AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 
125 
with gum arabic dissolved in rose-water, 
make it up into troches, of which they may 
take one of about half a dram weight an 
hour or two before meals; let old men and 
women make much of this medicine, and 
they will either give me thanks, or shew 
manifest ingratitude. Mustard seed hath 
the virtue of heat, discussing, ratifying, and 
drawing out splinters of bones, and other 
things of the flesh. It is of good effect to 
bring down women’s courses, for the falling- 
sickness or lethargy, drowsy forgetful evil, 
to use it both inwardly and outwardly, to 
rub the nostrils, forehead and temples, to 
warm and quicken the spirits; for by the 
fierce sharpness it purges the brain by 
sneezing, and drawing down rheum and 
other viscous humours, which by their dis- 
tillations upon the lungs and chest, procure 
coughing, and therefore, with some honey 
added thereto, doth much good therein. The 
decoction of the seed made in wine, and 
drank, provokes urine, resists the force of 
Poison, the malignity of mushrooms, and 
venom of scorpions, or other venomous 
creatures, if it be taken in time; and taken 
before the cold fits of agues, alters, lessens, 
and cures them. The seed taken either by 
itself, or with other things, either in an elec- 
tuary or drink, doth mightily stir up bodily 
lust, and helps the spleen and pains in the 
Sides, and gnawings in the bowels; and 
used as a gargle draws up the palate of the 
mouth, being fallen down; and also it dis- 
solves the swellings about the throat, if it 
be outwardly applied. Being chewed in 
the mouth it oftentimes helps the tooth- 
ache. The outward application hereof upon 
the pained place of the sciatica, discusses 
the humours, and eases the pains, as also the 
gout, and other joint aches; and is much 
and often used to ease pains in the sides or 
loins, the shoulder, or other parts of the 
body, upon the plying thereof to raise blis- 
ters, and cures the disease by drawing it to 
the outward parts of the body. It is ee 
used to help the falling off the hair. The 
seed bruised mixed with honey, and applied, 
or made up with wax, takes away the marks 
and black and blue spots of bruises, or the 
like, the roughness or scabbiness of the 
skin, as also the leprosy, and lousy evil. 
It helps also the crick in the neck. The dis- 
tilled water of the herb, when it is in the 
flower, is much used to drink inwardly to 
help in any of the diseases aforesaid, or to 
wash the mouth when the palate is down, 
and for the disease of the throat to gargle, 
but outwardly also for scabs, itch, or other 
the like infirmities, and cleanses the face 
from morphew, spots, freckles, and other 
deformities. 
THE HEDGE-MUSTARD. 
Descript.] Tis grows up usually but 
with one blackish green stalk, tough, easy 
to bend, but not to break, branched into 
divers parts, and sometimes with divers 
stalks, set full of branches, whereon grow 
long, rough, or hard rugged leaves, very 
much tore or cut on the edges in many 
parts, some bigger, and some less, of a dirty 
green colour. The flowers are small and 
yellow, that grow on the tops of the 
branches in long spikes, flowering by de- 
grees; so that continuing long in flower, the 
stalk will have small round cods at the bot- 
tom, growing upright and close to the stalk, 
while the top flowers yet shew themselves, 
in which are contained small yellow seed, 
sharp and strong, as the herb is also. The 
root grows down slender and woody, yet 
abiding and springing again every year. 
Place.| This grows frequently in this 
land, by the ways and hedge-sides, and. 
sometimes in the open fields. =e 
Time.|] It flowers most usually about Ps 
Jaly. ae 
Government and virtues.] Mars owns 
this herb also. It is singularly good i 
the diseases of the chest and 
