THE BETONY. 277 



" A playster of betonye I ye seye 

 Is good, on ye thonwongys [temples] for to leye 

 It abriggyth heed werke, 

 And zeweth brythnesse to syth derke !" [dark sight ?] 



But to return to the text ; 



"At betonye I wille begyne 

 Yt. many vertewys hath hy wt. ine [with wine] 

 Betonye sothy yese lechys [say these leeches] bedene 

 Yat kepyth manys body clene. 

 * * # * 



Betonye boyled et dronkyn wt. honey 



Is good ageyn ye dropesy. 



And a playster of betonye 



Is good to leyn to syth of eyne [sight of eyes] 



Tows of betonye, with eurose [euphrosyne] clere 



Counfortyth [comforteth] ye heryuge of ye ere [ear] 



Powdyr of betonye eke is good % 



Medelyd [mingled ?] wt. hony for wyolent blood, 



Ageyn ye nost [cough] wt. owte lae 



Yat counfortyth ye brest wt. ye stak [stitch ?] 



Ye lewys of betonye wt. salt made nesche 



Is good for woundys in the heed fresch ; 



Betonye also drounken et etyn 



Terys [tears] of eyne it wyll letyn [let, stop.] 



Betonye sothyn, ye soth to sayn [seethed, sooth to say] 



Is good for ye bolnynge [boiling inflammation] of the eyn, 



In lucure yt. whych wy [wise] men calley [call] 



Whane ye eyne arn blod fallyn. 



Betonye wt. rewe [rue] sothy et dyth, 



For doth i nurked of manys syth ; 



Betonye sothy in reed wyn clene 



Purgyth ye stomak et ye spleen. 



iiij lewys of betonye fyn 



And iij cupful of elder wy [wine] 



And greynes of pepir xx et vij, 



Alle to geddere groundg ewene [evenly ground] 



And mad a drynke yer of clenlyke [cleanly ?] 



Yt. purgyth ye neris mythylyke [nerves mightily] 



