if it be Argyritis to the end it may look the whiter they vse to break it to the bignes of beans and giue order to seeth it in water within an earthen pot putting thereto wheat and barly lapped within pieces of new linnen cloth and suffer them to boil therwith till they burst which done for six dayes together they put it in mortars washing it thrice euery day in cold water and in the end with hot and so at length put to euery pound of the said Litharge the weight of one Obolus of Sal-gem The last day of all they put it vp into a pot or vessel of lead Some there be who seeth it with blanched beans and husked barly and after that dry it in the sun others think it better to seeth it with beans and white wool vntill such time as it colour the wooll no more black then they put thereto Sal-gem changing eft soones the water and dry it for the space of forty daies together in the hottest season of the Summer There be again who think it best to seeth it in water within a swines belly and when they haue taken it forth rub it wel with sal-nitre and pun it in mortars as before with salt Ye shall haue them that neuer bestow seething of it but only beat it with salt and then put water thereto and wash it Well thus prepared as is beforesaid it serueth for collyries and eie-salues in a liniment also to take away the foule cicatrices or scars the pimples and specks likewise that mar the beauty of women yea our dames wash the haire of their head withall to make it clean and pure And in very truth Litharge is of power to dry mollifie coole and attemper to clense also to incarnat vlcers and to asswage or mitigate any tumors Being reduced into the vnguents or plaisters aforesaid and namely with an addition of rue myrtles and vineger it is singular for S. Anthonies fire Semblably being incorporat with oile of myrtles and wax into a cerot it healeth kibed heeles CHAP. VII ¶ Of Vermilion and of what estimation it was among the old Romans the first inuention thereof Of Cinnabaris the vse thereof in Pictures and in Physicke The sundry sorts of Minium or Vermilion and how it is to be ordered to serue painters THere is found also in siluer mines a mineral called Minium i. Vermilion which is a colour at this day of great price and estimation like as it was in old time for the antient Romans made exceeding great acount of it not only for pictures but also for diuers sacred holy vses And verily Verrius alledgeth and rehearseth many authors whose credit ought not to be disproued who affirm That the maner was in times past to paint the very face of Iupiters image on high and festiual daies with Vermilion as also that the valiant captains who rode in triumphant maner into Rome had in former times their bodies coloured all ouer therewith after which manner they say noble Camillus entred the city in triumph And euen to this day according to that antient and religious custom ordinary it is to colour all the vnguents that are vseâ—… in a festiuall supper at a solemne triumph with Vermilion And no one thing doe the Censors giue charge and order for to be done at their entrance into office before the painting of Iupiters visage with Minium The cause and motiue that should induce our ancestors to this ceremony I maruel much at and canot imagin what it should be True it is and well known that in these daies the Aethiopians in generall set much store by this colour and haue it in great request insomuch as not onely the Princes and great Lords of those countries haue their bodies stained throughout therewith but also the images of their gods are â—…ainted with no other colour in which regard I am moued to discourse more curiously and at large of all particulars that may concerne it Thcophrastus saith that 90 years before Praxibulus was established chiefe ruler of the Athenians which falls out iust vpon the 249 yere after the foundation of our city of Rome Callias the Athenian was the first that deuised the vse of Vermilion and brought the liâ—…ely colour thereof into name for finding a kinde of red earth or sandy grit in the mines of siluer and hoping that by circulation there might be gold extracted out of it he tried what he could do by fire and so by that means brought it vnto that fresh and pleasant â—…e that it hath which was the first original of Vermilion Hee saith moreouer That euen in those daies there was found Minium in Spain but the same was hard and full of gritty sand Likewise among the Colchi in a certaine â—…ock inaccessible by reason whereof the people of the country were constrained by shooting at it to shake and driue it down howbeit the same was but a bastard Minium But the best simply saith he was gotten in the territorie of the Cilbians somewhat higher in the country than Ephesus in sum That the said Minium or Vermilion is a certaine sandy earth of a deepe scarlet colour which was prepared in this order first they pun and beat it into pouder and then washed it being thus puluerised Afterwards that which setled in the bottom they washed a second time In which artificiall handling of Minium this difference there is that some make perfect Vermilion of it with the first washing others thinke the Vermilion of that making to be too pale and weake in colour and therefore hold that of the second washing to be best And verily I wonder not that this colour was so highly esteemed for euen beforetime during the state of Troy the red earth called Rubrica was in great request as appeareth by the testimony of Homer who being otherwise spary enough in speaking of pictures colours yet commends the ships painted therwith The Greeks call our Minium by
cockles that will shut and open be ready to snap such as we see these limpins be called Mituli Halfe dead they should be first that being new put into the sea again desirous to reviue and liue they might gape for water and then the Purples make at them with their pointed tongue which they thrust out to annoy them but the other feeling themselues pricked therewith presently shut their shels together bite hard Thus the Purples for their greedinesse are caught and taken vp hanging by their tongues CHAP. XXXVIII ¶ The fishing time for Purples THe best time to take Purples is after the dog star is risen before the Spring for when they haue made that viscous muscilage in manner of wax their iuice and humour for colour is ouer liquid thin waterish And yet the purple diers know not so much nor take heed thereof whereas indeed the skill thereof is a speciall point of their art and wherein lreth all in all Well when they are caught as is abouesaid they take forth that vein before mentioned and they lay it in salt or else they do not well with this proportion ordinarily namely to euery hundred weight of the Purple liquor a Sestier or pint and halfe of salt Full three dayes and no more it must thus lie soking in powder For the fresher that the colour is so much is it counted richer and better This don they seeth it in leads to euery Amphore i. which containeth about eight wine gallons they put one hundred pound and a halfe just of the colour so prepared Boile it ought with a soft and gentle fire and therfore the tunnel or mouth of the furnace must be a good way off from the lead and câ—…awdron During which time the workemen that tend the lead must eftsoones skim off and clense away the fleshie substance which cannot chuse but stick to the veines which containeth the iuice or liquour of purple beforesaid And thus they continue 10 daies by which time ordinarily the lead or vessell wil shew the liquour cleere as if it were sufficiently boiled And to make a triall thereof they dip into it a fleece of wool wel rensed washt out of one water into another till such time that they see it giue a perfect die they stil ply the fire giue it a higher seething That which staineth red is nothing so rich as that which giueth the deep sad blackish color When it is come to the perfection they let the wooll lie to take the liquor 5 houres then they haue it forth touse and card it and put it in againe vntil it hath drunke vp all the colour as much as it will Now this is to be obserued that the sea cornet Buccinum makes no good colour of it selfe for their dye wil shed lose the lustre And therfore vsually they ioine to it the sea Purple Pelagium which maketh too deep and brown a colour vnto which it giueth a fresh liuely teinture as it were in grain and so maketh that sad purple which they desire Thus by mixing medling the force of both together they mend one another while the lightnesse or sadnesse of the one doth quicken and raise or els dorr and take downe the colour of the other To the dying of a pound of wooll they vse this proportion of two hundred Buccina or sea Cornets ioined with a hundred and eleuen Pelagian Purples so commeth that rich Amethyst or purple violet colour so highly commended aboue all other But the Tyrians make their deep red purple by dipping their wool first in the liquor of the Pelagian purples only whiles it is not throughly boiled to the heigth but as it were green yet and vnripe and therof they let it take what it can drinke Soone after they change it into another caudron or lead where the colour of the sea Cornets alone is boiled And then it is thought to haue a most commendable and excellent dye when it is as deep a red as bloud that is cold and setled blackish at the first sight but looke between you and the light it carieth a bright and shining lustre And hereupon it is that Homer calleth bloud Purple CHAP. XXXIX ¶ When they began at Rome to weare Purple first I Find in Chronicles that Purple hath bin vsed in Rome time out of mind Howbeit K. Romulus neuer ware it but in his roial habit or mantle of estate called Trabea And wel known it is that Tullus Hostilius was the first Roman king who after he had subdued the Tuscanes put on the long purple robe named Pretexta and the cassock broched studded with scarlet in broad guards Nepos Cornelius who died in the daies of Augustus Caesar the Emperor When quoth he I was a yong man the light violet purple was rife and in great request a pound of it was sold for a 100 deniers and not long after the Tarentine red purple or skarlet was much called for and of the same price But after it came the fine double died purple of Tyros called Dibapha and a man could not buy a pound of it for a 1000 deniers which was the price of ten pound of the other P. Lentulus Spinther in his Aedileship of the chaire first ware a long robe embroidered with it and was checked and blamed therefore But now adaies quoth Nepos what is he that will not hang his parlour and dining chamber therewith and haue carpets cushins cupbord clothes thereof And it is no longer ago when Spinther was Aedile than in the seuen hundreth yeare after the foundation of Rome euen when Cicero was Consull This purple in those daies was called Dibapha i. twice died that was counted a matter of great cost very stately withall and magnificent But now ye shall haue no purple cloths at all of any reckoning but they haue their double die As for the cloth died with the purple of the shel-fish Conchylia the maner of making the colour and dying in all respects is the same saue that there be no sea Cornets vsed thereto Moreouer the iuice or liquor for that colour is tempered with water in stead of the filthy pisse and vrine of a man altogether vsed in the other and therein is sodden but the halfe proportion of colours to the foresaid tinctures And thus is made that light pale stammel so highly commended for being short of the deep rich colour and the lesse while that the wooll is suffered to drinke the fill the more bright and fresh it seemeth CHAP. XL. ¶ The prices of wooll died with these colours AS for these colours they are valued dearer or cheaper according to the coasts where these fishes are gotten more or lesse Howbe it it was neuer known that in any place a pound of the right purple wooll died with the Pelagian colour or of the colour it selfe was more worth than 500 Sesterces nor a pound of the Cornets purple
paper Amphitheatrike which name was giuen vnto it of the place where it was made The polishing and trimming of this paper Fannius vndertooke who set vp a shop in Rome for the selling of it and so skilfull was he and curious in the handling and dressing thereof that by the time hee had done withall and brought it to a perfect finenesse hee made the same of a course and common paper to be royall fit for the best persons that should vse it in such sort as there was none in any request to speak of but it and called after his name it was Fanniana As for that which passed not thorow his hands nor had his workemanship it retained still the old bare name Amphitheatrica After this kind of paper followed that which they called Saitica of a towne or city in Egypt where great abundance was made thereof of the courser pieces and refuse of the said Papyrus And yet there was another paper to wit Taâ—…otica so called of a place neere adioyning made of the grosser part neere to the bark and outside and this they sold for the weight and no other goodnesse that it had besides As for the merchant Paper or shop-paper called Emporetica it was not for to write in onely it serued as wast Paper for sarplers to wrap and packe vp wares in also for coffins or coronets to lap spice and fruits in and thereupon merchants and occupiers gaue it that name And with this the very cane it selfe is to be seene clad outwardly and the vtmost coat thereof is like to a reed or bulrush fit for no purpose but to make cordage of and not very good for that vse neither vnlesse it be for the water only which it wil abide very wel Now the making of all these Papers was in this sort namely vpon a broad bord wet with the cleare water of Nilus For the fatty and muddie liquor therof serues in stead of glew wherwith at the first the thin leafe of the cane Papyrus sliued from the rest and laid vpon the bourd to the full length in manner of the warpe according as the trunke will giue leaue being cut off at both ends namely toward the top and the root is wet and besmeared then is there another laid ouerthwart it after the order of the woofe with a crosse graine to the other and so is the web as it were of the Paper performed Pressed afterwards it is in certaine presses that both leaues may sticke together and then the whole sheets are dried in the Sun Which done they be so couched together that the best and largest lie first and so consequently in order as they be worse and of lesse size vntill you come to the worst And one scape or trunke lightly of the cane Papyrus yeelds not aboue 20 such sheets Great difference there is in them for the breadth notwithstanding the length be all one The best namely which were taken out of the heart of the cane beare 13 fingers in breadth The Hieratica Paper wants two of that number The Fannian is but ten fingers broad The common Paper Amphitheatrica but nine Saitica yet fewer and will not beare â—…e stroke of the hammer And as for the merchants Paper it was so short and narrow that it went not aboue six fingers Moreouer in Paper these 4 things must be considered that it be fine well compact white and smooth Howbeit Claudius Caesar the Emperor abated the credite of the Paper Augusta that it was no more accounted the best for indeed so thin it was that it would not abide the dent of the pen besides it would not hold inke but shew the letters on the other side and was euermore in danger of blurring and blotting specially on the back part and otherwise vnsightly it was to the eie for that a man might so easily see thorough it And therefore he deuised to fortifie and strengthen the said Paper and laid another course or coat as it were ouer the former in manner of a double woofe Hee enlarged also the breadth of the Paper for he caused it to be a foot broad yea and some a foot and an halfe I meane that kind which was called Macrocola or large Roiall Paper But herin was a fault and reason found it out for if one leafe of this large Paper were plucked off the more pages took harme thereby and were lost And therfore the former Claudian Paper which had but 3 leaues of Papyrus was preferred before all the rest Howbeit that which was named Augustane bare the name for letters missiue and the Liuiane continued still in the owne credite hauing no property of the first and principall but all in a second degree The roughnesse of Paper is polished and smoothed either with some tooth or else with a Porcellane shell but the letters in such slick Paper will soone fade and decay For by polishing it will not receiue the inke so deepe as when it is not smoothed although otherwise it will shine the better Moreouer it falls out many times that if the humor be not artificially laid the Paper is very stubborn but this fault is soon found out at the very first stroke of the hammer or else discouered by the smell especially if good heed were not taken in the tempering therof As for the spots and speckles the eie will quickly spie them but the long streaks and veines lying close couched between the pasted places can hardly be discerned before that the letter runs abroad and shewes how in the spongeous substance of the Paper wanting that past the ink will sinke thorough and make blots so deceitfull is the making of this Paper What remedie then but to be at a second labor to past it new againe another way to wit with the common past that wee vse made with the finest floure of wheat and tempered with hote scalding water and a little vinegre mingled therwith For the joiners glue and that made of gums is brittle and will not abide the rolling vp of these sheets into quiers But they that wil go more surely to work and make an exquisite past indeed boile the soft and tender crums or leauenedbread in seathing water and then let it run thorough a strainer which they vse to this purpose For besides that the Paper hereby will be more firme and haue lesse flawes it surmounts also in sweetnesse the water of Nilus Moreouer all kind of past whatsoeuer for this effect ought neither to be staler than a day old nor yet fresher and vnder that age After that it is thus pasted they beat it thin with the hammer and a second time runne lightly ouer with new past and then being thus knit bound fast again it is made smooth and void of wrinkles and finally beaten euen with the hammer and driuen out in length and breadth After this manner was that Paper made wherin were written the bookes and records of the two Gracchi Tiberius and Caius with their owne hands
of wine The fame Cato abouenamed after his voiage into Spain from whence he returned with a notable victorie and in a triumphant manner in a solemne speech that hee made vnto the people protested in these words and said No other wine I haue drunke since I went than the very marriners hauc How farre vnlike was he to men in these daies who sitting at the table haue their cup of strong wine by themselues and giue vnto their guests for the most part other small wines to drinke or if they suffer them to drinke all one and of the best at the beginning of the feast they will be sure to change and to serue them with worse soon after In old time the best wines vsed at feasts were aromatised and spiced with sweet Myrrh as appeares in the Comedie of Plautus entituled Persa And yet it should seeme there that sweet Calamus was to be added besides And hereupon it commeth that some haue thought how our forefathers in times past tooke most delight in such spiced cups and Ippocras wines But Fabius Dorsenus the Poet sufficiently declareth and decideth this point in these verses when he saith Mittebam vinum pulchrum Murrhinum I sent neat wine Which hight Myrrhine And againe in his Comedie Acharistio Panem Polentam vinum Murrhinam Both bread and grewell I did present And Myrrhine wine of pleasant sent I see moreouer that Scaevola Laelius and Atteius Capito were of the same mind For in the Comedie of Plautus entituled Pseudolus thus it is written Quod si opus est vt dulce promat Indidem ecquid habet Char. Rog as Murrhinam passum Defrutum mella Of dulcet wine if there be need What hope is there from thence to speed Char. Why aske you that he furnish'd is With Murrhin Cuits and Meade ywis By which a man may see euidently that Murrhina was not onely counted a wine but reckoned also among the sweet and delicate wines CHAP. XIIII ¶ Of wine store-houses and of Opimian wine THat there were wine sellars at Rome and that they vsed there to tun vp Wine in the 633 yeare after the foundation thereof appeareth plaine by a good proofe of the Opimian wine and euen in those daies Italy knew her owne good and what it was to maintaine vineyards Howbeit as yet were not those wines in credit which now are so rife and in so great account And therfore it is that all the wines of that time bear the only name of that one Consull and be called Opimian And thus afterwards also in processe of time the wines that came from beyond the seas for a long space were in much request euen vntil our grandfathers daies yea and after that the Falern wines were in name and called for as may appeare by that Verse of the Comicall Poet Quinque Thasij vini inde depromam Falerni bina To measures fiue of Thacian wine I will draw twain of Falerne fine In the 675 yeare after the foundation of Rome Pub. Licinius Crassus and L. Iulius Caesar Censors for the time being published an Edict and proclaimed That no man should sell any Greek wine or Aminean but after eight Asses the Amphor or Quadrantum For these be the verie expresse words of the said Edict Now was Greeke Wine of so great price and estimation that a man was but allowed one draught thereof at a meale were the cheare neuer so great and the feast right sumptuous But what wines were in request ordinarily at the boord M. Varro doth shew in these words L. Lucullus quoth hee while he was a boy neuer saw at his fathers bord Greeke wine serued vp but once at a meale how good soeuer the fare was otherwise Howbeit himselfe when he returned out of Asia in a congiarie or largesse that he gaue vnto the people made a dole and distribution of more than an hundred thousand measures of gallons apiece C. Sentius whom of late daies we saw Pretor of Rome testified that he neuer saw any wine of Chios brought into his house before the Physition prescribed and set it down for the Cardiaca passio or the trembling of the heart whereto he was subiect But contrariwise Hortensius when hee died left aboue ten thousand barrels full of that Wine vnto his heire And thus much out of M. Varro CHAP. XV. ¶ Of Caesars bountic and liberalitie in Wine BVt what should we say of C. Iulius Caesar Dictator In that solemne feast of his which hee made at his triumph did not he distribute among his guests Falerne wines by whole barrels and Greek wine of Chios by the rundlets After his returne out of Spain with victorie and triumph he likewise gaue away a largesse of wine as well Chian as Falern But at the royall dinner which he made when he entred vpon his third Consulship he caused all the Hall to be serued thorowout with Falern Chian Lesbian and Mamertine wines which was the first time that euer any man saw the seruice of 4 seuerall wines at one feast Now in farther proces of time and namely about 700 yeares after Rome cities foundation all other Wines began to beare a name and come in request CHAP. XVI ¶ Of Artificiall or made Wines COnsidering all that hath bin written I nothing maruel at such an infinite number of compound and artificiall wines deuised in old time all for the vse of Physick wherof we will now treat in more ample maner To begin therefore with wine-Verjuice called Omphacium how it should be made for perfumes and odoriferous ointments we haue shewed in the former booke As for the wine named Oenanthinum it is made of Labrusca that is to say the wild Vine in this wise Take two pound of the floures of the wild vine aforesaid let the same be steeped in a measure of new wine containing about 12 gallons for the space of 30 dayes and then be changed out of that vessell into another Moreouer the root and grapes of the sayd wild Vine are good for curriers to dresse their leather The same grapes a little after they haue done blooming are taken to be a singular remedie for to coole those that be troubled with hot and ardent diseases for naturally they be as men thinke exceeding cold and indeed many of these grapes die in the hot time of Summer before the rest which are called Solstitiales but all of them neuer come to full and perfect ripenesse Now if you would keep Pullein from pecking grapes take these of the wild Vine before they be throughly ripe mingle and seeth them with their meat for this will take away all their appetite that way and breed a loathing after all grapes To come now vnto the artificiall wines beforenamed the first of them namely that which they call Adynamon i. without strength is made of very wine in this sort Take of new white wine 20 Sextars i. quarts of water halfe as much let them boile together vntill the measure of water
Daucus or yellow Carot Sauge Panace Acorus or Galangal Conyza or Cunilago Thyme Mandragoras and Squinanth More such wines there were yet which the Greeks called Scyzinum Itaeomelis and Lectispagites but as they be growne now out of vse so the manner of making is vnknown As touching wines made of trees shrubs their maner was to seeth the berries of the green wood of both the Cedars the Cypres the Bay Iuniper Terebinth Pine Calamus and Lentisk in new wine In like maner the very substance of Chamelaea Chamaepithys and Germander Last of all the floures also of the said plants serue to make wines namely by putting into a gallon of new wine in the vat the weight of ten deniers or drams of the floures CHAP. XVII ¶ Of Hydromel and Oxymel i. Honied water and Honied vineger THere is a wine called Hydromel made of water and hony onely but to haue it the better some do prescribe rain water and the same kept fiue yeares for that purpose Others who are more wise and skilfull herein do take raine water newly fallen and presently seethe it vntill a third part be boiled away then they put therto a third part also of old hony in proportion to it and so let them stand together in the Sun for forty daies together from the rising of the Dog-star Others after they haue remained thus mingled and incorporate together ten daies put it vp reserue it close stopped for their vse and this is called Hydromel which being come to some age hath the very tast of wine no place affords better than Phrygia Moreouer Vineger was wont to be tempered with hony See how curious men haue bin to try conclusions in euery thing which they called Oxymel and that in this manner Recipe of hony ten pounds or pints of old vineger fiue pints of sea salt one pound of rain water fiue Sextares i. a gallon within one quart boile them al together at a soft fire vntil they haue had ten plawes or walmes which done poure them out of one vessell into another and so let the liquor stand and settle a long time vntil it be stale All these wines compositions thus brued Themison an Author highly renowned hath condemned and forbidden expressey to be vsed And to say a very truth it seems that the vse of them was neuer but in case of necessity vnlesse a man would beleeue and say that Ipocras spiced wines those that be compounded of ointments are Natures work or that she brought forth plants and trees to no other end but that men should drink them down the throat Howbeit the knowledge surely of such experiments be pleasant and delectable vnto men of great wit and high conceit whose noble spirits cannot be at rest but euer inuentiue and searching into all secrets Now to conclude this point certain it is and past all question that none of all these compositions vnles it be those which come to their perfection by age and long time will last one yeare full out nay most of them will not keep good one moneth to an end CHAP. XVIII ¶ Certaine strange and wonderfull sorts of wine WIne also hath prodigious and miraculous effects for by report in Arabia there is a wine made which being drunk will cause barren women to beare children and contrariwise driue men into madnes But in Achaia principally about Carynia the wine makes women fall into vntimely trauell nay if a woman great with childe do eat but the verie grapes they will slip the fruit of their wombe before their time and yet both grape and wine differ not in tast from others They that drinke the wine comming from the cape Troezen ate thought vnable for generation It is reported that the Thasiens do make two kinds of wine of contrarie operations the one procures sleep the other causeth watching Among them there is a vine called Theriace the grape whereof as also the wine cureth the stings and biting of serpents as it were a most especiall Treacle As for the vine Libanios it carrieth the odour and smell of Frankincense and therefore is vsed in sacrifices to the gods But contrariwise another named Aspendios is vtterly condemned for that purpose and no wine thereof is imployed at the altar they say also that no fowle will touch the grapes thereof There is a kind of grape in Egypt which they call Thasia exceeding sweet it is and looseth the belly But contrariwise there be in Lycia that binde as much and cause costiuenesse The grapes Ecbolides in Egypt if they be eaten cause women with child to be deliuered before their time Some wines there be that as they lie in the very cellar will turn and proue soure about the rising of the Dog-star but afterward wil recouer their verdure and become quick and fresh again In like maner there be wines which vpon the sea will change howbeit the agitation thereof causeth those Wines which endure it to the end to seem twice as old as they be indeed CHAP. XIX ¶ What Wines they be that may not be vsed in sacrifices and what waies there are to sophisticate new wines FOrasmuch as our life stands much vpon religion and diuine seruice wee are to vnderstand That it is held vnlawfull to offer vnto the gods before sacrifice the Wine of any vine that hath not bin cut and pruned or that hath bin smitten or blasted with lightening or standing neere to a jebbit or tree whereon a man hath hanged dead or the grapes whereof haue bin troden by men whose legs or feet haue been wounded neither is that wine allowable for this purpose which hath bin pressed and run from the refuse of grape stones and skins once bruised and crushed in the presse or last of all if the grapes haue bin filed by any ordure or dung fallen from aboue thereupon Moreouer Greeke Wines are reiected from this holy vse because they haue water in them Furthermore the vine it self is holden good to be eaten namely when the burgens and tendrils be first sodden and afterwards preserued and kept in vineger brine or pickle Ouer and besides it were very meet and conuenient to speake also concerning the manner of preparing and ordering of wine seeing that the Greeks haue trauailed in that point seuerally and reduced the rules belonging therto into the form of an Art and namely Euphronius Aristomachus Coniades Hicesias are therein great professors The Africans vse to mitigate and allay the tartnesse of their wines with plastre yea and in some parts of their country with lime The Greeks contrariwise do fortifie and quicken them with clay with pouder of marble with salt or sea water and in some places of Italy they vse to the same effect the shauings and scrapings of stone-pitch Also it is an ordinary thing in Italy and the prouinces thereto confining for to condite their new wines to season them with rosin yea and in some places they mingle therewith the lees of other
sodden in wine and water they serue in stead of a broth or grewell so do no fruit els but Pome and Peare-Quinces CHAP. XVI ¶ The manner how to preserue Apples THe generall rules to keep and preserue Apples are these Imprimis That the solars be wel planked and boorded in a cold and drie place prouided alwaies that the windows to the North do stand open especially euery faire day Item to keep the windows into the South shut against the winds out of that corner and yet the North winds also where they blow doe cause Apples to shrink and riuell ill fauouredly Item That Apples be gathered after the Aequinox in the Autumne and neither before the full of the Moone nor the first houre of the day Moreouer that all the Apples which fell be seuered from the other by themselues and laid apart also that they be bedded vpon straw mats or chaffe vnder them that they be so couchedas that they touch not one another but haue spaces between to receiue equall aire for to bee vented To conclude this is well knowne that the Amerine Apples doe last and keepe good long whereas the honie Apples will abide no time CHAP. XVII ¶ How to keep Quinces Pome-granats Peares Sorvises and Grapes FOr the good keeping and preseruing of Quinces there must be no aire let into them where they are enclosed or else they ought to be confected in sodden honey or boiled therein Pomegranats should be plunged into sea-sea-water boiling and so hardened therein and after that they be dried in the Sun three daies so as they be not left abroad in the night to take dew they would be hanged vp in a solar and when a man list to vse them then they must be wel washed in fresh water M. Varro sets downe the manner to keep them within great earthen vessels in sand And if they be not ripe he would haue the earthen pots bottomes broke off and so the Pomegranates to be put in and couered all ouer with mould but the mouth therof must be well stopped for letting any aire in prouided alwaies that the steele and the branch wherto the fruit groweth be pitched For so quoth he they will not giue ouer to grow still yea and proue bigger than if they had remained vpon the tree As for other Pomegranats i. that are ripe they may be wrapped and lapped one by one in fig-leaues such as are not fallen but plucked from off the tree greene and then to be put into twigge paniers of oisiers or else daubed ouer with potters blay He that would keep Peares long must put them in earthen vessels turned with the bottomes vpward well varnished or annealed within couered also with saw dust or fine shauings and so enterred As for the Tarentine Peares they abide longest on the tree ere they be gathered The Anitian Peares be well preserued in cuit-wine As for Soruisses they are kept also in trenches within the ground but the couer of the vessel whereinto they are put ought to be well plastered all ouer and so stand two foot couered with earth also they may be set in a place exposed open to the Sun with the bottome of the vessells vpward yea and within great barrels they may be hung vp with their branches and all after the manner of grape-clusters Some of our moderne writers handle this argument more deepely than others and fetch the matter farre off giung out rules in this manner saying That for to haue Apples or Grapes de garde that is to say fit to be preserued and to last long the trees that beare the one and the other ought to be pruned and cut betimes in the waine of the Moone in faire weather and when the winds blow drie Likewise they affirme That fruits to be preserued would be chosen from drie grounds gathered before they be full ripe and this would be looked vnto in any hand that the Moon at the gathering time be vnder the earth and not appearing in our hemisphaere And more particularly for Grape bunches they would be gathered with a foot or heele from the old hard wood and the Grapes that are corrupt and rotten among the rest be clipped off with a paire of sheers or plucked out with pincers then to be hung vp within a great new earthen vessell well pitched with the head or lid thereof thoroughly stopped and plastered vp close to exclude all aire After which manner they say Soruisses and Peares may be kept but so as in any case the twigs ond steeles whereby they hang be well besmeared with pitch Moreouer order would be giuen that the barrels and vessells wherein they are kept be far ynough from water Some there be again who keep Grapes together with their branch after the same maner in plaster but so as both ends of the said branch sticke in the head of the sea-Onion Squilla and others let Grape-clusters hang within hogsheads and pipes hauing wine in them but so as the Grapes touch not the wine in any case There be also that put Apples and such fruits in shallow pans or pancheons of earth and let them swim and flote aloft vpon the wine within their vessels for besides that this is a way to preserue them the wine also as they think will thereby get a pleasant odoriferous tast Others ye haue besides that chuse rather to preserue al these fruits as well Apples Pears c. as Grapes couered in Millet seed Howbeit the most part dig a trench or ditch two foot deep in the ground they floore it with sand in the bottome and lay their fruits thereupon then they stop the top with an earthen lid and afterwards couer al with earth Some there are which smeare their bunches of Grapes all ouer with potters clay and when they are dried in the Sun hang them vp in solars for their vse and against the time that they should occupie them steep them in the water and so wash off the foresaid clay But for to keep Apples that are of any worth they temper the same clay with wine and make a morter thereof wherein they lap the said Apples Now if those Apples be of the best kind and right soueraigne after the same sort they couer them with a crust of the like past or morter or else clad them within a coat of wax and if they were not fully ripe afore they grow by that means and break their crust or couer what euer it be But this would not be forgotten that they vse alwaies to set the Apple or fruit vpright vpon the taile howsoeuer they be kept Some there are who gather Apples and such like fruit with their slips and sprigs hide them within the pith of an Elder tree and then couer them in earth as is before written And others there are who for euery Peare or Apple haue a seuerall earthen pot and after that their lids be well closed and stopped with pitch then they enclose them again with great vessels or
root and beare the fairer head Let that which you cut or shred be so little short withal that it resemble a mans fist rather than a bough the thicker will it come again a tree no doubt that would not be set in the lowest rank but be wel regarded how soeuer we make but base reckoning thereof for surely there is not a tree for reuenue and profit more safe and certain for cost lesse chargeable and for iniury of weather in better security Certes Cato among the commodities that commend a good ferm or manor esteemeth it in the third place and preferreth the increase and benefit thereby before the gain that groweth from oliue rows corn fields good medows Yet hereof we must not infer that we are not furnished with many other things which wil serue for bands to bind withal for we haue certain sorts of Spart or Spanish broom we haue Poplars Elmes the Sanguine-shrubs Birch clouen Reeds leaues of Cane as for example in Liguria the cuttings also of the very Vine and Briars so their sharp pricks be cut away to tie withall yea and the Hazell wands also so they be writhen and twined wherein a man may see a wonderful property That a wood should be stronger for to bind withal when it is crushed and bruised than whiles it was entire and sound All these I say are good for bands and yet the willow hath a gift therein beyond all the rest The Greek willow is red and commonly is sliuen for to make wit hs The Amerian Osier is the whiter but more brittle and soon wil crack therfore it is put to that vse of binding sound and whole as it groweth and not clouen through In Asia they make account of three sorts of willows the black which they imploy to wind and bind withal so tough and pliant it is the white wherewith husbandmen make their wicker paniers and baskets with other such vessels for their vse as for the third it is the shortest of all other and they cal it Helix or Helice With vs also here in Italy there be as many kinds those distinguished by their seuerall names the first which is of a deep purple colour they call the free osier or willow and that is so good for bands the second which is more thin and slender is named Vitelina or Vitellinam rather for the yellow colour of the yolke of egges for the bright hew that it hath the third that is smallest of all three is the French willow To come now to the brittle Rushes that grow in marish grounds which serue to thatch houses and to make mats and the pith whereof when the rind is pilled maketh wieke for watch-candles and funerall lights to burne by a dead corps whiles it lieth aboue ground they cannot iustly be reckoned in the ranke either of shrubbes or Brier-bushes and Brambles ne yet of tall plants growing vp with stems and stalks no more than among Hearbes and Weeds creeping along the ground but are to be counted a seuerall kind by it selfe True it is that in some places there are to be found rushes more stiffe hard and strong than in others For not onely mariners and watermen in the riuer Po do make sailes thereof but fishermen also of Affrick in the maine sea howbeit they hang their sailes betweene the masts from mast to mast after a preposterous manner contrary to all other The Mores also do couer their cottages with Bulrushes and surely if a man looke neerly to the nature of them they may seeme to serue for that vse which the Papyr-reeds in the netherland of Aegypt are put vnto about the descent and fall of the riuer Nilus As touching Brambles they may go among the shrubs of the water so may the Elders also which consist of a spungeous kind of matter yet cannot wel be counted among those plants which bee termed Fenels-gyant for surely the Elder standeth more vpon the wood than they do The shepherds are verily persuaded that the Elder tree growing in a by-place farre out of the way and from whence a man cannot heare a cock crow out of any town maketh more shrill pipes and louder trumpes than any other The Brambles beare certaine berries like the Mulberries euen as the sweet Brier of another kind which they call Cynosbatos or the Eglantine carieth the resemblance of a Rose A third sort there is of brambles which the Greeks cal Idea of the mountaine Ida. This is the Raspis smaller it is and more slender than the rest with lesse pricks vpon it and nothing so sharpe and hooked The floure of this Raspis beeing tempered with hony is good to be laied to bleared and bloud-shotten eies as also to the wild-fire or disease called Saint Anthonies fire Being taken inwardly and namely drunk with water it is very comfortable to a weake stomacke The Elder beareth certain blacke and small berries full of a grosse and viscous humor vsed especially to die the haire of the head black If they be boiled in water they are good and wholsome to be eaten as other pot-herbs CHAP. XXXVIII ¶ Of the iuice or humor in trees The nature of their wood and timber The time and manner of felling and cutting downe trees TRees haue a certaine moisture in their barkes which we must vnderstand to be their very bloud yet is it not the same nor alike in all for that of the Fig trees is as white as milke and as good as rendles to giue the forme to cheese Cherry trees yeeld a glutinous and clammy humor but Elmes a thin liquor in manner of spittle In Apple trees the same is fattie and viscous in Vines and Pyrries waterish And generally those trees continue and liue longest that haue such a glewy moisture in them In summe there are to be considered in the substance and body of trees like as of all other liuing creatures their skin their bloud flesh sinues veins bones and marrow For in lieu of their hide is the barke And I assure you a strange and maruellous thing it is to be obserued here in the Mulberry that when Physitians seek to draw the foresaid liquour out of it at seuen or eight a clocke in a morning if they scarifie or lightly cut the bark with a stone it issueth forth and they haue their desire but if they crush or cut it deeper in they meet with no more moisture than if it were stark dry In most trees next to the skin lieth the fat this is nought else but that white sap which of the colour is called in Latin Alburnum As it is soft in substance so is it the worst part of the wood and euen in the strong oke as hard as otherwise it is ye shal haue it soon to putrifie and rot yea and quickly be worm-eaten And therefore if a man would haue sound and good timber this white must be alwaies cut away in the squaring After it followeth the flesh of the tree and so the
better to grind and withal yeeldeth better and is more fruitfull The Red-wheat called Far is polled wheat in Aegypt and carieth no beard or eiles about it So is the white winter Wheat Siligo saue onely that which is named Laconica To these may be adioyned other kinds also to wit * Bromos the poll wheat Siligo differing from all the other of that name and Tragos strangers all brought from the Levant or East parts and resembling Rice euerie one Typhe likewise is of the same kind whereof in Italy and this part of the world is made that husked corne which goeth among vs for Rice for it turneth into it The Greeks haue a kind of wheat called Zea or Spelt it is commonly said that both it and Typhae considering that they vse to degenerate and proue bastard will turne to their kinde again and become wheat if they be husked before a man sow them howbeit this change will not be seen presently nor before the third yeare As touching our common wheat there is no grain more fruitfull than it this gift hath Nature endued it withall because she meant thereby to nourish mankinde most for one Modius thereof sowne if the soile be good and agreeable thereto such as lieth about Biâ—…acium the champian countrey of Africke will yeeld an hundred and fiftie fold againe The procurator generall of that prouince vnder Augustus Caesar sent from thence vnto him one plant thereof a wondrous thing and incredible to be reported which had little vnder 400 straws springing from one grain meeting all in one and the same root as it appeareth vpon records by the letters sent testifying no lesse Likewise to the Emperour Nero he sent 340 strawes out of the same country rising all from one onely corne But to goe no farther than to Sicilie within the territorie about Leontium there haue beene certaine fields knowne wherein one graine putteth forth no fewer than a hundred stalks with ears vpon them and not there onely but also in many other parts of that Island And this is ordinarie throughout all the kingdome of Granade and Andalusia in Spaine But aboue all the land of Aegypt may make boast in rendring such interest to the husbandmen Moreouer of all those kinds of wheat which are so plentiful there is principal account made of that which branches as also of another which men call Centigranum i. the wheat that beareth 100 graines To leaue this kind of graine and to come to Pulse there hath been found in Italie and goe no farther one beane stalke laden with an hundred beanes Touching Summer corne to wit Sesama Millet and Panicke we haue alreadie spoken As for Sesama it commeth from the Indians whereof they make a certaine kind of oile The color of this graine is white Like vnto it there is another grain called Erysinum which is rife in Asia Greece and I would say it were the very same that with vs in Latine is named Irio but that it is more oileous and fatty and indeed to be counted a medicinable or Physicall plant rather than a kind of corne Of the same nature is that which the Greekes call Hormium it resembleth Cumin aed is vsually sowed with Sesama how beit no beast will eat thereof while it is greene no more than they do of Irio a foresaid To come now to the manner of husking and cleansing of corne the feat is not so easily done in all as in some for in Tuscane they take the eares of their red wheat called Far when they be parched and dried at the fire they pound or bray them with a pestill headed at the nether end with yron or els fistulous and hollow within yet bound about with a hoop or ring of yron and the same within forth toothed in manner of a star so as if they be not heed full in the stamping the yron-work at the pestill end will either cut the cornes in two or else bruise and break them clean In Italy for the most part they vse a reed or plain pestill not headed with yron to huske and dresse their corn or els certain wheeles that are turned and driuen apace with water which going very swift doe also grind the said corne But since we are fallen into this treatise concerning husking and grinding of corn it shall not be amisse for to set down the opinion and resolution of Mago in this behalfe First for common wheat he giueth order that it be well steeped and soked in good store of water afterwards to berid from the hulls and eiles that it hath in a mortar which done it ought to be dried in the sunne and followed a second time with a pestil In like maner saith he should barley be vsed how beit two Sextars or quarts of water will be sufficient to besprinckle and wet twentie Sextars of barly As for Lentils he would haue them first parched and dried and then lightly punned or stamped together with brans or els to put vnto twentie Sextars thereof a fragment or peece of a broken semeld brick and half a Modius or peck of sand Eruile would be cleansed or husked as Lentils be but Sesama after it hath bin infused or soked in hot water he saith ought to be laid abroad a sunning then to be rubbed hard together and afterwards to be put into cold water and therewith couered so as the huls or chaffes do flote and swim aloft which done to be laid forth a second time in the sun vpon linnen clothes for to drie Now if all this be not don one thing after another and dispatched with the more speed and hast it wil soone vinew or catch a mouldinesse and besides lose the bright natiue hew and looke wan and of a leaden colour Now say that corn be cleansed and husked some one way and some another it is ground afterwards in diuers sorts If the ears be bolted by themselues alone for goldsmiths worke the chaffe comming thereof is called in Latine Acus but if it be threshed and beaten vpon a paued floor eare straw and altogether as in most parts of the world they vse to doe for to fodder cattell and to giue in prouender to horses then it is tearmed Palâ—…a but the refuse or chaffe remaining after that Panick or Sesama be clensed they call in Latine Appluda how soeuer in other countries it be otherwise named To speake more particularly of Millet there is great store thereof in Campaine and there they set much by it for of it they make a kind of white grewel or pottage also the bread therof is passing sauorie and sweet The Tartarians also nations in Sarmatia feed most of this water gruell made with Millet as also with the crude and raw meale thereof vnsodden and vnbaked tempered with mares milk or els with horse-bloud that runneth out of their master leg-vains by way of incision made for the purpose with the phleame As for the Aethiopians they know no other corne but Millet and
