AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 
67 
DOWN, OR COTTON-THISTLE. 
Descript.] Tuis has large leaves lying 
on the ground, somewhat cut in, and as it 
were crumpled on the edges, of a green 
colour on the upper side, but covered with 
long hairy wool, or Cotton Down, set with 
most sharp and cruel pricks, from the mid- 
dle of whose heads of flowers, thrust forth 
many purplish crimson threads, and some- 
times (although very seldom) white ones. 
The seed that follows in the heads, lying 
in a great deal of white down, is some- 
what large, long, and round, like the seed 
of ladies thistle, but somewhat paler. The 
root is great and thick, spreading much, 
yet it usually dies after seed-time. 
Place.| It grows in divers ditches, 
banks, and in corn-fields and highways, 
generally every where throughout the land. 
Time.] It flowers and bears seed about 
the end of Summer, when other thistles do 
flower and seed. 
Government and virtues.] Mars owns the 
plant, and manifests to the world, that 
though it may hurt your finger, it will help 
your body; for I fancy it much for the 
ensuing virtues. Pliny and Dioscorides 
write, That the leaves and roots thereof 
taken in drink, help those that have a crick 
in their neck; whereby they cannot turn 
their neck but their whole body must turn 
also (sure they do not mean those that have 
got a crick in their neck by being under 
the hangman’s hand.) Galen saith, that 
the root and leaves hereof are of a healing 
quality, and good for such persons as have 
their bodies drawn together by some spasm 
°r convulsions, as it is with children that 
have the rickets. 
DRAGONS. 
i ie 
that plants them in their gardens, they need 
: sf not let them, look. down: : 
—— 
to the lower end of the stalks, and see how 
like a snake they look. 
Government and virtues.] The plant is 
under the dominion of Mars, and therefore 
it would be a wonder if it should want 
some obnoxious quality or other: In all 
herbs of that quality, the safest way is 
either to distil the herb in an alembick, in 
what vehicle you please, or else to press 
out the juice, and distill that in a glass still 
in sand. It scours and cleanses the in- 
ternal parts of the body mightily, and it 
clears the external parts also, being exter- 
nally applied, from freckles, morphew, and 
sun-burning: Your best way to use it ex- 
ternally, is to mix it with vinegar; an oint- 
ment of it is held to be good in wounds 
and ulcers; it consumes cankers, and that 
flesh growing in the nostrils, which they call 
Polypus: Also the distilled water being 
dropped into the eyes, takes away spots 
there, or the pin and web, and mends the 
dimness of sight; it is excellent good against 
pestilence and poison. Pliny and Dios- 
corides affirm, that no serpent will meddle 
with him that carries this herb about him. 
THE ELDER TREE. 
I nop it needless to write any descrip- 
tion of this, since every boy that plays with 
a pop-gun will not mistake another tree 
instead of Elder: I shall therefore in this 
place’ only describe the Dwarf-Elder, 
called also Dead-wort, and Wall-wort. 
THE DWARF-ELDER. 
Descript.] This is but an herb every ~ 
year, dying with his stalks to the ground, 
and rising fresh every Spring, and is like 
unto the Elder both in form and quality, 
rising up with a square rough hairy stalk, 
four feet high, or more sometimes. The 
winged leaves are somewhat narrower than. ee 
| the Elder, but else like them. The flowers _ 
are white with a dash of purple, standing in 
