AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 98 



curious. Two or three sorts are found com- 

 monly growing wild here, the description 

 of two of which I shall give you. 



Bear's-foot, Christinas-herb, and Christmas- 

 flowers. 



Descript."] It hath sundry fair green 



Descript.'] The first is a smooth, low f leaves rising from the root, each of them 

 plant, not a foot high, very bitter in taste, j standing about an handful high from the 

 with many square stalks, diversly branched 1 earth; each leaf is divided into seven, eight, 

 from the bottom to the top, with divers $ or nine parts, dented from the middle of 

 joints, and two small leaves at each joint, \ the leaf to the point on both sides, abiding 

 broader at the bottom than they are at the I green all the Winter ; about Christmas- 

 end, a little dented about the edges, of a; time, if the weather beany thing temperate, 

 sad green colour, and full of veins. The j the flowers appear upon foot stalks, also 

 flowers stand at the joints, being of a fair i consisting of five large, round, white leaves 

 purple colour, with some white spots in la-piece, which sometimes are purple towards 

 them, in fashion like those of dead nettles, uhe edges, with many pale yellow thumbs 

 The seed is small and yellow, and the roots i in the middle ; the seeds are divided into 

 spread much under ground. j several cells, like those of Columbines, 



The second seldom grows half a foot | save only that they are greater ; the seeds 

 high, sending up many small branches, > are in colour black, and in form long and 

 whereon grow many small leaves, set one | round. The root consists of numberless 

 against the other, somewhat broad, but \ blackish strings all united into one head, 

 very short. The flowers are like the flowers i There is another Black Hellebore, which 

 of the other fashion, but of a pale reddish j grows up and down in the woods very like 

 colour. The seeds are small and yellowish. | this, but only that the leaves are smaller 

 The root spreads like the other, neither will j and narrower, and perish in the Winter, 

 it yield to its fellow one ace of bitterness. I which this doth not. 



Place.~] They grow in wet low grounds, \ Place.~] The first is maintained in gar- 

 and by the water-sides ; the last may be 5 dens. The second is commonly found in 

 found among the bogs on Hampstead Heath, j the woods in Northamptonshire. 



Time.'] They flower in June or July, \ Time.'] The first flowers in December 

 and the seed is ripe presently after. jor January; the second in February or 



Government and virtues.'] They are herbs ! March. 



of Mars, and as choleric and churlish as \ Government and virtues.'] It is an herb of 

 he is, being most violent purges, especially | Saturn, and therefore no marvel if it has 

 of choler and phlegm. It is not safe taking j some sullen conditions with it, and would 

 them inwardly, unless they be well rectified \ be far safer, being purified by the art of the 

 by the art of the alchymist, and only the | alchymist than given raw. If any have 

 purity of them given; so used they may be? taken any harm by taking it, the common 



cure is to take goat's milk : If you cannojt 

 get goat's milk, you must make a shift with 

 such as you can get. The roots are very 

 effectual against all melancholy diseases, 

 especially such as are of long standing, as 

 ! quartan agues and madness ; it helps the 



BLACK HELLEBORE. j falling sickness, the leprosy, both the yel- 



; low and black jaundice, the gout, sciatica, 

 IT is also called Setter-wort, Setter-grass, j and convulsions ; and this was found out 



very helpful both for the dropsy, gout, 

 and sciatica ; outwardly used in ointments 

 they kill worms, the belly anointed with it, 

 and are excellently good to cleanse old and 

 filthy ulcers 