he contained in long and flat according to the forme and figure of the seed which they hold Pease by themselues haue a long round cod in forme of a Cylinder The Pulse called Phasâ—…oli i. Kidney Beans vse to be eaten cod and al together These may be set or sowne in what ground you list from the Ides of October to the Calends of Nouember Finally all kinds of Pulse so soone as they begin to ripen are to be gathered or plucked hastily for stay neuer so little they leape out of their cods and shed and being once fallen they lie hidden in the ground like as the Lupine also CHAP. XIII ¶ Of Rapes or Neuewes of Amiternium Turneps NOw let vs proceed and passe to other matters and yet in this discourse it were meet to write somwhat as touching Rapes or Nauews The Latin writers our countreymen haue slightly passed by and touched them only by the way The Greeks haue treated of them somwhat more diligently and yet among pot-hearbes and worts growing in gardens whereas indeed according to good order they would be spoken of immediatly after Corne or Beanes at least wise considering there is not a plant of more or better vse than is the Rape or Nauew First and formost they grow not only for beasts of the earth and the Foules of the aire but also for men For all kinds of Pullen about a Farme-house in the countrey doe feed vpon the feed thereof as much as of any thing else especially if they be boiled first in water As for four-footed beasts they eat the leaues thereof with great delight and wax fat therewith Last of al men also take as great pleasure and delight in eating the leaues and heads of Rapes or Nauewes in their season as they do of young Coly-flories Cabbages or any tender crops of hearbs whatsoeuer yea when they are faded flaggie and dead in the Barn they are esteemed better than being fresh and green As for Rapes or Nauewes they will keep long and last al Winter both within the ground where they grew and being well wintered they will continue afterwards out of the earth lying abroad euen almost till new come so as they yeeld men great comfort to withstand hunger and famin In Piemont Lombardie those countries beyond the Po the people make the most account of gaine by gathering Rapes next to wine vintage and corne haruest It is not choise and daintie of the ground where it will grow for lightly it wil prosper where nothing els can be sowed In foggy mists hard frosts and other cold weather it thriues passing wel and grows to a wonderfull bignes I haue seene one of their roots weigh aboue fortie pounds As touching the handling and dressing of them for our table there be many waies and deuises to commend and set them out Preserued they may be till new come specially condite with sharp and biting Senuie or Mustard seed Moreouer our Cooks know how to giue them six other colours besides their owne which is pure and naturall they haue the cast to set euen a purple hew vpon them And to say a truth there is no kind of viands besides that being thus painted colored hath the like grace The Greeke writers haue diuided them by the sexe and therby made two principal kinds therof to wit the male and the female Nay more than that out of one and the same seed according as it is sowed they can make male or female whether they please For if they sow thicke and chuse therto a hard and churlish ground it will proue of the male kind Also the smaller that the seed is the better it is esteemed But of al Rapes male or female three especiall sorts there be no more For some roots spread flat and broad others are knit round like a ball the third sort that runs downe into the ground with a long root in manner of a Raddish they cal the wild Rape or Nauew this bears a rough lease and ful of angles or corners the juice that it yeelds is sharp hote and biting which being gathered in haruest time reserued mundisieth the eies and cleareth the sight especially being tempered with brest-milke If the weather be cold they are thought not only to thriue in bignesse of the root but also to prooue the sweeter whereas contrariwise in a warm season they run vp all to stalke and leafe The best simply are those that grow in the Nursine territory For they are sold by the weight and euery pound is worth a Roman Sesterce yea and otherwhiles twaine if there be any scarcity of them Next to these in goodnes be those that come out of Algidum Thus much of Rapes Navews As for the Turneps of Amiternum they be in a manner of the same nature that the Rapes aforesaid cold they loue as well Sown they are before the Calends of March foure quarts of their seed will take vp a whole acre of ground The best Husbandmen and such as are more exquisite in their practise of Agriculture giue order That the ground for Turneps should haue fiue tilthes whereas Rapes or Nauewes are content with foure but both the one and the other had need of a soile well inriched with dung or compost By their sayings also Rapes will prosper the better and come vp thicker if they be sowed in their huls chaffe and all together Moreouer they would haue the seeds-man to be naked when he sowes them and in sowing to protest that this which he doth is for himselfe and his neighbors and withall to pray as he goeth The proper season for the seednesse of them both is between the feasts of the two gods to wit Neptune and Vulcan To conclude there is a subtill and curious obseruation that many go by and do hold namely this To marke how many daies old the Moon was when the first snow sel the winter next before for if a man do sow Rapes or Turneps within the foresaid compasse of that time the moon being so many daies old they will come to be wondrous great and increase exceedingly Men vse to sow them also in the Spring but then they make choise of moist and hot grounds CHAP. XIIII ¶ Of Lupines AFter Rapes and Turneps the Lupines haue greatest vse and serue to be raunged next for that they indifferently serue both men and also all foure footed beasts that be houfed either whole or clouen Now for that the stalke is very shittle in mowing and therefore flyeth from the edge of the syth the onely remedie therefore that the mower may catch it is to goe to worke presently after a good shower And verily there is not a plant growing vpon the earth I meane of such as are sowne of seed more admirable than the Lupine in regard of the great amity and sympathie betweene the earth and it Looke how the Sun keepeth his course in our Horizon aboue so doth it turne and go withall insomuch as the
circles still about any planets there will be much raine soone after In Summer time if there chaunce to be more thunder than lightning it threatneth winds from that coast where it thundreth contrariwise if it lighten much thunder little looke for rain plentie when you see it lighten and the skie otherwise cleare faire it is a token that rain and thunder will follow thereupon yea and rigorous cold weather besides but the cruellest and most bitter impressiions of the aire ensue vpon such lightnings as come from all the foure quarters of heauen at once if it lighten from the Northwest only it betokens rain the day following if from North it is a signe of wind from thence if from the South Northwest or full West it happen to lighten in the night the same be faire it sheweth wind and rain from out of those coasts morne thunders foreshew winds but if they be heard at noon they presage rain As touching clouds if you see the rack ride apace in the aire the weather being faire drie looke for wind from that quarter whence those clouds doe come and if they seeme to gather thick in that place dispearsed they will be and scattered when the Sun approacheth but more particularly if this happen from the Northeast they portend rain if from the South storm and tempest if at the Sun setting the rack seeme to ride from both sides of him into the open aire they shew of tempests toward if the clouds be very blacke flying out of the East they threaten rain against night but if they come out of the West it will surely raine the morrow after if the clouds be disparkled many together out of the East and flie like fleeces or flocks of wooll they shew rain for 3 daies after when clouds flie low and seeme to settle vpon the tops of the hills looke shortly for cold weather contrariwise if you perceiue those tops of mountaines cleare without moist or cloud the weather will soone take vp and turne to be faire when the clouds seeme to be heauily charged and full and yet looke white withall which constitution of the aire is called commonly the white weather there is an haile-storme at hand moreouer be the skie neuer so cleer the least cloud appearing therein is enough to engender and foreshew wind and storme mists if they come downe and fall from the mountaines or otherwise descend from heauen and settle vpon the vallies promise a faire and drie season Leauing the stars and clouds aboue let vs come to our fires that we make and keepe in our houses here beneath for they are to be raunged in the next place of our prognostication If the fire then burne in the chimney pale and keep there with a huzzing noise we find by experience it foreshewes tempest and stormie weather as also wee may be sure of rain in case we see a fungeous substance or foot gathered about lampes and candle snuffs if you see the flame either of fire or candle mount winding and wauing as it were long you shall not be without wind The like is to be said of fire and candle light if either they seem to go out of themselues or to kindle and take fire with much adoe Also when we discern in the fire a number of sparkles gathered together and hanging one to another or if when the pot is taken off from the fire the coles sticke to the bottome and sides or when the fire being raked in embres keepeth a spitting and sparkling from it also if the ashes lying vpon the hearth grow together and last of all when the liue-cole shineth brighter or scorcheth more than ordinarie all these be signes of rain Goe we a little lower to the water for that element also giues signes of the weather and first of all if you see the sea within the hauen after the floud is gone in a low and ebb water to bee calme and yet heare it keep a rumbling noise within it foreshews wind if it doe thus by times and fits one after another resting stil and quiet between whiles it presages cold weather rain Item if in calme and faire weather the sea strond or water banks resound and make a noise it is a token of a bitter tempest so it fares also with the very sea it selfe for if it be calm yet make 〈◊〉 roaring or if the fome thereof be seen to scatter to fro or the very water to boile buble you may be bold to foretell of tempests the Puffins also of the sea i. fishes named in Latin Pulmones if they appear swimming aboue water foresignifie cold weather for many daies together oftentimes the sea being otherwise calme swells by hoouing higher than ordinarie shewes she had wind good store enclosed within her which soon after will breake out into a tempest Let vs come aland againe and marke the disposition of woods and hills you shall heare the mountains and forrests both keep a sounding and rumbling noise and then they foretell some change of weather nay you shall mark the leaues of trees to moue flicker and play themselues yet no wind at all stirring but be sure then you shall not be long without The like prediction is to be gathered by the light downe of either poplars or thistles flying too and fro in the aire also of plumes and feathers floting vpon the water Goe down lower to the vales plains if a man chance to heare a bustling there he may make account that a tempest will follow As for the rumbling in the aire it is an vndoubted signe and token thereof Moreouer the verie bruit and dumb creatures presage and giue warning what weather there will be To begin with the fishes of the sea the dolphins playing disporting themselues in a calme water doe certainely fore-shew wind comming from that coast whence they fetch these friskes and gambols contrariwise if they fling and dash water this way and that way the sea at that time being rough and troubled it is an infallible signe of a calm and of faire weather toward The Cuttle or little Calamarie Loligo launching it selfe and flying aboue the water the Cockles winkles cleauing and sticking hard to the grauell the Sea-vrchins thrusting themselues into the owse and mud or otherwise balaised couered with sand be all signes of tempests neare The like may be said of Froggs when they crie more than their custome is and of Seamews also when they gaggle in a morning betimes extraordinarily semblably the Cormorants Gulls Mallards and Ducks when they keep a proining of their feathers with their bills foreshew wind and generally when you see other water-foule to gather and assemble together and then combat one with another or Cranes make hast to flie into the midland parts of the maine The Cormorants and Guls flying from the sea and standing lakes and Cranes soaring aloft in the aire still without any noise doe put in comfort of
especially I say if it thunder much Secondly they wil not last aboue one yere Item The tenderest daintiest be those that breed in the Sprinâ—… and that indeed is the best time for them Item In some countries the ouerflow of riuers engender Mushromes and namely at Mitylene where by report they will not otherwise grow but vpon floten grounds and namely in such places whither the water hath brought from Tiara a certain vegetatiue seed to breed them And verily That Tiara is wonderfully stored replenished with such As touching the Truffles or Mushroms of Asia the most excellent of all others be neer vnto Lampsacum and Alopeconnesus but the best that Greece yeeldeth are in the territorie about the citie Elis. In this Toad-stoole or Mushrome kind are those flat Fusses and Puffes to be reckoned which the Greekes name Pezitae as they haue no root at all so they be altogether without either stele or taile In the next place to these I must needs speake of the most noble and famous plant Laserpitium which the Greeks name Silphium discouered and found first in the abouesaid prouince of Barbarie Cyrenaica The juice or liquor drawne out of this hearb they cal Laser a drug so magnified of such singularitie and vse in Physicke especially that it was sold by weight and a dram thereof cost commonly Romane denier For these many yeares of late there is none of this plant to be found in that country of Cyrenaica beforesaid for that the Publicans and Farmers of the pastures and grounds there vnder the people of Rome doe put in their cattell among these plants and eat al downe by that means finding thereby a greater gaine or commodity than by letting them stand for the juice or liquor aforesaid One only stalk or stem thereof hath bin found in our days which was sent vnto Emperor Nero as a present for a great nouelty If it chance at any time that either sheepe or goat which commonly bite neer to the ground do light vpon a yong plant thereof newly peeping forth and not euident to be seene you shall know it by these signes The sheepe presently so soone as she hath tasted it will drop asleep and the goat fal a neesing For these many yeres the merchants haue brought vs into Italy no other Laser than that which grows abundantly in Persis or Media and in Armenia but it is far inferior to this of Cyrenaica and commeth short of it for goodnes And this that we haue is no better than it should be for they sophisticate and corrupt it with gum with Sagapeum or else with bruised Beans In regard of which scarsity I canot chuse but remember that which befell at Rome in that yere wherin C. Valerius and M. Herennius were consuls when by great good fortune there was brought from Cyrenae thirtie pound weight of the best Laser and set abroad to be seene in open place of all commers As also I may not let passe another occurrent namely how Caesar Dictatour at the beginning of the ciuile war tooke forth openly out of the chamber of the citie with other treasure both of gold and siluer an hundred and eleuen pounds of the best Laser Moreouer this one thing more I canot forget the best and most renowned Greeke Authors haue left in writing That 7 years before the foundation of the citie Cyrenae which was built 143 yeres after our citie of Rome this plant Laserpitium that beareth the said Laser was engendered at one instant by occasion of a certain thicke grosse and black shewer of raine in manner of pitch which sodainely fell and drenched the ground about the hortyards or gardens of the Hesperides the greater Syrtis The which rain was effectual and left the strength thereof for the compasse of foure thousand stadia within Affricke or Barbarie They affirme moreouer That the herb Laserpitium there growing is of so sauage and churlish a nature that it canot abide any culture or good ordering by mans hand but if one should goe about to tend and cherish it it would rather chuse to be gon into the desart and vnpeopled parts of the countrey or else winder away and die Moreouer they set downe this description of it That it hath many roots and those bigge and thicke a stemme or stalke resembling the hearb Sagapeum or Fennell-geant howbeit not altogether so great the leaues of this plant which they termed by the name of Maspetum come very near in all respects to those of Smallach or Persely As touching the seed that it beareth flat and thin it is in maner of leaues but the leafe it selfe therof sheddeth in the Spring time The cattell that vse to feed thereupon and whereof they be very greedy first fall a scouring but afterwards when they be clensed and rid of il humors begin to wax fat and their flesh by this means becommeth wonderfull sweet and pleasant They report moreouer that after the leaues be fallen men also were wont in old time to eat the stem or stalk thereof either rosted and baked vnder the cindres or else boiled and sodden in water and their bodies likewise for the first 40 daies ensuing did nothing but purge til they were cleared of al diseases breeding by occasion of any Cacochymie or collection of ill humours within them Now concerning the juice or soueraigne liquor before said the manner was to draw it after two sorts to wit by scarification either out of the root or forth of the stem and maister stalke And hereof it came to haue two names Rhizias and Caulias But the later of these two to wit that which came of the stem was counted the worst fubiect to putrifaction and sold cheaper than the other To come now to the root of Laserpitium it hath a blacke rind or barke vpon it wherewith the merchants vse to sophisticat many of their drugs As for the manner of dressing and ordering the juice thereof it was no sooner drawne but they put it into certaine vessels together with brans among then euer and anone they plied it with stirring and shogging vntil it had lost the cruditie and verdure thereof and by that working came to the maturity and perfection for if it were not thus well followed soon would it catch a vinew begin to putrifie and so continue but a while In this worke of theirs they had an eye vnto the color how it changed for when they perceiued it to be high that they saw it once drie and haue don sweating breathing out the raw humidity and vapor within then they knew therby that it was wrought sufficiently and come to the full ripenesse Others there be who say that the root of Laserpitium beareth more than a cubit in bignesse and that out of it there swelleth an excresence aboue the ground out of which there was wont by way of incision to issue forth a certaine white juice in manner of milke vpon which grew the stalke or
S Anthonies fire allaieth the heat and bringeth the place into temper so doe the seeds also vsed in like manner The juice or liquor drawne out of the said parings being mingled with oile of roses and vinegre and then made into a liniment doth mitigate the extreme heat of burning feauers The ashes of Gourd parings burnt strewed drie vpon any part of the bodie that is burnt or skalded healeth them wonderfully C hyrsippus the Physician condemned Gourds and forbad men to eat of them Howbeit all Physicians doe resolutely agree in this That they be passing good for the stomacke as also for the exulcerations of the guts and bladder As for Rapes or Turneps they likewise are medicinable and haue their vse in Physick for to begin withall if one lay them very hot to kibed or humbled heeles they wil cure them Also if the feet be frozen and benummed with cold lay them thereto sodden in water and this fomentation will restore them to their former heat The hot decoction or broth of Rapes is passing good for to bath the goutie members yea if it were a cold gout The Rape or Turnep root raw as it grew brayed in a mortar with salt is a remedie for all diseases of the feet bee they cornes kibes bloudy falls swellings of cold or any other infirmities whatsoeuer Rape seed bruised to a liniment drunken also with wine is reported to be a soueraign medicine against the stinging of serpents and any other poison Howbeit many think that it is a preseruatiue countrepoison when it is taken in wine and oile Democritus banished turneps altogether from the bourd by reason of the ventosities or windinesse that it engender But Diocles on the other side extolled and praised them as much and affirmeth That they will pricke forward to Venus The like doth Dionysius report of them and the rather saith he if they be condite with Rocket He writeth moreouer That if they be rosted or baked vnder the ashes and so incorporate with grease will make a notable good cataplasm for the gout and joynt-ach The wild rape or turnep groweth commonly euery where among corne fields it brancheth much carieth a white seed twise as big as that of the Poppie This being incorporat with vrine of equall quantity is much vsed to take away riuils and so smooth the skin both of the face and also of the whole body besides To conclude the roots of Eruile Barley Wheat and Lupines be good for nothing at all CHAP. IIII. ¶ The diuers sorts of Nauewes of the wild Radish of the Garden Radish and the Parsnep THe Greek writers obserue two kinds of Nauews 〈…〉 for Physick The first ariseth vp with a cornered and edged stalk beareth leaues r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 g Parsely and putteth out floures like Dil this they call Bunion the decoction whereof being drunken with honied water or with a dram weight of the owne iuyce is counted soueraigne for the purgations that follow women for the defects of the bladder and vrine The seed parched and beaten to pouder and so taken in a draught of hot water to the quantitie of foure cyathes cureth the bloudy flix but it stoppeth vrine vnlesse the patient drink Lineseed withall The second kind is named Bunias and resembleth both Rape and Radish the seed of it is excellent good against poyson and therefore in antidotes and preseruatiues it is much vsed That there be Radishes wilde we haue shewed heretofore The most commended aboue all others is that which groweth in Arcadia although there are of them in other countries and those counted better only for to prouoke vrine Otherwise they purge choler and namely their rindes infused in wine do the same Now ouer and besides their vertues and properties related hertofore they discharge and clense the stomack cut and extenuate flegme and withall be diureticall and procure vrine There is a kind of garden Radish in Italy which they name Armoracia vsed also in physick the decoction whereof if a man take a draught of it in the morning to the quantitie of a cyath doth fret break and expell the stone by way of grauell Boile the same in water and Vinegre therewith bathe or anoint the place stung with any serpent and it will heale it vp Radish taken with hony in a morning next ones heart â—…asting is good for the cough The seed parched and so chewed alone without any thing els asswageth the pain of the smal guts in the flankes and hypocondriall parts The decoction of Radish leaues sodden in water and so drunk or the very iuice of the root it selfe as much as two cyathes is thought to be a singular medicine against the breeding of body-lice Radishes stamped in a mortar and brought into the forme of a liniment are thought to be excellent good for hot inflammations the rind also stamped together with hony and laid to any bruised place that looketh black and blew after a fresh stripe dissolueth that cluttered bloud and reduceth the former color The chewing of the quickest most biting Radishes keeps them awake that are giuen to ouermuch drowsinesse inclined to the lethargie The seed parched and afterwards stamped and incorporate with hony cureth them that take their wind short The same is also held for a countrepoyson A defensatiue also the Radish is against scorpions and resisteth their poisoned sting for let a man rub his hands well either with the iuyce of the root or the seeds he may handle scorpions safely Do but lay a Radish vpon a scorpon he will presently die Moreouer Nicander affirmes that Radishes be passing good for them that haue eaten either venomous Mushromes or Henbane The two Apollodores prescribe Radish to be giuen to them who suspect themselues to be poysoned with the viscous gum of the white Chamaeleon root called Ixias but taken diuersly for the one of them surnamed Citieus giueth the seed stamped and so to drink it in water the other Apollodorus of Tarentum ordains the iuice of Radish for this effect and purpose Moreouer radishes are thought good to diminsh and extenuat the swelling spleen they are wholsome for the liuer mitigate the pain of the loins Being taken with Vineger and Senvy they helpe them that are in a dropsie or falne into a lethargie Praxagoras is of iudgement That Radishes should be giuen for to eat to them that are troubled with the Iliack passion to wit the paine and ringing of the small guts And Plistonicus appointeth them to be eaten of those that be troubled with a continuall flux by reason of a feeble stomack called thereupon Coeliaci They heale the Dysenterie or exulceration of the guts they euacuate also and rid away the filthy matter and corruption of impostumes gathered about the midriffe and principal parts if they be eaten with honey But some for this purpose would haue them luted or bedawbed with clay and so rost or bake them afterwards vnder the ashes and being
thus prepared they are effectuall to bring down womens termes Being taken with vinegre and hony in maner of an oxymel they chase worms out of the guts and belly If they be sodden to the thirds and their decoction giuen to drink with wine they do much good to them who haue a rupture and their guts fallen downe into the burse of their cods and in this wise they rid and scoure away the cluttered offensiue bloud gathered in the guts and sent thither from any other part Medius the physitian prescribeth them to be boiled and giuen to the same purpose as also to those that spit and reach vp bloud yea and to women in childbed newly laid for to increase their milk Hippocrates counselleth women whose haire is giuen to shed much for to rub their heads with radish roots also to apply them bruised in manner of a cataplasme vnto the nauill when they be tormented with the paines of the matrice They will bring to the natiue liuely colour the parts that are cicatrized or newly skarred The seed bruised and tempered with water and so laid as a cataplasm stayeth the running of cancerous or eating vlcers which the Greekes call Phagedaenae Democritus is of opinion That much feeding vpon Radishes stirreth vp lust and maketh folk amorous which peraduenture is the reason that some haue thought they be hurtfull to the voice The leaues of those radishes onely that haue the longer roots are said to quicken the eye-sight but if a man perceiue that he hath either inwardly taken for a medicine or applied outwardly a radish root which is ouer strong he must presently haue Hyssope giuen him for this Antipathy and natural contrarietie there is betweene these two hearbs That the one correcteth the other For them that be hard of hearing Physicians vse to instill the juice of the Radish by drop-meale into the eares And for them that would perbreake or vomit the best way to take it is at the end of a meale with the last meat As touching Hibiscum like it is to the Parsnep some call it Moloche Agria others Pistolochia it cureth the sores and vlcers that be in gristles and knitteth broken bones The leaues thereof drunke with water loosen the belly and chase away Serpents Applied in a liniment or otherwise rubbed vpon a place stung with Bee Waspe or Hornet they are a present remedie The roots therof digged out of the ground before Sun-rising enfolded or wrapped in wooll as it grew vpon the sheepes backe without any other artificiall colour and namely of an ewe which hath yeaned likewise an ewe lambe is thought to be a singular thing for to be bound vnto the swelling kernels called the Kings euill yea although they were exulcerat and ran But some are of this mind That for to doe this deed it should be gotten vp with an instrument of gold and great heed should be taken that after it is once vp it touch not the earth againe Finally Celsus giueth counsell to lay the root thereof sodden in wine to the gouty joynts that are without tumor and shew no swelling CHAP. V. ¶ Of Staphilinus or the Parsnep Of Cheruill the Skirwort of Seseli Elecampane and Onions THere is a second kind of Parsnep named Staphylinus which commonly men call the Wandring Parsnep The seed bruised and drunke in wine is singular good for them that haue swolne bellies the rising or suffocation of the mother in women with the torments and pains thereto incident it cureth insomuch as it reduceth the matrice into the right place being applied also as a liniment with wine cuit it helps the wrings and throwes of their belly It is not amisse also for men to take it for the seed being stamped together with bread crums of each a like portion and so drunk with wine cures the belly-ach with them also It prouoketh vrine and being applied fresh and new with honey it represseth the spreading of fretting and running vlcers The pouder thereof also being drie and strewed thereupon hath the like effect Dioches aduiseth to giue the root therof in honyed water against the infirmities of liuer splene flankes small guts loines and reines Cleophantus saith that it wil helpe in that manner taken an old bloudie flix which hath continued a long time Philistio boileth the root in milke and giueth 4 ounces thereof to them who are troubled with the strangury or pisse by drop-meale but with water he giueth it for the dropsie to those also that with a cricke or cramp haue their necks drawne backward for the pleurisie and epilepsie or falling sicknes Moreouer it is commonly said that whosoeuer hath this root about them are safe enough for being stung withany Serpent nay if they doe but tast thereof before-hand they shal take no harme if they be either bitten or stung by them and say they be alreadie stung let them apply it to the wounded place with hogs grease and it will heale it vp The leaues chewed help the indigestion cruditie of the stomacke Orpheus said moreouer That this root had an amatorious propertie to win loue haply because much feeding therof as it is well knowne doth sollicit vnto the game of loue and maketh folke amorous which is the reason also that some haue put down in writing That it will helpe women to conceiue As for the Garden Parsneps they are in many other respects of great force and very powerfull but the wild is more effectuall and principally that which groweth in stonie grounds The seed of the Garden Parsnep also being drunke in wine or vinegre and wine together saueth those that are stung with Scorpions If a man pick his teeth and rub them all about with a Parsnep root he shall be eased of his tooth-ach The Syrians are great Gardeners they take exceeding paines and be most curious in gardening whereupon arose the Prouerbe in Greeke to this effect Many Worts and Pot-hearbes in Syria They vse to plant in their gardens a certaine hearb very like to a Parsnep which some call Ginidium i. Tooth-picke Cheruill more slender and smaller it is only and therewith bitterer in tast but it worketh the like effects They vse to eat it both sodden and raw and find it agree well with the stomacke for it drieth vp all the superfluous humours and excrements which be bedded and deepely rooted within it As for the wild Skirwort that grows wandring euery where it is like both in shape and operation to those of the garden It stirreth vp the appetite and skoureth the stomack of those crudities which caused dulnesse therin and loathing to meat Opion is verily persuaded that if one eat it with vinegre aromatized with Laserpitium or take it with pepper honyed wine or else with the pickle of fish named Garum it prouokes vrine and putteth him or her in mind of loue delights Of the same opinion also is Diocles. Furthermore that it is a cordiall and doth mightily corroborat and strengthen
effect make a decoction of them in milke and so minister it vnto the patient in a clyster These stalkes being well and throughly boiled are said to be very wholesome for the stomacke also like as for to procure sleepe the garden Lectuce is thought most effectuall namely that which is bitter and yeeldeth store of milk which hertofore we haue termed Meconis This milke Physitians prescribe with very good successe for to clarifie the eie-sight namely if it be mingled with womans milk and the forehead annointed therwith in good season and betimes After the same manner it helpeth the infirmities and diseases of the eyes proceeding from cold causes Other vertues and commendable properties besides I finde in Lectuce of strange and wonderfull operations And namely that it cureth the diseases of the brest as well as Sothern-wood doth if it be taken with the best hony of Athens Item That if any women do eat therof they shall haue their monthly sicknesse come orderly Also that the seed of garden Lectuce is giuen to very great purpose against the pricke or sting of any venomous Scorpion Moreouer That if the seed be stamped and taken in wine it secureth one from the imaginarie fansies of Venus delights in sleepe and the pollutions also that thereof do insue Finally that certain waters which vse to intoxicat and trouble the braine shall neuer hurt them that eat any Lectuce Howbeit some are of opinion that the ouermuch vse of Lectuce at meat enfeebleth the eies and impaireth their cleare sight CHAP. VIII ¶ Of Beets and their sundrie kinds Of Endiue Diuers sorts of Cichorie Of garden Endiue and two kinds thereof THe Beets of both sorts are not without their medicinable vertues for be it the white or the blacke if one take the root thereof fresh and new out of the ground wet it throughly and soke it well in water and then carry it about him hanging by a string or lace it is a soueraigne preseruatiue against the biting of serpents The white Beet boiled and eaten with raw Garlick expelleth the broad wormes in the belly The roots of the black sodden after the same manner in water rid away the dandruffe or vnseemly skales within the haire of head or beard And indeed generally for any vse the black Beet is more effectuall than the white The iuice thereof is singular good for an old and setled head-ach For the dizzinesse or swimming in the head Also it riddeth away the singing and ringing in the eares if it be dropped into them It procureth vrine being injected by a clyster it cureth the bloudy flix it helpeth also the Iaunise Moreouer the said iuice appeaseth the intollerable pain of tooth-ach if the teeth be rubbed or annointed therewith Singular it is against the stinging of serpents but then it must be drawne from the root only And make a decoction of the said root it helpeth kibed heeles As for the juice of the white Beets it staieth the rheume or waterish humor that falleth into the eies if the forehead be therewith annointed And put but a little Allum thereto it is an excellent remedy against S. Anthonies fire White Beets only stamped although there come no oile vnto them healeth any burne or scalding if the place be therwith annointed Moreouer against the breaking out into red and angry pimples the same is very good But seeth Beets and make thereof a liniment it represseth the vlcers that run and spread abroad The same being raw rubbed vpon the bare places where the haire is shed recouereth haire yea and staieth the running skales of the head The iuice of these Beets tempered with honey and snuffed vp into the head by the nosthrils clenseth the braine There is a certain meat made with Beets Lentils boiled together which commonly is eaten with vineger for to make the body laxatiue The same being ouersodden to a thicke consistence staieth both the turning of the stomacke and flux of the belly There is a kind of wild Beet which some name Limonion others Neuroides it hath leaues much lesse and tenderer than the other howbeit growing thicker riseth vp many times with eleuen stalks The leaues of this Beet are very good for burnes and scalds they restraine and stay all Fluxes by drop meale which breed the Gout The seed being taken to the quantity of one Acetabulum cureth the bloudy flix healeth the vlcer of the guts that causeth the same Some say that if this Beet be sodden in water the decoction will scoure and take out any stain in cloths euen the very iron-mole likewise it will wash away any spots in parchment Now as touching Endiue or garden Cichorie furnished also it is with many properties effectuall in Physicke The iuice thereof mingled with oile Rosat and vineger allaieth the paine in the head The same if it be drunk with wine is good for the liuer and bladder Also if it be laid to the eies it stoppeth the humor that hath taken a course thither The wild Cichorie that groweth wandering here and there abroad some of our Latin writers name Ambugia In Aegypt they cal the wild Endiue Cichoreum the tame garden Endiue Seris the which indeed is lesse than the other fuller also of ribs and veines As for the wild which is Cichorie it hath a cooling nature being eaten as meat but applied in forme of a liniment it is good against the collection of humors that ingender imposthumes The juice of it sodden doth loosen the belly Wholesome it is for the Liuer the Kidnies and the Stomack Likewise if it be boiled in vineger it resolueth the painfull torments occasioned by the stopping or difficulty of vrine and openeth passage to make water at ease Moreouer if the juice or decoction thereof be drunk with honied wine it cureth the Iaundise so it be without a feuer It is comfortable also helpefull to the bladder Boiled in water it is so powerfull to bring downe womens termes that it is of force to send out the child if it be dead in the mothers belly The Magitians say moreouer that whosoeuer annoint their bodies all ouer with the juice of this herb and oile together they shal be right amiable and win the grace and fauor of all men so as they shal the more easily obtain whatsoeuer their heart stands vnto And verily for that it is so singular and wholesome to mans body some giue it the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 others of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As for another wild kind some call it Hedypnois that hath a broader leafe than the rest Being sodden it is astrictiue and will strengthen a weak stomack and eaten raw it bindeth the belly and staieth the lask Holesome it is for such as haue the bloudy flix the rather if it be taken with Lentils In sum as wel raw as sodden both kinds the one the other help those that haue cramps and ruptures Comfortable it is likewise to such as vpon
vrine Also that it is aduerse and contrary to the delights of Venus yea and to the bladder vnlesse the same ingredients be sodden and yet will that decoction kill dogs if it be giuen to them To conclude the juice drawne out of the root therof being first boiled and so held in the mouth is good for the teeth CHAP. XI ¶ Of Parsley wild Ach of Smallach and Ach of the mountains PArsley is in great request and no man lightly there is but loueth it for nothing is there more ordinary than to see large branches of Parsley good store swimming in their potage and commonly you haue not a sallad or sauce serued to the boord you see not a piece of meat farced or seasoned but Parsley carieth therein a great stroke and contenteth euery body Ouer and besides if it be applied as a liniment together with honey vnto the eies so that they be fomented also euer and anon with the hot juice of Parsley boiled it is a singular remedy for the humours distilling thither Also if it be but stamped by it selfe alone or els with bread or barly groats it wonderfully helpeth the defluction falling vpon any other part if the same bee laid vpon the place afflicted in maner of a cataplasm Moreouer if a man perceiue that the fish in any pond or stew do mislike and grow sickly it is a common practise to giue them green parsley to scoure and refresh them Howbeit for all that Parsley is so good there is not an herbe growing vpon the face of the earth that learned men varie and disagree in opinion more about than they do in it yet they hold all that there is a distinct difference therein by the sex for of Parsley there is both male femal mary which is the one which the other they accord not Chrysippus saith That the female hath more crisp curled leaues than the male and those boistrous hard that the stalk is thick the tast of the herb biting hot Dionysius describes it to be more blackish hauing a more stubbed short root that it is apt to breed little worms Both of them jump in this that it is not to be admitted to the table nay they forbid to eat of it at all Making a matter of conscience once to touch it as a meat and why so because sorsooth it is one of the viands ordained to be serued vp at funerall feasts Ouer and besides Parsely is thought to be an enemy to the eies and to trouble the sight Also that the stem of the female ingendreth grubs such like wormes and so whosoeuer eateth thereof man or woman shall thereby become barren Moreouer they affirm that if women newly deliuered or such as nurce children do eat of Parsly the babes that suck and draw their breasts shall be subiect to the falling sicknesse And yet of the two the male is lesse hurtfull which is the very reason that it is not condemned among the forbidden herbs and such as be held vnlawfull to be eaten Parsley being laid as a cataplasme to womens brests doth mollifie their hardnesse break the kernils It giueth a pleasant tast to any water wherin it is sodden the juice of this herb especially of the root being taken in wine doth mitigate the pains in the loins and flanks and being dropped into the ears cureth the hardnesse of hearing The seed of Parsly moueth vrine draweth downe womens floures and fetcheth away the after-birth Seeth the said seed and with the decoction bath the black and blew marks remaining after stripes or drie blows it wil bring them to their own colour again The same being laid as a liniment with the gleire or white of an egge vnto the reines of the backe or being sodden in water and the broth drunken easeth their paines and strengthneth them Being brused vsed in cold water by way of a collution it cureth the cankers or vlcers in the mouth the seed drunk with wine breaketh the stone of the bladder so doth the root of it also if it be giuen in old wine Also the said seed in white wine cureth the iaunise As touching our wild Ach which we call in Latine Apiastrum Hyginus verily nameth it Melissophyllon A venomous herb this is in Sardinia and by all writers confession vtterly condemned for surely I cannot chuse but range together in one rank al such as seem to depend vpon one name in Greeke But Alisanders which the Greeks terme Hipposelinum is a good counterpoison against the biting of Scorpions If the seed be taken in drink it cureth the wrings torments of the guts The same being boiled and drunk with honied wine helpeth the Strangurie and difficulty of making water The root sodden in wine expelleth stone and grauell by vrine it putteth away also the paine of the loins flankes and sides Taken in drinke or applied as a liniment it healeth the biting of a mad dog The iuice thereof in drinke heateth them that are ready to chill and be frozen with cold A fourth kind of Ach or Parsley some haue made that which the Greeks call Oreoselinum A plant this is growing to the height of a span and vpright The seed resembleth Cumin and is found effectuall to procure vrine and prouoke womens termes Finally as Smallage hath a propertie and vertue by it selfe to heale the pricke or sting of the venomous Spiders so this mountaine Ach or Parsley of the hill being taken in wine is as effectuall to bring down the naturall purgation of women CHAP. XII ¶ Of Stone-Parsely named Petroselinum and of Basill THere is another kind of Ach or Parsly growing vpon rocks which some cal Petroselinum An excellent herb for soule imposthumes and botches vsed in this manner take 2 spoonfulls of the juice thereof put it into a Cyathe of the juice of Horehound and mingle all together in three Cyaths of water and so drink it hot Some haue set in the range of these Aches that which is called Buselinon which differeth from the garden Parsley in that it hath a shorter stalk and a root of red colour but of the same operation and effect it is For both taken in drinke and applied as a liniment it is of great power against the stinging of serpents Also Chrysippus mightily crieth out vpon Basill as being hurtfull to the stomack suppressing vrine and an enemy to a cleare sight Moreouer he saith that it troubleth the brains and putteth folk besides their wits that it bringeth the Lithargie vpon as many as vse it and breedeth opilations and diseases in the liuer In which regard he saith That Goats by a secret in Nature doe refuse and eschew it concluding thereupon that men also should take heed thereof and auoyd it Some therebe who haue not done with it so but adde moreouer and say That if Basill be stamped and put vnder a stone it will breed to a serpent if it be chewed in ones mouth
and layd abroad in the Sun it wil ingender wormes and magots The people of Africk are verily persuaded and so they giue out That if one be stung with a scorpion the same day that he hath eaten Basil it is vnpossible for to scape with life Likewise some hold opinion and would beare vs in hand That if a man stamp a bunch or handfull of Basill together with ten sea crabs or as many craifishes of the fresh water all the Scorpions thereabout will meet and gather together about that bait Finally Diodorus in his Empiricks or book of approued receits and medicines saith That the eating of Basil ingendreth lice Contrariwise the later writers and modern phisitians defend maintain the vse of Basil as stoutly as the other blamed it for first they auouch constantly That Goats vse to feed therupon Secondly That no man was euer known to go beside himselfe who did eat thereof Thirdly That Basil taken in wine with a little vineger put therto cureth as wel the sting of land scorpions as the venom of those in the sea Moreouer they affirme vpon their knowledge by experience That a perfume made of Basil and vinegre is singular good to recouer and fetch them again that be gon in a swound Also that in the same maner prepared it rouseth and wakeneth those that be in a lethargie and sleep continually yea and mightily cooleth and refresheth them that be inflamed in a burning heat A liniment made with Basill oile Rosat or oile of Myrtles in stead thereof with vineger asswageth the paine of the head Moreouer being laied to the eies with wine it staieth the waterish rheume that runs thither Furthermore comfortable it is to the stomack as they say for being taken with Vinegre it dissolueth ventosities and breaketh wind by rifting vpward Being applied outwardly it bindeth and staieth the running out or flux of the belly and yet it causeth free passe of vrine in abundance After the same maner it doth good in case of Iaunise and dropsie It represseth the rage of choler that moueth both vpward and downward yea and staieth all defluxions from the stomack And therefore Philistio knew what he did well enough when he gaue it to those that were troubled with the stomachical flux As also Plistonicus was well aduised in ministring it sodden for the bloudy flix the exulceration of the guts and the Collicke Some there be who giue it in wine to them who run euer and anon to the close stoole sit downe and do nothing to those that reach and cast vp bloud yea and to mollifie the hardnesse of the precordiall parts Being laid as a liniment to the nurses paps it restraineth the abundance of milk vea and drieth it vp There is not a better thing in the world for to be dropped into the eares of little babes and sucking children and namely with goose-grease If the seed be brused and so snuffed or drawn vp into the nosthrils it prouoketh sneesing The iuice moreouer laid as a liniment to the forehead openeth the passages that the rheumes or cold which lay in the head may breake away Being taken at meat and dipped in vinegre it mundifieth the matrice and natural parts of women Mixed with Copperose or Vitriol it taketh away warts Finally it setteth folk forward to venerious pleasure which is the reason that men vse to lay Basil vpon the shap of mares or she Asses at the time of their couering CHAP. XIII ¶ Of wild Basil Rocket Cresses and Rue WIld Basill is endued with vertues and qualities seruing to all the purposes abouesaid but the same is of better operation and more effectual And these properties ouer and besides it hath by it selfe namely To cure the weaknesse of the stomack and those accidents which come by often casting or immoderat vomits The root thereof taken in wine is singular good for the apostumes of the matrice and against the biting of venomous beasts As touching Rocket the seed cureth as well the venomous sting of Scorpions as the biting of the hardy shrew The same chaseth all vermin that be apt to ingender in mans body A liniment made with it and hony together taketh away all the spots that blemish the skinne of the face and with vinegre represseth the red pimples whatsoeuer The black or swe rt skars remaining after wound or sore it reduceth to the former fair white if it be applied with a beasts gal It is said moreouer that a potion therof made with wine and giuen to those who are to receiue punishment by the whip will harden them in such sort that they shall feele little or no smart at all by any scourging And for seasoning of all kinde of viands it hath such a pleasant grace in any sauce that the Greekes thereupon haue giuen it the name of Euzomos It is thought moreouer that a fomentation of Rocket brused and stamped somewhat before quickeneth and clarifieth the eye-sight it easeth little children of the chin-cough The root boiled in water and so applied draweth forth spils of broken bones As touching the vertue that Rocket hath to procure the heat of lust I haue spoken already yet thus much more in particular I haue to say that if one do gather three leaues of wild Rocket with his left hand stamp them afterward and so giue them to drink in honied water this drink mightily prouoketh that way As for Cresses they haue a contrary operation for they coole and dull the heat of the flesh how soeuer otherwise they giue an edge to the wit and vnderstanding as heretofore we haue declared Of these Cresses there be two kinds The white is purgatiue and the weight of a Roman denier taken in water doth euacuate cholerick humors A liniment thereof together with bean flower applied vnto the hard kernils called the Kings euill is a soueraigne remedie therefore so that a Colewort leafe be laid thereupon The other kinde is more blackish and purgeth the head of ill humors It clenseth the eies and cleareth the sight Taken in vineger it stayeth their brains that be troubled in mind and drunk in wine or eaten with a fig it is singular good for the splene If a man take it fasting euery morning with hony it cureth the cough The seed drunke in wine expelleth all the wormes in the guts which it doth more effectually if wilde Mints be ioyned withall With Origanum and sweet wine it helpeth those that be short winded and troubled with the cough The decoction therof when it is sodden in goats milk easeth the pains of the chest or breast Laid to as a Cerot with pitch it resolueth pushes and biles vea and draweth forth pricks and thorns out of the body A liniment applied with vineger taketh off all spots and speckles of the visage and if the white of an egg be put thereto it cureth cankerous sores Also being applied in forme of a soft vnguent to the splene it cureth the infirmities thereof but if
