AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 
195 
it Appetite, and sent her daughter to taste 
these Wormwoods, who finding this the 
least bitter, made the squeamish wench 
extol it to the skies, though the virtues of it 
never reached the middle region of the air. 
Its due praise is this; It is weakest, there- 
fore fittest for weak bodies, and fitter for 
those bodies that dwell near it, than those 
that dwell far from it; my reason is, the sea 
(those that live far from it, know when they 
come near it) casts not such a smell as the 
land doth. The tender mercies of God 
being over all his works, hath by his eternal 
Providence, planted Seriphian by the sea- 
side, as a fit medicine for the bodies of those 
that live near it. Lastly, It is known to all 
that know any thing in the course of nature, 
that the liver delights in sweet things, if so, 
it abhors bitter; then if your liver be weak, 
it is none of the wisest courses to plague it 
with an enemy. If the liver be weak, a 
consumption follows; would you know the 
reason? It is this, A man’s flesh is repaired 
by blood, by a third concoction, which 
transmutes the blood into flesh, it is well 
I said, (concoction) say I, if I had said 
(boiling) every cook would have under- 
stood me. The liver makes blood, and if it 
be weakened that if it makes not enough, 
the flesh wastes ; and why must flesh always 
be renewed? Because the eternal God, when 
he made the creation, made one part of it 
in continual sce uennd upon another; 
and why did he so? Because himself only 
is permanent; to teach us, That we should 
not fix our affections upon what is transi- 
tory, but what endures for ever. The re- 
sult of this is, if the liver be weak, and can- 
not make blood enough, I would have said, 
Sanguify, if I had written only to scholars 
the Seriphian, which is the weakest of 
Wormwoods, is better than the best. I have 
been critical enough, if not too much. 
Place.] It grows familiarly i in edna 
by the sea-side. 
gree, viz. just as hot as your bloo 
ey It starts up out nf the be earth, 
with many round, woody, hairy stalks from 
one root. Its height is four feet, or three at 
least. The leaves in longitude are long, in 
latitude narrow, in colour white, in form 
hoary,in similitude like Southernwood, only 
broader and longer; in taste rather salt than 
bitter, because it grows so near the salt- 
water; At the joints, with the leaves toward 
the tops it bears little yellow flowers; the 
root lies deep, and is woody. 
Common Wormwood I shall not describe, 
for every body that can eat an egg knows it. 
Roman Wormwood; and why Roman, 
seeing it grows familiarly in England? It 
may be so called, because it is good for a 
stinking breath which the Romans cannot 
be very free from, maintaining so many bad 
houses by authority of his Holiness. 
Descript.] The stalks are slender, and > 
shorter than the common Wormwood by 
one foot at least; the leaves are more finely 
cut and divided than they are, but some- 
thing smaller; both leaves and stalks are 
hoary, the flowers of a pale yellow colour; 
it is altogether like the common Worm- 
wood, save only in bigness, for it is smaller; 
in taste, for it is not so bitter; in smell, for 
it is spicy. 
Place.| It grows upon the tops of the 
mountains (it seems ’tis aspiring) there ’tis 
natural, but usually nursed up in gardens 
for the use of the apothecaries in London. 
Time.] All Wormwoods usually flower 
in August, a little sooner or later. 
Government and virtues.| Will you give 
me leave to be critical a little? I must take 
leave. Wormwood is an herb of Mars, and © 
if Pontanus say otherwise, he is beside the : 
bridge; I prove it thus: What delights in 
martial places, is a martial herb; but 
Wormwood delights in martial places, (for Z 
about forges and iron works you may 
gather a cart-load of it,) ergo, it is ar 
tial herb. It is hot and dry in the : 
hotter. It remedies the e 
