92 THE COMPLETE HERBAL 
very large, thick, soft, wooly leaves, lying 
on the ground, much cut in, or torn on the 
edges, of a dark, ill greyish green colour; 
among which arise up divers thick and 
short stalks, two or three feet high, spread 
into divers small branches, with lesser 
leaves on them, and many hollow flowers, 
Scarce appearing above tke husk, and usu- 
ally torn on one side, ending in five round 
points, growing one above another, of a 
deadish yellowish colour, somewhat paler 
towards the edges, with many purplish 
veins therein, and of a dark, yellowish 
purple in the bottom of the flower, with a 
small point of the same colour in the middle, 
each of them standing in a hard close husk, 
which after the flowers are past, grow very 
like the husk of Asarabacca, and some- 
what sharp at the top points, wherein is con- 
tained much small seed, very like Poppy 
Seed, but of a dusky greyish colour. The 
root is great, white, and thick, branching 
forth divers ways under ground, so like a 
Parsnip root (but that it is not so white) 
that it has deceived others. The whole plant 
more than the root, has a very heavy, ill, 
soporiferous smell, somewhat offensive. 
Place.] It commonly grows by the way- 
sides, and under hedge-sides and walls. 
Time.| It flowers in July, and springs 
again yearly of its own seed. I doubt my 
authors mistook July for June, if not for 
May. 
Government and virtues.| I wonder how 
astrologers could take on them to make this 
an herb of Jupiter; and yet Mizaldus, a 
man of a penetrating brain, was of that 
_ opinion as well as the rest; the herb is in- 
deed under the dominion of Saturn, and 
I prove it by this argument: All the herbs 
which delight most to grow in Saturnine 
places, are Saturnine herbs. Both Hen- 
_ bane delights most to grow in Saturnine 
_ places, and whole cart loads of it may be 
ae found near the places where they empty 
the common Jakes, and scarce a ditch to be 
found without it growing by it. Ergo, it 
is an herb of Saturn. The leaves of Hen- 
bane do cool all hot inflammations in the 
eyes, or any other part of the body; and 
are good to assuage all manner of swellings 
of the privities, or women’s breasts, or else- 
where, if they be boiled in wine, and either 
applied themselves, or the fomentation 
warm; it also assuages the pain of the gout, 
the sciatica, and other pains in the joints 
which arise from a hot cause. And applied 
with vinegar to the forehead and temples, 
helps the head-ache and want of sleep in 
hot fevers. The juice of the herb or seed, 
or the oil drawn from the seed, does the 
like. The oil of the seed is helpful for deaf- 
ness, noise, and worms in the ears,. being 
dropped therein; the juice of the herb or 
root doth the same. The decoction of the 
herb or seed, or both, kills lice in man or 
beast. The fume of the dried herb, stalks 
and seed, burned, quickly heals swellings, 
chilblains or kibes in the hands or feet, by 
holding them in the fume thereof. The 
remedy to help those that have taken Hen- 
bane is to drink goat’s milk, honeyed water, 
or pine kernels, with sweet wine; or, in the — 
absence of these, Fennel seed, Nettle seed, — 
the seed of Cresses, Mustard, or Radish; as _ 
also Onions or Garlic taken in wine, do all | 
help to free them from danger, and restore — 
them to their due temper again. 
Take notice, that this herb must neveT 
be taken inwardly; outwardly, an oil oint- — 
ment, or plaister of it, is most admirable for — 
the gout, to cool the venereal heat of the | 
reins in the French pox; to stop the tooth- ) 
ache, being applied to the aking side; to 
allay all inflammations, and to help the . 
diseases before premised. 
. 
HEDGE HYSSOP. 
Divers sorts there are of this plant; the . 
first of which is an Italian by birth, and 
only nursed up here in the gardens of the 
