CENTURY VI. 261 



putting forth; want of moisture, and the closeness of 

 the bark, for the haste of the spirit to put forth, and 

 the want of nourishment to put forth a bough, and 

 the closeness of the bark, cause prickles in boughs, 

 and therefore they are ever like a pyramis, for 

 that the moisture spendeth after a little putting 

 forth. And for prickles in leaves, they come also of 

 putting forth more juice into the leaf than can spread 

 in the leaf smooth, and therefore the leaves other 

 wise are rough, as borage and nettles are. As for 

 the leaves of holly, they are smooth, but never plain, 

 but as it were with folds, for the same cause. 



560. There be also plants, that though they have 

 no prickles, yet they have a kind of downy or velvet 

 rind upon their leaves ; as rose-campion, stock-gilly 

 flowers, colt s-foot ; which down or nap cometh of 

 a subtil spirit, in a soft or fat substance. For it is 

 certain, that both stock-gilly-flowers and rose-cam 

 pions, stamped, have been applied with success to 

 the wrists of those that have had tertian or quartan 

 agues ; and the vapour of colt s-foot hath a sanative 

 virtue towards the lungs, and the leaf also is healing 

 in surgery. 



561. Another kind of excrescence is an exuda 

 tion of plants joined with putrefaction ; as we see in 

 oak-apples, which are found chiefly upon the leaves 

 of oaks, and the like upon willows : and country 

 people have a kind of prediction, that if the oak- 

 apple broken be full of worms, it is a sign of a pes 

 tilent year, which is a likely thing, because they 

 grow of corruption. 



