NOTES. 493 
pleasant comedy, for they turned natural fools upon it for several 
days. One would blow up a feather in the air, another would 
dart straws at it with much fury ; another stark naked was sit- 
ting up in a corner like a monkey, grinning, and making mows 
at them; a fourth would fondly kiss and paw his companions, 
and sneer in their faces with a countenance more antic, than any 
ina Dutch droll. In this frantic condition they were confined, 
lest, in their folly, they should destroy themselves. A thousand 
simple tricks they played, and after eleven days returned to 
themselves again, not remembering any thing that had passed.” 
Beverly’s History of Virginia, p. 121. 
Note D. 
«* De Cuechyliztomatl, seu Tomatl sonalis. 
Genus est Solani Tonchichi forma et viribus simile, sed 
foliis paulisper undulatis, et fructu acinoso racematimque depen- 
dente, &c.” Hernandex, ii. 12. 
Note E. 
-- Tam heartily glad to hear more instances of the success of 
the Poke weed in the cure of cancer. You will deserve highly of 
mankind for the communication. But I find in Boston they are 
at a loss to know the right plant, some asserting it is what they 
call Mechoacan, others other things. In one of their late pa- 
pers it is publicly requested that a perfect decription may be giv- 
en of the plant, its places of growth, &c. I have mislaid the pa- 
per, or would send it to you. I thought you had described it 
pretty fully.” Letter from Dr. Franklin to Dr. Colden. 
‘1 apprehend that our poke-weed is what botanists term 
phytolacca. ‘This plant bears berries as large as peas. The 
skin is black, but it contains acrimson juice. It is this juice 
thickened by evaporation in the sun which was employed. It 
caused great pain, but some persons were said to have been 
cured. Iam not quite certain of the facts; all that I know is 
