AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 



23 



to put a little salt for this purpose, being 

 applied with a little hog's lard, it helps a 

 plague sore, and other boils and pushes. 

 The fumes of the decoction while it is 

 warm, received by a funnel into the ears, 

 eases the pains of them, destroys the worms 

 and cures the running sores in them. The 

 juice dropped into them does the same. 

 The root of Betony is displeasing both to 

 the taste and stomach, whereas the leaves 

 and flowers, by their sweet and spicy 

 taste, are comfortable both to meat and 

 medicine. 



These are some of the many virtues 

 Anthony Muse, an expert physician (for 

 it was not the practice of Octavius Cesar 

 to keep fools about him), appropriates to 

 Betony ; it is a very precious herb, that is 

 certain, and most fitting to be kept in a 

 man's house, both in syrup, conserve, oil, 

 ointment and plaister. The flowers are 

 usually conserved. 



THE BEECH TREE. 



In treating of this tree, you must under- 

 stand, that I mean the green mast Beech, 

 which is by way of distinction from that 

 other small rough sort, called in Sussex the 

 smaller Beech, but in Essex Horn-beam. 



I suppose it is needless to describe it, 

 being already too well known to my coun- 

 trymen. 



Place.~] It grows in woods amongst oaks 

 and other trees, and in parks, forests, and 

 chases, to feed deer; and in ether places 

 to fatten swine. 



Timf,~] It blooms in the end of April, 

 or beginning of May, for the most part, 

 and the fruit is ripe in September. 



Government and virtues, .] It is a plant of 

 Saturn, and therefore performs his qualities 

 and proportion in these operations. The 

 leaves of the Beech tree are cooling and 

 binding, and therefore good to be applied 

 to hot swellings to discuss them; the nuts 

 do much nourish such beasts as feed thereon. 



The water that is found in the hollow places 

 of decaying Beeches will cure both man and 

 beast of any scurf, or running tetters, if 

 they be washed therewith; you may boil the 

 leaves into a poultice, or make an ointment 

 of them when time of year serves. 



BILBERRIES, CALLED BY SOME WIIORTS, 

 AND WHORTLE-BER1UES. 



Descript.~\ OF these I shall only speak 

 of two sorts which are common in England, 

 viz. The black and red berries. And first 

 of the black. 



The small bush creeps along upon the 

 ground, scarcely rising half a yard high, 

 with divers small green leaves set in the 

 green branches, not always one against the 

 other, and a little dented about the edges: 

 At the foot of the leaves come forth small, 

 hollow, pale, bluish coloured flowers, the 

 brims ending at five points, with a reddish 

 thread in the middle, which pass into small 

 round berries of the bigness and colour of 

 juniper berries, but of a purple, sweetish 

 sharp taste; the juice of them gives a 

 purplish colour in their hands and lips that 

 eat and handle them, especially if they 

 break them. The root grows aslope under 

 ground, shooting forth in sundry places 

 as it creeps. This loses its leaves in 

 Winter. 



The Red Bilberry, or Whortle-Bush, 

 rises up like the former, having sundry 

 hard leaves, like the Box-tree leaves, green 

 and round pointed, standing on the several 

 branches, at the top whereof only, and not 

 from the sides, as in the former, come forth 

 divers round, reddish, sappy berries, when 

 they are ripe, of a sharp taste. The root 

 runs in the ground, as in the former, but 

 the leaves of this abide all Winter. 



Place.] The first grows in forests, on the 

 heaths, and such like barren places: the 

 red grows in the north parts of this land, as 

 Lancashire, Yorkshire, &c. 



Time.] They flower in March and April, 



