144 THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



strong. The wood is smooth, tough, and j the White and black of the Garden, and 

 white, and easy to be cloven. On both { the Erratic Wild Poppy, or Corn Rose, 

 these trees grows a sweet kind of musk, j Descript.~\ The White Poppy hath at 

 which in former times was used to put into j first four or five whitish green leaves lying 

 sweet ointments. 5 upon the ground, which rise with the stalk, 



Place.'] They grow in moist woods, and j compassing it at the bottom of them, and 

 by water-sides in sundry places of this land ;* are very large, much cut or torn on the 

 yet the White is not so frequent as the other. ? edges, and dented also besides : The stalk, 



Time.'] Their time is likewise expressed ! which is usually four or five feet high, hath 

 before : The catkins coming forth before j sometimes no branches at the top, and 

 the leaves in the end of Summer. ; usually but two or three at most, bearing 



Government and virtues.'] Saturn hath | every one but one head wrapped up in a 

 dominion over both. White Poplar, saith j thin skin, which bows down before it is 

 Galen, is of a cleansing property : The > ready to blow, and then rising, and being 

 weight of an ounce in powder, of the bark j broken, the flowers within it spreading itself 

 thereof, being drank, saith Dioscorides, is 5 open, and consisting of four very large, 

 a remedy for those that are troubled with j white, round leaves, with many whitish 

 the sciatica, or the stranguary. The juice [round threads in the middle, set about a 

 of the leaves dropped warm into the ears, small, round, green head, having a crown, 

 eases the pains in them. The young j or star-like cover at the head thereof, which 

 clammy buds or eyes, before they break | growing ripe, becomes as large as a great 

 out into leaves, bruised, and a little honey > apple, wherein are contained a great num- 

 put to them, is a good medicine for a dull ? her of small round seeds, in several parti- 

 sight. The Black Poplar is held to Le;tions or divisions next unto the shell, the 

 more cooling than the White, and therefore s middle thereof remaining hollow, and 

 the leaves bruised with vinegar and applied, i empty. The whole plant, both leaves, 

 help the gout. The seed drank in vinegar, s stalks, and heads, while they are fresh, 

 is held good against the falling-sickness. I young, and green, yield a milk when they 

 The water that drops from the hollow places ; are broken, of an unpleasant bitter taste, 

 of this tree, takes away warts, pushes, almost ready to provoke casting, and of a 

 wheals, and other the like breakings-out of | strong heady smell, which being condensed, 

 the body. The young Black Poplar buds, j is called Opium. The root is white and 

 saith Matthiolus, are much used by women ) woody, perishing as soon as it hath given 

 to beautify their hair, bruising them with I ripe seed. 



fresh butter, straining them after they have j The Black Poppy little differs from the 

 been kept for some time in the sun. The \ former, until it baers its flower, which is 

 ointment called Populneon, which is made | somewhat less, and of a black purplish 

 of this Poplar, is singularly good for all I colour, but without any purple spots in the 

 heat and "inflammations in any part of the; bottom of the leaf. The head of the seed 

 body, and tempers the heat of wounds. It | is much less than the former, and opens 

 is much used to dry up the milk of women's I itself a little round about the top, under 

 breasts when they have weaned their 1 the crown, so that the seed, which is very 

 children. j black, will fall out, if one turn the head 



! thereof downward. 



The wild Poppy, or Corn Rose, hath long 



OF this I shall describe three kinds, viz. \ and narrow leaves, very much cut in on the 



