20 



THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



Pettimugget, and Maiden-hair ; and by some 

 Wild Rosemary. 



DescriptJ] This rises up with divers 

 small brown, and square upright stalks, a 

 yard high or more; sometimes branches 

 forth into divers parts, full of joints, and 

 with divers very fine small leaves at every 

 one of them, little or nothing rough at all; 

 at the tops of the branches grow many long 

 tufts or branches of yellow flowers very 

 thick set together, from the several joints 

 which consist of four leaves a piece, which 

 smell somewhat strong, but not unpleasant. 

 The seed is small and black like poppy 

 seed, two for the most part joined together: 

 The root is reddish, with many small threads 

 fastened to it, which take strong hold of 

 the ground, and creep a little : and the 

 branches leaning a little down to the ground, 

 take root at the joints thereof, whereby it 

 is easily increased. 



There is another sort of Ladies Bed- 

 straw growing frequently in England, which 

 bears white flowers as the other doth yel- 

 lowy but the branches of this are so weak, 

 that unless it be sustained by the hedges, 

 or other things near which it grows, it will 

 lie down to the ground ; the leaves a little 

 bigger than the former, and the flowers not 

 so plentiful as these ; and the root hereof is 

 also thready and abiding. 



Placed] They grow in meadow and pas- 

 tures both wet and dry, and by the hedges, j 



Time.'] They flower in May for the most 

 part, and the seed is ripe in July and 

 August. 



Government and virtues.] They are both 

 herbs of Venus, and therefore strengthening 

 the parts both internal and external, which 

 she rules. The decoction of the former of 

 those being drank, is good to fret and break 

 the stone, provoke the urine, stays inward 

 bleeding, and heals inward wounds. The 

 herb or flower bruised and put into the 

 nostrils, stays their bleeding likewise ; 

 The flowers and herbs being made into and 



oil, by being set in the sun, and changed 

 after it has stood ten or twelve days ; or 

 into an ointment being boiled in Axunga, 

 or sallad oil, with some wax melted therein, 

 after it is strained; either the oil made 

 thereof, or the ointment, do help burnings 

 with fire, or scalding with water. The 

 same also, or the decoction of the herb and 

 flower, is good to bathe the feet of travellers 

 and lacquies, whose long running couses 

 weariness and stiffness in the sinews and 

 joints. If the decoction be used warm, and 

 the joints afterwards anointed with oint- 

 ment, it helps the dry scab, and the itch 

 in children ; and the herb with the white 

 flower is also very good for the sinews, 

 arteries, and joints, to comfort and strength- 

 en them after travel, cold, and pains. 



BEETS. 



OF Beets there are two sorts, which are 

 best known generally, and whereof I shall 

 principally treat at this time, viz. the white 

 and red Beets and their virtues. 



DescriptJ] The common white beet has 

 many great leaves next the ground, some- 

 what large and of a whitish green colour. 

 The stalk is great, strong, and ribbed, bear- 

 ing great store of leaves upon it, almost to 

 the very top of it : The flowers grow in 

 very long tufts, small at the end, and turn- 

 ing down their heads, which are small, pale 

 greenish, yellow, buds, giving cornered 

 prickly seed. The root is great, long, and 

 hard, and when it has given seed is of no 

 use at all. 



The common red Beet differs not from 

 the white, but only it is less, and the leaves 

 and the roots are somewhat red ; the leaves 

 are differently red, some only with red stalks 

 or veins ; some of a fresh red, and others 

 of a dark red. The root thereof is red, 

 spungy, and not used tobe eaten. 



Government andvirtues.~\ The government 

 of these two sorts of Beets are far different ; 

 the red Beet being under Saturn and the 



