AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 
187 
by fire, yea, and the leprosy, being drank 
and outwardly applied: Boiled in wine 
with honey and salt, it helps the tooth-ache. 
It helps the cold griefs by the joints, taking 
away the pains, and warms the cold part, 
being fast bound to the place, after a bath- 
ing or sweating in a hot house. Pliny adds, 
that Pennyroyal and mint together, helps 
faintings, being put into vinegar, and 
smelled unto, or put into the nostrils or 
mouth. It eases head-aches, pains of the’ 
breast and belly, and gnawing of the 
stomach ; applied with honey, salt, and vine- 
gar, it helps cramps or convulsions of the 
sinews: Boiled in milk, and drank, it is ef- 
fectual for the cough, and for ulcers and 
sores in the mouth; drank in wine it pro- 
vokes women’s courses, and expels the dead 
child, and after-birth. Matthiolus saith, The 
decoction thereof being drank, helps the 
jaundice and dropsy, all pains of the head 
and sinews that come of a cold cause, and 
clears the eye-sight. It helps the lethargy, 
and applied with barley-meal, helps burn- 
ings; and put into the ears, eases the pains 
of them. 
MALE AND FEMALE PEONY. 
Descript.] Mae Peony rises up with 
brownish stalks, whereon grow green and 
reddish leaves, upon a stalk without any 
particular division in the leaf at all. The 
flowers stand at the top of the stalks, con- 
Sisting of five or six broad leaves, of a fair 
Purplish red colour, with many yellow 
threads in the middle standing about the 
head, which after rises up to be the seed 
Vessels, divided into two, three, or four 
crooked pods like horns, which being full 
ripe, open and turn themselves down back- 
wards, shewing with them divers round, 
black, shining seeds, having also many 
crimson grains, intermixed with black, 
whereby it makes a very pretty shew. The 
Toots are great, thick and long, spreading 
and running down deep in the ground. © 
Ee eter Pa 
The ordinary Female Peony hath as many 
stalks, and more leaves on them than the 
Male; the leaves not so large, but nicked on 
the edges, some with great and deep, others 
with smaller cuts and divisions, of a dead 
green colour. The flowers are of a strong 
heady scent, usually smaller, and of a more 
purple colour than the Male, with yellow 
thrums about the head, as the Male hath. 
The seed vessels are like horns, as in the 
Male, but smaller, the seed is black, but less 
shining. The roots consist of many short 
tuberous clogs, fastened at the end of long 
strings, and all from the heads of the root, 
which is thick and short, and of the like 
scent with the Male. 
Place and Time.| They grow in gardens, 
and flower usually about May. 
Government and virtues.| It is an herb 
of the Sun, and under the Lion. Physicians 
say, Male Peony roots are best; but Dr. 
Reason told me Male Peony was best for 
men, and Female Peony for women, and he 
desires to be judged by his brother Dr. 
Experience. The roots are held to be of 
more virtue than the seed; next the flowers; 
and, last of all, the leaves. The roots of 
the Male Peony, fresh gathered, having 
been found by experience to cure the fall- 
ing sickness; but the surest way is, besides 
hanging it about the neck, by which children 
have been cured, to take the root of the 
Male Peony washed clean, and stamped 
somewhat small, and laid to infuse in sack 
for 24 hours at the least, afterwards strain 
it, and take it first and last morning and 
evening, a good draught for sundry days 
together, before and after a full moon: and 
this will also cure old persons, if the dis- 
ease be not grown too old, and past cure, 
especially if there be a due and orderly — 
preparation of the body with posset-drink 
made of betony, &c. The root is also ef- — 
fectual for women that are not sufficiently 
cleansed after child-birth, and such as are 
| troubled with the mothers for which 
