AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 23 
fistulous and hollow. But some do advise 
to put a little salt for this purpose, being 
applied with a little hog’s lard, it helps a 
plague sore, and other boils and pushes. 
The fumes of the decoction while it is warm, 
received by a funnel into the ears, eases the 
pains of them, destroys the worms and cures 
the running sores in them. The juice 
dropped into them does the same. The root 
of Betony is displeasing both to the taste 
and stomach, whereas the leaves and 
flowers, by their sweet and spicy taste, 
are comfortable both to meat and medicine. 
These are some of the many virtues 
Anthony Muse, an expert physician, (for it 
was not the practice of Octavius Cesar to 
keep fools about him) appropriates to 
Betony; it is a very precious herb, that is 
certain, and most fitting to be kept in a 
man’s house, both in syrup, conserve, oil, 
ointment and plaister. The flowers are usu- 
ally conserved. 
THE BEECH TREE. 
In treating of this tree, you must under- 
stand, that I mean the green mast Beech, 
which is by way of distinction from that 
other small rough sort, called in Sussex the 
smaller Beech, but in Essex Horn-bean. 
I suppose it is needless to describe it, 
being already too well known to my coun- 
trymen. 
Place.| It grows in woods ecinik oaks 
and other trees, and in parks, forests, and 
chases, to feed deer; and in other places to 
fatten swine. 
Time.] It blooms in the end of April, 
or beginning of May, for the most part, and 
the fruit is ripe in September. _ 
Government and virtues.] It is a plant of 
_ Saturn, and therefore performs his qualities 
_and proportion in these operations. The 
leaves of the Beech tree are cooling and 
_ binding, and therefore good to be applied 
to hot swellings to discuss them; the nuts _ 
doe much ‘nourish — such beasts as feed 
thereon. The water that is found in the hol- 
low places of decaying Beeches will cure 
both man and beast of any scurf, or running 
tetters, if they be washed therewith; you 
may boil the leaves into a poultice, or make 
an ointment of them when time of year 
serves. 
BILBERRIES, CALLED BY SOME WHORTS, 
AND WHORTLE-BERRIES. | 
Descript.| Or these I shall only speak 
of two sorts which are common in England, © 
viz. The black and red berries. And first 
of the black. 
The small bush creeps along upon the 
ground, scarcely rising half a yard high, 
with divers small green leaves set in the 
green branches, not always one against the 
other, and a little dented about the edges: 
At the foot of the leaves come forth small, 
hollow, pale, bluish coloured flowers, the 
brims ending at five points, with a reddish 
thread in the middle, which pass into small 
round berries of the bigness and colour of 
juniper berries, but of a purple, sweetish 
sharp taste; the juice of them gives a 
purplish colour in their hands and lips that 
eat and handle them, especially if they 
break them. The root grows aslope under 
ground, shooting forth in sundry places as 
it creeps. This looses its leaves in Winter. _ 
The Red Bilberry, or Whortle-Bush, - 
rises up like the former, having sundry 
hard leaves, like the Box-tree leaves, green 
and round pointed, standing on the several 
branches, at the top whereof only, and not 
from the sides, as in the former, come forth 
divers round, reddish, sappy berries, when 
they are ripe, of a sharp taste. The root 
runs in the ground, as in the former, but | 
the leaves of this abide all Winter. ae 
Place.] The first grows in forests,onthe 
heaths, and such like barren places: the 
red drown Sathe north parts as 
agirimage Yorkshire, &c. 
_ ‘Time. J They flower in 
