x.] PLANTS AND PLANETS. 159 
by the nose by the college of physicians, as they lead 
bears to Paris garden. Melancholy men cannot bear 
to be wronged in point of good fame, and that doth 
sorely trouble old Saturn, because they call him the 
greatest infortunate; in the body of man he rules 
the spleen (and that makes covetous men so sple- 
netick), the poor old man lies crying out of his left 
side. Father Saturn’s angry, Mars comes to him; 
Come, brother, I confess thou art evil spoken of, and 
so am 1; thou knowest I have my exaltation in thy 
house, I give him an herb of mine, Wormwood, to 
cure the poor man; Saturn consented, but spoke 
little, and so Mars cured him by sympathy.” Then 
we are treated to the account of some conversations 
among the gods, with whom our author seems to have 
been on the most familiar terms. He shows himself 
superior to the opinions of men, for he winds up his 
discourse on Wormwood thus :-— 
“He that reads this, and understands what he 
reads, hath a jewel of more worth than a diamond; 
he that understands it not, is as little fit to give 
physic. There lies a key in these words which will 
unlock (if it be turned by a wise hand) the cabinet of 
physic. I have delivered it as plain as I durst ; it is 
not only upon Wormwood as I wrote, but upon all 
plants, trees, and herbs; he that understands it not, 
is unfit (in my opinion) to give physic. This shall 
live when I am dead. And thus I leave it to the 
world, not caring a farthing whether they like or 
dislike it. The grave equals all men, and therefore 
shall equal me with all princes; until which time the 
eternal Providence is over me: Then the ill tongue 