vpon the head allaieth by report the ach thereof More than it it is said That the very sent of Pennyroiall preserueth the brain from the offence that may come by the distemperature either of heat or cold yea and from the inconuenience of thirstinesse insomuch as whosoeuer haue two branches or sprigs of Pennyroiall put into his ears shall feele no accessiue heat though they continued in the Sun all the day long Peniroiall being applied in form of a liniment together with Barly groats and vinegre assuageth all grienous paines watsoeuer Howbeit the female of this kind is thought to be of greater operation euery way than the male Now hath this female a purple floure that you may know it thereby from the other for that of the male is white The female Penyroiall taken in a mash made with salt and barley groats in cold water staieth a kecklish stomack and keepeth it from the inordinat desire and many offers to cast In the same manner also it easeth the paine of the breast and belly Likewise the gnawings of the stomack it ceaseth being taken in water as also immoderat vomits it represseth with vinegre and barley groats Being sodden in hony with a little nitre among it cureth the maladies of the guts If one drinke it with wine it causeth abundance of vrine and if the said wine be made of the Amminean grapes it expelleth the stone and grauell yea and all things els which may engender inward pains If it be taken with honey and vinegre it prouoketh womens termes and quieteth them when they lie gnawing and fretting inwardly yea and sendeth forth the after-burden The same setleth the mother and reduceth it into the right place It expelleth also the dead child within the mothers body The seed of Peniroial if it be smelled vnto is singular good to recouer their tongue againe who be speechlesse for the falling sicknesse also it is giuen in a cyath of vinegre If it fortune that one must drink vnholesome waters the seed thereof reduced into pouder and strewed therupon correcteth all the malice thereof If the same be taken in wine it slaketh the itch in the bodie proceeding of hot and salt humors The seed of Pennyroiall mingled with salt vinegre and honey if it be wel rubbed into the bodie comforteth the sinewes in case of cramps and convulsions and particularly helpeth those who with a crieke are forced to carrie their necke much backeward The decoction therof is a soueraigne drinke against the sting of Serpents and particularly of Scorpions if it be bruised and taken with wine especially that which groweth in drie places Moreouer Penyroiall is held to be very soueraigne for the cankers or vlcers in the mouth and as effectuall to stay the cough The floures of Penyroial that be fresh and new gathered if they be burnt make a singular perfume to kill fleas Among many good receits that Xenocrates hath left vnto vs we find this for one namely That a branch of Pennyroiall wrapped within wooll and giuen to the patient for to smell vnto before the fit come of a tertian ague driueth it away as also if it be put vnder the couerlet of the bed and the Patient laid vpon it it doth no lesse For these purposes abouenamed the wild Penyroiall is of most efficacie This hearbe resembleth Origan and hath smaller leaues than the Penyroiall of the Garden some giue it the name of Dictamnus If it chance that either sheepe or goats do tast thereof it prouoketh them presently to blea whereupon certain authors changing one letter for another in Greeke call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This herb is so hot and ardent that if any part of the body be rubbed or annointed therewith it will rise into a blister If one haue taken a through-cold and thereby gotten a cough Physitians haue prescribed to vse frictions therewith before the Patient go into the bain for to sweat Also their direction is to do the like before the cold fits of agues as also in case of the crampe and torments of the guts Wonderfull good it is in all kinds of gout If it be taken in drinke with honey and salt it is singular for those who be diseased in the liuer as also for the lights for it opens their pipes and dischargeth them of the flegme that stuffed them so as they may reach vp and voyd the same with ease The decoction thereof with some salt is excellent good for the splene and the bladder yea and for all ventosities and shortnesse of breath Semblably the iuice prepared and dressed in maner a foresaid bringeth the mother into the naturall place and serueth as a countre-poison against the Scolopendre both of the sea and the land as also for the pricke of the scorpion especially against the biting of man or woman The root thereof being applied fresh and green is maruellous good to represse rank vlcers to consume the proud flesh about them The same being dry and so applied reduceth skars to their fresh colour and beautie of the faire and whole skin Thus much of Penyroyall of the garden and the field Great conformitie there is in operation between Peny-royal and Nep for being both boiled in water vnto the composition of a third part they discusse and shake off the cold in Ague fits which causeth the Patient to shake and besides are of validitie to bring downe womens monethly sicknesse In summer time they asswage the extremitie of heat Nep also is powerful against serpents for the smoke and perfume of this herbe they canot abide but will fly from it which is the cause that such as be afraid of serpents strew Nep vnder them in the place where they mean to repose and sleepe Being bruised and applied to the running fistulous vlcers between the nose and the greater corner of the eye it is counted a soveraign remedie Also being fresh gathered and mixed with a third part of bread and so temperat and incorporat with vinegre to the form of a liniment it cureth the head-ach The juice thereof being instilled into the nosthrils whiles the Patient lieth vpon his back stancheth bleeding at the nose The root also together with Myrtle seed in warm wine cuit and so gargarised helpeth the Squinancie As touching wild Cumin it is an herb exceeding small putting forth foure or fiue leaues and not aboue and those indented like a saw but the garden Cumin is of singular vse in physicke but principally for the pain in the stomack It dispatcheth the grosse vapors arising from flegme it dissolueth also vento sities if it be either bruised and eaten with bread or drunk with water and wine in which sort it asswageth the wringing torments and other pains of the guts how beit it maketh folke look pale as many as drink of it Certes by that deuise namely by ordinary drinking of Cumin as it is reported the schollers and followers of Porcius Latro that famous and great Rhetorician
gout There be who are of opinion That it hath a speciall vertue and property to resist the poison of the Aspis Certain it is that it prouoketh vrine allaieth thirst and the appetite to drink yea and soliciteth to carnal lust Taken in wine it gently putteth forth a kind sweat Moreouer it keepeth cloths and apparel from the Moth. Generally the fresher and newer alwaies that it is and the blacker that it looketh the more effectuall it is found to be Howbeit this one discommodity it hath That it is an enemy to the stomacke vnlesse haply it bee pestered with ventosities CHAP. XVIII ¶ Of Dill of Sacopenium and Sagapenum Of Poppy both white and black The manner of gathering and drawing iuice out of herbes Also of Opium DIll also hath a property to dissolue ventosities to break wind and cause rifting also to assuage any wrings or torments of the belly yet it staieth the flux The roots being reduced into a liniment with water or wine restraineth the flux of watering eies A perfume made of the seed as it boileth receiued vp into the nosthrils staieth the yex Taken as a drinke in water it concocteth crudities and appeaseth the pain of windinesse proceeding from thence The ashes of it burned raise vp the Vvula in the throat that is fallen Howbeit Dill dimmeth the eie-sight and dulleth the vigor of genitall seed As for our Sacopenium here in Italy it differeth altogether from that which grows beyond sea For the outlandish kind resembling gum Ammoniack is called Sagapen Good it is for the pleurisiè and pain of the brest Convulsions or Spasmes and old setled Coughes for those that reach vp filthy and rotten matter for the tumors of the midriffe and precordial parts It cureth the swimming and giddinesse of the head the shaking and trembling of the joints the crampe or convulsion that draweth the neck backward the great swelled spleens the pain of the bones and all shaking and quiuering colds A perfume made therewith in vineger if a woman smell vnto it helpeth the Mother that is ready to stop her wind As for the other accidents it is both giuen in drinke and also rubbed into grieued parts with oile It is thought to be soueraign also against poysoned drinkes giuen by Witches and Sorcerers Touching garden Poppie and the seuerall kinds therof I haue written already but besides them there be other sorts also of the wild whereof I promised to treat Meane while the heads of the foresaid garden white poppy if they be bruised whole as they grow with seed all and so drunk in wine do procure sleep The seed it selfe alone cureth the Leprosie Diagoras giueth counsell to cut the stem or stalk of the blacke Poppy when it beginneth to strout and swell toward the flouring time out of which there wil issue a certaine juice called Opium but Iollas aduiseth to make that incision when it hath bloomed and to chuse a faire cleare day for it that houre of the day when as the dew thereon is dried vp Now would they haue them to be cut vnder the head before the bloom but in the very head after it hath don flouring and verily there is no other kind of herb wherein the head is cut but this only The said juice of this herbe as well as of all other is receiued in wooll or else if it run but in small quantitie they gather it with the thumbe naile as the maner is in Lectuces but the morrow after the incision so much the more vigilant they must be to saue gather that which is dried and in very deed the iuice of Poppy commonly runneth out in great abundance gathereth into a thicknesse which afterward is stamped and reduced into little trosches and dried in the shade Which juice thus drawne and thus prepared hath power not only to prouoke sleep but if it be taken in any great quantity to make men dye in their sleep and this our Physitians call Opion Certes I haue knowne many come to their death by this meanes and namely the father of Licinius Cecinna late deceased a man by calling a Pretor who not able to indure the intollerable pains and torments of a certain disease and being weary of his life at Bilbil in Spaine shortened his owne daies by taking Opium By reason whereof Physitians are growne to great variance and be of contrary opinions as touching the vse of the foresaid Opium Diagoras and Erasistratus condemned it altogether as a most deadly thing would not allow that it should be so much as injected or infused into the body by way of clyster for they held it no better than poison and otherwise hurtful also to the eies Andreas saith moreouer That if Opium doth not presently put out a mans eies make him blind it is because they of Alexandria in Egypt do sophisticat it But in processe of time the later modern Physitians did not vtterly reject it but found a good vse therof as may appeare by that noble and famous Opiat confection called Diacodium Moreouer there be certain ordinary trosches made of Popy seed beaten into pouder which with milk are commonly vsed by way of a liniment to bring sicke patients to sleepe Likewise with oile Rosat for the head-ach and with the same oile they vse to drop it into the eares for to mitigat their pain Also a liniment made therof with brest-milk is singular good for the gout In which sort there is a great vse of the leaues also to the same purpose And being applied as a cataplasme with vineger they help S. Anthonies fire and all sorts of wounds For mine own part I would not haue it in any case to enter into Collyries much lesse vnto those medicines which be ordained to driue away ague fits or into maturatiues no nor to go among other ingredients into those remedies which are deuised to stay the flux that commeth from the stomack Howbeit in this case last specified many giue the black Poppy with wine Al garden Poppies grow rounder in the head than the wild for these beare a head longer smaller howbeit for any vse of greater operation than those of the garden For the decoction therof taken as a drink procureth sleep to such as be ouer watchfull so doth a fomentation thereof if either the visage bee sprinckled or the mouth washed therewith The best Poppies be they that grow in dry places and where it raineth seldome When the heads and leaues both be sodden stamped the iuice that is pressed from them Physitians call Meronium and it is far weaker and duller in operation than Opium Now to know which is good Opium indeed the first and principal trial is by the nose for the true Opium is so strong that a man may not indure to smel it the second proof is by fire for the right Opium will burn cleare like a candle and when it is put forth yeeldeth a stinking sent from it in the end which
looke in what garden there groweth abundance of this hearbe the Bees there when they swarme will be soone intreated to tarie not be hastie to wander far abroad The same is a most present remedy not only against their stings but also of wespes spiders and Scorpions And being tempered with a little nitre it is singular against the strangulation of the mother Taken in wine it pacifieth the wrings and torments of the belly The leaues therof being sodden with salt and brought into an ointment are singular good for to be applied vnto the scrophules or swelling kernills called the Kings euill and likewise to the accidents of the seat and fundament as the swelling haemorrhoids or piles The juice taken in drinke bringeth women to their ordinary monethly courses it discusseth â—…eutosities and healeth vlcers it allaieth the paines of any gouts and cureth the biting of mad dogs it is good for the bloudy flix that hath run on a long time as also those fluxes which proceed from the imbecillitie of the stomack it helpeth them that be streight in the chest and cannot take their wind but bolt vpright it mundifieth also the vlcers within the breast To conclude it is said to be a singular remedie none like vnto it for to dispatch the webs in the eye if they be annointed with the juice thereof and honey tempered together Melilot is thought also to be good for the eyes if it be applied with milk or line seed It assuageth also the paine of the jawes and head if it be laid too with oile of Roses likewise it doth mitigat the paine of the ears if it be instilled or dropped into them with wine cuit Moreouer the tumors and breaking out of the hands it helpeth Being boiled in wine or stamped green it easeth the griefe of the stomacke The same effect it hath in the pain of the matrice But if the cods be amisse if the Longaon or tuill bee fallen and beare out of the bodie or if that part bee affected with other accidents Bath the place with a decoction of it boiled greene in water or cuit and the patient shal find ease But if there be an ointment made of it and oile of Roses incorporat together it is a soueraign remedie for all cancerous sores If it be boiled first in sweet wine or cuit it is the better for the purpose aforesaid and so prepared a speciall and effectuall thing it is for the wens called Melicerides wherein is engendred matter resembling honey CHAP. XXI ¶ Of Trefoile and Thyme of the day Lillie Hemerocalles of Elecampane and Southernewood and Cypres I Am not ignorant that folke are verily persuaded how that Trefoile or three leaued grasse is of great force against the stings of serpents and scorpions if either 20 graines of the seed bee inwardly taken in wine or warer and vinegre together or if the leaues and the whole hearb be sodden and the decoction drunk as also that serpents are neuer seen to lie vnder this Trefoile Moreouer I know full well that diuerse Authors renowmed and of great credit haue deliuered in their bookes That fiue and twentie graines of that Trefoile which we called Menianthes is sufficient for a preseruatiue and antidot against all poisons whatsoeuer besides many other medicinable vertues which be ascribed to this hearb But for mine owne part I am induced by the authoritie of the most graue and reuerend Poet Sophocles to stand against their opinion for hee affirmeth plainely That Trefoile is venomous Likewise Simus the Physician doth report that if the decoction of it sodden or the juice thereof stamped bee poured or dropped vpon any part of the body which is sound it wil cause the same fiery and burning smart as followeth vpon a place bitten or stung with a serpent And therefore I would thinke with them and giue counsell also that it is not to be vsed otherwise than a countrepoison For it may bee peraduenture that in this as in many other one poyson by a certaine antipathie and contrarietie in nature expelleth mortifieth another Moreouer this I markand obserue in their writings that the seed of the Trefoile which hath smallest leaues if it be reduced into a liniment is singular good to embellish womens skin and to preserue their beauty if the face be anointed therwith Thyme ought to be gathered whiles it is in the floure and then to be dried in the shade now there are of Thyme two kinds to wit the white which hath a woodie root growing vpon little hills and this is thought to be the better the second is blacker caries besides a black floure They are thought both of them the one as well as the other very good to cleare the eyesight whether they be eaten with meats or taken as a medicine In like maner an electuarie or lohoch made of Thyme is supposed to be excellent good for an old cough and being taken with hony and salt to raise and breake fleam causing the same to be raught vp with more facility also that if it be incorporat with hony it will not suffer the bloud to clutter and congeale within the bodie Applied outwardly as a liniment with Senuie it doth extenuate and subtiliate the rheume that hath of long time sallen in the throat and windpipe and so also it amendeth the grieuance of stomacke and belly How beit these Thymes must be vsed with measure and moderation because they set the body in an heat although they be binding and make the belly costiue Now in case there be an exulceration in the guts there must be taken the weight of 1 denier or dram in Thyme to euery Sextar of honey and vinegre semblably it must bee ordered in case of the pleurisie and when there lyeth a paine between the shoulders or in the breast A drink made of Thyme with honey and vinegre in manner of a juleb or syrrup cureth the griefe of the midriffe and precordiall parts neere vnto the heart And verily a soueraign potion this is to be giuen vnto them that be troubled in mind and lunaticke as also to melancholicke persons The same also may be giuen to those who be subject to the epilepsy or falling sicknes whom the very perfume and smell of Thyme wil raise out of a fit and fetch them again when the disease is vpon them It is said that such should lie ordinarily in a soft bed of Thyme This hearb is proper for those that canot draw their breath vnlesse the â—…sit vpright and to such as are short winded yea and good for women whose monethly courses are either suppressed or come but slowly And saâ—… that the infant were dead in the wombe a decoction of Thyme sodden in water vnto the thirds and so taken doth send it forth of the bodie Men also doe find a great benefit by Thyme if they drinke a syrrup made of it with honey and vinegre in case of ventosities and inflations also if their bellies be swoln or
as most times it falleth out that a feuer follow vpon such accidents then the patient must drinke it with water A speciall and effectuall property it hath against certain land-snakes called Chersydri and venomous todes if it be reduced into a liniment and so applied to the sore But Heraclides the Physitian is of opinion That if the said root be boiled in the broth of a goose it is of more efficacie than all other against the Toxica and Aconita But whereas others do boile it in sheere water against the poisons Toxica Appollodorus would haue a frog sodden withal The herb it selfe is of substance hard branching much full of leaues and those beset with pricks A stem or stalk it carieth parted by knots and joints a cubit high somwhat more Moreouer as there is white Erynge so you shal haue of it black The root is odoriferous Eryngion verily commeth vp ordinarily of seeds and by setting But it groweth also in rough and stony places of the own accord And that which we see along the sea shore is harder and blacker than the rest leaued also like common Ach or Persely CHAP. VIII ¶ Of the hearbe or thistle commonly called Centum-Capita i. the hundred heads AS for the white Erynge our countrymen call it in Latine Centum-capita But they be all of one and the same operation and effect And the Greeks verily make their ordinary meat as well of their stalks as roots both waies to wit either raw or boiled as they list Certes there be wonders reported of this herb namely That the root of this white Eryngion which is very geason and hard to be found resembleth one while the male sexe and otherwhiles the female of our kind But if it chance that a man do meet with that Eryngion which is like to that member which distinguisheth him from a woman he shall be very amiable and beloued of women Which was the reason men say that lady Sappho was so enamoured on the yong knight Phao of Lesbos And verily as touching this herb not only the Magitians but the disciples also and followers of Pythagoras tell vs many vain and foolish tales But to come indeed to the vse of it in Physick Ouer and besides those vertues and properties which I haue related already good it is to resolue ventosities it easeth the gripes and wrings in the belly it cureth the diseases and debility of the heart it helpeth the stomack and liuer For the midriffe and precordial parts it is very wholsome taken in honied water and for the spleen in vineger water together Also drunk in mead or honied water aforesaid it is singular for the kidneies the strangury the cramp or crick that pulleth the head of a body backward for other spasmes also and convulsions for the loines the dropsie and the falling sicknesse Soueraigne it is moreouer for womens monthly fleures whether they do stay vpon them or contrariwise run excessiuely from them and in one word it cureth all the accidents infirmities of the matrice Being applied as a liniment with hony it draweth forth any offensiue thing sticking within the body And if it be laid too with salt lard or hogs grease and so incorporat into a cerot it heales the kings euill the swelling kernels within the eares and the flat biles and botches It reioineth also the flesh that is gone from the bone finally soudereth and knitteth broken bones or fractures Taken before a man sit downe to eat or drink it preserueth him from surfet or drunkennesse and bindeth the belly Some of our Latine writers would haue it to be gathered a little before the summer-solstice saying moreouer That if it be applied with rain water it helpeth al the infirmities incident to the nape of the neck and by their report if it be bound to the eies it cureth the pin and the web CHAP. IX ¶ Of Acanus and Liquorice SOme there be who take Acanus for a kind of Eryngium And they describe it to be a low herbe and yet growing broad and large full of prickes and thornes and those likewise bigger than ordinary being applied outwardly wonderfull effectuall it is by their saying to stanch bloud Others there are who haue thought Erynge and Liquorice to be all one but they are deceiued Howbeit for some resemblance that is between them I think it not amisse to set down the description therof immediatly after these Erynges Doubtlesse this Liquorice also is to be counted among these thorny plants for that the leaues stand pricking vp sharp pointed the same are fatty and in handling gummy and glewie It putteth forth many branches and those two cubits high it carrieth a floure in manner of the Hyacinth and beareth fruit resembling bals of the bignesse of those which hang vpon the Plane tree The excellent Liquorice is that which groweth in Cilicia the next for goodnesse commeth from Pontus and hath a sweet root which only is vsed in Physick Taken vp this is and gathered at the setting or occultation of the Brood-hen star and is found running along in the ground in manner of the Vine root in colour like to the Box tree That which is duskish and somwhat black is thought to be the better like as the lithe pliable root which wil wind and turn euery way is preferred before that which is brittle and easie to break Great vse there is of it in those medicines which be held vnder the tongue so to resolue melt leasurely namely after it hath bin sodden to the thirds yea and otherwhiles boiled to the height and consistence of hony Somtimes they vse to bruse it and in that manner they do lay it vpon wounds where it doth much good as also if it be applied to all the diseases and accidents befalling to the throat and jawes The juice of Liquorice reduced to a thick consistence if it be put vnder the tongue is singular for to cleare the voice In like manner it is supposed very wholsome for the brest and liuer And therewith as I haue sayd before both thirst and hunger may be slaked and allaied Which is the cause that some haue called it Adipson and in that regard ministred it to those persons who be fallen into a dropsie for to preuent and take away their thirstinesse Therfore it is thought to be a proper remedy for the diseases of the mouth if it be either chewed or otherwise cast and strewed vpon the vlcers therein and so it cureth the excrescences also and exulcerations about the roots of the nailes Moreouer it healeth the excoriation sorenesse of the bladder assuageth the paine of the kidneies cureth the swelling aking piles the fissures also in the seat and finally the vlcers of the priuy parts Some Physitians haue prescribed to drink in a quartaine ague the weight of two drams of Liquorice one of Pepper in a draught of water to the quantity of a smal pint or hemina this root being
for vlcers ruptures and bruises whether it be that one hath tumbled head-long from some high downfal or that he hath bin crushed by the ouerthrow of some waggon or chariot It fortuned that a Page of Pericles a prince of the Atheniens whom he loued intirely hauing climed vp to the top of the lanterne or spire of a temple which the said prince built in the castle or citadell of Athens fel downe from thence who was cured by the means of this herb reuealed vnto Pericles in his sleep by the goddesse Minerva whereupon it tooke the name first of Parthenium and is consecrat vnto the said goddesse this is that Page whose molten statue is to be seen at this day made of brasse this is I say that noble and famous image called Splaâ—…hnoptes CHAP. XVIII ¶ Of Chamaeleon the hearbe the sundry kindes thereof and the vertues medicinable COncerning Chamaeleon some there be who name it Ixias whereof be two kinds the whiter hath the rougher leaues it creepeth close by the ground and setteth vp stiffe prickles in manner of an Vrchin the root is sweet in tast but of a most strong sent In some places it ingendreth a white kind of gum or clammie glew vnder the wings or arm-pits as it were of the leaues after the same manner as Frankincense is said to breed but especially about the rising of the Dog-star for that it is like to a kind of birdlime it is called Ixia our women vse this instead of Mastick And the reason why this herb is named Chamaeleon is by occasion of the variable leaues which it beareth for according to the nature of the soile where it groweth it changeth hew whereby in one place you shall haue it blacke in another green here you shall see it look blew and there yellow and euermore altering the color Of which Chamaeleons the white cureth such as are in a dropsie if the root be boiled and the juice thereof taken to the quantity of a dram in sweet wine cuit The measure of one acetable of the same juice if one drink in a green harsh wine made of the hedge vnripe grape wherein certain bunches of Origanum haue lien infused it is thought to be a singular remedy to kill the worms that breed in the guts It auaileth much also to help those who pisse with difficulty and yet this juice being giuen to dogs or swine in barly groats killeth them If there be water and oile mingled therto it draweth rats and mice to it but it is their bane vnlesse presently they drinke water Some prescribe for to cut the root thereof into thin roundles and to keep them enfiled vp or hanging by a string and then to seeth them for to be eaten against the flux of humours which the Greekes name Rheumatismes Of the black kind some hath named that the male which hath the purple floure and the female with the violet colour They all grow vp with one stem and no more and the same is a cubit high and a finger thick The roots are good to heale ringworms tettars and such like wild fires if they be sodden together with brimstone and Bitumen but if the said root be chewed in the mouth or a collution be made therwith sodden in vineger it fastens the teeth which shake and be loose in the head The juice of this root healeth the scab or mange in four-footed beasts Herewith also folke vse to kill the ticks that breed in dogges but it stoppeth the wind of heifers and yong steers in maner of a squinancy and therefore of some it is called Vlophonon and Cynozolon in regard of the strong and stinking smell that it hath These Chamaeleons do beare a certain viscous gumme most proper for vlcers And the roots of all the sort of them as well blacke as white are singular against the poison of serpents CHAP. XIX ¶ Of Coronopus or Harts-horne with the medicinable vertues thereof COronopus is an herb bearing long leaues and those clouen into certain fissures and knags and howsoeuer it groweth wild yet otherwhiles it is set and sowne in gardens for the excellency of the root which being rosted vnder the ashes is soueraign for the flux weaknesse of the stomacke CHAP. XX. ¶ Of Orchanet or Alkanet as well the right as the bastard and their properties in Physicke THe root of Orchanet is much vsed about medicines of the thicknesse it is of a finger it wil rend and cleaue in manner of the papyr reed and it coloreth the hands of as many as handle it with a red and bloudy colour it prepareth wooll and woollen cloth for to take rich and deep colours If it be incorporat into the form of a cerot it healeth vlcers especially in old men as also places that be burnt It cannot be resolued in water but it is oile that must dissolue it and verily this is a good experiment of that which is true and nothing sophisticat A dram thereof giuen in wine to drink is singular good for the pain in the kidnies but in case the Patient haue a feuer vpon him then it ought to be taken in the decoction of Balanos In like manner is it to be vsed in the opilations or obstructions of the liuer of the spleen and in the Iaundise A liniment made of it and vineger cureth the leprosie and the red pimples arising in the face The leaues stamped with hony and meale vntill they be incorporat together and so applied as a cataplasme are thought to be good for dislocations but if they be taken inwardly to the quantity of two drams in honied wine they bind and knit the belly The root boiled in water is said to kill fleas Another herb there is much like vnto it and thereupon called Pseudanchusa i. bastard Orchanet of some but of others Enchusa or Doris and many other names it hath besides More full of downe or hairy mosse it is and lesse fatty but the leaues are smaller more ranke and feeble The root yeeldeth no oleous substance but a reddish juice wherin it differeth from the right Anchusa or Orchanet The leaues or feed being taken in drinke is a most effectual counterpoison against serpents The substance of the leaues being applied to the places which bee stung are soueraigne for to cure and heale them vp The very herb it selfe chaseth away all poison of serpents There is a drink made therof commended highly for the chine or ridge-bone of the back The Magitians do prescribe the leaues to be bound vnto some part of the Patient against a tertian ague with this charge That they be gathered with the left hand that in the gathering the party or patient for whose sake they are gotten be named CHAP. XXI ¶ Of Onochiles Anthemis Lotos and Lotometra of Turnsoll-Tricoccus of Adiantum and Callitrichon ANother herb there is particularly named Onochiles which some call Anchusa others Arcebion or Onochelis some Rhexias and many Enchusa a small herb this is it
carrieth a purple floure leaues and branches rough a root in haruest time as red as bloud otherwise black and groweth in sandy grounds effectuall it is against serpents and Vipers most of all others both in the root and leafe as well eaten with meat as taken in drinke In the full strength it is in haruest The leaues if it be bruised or stamped do yeeld the sauor and smel of a Cucumber If the matrice of a woman be slipt downe a draught of three cyaths thereof doth reduce it vp into the place and together with hyssope it driueth out the broad wormes in the belly For the pain of the kidnies or the liuer it ought to be taken in mead or honied water if the Patient haue an ague withall otherwise in wine The root brought into a liniment cureth the Lentils or red spots yea and the infection of the leprosie And it is said That as many as haue it about them cannot be stung by serpents There is yet another Orchanet or Anchusa like vnto this in regard of the red floure which it beareth howbeit a lesse herb than the other hauing the like operation and imploied in the same vses It is reported That if one chew it in his mouth spit it forth vpon a serpent the same will surely die thereupon As touching Anthemis i. Camomile Asclepiades the Physitian doth highly praise and commend it Some name it Leucanthemis others Leucanthemus there be who giue it the name Eranthemon because it flourisheth in the Spring others againe name it Chamaemelon for the sent or sauour that it hath of an Apple many call it Melanthemon Three kinds there be of it differing onely in the floures for none of them exceed an hand-breadth in heighth which bee small and in forme resemble those of Rue howbeit these floures be either white yellow or red In a lean ground and neer to beaten paths this herb loueth to grow gathered it is in the spring and layed vp for to serue in garlands at which time the Physitians also stampe the leaues and make them vp into Trosches so do they also by the floure and the root This vertue they haue That if they be all mingled together to the weight of one dram they are thought to be a soueraigne remedie against the sting of all serpents This herbe expelleth dead infants within the mothers wombe if it be taken in drinke It bringeth downe also the monthly fleurs of women prouoketh vrine and sendeth forth the stone and grauell Being chewed it dissolueth ventosities it cureth the obstructions and defects of the liuer it helpeth the jaundise healeth the fistuloes between the angle of the eye and the nose and generally all running sores and mattering vlcers But of all these kinds that which beareth the red purple floure hath most effectuall operation for the stone and indeed both the leaues and also the branches of this Camomile are somewhat larger than of the rest and some there be who giue this a name it selfe and call it Eranthemon As for those who take lotos to be a tree only may be conuinced euen by the authority and restimony of Homer who among other herbes growing for the delight and pleasure of the gods hath named Lotos as principall The leaues of this herbe incorporat with honey and so applied cureth the cicatrices or scars in the eie the spots also appearing therein and disolueth the cloudy skins which ouercast the sight there is a kind of lotos named Lotometra comming of the garden Lotos it carrieth a seed like to Millet whereof in Aegypt the Bakers make bread but they work knead the floure of this seed with water or milk There is not any bread in the world by report more wholsom and lighter than this so long as it is hot but being once cold it is harder of digestion becommeth weighty ponderous This is known for certain that as many as liue thereof are infested troubled neither with the dysenterie or bloudy flix ne yet with the trouble some offers and strains to the siege without doing any thing nor any other diseases of the belly and therefore it is counted a principal remedie for those maladies Concerning Turnsol I haue oftentimes related the wonderfull nature thereof namely how it turneth about with the sun although it be a close and cloudy day so great is the loue of this herb to that planet and in the night season for want of the Suns presence as if it had a great misse thereof it draweth in and shutteth the blew floure which it beareth Two kinds there be of this Heliotropium or Turnesol of which the lesse is called Tricoccum the other Helioscopium of the twain this later is the taller and yet neither of them both exceedeth halfe a a foot in height and putteth forth branches from the very root The seed of this greater sort lieth within a little cod and is gathered in haruest time it groweth not but in a fat soil wel manured whereas Tricoccum comes vp euery where I find that if it be boiled it is a pleasant and delectable meat but sodden in milk it loosneth the belly gently and with ease for otherwise the bare colature of the decoction in water if it be taken purgeth most extremely The juice of the greater kinde ought to be drawn or gathered in summer at noontide which if it be tempered with wine becommeth more strong and effectual A property it hath being mingled with oile of roses to mitigat the head-ach The juice drawn out of the leafe medled with salt takes away werts whereupon our herbarists haue called the herb in Latine Verrucaria 〈◊〉 Wertwort whereas indeed for other better effects and operations that it hath it deserueth to haue some denominations correspondent thereunto for a countre-poison it is against serpents and scorpions if it be drunk with wine or honied water as Apollophanes and Apollodorus do report in their writings A liniment made of the leaues cureth the rheumes and distillations of the braine in children which disease they call Siriasis Likewise it helpeth contractions of sinues and the drawing in of joints although the patient be taken after the maner of the falling sicknesse and for such as be thus afflicted a somentation made of the decoction of this herb is very wholesom and comfortable but if one drink the colature thereof it thrusteth forth the wormes in the belly and scoureth out the grauell in the kidnies If Cumin be put thereto it breaks the stones ingendred and confirmed there already Boiled it ought to be root and all the which with the leaues and goats tallow being reduced into a liniment is singular good for all kinds of gout The other kind which we call Tricoccon and is otherwise named Scorpiurion hath not only smaller leaues but also they incline and bend downward to the ground A seed it beareth resembling the figure of a scorpions taile whereupon it took that name A liniment made therewith
for to bath kibed heels for which purpose it is boiled in oile and so applied In like manner it serueth to soften hard callosities in any place whatsoeuer and for the foresaid corns of the feet especially if they be scarrified scraped before it is of great efficacy Singula it is against vnwholsom waters pestilent tracts and contagious airs as in times suspected of infection Soueraigne it is for the cough the fall of the Vvula and an old jaunise or ouerflowing of the gall for the dropsy also and hoarsnesse of the throat for presently it skoureth the pipes cleers the voice again and maketh it audible If it be infused and dissolued in water and vinegre and so applied with a spunge It assuageth the gout Taken in a broth or thin supping it is good for the pleurisie especially if the patient purpose to drink wine after it being couered al ouer with wax to the quantity of one cich pease it is giuen very well in case of contractions shrinking of sinewes and namely to such as cary their heads backward perforce by occasion of some crick or cramp For the squinance it is good to gargarize therwith Semblably it is giuen with leeks and vinegre to those that wheaze in their chest and be short winded haue had an old cough sticking long by them also with vinegre alone to such as haue supped off and drunk quailed milke that is cluttered within their stomack Taken in wine it is singular for the faintings about the heart as also for colliquations and such as are faln away and far gone in a consumption those that be taken with the falling sicknes but in honied water it hath a special operation respectiue to the palsie or resolution of the tongue With sodden honey and Laser together there is made a liniment very proper to annoint the region of the hucklebone where the Sciatica is seated and the small of the backe to allay the pain of the loins I would not giue counsel as many writers doe prescribe for to put it in the concauitie or hole of a rotten tooth and so stop vp the place close with wax for feare of that which might ensue thereupon for I haue seene the fearfull sequel of that experiment in a man who vpon the taking of that medicine threw himselfe headlong from an high loft and brake his necke such intolerable paines he sustained of the tooth-ache and no maruell for do but anoint the muffle or nose of a Bull therewith it wil set him on a fire make him horn-mad and being mingled with wine if serpents as they are most greedie of wine chance to lap or lick thereof it wil cause them to burst And therefore I would not aduise any to be anointed with it and hony of Athens incorporat together howsoeuer there be some physitians who set down such a receit Certes if I should take in hand to particularize of the vertues that Laser hath being mingled with other matter in confections I should neuer make an end But my purpose is to deale with simples only wherein Natures work is most apparant euident to be seen whereas in compositions we go altogether by coniectures which many times deceiue vs neither can a man be assured of their operation for who is able to obserue the iust proportion in these mixtures either of the contrarieties and repugnances or the concord and agreement of the ingredients in Nature But of this point I will write more at large hereafter CHAP. XXIV ¶ Of the nature and properties of Hony Of honied water or Mead called Hydromel How it commeth to passe that the manners and behauiours of men be altered by meat and viands Of honied wine named Melitites and of Wax Also against the abuse in composition of medicines HOny were it not so common as it is and euery where to be had would be as high esteemed and of as great price as Laser As for this drug Nature hath framed and made it immediatly her own self but for the getting and working of hony she hath created a liuing creature of purpose as we haue already said by means whereof we haue this coelestial liquor which serueth for an infinite number of vses considering how often it entreth into mixtures and compositions And first to speak of that cereous substance Propolis which as it hath bin shewed already offereth it selfe first to be seen at the very entry of the Bee-hiue These vertues medicinable it hath namely to draw forth all pricks thorns and what offensiue thing soeuer sticketh within the flesh of a body to dissolue and dissipate all tumours and swelling bunches to concoct and mollifie any hardnesse to assuage the pains of sinews and finally to incarnat heale vp and skin any desperat vlcers As touching Hony it selfe of this nature verily it is That it wil suffer no dead bodies to putrifie notwithstanding it be of a sweet and pleasant tast far from any aegrenesse and contrary to the nature of salt for the throat the kernels of each side thereof called the Tonsils or Amygdals for the squinancie and all the accidents befalling to the mouth as also for the drinesse of the tongue through extremitie of heate in feuers it is the most soueraigne thing in the world Hony boiled is singular for the inflammation of the lungs and for the pleurisie also it cureth the wounds inflicted by the sting or teeth of serpents and helpeth those who haue eaten venomous mushroms Being taken in dulcet or honied wine it cureth those that lie of a palsie although indeed the said honied wine alone hath many gifts and properties by it selfe Hony together with oile of Roses dropped into the ears cureth their singing and pain Good it is also for to kil lice and such like vermin in the head and to rid away nits where note by the way that if hony be dispumed that is to say skummed and clarified it is euermore the better for any vse Howbeit the stomack it puffeth vp and maketh to swel with ventosities it ingendreth and encreaseth cholerick humors and taketh away appetite to meat yea and some are of opinion that being vsed simply alone and not compounded with other things it is hurtfull to the eies and yet others giue counsel to touch and anoint the corners of the eies therewith when they be exulcerat Touching the materiall causewhereof honey is ingendred the maner how the diuers sorts the countries where it is made the price also and value with the sundry proofs and tria's thereof I haue written already once in my treatise of Bees and a second time in my discourse of the nature of Floures for so the order and course of this my Worke forced me to treat distinctly of those matters which they that be desirous to know exactly the nature of Simples may put together and mingle again at their pleasures By the same reason also since we are entred into the vertues and operations of Hony I must of necessitie handle
their wholsom vertues according as they enter into many compositions which proceed all as I haue said from the wit and artificiall inuention of man for wee neuer find that Cerots Cataplasms Emollitiues Plastres Collyries or Eye-salues Antidotes or Preseruatiue confections were euer of our great mother dame natures making who indeed is the diuine worke mistresse of all things these are the deuises of Apothecaries nay they are rather tricks proceeding from auarice and couetousnesse As for Nature she hath made nothing vnperfect her workes be absolute all and accomplished in their essence ordained hath shee no compounds vnlesse it be very few wherein she proceedeth vpon good cause and reason and goeth not by blind aime and doubtfull conjectures as namely when according to her rule and order shee doth incorporate some things of a drie constitution and substance with a liquor that they may pierce enter better within the pores of the body or els when she giueth consistence to liquid matters by some bodily substance which may vnite and knit them together To goe about for to compasse the vertues of euery simple ingredient in these compositions curiously by scruples and graines sauoureth of impudencie rather than a worke grounded vpon humane conjecture For mine owne part I haue nothing to doe with these drugs and far-fet wares that come from India and Arabia I meddle not I say with these medicinable spices brought out as it were of another world These simples growing so far off in such remote countries please me not neither do I thinke them meet for to cure our maladies they were neuer brought forth by Nature for vs no nor for them neither where they grow otherwise they were not such fools I trow as to sell and passe them away as they doe Buy them and spare not for sweet pomanders perfumes and delicat ointments ye may buy them also if you please vpon a superstitious deuotion for the worship of gods for that now we canot sacrifice pray serue God for sooth without Frank incense and Costus And that our daintie ones and effeminat persons should be the more ashamed of themselues I will the rather shew and prooue That we may both preserue and recouer our health well enough without these exotical and forraine drugs and that ech region is furnished sufficiently with home-physicke of their owne But now since we haue taken so much paines as to collect the medicinable vertues of guirland-floures of pot-hearbes also harden woorts and sallad hearbes How may I for very shame leaue out the properties of corne and grain seruing for Physick and therefore in this place it shall be well done to discourse of them likewise CHAP. XXV ¶ The medicinable vertues and properties of corne and graine FIrst and formost this is holden for certain that they be the most ingenious and wisest creatures of all others which liue of corn The grains of the fine blanched wheat Siligo being burnt brought into pouder and applied with Amâ—…nien wine in manner of a liniment doe restraine the flux of humors to the eies Also the cornes of the ordinary wheat Triticum being parched or rosted vpon a red hot yron are a present remedie for those who are scortched and sindged with nipping cold The meale of the said wheat sodden in vinegre and applied as a cataplasm helpeth the contraction and shrinking vp of the sinews but wheat brans with oile of roses drie figges and sebesten sodden together make a collution the gargarizing wherewith is good for the inflammation of the Tonsills or Amygdales and to cure all the accidents of the throat Sextus Pompetus who in his daies was one of the principal peers of high Spain left a sonne behind him who afterward was lord Pretour of Rome sitting on a time before his barnedores to see his corn winowed was surprised sodainly with a fit of the gout and whether it were by chance or in a rage for the extremitie of paine thrust his legs aboue the knees into the heap of wheat lying thereby but finding his legs mightily dried hereby and himselfe wonderfully eased of his paine by that means he neuer vsed any other remedie afterwards but so soone as he felt a fit of his gout comming he plunged his feet and legs into a heap of wheat Certes wheat is such a desiccatiue that it wil draw and drie vp the wine or any other liquor in a barrell which is buried within it Moreouer the best experienced Chirurgians in the cure of ruptures affirm That there is nothing better than to lay the chaffe of wheat or barley hot to the grieued place and to soment the same with a decoction wherein it was sodden As for the bearded wheat Far there is a certaine worme breeding in it like to a moth or the grub that eateth wood which is singular good to make rotten teeth to fal out of the head for if the same be lapped within wax and so put into the hole of the faultie tooth it wil drop out or if the sound teeth be but rubbed therewith they will shed and fall forth of the head Touching the graine Olyra we haue said already that it is called also Arinca The Aegyptians make thereof a certaine medicinable decoction or gruell which they call Athara passing good for young babes yea and it serueth to bath and annoint elder folke withall Barly meale either raw or boiled doth discusse and resolue assuage ripen all impostumes engendred either by way of gathering and collection of humours or by some deflux and rheumatick descent The same otherwhiles is sodden in honyed water or els with dried figs but for the paines of the liuer it had need to be boiled with Oxycatre i. water and vinegre together or els with wine But when the case standeth so that the tumor must be partly dissipated partly brought to maturation then it is better that it be incorporate in vinegre or the lees of vinegre or at least waies in sodden peares or sodden quinces Being tempered and medled with hony it is very good for the biting of the cheeslips or many-feet worms called Multipedes but for the sting of serpents it is better to mix it with vinegre as also to keep sores from festering and rankling but in case it be needful and requisit to clense them from suppurat matter therein gathered then it would be applied with vinegre and water with rosin also and gal-nuts added therto For inueterat and old vlcers to bring them to maturation it is laid too with rosin for to soften hard tumors it is vsedeither with pigeons dung or with drie figs or ashes Being applied with Poppie or Melilot it is singular for the inflammation of the nerues of the guts sides also for the paines of mens priuie parts or when the flesh is departed from the bone Incorporate with pitch and the vrine of a boy not yet vndergrowne nor fourteene yeares old it is a proper medicine for the swelling kernels named the
