98 
THE COMPLETE HERBAL | 
good for all inward heats as well as out- 
ward, and in the eyes or other parts of the 
body; a posset made with the juice of 
Houseleek, is singularly good in all hot 
agues, for it cools and tempers the blood 
and spirits, and quenches the thirst; and 
also good to stay all hot defluctions or sharp 
and salt rheums in the eyes, the juice being 
dropped into them, or into the ears, helps 
them. It helps also other fluxes of humours 
in the bowels, and the immoderate courses 
of women. It cools and restrains all other 
hot inflammations, St. Anthony’s fire, scald- 
ings and burnings, the shingles, fretting 
ulcers, cankers, tettors, ringworms, and 
the like; and much eases the pains of the 
gout proceeding from any hot cause. The 
juice also takes away worts and corns in 
the hands or feet, being often bathed there- 
with, and the skin and leaves being laid on 
them afterwards. It eases also the head- 
ache, and distempered heat of the brain in 
frenzies, or through want of sleep, being 
applied to the temples and forehead. The 
leaves bruised and laid upon the crown or 
seam of the head, stays bleeding at the nose 
very quickly. The distilled water of the 
herb is profitable for all the purposes afore- 
said. The leaves being gently rubbed on 
any place stung with nettles or bees, doth 
quickly take away the pain. 
HOUND’S TONGUE. 
Descript.| Tue great ordinary Hound’s 
Tongue has many long and somewhat nar- 
row, soft, hairy, darkish green leaves, lying 
on the ground, somewhat like unto Bugloss 
leaves, from amongst which rises up a rough 
hairy stalk about two feet high, with some 
smaller leaves thereon and branched at the 
_ tops into divers parts, with a small leaf at 
_ the foot of every branch, which is somewhat 
long, with many flowers set along the same, 
purplish red leaves of a dead colour, rising 
out of the husks wherein they stand with 
some threads in the middle. It has some- 
times a white flower. After the flowers are 
past, there comes rough flat seed, with a 
small pointle in the middle, easily cleaving 
to any garment that it touches, and not so 
easily pulled off again. The root is black, 
thick, and long, hard to break, and full of 
clammy juice, smelling somewhat strong, 
of an evil scent, as the leaves also do. 
Place.| It grows in moist places of this 
land, in waste grounds, and untilled places, 
by highway sides, lanes, and hedge-sides. 
Time.| It flowers about May or June, 
and the seed is ripe shortly after. 
Government and virtues.| It is a plant 
under the dominion of Mercury. The root 
is very effectually used in pills, as well as 
the decoction, or otherwise, to stay all sharp 
and thin defluctions of rheum from the head 
into the eyes or nose, or upon the stomach 
or lungs, as also for coughs and shortness 
of breath. The leaves boiled in wine (saith 
Dioscorides, but others do rather appoint 
it to be made with water, and do add thereto 
oil and salt) molifies or opens the belly 
downwards. It also helps to cure the biting 
of a mad dog, some of the leaves being also 
applied to the wound: The leaves bruised, 
or the juice of them boiled in hog’s lard, 
and applied, helps falling away of the hair, 
which comes of hot and sharp humours; 
as also for any place that is scalded or 
burnt; the leaves bruised and laid to any 
green wound doth heal it up quickly: the 
root baked under the embers, wrapped in 
paste or wet paper, or in a wet double cloth, 
and thereof a suppository made, and put 
up into or applied to the fundament, doth 
very effectually help the painful piles or 
hemorrhoids. The distilled water of the 
herbs and roots is very good to all the pur- 
poses aforesaid, to be used as well inwardly 
I { place, for it heals all manner of wounds and 
