OULPJi.PBR'S COMPLETE HERBAL 89 



tainly. The water distilled from the green barley, in 

 the end of May, is very good for those that have defluc- 

 tions of humours fallen into their eyes, and easeth the 

 pain being dropped into them ; or white bread steeped 

 therein, and bound on the eyes, doth the same. . 



BASIL (GARDEN or SWEET,)^ Ocymum Bcuilicum.) 



Descrip. — The greater or ordinary bazil riseth up 

 usually with one upright stalk diversely branching fortn 

 on all sides, with two leaves at every joint, which are 

 somewhat broad and round, yet pointed, of a pale green 

 colour, but fresh ; a little snipped about the edges, and 

 of a strong healthy scent. The flowers are small and 

 white, and standing at the tops of the branches, with two 

 small leaves at the joints, in some places green, in others 

 brown, after which come black seed. The root perisheth 

 at the approach of winter, and therefore must be sown 

 every year. 



Plax:^, — It groweth in gardens. 



Time. — It must be sown late, and flowers in the heart 

 of summer, it being a very tender plant. 



Oovetnment and Virtues. — This is the herb which all 

 authors are together by the ears about, and rail at one 

 another, like lawyers. Galen and Dioscorides hold it not 

 fitting to be taken inwardly, and Chrysippus rails at it with 

 downright Billingsgate rhetoric : Pliny and the Arabian 

 Physicians defend it. 



For my own part, I presently found that speech true ; 



Hon nostrum inter nos tantas componere lites. 



And away to Dr. Reason went 1, who told me it waa 

 an herb of Mars, and under the Scorpion, and therefore 

 called basilicon, and it is no marvel if it carry a kind of 

 virulent quality with it. Being applied to the place 

 bitten by venemous beasts, or stung oy a wasp or hornet, 

 it speedily draws the poison to it — JSveri/ like draws its 

 like. Mizaldus affirms, that being laid to rot in horse- 

 dung, it will breed venomous beasts. Hilariua, a French 

 phynician, affirms upon his own knowledge, that an 

 acquaintance of his, by common smelling to it, had a 

 tcorpion bred in his brain. Something is the matter ; 

 this herb and rue will never grow together, no, nor near 

 one another ; and we know rue is as great an enemy to 

 poison as any that grows. 



To conclude. It expelleth both birth and after-birth ; 