wholsome meat for the stomack and more than that it causeth a stinking breath Howbeit they hold it excellent to withstand the venomous sting of the Stellions and the dangers that it may inferre as also to heale the old cancerous and maligne vlcers named Cacoethe i. Morimals There is an oile made thereof which as I haue before shewed is good for the eares Touching Sesamoeides which taketh that name of the resemblance that it hath to Sesama but that the graine thereof is bitter and the leafe lesse and it groweth in grauelly grounds the same being taken to drink in water purgeth chollerick humors A liniment made of the seed doth assuage the heat of S. Anthonies fire and doth discusse and resolue biles And yet there is another Sesamoeides growing in Anticyra which thereupon some do cal Anticyricon otherwise much like it is to the herb Groundswell whereof I will speake in place conuenient The graine or seed of this Sesamoeides is giuen in sweet wine as a purgatiue of chollerick and flegmatick humors to the quantity of as much as may be contained with three fingers but to quicken the same the Physitians vse to put one Obole and an halfe of the white Ellebore-root or Neesewort which purgation they vse in case of madnesse the melancholicke disease the falling sicknesse and the gout By it selfe alone the weight of one dram is a sufficient laxatiue doth euacuat the belly The best Barley is that which is whitest The iuice of Barley boiled in rain water is made vp into certain trosches which is singular good to be either conueied into the guts by way of clyster for the exulceration thereof or els injected into the Matrice by the metrenchyte for the vlcers therein The ashes of Barly burnt are good in a liniment for Burnes for places where the flesh is gone from the bones for wheales and small pocks and for the biting of the Hardishrew mouse The same with a little sprinckling of salt and some honey amongst is counted a good dentifrice to make the teeth look white and the breath to smel sweet There is an opinion commonly receiued That whosoeuer vse to eat Barly bread shall not be troubled with the gout of the feet And they say that if a man take nine barly corns with euery one of them draw three imaginary circles about a felon with his left hand and when he hath so done throw them all into the fire presently it shall be cured There is an herb which the Greeks cal Phoenicea and our countrymen in Latine Hordeum Murinum This herb or weed being beaten to pouder taken in wine is singular to bring down the course of womens fleurs Hippocrates the famous Physitian hath made one intire book in the praise of Ptisana which is a groat made of Barly but all the vertues and properties thereof are now attributed vnto our Frumenty Alica and that goeth away with all the commendation And yet a man may see how much more harmlesse it is than Alica Hippocrates commended it only for a supping as being slippery easie to be taken good to put away thirst not swelling in the belly passing quickly and easily through the body and such a kinde of meat as might alone of all others be giuen twice a day in a feuer to those who were vsed to it so farre was hee in opinion from them who would famish all diseases cure them by fasting vtter hunger Howbeit he forbad to giue it whole in substance to be supped off allowed nothing but the very simple juice and broth of Ptisane or husked Barly neither allowed he it in the beginning of an ague fit so long as the feet continued cold for during that time he would not admit so much as a thin potion therof Now besides the Alica or frumenty made of Zea there is another which commeth of the common wheat more glutinous and better indeed for the exulceration of the wind pipes As touching Amylum or starch pouder it dimmeth the eyesight is hurtful to the throat and is nothing good to be eaten contrary to the common receiued opinion It staieth the inordinat flux of the belly represseth the rheum into the eies it healeth vlcers and cureth pushes wheals and blains and restraineth fluxes of bloud It mollifieth the hardnesse growing in the eye-lids To such as cast vp bloud it is vsually giuen in an egge In pain of the bladder halfe an ounce of Amylum made hot ouer the fire vntill it siuer with one egge and as much cuit as will go into three eg-shels taken immediatly after the bath or hot house is a singular remedy moreouer oatmeale sodden in vineger taketh away moles and freckles of the skin The very ordinary bread which is our daily food hath an infinit number of medicinable faculties Bread crums being applied with water and common oile or els with oile of Roses doth mollifie impostumes with honied water assuageth any hardnes wonderfully Giuen in wine it is good to discusse and resolue It is of force also to bind and knit where need is and so much the rather if it be giuen with vineger Also it is singular against the sharp eager flux of fleam which the Greeks cal Rheumes likewise for bruised places vpon stripes or blows yea and for dislocations And in very deed for all these purposes leauened bread called of the Greeks Autopyros i. downright made is better than any other Moreouer a liniment thereof applied with vineger is good for whitflaws and the callosities of the feet Moreouer stale bread and bisket such as sea-faring men do eat being stamped sod again is good to bind the belly for singing men and choristers who are desirous to haue a cleare voice for such also as be subject to rheums falling from the head it is the wholsomest thing in the world to eat dry bread in the beginning of meals The Sitanian bread i. that which is made of three months corn being incorporat with hony is a faire medicine to cure either the black prints remaining after strokes or the scailing and pilling of the face White bread crums soked either in hot or cold water yeeld vnto sicke men a meat of light digestion The same being applied with wine cureth swelled eies And so it healeth the breaking out in the head especially if dry Myrtles be put thereto It is an ordinary thing to prescribe vnto them that are giuen to shaking for to eat fasting bread soked in water presently after they come forth of the bath The perfume of bread burnt taketh away all other euill smels that may be in a bed chamber being put into those Hippocras bags through which wines be strained it altereth the naughty tast which they haue Furthermore euen Beanes haue their properties which serue in Physicke for being fried all whole as they be and so cast piping hot into sharp vineger they help the collicke and pangs of the belly
meat applied outwardly for the same purpose as also that both wine and vineger which is made of them is of singular operation to the same effect The dried grape or raisin which they call A staphis would trouble the stomack belly and intrails but for the kernels that are within the stones which serue as a remedy to preuent and cure those inconueniences which being taken forth raisins be thought good for the bladder but particularly for the cough those of the white grapes be the better Soueraigne are they also for the wind-pipe and the reins like as the sweet cuit which is made thereof hath a speciall power and vertue against the Haemorrhois alone of all other serpents A cataplasme made of them together with the pouder of Cumin or Coriander seed applied to the cods cureth their inflammation Likewise if they be stamped without their stones or kernels together with Rue they are singular good for carbuncles and gouts but before this cataplasm be laid to any vlcers they ought before hand to be bathed and fomented with wine Applied with their stones they heale chilblanes and bloudy falls yea and ease the paines and wrings which accompany the bloudy flix Of them boiled in oile there is a liniment made which being applied with the outward rind of a radish root and hony helpeth gangrenes but if there be Panace or Loue-ach added therto the liniment cureth the gout and confirmeth nails which be loose Being chewed alone with some pepper they purge the head and the mouth A staphis agria or Staphis which some though vntruly call Vva Taminia for this is a seuerall kind by it selfe growing vp with straight black stalks and carying leaues like to the wilde vine Labrusca beareth bladders or little cods more like than grapes of a green color resembling cich-pease within which is to be seen a three-cornered kernel it waxeth ripe and beginneth to change colour and looke black at vintage time whereas we know that the grapes of the Taminian vine be red also we are assured that Staphis-acre loueth to grow in Sun-shine places but the Taminian grape no where but in the shade The said kernels I would not aduise to be vsed for a purgation considering the doubtfull euent and danger that may insue of choking and strangulation neither for to draw downe fleame and waterish humors into the mouth for surely they be enemies to the throat and weasin pipe The same if they be done into pouder rid lice out of the head al parts of the body besides which they do the better with more ease in case there be Sadaracha or Orpiment among In like manner they kill the itch and the scabs For the tooth-ache they vse to be sodden in vineger for the diseases also of the ears for rheums and eating â—…kers of the mouth The floure beaten into pouder and so taken in wine is singular for the biting anâ—… sting of serpents for I would not giue counsell to vse the seed so exceeding hot it is and of so fiery a nature Some call this herb Pituitaria and apply it as a liniment to the sores occasioned by the biting of serpents As for the wild vine Labrusca it carieth also a floure named in Greeke Oenanthe whereof I haue written enough before The wild vine which the Greeks name Ampelos Agria hath thick leaues and those inclining to a white colour the stalkes or branches be diuided by ioints and knots the bark or rind is all ouer ful of chinks creuises it beareth certain red grapes much like vnto the berries wherewith they colour scarlet which being stamped with the leaues of the same plant and applied with juice of the own are good to clense and beautifie the skin in womens faces and besides do help the accidents and griefs that may befall to the haunch huckle-bone and the loins The root boiled in water and so taken in two cyâ—…hs of the wine of the Island Coos doth euacuat watery humors gathered in the belly and by consequence is thought to be an excellent drink for them who are in a dropsie And this is the plant which in my iudge ment should be that vine which commonly is called in Latine Vva Taminia rather than any other Vsed much it is for a counter-charme against all witchcrafts and giuen it is to gargarise only with salt thyme and honied vineger or oxymell to them that spit and cast vp bloud with this caueat To let none of it go down the throat and therefore men feare to purge therewith so dangerous it is thought to be Another plant there is much like to this called in Latine Salicastrum for that it groweth in willow rews and albeit these two carry diuers and distinct names yet they be of the same nature and property and be vsed to the like purposes Howbeit this Salicastrum is taken to be more effectuall of the twain for to kill the scab scurfe and itch as well in men as in four-footed beasts if it be bruised and applied with honied vineger There is a certain wild white vine which the Greekes call Ampeloleuce some Ophiostaphylon others Melothron or Psilothrum some Archezostis or Cedrostis others Madon This plant putteth forth long and slender twigs parted and diuided by certaine joints or knots and these climb vp and clasp whatsoeuer they meet withall The leaues grow thick and full of tendrils or yong burgeons as big as Iuy leaues diuided jagged in maner of oâ—…er viâ—…e leaues the root is white big like at the first to a radish from which there spring certain shoots or sions resembling the buds of Asparagus these yong sprouts sodden eaten with meat purge both by siege and vrine the leaues and branches be exulceratiue and wil raise blistâ—…rs vpon the body and therfore applied with salt as a liniment they be good for corroâ—…ue vlcers ganâ—…rens wolues and the old morimall sores in the legs The seed or graine thereof is contained within certaine berries hanging down thin here and there in small clusters which yeeld a certain red juice or liquor at the first but afterwards it turneth to a yellow safron colour this know the curriors well who dresse skins for they vse it much There is an ordinary liniment made therewith for scabs mange and leprosie The seed being boiled with wheat and so taken in drink causeth nurces to haue good store of milk The root of this wild vine is very soueraigne and serueth in right good stead for a number of purposes first if it be powdered to the weight of two drams and giuen in drink it is singular against the sting of serpents it is excellent to scoure the skin of the face to take away all spots and speckles flecks and sreckles in any part of the body the black and blew tokens of stripes by reason of brused bloud lying vnder the skin foul vnseemly swerskars it reduceth to the fresh natural colour these operations it hath being
stark The leaues serue to make a good liniment for to annoint the pitch of the stomacke and their juice applied in manner of a pessarie setleth the mother when it rolleth euery way and is out of her place The greene leaues chewed and applied cure the running skalls in the head the cankers and sores in the mouth all risings and apostemations and likewise the piles A decoction of the said leaues is singular for burns and skals likewise for lims out of joynt if they be bathed therin The very leaues in substance stampedand incorporat with the juice of a peare-quince into an ointment set a reddish yellow colour vpon the haire of the head The floures brought into a liniment with vinegre assuage the paine of the head the same calcined and burnt into ashes within a pot of vnbaked or raw earth either alone or with hony healeth corrosiue sores and putrified vlcers These floures haue a certaine sauor with them which procureth sleep The oile called Gleucinum is astringent and yet it cooleth after the same sort that the oile Oenanthium The Balsame oile called Balm is of all others most pretious as hertofore I haue said in my treatise of odoriferous ointments and of great efficacie against the venome of al serpents It clarifieth the eie-sight mightily and dispatcheth mists and clouds which dimmed the same it easeth all those who draw their breath with difficultie it assuageth impostumations and hard swellings it keepeth bloud from cluttering and is excellent to mundifie foule vlcers singular comfortable to the eares in case of paine hardnesse of hearing singing within to the head also for to assuage the ach for the nerues against shaking trembling and convulsions withal a proper remedy for ruptures It danteth and mortifieth the poison of Aconitum if it be taken with milk If the patient lying sicke of an ague be annointed all ouer therewith it mitigateth the fits comming with shaking and shiuering Howbeit folke must be warie and vse it with moderation for being hot in the highest degree it is caustick and so doth en flame and burne and therfore if a mean be not kept it bringeth a mischiefe for a remedie and doth more harme than good Concerning Malobathrum the nature and sundrie kinds thereof I haue discoursed heretofore Now for the vertues which it hath in Physicke first it prouoketh vrine being stamped the juice drawne out of it with wine by way of expression is excellent to be applied vnto the eyes for to stay their continuall watering the same laid to the forehead as a frontall procureth sleep to them that would gladly take their repose And more effectually it worketh in case the nosethrils also be annointed therewith or if it be drunke with water The leafe of Malabathrum if it be but held vnder the tongue causeth the mouth and the breath to smell sweet like as if it lie among apparell it giueth them a pleasant sauour The oile of Henbane is emollitiue howbeit an enemie to the sinewes certes if it be taken in drinke it troubleth the braine The oile of Lupines called Therminum is likewise an emollitiue and commeth nearest of any to the operation and effects of oile-rosat Touching the oile of Daffodills I haue spoken of it in the treatise of the floures thereof Radish oile cureth the lowsie disease and namely when lice are engendred vpon some long and chronick disease it clenseth the skin of the face from all roughnesse and maketh it slicke and smooth The oile of Sesama cureth the paine of the eares and healeth vlcers which eat as they spread euen such as be morimals and check the Chirurgians hand Oile of Lillies which wee haue named Lirinon Phaselinum and Sirium is most agreeable and wholsom for the kidnies also to procure and maintaine sweat to mollifie the matrice and naturall parts in women to promote digestion inwardly The oil or ointment Selgiticum as we haue already said is comfortable to the sinues like as the grasse-green oile which the Inguinians dwelling vpon the causy or street-way Flamminia vse to sel. Elaeomeli an oil which as I haue declared before issueth from oliue trees in Syria carrieth a certaine tast of hony howbeit their stomacks it maketh to rise at it who licke therof and it is of power to soften the belly It purgeth choler Electiuè if two cyaths thereof be giuen to drink in one hemine of water howbeit these symptomes or accidents do follow them who drinke thereof They lie as it were in a dead sleepe and must eftsoons be awakened Our lustie drunkards who make profession of carousing vse to take one ciath thereof before they sit down to drink one another vnder bourd The oile of Pitch is vsed euery where for to heale the skurfe mange and farcins in beasts Next to vines and oliues Date trees are to be raunged in the highest place and doe cary the greatest name Dates if they be fresh and new doe inebriat and ouerturn the braine and if they be not very wel dried they do cause head-ach neither are they so far as I can see any way good for the stomacke againe they do exasperat the cough and make it worse yet they be great nourishers and cause them to feed who eat of them Our ancients in old time drew a certaine juice or liquor out of them when they were boiled which they gaue vnto sicke persons in stead of an hydromell or honyed water to drinke and that for to refresh them to restore their strength and to quench thirst and for this purpose they preferred the Dates of Thebais in high Aegypt before all others Being eaten as meat especially at meals they are good for them who reach vp bloud The dates Caryotae serue to make a liniment for the stomack the bladder belly guts with an addition of Quince among Being incorporat with wax safron they reduce the black and blew marks remaining after stripes in the skin to their naturall colour Date stones with their kernels are burnt in a new earthen vessel which was neuer occupied before and being thus calcined and their ashes washed they serue in stead of Spodium and doe enter with other ingredients into collyries or eie-salues and with some Nard among they make fukes to paint and imbelish the eye-browes CHAP. V. ¶ Of the Myrabolan Date and the Date Elate THe best Palm or Date tree which beareth a fruit like to Myrabolanes is that which groweth in Aegypt These Dates haue no stones like to others Being taken in vnripe and hard wine they stop the flux of the belly and stay the extraordinary course of womens fleures and do consolidat wounds As touching the Date-tree called Elate or Spathe it affoordeth for vse in Physick the yong buds the leaues and the barke The leaues serue to be applied vnto the midriffe and precordial parts the stomacke liuer and such corosiue vlcers as hardly will be brought to heale and skinne vp The tender
rind thereof incorporat with wax and rosin healeth all maner of scales within â—…o daies The same boiled and applied accordingly cureth the accidents befalling to the cods and genetoirs The very perfume thereof coloreth the haire of the head black and the suffumigation fetcheth downe the dead infant out of the mothers belly It is giuen inwardly in drinke for the infirmitie of the kidnies bladder precordial parts how beit an enemy it is vnto the head and sinews A decoction or bathe thereof if a woman sit in it staieth the immoderat fluxe both of Matrice and belly Likewise the ashes taken in white wine are singular for the pains and torments of the collick as also a collution therewith is as effectuall to cure the fal of the Vvula and other defects incident to that part CHAP. VI. ¶ The medicin able vertues considered in the floures leaues fruit boughes branches bark wood iuice root and ashes of many trees of seuerall kinds IT remaineth now to decipher the manifold medicines which apples such like fruits tender skinned do affoord according to the variety of trees which bring them forth Of which thus much in generall is to be noted That all fruits which ripen in the Spring while they be soure and harsh be enemies to the stomack they trouble the belly disquiet the guts and bladder and withall be offen siue to the sinews but if they be ful ripe or sodden they are the better But to grow vnto particulars Quinces if they be boiled baked or rosted are sweeter and more pleasant to the tast than raw Yet being throughly ripe vpon the tree although they be eaten raw they are good for those that spit and reach bloud and are diseased with the bloudy flix such also as vpon the violent motion of vnbridled cholerick humors void vpward and downward as also for them who be subiect to continual loosnesse of the belly occasioned by the feeblenes of the stomack Being once boiled or baked they are not of the same operation for they lose therby that astringent vertue which their iuice had In hot and sharp feuers they serue for to be applied to the brest And yet if they be sodden in rain water they will do well in those cases aboue recited but for the pain of the stomack it matters not whether they be raw sodden or baked so they be reduced into the form of a cerot laid too Their down or mossinesse which they beare if it be boiled in wine and reduced into a liniment with wax healeth carbuncles And the same maketh the haire to grow again in bald places occasioned by some disease Raw Quinces condited and preserued in hony do stir the belly moue to siege They impart vnto the hony a pleasant tast whereby it is more familiar and agreeable to the stomack But such as being parboiled before are then kept and confited in honey be thought good for the stomacke in the opinion of some who ordaine and prescribe to stamp them first and then to take them in manner of a meat or consâ—…ue beeing incorporaâ—… with Rose leaues boyled for the infirmities of the Stomacke The juice of raw Quinces is a soueraigne remedy for the swoln spleen the dropsie and difficulty of taking breath when the patient cannot draw his wind but vpright The same is good for the accidents of the breasts or paps for the piles and swelling veines The floure or blossom of the Quince as well green and fresh gathered as drie is held to be good for the inflammation of the eies the reaching and spitting of bloud and the immoderat flux of womens monthly terms There is a mild juice drawn also from these floures stamped with sweet wine which is singular for the flux proceeding from the stomack and for the infirmities of the liuer Moreouer the decoction of them is excellent to soment either the matrice when it beareth down out of the body or the gut Longaon in case it hang forth Of Quinces also there is made a soueraigne oile which is commonly called Melinum but such Quinces must not grow in any moist tract but come from a sound and dry ground which is the reason that the best Quinces for this purpose be those that are brought out of Sicily The smaller Pear Quinces called Struthia are not so good although they be of the race of Pome Quinces The root of the Quince tree tied fast vnto the Scrophules or Kings-euill cureth the said disease but this ceremony must be first obserued That in the taking vp of the said root there be a circle made round about it vpon the earth with the left hand and the party who gathereth it is to say What root he is about to gather and to name the Patient for whom he gathereth it and then as I said it doth the deed surely The Pome-Paradise or hony Apples called Melimela and other fruits of like sweetnesse do open the stomacke and loosen the belly they set the body in a heat and cause thirstinesse but offensiue they be not to the sinews The round Apples bind the belly stay vomits and prouoke vrine Wildings or Crabs are like in operation to the fruits that be eaten soure in the Spring and they procure costiuenesse And verily for this purpose serue all fruits that be vnripe As touching Citrons either their substance or their graines and seed within taken in wine are a counterpoison A collution made either with the water of their decoction or their juice pressed from them is singular to wash the mouth for a sweet breath Physitians giue counsell to women with child for to eat the seed of Citrons namely when their stomackes stand to coles chalk and such like stuffe but for the infirmity of the stomack they prescribe to take Citrons in substance howbeit hardly are they to be chewed but with vineger As for Pomgranats needlesse altogether it were now to iterate and rehearse the nine kinds thereof Sweet Pomgranats all the sort of them which by another name we called Apyrena are counted hurtfull to the stomack they ingender ventosities and be offensiue to the teeth and gums But such as in pleasant tast are next vnto them which we called Vinosa hauing smal kernels within are taken and found by experience to be somwhat more wholsom they do stay the belly comfort and fortifie the stomack so they be eaten moderatly and neuer to satisfie the appetite to the full yet some there be who forbid sick persons once to tast of these last named yea and in no hand wil allow any Pomgranats at all to be eaten in a feuer forasmuch as neither their juice and liquor nor the carnous pulp of their grains is good for the patient In like maner they giue a charge and caueat not to vse them in vomits nor in the rising of choler Certes Nature hath shewed her admirable worke in this fruit for at the very first opening of the rind she presently maketh shew of
as they seem beeing torrified and so pulverized doe help and comfort the stomacke if either the meat be strewed or sprinckled or the cup spiced with the said pouder And in truth if they be drunk with rain water they bind the body the root of the Pomgranat tree if it be boiled yeeldeth a liquor or iuice which being taken in drink to the weight of a Roman victoriat i. halfe a denier or half a dram killeth the worms in the belly The same throughly sodden in water is of the same operation that Lycium is for any purpose that it shall be put vnto Finally there is a wild Pomgranat so called for the resemblance that it hath to the planted Pomgranat the roots are red without-forth which being taken to the poise of one denier or dram in wine do procure sleepe The graines or seeds in drink drie vp the watery humours that be gotten between the skin and the flesh in that dropsie which is called Intercus To conclude a perfume made with the rind or pill of a Pomgranat chaseth Gnats out of the place where it burneth CHAP. VII ¶ Of Peares and the properties oâ—… serued in them Of tame Fig-trees and their Figs. Of the wild Fig tree Of Erineus and other plants with the medicines which they affoord ALL Peares whatsoeuer are but a heauie meat euen to them that are in good health And sick folke are debarred for eating them as well as for drinking wine And yet if the same be well boiled or baked they are maruellous wholsome and pleasant to the tast especially those of Crustuminum There is no kind of Peare at all but if it be sodden or baked with hony agreeth with the stomack Of Peares there be vsually made certaine cataplasmes which are singular good to discusse all pushes risings and pimples vpon the body and their decoction serueth wel to resolue all hard tumors Peares in substance be a good counterpoison against venomous Tadstools and Mushroms for either they driue them down by their very weight and ponderosity or els chase them out of the stomacke through a certain secret antipathy in Nature that their juice hath The wild choke Peares be very late ere they ripen The manner is to cut them into certaine slices or roundles and so to hang them vp a drying for to stay the laske and knit the belly which their decoction also will do sufficiently if the patient doe drinke it The leaues likewise together with the Peare are vsed to be sodden for the same purposes The ashes also of the Peare tree wood in case of pestilent Mushroms is of more efficacie than the Peare it selfe Poor iades that carry Apples and Pears vpon their backs in paniers are shrewdly loden and wonderfull it is to see how heauy they do weigh and how a few of them wil make the poore beasts to shrink vnder their burden but what is the remedy Let them eat some of those Peares before or do but shew them vnto them they will vndergoe as folke say their load more willingly and go away with it more roundly The milke or white juice that the Fig-tree yeeldeth is of the same nature that vineger and therefore it wil cruddle milk as wel as rennet or rindles The right season of gathering this milky substance is before that the figs be ripe vpon the tree and then it must be dried in the shadow thus prepared it is good to breake impostumes and keepe vlcers open also to bring down the monthly termes of women either applied with the yolk of an egge or taken in drinke with Amyl or * Starch pouder If the same be tempered with the floure of Foenigreek seed and vineger and so applied in manner of a liniment it helpeth the gout Also it is depilatory and fetcheth off haires it taketh away the skurfe of the eie-lids In like maner it killeth tettars ringworms any wild scabs It openeth the body and makes it soluble This fig-tree milk is naturally aduerse vnto the venomous stings of Hornets wasps and such like But particularly to the prick of Scorpions The same if it be incorporat with hogs grease taketh away watts Fig tree leaues green figs vnripe reduced into a liniment do discusse and resolue the Scrophules called commonly the kings euil yea and all such nodosities as are to be mollified The leaues also alone wil do as much There is another vse of them besides namely to rub therewith tettars and bald places which through some infirmity haue lost haire generally all those parts that had need to be blistered the tender tops twigs of fig-tree branches are singular to cure the biting of mad dogs if they be applied to the skin where it is broken The same brought to a liniment with honey healeth the wens or impostumations which be called Ceria yeelding forth an humor like to hony out of the comb And if they be tempered with the leaues of the wild Poppy they draw forth broken spils or shiuered bones Fig-tree leaus stamped with vineger do restrain the venom occasioned by the biting of mad dogs the white tendrils or sprigs of the blacke fig-tree made into a cerot with wax and so applied do cure felons and the biting of hardishrewes The ashes made of black fig-tree leaues heale gangrenes and consume all excrescense of dead or proud flesh Ripe figs prouoke vrine make the belly soluble mooue sweat and bring foorth small pocks and measels in regard of which operation thus to open the pores they be vnwholsome to be eaten in Autumne or at the fall of the leafe for when by their means our bodies be set into a sweat they are more subiect to take a through cold Neither be they wholsome for the stomack but the best is their offence continueth but a while Mary they are well knowne to be enemies to the voice The figs which be of a later breed as it were and come last are wholesomer than those which ripen betimes whereas verily if they be brought to their maturitie by medicining i. by caprification then they are neuer good and these figs increase the strength of young folk preserue elder persons in better health and make them looke more yong and with fewer wrinckles They do quench and allay thirst and coole vnkinde heat And therefore such must not be denied vnto the patient in feuers proceeding from the constriction of the pores which agues the Greeks call Stegnas Dry figs offend the stomack but for the throat and weasant they are exceeding good These dried figs are by nature hot in operation and therefore ingender thirst They set the belly into a loosenesse in which regard they are not good to be eaten in any flux or Catarrhs taking a course either to it or the stomack wholsome they be at all times for the bladder for such also as be short winded and pursie Semblably they open the obstructions of liuer kidnies and spleen and cure their infirmities Nutritiue they be and
The leaues boiled in rain water together with the barke of the blacke fig-tree and the vine do make a lauature or water to colour the haire blacke The iuice of mulberries doth work speedily and prouoke to the siege and the very fruit or mulberry it selfe for the present is comfortable to the stomacke it cooleth for the time but bringeth thirst with it If a man eat them alone or last and lay no other meat vpon them they swell in the stomack and be very flatuous The juice drawn out of vnripe mulberries are of vertue to bind the belly In sum there be strange and wonderfull properties worthy to be obserued in this tree which seemeth to haue some sense and vnderstanding as if it were a liuing and sensible creature whereof I haue already written more at large in the description of it and the nature thereof There is a notable composition made of mulberries respectiue to the mouth and throat called thereupon Panchrestos Stomatice and by another name Arteriace the receit and making whereof is in this manner Recipe of the juice drawne out of Mulberries three sextars seeth it ouer a gentle and soft fire or rather let it stew in balneo Mariae vntil it be reduced to the consistence of hony afterwards put thereto of veriuice made of dried grapes the weight of two deniers or drams of myrrhe the poise of one denier of saffron likewise one dram or denier Let these ingredients I say be first beaten to pouder such I mean as need pulverising and so mingle them together with the foresaid decoction and put it vp for your vse A better and more pleasant medicine there is not for the mouth the windpipe the uvula and the stomack There is another way of making it in this sort Take of the juice aforesaid the quantity of two measures called sextars of Atticke hony one sextar seeth them together as before Many maruels besides are reported of this tree of which I will giue you a little tast Spie where the little mulberries that shall be are newly knit to wit when the tree first buddeth and before the leaues be fully out gather their yong knots of the fruit toward which the Greeks call Ricinos but in any case with the left hand take heed also that they touch not the ground how soeuer you do and if when you haue obserued these circumstances you weare them about your wrests hang them about your necke or otherwise tie them about you be sure they will stanch bloud whether it gush downe from your nosthrils flow out of a wound run out of the mouth or issue by the haemorrhoid veins And in truth folke vse to keepe these little buds or knots very carefully for this purpose The same vertue and operation the branches haue as they say but then they must be broken from the tree at the full of the moon when they begin to knit giue some hope of fruit if the same touch not the ground then they haue a speciall property respectiue vnto women for to restrain the immoderat flux of their monthly terms being tied or fastened to their arms And it is thought that they work this effect if the woman her selfe do gather them at any time whensoeuer prouided alwaies that the branch in any wise touch not the ground and that shee weare it fast about her in manner aforesaid The leaues of the mulberry tree stamped greene or beeing dry and boiled serue in a cataplasme to be applied vnto those places which are stung by serpents the same good they do also if they be taken in drink The juice of the bark which grew to the root if it be drunk either in wine or oxycrat i. vineger and water together is singular against the pricke of scorpions But here I must set downe the compositions that our antients deuised and made of mulberries first and formost they tooke a quantity of the juice pressed out of mulberries as well ripe as vnripe which they sod in a brasse pan vnto the consistence or thicknesse of honey Some vsed to put thereunto myrrh and Cypresse setting all to frie and take their fermentation in the sun vntil it grew to hardnesse in the foresaid vessell stirring it thrice a day with a spatule This was the stomaticall medicine of the antients which they vsed also in healing skinning vp wounds And yet there was another kind made after this sort they pressed forth the juice of the vnripe mulberries but first they let the said fruit to be very wel dried this serued them in lieu of sauce which gaue an excellent tast to their other meats In physick also they imploied it much namely about corrosiue and eating vlcers and for to euacuat tough fleame out of the brest they vsed it also as need required as an astrictiue to corroborat the noble and principall parts within the body It stood them also in good stead for collutions to wash the teeth withall Moreouer a third kind of juice they had which they drew from the leaues and roots after they were wel boiled and with this juice oile together they were woont to annoint any burnt or scalded place of the body for which purpose the leaues also they applied alone without more ado As touching the root of the Mulberry tree it yeeldeth in haruest time by way of incision an excellent juice for the tooth-ach for biles and impostumes especially such as are growne to suppuration and be at hand to break the same purgeth the belly The leaues of the Mulberry tree infused soked in vrine fetch off the haire from those skins which are to be courried and dressed Cherries loosen the belly and be hurtfull to the stomack yet if they be hanged vp and dried they do bind the belly and prouoke vrine I find a notable experiment in some authors That if a man eat Chery-stones and all in a morning new gathered from the tree with the dew vpon them they will purge so effectually that he shall find himselfe cleane rid from the gout of the feet if he were diseased that way Medlars all of them except those great ones called Setania which indeed are more like to Apples do close vp the stomack and bind the belly In like manner Sorueises if they be dried for being fresh and new gathered they be good to scoure and send excrements speedily out of the stomacke and belly both CHAP. XVIII ¶ Of Pine-nuts or Pine-apples of Almonds Filberds and Hazell-nuts of Wal-nuts Fisticks Chestnuts Carobs and Cornoils Of the fruit of the Arbut or Strawberry tree and the Bay THe Pine apples or nuts which haue rosin in them if they be lightly bruised and then sodden to the half in water with this proportion to wit one sextar of water to euery such apple do yeeld a decoction singular good for such as reach and spit vp bloud so that the patient drink two cyaths thereof at one time The decoction likewise
thereto certain pepper cornes and others drinke them in wine cuit that is sweet Fisticks are vsed in the same sort and haue the same operation and effects as the Pine-nut kernels haue ouer and aboue they are soueraigne for the sting of serpents whether they be eaten or taken in drinke Chestnuts be exceeding astringent and mightily stay all fluxes both of the stomack and the belly for such as scour ouermuch and haue a great lask vpon them also for them who reach vp bloud they be passing wholesome and withall nutritiue and breeding good fast flesh Carobs which be fresh and greene are hurtfull to the stomacke and doe loose the belly yet the same if they be dried do bind and are more wholsome for the stomacke diureticall they be also and prouoke vrine As for those Carobs or Cods of Syria some vse to seeth three of them in a sextar of water vntill halfe be consumed and drink that iuice or liquor thereof for the paine of the stomack If a man take the green twigs of a Corneil tree there will by the meanes of a red hot plate or slice of yron set vnto them sweat or fry out a certain liquid humor which must be receiued so as no wood touch it the rust of yron besmeared with this liquor cureth foul tettars and ringwormes called Lichnes if they be taken at the first before they haue run far The Arbut or Strawberry tree otherwise named Vnedo beareth a fruit hard of digestion and offensiue to the stomack The Lawrell both leafe bark and berry is by nature hot and therefore it is agreed among all writers That their decoction especially of the leaues is comfortable to the bladder and natural parts of women the same being applied as a liniment be singular good for the prick or sting of wasps hornets and bees and likewise against the poisons of serpents especially of the viper and Seps otherwise called Dipsas Boiled with oile they are good to bring down womens fleurs The tender leaues of the Bay stamped and mixed with grosse barly meale or groats cure the inflammations of the eies with Rue they help the hot tumors and swellings of the cods but incorporat with oile Rosat or with oile of Ireos or floure-de-lys they assuage the head-ach Whosoeuer doth chew and swallow downe three bay leaues for three daies together shall be deliuered by that means from the cough The same if they beaten to pouder reduced into an electuary or loch with hony are good for such as be pursie and labor for wind The bark or rind growing to the root is dangerous for women great with child and such must take heed how they meddlewith it The very root it selfe breaketh or dissolueth the stone and is wholsom for the liuer if it be taken to the weight of three oboli in odoriferous wine Bay leaues giuen to drink do prouoke vomit Bay berries bruised and so applied or otherwise pulverized and taken in drink draw down the issue of womens terms Take two Bay Berries rid or cleanse them from their huske and drinke them in wine it is a singular medicine for inueterate coughs the difficulty or straitnesse of breath when a man is forced to sit vpright for to fetch and deliuer his wind howbeit if the Patient be in a feuer it is better to take these berries in water or els by way of a loch or electuary after they haue bin sodden in honied water or sweet cuit And in this manner they be good in a phthisick or consumption of the lungs all catarrhs which fall to the pectorall parts for they ripen fleam and send it out of the chest Foure Bay berries drunk with wine are a good remedy for the sting of scorpions The same being brought to pouder and reduced into a liniment with oile so applied do heale the bloudy-fals called Epinyctides rid away freckles and pimples cure running scalls and vlcers cankers and sores in the mouth and clense the body of scurfe scals and dandruffe The juice drawn out of Bay berries killeth an itch that fretteth the skin besides the lice that crawle and swarm all ouer the body The same mingled with old wine and oile rosat and so dropped into the ears cureth their pain and deafnesse and whosoeuer be annointed all ouer therewith need feare no venomous things for they will flie from them The same iuice especially if it be drawn from the beries of that Lawrel which hath the smaller and thinner leaues may be taken in drink and so it is effectuall against all stings The berries drunk in wine withstand the venom of serpents scorpions and spiders Brought into a liniment with oile and vineger and so applied they help the spleen and liuer but with hony they heale gangrens Such as be wearied with trauel or otherwise stiffe and benummed with cold find much good by being annointed with the said liniment or iuice if some sal-nitre be put thereto Some are of opinion That if a woman in labor drink the quantity of one acetable of the Lawrell root in water shee shall haue the more speedy deliuerance and for this purpose they say that a fresh and green root is better than a dry Others prescribe to giue in drink ten bay berries against the prick of scorpions Also when the Vvula is falne some giue counsell to take three ounces of the leaues and berries and seeth them in three sextars of water to the thirds to gargarize with this decoction hot also for the head-ach to take some odde number of bay berries and stamp them with oile into a liniment therwith to annoint the fore-head temples as hot as the patient can well abide it The leaues of the Delphick Lawrel beaten to pouder and held to the nose and smelled vnto euer and anon serue for a good preseruatiue in time of the contagious pestilence and the rather if they be burnt their persume doth rectifie the infection of the aire The oile of the said baies of the Isle Delphos is good for to make those cerots which put away lassitude wearinesse to discusse resolue the cold humors which cause quiuering and quaking to moliifie and stretch the sinews to allay the pain of the sides in a pleurisie and last of all to driue away the cold fits of agues Semblably if the same be warmed in the rind of a Pomgranat instilled into the ears it eases their pain the leaues boiled in water to the consumption of a third part keepe vp the Vvula vsed by way of a gargarisme but the said decoction taken inwardly allaieth the pains of belly and guts the tendrest leaues that may be had stampt with wine into a liniment do represse keep down wheals and itching if the body be annointed therwith euery night Next vnto this the other kinds are to be ranged according to the validitie of their operation As for the Lawrell Alexandrica or Idaea if a woman in trauell of child-birth take three
Pitch tree Larch tree brused and sodden in vineger do ease the tooth-ache if the mouth be washed with the decoction The ashes made of their barks skin the places that be chafed fretted and galled betweene the thighs and heale any burn or scald Taken in drinke they bind the belly but open the passages of the vrin A perfume or suffumigation therof doth settle the matrice when it is loose and out of the right place But to write more distinctly of these two trees the leaues of the Pitch tree haue a particular property respectiue to the liuer and the infirmities thereof if one take a dram weight of them and drink it in mead and honied water It is well known and resolued vpon that to take the aire of those woods and forests only where these trees be cut lanced and scraped for to draw pitch and rosin out of them is without all comparison the best course which they can take who either be in a consumption of the lungs or after some long and languishing sicknes haue much ado to recouer their strength Certes such an aire is far better than either to make a long voiage by sea into Egypt or to goe among the cottages in summer time for to drinke new milk comming of the fresh and green grasse of the mountains As for Chamaepitys it is named in Latine by some Abiga for that it causeth women to slip their conception beforetime of others Thus terrae i. ground Frankincense this herb putteth forth branches a cubit long and both in floure and sauor resembleth the Pine tree A second kind there is of Chamaepitys lower than the other seeming as though it bended and stooped downward to the ground There is also a third sort of the same odor that the rest and therefore so named This last Chamaepitys riseth vp with a little stalke or stem of a finger thicknesse it beareth rough small slender and white leaues and it groweth commonly amongst rockes All these three be herbs indeed and no other and should not be ranged among trees yet for names sake because they carry the denomination of Pitys i. the Pitch-tree I was induced the rather to treat of them in this present place to stay no longer Soueraigne they bee all against the pricks or stings of Scorpions applied in manner of a liniment with dates and quinces they be wholsome for the liuer their decoction together with barly meale is good for the infirmities of reins and bladder Also the decoction of these hearbes boiled in water helpeth the jaundise and the difficulty of vrine if the Patient drinke thereof The third kind last named taken with hony is singular against the poison of serpents and in that maner only applied as a cataplasme it clenseth the matrice natural parts of women If one drink the same herbe it will dissolue and remoue the cluttered thick bloud within the body it prouoketh sweat if the body be therwith annointed and it is especially good for the reins Being reduced into pills together with figs it is passing wholsome for those that be in a dropsie for it purgeth the belly of waterish humors If this herb be taken in wine to the weight of a victoriat piece of siluer i. halfe a Roman denier it warisheth for euer the pain of the loins and stoppeth the course of a new cough Finally if it be boiled in vineger and so taken in drink it is said that it will presently expel the dead infant out of the mothers wombe For the like cause and reason I will do the herb Pityusa this honor as to write of it among trees since that it seemeth by the name to come from the Pitch tree this plant some do reckon among the Tithymals a kind of shrub it is like vnto the Pitch tree with a small floure and the same of purple color If one drink the decoction of the root to the quantity of one hemina it purgeth downward both fleam and choler so doth a spoonfull of the seed therof put vp into the body by suppositories The decoction of the leaues in vineger doth cleanse the skin of dandruffe and scales if the decoction of rue be mingled therwith it is singular for sore brests to appease the wrings and tormenrs of the cholick against the sting of serpents and generally for to discusse and resolue all apostemations and botches a breeding But to returne againe to our former trees how Rosine is ingendred in them of their seuerall kinds and the countries where they grow I haue shewed before first in the treatise of wines and afterwards in the discourse and histories of Trees And to speak summarily of rosins they may be diuided into two principal kinds to wit the dry and the liquid rosin The dry is made of the Pine and the Pitch trees the liquid commeth from the Terebinth Larch Lentisk Cypresse trees for these beare rosin in Asia and Syria wheras some there be of opinion That the rosins of the Pitch and Larch trees be all one they be much deceiued for the Pitch tree yeeldeth a fatty rosin and in maner of frankincense vnctuous but from the Larch tree there issueth a subtill and thin liquor running like to life hony of a strong and rank vnpleasant smell Physitians seldome vse any of these liquid Rosins and neuer prescribe them but to be taken or supped off with an egge As for that of the Larch tree they giue it for the cough and exulceration of some noble parts within neither is that per-rosin of the Pine tree much vsed as for the rest they be not of any vse vnlesse they be boiled Touching the diuers manners of boiling them I haue shewed them sufficiently But if I should put a difference between these rosins according to the trees from whence they come the right Terpentine indeed which the Terebinth yeeldeth liketh and pleaseth me best being of all others lightest and most odoriferous If I should make choice of them in regard of the countries where they are found certes they of Cypresse and Syria be best and namely those that in colour resemble Attick hony and for the Cyprian rosin that which is of a more fleshie substance and drier consistence Of the dry per-rosins those are in most request which be white pure transparent or cleare quite through In generall those that come from trees growing vpon mountains be preferred before them of the plains also regarding the Northeast rather than any other wind For salues to heale wounds as also for emollitiue plasters rosins ought to be dissolued in oile for drinks or potions with bitter almonds As touching their medicinable vertues they be good to clense and close vp wounds to discusse and resolue any apostemes which bee in gathering Moreouer they be vsed in the diseases of the brest and namely true Terpentine by way of liniment for then it is singular good especially if it be applied hot also for the pains
serueth in a liniment for al sores in moist flegmatick parts likewise to cure S. Anthonies fire and to wash the gums withall chew the leaues thereof and crush them well between the teeth the same will ease their ach wash them with their decoction and they wil set them fast in the head The same are good to colour the haire black the gum which this tree doth yeeld is soueraign for the infirmities of the seat especially such as require either drying or heating The very decoction of Mastick is comfortable to the stomack it causeth it to rift is besides diuretical Applied vnto the head as a liniment incorporat with the fried groats of barly it cureth the ach or pain therof the tender leaues be applied to right good purpose for the inflammation of the eies Moreouer this Mastich which is the gum of the Lentisk tree is vsed ordinarily to lay the hairs of the eielids euen to extend or make plaine and smooth the riueled skin of the face therefore it is vsed in sope and wash-bals Moreouer there is a good vse thereof for spitting and reaching vp of bloud for an old cough In one word it serueth all those turns whereto the gum Ammoniacke is vsed It healeth all places galled and chaufed where the skin is rubbed or fretted off and if the cods and members of generation be fomented either with the oile made of the seed of the mastich tree mixed with waxe or with a decoction of the leaues boiled in oile or els in water it will skin any raw part thereof To knit vp this discourse I am not ignorant that Democritus the Physitian who had in cure Considia the daughter of M. Seruilius late Consull of Rome for an infirmity or malady of hers for that this damosell could not abide to heare of any vnpleasant Physick caused her to be fed a long time with the milk of goats which were kept with the Lentisk tree leaues and did eat nothing els and sohe cured her of her malady CHAP. VIII ¶ Of the Plane tree the Ash and Maple of the white Poplar and Elme the Tillet or Linden tree the Elder and the Iuniper THe Plane tree is an enemy to Bats or Reremice their little bals which they beare if they be taken to the weight of foure Roman deniers in wine do cure all poisons of serpents and scorpions likewise they heale any burn Being braied or stamped with strong sharp vineger which if it be Squilliticum is the better they stanch any bleeding whatsoeuer Incorporat in hony they mundifie and clense all cancerous vlcers the red pimples and specks with all black spots and marks in the skin which haue remained a long time The leaues and bark reduced into a liniment their decoction also help to rid away any gathering of humors to an head and namely if they matter and run The decoction of the barke sodden in vineger is a singular remedy for the tooth-ach like as the tendrest leaues boiled in white wine for the infirmities of the eyen The ashes which come of the foresaid little bals do heale vp any burn occasioned either by fire or extreame cold The barke taken in wine represseth the venome of the scorpions sting so that it shall go no farther As touching the Ash tree of what effectuall operation it is against serpents I haue declared heretofore it beareth a seed inclosed within certain * cods which being taken in wine is an ordinary remedy for the obstructions infirmities of the liuer as also for the pain in the sides The same also do euacuat the aquosities or waterish humors spread between the skinne and the flesh in the dropsie Leucophlegmatia the leaues do take down by little little and make lean a body ouer-grosse and do ease it of the troublesome cariage that it hath of so much fat if the same be stamped and giuen in wine but herein good regard ought to be had of the strength of the party after this proportion If it be a child fiue leaues of the ash are sufficient to be infused in three cyaths of wine but elder folk and of a stronger complexion may abide seuen well enough in fiue cyaths and drink the infusion But before I do leaue this tree it would not be forgotten that the small chips and shauings yea and the saw dust or filed pouder of this wood are thought to be hurtfull vnto some and they are forbidden to meddle withall The root of the Maple tree stamped into a cataplasme is singular to be applied for the griefs of the liuer and worketh mightily As touching the white Poplar or the trembling Asp I haue shewed heretofore how the perfumers vse the berries or grapes thereof in their sweet ointments The barke infused and taken in drink is good for the sciatica and the strangury The iuice drawn out of the leaues dropped hot into the ears easeth their pain Whosoeuer carieth a twig of Poplar in their hands shal not need to feare any surbating of the feet or galling between the legs The best blacke Poplar and of greatest operation in Physick is that reputed which groweth in the Island Creta the fruit or grain thereof if it be drunk in wine is singular for those who be taken with the falling sicknesse This Poplar yeeldeth a certain small gum or rosin which is much vsed by Physitians in emollitiue plasters the leaues sodden in vineger make a proper cataplasme to be applied vnto the gout the liquor or humor that issueth out of the pores or concauities of the blacke Poplar taketh away warts and wheals it skinneth also galled raw places in any part of the body these Poplars as wel white as black beare vpon their leaues certain warts like to drops of water standing vpon them out of which the Bees do gather that cereous substance named Propolis The drops also of water which the said Propolis doth yeeld if they be mingled with water is a very effectuall remedy for many things Now for the Elme the leaues the bark and the wooddy substance of the branches haue a glutinous nature to consolidat vnite and heale wounds the thinner rind or tunicle verily which lieth between the outward bark and the tree doth assuage the leprosie called of some S. Magnus euill so do the leaues also applied with vineger The barke of the Elm puluerized and taken to the weight of a Roman denier in one hemine of cold water is a very purgatiue and doth euacuat flegmatick and waterish humors particularly The liquor that issueth from the tree as a jelly is singular good for apostemations wounds and burnes but if the places were fomented before with the decoction it would be the better The Elm beareth certaine small bladders or huskes wherein there is ingendred and contained a waterish humour which is very proper to imbelish the skin beautifie the face The first tender sprouts of the leaues boiled in wine do assuage al tumors draw
