AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 
193 
good for redness and dimness of sight, or 
films that grow over the eyes, and stay the 
rheums that fall into them; to provoke 
urine, being stopped, if it be drank ; to clear 
the face and skin from spots and discolour- 
ings. Galen saith, The flowers hath an 
_ admirable faculty in drying up humours, 
being a medicine without any sharpness or 
corrosion: you may boil them in white 
wine, and drink as much as you will, so 
you drink not yourself drunk. The bark 
works the same effect, if used in the same 
manner, and the Tree hath always a bark 
upon it, though not always flowers; the 
burnt ashes of the bark being mixed with 
vinegar, takes away warts, corns, and su- 
perfluous flesh, being applied to the place. 
The decoction of the leaves or bark in wine, 
takes away scurff and dandriff by washing 
the place with it. It is a fine cool tree, the 
boughs of which are very convenient to 
be placed in the chamber of one sick of a 
fever. 
WOAD. 
Descript.| Ir hath divers large leaves, 
long, and somewhat broad withal, like those 
of the greater plantain, but larger, thicker, 
of a greenish colour, somewhat blue withal. 
From among which leaves rises up a lusty 
Stalk, three or four feet high, with divers 
leaves set thereon; the higher the stalk 
rises, the smaller are the leaves; at the top 
it spreads divers branches, at the end of 
which appear very pretty, little yellow 
flowers, and after they pass away like other 
flowers of the field, come husks, long and 
Somewhat flat withal; in form they resem- 
ble a tongue, in colour they are black, and 
they hang bobbing downwards. The seed 
contained within these husks (if it be a 
little chewed) gives an azure colour. The 
Toot is white and long. : 
Place. It is sowed in fields for the bene- 
fit of it, where those that sow it, cut it three 
— a ae ae 
Be pad 2. 
Time.] It flowers in June, but it is long 
after before the seed is ripe. 
Government and virtues.] It is a cold 
and dry plant of Saturn. Some people af- 
firm the plant to be destructive to bees, and 
fluxes them, which, if it be, I cannot help 
it. I should rather think, unless bees be 
contrary to other creatures, it possesses 
them with the contrary diseases, the 
herb being exceeding dry and binding. 
However, if any bees be diseased thereby, 
the cure is, to set urine by them, but set it in 
a vessel, that they cannot drown them- 
selves, which may be remedied, if you put 
pieces of cork in it. The herb is so drying 
and binding, that it is not fit to be given 
inwardly. An ointment made _ thereof 
stanches bleeding. A plaister made thereof, 
and applied to the region of the spleen 
which lies on the left side, takes away the 
hardness and pains thereof. The ointment 
is excellently good in such ulcers as abound 
with moisture,and takes away the corroding 
and fretting humours: It cools inflamma- 
tions, quenches St. Anthony’s fire, and stays 
defluxion of the blood to any part of the 
body. 
WOODBINE, OR HONEY-SUCKLES. 
Ir is a plant so common, that every one 
that hath eyes knows it, and he that hath 
none, cannot read a description, if I should 
write it. 
Time.| They flower in June, and the 
fruit is ripe in August. 
Government and virtues.] Doctor Tra- 
dition, that grand introducer of errors, that 
hater of truth, lover of folly, and the mortal 
foe to Dr. Reason, hath taught the common 
people to use the leaves or flowers of this 
plant in mouth-water, and by long con- 
tinuance of time, hath so grounded it in the _ 
brains of the vulgar, that you cannot beat it _ 
out with a beetle: All mouth-waters ought to e 
be cooling and drying, but Honey- uckl 
| are cleansing, consuming and d 2 esting 
