THE ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. IS 



flowers are barren and fertile on the same individual, and 

 the flower-cup of the barren flowers a longish cat- 

 kin, composed of different scales, each of which includes 

 three little flowers, and the blossom a single petal divided 

 into four small expanding segments, and the flower-cups 

 of the fertile flowers is a scaly catkin as above ; the scales 

 are placed opposite by threes and include two little flowers 

 which are in the shape of an heart, notched at the end, 

 with a sharp point in the middle. The seeds are in the 

 shape of an egg, and surrounded with a border. 



Place.'] It delighteth to grow in moist woods, and watery 

 places. 



Time.'] It flowereth in April or May, and yieldeth ripe 

 seed in September. 



Government and Use.] It is a tree under the dominion 

 of Venus, and of some watery sign or other, I suppose 

 Pisces; and therefore the decoction, or distilled water of 

 the leaves, is excellent against burnings and inflamma- 

 tions, either with wounds or without, to bathe the place 

 grieved with, and especially for that inflammation in the 

 breast, which the vulgar call an ague. 



If you cannot get the leaves (as in Winter 'tis impos- 

 sible) make use of the bark in the same manner. 



The leaves and bark of the Alder-tree are cooling, 

 drying, and binding. The fresh leaves laid upon swel- 

 ings dissolve them, and stay the inflammation. The 

 leaves put under the bare feet gauled with travelling, are 

 a great refreshing to them. The said leaves gathered 

 while the morning dew is on them, and brought into a 

 chamber troubled with fleas, will gather them thereunto, 

 which being suddenly cast out, will rid the chamber of 

 those troublesome bed-fellows. 



Angelica. O in ^ (k. d. 2.) 



In time of Heathenism, when men bad found out any 

 excellent herb, they dedicated it to their gods ; as the 

 Bay-tree to Apollo, the oak to Jupiter, the Vine to Bac- 

 chus, the Poplar to Hercules. These the Papists follow- 

 ing as the Patriarchs, they dedicate to their saints; as our 

 Lady's Thistle to the Blessed Virgin, St. John's Wort to 

 St. John, aud another wort to St. Peter, &c. for they 



