THE ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 63 



the body in health, and the spirit in vigour ; for if the 

 Sim be the preserver of life under God, his herbs are the 

 best in the world to do it. They are accounted to be 

 both of one property, but the lesser is more eflfectuaJ, 

 because quicker and more aromatical. It is a friend to 

 the heart, liver, and other principal parts of a man's 

 body. Two or three of the stalks, with leaves put into 

 a cup of wine, especially claret, are known to quicken 

 the spirits, refresh and clear the heart, and drive away 

 melancholy. It is a special help to defend the heart 

 from noisome vapours, and from infection of the pesti- 

 lence, the juice thereof being taken in some drink, and 

 the party laid to sweat thereupon. They have also a 

 drying and astringent quality, whereby they are avail- 

 able in all nianaer of fluxes of blood or humours, to 

 staunch bleedings inward or outward, lasks, scourgings, 

 the bloody-tlux, women's too abundant flux of courses, 

 the whites, and the choleric belchings and castings of 

 the stomach, and is a singular wound herb for all sorts of 

 wounds, both of the head and body, either inward or 

 outward ; for all old ulcers, running cankers, and most 

 sores, to be used either by the juice or deco6lion of the 

 herb, or by the powder of the herb or root, or the water 

 of the distilled herb or ointment by itself, or with other 

 things to be kept ; the seed is also no less efleftual both 

 to fluxes, and dry up moist sores, being taken in powder 

 inwardly in wine, or steeled water, that is, wherein hot 

 gads of steel have been quenched; or the powder, or the 

 seed mixed with the ointments. 



The Butter-Bur, or Petasitis. Q. (h. d. 2.) 



In some herbals this plant is called Colt's-foot ; but the 

 latter is quite a different plant. 



Descript.] This riseth up in February, with a thick 

 stalk about a foot high, whereon are set a few small 

 leaves or rather pieces, and at the tops a long spike 

 head ; flowers of a blush or deep red colour, accord- 

 ing to the soil where itgroweth, aud before the stalk with 

 the flowers have abiden a month above ground, it will 

 bo withered and gone, and blown away with the wind, 

 and the leaves will begia to spring, which being full 



