390 NATURAL HISTORY. 



them strong and aleger. But it seemeth they are 

 taken after several manners ; for coffee and opium are 

 taken down, tobacco but in smoke,, and beetle is but 

 champed in the mouth with a little lime. It is like 

 there are more of them, if they were well found out, 

 and well corrected. Query, of henbane-seed ; of 

 mandrake ; of saffron, root and flower ; of folium 

 indum ; of ambergrease ; of the Assyrian amomum, 

 if it may be had ; and of the scarlet powder which 

 they call kermes : and, generally, of all such things 

 as do inebriate and provoke sleep. Note, that to 

 bacco is not taken in root or seed, which are more 

 forcible ever than leaves. 



Experiment solitary touching paintings of the body. 



739. The Turks have a black powder, made of a 

 mineral called alcohol, which with a fine long pencil 

 they lay under their eye-lids, which doth colour them 

 black ; whereby the white of the eye is set off more 

 white. With the same powder they colour also the 

 hairs of their eye-lids, and of their eye-brows, which 

 they draw into embowed arches. You shall find that 

 Xenophon maketh mention, that the Medes used to 

 paint their eyes. The Turks use with the same 

 tincture to colour the hair of their heads and beards 

 black. And divers with us that are grown grey, and 

 yet would appear young, find means to make their 

 hair black &amp;gt; by combing it, as they say, with a leaden 

 comb, or the like. As for the Chineses, who are of 

 an ill complexion, being olivaster, they paint their 

 cheeks scarlet, especially their king and grandees. 



