180 THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



Government and virtues.'] Surely Mars i being drank, expels superfluous melancholy 

 rules it, it is such a prickly business. All \ out of the body, and makes a man as merry 

 these thistles are good to provoke urine, j as a cricket ; superfluous melancholy causes 

 and to mend the stinking smell thereof; as 5 care, fear, sadness, despair, envy, and many 

 also the rank smell of the arm-pits, or the evils more besides ; but religion teaches to 

 whole body ; being boiled in wine and * wait upon God's providence, and cast our 

 drank, and are said to help a stinking \ care upon him who cares for us. What a 

 breath, and to strengthen the stomach. fine thing were it if men and women could 

 Pliny saith, That the juice bathed on the j live so ? And yet seven years' care and fear 

 place that wants hair, it being fallen off, ; makes a man never the wiser, nor a farthing 

 will cause it to grow speedily. 5 richer. Dioscorides saith, the root borne 



' about one doth the like, and removes all 



THE MELANCHOLY THISTLE. , A/r i 



s diseases of melancholy. Modern writers 



Descript.~\ IT rises up with tender single ; laugh at him ; Let them laugh that win : my 

 hoary green stalks, bearing thereon four or j opinion is, that it is the best remedy against 

 five green leaves, dented about the edges;; all melancholy diseases that grows; they 

 the points thereof are little or nothing j that please may use it. 

 prickly, and at the top usually but one head , \ , 



yet sometimes from the bosom of the upper- j 



most leaves there shoots forth another small j Descript.~] OUR Lady's Thistle hath 

 head, scaly and prickly, with many reddish j divers very large and broad leaves lying on 

 thrumbs or threads in the middle, which j the ground cut in, and as it were crumpled, 

 being gathered fresh, will keep the colour; but somewhat hairy on the edges, of a white 

 a long time, and fades not from the stalk a | green shining colour, wherein are many 

 long time, while it perfects the seed, which ! lines and streaks of a milk white colour, 

 is of a mean bigness, lying in the down, i running all over, and set with many sharp 

 The root hath many strings fastened to the j and stiff prickles all about, among which 

 head, or upper part, which is blackish, and irises up one or more strong, round, and 

 perishes not. j prickly stalks, set full of the like leaves up 



There is another sort little differing from \ to the top, where at the end of every branch, 

 the former, but that the leaves are more | comes forth a great prickly Thistle-like 

 green above, and more hoary underneath, \ head, strongly armed with prickles, and 

 and the stalk being about two feet high, j with bright purple thumbs rising out of the 

 bears but one scaly head, with threads and j middle ; after they are past, the seed grows 

 seeds as the former. \ in the said heads, lying in soft white down, 



Placed] They grow in many moist mea- which is somewhat flattish in the ground, 

 dows of this land, as well in the southern, as j and many strings and fibres fastened there- 

 in the northern parts. \ unto. All the whole plant is bitter in taste. 

 Time.~\ They flower about July or j Place.~\ It is frequent on the banks of 

 August, and their seed ripens quickly after. j almost every ditch. 



Government and virtues^] It is under : Time.'] It flowers and seeds in June, 

 Capricorn, and therefore under both Saturn 5 July, and August. 



and Mars, one rids melancholy by sym pa-; Government and virtues.'] Our Lady's 

 thy, the other by antipathy. Their virtues j Thistle is under Jupiter, and thought to be 

 are but few, but those not to be despised ; j as effectual as Carduus Benedictus for 

 for the decoction of the thistle in wine j agues, and to prevent and cure the infection 



