AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 



21 



white under Jupiter ; therefore take the 

 virtues of them apart, each by itself. The 

 white Beet much loosens the belly, and 

 is of a cleansing, digesting quality, and 

 provokes urine. The juice of it opens 

 obstructions both of the liver and spleen, 

 and is good for the head-ache and swim- 

 mings therein, and turnings of the brain ; 

 and is effectual also against all venomous 

 creatures ; and applied to the temples, 

 stays inflammations of the eyes ; it helps 

 burnings, being used with oil, and with a 

 little alum put to it, is good for St. An- 

 thony's fire. It is good for all wheals, 

 pushes, blisters, and blains in the skin : the 

 herb boiled, and laid upon chilblains or 

 kibes, helps them. The decoction thereof 

 in water and some vinegar, heals the itch, 

 if bathed therewith ; and cleanses the head 

 of dandruff, scurf, and dry scabs, and does 

 much good for fretting and running sores, 

 ulcers, and cankers in the head, legs, or 

 other parts, and is much commended against 

 baldness and shedding the hair. 



The red Beet is good to stay the bloody- 

 flux, women's courses, and the whites, and 

 to help the yellow jaundice ; the juice of 

 the root put into the nostrils, purges the 

 head, helps the noise in the ears, and the 

 tooth-ache ; the juice snuffed up the nose, 

 helps a stinking breath, if the cause lie in 

 the nose, as many times it does, if any bruise 

 has been there : as also want of smell 

 coming that way. 



WATER BETONY. 



CALLED also Brown-wort, and in York- 

 shire, Bishop's-leaves. 



Degcript,] First, of the Water Betony, 

 which rises up with square, hard, greenish 

 stalks, sometimes brown, set with broad dark 

 green leaves dented about the edges with 

 notches somewhat resembling the leaves 

 of the Wood Betony, but much larger too, 

 for the most part set at a joint. The flowers 

 are many, set at the tops of the stalks and 



branches, being round bellied and open at 

 the brims, and divided into two parts, the 

 uppermost being like a hood, and the lower- 

 most like a hip hanging down, of a dark 

 red colour, which passing, there comes in 

 their places small round heads with small 

 points at the ends, wherein lie small and 

 brownish seeds ; the root is a thick bush of 

 strings and shreds, growing from the head. 



Placed] It grows by the ditch side, 

 brooks and other water-courses, generally 

 through this land, and is seldom found far 

 from the water-side. 



TimeJ] It flowers about July, and the 

 seed is ripe in August. 



Government and virtues^ Water Betony 

 is an herb of Jupiter in Cancer, and is ap- 

 propriated more to wounds and hurts in the 

 breast than Wood Betony, which follows : 

 It is an excellent remedy for sick hogs. It 

 is of a cleansing quality. The leaves bruised 

 and applied are effectual for all old and filthy 

 ulcers ; and especially if the juice of the 

 leaves be boiled with a little honey, and 

 dipped therein, and the sores dressed there- 

 with ; as also for bruises and hurts, whether 

 inward or outward. The distilled water ot 

 the leaves is used for the same purpose ; as 

 also to bathe the face and hands spotted or 

 blemished, or discoloured by sun burning. 



I confess I do not much fancy distilled 

 waters, I mean such waters as are distilled 

 cold ; some virtues of the herb they may 

 haply have (it were a strange thing else ;) 

 but this I am confident of, that being dis- 

 tilled in a pewter still, as the vulgar and 

 apish fashion is, both chemical oil and salt 

 is left behind unless you burn them, and 

 then all is spoiled, water and all, which was 

 good for as little as can be, by such a dis- 

 tillation. 



WOOD BETONY. 



Descript.~\ COMMON or Wood Betony 

 has many leaves rising from the root, 

 which are somewhat broad and round at 



