94 



THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



by experience, that the root of that which j stay blood, where or howsoever flowing , it 

 grows wild in our country, works not so \ speedily heals all green wounds, and is 

 churlishly as those do which are brought! effectual in old ulcers in the privy parts, or 

 from beyond sea, as being maintained by \ elsewhere. You may persuade yourself 

 a more temperate air. The root used as this is true, and also conceive a good reason 



a pessary, provokes the terms exceedingly ; 



for it, do but consider it is an herb of 



also being beaten into powder, and strewed Venus, for all it hath a man's name. 



upon foul ulcers, it consumes the dead j 



flesh, and instantly heals them; nay, ii\ 



will help gangrenes in the beginning, i Descript.~] ORDINARY Herb True-love 



HERB TRUE-LOVE, OR ONE-BERRY. 



Twenty grains taken inwardly is a sufficient 

 dose for one time, and let that be corrected 

 with half so much cinnamon ; country peo- 

 ple used to rowel their cattle with it. If a 

 beast be troubled with a cough, or have 



taken any poison, they bore a hole through 

 the ear, and put a piece of the root in it, 



has a small creeping root running under the 

 uppermost crust of the ground, somewhat 

 like couch grass root, but not so white, 

 shooting forth stalks with leaves, some 

 whereof carry no berries, the others do; 

 every stalk smooth without joints, and 



blackish green, rising about half a foot high, 



t r . 1 i .1 -t i t * 1 



this will help him in 24 hours time. Many \if it bear berries, otherwise seldom so high, 

 other uses farriers put it to which I shall bearing at the top four leaves set directly 

 forbear. one against another, in manner of a cross 



or ribband tied (as it is called in a true- 

 loves knot,) which are each of them apart 

 somewhat like unto a night-shade leaf, but 



HERB ROBERT. 



THE Herb Robert is held in great esti- 

 mation by farmers, who use it in diseases 

 of their cattle. 



Descript.] It rises up with a reddish 

 stalk two feet high, having divers leaves 

 thereon, upon very long nnd reddish foot- 

 stalks, divided at the ends into three or 

 five divisions, each of them cut in on the 

 edges, which sometimes turn reddish. At ; 

 the tops of the stalks come forth divers 

 flowers made of five leaves, much larger 

 than the Dove's-foot, and of a more reddish 

 colour; after which come black heads, as in 

 others. The root is small and thready, 



and smells, as the whole plant, very strong, 

 almost stinking. 



somewhat broader, having sometimes three 

 leaves, sometimes five, sometimes six, and 

 those sometimes greater than in others, in 

 the middle of the four leaves rise up one 

 small slender stalk, about an inch high, 

 bearing at the lops thereof one flower spread 

 open like a star, consisting of four small 

 and long narrow pointed leaves of a yellow- 

 ish green colour, and four others lying 

 between them lesser than they ; in the mid- 

 dle whereof stands a round dark purplish 

 button or head, compassed about with 

 eight small yellow mealy threads with three 

 colours, making it the more conspicuous, 



j and lovely to behold. This button or head 



PlaceJ] This grows frequently every j in the middle, when the other leaves are 

 where by the way-sides, upon ditch banks: withered, becomes a blackish purple berry, 



and waste grounds wheresoever one goes. 



TimeJ] It flowers in June and July 

 chiefly, and the seed is ripe shortly after. 



Government and virtue*.] It is under the 

 dominion of Venus. Herb Robert is com-j PlaceJ] It grows in woods and copses, 

 mended not only against the stone, but to land sometimes in the corners or borders of 



full of juice, of the bigness of a reasonable 

 grape, having within it many white seeds. 

 The whole plant is without any manifest 



taste. 



