146 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



he adds, that the juiee of rue was kept in 

 boxes made of brass or copper, and that it 

 was used against the sting of serpents, scor- 

 pions, bees, hornets, wasps, &c. as well as for 

 the bite of mad dogs ; and those, says he, 

 w r ho rubbed themselves with this juice, w ere 

 sure not to be bit or stung by any venomous 

 creatures. 



The same author states, that engravers, 

 carvers, and painters, ate rue-leaves to pre- 

 serve their sight ; and others just touched 

 the corners of their eyes with the juice, 

 which cured the watery humour in them. 

 It was also used to rub the limbs of persons 

 who were benumbed with cold. It was said, 

 that when drunk with wine it cured the 

 head-ache. The Romans often took rue be- 

 fore they began to drink hard, to prevent 

 drunkenness. 



Rue-leaves pounded, and put into the 

 nostrils, are thought to stop the bleeding of 

 the nose. 



There is nothing (continues Pliny) so effi- 

 cacious as a drink made from rue, for the 

 cure of complaints in all four-footed animals, 

 whether they are broken-winded, stung by 

 serpents, or have swallowed leeches. 



