888 cul^eper's complete herbal. 



poison, and an alexipharmic, good in malignant and pesti- 

 lential fevers. The roots boiled in wine help the colic, and 

 the leaves applied outwardly repress inflammations and 

 tumours, especially in the scrotum and testicles, and ripen 

 pestilential tumours. 



SOLDIEK (COMMON WATER.)-(Strat(ntesAl(ndet,) 



Descrip. — The root is composed of several long, thick, 

 white fiores, with tufted ends ; they are naked n*om the 

 bottom to the top, but just at the extremity they have se- 

 reral small, short filaments, which spread every way. 

 From this root rise numerous leaves of a singular figure ; 

 they are long and narrow, thickest and broadest at the 

 base, and sharp at the point : they are fieshy, firm, of a 

 deep green purple, and armed with slight prickles along the 

 edges. The stalks rise among these, and are naked, round, 

 thick, and of a pale green. The flowers are large and white, 

 with a pretty tuft of yellow threads in the middle. 



place, — It swims in the water, and is common in the fen 

 countries, as the Isle of Ely, and elsewhere. 



Time, — It flowers in July. 



Oovemment and Virtues. — It is a cold watery plant, un- 

 der the Moon in the celestial sign of Piscea Externally 

 used, it is cooling and repellant. It is a specific against 

 the king's-evil and scrofulous swellings, both taken in- 

 wardly, and applied outwardly. It is said likewise to pro- 

 voke urine, ana to be useful in hysteric disorders. 



SOLOMON'S ^EA\j,--( Polygonatum Multifiorum,) 

 (Couvallaria Midtifiora.) 



Deecrip. — This rises with a stalk half a yard high, bow- 

 ing down to the ground, set with single leaves one above 

 another, somewhat large, with a blueish eye upon the 

 green, some with ribs, and yellowish underneath. At the 

 foot of -every leaf, almost from the bottom to the top of the 

 stalk, come forth small, long, white, and hollow pendulous 

 leaves, with long points, for the most part together, at the 

 end of a long footstalk, and sometimes but one, and some- 

 times two stalks, with flowers at the foot of a leaf, which are 

 without any scent at all, and stand on one side of the stalk. 

 After they are past, come in their places small round ber- 

 ries, great at first, and blackish green, tending to blueness 

 when they are ripe, wherein are small, white, hard, and 

 ^tony seeds. The root is a finger or thumb thick, white 

 Ad knotted In some places, a flat round circle repreoent- 



