THE ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 313 



And yet seven years care and fear makes a man never the 

 wiser, nor a farthing richer. Dioscorides saith, the root 

 borne about ono dolh the like, and removes all diseases of 

 melancholy. Modern writers langh at him : Let them 

 laugh that zcin ; my opinion is, that it is (he best remedy 

 against all melancholy diseases that grows. 



Our Lady's Thistle. IJ.. (h. d. 2.) 



Tat: virtues of tiiistles do not seem to vary so much as 

 their appearance. 



Descript.~\ This hath divers large broad leaves lying oa 

 the ground cut in, and as it were crumpled, but somewhat 

 hairy on the edges, of a white green shining colour, 

 wherein are many lines and streaks of a milk-white colour 

 running all over, ai\d set with many hard and stiff prickles 

 all about, among which riseth up one or more strong, 

 round and prickly stalks, set full of the like leaves up to 

 the top, where, at the end of every branch, comes fortli 

 a great prickly Tiiislle-like head strongly armed with 

 prickles, and with bright purple thrums rising out of the 

 middle : After they are past, the seed gro^veth in the said 

 heads, Ijing in soft white down, which is somewhat llattish 

 in the ground, and many strings and fibres fastened there- 

 unto. All the whole plant U bitter in taste, 



Place.~\ It is frequent on the baaks of almost every 

 ditch. 



Time.'] It flowereth and secdcth from June to August. 

 Government and Virtues.'] Our I^ady's Thistle is under 

 Jupiter, and thought to be as effectual as Carduus Bene- 

 diftus for agues, and to present and cure the infefitioa 

 «f the plague ; as also to open the obstructions of the 

 liver and spleen, and thereby is good against the jaun- 

 dice. It provokcth urine, brcaketh and expelleth the 

 stone, and is good for the dropsy. It is elFedtual also for 

 the pains in the sides, and many other inward pains and 

 gripings. The seed and distilled water arc held powerful 

 to all the purposes aforesaid, and besides, it is oftea 

 applied both outwardly with cloths or spunges, to the 

 region of the \isQty to cool the distemper thereof, and to 



