76 
THE COMPLETE HERBAL 
tion of the leaves is excellent good to wash 
sore heads with: and there is scarcely a 
better remedy for the leprosy than it is. It 
clears the face also of morphew, and the 
body of white scurf, scabs, and running 
sores. If it be dropped into old fretting 
ulcers, it cleanses out the moisture, and 
brings up the flesh; because you cannot 
have the leaves green all the year, you may 
make an ointment of them whilst you can. 
A decoction of the leaves being drank in- 
wardly, or rather a syrup made of them, 
dissolves congealed blood caused by bruises 
or falls, and helps the bloody flux. The 
ashes of the wood made into an ointment 
with hog’s grease, helps kibes and chil- 
blains. The juice being put into an hollow 
tooth, eases pain; as also pain and noise in 
the ears, being dropped into them; and 
deafness. An ointment made of the juice 
and hog’s grease, is an excellent remedy for 
the biting of mad dogs, or other venomous 
beasts, as most are. A syrup made of the 
leaves, or green fruit, is excellent good for 
coughs, hoarseness, or shortness of breath, 
and all diseases of the breast and lungs; it 
is also excellently good for the dropsy and 
falling sickness. They say that the Fig 
Tree, as well as the Bay Tree, is never 
hurt by lightning; as also if you tie a 
bull, be he ever so mad, to a Fig Tree, he 
will quickly become tame and _ gentle. 
As for such figs as come from beyond sea, 
I have little to say because I write not of 
exoticks, 
THE YELLOW WATER-FLAG, OR FLOWER- 
DE-LUCE, 
_ Descript.| Tuts grows like the Flower- 
de-luce, but it has much longer and nar- 
_ rower sad green leaves joined together in 
that fashion; the stalk also growing often- 
times as high, bearing small yellow flowers 
shaped like the Flower-de-luce, with three 
has, this has only three short pieces 
standing in their places, after which suc- 
ceed thick and long three square heads, con- 
taining in each part somewhat big and flat 
seed, like those of the Flower-de-luce. The 
thereat, and very harsh in taste. 
Place.| It usually grows in watery 
are always overflowed with water. 
Time.| It flowers in July, and the seed 
is ripe in August. 
Government and virtues.] It is under the 
tions. 
| FLAX-WEED, OR TOAD-FLAX. 
Descript.] Our common Flax weed 
has divers stalks full fraught with long and 
cover their bottoms; but instead of the — 
three upright leaves, as the Flower-de-luce © 
dominion of the Moon. The root of this — 
Water flag is very astringent, cooling, and _ 
drying; and thereby helps all lasks and — 
fluxes, whether of blood or humours, 83 — 
bleeding at the mouth, nose, or other parts, | 
bloody flux, and the immoderate flux of © 
women’s courses. The distilled water of | 
the whole herb, flowers and roots, is 4 — 
sovereign good remedy for watering eyes, — 
both to be dropped into them, and to have — 
cloths or sponges wetted therein, and ap- — 
plied to the forehead: It also helps the — 
spots and blemishes that happen in and — 
about the eyes, or in any other parts: The — 
said water fomented on swellings and hot — 
inflammations of women’s breasts, upoD — 
cancers also, and those spreading ulcers — 
called Noli me tangere, do much good: It — 
helps also foul ulcers in the privities of maD — 
or woman; but an ointment made of the © 
flowers is better for those external applica- _ 
narrow ash-coloured leaves, and from the — 
{ middle of them almost upward, stored with 
root is long and slender, of a pale brownish — 
colour on the outside, and of a horseflesh | 
colour on the inside, with many hard fibres — 
ditches, ponds, lakes, and moor sides, which — 
