88 
THE BRITISH HERBAL 
and made into a poultice, applied to the 
breasts of women that are swollen with pain 
and heat, as also the privy parts of man or 
woman, the seat or fundament, or the ar- 
teries, joints, and sinews, when they are 
inflamed and swollen, doth much ease 
them; and used with some salt, helps to dis- 
solve knots or kernels in any part of the 
body. The juice of the herb, or (as Diosco- 
rides saith) the leaves and flowers, with 
some fine frankincense in powder, used in 
wounds of the body, nerves or sinews, doth 
singularly help to heal them. The distilled 
water of the herb performs well all the 
aforesaid cures, but especially for inflam- 
mations or watering of the eyes, by reason 
of the defluction of rheum unto them. 
HEART’S-EASE. 
Tuis is that herb which such physicians 
as are licensed to blaspheme by authority, 
without danger of having their tongues 
burned through with an hot iron, called an 
herb of the Trinity. It is also called by 
those that are more moderate, Three Faces 
in a Hood, Live in Idleness, Cull me to you; 
and in Sussex we call them Pancies. 
Place.| Besides those which are brought 
up in gardens, they grow commonly wild 
in the fields, especially in such as are very 
barren: sometimes you may find it on the 
tops of the high hills. 
Time.] They flower all the Spring and 
Summer long. 
Government and virtues.] The herb is 
really Saturnine, something cold, viscous, 
and slimy. A strong decoction of the herbs 
and flowers (if you will, you may make it 
into syrup) is an excellent cure for the 
’ French pox, the herb being a gallant anti- 
_venerean: and that antivenereans are the 
_ best cure for that disease, far better and 
safer than to torment them with the flux, 
divers foreign physicians have confessed. 
oe The spirit of it is excellently good for the 
: convulsions in children, as also for the fall- 
ing sickness, and a gallant remedy for the — 
inflammation of the lungs and_ breasts, 
pleurisy, scabs, itch, &c. It is under the ce- 
lestial Sign Cancer, 
ARTICHOKES. 
Tue Latins call them Cinera, only our 
college calls them Artichocus. 
Government and virtues.] They are un-_ 
der the dominion of Venus, and therefore 
it is no marvel if they provoke lust, as in- 
deed they do, being somewhat windy meat; 
and yet they stay the involuntary course of 
natural seed in man, which is commonly 
called nocturnal pollutions. And here I care 
not greatly if I quote a little of Galen’s non- | 
Sense in his treatise of the faculties of 
nourishment. He saith, they contain plenty 
of choleric juice, (which notwithstanding — 
I can scarcely believe,) of which he saith — 
is engendered melancholy juice, and of that 
melancholy juice thin choleric blood. But 
to proceed ; this is certain, that the decoc- 
tion of the root boiled in wine, or the root — 
bruised and distilled in wine in an alembic, © 
and being drank, purges by urine exceed- ) 
ingly. 
HART’S-TONGUE. 
Descript.] Tus has divers leaves arising — 
from the root, every one severally, which © 
fold themselves in their first springing and 
spreading; when they are full grown, are 
about a foot long, smooth and green above; — 
but hard and with little sap in them, and 
streaked on the back, thwart on both sides © 
of the middle rib, with small and somewhat _ 
long and brownish marks; the bottoms of 
the leaves are a little bowed on each side 
of the middle rib, somewhat narrow with 
the length, and somewhat small at the end. 
The root is of many black threads, folded 
or interlaced together. 
Time.| It is green all the Winter; but | 
new leaves spring every year. 
| Government and virtues.] Jupiter claims 
