44 



THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



THE LESSER CELANDINE, USUALLY 

 KNOWN BY THE NAME OF PILEWORT 

 AND FOGWORT. 



I WONDER what ailed the ancients to 

 give this the name Celandine, which re- 

 sembles it neather in nature nor form; it 

 acquired the name of Pilewort from its 

 virtues, and it being no great matter where 

 I set it down, so I set it down at all, I 

 humoured Dr. Tradition so much, as to set 

 him down here. 



Descript] This Celandine or Pilewort 

 (which you please) doth spread many round 

 pale green leaves, set on weak and trailing 

 branches which lie upon the ground, and 

 are flat, smooth, and somewhat shining, 

 and in some places (though seldom) marked 

 with black spots, each standing on a long 

 foot- stalk, among which rise small yellow 

 flowers, consisting of nine or ten small nar- 

 row leaves, upon slender foot-stalks, very 

 like unto Crovvsfoot, whereunto the seed 

 iJso is not unlike being many small kernels 

 like a grain of corn sometimes twice as 

 long as others, of a whitish colour, with 

 fibres at the end of them. 



Place.] It grows for the most part in 

 moist corners of fields and places that are 

 near water sides, yet will abide in drier 

 ground if they be a little shady. 



Time.] It flowers betimes, about March 

 or April, is quite gone by May; so it can- 

 not be found till it spring again. 



Government and virtues.] It is under the 

 dominion of Mars, and behold here another 

 verification of the learning of the ancients, 

 viz. that the virtue of an herb may be 

 known by its signature, as plainly appears 

 in this ; for if you dig up the root of it, 

 you shall perceive the perfect image of the 

 disease which they commonly call the piles. 

 It is certain by good experience, that the 

 decoction of the leaves and roots wonder- 

 fully helps piles and haemorrhoids, also 



kernels by the ears and throat, called the 

 king's evil, or any other hard wens or 

 tumours. 



Here's another secret for my countrymen 

 and women, a couple of them together; 

 Pilewort made into an oil, ointment, or 

 plaister, readily cures both the piles, or 

 haemorrhoids, and the king's evil : The 

 very herb borne about one's body next the 

 skin helps in such diseases, though it never 

 touch the place grieved; let poor people 

 make much of it for those uses ; with this 

 I cured my own daughter of the king's 

 evil, broke the sore, drew out a quarter of 

 a pint of corruption, cured without any 

 scar at all in one week's time. 



THE ORDINARY SMALL CENTAURY. 



Descript.] THIS grows up most usually 

 but with one round and somewhat crusted 

 stalk, about a foot high or better, branching 

 forth at the top into many sprigs, and some 

 also from the joints of the stalks below; the 

 flowers thus stand at the tops as it were in 

 one umbel or tuft, are of a pale red, tending 

 to carnation colour, consisting of five, 

 sometimes six small leaves, very like those 

 of St. John's Wort, opening themselves in 

 the day time and closing at night, after 

 which come seeds in little short husk, in 

 forms like unto wheat corn. The leaves are 

 small and somewhat round; the root small 

 and hard, perishing every year. The whole 

 plant is of an exceeding bitter taste. 



There is another sort in all things like the 

 former, save only it bears white flowers. 



Place.] They grow ordinarily in fields, 

 pastures, and woods, but that with the 

 white flowers not so frequently as the other. 



Time.] They flower in July or there- 

 abouts, and seeds within a month after. 



Government andvirtues.] They are under 

 the dominion of the Sun, as appears in that 

 their flowers open and shut as the Sun, either 

 shews or hides his face. This herb, boiled 