which they cal Styptick or astringent there is not a better thing than to boile the root of this blackberry bramble in wine to the thirds and namely to make a collution therwith to wash the cankers or sores breeding in the mouth or to foment the vlcers growing in the fundament And verily of such a binding and astringent force is this bramble that the very spungeous bals that it beareth will grow to be as hard as stones Another kind of brier or bramble there is vpon which groweth a rose some cal it Cynosbatos others Cynospastos it beareth a leafe like to the print or sole of a mans foot A little bal or pill it breedeth furred or bristled much after the maner of the Chestnut which serueth as a speciall remedy for those that be subiect to the stone As for Cynorrhonos it is another plant different from this wherof I will speak in the next book CHAP. XIV ¶ Of Cynosbatos and the Raspice of the Rhamnos and of Lycium and Sarcocolla Of a certaine composition in Physicke called Oporice AS for the bramble named Chamaebatos it beareth certain black berries like grapes within the kernell wherof it hath a certain string like a sinew whereupon it came to be called Newâ—…ospastos it is a different plant from the Caper which the Physitians haue named also Cynosbatos Now the tender stems of the foresaid Cynosbatos or Chamaebatos condite in vineger are good for them to eat who are troubled with the opilation of the spleen with ventosities for it is a singular remedy for those infirmities The string or sinew thereof chewed with Mastick of Chios purgeth the mouth The wild roses that grow vpon this brier being incorporat with swines grease are excellent for to make the haire grow againe when it is shed by some infirmity The beries of these brambles if they be tempred with oile oliue made of green and vnripe oliues colour the haire black The proper season to gather the floures of these brambles that cary beries like to mulberies is in haruest time the white kind of them drunk in wine is a soueraign remedy for the pleurisie the flux of the stomack the root sodden to thethirds stoppeth a lask and staieth the flux of bloud likewise a collution made therwith fastneth loose teeth if they be washed withall The same decoction or liquor is good to foment the vlcers of the seat priuy parts The ashes of the root burnt keep vp the uvula from falling The Raspis is called in Latin Rubus Idaeus because it groweth vpon the mountain Ida and not elswhere so plenteously Now is this bramble more tender lesse in growth it putteth forth also fewer stalkes vpright and those more harmelesse and nothing so pricky as the other brambles before named besides it loueth well to grow vnder the shade of trees The floures of this bramble reduced into a liniment with hony restrain the flux of rheumaticke humors into the eies and keepeth down the spreading of S. Anthonies fire and giuen in water to drink it cureth infirmities of the mouth In all other cases it hath like operations to the former brambles Among the diuers kinds of brambles is reckoned the Rhamne which the Greeks cal Rhamnos notwithstanding that it is whiter more branching than the rest This Rham beareth many flours spreading forth his branches armed with pricks not crooked or hooked as the rest but streight and direct clad also with larger leaues A second kind there is of them growing wilde in the woods blacker than the other yet inclining in some sort to a red colour this carieth as it were certain little cods Of the root of this Rham boiled in water is made the medicine that is called Lycium The seed of this plant draws down the after-birth The former of these two which also is the whiter hath a vertue more astringent and cooling than the other therfore better for impostumations and wounds howbeit the leaues of both either green or boiled are vsed in liniments with oile for the said purpose But as touching Lycium the best of all other is by report made of a certain Thorne tree or bush which they cal Pyxacanthos Chironia the form wherof I haue described among the Indian trees indeed the most excellent Lycium by many degrees is that Indian Lycium thought to be The manner of making this Lycium is in this wise they take the branches of this plant together with the roots which be exceeding bitter after they be well punned and stamped seeth them in water within a brasen pan for three daies together or therabout which don they take forth the wood set the liquor ouer the fire again where it taketh a second boiling so long till it be come to the consistence or thicknes of hony howbeit sophisticated it is many times with some bitter juices yea and with the lees of oile beasts gall The very froth scum in maner of a flory that it casteth vp some vse to put into colyries medicines for the eies The substance of the juice besides is abstersiue it mundifieth the face healeth scabs cureth the exulcerations or frettings in the corners of the eies it represseth old rheumes distillations clenseth ears running with filthy matter represseth the inflammations of the almonds in the mouth called Tonsillae of the gums staieth the cough restraineth the reaching casting of bloud if it be taken to the quantity of a bean being spred in maner of a plaster or liniment and so applied it drieth vp running and watery sores it healeth the chaps and clifts in any part of the body the vlcers of the secret parts seruing for generation any place fretted or galled new and green vlcers yea and such as be corrosiue and withall growing to putrefaction it is singular for the calosities werts or hardcorns growing in the nosthrils and all impostumations moreouer women find great help by drinking it in milke for any violent shift or immoderat flux of their monthly sicknes the best Indian Licium is known by this That the masse or lump therof is black without-forth red within when it is broken but soon it commeth to a black colour An astrictiue medicine this is and bitter withal and hath the same effects which the other Lycium is reported to haue but specially if it be applied to the priuie members of generation As touching Sarcocolla some be of opinion that it is the gum or liquor issuing from a certain thorny plant or bush and they hold that it resembleth the crums of frankincense called Pollen or Manna Thuris in tast seemeth to be sweetish yet quick and sharpe withall This Sarcocoll stamped with wine and so applied represseth all fluxes in a liniment good it is for yong infants This gum also by age and long keeping waxeth black but the whiter is the better thereby is the goodnesse knowne But before I depart from this treatise of Trees
and their medicinable vertues I must needs say we are beholden to them yet for one excellent medicine more which is called Oporice by the Greeks as one would say made of fruits This composition is singular for the bloudy flix or exulceration of the guts also for the infirmities of the stomack The manner of making it is in this wise Take 5 quinces with their kernels seeds all as many pomgranats likewise let them boil gently ouer a soft fire in one gallon of new white wine put therto the weight or measure or one sextar of Seruises and as much in quantity of the Sumach which is called Rhus Syriacum together with halfe an ounce of saffron seeth all these together to the height or consistence of hony Thus much concerning the properties of trees seruing in Physicke It remaineth now to annex hereunto a discourse of those plants which the Greek writers by giuing them names in some analogie respectiue vnto trees haue left an ambiguity and made vs doubt of them whether they be trees or herbs CHAP. XV. ¶ Of Chamaedrys i. Germander Chamaedaphne i. Lawrcoll Chamelaea Chamaesyce Chamaecissos i. Ale-hooue Chamaeleuce i. Fole-foot Chamaepeuce Chamae-cyparissus i. Lauander-cotton Ampelo-prasos Stachys Clinopodium Centunculus and Clematis Aegyptia with the medicines that they affoord GErmander is an herb called in Greek Chamaedrys and in Latine Trissago some haue named it Chamaedrope others Teucrion it beareth leaues for bignes resembling mints in colour like vnto the oke leaues cut and indented also after the same maner Of some it is called Serrata and they affirme that the first pattern of a saw was taken from the leafe of this herb whereupon it should be so called The floure beareth much vpon the purple colour it loueth to grow in stony places and would be gathered whiles it is full of juice and thus gathered in due season whether it be taken in drink or taken outwardly in a liniment most effectuall it is against the poison of serpents likewise it is wholsome for the stomack good against an inueterat cough singular to cut dissolue and raise the tough fleam sticking in the throat a special remedy for ruptures convulsions and pleurisies it waneth away the ouergrown spleen it prouokes vrine and womens fleurs in which regard a bundle or handfull of Germander boiled in 3 hemines of water vntill a third part be consumed maketh a soueraigne decoction or drinke for those who are newly faln into a dropsie Some there be who stamp this herb and sprinkle water among and so reduce it into troschs Ouer and besides the vertues before rehearsed it it is good to heale botches newly broken and full of matter yea old vlcers though they be filthy and putrified if it be applied thereto for the spleen it is vsually taken with vineger this juice doth chause and heat those parts which be annointed therewith As touching Lawreol called by the Greeks Chamaedaphne it ariseth vp with one only stem of a cubit high or thereabout the leaues are but smal howbeit like to those of the Lawrell it bringeth forth a reddish seed appearing among the leaues which being vsed in a liniment fresh and green easeth the head-ach The same cooleth all excessiue heats and if it be drunk in wine appeaseth the wrings and torments of the belly The juice thereof taken in drink drawes downe womens fleurs and prouokes vrine the same applied in wooll to the naturall parts of a woman causeth her to be soon deliuered when she is in hard trauell of child-birth As for Chamelaea it hath leaues like vnto those of the oliue the same be bitter in tast and in smell odoriferous This plant groweth in stony grounds and exceedeth not in heigth a hand-breadth or span at most a purgatiue herb it is for thereof is made an excellent syrrup to euacuat fleame and choler namely if there be taken one part of the leaues of this herbe with two parts of wormwood and so boiled for certainly this decoction drunk with hony is singular for to purge the foresaid humors A cataplasme made with the leaues clenseth vlcers It is commonly said that if this herb be gathered before the sun-rising and the party to say expressely in the gathering That it is for the pin and web in the eies it will dispatch and rid away the said infirmity if one do but weare it tied about him And how soeuer it be gathered whether it be with any such circumstance and ceremony or without yet is it singular for the haw gnawing in the eies of horses and sheepe Chamaesyce beareth leaues resembling those of the Lentil but they alwaies creep along the ground and rise not vp This herbe groweth in drie and stony grounds the same boiled in wine and vsed as a liniment vnto the eies cleareth their sight for it is singular to dispatch and remoue cataracts suffusions and cicatrices growing therein as also to rid away the misty clouds and films that ouercast the sight Being put vp into the matrice within a linnen cloath in manner of a pessarie it allaieth the paines thereof VVarts of all sorts it taketh away if they be annointed therewith It is a soueraigne remedy also for those who cannot take their wind but sitting vpright Chamaecissos groweth vp spiked with an ear like vnto wheat and ordinarily putteth forth fiue branches and those ful of leaues VVhen it sheweth in the floure a man would take it to be the white Violet or Gillofre The root is but small They that are troubled with the Sciatica vse to drinke the leauâ—… thereof to the weight of three oboli in two cyaths of wine for seuen daies together but it is an exceeding bitter potion As for Fole-foot it is called in Greeke Chamaeleuce but we in Latine name it Farranum or Farfugium It loueth to grow by riuers sides The leaues somwhat resemble those of the Poplar but that they be larger If the root of Fole-foot be burnt vpon the coles made with Cypres wood the smoke or perfume thereof receiued or drunk through a pipe or tunnell into the mouth is singular for an old cough Touching Chamaepeuce in leafe it is like vnto the Larch-tree a plant very appropriat to the paine of the back and the loins The herb Chamaecyparissos if it be drunk in wine is singular good against all the venomous stings of serpents and scorpions The herb Ampeloprasos groweth in vineyards bearing leaues resembling Porret but it causeth them to belch soure that eat thereof Howbeit of great power it is against the sting of serpents It prouoketh vrine womens monthly terms And yet whether it be drunke or applied outwardly it is passing good for them that pisse bloud represseth the issue eruption thereof Our midwiues vse to giue it vnto women newly deliuered and brought to bed likewise it is found to auaile much vnto them that be bitten with mad dogs Moreouer the herb
groweth it runneth creepeth within the earth by many knots or ioints in the root from which as also from the branches and top-sprigs trailing aboue-ground it putteth forth new roots and spreadeth into many branches In all other parts of the world the leaues of this grasse grow slender and sharp pointed toward the end only vpon the mount Pernassus wherupon it is called Gramen Pernassi it brancheth thicker than in other places and resembleth in some sort Ivie bearing a white floure and the same odoriferous There is not a grasse in the field whereon horses take more delight to feed than this whether it be greene as it groweth or dry and made into hay especially if it be giuen them somewhat sprinckled with water Moreouer it is said that the inhabitants about the foresaid mount Pernassus do draw a juice out of this grasse vsed much to increase plenty of milk for sweet and pleasant it is but in other parts of the world in stead therof they vse the decoction of the common grasse for to conglutinat wounds and yet the very herb it selfe in substance will do as much if it be but stamped and so applied and besides a good defensatiue it is to keep any place that is cut or hurt from inflammation To the said decoction some put wine and hony others adde a third part in proportion of Frankincense Pepper and Myrrhe and then set all ouer the fire againe and boile it a second time in a pan of brasse which composition they vse as a medicine for the tooth-ach and watering eies occasioned by the flux of humors thither The root sodden in wine appeaseth the wrings torments of the guts openeth the conduits of the vrine and giueth it passage besides it healeth the vlcers of the bladder yea it breaketh the stone But the seed is more diureticall and with greater force driueth downe vrine than the root And yet it stoppeth a laske and staieth vomit A peculiar vertue it hath against the sting of dragons or serpents Moreouer some there be who giue direction in the cure of the kings euil and other flat impostumes called Pani to take nine knots or ioints of a root of this grasse and if they cannot find one root with so many ioints to take two or three roots vntill they haue the foresaid number which done to enwrap or fold the same in vnwashed or greasie wooll which is black with this charge by the way that the party who gathered the said roots be fasting and then to goe vnto the house of the patient that is to be cured waiting a time when hee is from home and be ready at his returne to receiue him with these words three times pronounced Iejunus ieiuno medicamentum do i. I being yet fasting giue thee a medicine also whiles thou art fasting and with that to bind the foresaid knots roots vnto the parts affected and so continue this course for three daies together Furthermore that kind of grasse which hath seuen ioints in the root neither more nor lesse is singular for the head ach and worketh great effects if the Patient carrieth it tied fast about him Some Physitians do prescribe for the intollerable pain of the bladder to take the decoction of this grasse boyled in wine vnto the consumption of one halfe and giue it to drinke vnto the Patient presently vpon the comming out of the baine or hot-house Touching the grasse which by reason of the pricks that it beares is named Aculeatum there be three sorts of it the first is that which ordinarily hath fiue such prickes in the head or top thereof and thereupon they call it Penta Dactylon i. the fiue finger graise these prickes when they be wound together they vse to put vp into the nosthrils and draw them downe again for to make the nose bleed The second is like to Sengreen or Housleek singular good it is for the whitflaws and excrescences or risings vp of the flesh about the naile roots if it be incorporat into a liniment with hogs grease and this grasse they call Dactylus because it is a medicine for the fingers The third kind named likewise Dactylos but smaller than the other groweth vpon old decaied wals or tyle houses this is of a caustick burning nature good to represse the canker in running and corrosiue vlcers Generally a chaplet made of the herbe Gramen or Dogs-grasse and worn vpon the head stancheth bleeding at the nose The Gramen that groweth along the high waies in the country about Babylon is said to kill camels that grase vpon it Fenigreeke commeth not behind the other herbs before specified in credit and account for the vertues which it hath the Greeks call it Telus and Carphos some name it Buceras and Aegoceras for that the seed resembleth little hornes we in Latine tearme it Silicia or Siliqua The manner of sowing it I haue declared in due place sufficiently The vertues thereof is to dry mollifie and resolue the juice drawne out of it after the decoction is right soueraigne for many infirmities and diseases incident to women and namely in the naturall parts whether the matrice haue a schirre in it and be hard or swolne or whether the necke thereof be drawne too streight and narrow for which purposes it is to be vsed by way of somentation incession or bath also by infusion or injection with the metrenchyte Very proper it is to extenuat the scurf or scales like dandruffe appearing in the visage being sodden and applied together with sal-nitre it helpeth the disease of the spleen The like effect it hath with vineger and beeing boyled therin it is good for the liuer for such women as haue painful trauel in child-birth be hardly deliuered Diocles appointed Fenigreek seed to the quantity of one acetable to be giuen in nine cyaths of wine cuit for three draughts with this direction that the woman first should take one third part of this drink and then go to a hot bath and whiles she were sweating therein to drink one halfe of that which was left and presently after she is out of the bain sup off the rest And he saith there is not the like medicine to be found in this case when all others will take no effect The floure or meale of Fenigreek seed boiled in mead or honied water together with barly or Lineseed is singular for the paine of the matrice either applied to the share in maner of a cataplasme or put vp into the naturall parts as a pessary according as the abouenamed Dioâ—…les saith who was wont likewise to cure the lepry or S. Magnus euil to clense mundifie the skin of freckles pimples with a liniment made with the foresaid floure incorporat with the like quantity of brim stone with this charge to prepare the skin by rubbing it with salnitre before the said ointment were vsed and then to annoint it oftentimes in a day Theodorus vsed to mixe
with Fenigreek a fourth part of the seed of garden cresses wel clensed to temper them in the strongest vineger that he could come by which he took to be an excellent medicine for the leprosie Damion ordained to make a drink with half an acetable of Fenigreek seed put into 9 cyaths of cuit or sheere water and so to giue it so prouoking of womens fleurs no man doubts but the decoction of Fenigreeke is most wholsome for the matrice and the exulceration of the guts like as the seed it self is excellent for the ioints precordial parts about the heart But in case it be boiled with Mallows it is good for the matrice guts so there be put to the said decoction some honied wine then giuen in drink for euen the very vapor or fume of the said decoction doth much good to those parts Also the decoction of Fenigreeke seed rectifieth the stinking rank smel of the arm-pits if they be washed therewith The floure made of Fenigreeke seed incorporat with nitre wine quickly clenseth the head of scurfe scales dandruffe But boiled in hydromell i. honyed water and brought into a liniment with hogs grease it cureth the swelling and inflammation of the members seruing to generation likewise it is singular for the broad and flat apostems called Pani the swelling kernels and inflammations behinde the ears the gout as well of the feet as of the hands and other ioints also the putrifaction of the flesh ready to depart from the bone and being incorporat in vineger it helpeth dislocations being boiled in vineger and hony only it serueth as a good liniment for the spleen and tempered with wine it clenseth or mundifieth cancerous sores but put thereto hony it healeth them throughly in a short time The said floure of Fenigreeke seed taken in a broth or supping is an approued remedy for an vlcer within the brest and any inueterat cough but it asketh long seething euen vntill it haue lost the bitternesse and afterwards hony is put thereto and then it is a singular grewell for the infirmities before said Thus you see what may be said of those hearbes which are in comparison but of a mean account it remaineth now to discourse of those which are of more account and estimation than the rest THE TVVENTY FIFTH BOOKE OF THE HISTORIE OF NATVRE WRITTEN BY C. PLINIVS SECVNDVS CHAP. I. ¶ The nature and properties of Hearbs growing wild and of their owne accord WHen I consider the excellency of such hearbes whereof now I am to treat and which the earth seemeth to haue brought forth onely for the vse of Physick I cannot chuse but grow withall into a wonderfull admiration of the great industry and careful diligence of our Antients before-time who haue made experiments of all things and left nothing vntried neither reserued they afterwards this hidden knowledge to themselues nor concealed ought but were willing to communicate the same vnto posteritie for their good and benefit but we contrariwise in these daies are desirous to keep secret and to suppresse the labors of other men yea and to defraud the world of those commodities which haue been purchased by the sweat of other mens browes for verily we see it is an ordinary course that such as haue attained to some knowledge envie that little skil vnto their neighbours and to keepe all forsooth to themselues and teach none their cunning they thinke the onely way to winne a great name and opinion of some deepe and profound learning And so far be we off from deuising new inuentions and imparting the same to the generall profit of mankinde that for this long time men of great wit and high conceit haue studied and practised to compasse this one point That the good deeds of their Ancestours might with themselues die and be buried for euer But certes wee see and know that the seueral inuentions of some one thing or other haue caused diuers men in old time to be canonized as gods in such sort as their memoriall hath beene eternized by the names euen of hearbes which they found out so thanke full was the age insuing as to recognize and acknowledge a benefit from them receiued and by this meanes in some measure to make recompence This care and industrie of theirs if it had beene imployed in Domesticall Plants neere home which either for pleasure and delight or else for the Kitchin and Table are set and sowed could not haue beene so rare and wonderfull but they spared not to climbe vp the top of high mountaines and to rocks vnaccessible to trauell through blind and vnpeopled desarts to search euery veine and corner of the earth all to find and know the vertues of herbs of what operation the root was for what diseases the leaues were to be vsed yea and to make wholsom medicines for mans health of those simples which the very four-footed beasts of the field neuer fed vpon nor once touched CHAP. II. ¶ The Latine Authors who haue written of herbs and their natures At what time the knowledge of Simples began to be practised and proffssed in Rome The first Greeke writers who trauelâ—…d â—…n this Argument The inuention of herbs The antient Physicke and the manner of curing diseasâ—…s in old time What is the cause that Simples are not now so much vsed for remedies of diseases as they haue bin Finally of the sweet Brier or Eglantine and the herb Dragons with their medicinable vertues WE Romans haue bin more slack and negligent in this behalfe than was beseeming vs considering how otherwise there was not a nation in the world more apprehenâ—… of all vertues and things profitable to this life than ours For to say a truth M. Caâ—…o that famous clerke and great professor so well seen in all good Arts and Sciences was the first and for a long time the only author who wrate of Simples and howsoeuer he handled that argument but briefly and summarily yet he omitted not the leech-craft belonging also to kine and oxen Long after him C. Valgius a noble gentleman of Rome a man of approued literature compiled a treatise of Simples which he left vnperfect howbeit he dedicated the book to â—…ugustus Caesar the Emperor as may appeare by a preface by him begun wherein after a religious and ceremonious manner of supplication he seemeth to beseech the said prince That it might please his Majesty especially to â—…ure all the maladies of mankind And before his time the only man among our Latines as far as euer I could find who wrot of Simples was Pomâ—… us â—…aeus the vassall or freed man of Pompey the Great And this was the first time that the knowledge of this kind of learning was set on foot and professed at Rome For Mithridates the most mightie and puissant king in that age whose fortune notwithstanding was to be vanquished and subdued by Pompey was well knowne vnto the world not only by the fame that went of
Panaces especially that which is called Chironia if it be chewed in the mouth assuageth the tooth-ach so doth the iuice thereof if there be a collution made therewith The root of Henbane hath the like vertue if one chew it with vineger as also of Polemonia or sauge de bois for which purpose it is passing good to chew the Plantain root or to wash the mouth and teeth with the iuice or decoction thereof boiled in vineger And the very leaues of Plantain be singular for the pain of the teeth yea though the gums were putrified with rank corrupt bloud or in case there owsed or issued out of them filthy bloudy matter And the seed of Plantain cureth the impostumations of the gums albeit they gathered to suppuration and ran matter Moreouer Aristolochia doth knit and consolidat the gums yea and fasteneth the teeth in the head For these infirmities of gums and teeth the root of Veruain is highly commended if it be chewed or if it be boiled in wine or vineger and the mouth washed with that decoction The roots of Cinque-foile sodden likewise either in wine or vineger to the consumption of a third part worke the same effect But looke that before you boile them they be wel rinced and washed either in sea water or salt water at the least and when you vse this collution see you hold the liquor or decoction in your mouth a long time But some there be who thinke it better to rub the teeth with the ashes of Cinquefoile burnt leaues root and all Moreouer the root of Mullen or Taperwort sodden in wine maketh a singular collution for the teeth Likewise if the teeth be washed with the decoction of Hyssop or the iuice of Harstrang together with Opium or Poppie iuice much good and ease will insue thereupon As also by the iuice of a Pimpernell root and the rather of that which is counted the female if the same be conueighed vp into the nosthril of the contrary side to the tooth that aketh There is an herb called Groundswel which the Greeks name Erigeron and we the Latines Senecio they say if a man make a circle round about it with some instrument of yron and then dig it out of the ground and therewith touch the tooth that is pained three seueral times and between euery touching spit vpon the ground and then bestow the said herb root and all in the very same place where he drew it so as it may liue and grow again the said tooth shall neuer ake afterwards This Groundswell is an hearbe much like in shape vnto Germander as soft also and tender as it the small stalkes or braunches whereof incline to a reddish colour and it loueth to grow vpon tiled houses or VValles The Greekes imposed that name Erigeron because in the Spring it looketh hoarie like an old gray beard in the top it diuideth it selfe into a number of heads betweene which there commeth forth a light plume much like vnto Thistle-downe VVhich is the reason that Callimachus calleth it Acanthius and others Pappos But in the farther Description of this Hearbe it seemeth that the Greekes agreed not for some haue sayd that it is leafed like to Rocket others to an Oke but that they bee much lesse There bee VVriters also who hold the root to bee good for nothing in Physicke and there bee againe that commend it to bee singular for the sinewes besides some others are of opinion That it strangleth and choaketh as many as drinke it Contrariwise certaine Physitians prescribe it for the Iaundise to bee taken in Wine for all the diseases likewise of the bladder and against the infirmities of the Heart and Liuer And they assure vs That it scoureth the Reines or Kidneies of all grauell In case of the Sciatica they haue ordayned it to bee drunke to the weight of a dramme with Oxymell presently after some exercise by walking giuing out that there is not a better thing in the World for the gripes and torments of the guts if it be taken in sweet wine cuit esteeming it a singular herbe for the griefe of the midriffe and precordiall parts about the heart if it be eaten with meat in a sallad with vineger and in regard of these manifold commodities they sow and nourish it in their gardens for to be alwaies ready at hand And some authours I find who haue made a second kind thereof but they haue not described what manner of herbe it is only they appoint it to be giuen in water against the sting of serpents and to be eaten for the falling sicknesse For mine own part I will set down the vse thereof in some cases according as I haue found it by experience to work in the practise here at Rome The plume or downe which it beareth if it be stamped and reduced into a liniment with Saffron and a few drops of cold water and so applied cureth the inordinat flux of waterish humors into the eies The same dried and parched against the fire or otherwise fried with some cornes of salt and laid to the swelling wens called the Kings euil healeth them The May-Lillie called in Greeke Ephemeron is leafed like vnto the Lillie but that the leaues be lesse the stem is semblable and equall vnto it vpon which it beareth a blew floure The seed which it carrieth is nothing medicinable One single root it hath of a finger thickenesse which is soueraigne for the teeth if it be cut and minced small and afterwards sodden in vineger for a collution to wash the teeth with it warme The very substance also of the root is singular good to confirme the teeth standing loose in the head and to be put into those that be hollow and worme eaten Moreouer the root of Celendine is good for the teeth if it be bruised or stamped and so with vineger held in the mouth If teeth be rotten and corrupt the black Ellebore is singular to be put into their concauities And both of them as well the blacke as the white serue in a collution to strengthen and keep them fast in their sockets if they be boyled in vineger As touching the Tazill which is called in Latine Labrum Veneris it grows in riuers and waters within the heads or burs which it beareth there is found a little worme or grub which for the tooth-ache they vse to binde about the teeth or to put it in their holes and close them vp with wax But when that herbe is pulled out of the ground great heed must be taken that it touch not the earth The herbe Crowfoot is called in Latine Ranunculs in Greeke Batrachion whereof be foure kindes The first beareth leaues like vnto Coriander but that they be farter and as broad as those of the Mallow of a swe rt colour the stalke is whitish or grisled and slender the root also white it groweth ordinarily along great rode waies especially in cold shadowie moist places The second is better
and of Poppy one spoonfull in 4 cyaths of wine not very old the same medicine may be giuen also last at a night to bedward with some addition of sal-nitre or fried barly meale if it be long after meat and one hemine of the juice thereof is singular for the cholique if it be ministred in a clystre though the patient were in an ague In cases of the spleene it is good to drink 3 oboles weight of Agarick in one cyath of old wine for it cureth the spleen and of the same operation is the root of all sorts of Panaces taken in honied wine but for the accidents of the spleen Teucrion hath no fellow if it be taken either dry in pouder or boiled to the quantity of one handfull in 3 hemines of vineger and the same herb maketh a soueraigne salue for green wounds to be applied with vineger or if the patient cannot indure it with a fig or water in stead of vineger Polemonia likewise is a good herb for the spleen to be drunk in wine so is Betony taken to the poise of one dram in 3 cyaths of oxymell and Aristolochia is likewise respectiue to this part in case it be giuen vnto the patient as against the poison of serpents If the Patient continue the eating of Argemonia seuen daies together with his meat it will as they say in that time consume and wast the swelling spleen Agarick taken to the weight of 2 oboli in oxymell is effectuall that way The root of Nymphaea Heraclia or Nenuphar drunk in wine is able of it selfe to consume the same Cissanthemos is an excellent herb for the spleene or milt if a man take a dram of it twise a day in two cyaths of white wine and hold on that course for fortie daies together it wil by report rid away the diseased spleen by vrine to which purpose the decoction of hyssop with figs serueth very well euen so doth the decoction of Lonchitis if it bee taken before it spindle and run vp to seed also the root of Harstrang boiled is good for spleene and kidnies Acorum if it be taken in drink consumeth the milt For the Midriffe and Hypochondriall parts or the small guts lying in the flanke vnder the short ribs * Radish roots be singular The seed of water Betony if it be drunke thirty daies together the weight of one denarius at once in white wine is singular in that case the pouder of Betony taken in drink with hony and vineger of Squilla is commended for that purpose as also the root of Lonchitis drunk in water and Teucrium applied as a liniment Scordum incorporat with wax and Agarick with the pouder or floure of Fenigreek help the infirmities of the bladder and namely the intollerable pains of the stone and grauell as I haue beforesaid Polemonia drunk in wine and in like manner Agaricke is good for that purpose the root or leaues of Plantaine taken in sweet wine cuit also Betonie prepared in that manner as it was appointed for the disease of the liuer be remedies for the infirmities of that part Betonie also giuen in drink and applied in a liniment healeth a rupture and the same is most effectuall in curing the strangury some prescribe and giue counsell to drink Betony Veruaine Yarrow or Millefoile of each a like portion in water as an excellent remedy for the stone and grauel And well knowne it is that for to ease the strangury and remoue the cause thereof Dictamnus is an approued medicine so is the decoction of Cinquefoile if it be boiled in wine to the consumption of a third part found by experience to be an vndoubted remedy in that infirmity the same also is singular good to be applied in that rupture where the guts be falne downe The vpper root of Glader or Flags causeth young infants to make water if it be laid to the bottom of the belly the same giuen inwardly with water cureth those that are burst and haue their guts slipped downe and helpeth the infirmities of the bladder in an outward liniment The iuice of Harstrang healeth little children who are bursten and of Fleawort there is made a good ointment to annoint their Nauell when it beareth out ouermuch Both the Pimpernels do prouoke vrine so doth the decoction of Acorus root the very root it selfe also beaten into pouder and taken in drink worketh the like effect and besides healeth all the accidents of the bladder Cotyledon or Vmbelicus Veneris both herb and root breaketh the stone and expelleth it by grauell being otherwise singular good for all inflammations of the genitall parts or members of generation if the stalks and seed be taken with Myrrhe of each a like quantity Walwort stamped together with the tender leaues thereof and so drunk in wine driueth out the stone the same applied outwardly cureth the accidents befailing to the cods Groundswell with the pouder of Frank incense and sweet wine reduced into an ointment cureth the inflammation of the sayd cods The root of Camfrey brought into a liniment staieth the rupture whereby the guts come downe and white Hypocist his represseth the cancerous sores in those parts Semblably Mugwort is singular to be giuen in sweet wine for the stone and strangur The root of Nenuphar or Nymphaea Heraclia taken in wine assuageth the paine and griefe of the bladder of the same power is Sampier so highly commended by Hippocrates now is this one of the wild woorts which are vsually eaten in salads and certes this is that very herbe which the good countrey wife Hecale forgat not to set vpon her boord in a feast that she made as we may read in Callimachus the Poet And what is it but a kind of garden Batis It groweth vp with one stem halfe a foot high or a span at most the seed is exceeding hot round and odoriferous like vnto Rosemary if it be dried it bursteth and hath within a white kernell which some call Cachrys The leaues be fatty and of a grayish white in manner of the oliue leafe but that they be thicker and saltish in tast roots it hath three or foure of a finger thicknesse it groweth vpon the sea coast among rocks and clifts This herbe may be eaten raw or boiled it skilleth not how with Beets Coles and other such woorts and in tast likewise it is aromaticall and pleasant it is vsually preserued and kept condite in a kinde of pickle and the principall vse that it hath is to cure the strangury if either leafe stalk or root be drunk in wine also beeing thus taken it maketh folke look with a more louely cheerful colour but if one be too bold with it vse it not with moderation it breedeth ventosities The decoction of Sampiermaketh the body soluble and is diureticall for it mightly draweth water from the kidnies In like manner the pouder of dryed Althaea or Marsh-Mallow drunk in wine cureth the strangury and easeth
them that pisse drop-meale which it wil do more effectually if the Carot be ioined withall the same is wholesome for the spleen and a counterpoison against serpents if it be taken in drink If the pouder thereof be strewed and mingled among the barley which is giuen in Prouander vnto cart horses and such like it helpeth them when they run at nose with the glanders and stale drop by drop Touching the herb Anthyllion it is as like as may be to Lentils which if it be drunk in wine cureth all the infirmities of the bladder and namely when there issueth forth bloud with vrin there is another hearbe comming neare to it in name to wit Anthyllis like vnto Iva Muscata or Chamaepitys carrying purple flours senting strong and hath a root like to Cichory which is good in these cases But it seemeth that Brooklime called otherwise Cepaea an herbe resembling Purcellane but that the root is blacker and good for nothing in Physick growing vpon the sandy shore and hauing a bitter taste is better for the said infirmities than the former named Anthyllis for if it be taken in wine with the root of Sperage it is excellent for the diseases of the bladder of the same operation is Hypericon which some call Chamaepitys others Corion This herb shooteth forth many branches which be small and slender of a cub it in length and red withall in leafe it resembleth rue the smel is quick hot and piercing the seed which it beareth within certain cods is black and the same ripeneth together with barly The nature of the seed is astringent it doth incrassat and thicken humors and stoppeth a lask vrin it prouoketh and being drunk in wine scoureth away the stone and grauell in the bladder A second Hypericon there is which some call Coris in leafe it resembleth Tamarix vnder which it gladly groweth but that the leaues be more fat and not so red it groweth not aboue a span high odoriferous to smell vnto and of a mild sweet tast and yet sharp withall The seed is hot and therfore causeth ventosities and inflation in ruptures howbeit vnto the stomack it is not hurtfulâ—… and singular good for the strangury in case the bladder be not exulcerat drunk in wine it cureth the pleurisie Moreouer for the bladder and the diseases thereof Maiden-haire made into pouder together with Cumin and giuen in white wine is a soueraigne remedy also Veruaine sodden leaues and all vntill the third part of the liquor be consumed or the very root only thereof taken in honied wine hot expelleth the stones and grauel in the bladder In like maner the herb Perpressa which groweth at Aretium and in Sclauonia being boiled in water from 3 hemines to one and so taken inwardly as a drink is an appropriate medicine for the bladder Clauer or three leafed grasse taken in wine Camomile likewise drunk is good for the same Moreouer Anthemum expelleth the stone an herb this is which putteth forth immediatly from the root fiue small leaues and two long stems with a red rose colour floure the roots stamped alone are as effectual in this case as green Lauer. As for Silaus it groweth along those riuers which run continually and be neuer dry especially such as glide vpon sand grauel it riseth to the height of a cub it and resembleth garden Parsley they vse to seeth it after the maner of Soure-docke and so prepared it doth much good to the bladder which if it be excoriat and scabbed the root of Panaces will heale it for otherwise it is hurtful to that part The herb called Malum Erraticum i. as one would say the wandring poison or apple it expelleth the stone if one pound of the root be throughly sodden in a congius or gallon of wine vnto the consumption of the half so that the patient take thereof for three daies together one hemine at a time and that which remaineth of the decoction in wine with Lauer sea-nettles Also Carots and Plantaine seed taken in wine driueth down stone and grauell The nettle called Fulviana an herb well knowne to them especially that handle it and which took that name of him who first found out the vertue thereof if it be stamped and drunk in wine prouoketh vrine Scordium is singular for the swelling of the genetoirs or cods Henbane is good for the diseases of the members seruing to generation The iuice of Peucedanum i. Harstrang incorporate with hony like as the seed also taken inwardly helpeth those who are pained with the strangurie likewise Agaricke if three oboli thereof be drunk in one cyath of old wine the root of Trifoile or Clauer giuen to the poise of two drams in sweet wine and one dram of Daucum id est Carot either the herb root or seed haue the like effect Such as be troubled with the Sciatica or gout in the huckle-bone finde remedy by a plaster or cataplasm made with the seed and leaues both of Madder also with a drink of Panaces likewise if the place be well rubbed with Polemonia and bathed with the decoction of the leaues of Aristolochia it finds much ease thereby The broad sinew or cord at the end of the muscles which is called in Greek Platys likewise the shoulders if they be pained feele sensible alleviation by Agaricke if the weight of three oboli be drunk in one cyath of old wine Cinquefoile both taken in drinke and also applied as a plaster allaieth the paine of the Sciatica so doth the herb Scammony boiled with barley meale The seed of both the Hypericons drunke in wine is proper for that malady The accidents of the seat or fundament especially when that part is fretted or galled a salue of Plantaine healeth most speedily The swellings or blind piles appearing like bigs or knuckles within the fundament are cured with fiue-leafe grasse if the said part be turned the insight outward or displaced there is not a better thing to settle and reduce it to the former state than a fomentation with the Cyclamin or Sow bread root and vineger together Pimpernell with the blew floure restoreth the tiwill or fundament into the right place if it be falne downe and hang out of the body and contrariwise that with the red floure driueth it downe Vmbilicus Veneris is of wonderfull operation in the cure both of the blind piles and the running haemorrhoids The root of Acorus i. Galengale sodden in wine stamped and brought into a liniment assuageth the tumors or swellings of the cods And Cato affirmeth That whosoeuer haue the Ponticke wormwood about them shall not be galled betweene their legs CHAP. IX ¶ Of Penyroiall and Argemone OThers adde moreouer Penyroiall to the foresaid wormwood say that if a man gather Peniroyall fasting and bind it fast to the reins and smal of the back he shal feel no griefe in the share or if he were pained
spreadeth with a number of branches the seed whereof is hot and the root of no validity or vse in Physick likewise they imposed vpon other the names of Arrhenogonum and Thelygonum the seeds or graines of which resemble cods or cullions Moreouer it is said That whosoeuer haue about them the marow or pith of the Tithymal branches shall be very prone and forward to the sports of Venus Theophrastus a renowned author and otherwise a graue and modest writer exceedeth in this point and telleth vs of strange and incredible wonders and namely of a man who was able to company with women seuenty times together by touching or handling one only herb but he hath not put downe either the name or portraiture of that herb Sideritis the herb if it be bound to the swelling and painfull veins called Varices in Latine doth not only diminish their tumor but also appease and take away their dolour Touching the gout the time hath bin when it was not so common a disease as now it is and not only in our fathers and grandsires daies but euen in our age and within my remembrance it was no ordinary sicknesse here in Italy as being a forrain malady and come out of strange countries hither to vs for certainly if it had bin known to the Italians in old time I doubt not but it would haue found a Latine name to be called by Neither is the gout a disease incureable as some haue beleeued for known it hath bin in some to haue worne away of it selfe without any medicines but in many more to haue been cured by the meanes of Physicke Among the appropriat remedies for this malady are to be ranged the roots of Panaces applied in a cataplasm with raisins the juice of Henbane or the seed with the floure or pouder of Selama Scordium laid too in a pultesse with vineger and the hearbe Iberis as hath beene sayd before also Veruaine stamped and incorporat with hogs grease is good for the gout so is the root of Sowbread the decoction wherof healeth kibed heels if they be bathed therin the root of Xiphion cooleth the hot gout the seed of Psyllium doth the same Hemlock also incorporat with Litharge or hogs grease but aboue all other Housleek or Sengreen is right soueraigne to be applied at the first assault or fit of the red gout i. when it is occasioned by a flux of hot humors and whether it be hot or cold gout Groundswell tempered into a liniment with swines grease and so applied is a very fit and conuenient medicine as also Plantain leaues stamped with a little salt mixed among and Argemonia punned in a mortar applied with hony moreouer Veruain reduced into an vnguent is singular in that case yea and if the goutie feet be well soked in the decoction therof much ease wil insue thereupon also Lappago an herb resembling Pimpernell but that it is fuller of branches and tufted more with leaues which also be rough rugged and wrinckled yeelding a juice in tast more harsh and in smell strong and vnpleasant as for that of this kind which is soft they call Mollugo like vnto which but for the leaues that be more rough in handling is Asperugo whereupon it took the name Now for the gout let the Patient take euery day 11 deniers weight of the juice pressed forth of the former Lappago in two cyaths of wine but for this disease the most excellent remedy and that which rids it quite is the sea-weed which in Greeke they call Phycos Thalassion and in Latine Fucus Marinus an herb like vnto Lettuce commonly Murets other shel-fishes lye bedded vpon these weeds which being applied before they are dried do cure not the gout of the feet onely but also any disease of all other joints Now of this Sea-grasse so named there be found three kinds the first is broad and large the second longer and somwhat red the third hath curled and frizled leaues which in Candy they do vse in dying of their clothes but all are of one and the same operation in Physick Nicander was wont to giue them in wine as a counterpoison against the venome of serpents Moreouer the seed of that herb which I named Psyllium is singular good for the gout if the same be well steeped in water so that in euery hemine of the seed there be mingled the quantity of two spoonfuls of Colophonian rosin and one of frankincense Finally the leaues of Mandragoras be highly commended in this case if they be stamped and incorporat with fried Barly groats into a cataplasme CHAP. XI ¶ Generall medicines and receits for all the infirmities incident to the Feet the Ankles Ioints and Sinews Item the remedies for those diseases which possesse and trouble the whole body Of the herbe Mirthrida Medicines for those that cannot sleep and for the Palsie Of cold feuers and the ague that is incident to horses of the Phrensie Of the herbs Walwort and Housleek Last of all of the Shingles or S. Anthonies fire IF the feet be swoln about the ankles the mud that is found in the bottom of waters wrought and concorporat together with oile is of wonderful operation to allay the same For the pain in the ioints or griefe of sinews the juice drawn out of Centaury is passing good in like maner the herb Centauris As for Betony it is comfortable vnto the nerues which run and spread behind ouer the shoulder-blades the shoulders the back-bone the loins and hanches if it bee taken in * drink after the manner as it was ordained for the liuer Cinquefoile is soueraign for the pain of the joints if it be applied outwardly likewise the leaues of Mandragoras made into a pultesse with parched barly meale or the root it selfe newly drawn out of the ground stamped with the wild Cucumber or els boiled in water for the chaps that appeare in the feet or vpon the elbows the root of Polypodie is singular good for the griefe of the joints the juice of Henbane reduced into an ointment with swines grease is a proper remedy likewise the iuice of the herb * Amomum together with the decoction also Cotton-weed or Cudwort boiled in water or fresh gathered mosse soked in water and bound to the grieued place and there kept fast without remouing vntill it be drie as also the root of the Bur called Lappa Boaria drunke in wine Sow-bread sodden in water cureth the eluish angry kibes beginning to rise vpon the heels and all other chilblanes and bloudy fals occasioned by cold Semblably Vmbilicus Veneris applied with hogs grease healeth the foresaid kibed heels so do Crowfoot leaues and the juice of Epithymum Ladanum made into a salue with Castoreum and so applied fetcheth out the core of agnels or corns by the roots the like effect hath Vervaine if it be laied too with wine And now that I haue run through those maladies which are offensiue to
