THE ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED, 145 



banc, hemlock, or other poisonous and dangerous herbs. 

 It is held good in hydropick diseases, the jaundice, fall- 

 ing sickness, cramps, convulsions, the piles or haemor- 

 rhoids, or other cold diseases. Many authors quote ma- 

 ny diseases this is good for, but conceal its vices. Its 

 heat is very vcliement, and all vehement hot things send 

 up but ill-lavoured vajiours to the brain. In cholerick 

 men it will add fuel to the lire; in men oppressed by me- 

 lancholy, it will attenuate the humour, and send up 

 strong fancies, and as many strange visions to the head 

 therefore let it be taken inwardly with great moderation ; 

 outwardly you may make more bold with it. 



Gentian, Fehvorf, or Baldmony. <?. (h.3, d. 2.) 



It is confessed that Gentian, which is most used amongst 

 us, is brought over from beyond sea, yet we have two 

 sorts of it growing frequently in our nation, which 

 besides the reasons so frequently alledged why English 

 herbs should be fittest for English bodies, hath been pro- 

 ved by the experience of divers physicians, to be not a 

 whit inferior in virtue to that which cometh from beyond 

 sea ; therefore be pleased to take the description of thctn 

 as foUoweth. 



Dtiscript.'] The greater of the ivfo hath many small 

 long roots thrust down deep into the ground, and abiding 

 all the Winter. The stalks are sometimes more, some- 

 times fewer, of a brownish green colour, which is some- 

 times two feet high, if the ground be fruitful, having ma. 

 ny long, narrow, dark green leaves, set by couples up to 

 the toj) ; the flowers are long and hollow, of a purple 

 colour, ending in line corners. The smaller sort which 

 is to be found in our land, groweth up with sundry stalks, 

 not a foot high, parted into several small branches, 

 whereon grow divers small leaves together, very like 

 those of the lesser centaury, of a whitish green colour ; 

 on the tops of these stalks grosv divers perfeft blue flow- 

 ers, standing in long husks, but not so big as the other; 

 the root is very small, and full of threads. 



Place."] The first groweth in divers places of both the 

 East and West countries, and as well in wet as in dry 

 grouuds, as near Longfield by Gravesend, near Cobhaoi 



