

t 



391 Of the Hiftoric of Plants* L i B . z 



feft that which I haue begun according to my fmall skill, cfpecially the ice being broken to him 

 and the wood rough-hewn to his hand . Notwithftanding I thinke it good to fay thus much more 

 in my own defence, That although there be many wants and defers in mee, that were requifite to 

 pcrforme fuch a worke • yet may my long experience by chance happen vponfome one thing or o. 

 ther that may do the Learned good : considering what a notable experiment I learned of one hL 

 Benet a Surgeon of Maidftone in Kent, (a man as flenderly learned as my felfe) which he pra <ft i fed 

 vpon a butchers boy of the fa id towne ? as himfelfe reported vnto me. Hispra&ifewas this \ Beina 

 defired to cure the forefaid Lad of an ague which did grieuoufly vex him 3 hee promifed him a me- 

 dicine • and for want of one for the prefent(for a fhift 3 as himfelfe confeffed vnto me)hetookeouc 

 of his garden three or four Ieaties of this plant of Rubarb,which my felfe had among other fimplcs 

 giuen him.which he damped and ftrained with a draught of ale.and gaue it the lad in the morning 

 to drinke : it wrought extreamely downeward and vpward within one houre after,and neucr ccafed 

 vntil night : in theend,the ftrengthof the boy ouercamethe force of the phyfick,it gaue ouenvor- 

 king,and the Lad loft his Ague ; fincc which time(ashefaith)hehath cured with the fame medi- 

 cine many of the like maladie, hauing euer great regard to the quantitie, which was the caufeof 

 the violent working in the fir ft cure. By reafon of which accident, that thing hath bin reueaicd to 

 pofteritie,which heretofore was not fo much as dreamed of.Whofe blunt attempt may incourage 

 fome fharper Wit and greater Iudgement in the faculties of plants, to feeke farther into their na. 

 turc than any of the Antients haue done ; and none fitter than the learned Phyfitions of the Col. 

 ledge of London>where are many Angularly well learned and experienced in naturall things. 



L The roots diced and boi led in the water olCardnus benedifius, to the confumption of the third 

 part,adding thereto a little hony,and eight or nine fpoonfulls of the deco&ion thereof drunkebe- 

 fore the fit , cure the ague in two or three times fo taking it at the moft s vnto robuftious or ftrong 

 bodies twelue fpoon fills may be giuen. This experiment was p.. /> i fed by a worfliipfull Gentle- 



' woman Miftreffe Kjtnne Wjlbraham vpon diners of her poore neighbours withgood fucceffc. 



* 



f The figu re that wjs in the firft place was ofLAptthumftl- minus aeuto, defcribed by mc in the third place of the preceding chapter. The fecond *r« of It 

 f&thum acHtum criftum offabttn* The third was of HjdroUpttbum minus* 



i. 







U 



Chap. 8}. OfT^uharb. 



iO 





$ J Thath hapnedin this' as in many other forrein medicines or Simplesjwhich though thy 



be of great and frequent vfe>as HermodadylSjMuskejTurbithj&c.yethaue we no certain 

 knowledge of the very place which produces thenyior Of their exa& manner of growing i 

 which hath giuen occafion to diuers to think diuerflyjand fome haue bin {o bold as to counterfeit 

 figures out of their own fancies,as Matt hiolu*. So that this fay mgoi RueUiut is found very true,iW- 



la medicine pars magis incerta^uam qu& ab alio qttam nojlro orbepetitur. But we will endeauor to flicw 



you more certaintie of this here treatedjthan was known vntill of very late years, 



^ The Description. 



His kind ofRubarb hath very great leaues fomewhat fnipt or indented about the ea- 



nv»c 1ilr#» tht* tw»r1infa *s*w nnr unfits rhp !f»diie« nf Fnula CAmp/tn^mWeA bv tbcvtllg* 



ibrt Elecampane,but greater : amongft which rifeth vp a ftraight ftalke of two cm Jit 

 high,bearingat the top a fcaly head like thofe of Knap-weed oxlaceamajor : in the midft ofwnic^ 

 knap or head thrufteth forth a faire flourc confifting of many purple threds like thofe of the A«J 

 choke : which being paft,thcre followeth a great quantitie of down,wherein is wrapped I° n §'^ 

 like vnto the great Centor ie, which the whole plant doth very well referable : the root is long [^ 

 thicke,blackifh without,and of a pale colour within 5 which being chewed makes thefpittlever 



yellow,as doth the Rubarb of Barbaric , ft t c 



t 2 This other baftard Rha, which is alib of Lohels defcription, hath a root, like that o\ l 

 te(k defer ibed 5 but the leaues arenarrower,a!moft like thofe of the common Dock,buc hoarie 



£ 3 I haue thought good 



figu 



place by our Author,as alfo the hiftoric,which was not much pertinent, and in lieu of them toy 

 fent you with a perfect figure and defcription of the true Rha Pmicumofthc Antients^vvhic ^ 

 firft oflate difcouered by the learned Profber Ahinm ^,who writ a pecular tracT: thereof,and it 1 



.^.•_/« j.»jj.f.,:(,-4:-t:„u?..i5i„/ ..' .• • ^ r .-.„ \At uhn Parti"]" 



gam ng 



countreyman m *r~ .t Thi$ 



hath alfo fet forth very well both the figure and defcription hereof in his PtraAifu* terrep 