the root either after it hath lien a time infused or simply stamped without any such preparation yea and the substance of the root reduced into pouder and giuen in a draught of water made hot with a gad of steel quenched in it Some haue appointed in this kind of ague 3 of those roots and 3 cyaths of water precisely and the same Physitians for a Quartaine haue prescribed foure of either and by their saying if when Borage beginneth to fade vpon the ground one take out the pith or marow within the stem and whiles he is so doing name withal the sick party and say hee doth it for to rid him or her from the ague and withall bestow it in 7 leaues neither more nor lesse of the said herbe and hang all tied fast about the patient before the time that the sit should come the feuer wil neuer returne again Also a dram of Betony or Agaricke taken in three cyaths of mead driueth away any intermittent ague especially those that begin with quiuering and quaking Some are wont to giue of Cinquefoile three leaues in a tertian and foure in a quartan and so rise to more according to the period or type of the rest others ordain indifferently for all agues the weight of 3 oboli with some pepper in mead or honied water Veruaine verily giuen in wine as a drench to horses cureth them of their feauers but in Tertians it must be cut just aboue the third joint where it brancheth but for Quartanes at the fourth The seed of both kinds of Hypericon is good to be drunk in Quartans And the pouder of Betony dried is singular for the quaking fits and in very deed the herb it selfe represseth all shiuering and whatsoeuer proceeding of cold In like maner Panaces is of so hot a nature that Physitians giue direction to them who are to trauell ouer high mountains couered with snow for to drink it annoint their bodies all ouer with it Semblably Aristolochia doth withstand all chilling and through colds The best cure of those who be in a frensie is by sleepe and that may be procured easily by the juice of Peucedanum vineger together infused vpon the head by way of imbrocation or by rubbing the same with it likewise with the juice of both the Pimpernels Contrariwise there is more adoe with those that are in a lethargy to awaken them and keep them from drowsinesse and yet may that be affected some say by rubbing their nosthrils with the juice of the said * Harstrang in vineger For those that be out of their right wits or bestraught Betony is singular good to be giuen in drink Panaces breaks the Carbuncle also the pouder of Betony in water healeth it or the Colewort with Frankincense if the patient drinke often therof hot Some take a burning cole of fire and when it is extinguished or gon out in the presence of the patient with their finger gather vp the cindres or light ashes which settle therupon and apply them vnder the carbuncle others stamp Plantain and lay it to the sore the Tithymall called Characites cureth the dropsie Also Panaces and Plantaine taken as a meat in bole with this regard That the patient haue eaten some dry bread before without any drinke at all In which case Betony likewise is singular if two drams thereof be giuen in as many cyaths of wine simply or wine honied Moreouer Agaricke or the seed of Lonchitis drunke to the quantitie of two Ligulae or spoones full in water Flea-woort beeing vsed with wine the juice of Pimpernels both the red and the blew the root of Vmbilicus Veneris in honied wine the root of Walwoort newly drawne out of the ground so that the earth bee onely shaken off without any washing at all in case as much thereof as two fingers will comprehend be taken in one hemine of old wine hot the root of Clauer or Trefoile drunke in wine to the weight of two drams Tithymall named Platyphillon the seed of Hypericon and namely that which otherwise is called Coris Chamaeacte which some think to be Wall-wort if either the root be beaten to pouder and ministred in three cyaths of wine so the patient haue no feuer hanging vpon him or the seed giuen in thick red wine be appropriat remedies euery one for a dropsie In like maner Vervaine if a good hand full thereof be boiled in water vnto the consumption of the one halfe But principally the juice of Wall-wort is thought to be the meetest medicine for to fit this malady For the bleach or breaking out in wheales for small pocks swine pocks and such like eruptions of flegmatick humors Plantain is a proper remedy to rid them away so is the root of sowbread applied with hony The leaues of Walwort or ground Elder stamped incorporat in old wine and so laid too doe heale the meazels purples or red blisters which some call Boa The juice of Nightshade or pety Morell vsed as a liniment killeth the itch The shingles and such hot pimples called S. Anthonies fire are cured by nothing better than by Housleek by the leaues of Hemlock stamped into an vnguent or the root of Mandragoras Now the manner of prâ—…paring and ordering it thus take the said root drie it abroad in the open aire like as they do Cucumbers but principally let it hang first ouer new wine afterwards in the smoke this don stamp it and temper it with wine or vineger Good it is also in this case to make a fomentation with wine of Myrtles and therwith to bathe the grieued place Also take of Mints two ounces of sulphur-vif one ounce pouder them both and mingle them together with vineger vse this mixture for the said S. Anthonies fire And some take soot vineger tempred together for the same purpose Now of this disease which we terme * S. Anthonies fire there be many kindes whereof there is one more daungerous than the rest which is called * Zoster for that it coueteth to goe round about the middle of a man or woman in manner of a girdle and in case both ends meet together indeed it is deadly and incureable To meet with it therefore by the way to preuent this extremity Plantaine is thought to be a soueraign remedy if it be incorporate with Fullers earth Also Veruaine alone by it selfe and the root of the great Bur. Now for other corrosiue vlcers and tettars it is very good to vse the root of Vmbilicus veneris with honied wine Sengreen the juice of Mercurie also with vineger CHAP. XII ¶ For dislocations or members out of ioint Against the Iaundise Felons hollow sores called Fistula's Tumors Burnes and Scaldings Against other diseases For to comfort the sinewes and stanch bloud THe root of Polypodium brought into a liniment is a proper remedy for any dislocation The seed of Fleawort the leaues of Plantaine punned with some few cornes of salt put therto
matter a liniment or salue made of the root of all kinds of Panaces wine together are thought to be a soueraigne means to heale them But that Panaces which they call Chironia hath a singular property aboue the rest to drie vp such sores the same root beaten to pouder and incorporat with honey breaketh and openeth any swelling impostumes This herb tempered with wine it makes no matter whither you take floure seed or root so it be applied with Verdegrease or the rust of brasse healeth any sores be they neuer so desperat and principally such vlcers as be corrosiue and eat as they go The same if it be mingled with fried Barly meal is good for old festered vlcers Also Heraclion Sidâ—…rion Henbane Fleawort Tragacanth and Scordotis incorporat accordingly with hony cleanse the said sores As for this last named the very pouder of it alone strewed vpon vlcers eateth away the excrescence of proud flesh Polemonia healeth those malignant sores which be called morimals and are hard to be cured Centaury the greater reduced either into a pouder and so cast vpon the sore or brought into a liniment and applied accordingly the tops also of the lesse Centaurie either sodden or beaten to pouder do mundifie and heale vp all inueterate and cankered vlcers The tender crops or husks of Clymenos are good to be laid vnto fresh green wounds Moreouer the root of Gentian either stamped or boiled in water to the consistence of hony or the very iuice thereof serueth very well to be applied vnto corrosiue and eating vlcers like as a kind of Lycium made of it is as appropriat for wounds Lysimachia is an excellent wound herb and healeth wounds speedily if they be taken whiles they be new Plantam is a great healer of any sore whatsoeuer but principally of such vlcers as be in the bodies of women children and old folk If it be made soft tender at the fire first it doth the cure so much the better and being incorporat in some ordinary cerot it mundifieth and cleanseth the thicke edges and swollen brims of any sore and staieth the canker of corroding vlcers But when Plantaine is thus reduced into a pouder strewed vpon the sore you must not forget to couer the same with the own leaues Moreouer Celendine is singular for all impostumes and botches whether they be broken or no vea it mundifieth and drieth vp hollow vlcers called Fistulaes and for wounds is is such a singular desiccatiue that Chirurgions vse it in stead of Spodium The same being incorporat with hogs grease is excellent to be applied vnto them when they be in manner past cure and giuen ouer by the Chirurgion The herbe Dictamnus taken in drinke thrusteth out arrow-heads and in a liniment outwardly draweth forth the ends of darts and any spils whatsoeuer sticking within the body for which effect the leafe would be taken to the weight of one obolus in one cyath of water Next to this in operation is the other bastard kind therof call'd Pseudodictamnum and there is neither of them both but is good for to draw all biles imposthumes that are broken do run matter Moreouer Aristolochia is an excellent herb to eat and consume putrified vlcers full of dead flesh it mundifieth also those that be foule and filthie if it be applied with honey yea and draweth out the vermin bred of the corruption within them the callosities likewise and hard excrescences arising in sores it fetcheth away also it drawes forth any thing sticking in the flesh especially arrows and the spils of broken and scaled bones if it be laid too with rosin Of it selfe alone without any thing els it is a good incarnatiue and filleth vp hollow vlcers with good flesh butmixed with the pouder of the Flour-de-lis root and so incorporat with vineger it is singular for to heale vp green wounds Moreouer for old sores Veruaine and Cinquefoile medled together with salt and hony do make a soueraign salue The roots of the great Clot bur are good to be laid vnto fresh wounds made by the sword or any edged tooles but the leaues are better for old wounds if the same be tempered with hogs grease howbeit this charge ought to be giuen That as well the one as the other haue a leafe of the own laid ouer them to couer the whole place As for Damasonium it would be vsed in these cases prepared in that manner as it is ordained for the Kings euill And the leaues of Mullen serue wel for the same purpose if they be applied with vineger or wine Veruaine is a good herbe for all sorts of wounds and sores were they ouergrowne with callosities and ful of putrefaction the root of Nymphaea Heraclea healeth perfectly all running and filthy vlcers In like manner the root of Cyclamin i. Sowbread either alone of it selfe or incorporat with vineger or hony The same is singular good for those wens or impostumes that ingender within them a certaine matter like vnto fat or tallow Like as Hyssop is an appropriat herb for running vlcers Semblably Peucedanum which is of that efficacy for the healing of green wounds that it will draw corruption from the very bone The same effects haue both the Pimpernels and besides they doe represse those cancerous sores that eat deepe they stay also the flux of a rheume to any sore which hindereth the healing thereof they be good also for green wounds but especially in old bodies The fresh leaues of Mandragoras newly gathered incorporate with the masse of some cerot are singular for impostumes and maligne vlcers like as the root healeth wounds beeing made into a plaster with honey or oile Likewise Hemlocke tempered with the floure of fine white wheat and wrought into a paste with wine Housleeke cureth shingles ringwormes and such like wild-fires yea if they grow to be wolues and begin to putrifie like as Groundswell healeth those vlcers which be giuen to ingender vermin but the roots of the mountaine Cich or pease earth-nut are soueraign for green wounds and both kinds of Hypocisthis do mundifie inueterat vlcers The seed of Pied-de-lion stamped with water and reduced into a liniment with parched Barley groats concorporate all together draweth forth arrow heads so doth the seed of Pycnocomon in the same sort vsed and applied The iuice of the Spurge called Tithymalus Characias healeth gangrens cankers and putrified sores tending to mortification The decoction also of the branches sodden in oyle with fried barley meale As for Ragworts they cure morimals also either drie or greene so they be applied with vineger and honey and Oenothera by it selfe healeth those vntoward and fretting vlcers which are the worse and more angry for the handling The Scythians are woont to heale wounds with their hearbe Scythica And for cancerous sores the herb Argemonia incorporat with honey is knowne to be most effectuall When any wound or sore is ouer healed an
Asphodill root boiled as I said before then stamped together with parched barley and so applied is singular good to rectifie that default but for any sore or wound whatsoeuer Henbane leaues be singular The root of Astragalus beaten into pouder are soueraigne for such vlcers as do water much and be alwaies moist likewise the common Maidenhaire boiled in water but more particularly if the skin be newly fretted off by wearing some vneasie shooes there is not a better thing to heale and skin the place than a salue made with Veruain also with herb willow stamped or Nenuphardried made into pouder and so strewed vpon the gall As for the other Maidenhaire it is counted better to heale the same raw excoriations if they haue continued some time and are growne to be exulcerat There is as an herb named Polycnemon like vnto wild Origan how soeuer the seed resemble that of Peniroyall it shooteth forth many branches and those knotted and iointed in diuers places it beareth in the head certain berries as it were in bunches and clusters odoriferous and as they sent somwhat strong and hot so the smel is not vnpleasant take this herbe chew it with your teeth and then lay it to any wounds made by the edge of the sword or such like weapon and so let it lie and remoue it not vntill the fifth day you shal see it to heale excellent wel Camfrey applied vnto a green wound skinneth it most speedily so doth Sideritis as for this herb it should be applied with honey The seed and leaues of Mullen sodden in wine stamped to the form of a cataplasme draweth forth all thorns spils and arrow heads which sticke within the body The like effect work the leaues of Mandragoras incorporat with parched barley meale and Sowbread roots stamped and mixed with honey The leaues of Germander punned with oile are excellent to be applied vnto those vlcers which doe corrode the flesh vnder them and eat forward like as the Reiks or sea-weeds Betonie is a soueraigne herbe for cancerous vlcers also for the blacke sploches that haue continued a long time vpon the skin if there be salt put thereto Argemonia tempered with vineger taketh away warts so doth the root of Crowfoot which also is singular good to fetch off with ease the ragged and fretted nailes that be offensiue The leaues of Mercurie the male and female both or the iuice thereof brought into a liniment haue the like operation Al the sorts of the Tithymals take away any warts whatsoeuer so do they rid the troublesome risings and impostumations like whitflawes about the naile roots and all flecks spots whelks and specks whatsoeuer Ladanum reduceth any scars to look faire and fresh coloured againe CHAP. XV. ¶ Many experiments and approued receits for the prouoking or staying of womens monethly tearmes for curing the diseases of their matrice for sending out the birth or retaining the same within the bodie the full time Also sundry deuises for to amend the faults that blemish the skin of the face to colour the haire of the head or to fetch it off Last of all diuers medicines for the farcines or scab in foure-footed beasts IT is said That if a traueller or way faring man weare fast tied about him Mugwort or Sauge he shall neuer be weary nor thinke his journey long But to come now vnto the infirmities of women the black seed of the herb Paeony is generally good for all their maladies if it bee taken in mead the root also is of the same operation and besides prouoketh the ordinary course of their months The seed of Panaces drunk with wormwood moues their fleurs procureth them to sweat the like effect hath Scordotis either in drink or liniment Adram of Betony giuen to women in 3 cyaths of wine helps all the maladies incident to their natural parts but especially those that insue vpon their deliuery of childbirth Achillaea being applied accordingly staieth the excessiue flux of their monthly termes for which purpose also it is good for them to sit in a bath made with the decoction of the said herb in this case to their brests or paps there would be laid a plaster of Henbane seed tempered with wine the root also applied in manner of a cataplasme to their secret parts is counted soueraigne for that infirmitie like as Celendine the greater laid vnto the foresaid brests If the after birth when the childe is borne be loth to come away or if the infant be dead within the mothers womb the roots of Panaces applied accordingly to the priuy parts fetch forth both the one and the other The very herb it self Panaces drunk in wine or outwardly vsed to the region of the matrice clenseth the same Sauge de bois taken with wine expelleth the after-birth and by a suffumigation mundifieth the matrice The juice of Centaury the lesse bringeth women to their desired sicknesse if they drink it or foment the parts beneath therewith Likewise the root of the bigger Centaury vsed after the same maner appeaseth the pains of the mother If the same be scraped smooth put vp into the right place as a pessary it draweth away the dead child within her body for the griefe and anguish which women feele in their womb there is no better thing than to apply the juice of Plantaine in a locke of wooll and in danger of suffocation by rising of the mother to giue it in drinke But Dictamnus is soueraigne and hath no peere it prouoketh monthly fleurs it sendeth out the dead childe yea though it lay ouerthwart and stuck crosse in the birth for which purpose the woman must drink to the weight of one obolus in water and verily of such power is this herb in such cases that so long as women go with child it must not come within the chamber where they are for feare it put them to trauell before their time And not onely in drink is it thus effectual but also in a liniment yea and the very perfume and smoke therof receiued in the body will do the deed Next to it there is not a more soueraigne herb than the bastard Dictamne called Pseudodictamnus but it must be boiled to the weight of one denier with pure wine and strong of the grape and then taken in drinke it prouoketh womens desired sicknesse And yet Aristolochia is many waies good for the infirmities of women for if there be myrrh and pepper put thereto and then either taken in drink or put in a pessarie it draws downe their fleurs bringeth forth the after-birth and fetcheth away the dead infant it keepeth vp and staieth the matrice ready to fall and slip out of the body either in fomentation perfume or pessary especially the small kind thereof But in case a woman be in danger of suffocation by the ascent of the mother or otherwise diseased for want of her monethly purgation let her drinke Agaricke to the
weight of three oboli in one cyath of old wine make a pessarie of Veruain incorporat with fresh hogs lard and applie Calues snout otherwise called Snap-dragon with oile rosat and hony she shall haue ease and be cured speedily Semblably the root of Nenuphar especially that which groweth in Phessalie applied vnto the naturall parts of women easeth the paines thereof and if it be drunke in grosse red wine it staieth their shifts or immoderat flux of the moneths Contrariwise the Sow-bread root both taken in drinke and also outwardly vsed prouoketh the same if they do stay vpon a woman Also a decoction thereof if a women do sit therein helpeth the accidents of the bladder Cissanthemos taken in drinke sendeth out the after birth and healeth the maladies of the matrice The vpper root of the Flag or Glader drunke in vineger to the weight of one dramme bringeth women to the ordinary course of their fleures The fume of Harstrang burnt fetcheth women againe when they lie as it were strangled and dead in a fit of the mother Flea-wort taken to the weight of a dram in three cyaths of honied water prouoketh their monthly terms but especially it maketh them soluble if they were costiue The seed of Mandragoras cleanseth the matrice if a woman take it in her drinke the juice whereof applied to the naturall parts prouoketh her moneths and fetcheth away the dead child within her body Againe the seed taken with wine and brimstone staieth the immoderat flux of the monethly terms Crowfoot either drunk or eaten with meat knitteth the belly and stoppeth a lask an herb otherwise as I haue said of a causticke and burning nature if it be vsed raw but certainly beeing boyled with salt oyle and cumine a commendable meat Yellow Carots taken in drinke doe exclude the after birth and prouoke womens fleurs with exceeding great facilitie A perfume of Ladanum setteth streight the matrice when it is out of the right place and turned to a side and for the paine and exulceration thereof it is of great force either applied outwardly or iniected inwardly Scammonie either in drink or cataplasm sendeth forth of the body the dead fruit of the wombe Both kinds of S. Iohns woort stirreth the issue of womens fleurs onely by an outward application But aboue all in the judgement of Hippocrates Crithmos passeth for that if either the seed or the root be taken in wine As for the pill or rind thereof it fetcheth away the after birth also and drunk in water it helpeth the suffocation occasioned by the rising of the mother The root of Geranium likewise more particularly is a very conuenient remedy for to bring away the after-birth and to cure the inflammation of the matrice Horsetaile hath a secret vertue to mundifie the naturall parts of women either drunke or applied outwardly Knot-grasse giuen in drinke staieth the inordinate and excessiue voidance of the fleurs so doth the root of Marsh Mallow The leaues of Plantain driue downe the same so likewise Agaricke in honied water Mugwort stamped and incorporat with oile of Ireos Figges and Myrhe hath the same effect if it be applied accordingly The rooâ—… of which hearbe if a woman take in drinke is so purgatiue and will bring her to such a laske that shee shall withall exclude the dead infant within her bodie A decoction made with the branches of Mugwoort bringeth downe womens monethly sickenesse and fetcheth away the after-birth if they sit therein a dramme weight of the leaues taken in drinke is of the like vertue and operation if they be but laied vnto the belly in manner of a cataplasme especially with barley meale they will doe as much Moreouer Acoron both the kindes of Conyza as also Sampier are singular good for all the inward griefes and maladies whatsoeuer of women Also both kinds of Anthyllis drunke in wine are soueraigne for the accidents of the matrice namely to asswage the throws and wrings thereof and to bring away the after-birth when it staieth behind A fomentation made with Maidenhaire is comfortable to the naturall parts of women like as it hath vertue to clense the scurfe and dandruffe to rid away the white patches appearing in the skin or haire and to color the same black if it be brought into pouder with oile made into a liniment Herb Robert drunk in white wine and Hyocisthis in red do stay the flux of reds or whites Hyssop is a soueraign herb to open and relax the obstructions of the matrice causing suffocation The root of Veruaine taken inwardly with water is the best thing in the world for all the maladies incident to women either in their trauell or after their deliuerance To which effect some there be who together with Harstrang mix the grains of the Cypresse tree beaten to pouder and giue it to drink in grosse red wine For the seed of Fleawort boiled in water and laid too warme doth moderate and qualifie all the violent fluxes of the matrice Camfrey stamped and giuen in grosse wine or allegant bringeth down the sicknesse of women when it staieth vpon them The juice of Scordotis taken to the quantity of one dram in foure cyaths of honied water giueth women speedy deliuerance in childbirth and for that purpose the leaues of Dictamnus are excellent if they be taken in water and knowne it is for certain that the weight of one obolus of those leaues giuen to a woman in hard trauell wil presently cause her to be deliuered with ease yea though the infant were dead in the belly The like operation hath the bastard Dictamnum but that it worketh more slowly and in this case they vse to tie the root of Cyclamin about the woman in labour to cause her also to drinke Cissanthemos yea and the pouder of Betony in honied water As for Arsenogonon and Thelygonon they be two herbes bearing certain grapes or berries like to oliue blossomes but that they be more pale and white seeds or kernels within resembling those of white Poppy If a woman drink Thelygonum some say she will therupon conceiue a maid child Arsenogonon differeth from the other in nothing but in the seed which commeth neare vnto that of the oliue and forsooth if she take this herb in drink she shall haue a man-child beleeue it who that list Others there be who say that both the one and the other be like vnto Basill and that Arsenogonon carrieth a double seed knit together like as they were two genitors That kind of Housleek which I called Digitellus is singular for the diseases incident to womens Brests Ground swell bringeth abundance of milke into womens paps if they drinke it in wine cuit so doth Sowthistle sodden in frumenty The grape called Bumastos taketh away the haires about the nipples of nources brests which spring sometime after they haue once born children which also otherwise is very good to cleanse the skales and scurfe in
ears Androsaces is a white hero bitter in taste without any leaues but in stead thereof it hath certain little husks or cods hanging by small bents and those containing seed within them It groweth along the sea side and most of all vpon the coasts of Syria The cods being stamped or boiled in water vineger or wine are good to be giuen to the weight of 2 drams to them that are in a dropsie for they prouoke vrine mightily It serueth also in the cure of the gout either taken by the mouth or applied outwardly in a liniment Of the same operation is the seed also Androsaemon or as some call it Ascyron is not vnlike to Hypericon whereof I haue already spoken but that the stalks be bigger stand thicker together and are more inclining to red the leaues be white or grey fashioned like vnto those of Rue and the seed resembleth that of black Poppie crush or bruise the vpmost crops or heads therof they yeeld from them a bloudy iuice in smel it senteth like vnto rosin and is found ordinarily growing in vineyards The proper time to gather this herb is in mid Autumne and so to hang it vp a drying The manner is to stampe the herb seed and all for to purge the belly wherof they drink either first in the morning or last after supper the weight of two drams in mead wine or sheere water so that the whole draught of the potion be a full sextar and not aboue Properly it doth euacuat choler and is principally good for the Sciatica but the morrow after the patient ought to swallow down a dram weight of the Capers root mixed with rosin and then after pausing foure daies between to do the like againe after which course of purging if the patient be of a strong complexion he may drinke wine otherwise those of a weaker constitution ought to sorbeare and drinke water Excellent good it is for all gouts of the feet and for burns if it be applied vnto the place and a good vulnerary herb besides and stancheth the bleeding of wounds Ambrosia is a name that keepeth not to any one herb but is common to many Howbeit the true Ambrosia runneth vp from the root into one small stem which notwithstanding brancheth thick riseth to the height of three spans or thereabout and ordinarily is one third part shorter than the root and the leaues be like Rue Toward the foot of the said stem it bringeth forth certain little grapes with grain or seeds within and those haue a sent of wine and hang down from the branches of the said herb for which cause some thâ—…re be who cal it Botrys although others giue it the name Artem isia The people of Cappadocia vse therwith to make themselues chaplets to weare vpon their heads This herb is much vsed in those accidents that require to be dissolued and sent out by the pores of the skin Anonis which some chuse rather to call Ononis is an herbe full of branches like vnto Fenigreek but that it springeth thicker from the root brancheth more and is more hairy of a pleasant smell and pricky after the spring Many vse to keep it condite in pickle Beeing applied to any vlcer whiles it is fresh and greene it eateth away and consumeth the excrescence of proud flesh in the brims or edges thereof The root is good for the paine of the teeth if it be sodden in vineger and water mingled together and the mouth washed withal the same taken in drink with hony expelleth grauell and stone boiled in Oxymell to the consumption of the one halfe it is a singular drink for the falling sicknesse Anagyros which some call Acopos is an hearbe which brancheth thicke of a strong and stinking smell it beareth floures like vnto those of Beets in certaine cods like horns which be of a good length it bringeth forth seed resembling kidnies in shape the which in haruest time becommeth hard the leaues are singular good to be laid vpon impostumat swellings they serue also for women which be in hard trauell with child to be hanged or tied fast about them with this charge that presently they be remoued after they are deliuered But if the child be dead stick stil in the matrice or in case the afterbirth tarry behind wil not come away after the infant is born or if a woman desire to see her monthly sicknes it is good to drink a dram weight of the leaues in wine cuit And in that maner they are giuen to those who be short winded but in old wine against the sting of the venomous spiders Phalangia The root is singular to be put to those plasters which either do resolue or maturat any impostumed place The seed chewed staieth immoderat vomits Anonymos finding no name to be called by got therupon the name Anonymos a Plant this is brought out of Scythia to vs highly commended by Hicesius a Physitian of great name and authority also by Aristogiton for an excellent vulnerary if it be bruised or stamped in water and so applied but taken inwardly in drinke it is good for womens breasts and the precordiall parts about the heart if they haue gotten a stripe or be bruised also for such as reach vp bloud Some haue ordained a vulnerary drink to be made therof for those that be wounded But what is said moreouer as touching this herb I hold meere fabulous and namely that if two pieces of yron or brasse be put into the fire and burn together with this herbe fresh and new gathered they will souder and joine againe CHAP. V. ¶ Of Erith or Goosegrasse Of the Clot-bur Of Ceterach of Asclepias and After or Bubonium Of Ascyrum or Ascyroides Of Aphace Alcibium and Alectorolophus ERith is by some called in Greeke Aparine by others Omphalocarpos and Philanthropos An hero giuen to be full of branches rough and prickly carrying fiue or six leaues growing round together about the said branches in order like a star and a prety distance there is between euery of these roundles The seed is round hard hollow and sweetish It groweth in corn fields in gardens and medows rough it is that it is ready to catch hold of folkes clothes as they passe by and to stick vnto them An effectuall herb against serpents if a dram of the seed be drunk in wine also for them who are pricked with the spiders Phalangia The leaues haue a singular vertue to represse the abundant flux of bloud out of wounds if they be outwardly applied like as the juice hath a speciall property to help the infirmities of the ears being dropped or poured into them Arction which some rather name Arcturus is like in lease to the great Mullen or Taperwort but that it is more rough the stem tall and soft and the seed resembling Cumin It grows ordinarily in stony grounds with a root tender soft sweet Being sodden in wine it easeth the tooth-ach
that of the Iuy saue that the berries containing the same be soft This herb delighteth in shady cool rough and watery places Beeing giuen to the full quantity of one Acetabulum it is singular for the inward maladies which be proper to women The wild Vine called by the Greeks Ampelos-Agria is an herbe as I haue sufficiently described already in my Treatise of Vines planted and wel ordered by mans hand which putteth forth hard leaues of Ash-colour long branches and winding rods clad with a thicke skin and the same be red resembling the floure Phlox which in the chapter and discourse of Violets I called Iovis Flamma and a seed it beareth much like vnto the graines within a Pomegranate The root boiled in three cyaths of water and two cyaths of the wine comming out of the Island Coos is a gentle emollitiue of the belly and maketh the body soluble in which regard it is giuen with good successe to such as be in a dropsie A very good herb for women as well to rectifie the infirmities of the matrice as also to scoure and beautifie the skin of their face Moreouer for the sciatica it is good to stamp it leafe and all and to annoint the grieued place with the juice thereof As for Wormewood there be many kindes thereof One is named Santonicum of a city in France called Saints another to wit Ponticum taketh that name of the kingdome Pontus where the sheep feed fat with it which is the cause that they be found without gall neither is there a better Wormwood than it much bitterer than that of Italy and yet the marow or pith within of that Ponticke Wormwood is sweet to ours Meet and requisite it is that I should set down the vertues and properties thereof an herb I must needs say as common as any and most ready at hand howbeit few or none so good and wholesome to say nothing of the especiall account which the people of Rome make of it about their holy sacrifices and solemnities for in those festiuall holydaies named Latinae at what time as there is held a great running with chariots for the best game he that first attaineth to the goale and winneth the prise hath a draught of VVormwood presented vnto him And I beleeue verily that our forefathers and ancestors deuised this honourable reward for the good health of that victorious chariottier as judging him worthy to liue still And in truth a right comfortable herb it is for the stomack and doth mightily strengthen it In which regard there is an artificiall wine that carieth the strength and tast thereof named Absinthites according as I haue shewed heretofore moreouer there is an ordinary drinke made of the decoction of Wormwood boiled in water for the right making whereof take six drams weight of the leaues and sprigs together seeth them in three sextars of raine water and in the end put thereto a small quantity of salt which done the liquor ought to stand a day and a night afterwards to coole in the open aire and then is it to be vsed Certes there is not a decoction of any herbe of so great antiquitie as it and knowne to haue beene vsed so long Moreouer the infusion of VVormewood is in great request and a common drinke for so we vse to call the liquor wherein it lay steeped a certain time Now this would be considered that be the proportion of water what it will the said infusion ought to stand close couered for three daies together Seldome or neuer is there any vse of wormewood beaten to pouder ne yet of the juice drawn by way of expression And yet those that presse forth a iuice take the Wormwood when the seed vpon it beginneth to swell and wax sull and being newly gathered let it lie soking in water three daies together but if it were drie before to steep it a whole seuen night which done they set it ouer the fire in a brasen pan with this proportion namely ten hemines of the herbe to fiue and fortie sextars of water and suffer it to boyle vntill a third part of the liquor be consumed after this the decoction must run through a strainer with hearbe and all well pressed then ought it to be set vpon the fire againe and suffered to seeth gently and leisurely to the height or consistence of honey much after the order of the syrrup made of Centaurie the lesse But when all is done this juleb or syrrup of VVormewood is offensiue to the stomack and head both whereas that decoction first aboue-named is most wholsome for astringent though it be and binding the mouth of the stomack aloft yet it doth euacuat choler downward it prouoketh vrine keepeth the body soluble and the belly in good temper yea and if it be pained giueth great ease the worms ingendered therein it expelleth and being taken with Seseli and Celticke nard so there be a little vineger put thereto it dispatcheth all ventosities in the stomacke and cureth women with child of that inordinat desire and strange longing of theirs it clenseth the stomack of those humors which cause lothing of meat bringeth the appetite againe and helpeth concoction if it be drunke with Rue Pepper and salt it purgeth it of raw humors crudities occasioned by want of digestion In old time Physitians gaue wormwood for a purgatiue but then they tooke a sextar of sea water that had bin kept long six drams of the seed with three drams of salt and one cyath of hony and the better will this purgation worke in case the poise of salt be doubled but it would be puluerized as fine as possibly may be to the end that it might passe away the sooner and worke more easily Some vsed to giue the weight beforesaid in a gruell of Barley groats with an addition of Peniroyall others against the Palsie and others againe had a deuise to put the leaues of wormwood in figs and make little children to eat them so that they might not tast their bitternes Wormwood being taken with the root of Floure-de-lis dischargeth the brest of tough fleagme and clenseth the pipes For the iaundise it would be giuen in drinke raw with Parsley or Maidenhaire Supped hot by little and little in water it breaketh wind and resolueth ventosities and together with French Spikenard it cureth the infirmities of the liuer and taken with vineger or some gruel or els in figs it helpeth the spleen giuen in vineger it helpeth those that haue eaten venomous Mushrums or be poisoned with the gum of Chamaelion called Ixia In wine if it be taken it saueth those who haue drunk Hemlock it resisteth the poison inflicted by the sting of the hardishrow the sea dragon and scorpions It is holden to be singular for the clarifyng of the sight if the eies be giuen to watering it represseth the rheum or flux of humors thither so it be applied with wine cuit and laid vnto contusions and the skin blacke and
blew vnder the eies with hony it reduceth the place to the natiue colour againe The vapour or fume of the decoction of wormwood receiued into the eares assuageth their paine or if they run with corrupt matter it is good to apply the same reduced into pouder and incorporat in hony Take three or foure sprigs of wormwood one root of Nardus Gallicus boile them in six cyaths of water it is a soueraigne medicine to drinke for to prouoke vrine and bring downe the desired sicknesse of women or beeing taken simply alone with hony and withall put vp in a pessarie made with a locke of wooll it is of speciall operation to procure their monthly terms with honey and sal-nitre it is singular for the Squinancie it healeth chill-blanes if they be bathed with the decoction thereof in water applied vnto fresh or green wounds in a cataplasme before any cold water come vnto them it healeth them and besides in that manner it cureth the scals in the head being incorporat with Cyprian wax or figges and so applied to the flankes or hypochondrial parts it hath a particular vertue by it selfe to helpe their griefes Moreouer it killeth any itch Howbeit this would be noted that wormewood in no case must be giuen to those that haue an ague Let a man or woman vse to drinke wormewood they shall not be sea-sicke nor giuen to heauing as commonly they be that are at sea If wormewood be worne in a trusse to the bottome of the bellie it allayeth the swelling in the share The smell of wormewood procureth sleepe or if it be laid vnder the pillow or bolster prouided alwaies that the patient be not ware of it Either basted within cloaths or strewed vpon them it keepeth away the moth If one rub his body therewith and oile together it driueth gnats away so doth the smoke therof also when it burneth If writing inke be tempered with the infusion of wormewood it preserueth letters and bookes written therewith from being gnawne by mice The ashes of wormewood burnt and incorporate with oile Rosat to an ointment coloureth the haire of the head black There is yet another kinde of Sea-wormewood which some call Seriphium and excellent good is that which groweth about the city Taphositis in Aegypt Of this wormewood it is that the priests of Isis in their solemne marches and processions vse to beare branches before them The leaues be somewhat narrower than those of the former and the bitternesse not altogether so much An enemy it is to the stomacke howbeit the belly it loosneth and chaseth worms out of the guts for which purpose it is good to drink it with oile and salt or else the infusion therof in a supping or grewell made with the floure of the three moneth corne To make the decoction of wormwood well there would be taken a good handfull of wormwood and sodden in a sextar of water to the consumption of the one halfe CHAP. VIII ¶ Of stinking Horehound of Mille-graine or Oke of Ierusalem of Brabyla Bryon Bupleuros Catanance of Calla Circaea and Cersium of Crataeogonon and Thelygonum of Crocodilium and Cynosorchis of Chrysolachanon Cucubalon and Conserua STinking Horehound which some Greeks call Ballote others Melamprasion i. Black Horehound is an herbe tufted full of branches the stems be black and cornered the leaues wherwith they be clad and garnished are somewhat hairy resembling those of sweet or white Horehound but that they be bigger blacker and of a stinking sauor but the leaues stamped and applied with salt be very effectuall against the biting of a mad dog also if they be wrapped in a Colewort or Beet leafe and so rosted vnder the embers they are commended for the swelling piles in the fundament This Horehound made into a salue with honey clenseth filthie vlcers Botrys is an herb ful of branches and those of a yellowish colour and beset round with seed the leaues resemble Cichorie Found it is commonly growing about the banks of brookes and riuerets Good it is for them that be streight winded and cannot draw their breath but sitting vpright The Cappadocians call it Ambrosia others Artemisia As for Brabyla they be astringent in manner of Quinces More than so I find not any Author to write thereof Bryon no doubt is a Sea-herbe like in leaues to Lettuce but that they be riuelled and wrinkled as if they were drawne together in a purse no stem it hath and the leaues come forth at the bottom from the root it groweth ordinarily vpon rockes bearing out of the sea and ye shall find it also sticking to the shels of certaine fishes especially such as haue gathered any mud or earth about them The herbe is exceeding astringent and desiccatiue by vertue whereof it is a singular repercussiue in all impostumes and inflammations of the gout especially such as require to be repressed or cooled Touching Bupleuros I read that the seed thereof is giuen against the sting of serpents and that the wounds inflicted by them are to bee washed or somented with the decoction of the herb putting thereto the leaues of the Mulberrie tree or Origan Catanance is a meere Thessalian herb and growing no where els but in Thessalie and forasmuch as it is vsed only in amatorious matters and for to spice loue drinks withall I meane not to busie my selfe in the description therof howbeit thus much it would not be amisse to note for to detect and lay open the folly and vanities of Magitians namely that they went by this conjecture onely that it should be of power to win the loue of women because forsooth when it is withered it draweth it selfe inward like a dead Kites foot For the same reason also I will hold my tongue and say neuer a word of the herb Cemos Cala is of two sorts the one like to Aron which loueth to grow in toiled and ploughed grounds the time to gather this herb is before it begin to wither the same operation it hath that Aron and is vsed to the like purposes the root thereof is commended to be giuen in drink for a purgation of the belly and to prouoke the monethly termes of women the stalkes boyled leafe and all together with some pulse or other into a pottage and so taken cure the inordinate prouocations to the stoole and streinings therupon without doing any thing The second kind some call Anchusa others Rhinochisia the leaues resemble Lettuce but that they be longer ful of plume or down the root red which being applied with the floure of barly groats healeth shingles or any other kind of S. Anthonies fire but drunke in white wine cureth the infirmities of the liuer Circaeum is an herb like to winter Cherry or Alkakengi but for the flours which are black the seed small as the graine of Millet and the same groweth in huskes or bladders resembling little hornes the root is halfe a foot long forked for
them to the natural color of the other skin There is an herb which in Latine is named Natrix the root whereof being pulled out of the ground hath a rank smell like vnto a Goat with this herbe they vse in the Picene countrey to driue away those hob-goblins which they haue a maruellous opinion to be spirits called Fatui but for mine own part I am verily persuaded they be nothing else but fantasticall illusions of such as be troubled in mind and bestraught the which may be chased and rid away by the vse of this medicinable herbe Odontitis may be reckoned among the kinds of hey-grasse putting forth many small stems growing thicke together from one root and those knotted and ful of ioints triangled and blackish withall in euery ioint small leaues it hath resembling those of knot-grasse howbeit somwhat longer in the concauities between the said leaues and the stem there is contained a seed like vnto Barly corns the floure is of a purple colour and very small It groweth ordinarily in medow grounds The decoction of the branches and tender stalks of this herb to the quantitie of one handful boiled in some astringent wine cureth the toothach if the patient hold the same in the mouth Othonne groweth plenteously in Scythia like vnto Rocket the leaues be full of holes and the floure resembleth Safron which is the cause that some haue called it Anemone The juice of this herbe entreth very well into those medicines which are appropriate to the eies for it is somewhat mordicatiue and heateth gently besides exiccatiue it is and by that meanes astringent It clenseth the eies of those films and clouds which darken the sight and remoueth whatsoeuer hindereth the same Some ordain for this purpose that it should be washed first and after it is dried againe made into certain balls or troschisks Onosma beareth leaues wel-neare three fingers long and those lying flat vpon the ground three in number and indented or cut after the manner of Orchanet without stem without flour without seed If a woman with child eat thereof or do but step ouer it she shal cast her vntimely birth out of her wombe As for Onopordon they say if Asses eat thereof they will fall a fizling and farting Howbeit of vertue it is to prouoke vrine and the monethly sicknesse of women to stop a laske to discusse and resolue impostumes and to heale them when they be broken and do run Osyris putteth forth small branches of a browne colour slender pliable and easie to wind the same be garnished with leaues resembling those of Line or flax of a dark duskish green at first but afterwards changing colour and inclining to a red colour and the seed is contained in those branches Of these leaues are made certain washing balls to scoure womens skin and make them look faire The decoction of the root being drunk cureth those that haue the jaundise The same roots gathered before the seed be ripe cut into roundles and dried in the Sun do stop the laske but drawn after that the seed is ripe they represse all catarrhes and fluxes of the belly if the patient drink the supping wherein they are boiled Also stamped simply and so giuen in rain water they haue the same effect Oxys beareth three leaues and no more This herb is singular to be giuen for a feeble stomack which hath lost all appetite to meat They also who haue a rupture and whose guts be fallen down eat thereof to very good successe Polyanthemum which some call Batrachion hath a causticke quality whereby it doth blister any vnseemly scars by means whereof reduceth them to their fresh and former colour the same also applied scoureth away the morphew and bringeth the skin to the natiue hue answerable to the rest of the body Knot grasse is that herb which the Greeks name Polygonon and we in Latine Sanguinaria in leaf it resembleth Rue in seed common quich grasse riseth not from the ground but creepeth along the juice of this herb conueied vp into the nosthrils stancheth bleeding at the nose They who set down many kinds of Polygonon do hold that this is to be taken for the male and by reason of the multitude of seed which it beareth is called Polygonon or for that it groweth so thick in tufts Calligonon Others name it Polygonaton for the number of knots or knees which it carrieth There be again who giue it the name Theuthalis some cal it Carcinetron others Clema many Myrtopetalon and yet I meet with some writers who say this is the female knot-grasse and that the male is the greater and not altogether so dark of colour growing also thicker with knots swelling with seed vnder euery leaf wel how soeuer it it the property of them both the one as well as the other is to bind and coole and yet their seed doth loosen the belly which if taken in any great quantity is diuretical and represseth any rheums prouided alwaies that the patient be troubled therwith otherwise it doth no good The leaues are singular good to be applied vnto the stomack for to assuage the heat thereof in a liniment they mitigat the griefe of the bladder and stop the course of shingles and such like wilde-fires The juice is soueraigne to be dropped alone by it selfe into the eares that run and into the eyes to abate their pain It is vsually giuen to the quantity of 2 cyaths in tertian Agues and Quartans especially before the fit commeth likewise for the feeblenesse of the stomack when it will keep nothing for the bloudy flix and the rage of cholerick humors both vpward and downward A third kind there is which they cal Oreon growing vpon the mountains resembling a tender reed rising vp in one single stem but full of little knees or knots and those couched thrust together Leafed it is like the Pitch tree the root needlesse and of no vse and generally the whole herb of lesse strength and operation than the former Howbeit this singular propertie hath it to help the sciatica A fourth Polygonum there is called the wild and this busheth like a shrub or a prety tree rather the root is of a wooddy substance the stock or plant of a reddish colour resembling the Cedar it beareth branches much like to Spart or Spanish broome two spans long iointed into three or four knots and those of a blackish colour This also hath an astringent nature and tasteth in the mouth like to a Quince The decoction thereof in water till the third part be consumed or the pouder of it dried is commended for the sores in the mouth and for any part that is fretted and galled And the very substance thereof is good to be chewed in case the gums be sore It represseth the malignity of eating corrosiue vlcers and cankers and in one word staieth the malice of all sores that run on end and be
