AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 11 
of hard labour in child-birth. It makes 
barren women fruitful. It cleanseth the 
womb if it be foul, and strengthens it ex- 
ceedingly ; it provokes the terms if they be 
stopped, and stops them if they flow im- 
moderately ; you can desire no good to your 
womb, but this herb will effect it; there- 
fore if you love children, if you love health, 
if you love ease, keep a syrup always by 
you, made of the juice of this herb, and 
sugar, (or honey, if it be to cleanse the 
womb) and let such as be rich keep it for 
their poor neighbours; and bestow it as 
freely as I bestow my studies upon them, or 
else let them look to answer it another day, 
when the Lord shall come to make inquisi- 
tion for blood. 
ARCHANGEL. 
To put a gloss upon their practice, the 
physicians call an herb (which country peo- 
ple. vulgarly know by the name of Dead 
Nettle) Archangel; whether they favour 
more of superstition or folly, I leave to the 
judicious reader. There is more curiosity 
than courtesy to my countrymen used by 
others in the explanation as well of the 
names, as description of this so well known 
herb; which that I may not also be guilty of, 
take this short description first of the Red 
Archangel. This is likewise called Bee 
Nettle. 
Descript.] This has divers square stalks, 
somewhat hairy, at the joints whereof grow 
two sad green leaves dented about the 
edges, opposite to one another to the lower- 
most upon long foot stalks, but without any 
toward the tops, which are somewhat round, 
yet pointed, and a little crumpled and 
hairy; round about the upper joints, where 
the leaves grow thick, are sundry gaping 
flowers of a pale reddish colour ; after which 
come the seeds three or four in a husk. 
The root is smaller and thready, perishing 
every year; the whole plant hath a strong 
Scent but not stinking. 
White Archangel hath divers square 
stalks, none standing straight upward, but 
bending downward, whereon stand two 
leaves at a joint, larger and more pointed 
than the other, dented about the edges, and 
greener also, more like unto Nettle leaves, 
but not stinking, yet hairy. At the joints 
with the leaves stand larger and more open 
gaping white flowers, husks round about 
the stalks, but not with such a bush of leaves 
as flowers set in the top, as is on the other 
wherein stand small roundish black seeds; 
the root is white, with many strings at it, 
not growing downward but lying under the 
upper crust of the earth, and abides many 
years increasing; this has not so strong a 
scent as the former. 
Yellow Archangel is like the White in the 
stalks and leaves; but that the stalks are 
more straight and upright, and the joints 
with leaves are farther asunder, having lon- 
ger leaves than the former, and the flowers 
a little larger and more gaping, of a fair 
yellow colour in most, in some paler. The 
roots are like white, only they creep not so 
much under the ground. 
Place.| They grow almost every where, 
(unless it be in the middle of the street) 
the yellow most usually in the wet grounds 
of woods, and sometimes in the dryer, in 
divers counties of this nation. 
Time.| They flower from the beginning 
of the Spring all the Summer long. 
Government and virtues.]| The Arch- 
angels are somewhat hot and drier than 
the stinging Nettles, and used with better 
success for the stopping and hardness of 
the spleen, than they, by using the decoc- 
tion of the herb in wine, and afterwards 
applying the herb hot into the region of 
the spleen as a plaister, or the decoction 
with spunges. Flowers of the White Arch- 
angel are preserved or conserved to be 
used to stay the whites, and the flowers of 
the red to stay the reds in women. It 
makes the heart merry, drives away mel- 
