THE ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 51 



a{hcT cooling, opening, and cleansing herbs to open. 

 obstrii6tions, and help the yellow jaundice, and mixed 

 >vith fumitory, to cool, cleanse, and temper the blood 

 thereby ; it helpeth the itch, ringworms, and tetters, 

 or other spreading scabs or sores. The flowers candied 

 or made into a conserve, arc helpful in the former 

 cases, but are chiefly used as a cordial, and are good 

 for those that are weak in long sickness, and to com- 

 fort the heart and spirits of those that are in a con- 

 sumption, or troubled with often swoonings, or passions 

 of the heart. The distilled water is no less elFedlual to all 

 the purposes aforesaid, and helpeth the redness and in- 

 flammations of the eyes, being washed therewith ; the 

 dried herb is never used, but the green ; yet the ashes 

 thereof, boiled in mead, or honied water, is available 

 against the inflammations and ulcers in the mouth or 

 throat to gargle it therewith ; the roots of Bugloss are 

 effedlual, being made into a licking eledluary for the 

 cough, and to condensate thick phlegm, and the rheu- 

 matic distillations upon the lungs. 



Blue Bottle, ^i' (c d. 2. J 



It is called Cyanus, I suppose from the colour of it; 

 Hurtsickle, because it turns the edge of the sickles that 

 reap the corn; Blue-blow, Corn-flower, and Blue-bottle. 

 Descript.l 1 shall only describe that which is common-, 

 est, and in my opinion most useful ; its leaves spread upon 

 the ground, being of a whitish green colour, somewhat 

 on the edges like those of Corn-scabious, amongst -which 

 ariseth up a stalk divided into divei's branches, beset with 

 long leaves of greenish colour, either but very little in- 

 dented or not at all; the flowers are of a blue colour, 

 from whence it took its name, consisting of an innume- 

 rable company of small flowers set in a scaly head, not 

 much unlike those of knapweed; the seed is smooth, 

 bright and shining, wrapped up in a woolly mantle; the 

 root perisheth every year. 



Place.'] They grow in corn-fields, amongst all ?orts of 

 corn (peas, beans, and tares excepted). If you please 

 to take them up from thence, and transplant them iu 

 your garden, especially towards the full of the moon. 