vntoward for to be healed but a peculiar property it hath by it selfe to cure any vlcer occasioned by the snow Our Herbarists vse this kind much for the squinancy and to ease the head-ach make a garland thereof appointing it to be set vpon the head but to represse any violent catarrhs they prescribe to weare it about the neck In Tertian agues some giue direction to pluck it out of the ground with the left hand and then to tie it to the arm or other part of the patient And there is not an herb or plant that they be more careful to keep dry and to haue alwaies ready at hand than Polygonon for to stanch any issue or flix of bloud whatsoeuer Pancration which some chuse rather to cal the little Squilla or sea-onion beareth leaues resembling the white Lilly but that they be longer and thicker with a great bulbous root the same in color red The juice of it taken with the floure of Eruile maketh the belly laxatiue and outwardly applied mundifieth vlcers For the dropsie and hardnesse of the spleene it is giuen with hony in maner of a syrrup Some take the root and boile it in water vntill the liquour be sweet which they poure forth and then stamp the said root and reduce it into bals or trosches which they lay to dry in the Sun and vse them afterwards as occasion serueth for the skals or vlcers of the head and all other sores that require mundification Semblably they giue thereof as much as one may take vp with three fingers in wine for the cough and in a liquid electuarie or lohoch for the pleurisie and peripnewmonie They prescribe it likewise to be drunke in wine for the Sciatica to allay also the gripes and wrings of the belly and to procure the monethly termes of women Peplos called by some Syce by others Meconion Aphrodes from one smal root busheth into many branches the leaues be like vnto Rue but that they be somewhat broader the seed appeareth vnder the leaues round but that they be smaller not vnlike to the white Poppie Ordinarily it is found among Vines and they gather it in haruest time They hang it forth seed and all together a drying setting water vnderneath that the said seed or fruit may fall down into it If it be taken in drinke it purgeth the belly and doth euacuat both choler and fleagme The measure of one acetable is counted an ordinary and indifferent potion to be drunk in three hemines of mead or honied water With this seed they vse to pouder meats and viands thereby to keep the body soluble Periclymenos is also a bushie plant and loueth to branch much it beareth whitish soft leaues disposed two by two at certain spaces distances very orderly In the top of the branches it beareth hard seeds between the leaues which hardly may be plucked off It groweth in tilled corn fields hedges winding about euery thing that it can catch hold of for to support and beare it vp The seed after it is dried in the shade folk vse to pun in a morter and so to make it vp into trochisks In case that the spleen be swollen or hard they take of these trosches and after they be dissolued giue thereof a sufficient quantity in 3 cyaths of white wine for 30 daies together which drink is of such operation that it will wast and spend the spleen partly by vrine which wil appeare bloudy and partly also by seege and this will be perceiued sensibly by the tenth day of the cure The leaues also be diureticall and a decoction made with them prouokes vrine The same likewise are good for those that cannot draw their wind but sitting with their body vpright Being drunk in like manner they help women who are in sore trauell to speedie deliuerance and fetch away the after-birth As touching Pelecinum it groweth as I said before among corn branching thick and garnished with leaues like vnto the cich pease It beareth seed in certain cods which crook in manner of little horns and those be four or fiue in number together The said seed resembleth Gith so far as euer I could see and is bitter but good for the stomack one of the ingredients that goe into antidotes and preseruatiues against poison Polygala reacheth vp with a stem a span high in the top wherof it beareth leaues resembling the Lentils of an astringent tast which being drunk causeth nources to haue plenty of milk in their breasts Poterion or as some call it Phrynion or Neurada brancheth and spreadeth much armed it is with sharp pricks and besides full of a kind of thick down the leaues be small and round the branches slender long soft and pliable the floure in form long of a grasse green color The seed is of no vse in Physick but of a quick and sharp tast odoriferous also and pleasant to the smell It is found growing as well in watery places as also vpon little hils Two or three roots it hath which run down two cubits deep into the ground ful of cords or sinews white and of a firm and hard substance About Autumne they vse to dig round about it hauing before cut the plant it selfe aboue ground which yeeldeth thereby a juice like vnto a gum The root is by report of wonderfull operation in healing wounds and especially of sinews cut in sunder if it be applied thereto in a liniment Also the decoction thereof drunke with honey in manner of a syrrupe helpeth the feeblenesse and dissolution of the sinewes and namely when they bee wounded and cut Phalangites by some is called Phalangion by others Leucanthemon or as I find in some copies Leucacantha Little branches it putteth forth neuer fewer than twaine and those tending directly a contrary way The floures white fashioned like the red Lilly the seed blacke broad and flat shaped after the manner of halfe a Lentill but much lesse and the root is of a greenish colour The leafe floure and seed of this herbe is a singular remedie against the venomous sting of scorpions the spiders Phalangia and serpents also for the wringing torments of the belly As for Phyteuma somewhat els I haue to do rather than to describe it considering there is no vse of it but in amatorious medicines to procure womens loue There is an herbe called by the Greekes Phyllon growing vpon stony mountaines standing much vpon a rocke The female of this kinde is of a deepe greene colour the stem is slender the root small the seed round and like vnto that of Poppie This hearbe serueth for the getting and conceiuing either of boyes or girles according as the male or the female is vsed which differ only in seed or fruit which in the male resembleth an oliue that is new come forth and biginneth only to shew But both of them are for the said purpose to be drunke in wine Phellandrion groweth in moory grounds and in leafe
poisoned with swallowing down those venomous flies called Buprestes he shall find great help by eating lard and drinking the broth or decoction thereof Furthermore if a man round an asse in the eare and say closely That he is wounded by a scorpion the pain and grieuance thereof will immediatly passe away yea and any venomous thing whatsoeuer will flie from the fume of his lungs as it burneth also it is good for those who are stung by scorpions to be perfumed with the smoke of calues dung If a man be wounded by the biting of a mad dog some there be who cut round about the place to the very quick laying therto the raw flesh of a calfe and then giue the patient to drink the broth of the said flesh boiled or els hogs grease stamped with quick-lime Others highly praise the liuer of a buck Goat affirming that if it be once applied he shall not fall into that symptome of hydrophobie or fearing water incident to those that be bitten with a mad dog They commend also a liniment made of goats dung and wine or hony tempered together like as the decoction of a grey or badger of a cuckow and a swallow taken in drink For the biting of other beasts it is an ordinary practise to lay vnto the sore dry cheese made of goats milk together with origan but they giue direction to drink the same in some conuenient liquor in case one be bitten by a mans tooth they prescribe boeuse sodden and applied howbeit the flesh of a calf is more effectual with this charge that this cataplasm be not remoued before the fift day It is a common saying that the muffle or snout of a Wolfe kept long dried is a countercharm against all witchcraft and sorcery which is the reason that they vsually set it vpon gates of countrey ferms The same force the very skin is thought to haue which is flaied whole of it self without any flesh from the nape of the neck And in truth ouer and aboue the properties which I haue reported already of this beast of such power and vertue it is that if horses chance to tread in the tracts of a Wolfe their feet will be immediatly benummed and astonied Also their lard is a remedy for those who are empoisoned by drinking quick-siluer Asses milke if it be drunke doth dull and mortifie the force of any poison but more particularly if any haue taken Henbane the viscous gum of the herb Chamaeleon Hemlock the sea-Hare the iuice of Carpathum the poison Pharicum or Dorycnium also in case that crudled milk haue done harm to any for surely it is no better than poison especially the first beestings if it quaile and cruddle in the stomacke To conclude Asses milke hath many other medicinable properties which we will speake of hereafter But remember alwaies to vse this milke whiles it is fresh and new drawne out of the vdder or els not long after then it must be warmed for there is not any milk that sooner loseth the vertue Moreouer the bones of an Asse well broken bruised and sodden are giuen for a counterpoison against the venome of the sea-Hare And for all these purposes before said the milke and bones of the wild Asses be thought more effectuall As touching wild horses the Greeks haue written nothing because throughout all Greece there are none of them to be seene Howbeit whatsoeuer medicinable vertues be attributed to horses the same we must think more forcible in the wild than in others Neither had the Greeks any experience of those Neat or Buffles called Vri and Bisontes yet the forest of India be ful of wild buls kine Now by good reason and proportion we are to think that whatsoeuer commeth from them is more auaileable in Physicke than from the tame of that kind And verily Cow milk is said to be a generall counterpoison able to kill any of those venoms abouenamed Ouer and besides if the dangerous Lilly called Ephemerum Colchicum be taken inwardly and setled in the stomack or if the greene flies Cantharides haue bin giuen in drink the said milke will send vp all againe by vomit And as for the Cantharides the broth of Goats flesh will doe the like Against those corrosiue poisons which kill by exulceration the tallow of a calfe or any Boeufe is a soueraigne medicine As for the danger that commeth by drinking Horse-leaches Butyr made of Cows milk is a singular remedy if it be taken with vineger heat with a gad of steele The same alone without any other thing is a good counterpoison for if oile be wanting butter may serue the turn as well Being ioined with hony it healeth the sores occasioned by the biting of the Porcelets called Multipedae The broth made of their tripes if it be drunke is thought to kil any poison abouenamed and besides the Aconite and Hemlock so doth the suet of a Calfe Greene cheese made of Goats milk is good for them that haue drunk the venomous viscositie issuing out of the herb Chamaeleon called Ixias but their milke is a remedy against the flies Cantharides and the venomous hearbe Ephemerum if it bee drunke with the grape Taminia Goats bloud sodden together with the marrow is taken against the poisons called Toxica and kids bloud against the rest The rennet found in the maw of a kid hath a peculiar vertue to mortifie the venom of the foresaid viscous gum Ixia as also of the herb it self Chamaeleon the white yea and Buls bloud for which the rennet of an Hare with vineger is a singular defensatiue Against the venomous Raie or Puffen called Pastinaca Marina the pricke or sting also of any sea-fish the said rendles of an Hare Kid or Lamb is a singular antidot taken to the weight of one dram in wine As for the rennet of an Hare it is one of the ordinary ingredients that go to the composition of all preseruatiues and counterpoisons There is a kind of Butterflie that vseth to fly about candles as they are burning which is reckoned among poisons The aduersatiue remedy against it is a Goats liuer like as their gal is soueraigne against any venomous drinkes made of the rusticke weazill CHAP. XI ¶ Receits and remedies for many kinds of maladies taken from sundry beasts BVt now will I returne to the remedies appropriate to diseases respectiue to the particular members of the body and first to begin at the head Bears grease mixed with Ladanum and that kind of Maidenhaire which is called Adiantum retaineth the haire of the head which is giuen to fall off also the places that be already bare it replenisheth again with new haire the same being incorporat with the fnngous excrescence growing about the candle-snuffe as also with the soot found sticking to the sockets of lamps and candlestickes causeth the haire of the eie-lids to come thick Mixed with wine it is good against the skurfe and dandruffe among the hairs for which purpose serueth the ashes of
a lask and knit the belly for the flux proceeding from the imbecilitie of the stomacke for the dysenterie or bloudy flix for the ventosities and inflation of the belly for ruptures the straining vpon the seege without doing any thing for the wormes in the guts and for the cholique TO stay the running out and extraordinary loosnesse of the belly these medicines following be conuenient Imprimis the bloud of a stag Item the ashes of an harts horne the liuer of a bore fresh and without any salt at all taken in wine likewise the liuer of a sow rosted or of a male goat sodden in one hemine of water the crudled rennet in a hares maw drunk in wine to the quantity of a cich-pease or in water in case the patient haue an ague Some there be who put gall nuts thereto others content themselues with Hares bloud alone sodden with milke Also the ashes comming of horse dung drunke in water the ashes of that part of an old bulls horne which groweth next to the head strewed into a draught of water In like manner Goats bloud sodden vpon coles A Goats skin or fell haire and all boiled together yeeldeth a decoction which is good in this case to be drunke Contrariwise to loose the belly the runnet found in a Colts maw the bloud of a femal goat or els hermarrow or liuer are thought conuenient laxatiues Item a plaster made with a wolues gal together with the juice of a wild Cucumber and applied to the nauil Also a draught either of Mares or Goats milke taken with salt and hony The gall of a she-Goat is good for this purpose if it be taken with the iuice of Sowbread and a little Allum But some there be who think it better to put thereto salnitre and water Buls gall stamped and incorporat with Wormwood made into a round ball and so put vp in stead of a suppositorie will giue a stoole and make the body soluble Butter eaten in any great quantity is good for those who haue a flux occasioned by the weaknesse of the stomack and a dysenterie or bloudy flix so is a Cowes liuer the ashes of an Harts-horn taken to the quantity of as much as three fingers will comprehend in a draught of water likewise the rennet of an Hare wrought in dough for to make bread or if the patient do voyd bloud withall the same ought to be incorporat in parched Barley meale The ashes of a Bores Sowes or hares dung is good to spice a warme potion of wine in these infirmities Moreouer an ordinary Veale broth as it is commonly giuen is counted one of the remedies for these kind of fluxes abouenamed whether they come of feeble stomacke or exulcerat guts But if the patient drink Asses milk for this purpose it will be the better if hony be put thereto Furthermore the ashes of an Asse dung taken in wine is as effectual in operation as the rest for both diseases As also the first ordure of the Asse fole which we termed Polea in the former chapter The cruds or rennet of an horse fole maw called by some Hippace is soueraign for such lasks yea though the patient did shere bloud vpon the stoole The ashes also of horse dung and the pouder of Horse teeth is said to be singular yea and Calues milk sodden and so drunke But if the flux do proue to be a dysentery Physitians giue aduise to put therto a little hony if gripes come thick they prescribe the ashes of Harts horn or buls gall tempered with Cumin seed and the fleshy substance of a Gourd to be laid in maner of a cataplasme to the nauill The tender cheese curd of Cowes milke clysterized is passing good both for the stomack flux and also for the bloudie flix In like fort the butter made of Cows milk taken to the quantity of foure hemins with two ounces of right Terpentine either in the decoction of Mallowes or oile of Roses The suet of a Calfe or beasts tallow is likewise an ordinary remedy in these cases But diuers there be who seeth the marrow forth as well of the one as the other with meale wax and a little oile yet so as the broth be clear that it may be supped off Their marrow also is vsually incorporat in the past whereof bread is made and so taken with great successe Goats milke sodden vntill the halfe be consumed is reputed also a proper medicine And in case the guts besides be wrung griped there would be put thereto a little vnpressed wine of the first running called Mere-goutte howbeit some there be who think it sufficient for to appease the torments of the wombe to drinke Hares rennet but once in a draught of wine warm but the wiser sort and those that deale more warily think it good withall to make a liniment of goats bloud incorporat with barley meale and rosin therewith to anoint the belly And they also aduise their patients for any violent flux of the belly whatsoeuer to apply thereto soft cheese but if the flux be from the stomack or dysentericall they prescribe old cheese to be grated and giuen to the patient in wine with this proportion that in 3 cyaths of wine there be a third part of cheese Goats bloud boiled with this marrow is singular good for the dysentery or bloudy flix The liuer of a female goat rosted is a soueraign medicine for the fluxions of the stomack but it were better if the male Goats liuer were taken in drinke after it hath bin sodden in some green and austere wine or with oile of Myrtles reduced into a cataplasme and so laid to the nauill some seeth the same in water from six sextars to one hemine and put Rue thereto Others rost the milt of a goat male or female it skilleth not and vse it for the same purpose or else they take the suet of a buck goat with bread that hath bin baked on the harth vnder the embers But aboue all they hold that the suet taken from the kidnies of a she goat so drunk alone by it selfe is a singular remedy for these infirmities but they inioin the patient presently therupon to drink a little cold water Yet there be others who ordain the same suet to be boiled in water with fried barly groats Cumin Dill and vineger mixt all together And they giue order to such as haue the stomack flux to anoint their bellies with Goats dung sodden with honey And for both these fluxions as well from the stomack as the vlcer of the guts they prescribe the rennet of a Kid to the quantity of a Beane for to be drunk in Myrtle wine also a pudding made of the bloud thereof which kind of meat we call in Latine Sanguiculus Moreouer for the dysenterie they ordaine to iniect into the guts by a clystre Buls glue resolued in hot water For any ventosities Calues dung is holden to be singular good for to resolue them if it be
come vnto the diseases of the seat there is nothing so good for them as Bears gall incorporat together with their grease Some put thereto litharge of siluer and Frankincense in which cases butter is very good if with Goose grease and oile of Roses it be reduced into a liniment the consistence or thickenesse of which composition must be such as the grieued place will admit namely that it be gentle and smooth so as there be no paine in the anointing Also Buls gal is a soueraigne medicine applied therto vpon soft lint for it wil quickly skin the chaps and clefts in the fundament If that part be swelled the suet of a Calfe is very good to anoint it therewith but if the tumors appeare about the share then there would be Rue ioined therto as for other infirmities incident to those parts nothing better than Goats bloud tempered with parched Barly meale In like manner for the hard knobs in the seat called Condylomata Goats gall by it selfe is a speciall remedy so is the gall of a Wolfe tempered in wine and so applied For the biles and impostumes rising in any place therabout there is not a better medicine to scatter and dissolue them than Bears bloud or Buls bloud dried first and so beaten to pouder But the soueraigne remedy of all others is the stone which a wilde Asse is said to void with his vrine at what time as he is killed in chase which stone as it commeth first-forth of his body seemeth very liquid and thin but being shed once vpon the ground it groweth thicke and hard of it selfe This stone tied to the twist or inward part of the thigh is said to dispatch all collection of humors that might ingender biles and botches or at leastwise so to resolue them that they shall neuer impostumat and come to suppuration This stone is very rare and hard to be found for it is not in euery wild asse but surely famous it is and much spoken of by reason of this medicinable property that it hath Moreouer the vrin of an Asse together with Nigella otherwise called Gith is singular good in these cases Likewise a liniment made with the ashes of an horse house incorporat together with oile and water so is the bloud of any horse but especially of a stallion the bloud also and gal of a Cow or Oxe Their flesh moreouer which we cal boeuf hath the same effect if it be laid warme vnto the place The ashes also of their cleies tempered with water and hony The vrine of the Goats the flesh of the male Goats boiled in water In like maner their dung sodden with hony Bears gall or the gall of a bore last of all the vrine of a Sow applied vnto the place with wooll As touching the galls which by ouermuch riding on horseback be incident to the twist and the inner parts of the thigh as euery man knoweth full well which do burne and chaufe the skin in those parts the fomie slime which a horse yeeldeth as well from his mouth as his cullions is soueraigne therefore if the place be annointed therwith It falleth out many times that there arise swellings in the very share and groine by occasion of some sores or vlcers in other parts of the body for the repressing of which there is a present remedy namely to take three horse hairs and to tie them in as many knots and so conuey them into the said vlcer which is the cause of such tumors CHAP. XVI ¶ Proper remedies for the gout the falling sicknesse for such as be taken or strucken with a Planet or dead palsie for the laundise and fractures of bones ACerot made of Beares grease Buls tallow and wax of each an equall quantity is singular good for the gout in the feet And yet some there be who adde vnto them Hypoquistis and gall nuts Others preferre a male Goats tallow together with the dung of a female goat Saffron or Mustard seed and the branches of Yvie stamped with Parietary also of the wall or els the floures of the wilde Cucumber reduced all into the forme of a cataplasme and so applied In like manner others vse a pultesse made of beasts dung the mother of vineger tempered together Some magnifie highly commend in this case the dung of a calfe which hath not as yet tasted of grasse or Buls bloud alone without any other thing likewise a wolfe sodden quicke till all the flesh be gon and nothing but bones remaining or els a liue Wolfe sodden in oile til the said oile be gellied to the height or consistence of a cerot Semblably there is good account made of the tallow of a hee goat with as much Parietary of the wall and a third part of Senvy as also of the ashes of Goats dung incorporat with hogs grease moreouer it is said that the best thing that the patient can do for to haue ease of the Sciatica is to endure the said dung as hot as possibly he can vnder his great toes till it be ready to burne them For all otherjointgouts as well in feet as hands or elsewhere the gall of a Beare is a soueraigne medicin as also a Hares foot bound fast to the place affected And some are of this opinion that the gout of the feet will be assuaged in case a man cut off the foot of a quick hare carrie it about him continually As touching kibes bears grease cureth them so it healeth also the chaps in the feet but more effectual it is in case there be allum put therto for which purpose Goats suet is commended the pouder also of horse teeth the gall of a bore or sow the lights likewise of a swine together with the fat laid to the place Now if the feet be surbatted galled and bruised in the sole by treading or stumbling against that which offendeth them the same medicines be very good but say they are benummed and frozen with cold the ashes of Hares haire bringeth them into order again The lungs also of an Hare slit and skiced so laid too is good for any bruise or contusion in the feet or the ashes of the said lungs applied thereto Contrariwise if they be scorched and burnt with the heat of the sun they find a most soueraign cure by the grease of an asse likewise by boeufe tallow oile of roses mixed together The corns agnels chaps callosities of the feet the fresh dung of a bore or sow doth heal if it be applied therto in form of a cataplasm and not remoued before the third day Of the like efficacy are the ashes of a swines ankle bones the lungs of a bore or sow or of a stag If one haue galled his feet by the fretting stubbornnes of hard shoes the vrin of an asse together with the mire that is made of the same vrine vpon the ground doth heal if it be applied to the place the corns or agnels find much ease by
but a plaine and true narration according to my first desseine and intention For well I wot that I might haue inserted here and there the rare receits which are reported to be of the ashes of the bird Phoenix and her nest but that I know all to be meere fabulous howsoeuer they â—…ie a pretence of truth Besides I count it a very mockerie and no better to deliuer vnto the world those medicins which are not to be but once in the reuolution of a thousand yeres CHAP. II. ¶ The vertues and properties of Wooll THe ancient Romans attributed vnto Wool great authoritie had therein a certain religious and reuerent opinion of holines in so much as new wedded wiues by an old custom and ordinance at Rome were wont with great ceremonie to adorn and bedeck with wooll the side-posts of the dore or entrie into their husbands house on the mariage day Now besides the vse of wool for decent apparrel defence against cold weather that which is vnwashed and full of the sheeps swet serueth in Physick and is a soueraign remedy for sundry accidents being applied with oile wine or vinegre according as need requireth either in mitigation of pain or mordicasion and coriosion and according as our purpose is to bind or to enlarge and open any part and namely it is imploied in dislocations of members and griefe of sinues if it be laid to the affected place well sprinkled wet eftsoons with the said liquors that it might be alwaies moist But more particularly for disjointed members some put thereto a little salt others take rue when they haue stamped it incorporat the same with some conuenient grease so apply it in maner of a cataplasme vpon sweatie wooll after which maner it is good for contusions or bruses swellings Also it is said that if the teeth gumbs be well rubbed with such wool and hony mingled together it will cause the breath to be the sweeter a suffumigation or perfume therof is singular for the frensie applied with the oile of roses it stanches bleeding at the nose or otherwise if the ears be well stopped therwith and a little garlick conueied withal therinto Moreouer it is laid to inueterat sores with good successe so that hony be put thereto Soake wooll in wine vinegre or cold water and oile and then wring and presse the same forth it heales any wound The wool of a ram well washed in cold water afterwards steeped in oile is singular for womens infirmities and particularly allaies the inflammation of the matrice but in case it be faln downward and readie to slip out of the bodie a perfume therof receiued beneath staieth the same and keepes it vp The fattie wooll of a sheep being either applied or put vp in maner of a pessarie drawes down the dead infantâ—… out of the mothers belly and yet the same otherwise represseth the immoderat flux of womens fleurs If it be couched hard close within the wound occasioned by the biting of a mad dog it serueth to great purpose but with this charge That it be kept bound therto not remoued vntill the seuenth day be past applied vnto whitflaws and impostimations about the naile-roots with cold water it cureth them the same if it be dipped soked in a medly made of salnitre brimstone oile vinegre and tar all dissolued together and ready to boile and so laid as a cataplasm to the loins as hot as the patient can abide it changing it twice a day appeaseth the paine of those parts Take the greasie wooll of a ram bind therwith very hard the joints of the extream parts as namely the fingers and toes you shal see how it will stanch bleeding Howbeit note this that the wooll growing vpon the sheeps neck is euer best and most medicinable and if we regard the country from whence it coms that of Galatia Tarentum Attica and Miletum is alwaies reputed better than any other Furthermore the greasie or sweatie wooll of a sheepe is proper to be applied to any raw places where the skin is fretted off to contusions bruses looking black and blew strokes crushes rushes rubs and gals as also from them who are tumbled down from some high place for the head-ach and other pains and lastly for the inflammation or heat of the stomack being decently applied with vinegre and oile rosat Reduced into ashes and vsed as a liniment it is singular for them that be crushes or squeesed wounded burnt and scalded This ashes entreth also into colyries and eie-salues it serueth for hollow vlcers fistuloes like as for the ears when they run filthie matter For these purposes aboue specified some sheare it from the sheeps back others chuse rather to plucke it and when they haue clipped off the vpmost parts or forced it lay the same forth to dry they toze card it also and then bestow it in an earthen pot not fully baked which they besmeer all ouer with hony and so burn calcine it to ashes others put vnder smal chips or slices of torchwood and lay certain beds or courses thereof between the locks of wooll and after they haue besprinkled the same with oile set all one fire which done the ashes that come therof they put into little pans or vessels poure water theron and after they haue well stirred the said ashes with their hands they suffer it to settle downe to the bottom which they do oftentimes alwaies changing the water till such time as a man may perceiue the ashes at the tongues end to be somwhat astringent but not biting and they lay vp their ashes for their vse A great scourer and cleanser this is and therefore most effectuall to mundifie the eye-lids Moreouer the very filthy excrements of sheep the sweat sticking to the wool of their flanks between their legs the concauities thereabout which they cal Oesypum is thought to haue infinit number of medicinable ptoperties but the best Oesypum simply is that which coms from the sheep bred about Athens This swet or filthy excrement cal it what you wil is prepared and ordered many waies but the principall is that which is gathered from the wooll newly taken from between the legs shoulders of the sheep and presently tozed ready for to be carded others are content to teke the sweatie filth of any wooll so it be fresh plucked or clipped from the sheep and whether it be the one sort or the other they let it dissolue ouer a soft fire in a pan of brasse which done they set it a cooling and take off the fat that swims aloft gather it into an earthen vessell As for the rest which remained behind of the first stuffe they set iton the fire again that the fatnes may boile forth of it after this the fat that floted aboue as wel the former as the later they wash in cold water let it drie in a linnen cloth expose it to the
of shell-snailes with Line seed and Nettle seed putting thereto some hony and this cure they continue vntill the patient be throughly whole It is said moreouer That a green Lizard taken aliue and hanged so in a pot iust before the dore of the patients bedchamber with this charge that euer as he goes in and out he touch the same with his hand will worke the same effect The ashes of a scritch-owls head reduced into an vnguent with oile is good for this purpose so is the honey wherein Bees were stifled and lastly a spider but especially that which they call Lycos The heart of the bird called a Houpe is highly commended for the pain of the sides Also the ashes of shell-snailes boiled in Ptisane or husked Barley water and some in this case apply the same otherwhiles in a liniment onely without any thing else The ashes of a dogs head I meane the bare skalpe or skull onely dying enraged and mad is good to spice a cup of drinke withall for this disease If the loines be pained it is said That the starre-Lizards called Stellions comming from beyond sea sodden in wine together with the seed of black Poppie to the weight of halfe a denier is very good so the decoction be drunk howbeit this care must be had that the head be cut off first and the garbage taken forth The green Lizards are good meat in this case if they be dressed accordingly and their feet and head cut away so are shell-snailes braied shels and all together and sodden in wine with fifteen grains of pepper Some vse the feet and legs of an Aegle in this disease pulling them away backeward from the knees and the right foot they apply fast to the paine of the right side but the other if the contrary side be grieued The many-foot Sowes or Cheeslips which I called before Oniscos help the same pains if they be taken to the weight of halfe a denarius in two cyaths of wine To conclude with the Sciatica the magitians giue order to put an earth-worm in a treene or wooden dish which hauing bin cleft was stitched vp again with iron wier or bound with a plate or hoope of yron then to lade vp some water therwith and in it to wash rince the said worme very well and then to enterre or burie the same again in the very place from whence it was digged forth which done to giue the said water anon to the patient for to drinke out the said wooden dish and this they hold to be a wonderfull medicine CHAP. VII ¶ Remedies for the dysenterie or bloudie flix And generally for all diseases of the belly THe decoction of a leg of mutton sodden in water with Line seed is singular good for to be supped off to stay a bloudie flix So is old Cheese made of Ews milke and sheeps suet sodden together in some austere wine The same is singular for the Sciatica passio and an old cough The starre-Lizard Stellio which breeds beyond sea being flaied garbaged and dressed for meat so that the head and feet be taken away and so sodden and eaten is commended also in this case Moreouer it is said That two snailes and one Hens egg stamped the one as wel as the other with their shels and afterwards gently sodden in a new earthen pot with some salt two cyaths of wine cuit or else with the juice of Dates 3 cyaths of water giuen to the patient to drink who is tormented with the dysentery or bloudy flix wil bring great alleuiation of the said disease It is thought also That the ashes of the said shell-snailes calcined if they be taken in wine with a little rosin are soueraign therfore As touching naked snails without any shels they be found plentifully in Affrick Passing good they be for the bloudie flix if 5 of them be burnt and calcined together with halfe a denier weight of Acacia 2 spoonfuls of their ashes taken in Myrtle wine or some other austere astringent wine and a like quantity of hot water Some there be who in this sort vse all the snailes of Barbary Others thinke it better to take fiue of the said snailes of Affricke or rather as many of the broad and flat sort and to clysterize them for the dysenterie But if the flux be exceeding vehement then they put thereto of Acacia the quantitie of a beane It is said moreouer That the spoile or slough of a serpent boiled with oile rosat in a vessell of tinne is singular for the Dysenterie and Tinesme to be injected by a clyster Or if it be sodden in any other vessell yet with an instrument or pipe of tin it is to be conueighed into the fundament that the tiwill thereby may be annoinied The broth of a Cocke cureth these infirmities but if it be of an old Cocke it is the more effectuall And yet if the said broth be any thing saltish it stirreth the bellie prouoketh to the seege The inward skin of an Hens gisier broiled and giuen with salt and oile doth mittigat and appease the wrings caused by the flux of the stomacke But then this regard must be had before That neither the Hen haue any corne giuen her nor the patient feed vpon any graine some time before Pigeons dung being burnt and the ashes taken in drinke is of great effect and vertue in these cases The flesh of a Quoist or Stock-doue sodden in vinegre is good both for the bloudie flix and also for the loosenesse proceeding from the imbecilitie of the stomacke The Thrush or Mauis rosted with Myrtle berries is soueraigne for the dysenterie so is the Merle or black-bird In which respect great account also is made of the honey boiled where in bees were killed Of all the paines that be the Iliacke passion is most sharpe and grieuous to be endured But it is said That the bloud of a Bat torne and plucked in peeces aliue is very good against it yea and if the bellie be annointed therewith it easeth the torment thereof But to come againe vnto the flux of the bellie shell-snailes prepared and made in manner aforesaid for those that be short winded are singular good for to stop the same and to knit the bodie So are their ashes if they were burnt and calcined aliue taken in some austere or astringent wine The liuer of a cocke rosted together with the skin of the gisier which ordinarily the cooke casteth away dried and kept and so taken with a little of the juice of Poppy mixed with it is of great power to remedy these accidents others take the same skin whiles it is new and fresh which they broil and torrifie for to be giuen in wine to drink A Partridge broth yea and the gisier of the bird alone beaten to pouder and taken in some grosse and a stringent wine is singular to stay a flux of the belly The wild Ring-doue or Quoist
boiled in vineger and water is of the same effect The milt of a sheep first torrified then puluerized and taken in wine helpeth much this infirmitie A liniment likewise made of Pigeons dung and hony is of great vertue if the patients belly be annointed therewith Touching those that haue feeble stomacks and cannot concoct and digest their meat It is said That the maw or gisier of that kind of Geire or Vulture which is called in Latine Ossifragus dried puluerized and drunk is right soueraigne Nay if the patient doe but hold the same gisier in his hand whiles he is at his repast it will help digestion And in truth there bee diuers that for this cause weare these gisiers ordinarily about their necks but I think it not wholsome to do so long for it maketh them leane as many as vse it and spendeth their body To stay a flux of the belly the bloud of Mallards or Drakes is thought also to be singular good The meat made of shell-snailes discusseth and scattereth ventosities The Milt of a Mutton broiled to ashes and giuen in wine is singular good to allay the wrings and torments of the belly Of the same operation is the wild Quoist or Ringdoue sodden in vineger and water The greater kind of Swallows or Martins called Apodes are no lesse powerfull if they bee sodden and taken in wine The ashes of the bird Ibis plucked burnt without his feathers so giuen to drink work the same effect But strange it is and wonderfull if that be true which is reported as touching this malady namely that if a Ducke bee applied aliue vnto the belly which is tormented with such wrings she shal draw away the disease into her own body and die of the torment but the patient shal be eased by that means These painful gripes likewise are cured with sodden hony wherein Bees sometimes were drowned to death As for the Collick there is nothing so good to assuage the paine thereof as to eat Larkes which the Latines name Galeritae Howbeit some giue aduise and think it better to burne and calcine them in their feathers within a new earthen vessel so to stamp them to ashes or pouder and to drink therof foure daies together in water by three spoonfuls at a time Others make no more ado but take the heart of a Lark and bind it to the inward part of the thigh and there be againe who would haue the same to be swallowed downe whole newly taken out of the bird while it was warme There is a family of the Asprenates men of good quality and reputation for that they had bin somtimes Consuls of Rome in which house of two brethren the one was fully cured of the collick by eating these birds and by wearing ordinarily the heart of one of them about his arme inclosed within a bracelet of gold the other being likewise troubled with the said disease found remedy by a kind of sacrifice which he offered in a little chappell made with vnbaked brickes piled vp archwise in manner of a furnace and so soon as the sacrifice was finished he stopt vp the same againe That Vulture which is called Ossifragus hath one gut of wonderfull nature for it is able to concoct and digest whatsoeuer the said foul deuoureth And for certain this is known and generally receiued that the nethermost end therof cureth the collick if the patient do but carry it about him There are other secret and hidden diseases incident to the guts wherof there be wonders told and namely that in these cases if yong whelpes before they can see be applied for 3 daies together vnto the stomack especially and the brest so that they suck milke from out of the patients mouth the while the said disease shall passe into the body of the poore whelps whereof in the end they shall die Let the same be ripped opened then it wil appear euidently what the cause was of the foresaid secret malady of the patient But such whelps ought when they are dead to be enterred buried As for the Magitians they auouch That if the belly be annointed lightly with the bloud of a Bat the party thus dressed shall not need to feare any paine of that part for one whole yeare after or if it chance that one be pained in the belly let him say they indure to drinke the water that runneth down from his feet when his legs be washed and he shall find help anone CHAP. VIII ¶ Medicines against the stone and grauell the paines of the bladder The swellings in the cods and the share Also for the biles and botches called Pani FOr them that are troubled with the stone it is good to annoint the region of the belly with Mouse dung It is said that the flesh of an Vrchin or Hedgehog is very good meat pleasant in tast if so be he were killed outright in the head at one blow before that he had time to shed his owne vrine vpon himselfe and looke whosoeuer eat this flesh shall neuer be subject to the disease of the strangury The flesh of an Vrchin killed in this sort helpeth the bladder in case the vrine passe by dropmeale from it But contrariwise if the Vrchin chance to wet and drench himselfe with his owne vrine as many as eat of the flesh shal fal into the infirmity of the strangury or pissing dropmeale Moreouer it is said That earthworms drunke either in wine or cuit is of great efficacy to breake or dissolue the stone as also that snailes prepared in that sort as they are ordained to be dressed for shortnesse of wind work the like effect Take snails naked out of their shels and stamp them giue 3 of them to the Patient to drinke in a cyath of wine the first day two the morrow after and the third day one againe you shall see how it will helpe the strangurie or pissing dropmeale But let the empty shels be burnt the ashes therof wil scoure away and expell the stone Semblably it is said that the same effect followeth vpon drinking the liuer of a water-snake the eating of the ashes of scorpions calcined either in bread or with locusts Likewise to take the little stones or grit that be found in the craw of a cocke or in the gisier or maw of a stock-doue to beat the same to pouder and therewith to spice the drinke is singular good for the infirmity aforesaid To do the like with the skin of a Cocks or Hens gisier dried or if it be new and fresh to rost and eat it Also for the stone and other difficulties or impediments of the bladder it is good to take the dung of Quoists or Stock-doues with Beane meale In like manner there is much help found by the ashes of Quoists feathers such as be of a wilder kind than the rest taken with Oxymell Moreouer the ashes of the guts of this bird giuen to the quantity of three spoonfuls as also the nest of
that violence and causing such trouble and broils as if the world were at war within it selfe And can there bee any thing more wonderfull and miraculous than to see the waters congealed oboue in the aire and so to continue pendant in the skie And yet as if they were not contented to haue risen thus to that exceeding height they catch and snatch vp with them into the vpper region of the aire a world of little fishes otherwhiles also they take vp stones and charge themselues with that ponderous weighty matter which is more proper to another Element The same waters falling downe againe in raine are the very cause of all those things here below which the earth produceth and bringeth forth And therefore considering the wonderfull nature thereof and namely how the corne groweth vpon the ground how trees and plants doe liue prosper and fructifie by the means of waters which first ascending vp into the skie are furnished from thence with a liuely breath and bestowing the same vpon the herbs cause them to spring and multiply we cannot chuse but confesse that for all the strength and vertue which the Earth also hath shee is beholden to the Waters and hath receiued all from them In which regard aboue all things and before I enter into my intended discourse of Fishes and beasts liuing in this Element I meane first to set down in generaility the maruellous power and properties of water it selfe and to illustrat the same by way of sundry examples for the particular discourse of all sorts of waters what man liuing is able to performe CHAP. II. ¶ The diuersitie of waters their vertues und operations medicinable and other singularities obserued therein THere is in maner no region nor coast of the earth but you shall see in one quarter or other waters gently rising and springing out of the ground here and there yeelding fountains in one place cold in another hot yea and otherwhils there may be discouered one with another neere adioyning as for example about Tarbelli a towne in Guienne and the Pyrenaean hills there do boile vp hot and cold springs so close one vnto the other that hardly any distance can be perceiued between Moreouer sources there be which yeeld waters neither cold nor hot but luke-warme and the same very holesome and proper for the cure of many diseases as if Nature had set them apart for the good of man only and no other liuing creature beside To these fountains so medicinable there is ascribed some diuine power insomuch as they giue name vnto sundry gods and goddesses and seeme to augment their number by that means yea otherwhiles great towns cities carrie their names like as Puteoli in Campane Statyellae in Liguria Aquae Sextiae in the prouince of Narbon or Piemont but in no countrey of the world is there found greater plenty of these springs and the same endued with more medicinable properties than in the tract or vale Baianus within the realm of Naples where you shall haue some hold of brimstone others of alume some standing vpon a veine of salt others of nitre some resembling the nature of Bitumen and others again of a mixt qualitie partly soure and partly salt Furthermore you shall meet with some of them which naturally serue as a stouph or hot-house for the very steeme and vapour only which ariseth from them is wholesome and profitable for our bodies and those are so exceeding hot that they heat the bains yea and are able to make the cold water to seeth boile again which is in their bathing tubs as namely the fountaine Posidianus whithin the foresaid territory Bajanus which name it tooke of one Posidius a slaue sometime and enfranchised by Claudius Caesar the Emperour Moreouer there be of them so hot that they are able to seeth an egg or any other viands or cates for the table As for the Licinian springs which beare the name of Licinius Crassus a man may perceiue them to boile and reeke again euen out of the very sea See how good Nature is to vs who amid the waues and billows of the sea hath affourded healthfull waters But now to discipher their vertues in Physick according to their seuerall kinds thus much in generality is obserued in these baths That they serue for the infirmities of the sinews for gout of the feet sciatica Some more properly are good for dislocations of ioints and fractures of bones others haue a property to loosen the bellie to purge and as there be of them which heale wounds and vlcers so there are again that more particularly be respectiue to the accidents of the head and ears and among the rest those which beare the name of Cicero and be called Ciceronianâ—… besoueraign for the eies Now there is a memorable manour or faire house of plaisance situat vpon the sea side in the very high way which leadeth from the lake Auernus to the cittie Puteoli much renowmed for the groue or wood about it as also for the stately galleries porches allies and walking places adioyning therunto which set out and beautifie the said place very much this goodly house M. Cicero called Academia in regard of some resemblance it had vnto a colledge of that name in Athens from whence he tooke the modell and patterne where he compiled those books of his which carrie the name of the place and be called Academice quaestiones and there he caused his monument or sepulchre to be made for the perpetuitie of his memoriall as who would say he had not sufficiently immortalized his name throughout the world by those noble works which he wrote and commended vnto posteritie Well soone after the decease of Cicero this house and forrest both fell into the hands and tenure of Antistius Vetus at what time in the very forefront as it were and entrie thereof there were discouered certaine hot fountaines breaking and springing out of the ground and those passing medicinable and wholesome for the eies Of these waters Laurea Tullus an enfranchised vassall of Cicero made certaine verses and those carying with them such a grace of majestie that at the first sight a man may easily perceiue how affectionat and deuout he was to the seruice of his lord and master and for that the said Epigram is worthy to be read not onely there but also in euery place I will set it downe here as it standeth ouer those baines to be seene in this Decasticon Quo tua Romanae vindex clarissime linguae Sylva loco melius surgere jussa viret Atque Academiae celebratam nomine villam Nunc reparat cultu sub potiore Vetus Hîc etiam apparent lymphae non ante repertae Lanquida quae infuso lumina rore levant Nimirum locus ipse sui Ciceronis honori Hoc dedit hacfontes cum patefecit ope Vt quoniam totum legitur sine fine per orbem Sint plures oculis quae medeantur aquae O prince of
