AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 



and thereby very good to be used in wound 

 drinks , as also to apply outwardly for the 

 same purpose. But the latter Bird's Foot 



It digests humours, provokes urine ana 

 women's courses, dissolves wind, and being 

 taken in wine it eases pains and griping in 



is found by experience to break the stone : the bowels, and is good against the biting 

 in the back or kidneys, and drives them j of serpents ; it is used to good effect in 

 forth, if the decoction thereof be taken; j those medicines which are given to hinder 

 and it wonderfully helps the rupture, be- j the poisonous operation of Cantharides, 

 ing taken inwardly, and outwardly applied ! upon the passage of the urine: being 

 to the place. 1 mixed with honey and applied to black 



All sorts have best operations upon the \ and blue marks, coming of blows or bruises, 

 stone, as ointments and plaisters have upon j it takes them away ; and being drank or 

 wounds : and therefore you may make a j outwardly applied, it abates an high colour 

 salt of this for the stone ; the way how to | and makes it pale ; and the fumes thereof 



BISHOP S-WEED. 



taken with rosin or raisins, cleanses the 

 mother. 



do so may be found in my translation of the 



London Dispensatory ; and it may be I 



may give you it again in plainer terms at BISTORT , OR SNAKEWEED. 



the latter end or tins book. 



IT is called Snakeweed, English Serpen- 

 tary, Dragon-wort, Osterick, and Passions. 



BESIDES the common name Bishop's- j Rescript.'] This has a thick short knobbed 

 weed, it is usually known by the Greek I root, blackish without, and somewhat red- 

 name Ammi and Ammois ; some call it * dish within, a little crooked or turned 

 Ethiopian Cummin-seed, and others Cum- j together, of a hard astringent taste, with 

 min-royal, as also Herb William, and Bull- 1 divers black threads hanging therefrom, 

 wort. * whence spring up every year divers leaves, 



DescriptJ] Common Bishop's-weed rises | standing upon long footstalks, being some- 

 up with a round straight stalk, sometimes j what broad and long like a dock leaf, and 

 as high as a man, but usually three or four j a little pointed at the ends, but that it is of 

 feet high, beset with divers small, long and \ a blueish green colour on the upper side, 

 somewhat broad leaves, cut in some places, ; and of an ash-colour grey, and a little pur- 

 and dented about the edges, growing one*plish underneath, with divers veins therein, 

 against another, of a dark green colour, I from among which rise up divers small and 

 having sundry branches on them, and at the j slender stalks, two feet high, and almost 

 top small umbels of white flowers, which | naked and without leaves, or with a very 

 turn into small round seeds little bigger than \ few, and narrow, bearing a spiky bush of 

 Parsley seeds, of a quick hot scent and ! pale-coloured flowers ; which being past, 

 taste; the root is white and stringy ; perish- j there abides small seed, like unto Sorrel 

 ing yearly, and usually rises again on its | seed, but greater, 

 own sowing. There are other sorts of Bistort growing 



Placed] It grows wild in many places in \ in this land, but smaller, both in height., 



England and Wales, as between Green-: 

 hithe and Gravesend. 



dry in the third degree, of a bitter taste, 

 and somewhat sharp withal ; it provokes 



root, and stalks, and especially in the leaves. 

 The root blackish without, and somewhat 



Government and virtues^ It is hot and '\ whitish within ; of an austere binding taste, 



as the former. 



Place.'] They grow in shadowy moist 



lust to purpose ; 1 suppose Venus owns it. woods, and at the foot, of hills, but are 



