vild- HORTUS JAMAICENSIS 313 



ing manner : A negro man who had ran away some time from his master, lived by steal- 

 ing of stock ; one night he came to a sheep-pen, where there was only a poor old negro 

 man to look after it, to whom he said, he must have a sheep to-night ; the old man not 

 being able to resist him, gave him good words, and asked him to smoak a pipe, which he 

 filled for him, putting in a quantity of the seeds of this plant, and, before he had smoked 

 out his pipe, he fell into a sound sleep, not easily to be awakened ; upon which, as the 

 old fellow knew very well the effect, he ran to a neighbouring pen, and getting ropes 

 and assistance, they secured him before he was thoroughly awake ; and when he was, he 

 cursed and swore, saying the old fellow was an obtah man and had bewitched him. I 

 saw a fat steer drop down dead of a sudden, fetching two or three staggers, foamed at the 

 mouth, and died immediately : I ordered them to cut his throat ;. and, after opening 

 him, in his stomach were found several handsfuit of the seeds of this plant, which I sup- 

 posed killed him." Barham, p. 152. 



The late dr. Affleck, who frequently administered this medicine, in the course of his 

 practice, with great success, says in a ietter to a friend " Dr. Barham's description of the 

 virtues of the poppy is different lo what I have experienced. About twenty years aco 

 a gentleman of the faculty had a severe attack of the dry belly-ache : after using several 

 medicines to little purpose, he desired an emulsion to be made with two drachms of the 

 poppy-seed, eight ounces of water, and a little sugar, of which he took a table spoonful 

 every half-hour, after the third dose the violent pain and retching abated, the fifth dose 

 brought on a composed sleep for two hours, succeeded by a plentiful evacuation, about 

 that time the dry belly-ache disappeared. Ever since I have used it in complaints of 

 the bowels, and found it a safe and mild purge, and kept it in the shop under the title 

 of Pupaver Errat. American." 



Zezegary. -SVcVa.nglo. 



TEC 



Vol. II. R r OMISSIONS 



