84: WONDERFUL CURES. 



more care than any other besides him, he did so highly 

 esteeme thereof for the exceeding good qualities sake. 



" The Spaniards call it Tobaco, it were better to call it 

 Nicotian a, after the name of the Lord who first sent it into 

 France, to the end that we may give him the honor which he 

 hath deserved of us, for having furnished our land with so 

 rare and singular an herbe : and thus much for the name, 

 now listen unto the whole historic : Master John Nicot, one 

 of the king's counsell, being ambassador for his Maiestie 

 (Majesty) in the realme of Portiugall, in the yeere of our 

 Lord God, 1559. 60. and 61. went on a day to see the 

 monuments and northie places of the said king of Portiugall : 

 at which time a gentleman keeper of the said monuments 

 presented him with this herbe as a strange plant brought 

 from Florida. The nobleman Sir Nicot having procured it 

 to growe in his garden, where it had put forth and multiplied 

 very greatly, was aduertifed (notified) on a daie by one of 

 his pages, that a yoong boie kinsman of the said page, had 

 laide (for triall sake) the said herbe, pressed, the substance 

 and juice and altogether, upon an ulcer which he had upon 

 his cheeke, neere unto his nose, next neighbor to a Noli me 

 tangere, (a cancer) as having already seazed upon the cartil- 

 ages, and that by the use thereof it was become marvellous 

 well : upon this occasion the nobleman Nicot called the boie 

 to him, and making him to continue the applying of this 

 herbe for eight or ten days, the Noli me tangere became 

 thoroughly kild : nowe they had sent oftetimes unto one of 

 the king's most famous phisitions, the said boie during the 

 time of this worke and operation to make and see the pro- 

 ceeding and working of the said Nicotiana, and having in 

 charge to do the same until the end of ten days, the said 

 phisition then beholding him, assured him that the Noli me 

 tangere was dead, as indeed the boie never felt anything of 

 it at any time afterward. 



" Some certain time after, one of the cooks of the said 

 ambassador having almost all his thombe (thumb) cut off 

 from his hand, with a great kitchin knife, the steward 

 running unto the said Nicotiana, made to him use of it five pr 

 six dressings, by the ende of which the wounde was healed. 

 From this time forward this herbe began to become famous 

 in Lisbon, where the king of Portiugal's court was at that 

 time, and the vertues thereof much spoken of, and the 

 common people began to call it the ambassador's herbe. 

 Now upon this occasion there came certain days after, a 