not that vse of them in physick as at this present for now adays if folk be amisse or il at ease straightwaies they run to the bains and bath for remedy And in truth those waters which stand vpon brimstone be good for the sinews such as come from a veine of alume are proper for the palsie or such like infirmities proceeding from resolution of the nerues Moreouer they that hold of bitumen or nitre such as be the fountains Cutiliae be potable and good to be drunke and yet they are purgatiue To come to the vse of natural bains and hot waters many men in a brauery sit long in a bath and they take a pride in it to indure the heat of the water many hours together and yet is there nothing so hurtfull for the body for in truth a man should continue little longer in them than in ordinary artificiall bains or stouphs and then afterwards when he goeth forth hee is to wash his body with fresh cold water not without some oile among Howbeit our common people here thinke this to be very strange will not be brought to to it which is the reason that mens bodies in no place are most subject to diseases for the strong vapours that steme from thence stuffe and fil their heads and although they sweat in one part yet they chil in another notwithstanding the rest of their bodies stand deep within the water Others there are besides who on the like erronious conceit take great joy in drinking a deal of this water striuing avie who can poure most of it downe the throat I haue my selfe seen some of them so puffed vp and swolne with drinking that their very skin couered and hid the rings vpon their fingers namely when they were not able to deliuer again the great quantity of water that they had taken in Therefore this drinking of much water is not good to be vsed vnles a man do eftsoons eat salt withall Great vse there is and to good purpose of the mud which these fountains do yeeld but with this regard that when the body is besmeared and bedawbed outwardly therwith the same may dry vpon it in the Sun Well these hot waters be commonly full of vertue howbeit this is not generall That if a spring be hot by and by we should think it is medicinable for the experience of the contrary is to be seen in Egesta of Sicily in Larissa Troas Magnesia Melos and Lipara Neither is it a sure argument of a medicinable water as many are of opinion if a piece of siluer or brasse which hath bin dipped therein lose the colour for there is no such matter to be seene by the naturall baths of Padua neither is there perceiued in them any difference in smell from others Concerning Sea waters the same order and mean is to be obserued especially in such as bee made hot for to help the pains and infirmities of the sinews and many hold them good to souder fractures of bones yea and to cure their bruises and contusions likewise they haue a desiccatiue vertue wherby they dry rheumaticke bodies in which regard men bath also in sea water actually cold Moreouer the sea affoor deth other vses in diuers and sundry respects but principally the aire therof is wholsome for those who are in a phthysicke or consumption as I haue beforesaid and cureth such as doe reach or void bloud vpward and verily I remember of late daies that Annaeus Gallio after that he was Consull tooke this course namely to saile vpon the sea for this infirmity What is the cause think ye that many make voiages into Aegypt surely it is not for the aire of Egypt it self but because they lie long at sea and be sailing a great while before they come thither Furthermore the vomits also which are occasioned at sea by the continual rolling and rocking of the ships neuer standing stil are good for many maladies of head eies and brest and generally they doe cure all those accidents for which the drinking of Ellebore serueth As for sea water to be applied simply of it selfe vnto the outward parts physitians are of opinion that it is more effectual than any other for to discusse resolue tumors more particularly if there be a cataplasme made of it and barly meale sodden together it is singular for the swellings behind the ears called Parotides They mingle the same likewise in plasters such especially as be white and emollitiues and if the head be hurt and the * brain touched and offended it is soueraigne to be infused into the wound It is prescribed also to be drunke for albeit the stomack take some offence and hurt thereby yet it purgeth the body well and doth euacuat melancholick humors and black choler yea and if the bloud bee cluttered within the body it sendeth it out one way or other either vpward or downeward Some haue ordained it to be giuen for the quartan feuer others aduise to saue and keep it a time for to serue the turne in case of Tinesmes which are vnordinat strainings at the stoole to no effect also for all gouts and pains of joints and in very truth by age long keeping it forgoeth al that brackish tast which it had at the first Some boile it before but all in generall agree in this To vse for these purposes that sea water which was taken out of the deep far from the land such as is not corrupt with any mixture of fresh water with it and before their patients do drink it enjoyne them to vomit and then also do they mingle with it either vineger or wine for that purpose They that giue little thereof and by it selfe appoint radishes to be eaten presently vpon it with honied vineger or oxymell for to prouoke the patient to vomit againe Moreouer they vse otherwhile to minister a clystre made of sea water first warmed verily there iâ—… not a better thing than it for to bath and foment the cods withall if they be swelled either with ventosities or waterish humors Also it is much commended for kibed heels if they be taken before they are broken and exulcerat and in like manner they kill the itch cure scabs tettars and ringwormes Sea water serueth wel to wash the head to rid it of nits and filthy lice yea and reduceth black and blew marks in the skin to the fresh and liuely colour againe In all these cures after the vse of salt-water it is passing good to foment the place affected with vineger hot Ouer and besides it is thought to be very wholsome and good against the venomous stings of serpents and namely of the spiders Phalangia and scorpions Semblably it cureth those that be infected outwardly with the noysome saliuation or spittle of the Aspis called Ptyas but in these cases it must be taken hot furthermore a perfume made with sea-water and vineger is singular for the head-ach If it be clysterized hot it
allaieth the wrings and grindings of the belly yea and staieth the violent motions of cholericke humors working vpward and downward Those that be once chaufed and set into an heat with sea water shall not so easily feele cold againe When womens paps are ouergrowne and so exceeding great that they meet and kisse one another there is not a better thing to take them downe than to bath in a tub of sea-water the same also may serue to amend the griefe of the bowels and precordiall parts yea and to restore those that be exceeding leane and worn away The fumes and vapors of this water boiling together with vineger are soueraign for those that be hard of hearing or troubled with the head-ach Sea water hath this especiall property that of all things it scoureth away rust of yron soonest The scab that annoieth sheepe it healeth and maketh their wooll more soft and delicat But what meane I to say thus much of sea water knowing as I do full well that for those who dwell far vp into the maine and inhabit the inland parts all this may seem needlesse and superfluous And yet there hath bin means deuised to make artificiall sea-water wherewith euery man may serue his own turn when he will In which inuention one wonderfull thing is to be seen namely if a man put more than one sextar of salt to foure of water the nature of the water will be so soone ouercome that salt shall not dissolue nor melt therein but if you mingle one sextar of salt just with foure sextars of water you shall haue a brine as strong as the saltest water that is in the sea but to haue a kind most mild brine it is thought sufficient to temper the foresaid measure of water with 8 cyaths of salt and this water thus proportioned is very proper for to heat the sinewes without any fretting of the skin at all There is a certain compound sea water kept in manner of a Syrrupe which they call Thalassomeli made of Sea-water hony and raine water of each a like quantity Now the foresaid sea-water they fetch for this purpose out of the very deep and this composition they put vp in earthen vessels well pitched or varnished and reserue it for their vse An excellent purgatiue this is for besides that it clenseth the stomacke without any hurt or offence therof the tast and smell both are very pleasant and delectable As touching the mead called Hydromell it consisted in times past of rain water well purified and hony a drink ordained and allowed onely to sick and feeble persons when they called for wine as being thought lesse hurtfull to be drunke howbeit rejected it hath bin these many yeares and condemned for by experience it was found at length to haue the same discommodities that wine but farre short it was of the good and wholesome qualities of wine Moreouer forasmuch as sea-faring men and saylers be many times at a fault for fresh water and thereby much distressed I think it good to shew the means how to be prouided for the supply of this defect First and foremost therefore if they spread and display abroad certaine fleeces of wooll round about a ship the same will receiue and drinke in the vapours of the Sea and become moist and wet withall presse or wring them well you shall haue water fresh enough Item let downe into the sea within small nets certain pellets of wax that be hollow or any other void and empty vessels wel closed luted they will gather within them water that is fresh and potable for we may see the experience hereof vpon the land take sea-water let it run through cley it will become sweet and fresh But to proceed vnto the other medicinable properties of water let there be any dislocation in man or beast by the swimming in water it matters not of what kind it be the bones wil very quickly and with great ease be reduced into joint againe It falleth out many times that trauellers be in feare and danger of some sicknesse by change of waters and such especially as they know not the nature and quality of To preuent this inconuenience they drink the water cold which they doubt and suspect so soone as euer they be come out of the baine for then they shall find it presently As touching the mosse which is found in the water soueraigne it is for the gout in case it be applied outwardly mix oile thereto and reduce it into the forme of a cataplasme or liniment it easeth the paine and taketh down the swelling of the feet about the ankles The fome froth that floteth aboue the water causeth warts to flie off if they be well rubbed therewith The very sand likewise vpon the sea shore especially that which is small and fine the same burnt as it were with the heat of the Sun is a soueraigne remedy to dry vp the watery humors in a dropsie if the body be couered al ouer therewith and to that purpose it serueth also for rheums and catarrhs Thus much may suffice concerning water it self it remaineth now to treat of such things as the water yeeldeth In which discourse begin I wil as my order and manner hath bin in all the rest with those matters which be chiefe and principall and namely salt and spunges CHAP. VII ¶ The sundry kinds of salt the making thereof the vertues medicinable of salt and diuers other considerations respectiue thereto SAlt is either artificiall or naturall and both the one and the other is to be considered in many and diuers sorts which may be reduced all into 2 causes for salt commeth either of an humor congealed or els dried In the gulfe or lake of Tarentum the salt is made of the sea water dried by the heat of the summer Sun for then you shall see the whole poole converted into a masse of salt and verily the water there is otherwise very low ebbe and not aboue knee high The like is to be seen in Sicily within a lake called Cocanicus as also in another neare to Gelas but in these the brims sides only about the banks wax dry and turn into salt like as in the salt-pits about Phrygia and Cappadocia But at Aspenchum there is more plenty of salt gathered within the poole there for you shall haue the same turn into salt euen the one halfe to the very mids In which lake there is one strange and wonderful thing besides for look how much salt a man taketh out of it in the day so much ordinarily will gather againe by night All the salt of this sort is small and not growne together in lumpes Now there is another kinde of salt which of the owne accord commeth of sea-water and it is no more but the fome or froth which is left behind sticking to the edges of the banks or to rocks Both the one the other become thick and hard in manner and form of
a candied dew howbeit that which is found in the rocks is more quicke and biting than the other There is besides of salt naturall a third distinct sort from the former for in the Bactrians country there be two great and huge lakes which naturally do cast vp a mighty quantity of salt the one lieth toward the Scythians and the other bendeth to the Arians country like as neere to Citium a city in the Isle Cypros and about Memphis in Aegypt they draw forth salt out of lakes and afterwards dry the same in the sun Moreouer there be certain riuers which beare salt and the same congealed aloft in their vpper part in manner of yce and yet the water runneth vnderneath and keepeth the course wel enough As for example about the sluces and straits of the mount Caspius and thereupon they be called the Riuers of salt as also in other riuers of Armenia and about the Mardians countrey Moreouer Oxus and Othus two riuers passing through the region Bactriana carry ordinarily downe with them in their streame great peeces and fragments of salt which fall from the mountaines adjoining vnto them There are besides in Barbary other lakes and those verily thicke and troubled which ingender and beare salt But what will you say if there bee certaine Fountaines of hote Waters which breed Salt And yet such bee the Baynes or Springs called Pagasaei Thus far forth haue I proceeded in those kinds of salt which come of waters naturally There are besides certain hils also which are giuen by nature to bring forth salt and such is the mountain Oromenus among the Indians wherein they vse to hew salt as out of a quarry of stone and yet the same groweth still insomuch as the kings of that country make a greater reuenue by far out of it than either by their mines of gold or the pearles which those coasts do yeeld Furthermore it is euident that in Cappadocia there is salt Minerall digged out of the earth and it appeareth plainly that it is a salt humor congealed within And verily they vse to cut it out of the ground after the maner of glasse stone in lumps and those exceeding heauy which the peasants commonly call crums of salt At Carrhae a city of Arabia all the walls thereof as also the housen of the inhabitants be reared built of hard stones and the same be laid by Masons worke and the joints closed and soudered by no other morter but plain water K. Ptolomaeus at what time as he incamped about Pelusium a city of Egypt and cast vp a trench to fortifie the same found such a mine or quarrey of salt as these which was a president to others afterward to sinke pits betweene Aegypt and Arabia euen in the waste and dry quarters where vnder the delfe of sand they met with salt After which manner also they practised to dig in the desart dry sands of Africk and found more as they went euen as far as to the Temple and Oracle of Iupiter Ammon And verily they might perceiue this salt to grow in the night season according to the course of the Moone As for all the tract and country of Cyrenae famous it is and much spoken of for the salt Ammoniacum so called by reason that it is found vnder the sands In colour and lustre it resembleth that Alume de Plume which the Greeks call Schistos It groweth in long lumps or pieces and those not transparent the tast is vnpleasant howbeit this salt is of good vse in Physicke The clearest thereof is taken for the best especially when it wil cleaue directly into streight flakes A strange and wonderfull nature it hath if it be right for so long as it lyeth vnder ground within the mine it is passing light in hand and may be easily welded take it forth once and lay it abroad aboue ground a man would not beleeue or imagine how exceeding heauy it is But surely the reason thereof is evident for the moist vapors contained within those mines where it lieth beare vp the said pieces of salt and are a great ease to those that deale therwith much like as the water helpeth much to the stirring and managing of any thing within it be it neuer so weighty Well this Ammoniacke salt is corrupted and sophisticate as well with the pit salt of Sicily called Cocanicus as also with that of Cypresse which is wonderfull like vnto it Moreouer neare Egelasta a city in high Spaine there is a kind of sal-gem or Minerall salt digged the peeces or lumps wherof are so cleare as a man may in a maner see through them and this hath of long time bin in great request and of such name as the Physitians giue vnto it the price and praise aboue all other kinds But here is to be noted that all places where salt is found are euer barren and will beare no good thing els And thus much may bee said concerning salt that commeth of the own accord As touching salt artificiall made by mans hand there be many kinds thereof Our common salt and whereof we haue greatest store is wrought in this manner first they let into their pits a quantity of sea-water suffering fresh water to run into it by certain gutters for to bee mingled therewith for to help it to congeale whereto a good shower of raine auaileth very much but aboue all the Sun shining therupon for otherwise it wil neuer dry harden About Vtica in Barbary they vse to pile vp great heaps of salt in manner of Mounts which after that they bee hardened and seasoned in the Sun and Moone scorne all raine and foule weather neither will they dissolue insomuch as folke haue enough to doe for to break and enter in with pick-axes Howbeit in Candy the Salt is made in the like pits but of Sea-water onely without letting in any fresh water at all Semblably in Aegypt the Sea it selfe ouerfloweth the ground which as I take it is already soked and drenched with the water of Nilus and by that means their Salt is made After the same manner they make salt also out of certain wels which are discharged into their Salt-pits And verily in Babylon the first gathering or thickening of the water in their salt-pits is a certain liquid Bitumen or Petroleum an oleous substance which they vse in their lamps as we do oile and when the same is scummed off they find pure salt vnderneath Likewise in Cappadocia they do conuey and let in water out of certain wels and fountaines into their Salt-pits In Chaonia there be certaine Springs of saltish water which the people of that countrey doe boile and when it is cooled againe it turneth into Salt but it is but dull and weak in effect and besides nothing white In France and Germany the maner is when they would make salt to cast sea-sea-water into the fire as the wood burneth In some parts of Spain there be salt
springs out of which they draw water in maner of that brine which they cal Muria But thoseverily of France and Germany be of opinion that it skilleth much what wood it is that serueth to the making of such fire Oke they hold the best as being a fewell the simple ashes whereof mixt with nothing els may go for salt And yet in some places they esteeme Hazell wood meeter for this purpose Now when the said wood is on fire and burning they poure salt liquor among wherby not only the ashes but the very coales also will turne to be salt But all salt made in this sort of wood is black I reade in Theophrastus That the Islanders of Imbros were wont to boile in water the ashes of reeds and canes vntill such time as there remained little moisture vnconsumed and that which was left they vsed for salt The brine or pickle wherein flesh or fish hath bin kept salt if it be boiled a second time vntil the liquor be spent and consumed returneth to the own nature and becommeth salt again Certes we find That the salt thus made of the pickle of Pilchars or Herings is of all others most pleasant in tast As touching the salt made of sea-sea-water that of the Isle Cypres and namely that which comes from Salamis is commended for the best But of poole salt there is none comparable to the Tarentine and Phrygian especially that which they cal Tatteus of the lake Tatta and in truth both these kinds of salt be good for the eies The salt brought out of Cappadocia in little earthen pipes hath the name to make the skinne slick and faire but for to lay the same plain and euen and make it look full and plump without riuels the salt which I called Cittieus hath no fellow And therefore women after they be newly deliuered of child vse to annoint and rub their bellies with this salt incorporat together with Gith or Nigella Romana The driest salt is euermore the strongest in tast the Tarentine salt is taken for to be most pleasant and whitest withal Otherwise the whiter that salt is the more brittle it is and readier to crumble and fal to pouder There is no salt but raine water wil make it sweet and fresh The more pleasant it wil be delicat to the tast in case the dew fal therupon but Northeast winds ingender most plenty therof In a Southerly constitution of the weather and namely when the wind is ful south you shall see no salt ingendred The floure of salt commonly called Sperma-Ceti is neuer bred but when the Northeast winds do blow The salt Tragasaeus wil neither spit crackle leap nor sparkle in the fire no more will Acanthius so called of a towne of that name neither doth the fome of salt nor the gobbets and fragments ne yet the thin leaues or flakes thereof The salt of Agrigentum a city in Sicily will abide the fire and make no sparkling put it into water it will keep a spitting and crackling Great difference there is in salt in regard of the colour At Memphis i. Caire in Egypt the salt is of a very deep red but about the riuer Oxus in Bactriana more tawny or inclining to a russet And the Centuripine salt within Sicily is purple About Gela in the same Island the salt is so bright and clear that it wil represent a mans face as in a mirroir In Cappadocia the Minerall salt which they dig is of a yellow Safron colour transparent and of a most redolent smell For any vse in Physicke the Tarentine salt was in old time highly commended aboue the best after which they esteemed most all the sea salts and of that kind the lighter and that which especially is of the nature of fome for the eies of horses and Boeufes they made great reckoning of the Tragasaean salt and that of Granado or Boetica in Spaine For dressing of viands and cates for to be eaten also with meat the better is that salt which sooner melteth and runneth to water That also which by nature is moister than others they hold to be better for the kitchin or the table for lesse bitternesse it hath and such is that of Attica and Euboea For to pouder and keep flesh meat the dry salt quicke at tongues end is thought to be meeter than other as we may see in the salt of Megara Moreouer there is a certain confite or condited salt compounded also with sweet spices aromaticall drugs which may be eaten as a dainiy kind of gruel or sauce for it stirreth vp and whetteth appetite eat the same with any other meats insomuch as amongst an infinit number of other sauces this carrieth away the tast from them all for it hath a peculiar smatch by it selfe which is the cause that the pickle Garum is so much sought after for to giue an edge to our stomack not only we men are solicited moued by salt more than by any thing els tooâ—…r meat but muttons Boeufes and horses also haue benefit therby in that respect they feed the better giue more store of milke and the cheese made thereof hath a more dainty and commendable taste by that means And to conclude all in one word the life of mankind could not stand without salt so necessary an element if I may so say it is for the maintenance of our life that the very delights pleasures of the mind also are expressed by no better term than Salt for such gifts and conceits of the spirit as yeeld most grace and contentment we vse in Latine to call Sales All the mirth of the heart the greatest cheerfulnesse of a lightsome mind the whole repose contentment that a man findeth in his soule by no other word can be better shewed Moreouer this terme in Latine of Sal is taken vp and vsed in war yea and diuers honours and dignities bestowed vpon braue men for some worthy seruice go vnder this name and be called Salaries And how highly our ancestors accounted therof it may appeare by the name of that great port-way or street Salariae so called because all the salt that went into the Sabines country passed that way Moreouer it is said that Ancus Martius K. of Rome was the first that erected the salt-houses and gaue vnto the people a congiary or largesse of 6000 Modij of salt And Varro writeth That our ancestors in times past vsed salt ordinarily in stead of an houshold gruell for they were wont to eat salt with their bread cheese as may appeare by the common prouerb that testifieth so much But most of all we may gather in what request and account salt was in sacrifices and oblations to the gods by this that none are performed and celebrated without a cake of meale and salt Furthermore where salt is truly made without any sophistication it rendereth a certain fine and pure substance as it were the most subtill cinders of ashes
day The same salt fish more peculiarly serueth for them who haue bin hurt and wounded with the venomous Lizard Chalcis the horned serpent Cerastes or the venomous horn-fretters called Sepes being otherwise singular to heale those who haue bin smitten with the serpent Elops or bitten with the thirsty tooth of the worme Dipsas but if a man be pricked by the Scorpion good it is for him to feed fully of saltfish howbeit in no wise to vomit the same vp again but rather to indure the drinesse thirst occasioned thereby and many hold that it is a proper remedy to apply to the sore a cataplasm made of the foresaid saltfish Verily against the biting of Crocodils there is not thought to be a more present and effectual remedy than it But to grow vnto particulars Sprots salted haue a special propertie to heal the biting of the beetle or venomous fly Prester also in case a man be bitten with a mad dog it is very good to lay salt fish vnto the sore yea although the wound were not cauterised with a red hot iron nor the patients body emptied by a clystre this cataplasm alone of saltfish is thought sufficient to cure it the same soked in vineger serues also to be laid vnto the place that is hurt with a sea dragon Of the same operation and effect is a square piece or canton of the fish Tuny salted and condited And since I haue named the sea-Dragon this would be noted That himself outwardly applied is a remedie for the venom inflicted by the prick or fin of his ridge bone wherwith his manner is to strike yea his very brains also if you take nothing els are as effectual The decoction of sea frogs sodden in wine and vineger is a souerain drink for all poisons but especially for the venome of the hedge toad and salamander As for the frogs of riuers and fresh waters if a man either eat the flesh or drink the broth wherin they were sodden he shal find it very good against the poison of the sea-hare or the sting of the serpents abouenamed but more particularly against the prick of scorpions they would be boiled in wine Moreouer Democritus saith That if a man take out the tongue of a sea frog aliue so that no other part thereof stick therto after he hath let the frog go again into the water apply the said tongue vnto the left pap of a woman while she sleepes in the very place where the heart beateth she shall answer truly and directly in her sleepe to any interrogatorie or question that is put vnto her But the magitions tell more wonders than so of the frog which if they be true certes frogs were more commodious profitable to a Commonwealth than all the positiue written lawes that we haue For they would make vs beleeue That if the husband take a frog and spit her as it were alength vpon a reed so as it go in at the skut or mature behinde and come forth againe at the mouth and then pricke the said Reed or broch in the menstruall bloud of his wife she shall neuer haue minde afterwards to entertaine any adulterers but derest and loath that naughty kinde of life Certaine it is That if froggs flesh be put withina net or that a hooke be baited therewith Purple fishes aboue all others wil come flocking thither Moreouer it is commonly said That a Frog hath a double liuer the which ought to be layd before Ants and looke which of the two lobes or flaps thereof they make vnto and seeme to gnaw the same is a most singular antidote against all poysons whatsoeuer Some frogs there be that liue only among bushes and in hedges which thereupon we call in Latine by the name of Rubetae and the Greeks term them Phrynos the biggest they are of all other with two knubs bearing out in their front like horns and full of poison they be They that write of these toads striue a-vie who shal write most wonders of them for some say that if one of them be brought into a place of concourse where people are in great number assembled they shall be all husht and not a word among them They affirme also that there is one little bone in their right side which if it be thrown into a pan of seething water the vessel will coole presently and boile no more vntil it be taken forth again Now this bone say they is found by this means if a man take one of these venomous frogs or toads and cast it into a nest of Ants for to be eaten and deuoured by them and looke when they haue gnawed away the flesh to the very bones each bone one after another is to be put into a kettle seething vpon the fire and so it will soon be known which is the bone by the effect aforesaid There is another such like bone by their saying in the left side cast it into the water that hath done seething it will seeme to boile and waulme again presently this bone forsooth is called Apocynon and why so because ywis there is not a thing more powerfull to appease and represse the violence and furie of curst dogs than it They report moreouer that it inciteth vnto wanton loue and yet nathelesse if a cup of drinke be spiced therewith it will breed debate and quarrels among those that drinke thereof also whosoeuer carrieth it about him shall be prouoked to fleshly lust and contrariwise if the bone in the right side bee likewise vsed it will coole as much and take downe the pride of flesh and heat of concupiscence Others there be who are of opinion that if it bee but worne about one either hanging to the necke or fastened vnto any other part of the body infolded within a little piece of a new lambs skin it will cure a quartane ague or any other feuer besides The same also represseth the affection of loue Moreouer they beare vs in hand that the milt of these toads is a counterpoison against their owne venome but the heart say they is much more effectuall There is a certaine kind of serpent or Snake haunting the water called in Latine Coluber the fat and gall of which Serpent if they haue about them who vse to hunt after Crocodiles it is wonderfull say they how they be armed and defenced against them for they wil not attempt to turne againe vpon the hunters and giue any assault and yet of greater effect and force they shall finde it in case there be incorporat withall the pond-weed or water-speeke called Potamogiton The riuer Creifishes if they be taken fresh stamped and giuen in water to drinke are soueraigne against all poisons so is their ashes also a counterpoison but more particularly against the sting or pricke of Scorpions if it be drunke in asses milke or for default thereof in goats milke or any other whatsoeuer but then the patient ought to drinke wine vpon it And
they bee reduced into a liniment with vineger and vsed accordingly now must they be burnt and calcined in a new earthen vessel that neuer before was occupied And of the like operation is the liuer of the sea-fish Taenia if the same be dried and thereof the weight of foure deniers Romane incorporate in oile of Cedar to the forme of a liniment for to annoint the haires of the eie-lids by the space of nine moneths together The fresh gall of a Ray or Skeat yea and the same preserued and kept long in old wine is an excellent medicine for the eares so is the gal likewise of the fish Bancus which some cal Myxon also of Callionymus the fish aforesaid if it be dropt into the ears with oile rosat semblably Castoreum with the juice of Poppie There be also in the sea certaine creepers ingendred called Pedunculi i. sea-lice which being stamped and tempered with vineger they giue counsell to drop into the eares Also a lock of wooll died in the bloud of the purple shell-fish Conchylium of it selfe alone is a very good thing to be applied to the eares howbeit some doe wet the same in vineger and salniter mixed together But the soueraigne remedy in the opinion of most Physitians for any grieuance and infirmity of the ears is this namely Recipe of the best sauce or pickle called Garum Sociorum that may be gotten one cyath of hony one cyath and an halfe of vineger one cyath seeth them all together gently ouer a soft fire in a new pot eftsoon skimming it in the boiling with a feather and when it hath left casting vp a scum and is sufficiently purified take it from the fire and of this decoction warm drop into the pained eares If the ears be swelled withall they ordain and prescribe to mitigat assuage the same first with the juice of Coriander The fat of frogs dropt into the eares allaieth their paine presently The juice or decoction of craifishes incorporat with fine Barly meale is a singular and most effectuall salue to heale the wounds of the ears As for swellings and inflammations rising behind the ears there is not a better thing to cure them than to apply therto the ashes of Burrets shels tempered with hony or of the Purples Conchylia with honied wine If the teeth ake the ready means to assuage them is to scarifie the gums and let them bloud with the sharp bones of the sea-dragon and withall to make a collution with the brains of the sea dogfish boiled in oile and saued for the purpose to wash the mouth and teeth therwith once in a yere Likewise in the pain of the teeth found it is most soueraigne to scarifie the gums with the pricky bone or fin of the Puffin or Forkfish vntill they bleed againe The same also beeing puluerized brought into a liniment with white Ellebore and applied to the teeth causeth them to fall out of the head without any great paine Moreouer the ashes of salt fish burnt in a new earthen vessell and mixt with the pouder of the marble stone is reckoned among the remedies for the teeth In like maner the quadrants or square cantons of the old Tuny fish burnt to a cole in a new earthen pan and afterward beaten to pouder are thought to be good for the tooth ach Of the like operation and effect they say be the pricks and sins of all kindes of salt fish if they be first burnt to a coale then puluerized and therewith the teeth well rubbed Furthermore to make a collution to wash the teeth withall and to hold the liquor in the mouth some seeth frogs in vineger with this proportion that to euery frog they take one hemine of vineger But because many a mans stomack lothed abhorred such a medicin Sallustius Dionysius found the means to hang many of them by the hinder legs ouer the vessell or pan of seething vineger that out of their mouth there might fall the humor within their bodies into the said vineger But to those who had good stomacks were of stronger complexions he prescribed to eat the very frogs broth all wherein they were sodden And in very truth many are of this opinion that if the grinders and great jaw teeth do ake this is a speciall medicine for them but in case they be loose in the head then the best way to confirm and set them fast is a collution with the vineger aforesaid And for this purpose some there be who after they haue cut off the feet of 2 frogs lay their bodies to infuse and steep in one hemine of wine and so aduise their patients to wash their vnsteedy teeth with the said infusion Others apply them whole as they be legs and al outwardly to the chawes and keep them fast thereto Whereas some again seeth ten of them in 3 sextars af vineger vntill a third part of the liquor be consumed and with this decoction thinke to fasten the teeth sure that shake in their fockets Moreouer others you shall haue who take the hearts of 36 frogs and bake or boile them in one sextar of old oile vnder a pan or ouen of brasse the grauie or liquor whereof they poured into the eare of that side where the cheek or jaw doth ake whereas many others besides seeth the liuer of a frog and when they haue stamped and incorporat it with hony put it into the hollow teeth or apply it thereto But all these medicines abouesayd you must thinke to be more effectuall if they be made of sea-frogs Now if the teeth bee worme eaten and stinke withall they giue order to dry a hundred of them in an ouen all night long afterwards to put vnto them as much salt in proportion as they come to in weight and therewith to rub the said faulty teeth There is a kind of serpent or water-snake called in Latine Coluber and of the Greeks Enhydris diuers there be who with foure of the vpper teeth of this serpent scarifie the gums of the vpper chaw in case the teeth therin do ake and semblably with foure of the nether teeth if the other bee in paine and yet some there bee who content themselues with the eye-tooth onely They vse also the ashes of Sea-crabs and no maruell for the ashes of Burrets is a dentifrice well knowne for to keepe the teeth cleane and make them neat and white The fat of a sea-Calfe or Seale taketh away the foule tettars called Lichenes and the filthy leprosie so do the ashes of Lampreys if the same be incorporat with hony to the weight of 3 oboli The liuer also of the Puffin boiled in oile Finally the ashes of a sea Horse and a Dolphin mixt with water so that the part affected be well rubbed withall vntill it blister Now when it is thus exulcerat it must be followed with that manner of cure which is appropriat thereto and namely vntil it be healed and skinned againe Some take the liuer
Taposiris in Egypt the which is more smal and slender than that of the land it looseth the belly killeth the worms in the guts and expelleth them The Cuttil fish also is laxatiue and ordinarily giuen it is to be eaten after it hath bin sodden with oile salt and meal Salt Cackerels likewise prouoke vnto the stoole in case they be reduced into a liniment with buls gall and therewith the nauil anointed Generally the broth of fish stewed betweene two platters with Lectuce dispatcheth those sharp and fretting humors which are the cause of the Tinesm Craifishes of the riuer stamped and drunk in water stop a lask and be diureticall But yet in wine they moue appetite to the siege Take away their feet and armes whereby they crawle then pun and incorporat the rest of their body with Myrrh they driue out the stone But this proportion must be obserued that to euery dram weight of them there be put three oboli of Myrrh To appease the painefull passion called Iliaca to allay and resolue ventosities also and inflations there is not a better thing than to take in 4 cyaths of mead or honied wine hot Castoreum with carot and parsly seed as much as may be comprehended with 3 fingers The same is singular to allay the wrings and torments of the belly with vineger wine mixt together The fishes named Erythini eaten as meat stay the loosnesse of the belly For to cure the dysenterie or bloudy flix seeth frogs with the sea onion commonly named Squilla and thereof make certain trochisks to be giuen to the patient in that case The same effect hath their gall or heart stamped and incorporate with honey as Niceratus myne author doth testifie Eat salt fish with Pepper so as you abstain from all flesh besides if you would be cured of the jaundise Lay the fish named a Sole to the region of the spleene it doth cure the oppilation and hardnesse thereof so doth the cramp-fish Torpedo and a Turbet in like manner being applied aliue but afterward you must let it loose againe into the sea A sea scorpion killed in wine healeth the infirmities of the bladder is breaketh and expelleth the stone The same effect hath the stone which is found in the tail of a sea scorpion if it be drunk to the weight of one obolus the liuer also of the water snake Enhydris and the ashes likewise of those kind of Mullets called Blennij if they be taken with Rue Moreouer there be found also in the head of the fish Banchus certain little stones as it were which if they be drunke in water are soueraigne for them which be troubled with the grauel and the stone And it is commonly said That the sea fish called a Nettle taken in wine is very good therefore like as another named in Latine Pulmo Marinus boiled in water The egs of spawn that the Cuttill fish doth cast be diureticall and prouoke vrine whereby also they clense the kidnies from the phlegmatick humors there gathered Riuer crabs or craifishes stamped and taken in asses milke especially doe cure ruptures and inward convulsions And as for sea Vrchins if they be stamped prickes and all and so drunke in Wine they expell stone and grauell but to euery Vrchin there must be taken one hemine of Wine and the Patient ought to drinke it continually vntill he find help and otherwise their meat is good to be eaten ordinarily for this purpose To feed also vpon Cockles and Scalops is wholsome for to scoure the bladder Of these shel-fishes those of the male sex be called by some Donaces by others Auli wheras the female are named Onyches The male do prouoke vrin but the female are the sweeter in tast and of one colour The egs or spawn also of the Cuttill fish moue vrin as hath bin said before and purge the reins For that rupture wherein the guts fall downe into the cods it is said That the sea Hare punned and applied to the place in form of a cataplasm with hony is singular to reduce them vp into their place The liuer also of the water-snake or adder called otherwise Hydrus or Enhydris beaten to pouder and put in drink helpeth those that be giuen to breed the stone and grauel The pickle that comes of the fish Silurus salted infused or injected by a clistre into the guts so that the belly were before emptied from the grosse excrements cureth the Sciatica The ashes of Barbles and Mullets heads calcined heale and skin vp the galls and frets of the fundament Now the manner of burning or calcining them is in an earthen pot and reduced they ought to be into a liniment with hony before the place be therewith anointed The ashes also of Cackerels burnt do cure and close vp againe the chaps in the seat which also are good for the swelling piles and bigs in those parts Like as the ashes of the yong Tunies heads salted called Pelamides or the Squares named Cybia with hony If the tiwill be slipped down and ready to hang out of the body apply thereto the cramp fish Torpedo it presently reduceth it and staieth it vp The ashes of craifishes brought into a liniment with oile and wax healeth the chaps and fissures in those parts so doth the fine pouder of the Sea-crab dried and puluerised The pickle also of the fishes Coracini discusseth and resolueth the biles called Pani The same effect work the ashes of the garbage and scales of the shadow-like Sciaena The sea Scorpion also boiled in wine so that the said biles or impostumes be fomented therewith But the hard and shel-like skins of sea-Vrchins being wel stamped and with water brought into a liniment keepe the said biles downe and repercusse them in the beginning The ashes likewise of Murrets or Purple fishes serue both waies whether it be needfull to discusse them in the beginning or to ripen them and after they be brought to maturation for to break them and let them forth Some physitians for this intent compound a medicine or ointment in this maner Recipe of wax and flax 20 drams of litharge of siluer forty drams of Burrets ashes ten drams of old oile one hemin fiat vnguentum The very fishes alone by themselues salted sodden and so applied serue in this case Craifishes of the riuers punned into a cataplasme and applied vnto the secret parts resolue discusse the pushes that there arise so do the ashes of Cackerels heads their flesh also boiled and laid to the place affected In like manner the ashes of Perches heads salted and reduced into a salue with honey The ashes of yong Tunies heads whiles they are Pelamides or the rough skin of the fish called Squatina burnt This is the skin which as I said before is proper to polish wood and make smooth any workes made thereof whereby you may see that euen the sea also doth afford instruments to fit the Ioiners and Carpenters hand The small fishes named Smarides
Sil and Azur As for Sil to speake properly it is a kind of muddy slime the best of this kind is called Atticum and euery pound of it is worth 32 deniers The next in goodnesse is hard as stone or marble and carieth hardly halfe the price of the other named Atticum there is a third sort of a fast compact substance which because it is brought out of the Island Scyros some call Scyricum and yet of late verily we haue it out of Achaia also and this is the Sil that painters vse for their shadows this is sold after two sesterces the pound As for the Sil which commeth out of France called the Bright Sil it is sold in euery pound two asses lesse than that of Achaia This Sil and the first called Atticum painters vse to giue a lustre and light withall but the second kinde which standeth vpon marble is not imploied but in tablements and chapters of pillers for that the marble grit within it doth withstand the bitternesse of the lime This Sil is digged likewise out of certain hils not past 20 miles from the city of Rome afterwards they burne it and by that means do sophisticate and sell it for the fast or flat kinde named Pressum but that it is not true and natural but calcined appeareth euidently by the bitternesse that it hath and for that it is resolued into pouder CHAP. XIII ¶ Of Sil Caeruleum Nestorianum and Coelum Also that all these kindes keep not the same price euerie yeare POlygnotus and Mycon were the first Painters who wrought with Sil or Ochre but they vsed onely that of Athens in their pictures The age insuing imploied it much in giuing light vnto their colours but that of Scyros and Lydia for shadowes As for the Lydian ochre it was commonly bought at Sardis the capitall city of Lydia but now it is growne out of all remembrance As touching Caeruleum or Azur it is a certaine sandy grit or pouder of which in old time there were knowne 3 kinds to wit the Aegyptian most commended aboue the rest the Scythian which is easie to be dissolued and tempered and in the grinding turneth into foure colours namely the Azur which is of a pallet colour called therefore the whiter the blacker Azur of a deeper blew there is the Azur also of a grosser substance and the fourth of a finer The Cyprian Azur is preferred before that of Scythia Ouer and aboue those Azures before-named wee haue some from Puteoli and Spaine where they be artificiall and they haue taken to making it of a kind of sand All the sorts of these Azurs receiue first a dye and are boiled with a certain hearbe appropriat to it called Oad the colour and juice whereof Azur is apt to drinke in and receiue As for all the preparation and making of it otherwise it is the same that belongeth to Chrysocolla or Borax Of Azur there is made that powder which wee call in Latine Lomentum for which purpose it must be first punned puluerized and washed and this is whiter indeed than the Azur it selfe sold it is after three and twentie deniers the pound whereas Azur may bee bought for eighteene Herewith they vse to paint walls that be ouercast with plastres for lime it will not abide Of late daies there is a kinde of Azur growne into request called Nestorianum taking that name of him who first deuised it made it is of the lightest part of the Aegyptian Azur and it costeth 40 deniers the pound Of the same vse also is the Azur of Puteoli saue only in windows and this some call Coelon It is not long since another kind of Azur or blew named Indico began to be brought ouer vnto vs out of India which is prized at 17 deniers the pound It serueth painters wel for the lines called Incisurae that is to say for to diuide shadows from lights in their workes To conclude there is another kinde of Lomentum or blew powder of the basest account of all other some call it Tritum and it is not esteemed worth aboue fiue asses the pound But to try the right and perfect Azur indeed the best experiment is to see whether it will flame vpon a burning cole As for the false and sophisticat Azur it is thus made they take the floures of violets dried and boile them in water the juice they presse forth through a linnen cloth and mix the same with the chaulky earth called Eretria vntill such time as it be well incorporat with it To proceed vnto the medicinable vertues of Azur It is holden to be a great clenser therfore it mundifieth vlcers in which regard it entreth into plasters as also into potentiall cauteries As touching Ochre or Sil it is exceeding hard to be reduced into pouder and this also serueth in Physicke for it hath a mild kind of mordacity astringent it is besides incarnatiue in which respect soueraigne to heale vlcers but before that it will doe any good it ought to be burnt and calcined vpon an earthen pan To conclude with the prices of all those things named heretofore howsoeuer hitherto I haue set them downe yet I am not ignorant how they vary according to the place yea and alter in manner euery yeare and well I wot that as shipping and nauigation speeds well or ill as the Merchant buyeth cheap or deare the price may rise and fall Againe it falleth out that sometime one rich munger or other buying vp a commodity and bringing it wholly into his owne hands for to haue the Monopoly of it raiseth the market and inhaunceth the price for I remember well how in the daies of Nero late Emperor all the spicers druggers and Apothecaries preferred a Bill of complaint vnto the Consuls against one Demetrius a regrater Yet notwithstanding I thought it necessarie to put downe the prices of things as they are ordinarie valued at Rome one yeare with another to shew in some sort by a generall aestimat the worth of such wares and commodities whereof I haue written THE XXXIV BOOKE OF THE HISTORIE OF NATVRE WRITTEN BY C. PLINIVS SECVNDVS The Proem CHAP. I. ¶ The Mines of Brasse IT is now time to go in hand with Mines of Brasse a mettall esteemed most of all other next to Gold and Siluer in regard of the vses about which it is imployed nay if I should say truly preferred it is especially that which is called the laton of Corinth in diuers respects before siluer yea and gold it selfe for brasse I may tell you is of great authority in the campe and carrieth no small stroke among souldiers in regard of their pay which as I haue said before was weighed them out in brasse and hereupon their wages-money is vsually called by the name of Aera militum From this mettall likewise the generall Receiuers and Treasurers take their title of credit and place for at Rome they be called Tribuni aerarij as a man would