AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 



11 



of bard labour in child-birth. It makes 

 barren women fruitful. It cleanseth the 

 womb if it be foul, and strengthens it ex- 

 ceedingly ; it provokes the terms if they be 

 stopped, and stops them if they flow immode- 

 rately ; you can desire no good to your 

 womb, but this herb will affect it ; there- 

 fore if you love children, if you love health, 

 if you love ease, keep a syrup always by 

 you, made of the juice of this herb, and 

 sugar (or honey, if it be to cleanse the 

 womb), and let such as be rich keep it for 

 their poor neighbours ; and bestow it as 

 freely as I bestow my studies upon them, or 

 else let them look to answer it another day, 

 when the Lord shall come to make inquisi- 

 tion for blood. 



ARCHANGEL. 



To put a gloss upon their practice, the 

 physicians call a herb (which country peo- 

 ple vulgarly know by the name of Dead 

 Nettle) Archangel ; whether they favour 

 more of superstition or folly, I leave to the 

 judicious reader. There is more curiosity 

 than courtesy to my countrymen used by 

 others in the explanation as well of the 

 names, as discription of this so well known 

 herb; which that I may not also be guilty of, 

 take this short discription : first, of the Red 

 Archangel. This is likewise called Bee 

 Nettle. 



Descript.~] This has divers square stalks, 

 somewhat hairy, at (lie joints whereof grow 

 two sad green leaves dented about the edges, 

 opposite to one another to the lowermost, 

 upon long foot stalks, but without any to- 

 ward the tops, which are somewhat round, 

 yet pointed, and a little crumpled and 

 hairy ; round about the upper joints, where 

 the leaves grow thick, are sundry gaping 

 flowers of a pale reddish colour; after which 

 come the seeds three or four in a husk. 

 The root is small and thready, perishing 

 every year ; the whole plant hath a strong 

 smell but not stinking. 



White Archangel hath divers square 

 stalks, none standing straight upward^ but 

 bending downward, whereon stand two 

 leaves at a joint, larger and more pointed 

 than the other, dented about the edges, and 

 greener also, more like unto Nettle leaves, 

 but not stinking, yet hairy. At the joints, 

 with the leaves, stand larger and more open 

 gaping white flowers, husks round about 

 the stalks, but not with such a bush of leaves 

 as flowers set in the top, as is on the other, 

 wherein stand small roundish black seeds : 

 the root is white, with many strings at it, 

 not growing downward but lying under the 

 upper crust of the earth, and abides many 

 years increasing ; this has not so strong a 

 scent as the former. 



Yellow Archangel is like the White in 

 the stalks and leaves ; but that the stalks 

 are more straight and upright, and the joints 

 with leaves are farther asunder, having lon- 

 ger leaves than the former, and the flowers 

 a' little larger and more gaping, of a fair 

 yellow colour in most, in some paler. The 

 roots are like the white, only they creep not 

 so much under the ground. 



Placed] They grow almost every where 

 (unless it be in the middle of the street), the 

 yellow most usually in the wet grounds of 

 woods, and sometimes in the 1 dryer, in divers 

 counties of this nation. 



Time.~\ They flower from the beginning 

 of the Spring all the Summer long. 



Government and virtues.] The Archangels 

 are somewhat hot and drier then the sting- 

 ing Nettles, and used with better success 

 for the stopping and hardness of the spleen, 

 than they, by using the decoction of the 

 herb in wine, and afterwards applying the 

 herb hot into the region of the spleen as a 

 plaister, or the decoction with spunges. 

 Flowers of the White Archangel are pre- 

 served or conserved to be used to stay the 

 whites, and the flowers of the red to stay 

 the reds in women. It makes the heart 

 merry, drives away melancholy, quickens 



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