76 THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



eoction of the leveas is excellently good to s cover their bottoms ; but instead of the 

 wash sore heads with : and there is scarcely j three upright leaves, as the Flower-de-luce 

 a better remedy for the leprosy than it is. ; has, this has only three short pieces 

 It clears the face also of morphew, and the i standing in their places, after which succeed 

 body of white rcurf, scabs, and running I thick and long three square heads, con- 

 sores. If it be dropped into old fretting j taining in each part somewhat big and flat 

 ulcers, it cleanses out the moisture, and j seed, like those of the Flower-de-luce. The 

 brings up the flesh; because you cannot j root is long and slender, of a pale brownish 

 have the leaves green all the year, you may j colour on the outside, and of a horseflesh 

 make an ointment of them whilst you can. i colour on the inside, with many hard fibres 

 A decoction of the leaves being drank in- > thereat, and very harsh in taste, 

 wardly, or rather a syrup made of them, | PlaceJ] It usually grows in watery 

 dissolves congealed blood caused by bruises j ditches, ponds, lakes, and moor sides, which 

 or falls, and helps the bloody flux. The i are always overflowed with water, 

 ashes of the wood made into an ointment i Time.~\ It flowers in July, and the seed 

 with hog's grease, helps kibes and chilblains. j is ripe in August. 



The juice being put into an hollow tooth, j Government and 'virtues.'] It is under the 

 eases pain; as also pain and noise in the j dominion of the Moon. The root of this 

 ears, being dropped into them; and deaf- j Water-flag is very astringent, cooling, and 

 ness. An ointment made of the juice and \ drying ; and thereby helps all lasks and 

 hog's grease, is an excellent remedy for the! fluxes, whether of blood or humours, as 

 biting of mad dogs, or other venomous j bleeding at the mouth, nose, or other parts, 

 beasts, as most are. A syrup made of the ; bloody flux, and the immoderate flux of 

 leaves, or green fruit, is excellently good for j women's courses. The distilled water of 

 coughs, hoarseness, or shortness of breath, j the whole herb, flowers and roots, is a 

 and all diseases of the breast and lungs ; it 5 sovereign good remedy for watering eyes, 

 is also extremely good for the dropsy and (both to be dropped into them, and to have 

 falling sickness. They say that the Fig I cloths or sponges wetted therein, and ap- 

 Tree, as well as the Bay Tree, is never [plied to the forehead: It also helps the 

 hurt by lightning ; as also, if you tie a bull, j spots and blemishes that happen in and 

 be he ever so mad, to a Fig Tree, he will ! about the eyes, or in any other parts : The 

 quickly become tame and gentle. As for? said water fomented on swellings and hot 

 such figs as come from beyond sea, I * inflammations of women's breasts, upon 

 have little to say, because I write not of cancers also, and those spreading ulcers 

 exoticks. : called Noli me tangere, do much good : It 



$ helps also foul ulcers in the privities of man 



THE YELLOW WATER-FLAG, OR FLOWER- 5 or woman ; but an ointment made of the 

 DE-LUCE. I flowers is better for those external applica- 



; lions. 



Descnpt.] THIS grows like the Flower-* 



de-luce, but it has much longer andnar-> FLAX-WEED, OR TOAD-FLAX. 



rower sad green leaves, joined together in j 



that fashion ; the stalk also growing often- 1 Descript.~] OUR common Flax-weed 

 times as high, bearing small yellow flowers } has divers stalks full fraught with long and 

 shaped like the Flower-de-luce, with three I narrow ash-coloured leaves, and from the 

 falling leaves, and other three arched that j middle of them almost upward, stored with 



