AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 41 
them, and correcting the putrefaction of 
humours offending them. 
CARDUUS BENEDICTUS. 
Ir is called Carduus Benedictus, or 
Blessed Thirstle, or Holy Thistle. I sup- 
pose the name was put upon it by some 
that had little holiness in themselves. 
I shall spare a labour in writing a 
description of this, as almost every one that 
can but write at all, may describe them 
from his own knowledge. 
Time.] They flower in August, and seed 
not long after. 
Government and virtues.] It is an herb of 
Mars, and under the sign Aries. Now, in 
- handling this herb, I shall give you a 
rational pattern of all the rest; and if you 
please to view them throughout the book, 
you shall, to your content, find it true. It 
helps swimming and giddiness of the head, 
or the disease called vertigon, because Aries 
is in the house of Mars. It is an excellent 
remedy against the yellow jaundice and 
other infirmities of the gall, because Mars 
governs choler. It strengthens the attrac- 
tive faculty in man, and clarifies the blood, 
because the one is ruled by Mars. The 
continual drinking the decoction of it, helps 
red faces, tetters, and ring-worms, because 
Mars causes them. It helps the plague, 
_ Sores, boils, and itch, the bitings of mad 
dogs and venomous beasts, all which in- 
firmities are under Mars; thus “itch see what 
it doth by sympathy. 
By antipathy to other planets it cures the 
French pox. By antipathy to Venus, who 
governs it, it strengthens the memory, and 
cures deafness by antipathy to Saturn, who 
has his fall in Aries, which rules the head. 
It cures quartan agues, and other diseases 
of melancholy, and adust choler, by sym- 
pathy to Saturn, Mars being exalted in 
Capricorn. Also provokes urine, the stopp- 
ing of which is usually caused by Mars or 
CARROTS. 
GarpDEN Carrots are so well known, that 
they need no description; but because they 
are of less physical use than the wild 
kind (as indeed almost in all herbs the wild 
are most effectual in physic, as being more 
powerful in operation than the garden 
kinds,) I shall therefore briefly describe the 
Wild Carrot. 
Descript.| It grows in a manner alto- 
gether like the tame, but that the leaves and 
stalks are somewhat whiter and rougher. 
The stalks bear large tufts of white 
flowers, with a deep purple spot in the mid- 
dle, which are contracted together when 
the seed begins to ripen, that the middle 
part being hollow and low, and the outward 
stalk rising high, makes the whole umbel 
to show like a bird’s nest. The roots small, 
long, and hard, and unfit for meat, being 
somewhat sharp and strong. 
Place.| The wild kind grows in divers 
parts of this land plentifully by the field- 
sides, and untilled places. 
Time.] They flower and seed in the end 
of Summer. 
Government and virtues.]| Wild Carrots 
belong to Mercury, and therefore break 
wind, and remove stitches in the sides, pro- 
voke urine and women’s courses, and helps 
to break and expel the stone; the seed also 
of the same works the like effect, and is 
good for the dropsy, and those whose bellies 
are swollen with wind; helps the cholic, the 
stone in the kidneys, and rising of the 
mother; being taken in wine, or boiled in 
wine, and taken, it helps conception. The 
leaves being applied with honey to running 
sores or ulcers, do cleanse them. 
I suppose the seeds of them perform this 
better than the roots; and tho’ Galen com- _ 
mended garden Carrots highly to break _ 
wind, yet experience teaches they breed it _ 
first, sptarenny Henkons eerer et ie 
