JOHN PARKINSON 161 



a while after the taking of it, it will so burne and pricke his 

 mouthe that he shall not be able either to eate a bit more or 

 scarce to speak for paine and so will abide untill there be some 

 new milk or fresh butter given, which by little and little will 

 take away the heate and pricking and restore him againe." 

 That another " good jest for a bold unwelcome guest " is to 

 infuse nightshade in a little wine for six or seven hours and 

 serve it to the guest, who then " shall not be able to eat any 

 meate for that meale nor untill he drinks some vinegar which 

 will presently dispell that qualitie and cause him to fall to his 

 viands with as good a stomach as he had before." That 

 sufferers from toothache should rub the bruised root of crowfoote 

 on to their fingers; by causing " more paine therein than is felt 

 by the toothach it taketh away the pain." That the juice of 

 fumitory, if dropped in the eyes, will take away the redness and 

 other defects, " although it procure some paine for the present 

 and bringeth forth teares." That the hunters and shepherds of 

 Austria commend the roots of the supposed wolf's-bane " against 

 the swimming or turning in the head which is a disease subject 

 to those places rising from the feare and horroure of such steepe 

 downfalls and dangerous places which they doe and must con- 

 tinually passe." That scabious, if bruised and applied " to any 

 place wherein any splinter, broken bone, or any such like thing 

 lyeth in the flesh doth in short time loosen it and causeth it to 

 be easily drawen forth." That butcher's broom was used in 

 olden times to preserve " hanged meate " from being eaten by 

 mice and also for the making of brooms, " but the King's 

 Chamber is by revolution of time turned to the Butcher's stall, 

 for that a bundle of the stalkes tied together serveth them to 

 cleanse their stalls and from thence have we our Enghsh name 

 of Butcher's broom." That the down of swallow-wort " doth 

 make a farre softer stuffing for cushions or pillowes or the hke 

 than Thistle downe which is much used in some places for the 

 hke purpose." That, if ivory is boiled with mandrake root for 

 six hours, the ivory will become so soft " that it will take what 



