CENTURY V. 237 



and that without virtue, from those that feed in the 

 vallies where no such herbs are. Thus far I am of 

 opinion ; that as steeped wines and beers are very 

 medicinal ; and likewise bread tempered with divers 

 powders ; so of meat also, as flesh, fish, milk, and 

 eggs, that they may be made of great use for medi 

 cine and diet, if the beasts, fowl, or fish, be fed with 

 a special kind of food fit for the disease. It were a 

 dangerous thing also for secret enipoisonments. But 

 whether it may be applied unto plants and herbs, I 

 doubt more, because the nourishment of them is a 

 more common juice ; which is hardly capable of any 

 special quality, until the plant do assimilate it. 



500. But lest our incredulity may prejudice any 

 profitable operations in this kind, especially since 

 many of the ancients have set them down, we think 

 good briefly to propound the four means which they 

 have devised of making plants medicinable. The 

 first is by slitting of the root, and infusing into it the 

 medicine ; as hellebore, opium, scammony, treacle, 

 &c. and then binding it up again. This seemeth to 

 me the least probable ; because the root draweth 

 immediately from the earth ; and so the nourish 

 ment is the more common and less qualified : and 

 besides, it is a long time in going up ere it come to 

 the fruit. The second way is to perforate the body 

 of the tree, and there to infuse the medicine ; which 

 is somewhat better : for if any virtue be received 

 from the medicine, it hath the less way, and the less 

 time to go up. The third is, the steeping of the 

 seed or kernel in some liquor wherein the medicine 



