TZ^ Ufeful Family Herhal. 125 



five, or fix, feldom more : They are long and 

 confiderably broad, Iharp-pointed, notched about 

 the Edges, and a little hairy. The Flowers are 

 inconfiderable : They (land in a kind of Spikes at 

 the Tops of the Stalks ; and the Seeds are on fe* 

 parate Plants, they are double and roundifli. 

 The Herb has been from this divided into two 

 Kinds, Male and Female, but they have in ear- 

 lier Time given the Diftinclions of the Sex wrong. 

 Thofe which bear the Spikes of Flowers are the 

 Male Plants •, the others, notwithflanding any ac- 

 cidental Refemblance, Female. 



There is not a more fatal Plant, Native of our 

 Country, than this ; many have been known to 

 die by eating it boiled with their Food ; and pro- 

 bably many alfo, whom we have not heard of: 



Yet the Writers of Englijb Flerbals, iay nothing 

 of this. Gerardy an honeft and plain Writer, but 

 ignorant as Dirt, fays, it is thought they agree 

 with the other Mercuries in Nature. TKcfe other 

 Mercuries are eatable-, thetefore, who w^ould 

 fcruple on this Account to eat alfo this. Johnfc 

 who put forth another Edition of this Book, and 

 called it Gerard Emaculated, from the amendino: 

 the Faults of the original Author, fays nothin 

 to contradi<5t it: But after fome idle Obfer 

 vations upon other Herbs of the fame Name, but 

 very different Qualities, which yet he feems to 

 fuppofe t)f the fame Nature, leaves his Reader to 

 fuppofe, that he meant equally any of the Kinds 

 of Mercury, for the Purpofes he names ; and, like 

 his PredecelTor Gerard^ fuppofed them all to be 

 alike J thofe fafe, and thofe poifonous. It is true, 

 Mr. Ra}\ m his Synopfis of the Britijh Plants, 



of it as a Poifon, and muft fuf- 



from the Herb ; 



A 



im 



him ? His Book in which this is 



I 



men- 



