FAMILY HERBAL. 323 



than of any ether of the vegetable kinds. It 



grows to the rocks^ and swells out into an irregular- 

 ly shaped mass of matter, full of holes, of a yel- 

 lowish colour, and retaining a great deal of water 

 which is easily pressed out, and is received again 

 on dipping it again in the wet. It is of a round- 

 ish figure, and sometimes hollow. Sponge in the 

 shape of a funnel is frequently seen, and has 

 been described as a particular species ; but this 

 is only an accident in the growth. 



It would be very imprudent to swallow sponge 

 in its natural form ; but calcined, it is of excellent 

 service to sweeten the blood, and is good against 

 the scurvy, and the evil : great care is to be taken 

 in the burning it. It must be made brittle and fit 

 for powdering^ but if it be calcined too long, all 

 the volatile parts will be driven ofF^ and it will be 

 worth notliinsr.s 



Great Spurge. Esiila major. 



WE have many kinds of spurge wild in Eng- 

 land, and some of thern large enough ; but this 

 used in medicine is a different species. It is native 

 of Germany, and is kept in our gardens. It grows 

 a yard high ; the stalk is round, thick, reddish, 

 and divided into branches. The leaves are nume 

 rous, and stand irrfgularly; they are narrow and 

 of a pale green, and are broadest at the end. The 

 flowers are little, and of a pale yellow, but the 

 seed-vessels are large, and make a conspicuous 

 figure on .the tops of the branches. The root i» 

 very thick and long ; it consists of a firm heart 

 covered with a thick rind. The whole plant, whco 

 broken, affords a milky acrid juice. 



The bark of the root is used dry; and even in 



that state is very rough in^ its operation, ft worka 



V 



