AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 



65 



property of the plant wherein it grows, 

 and the climate doth suffer, creeping and 

 spreading on that plant whereon it fastens, 

 be it high or low. The strings have no 

 leaves at all on them, but wind and in- 

 terlace themselves, so thick upon a small 

 plant, that it takes away all comfort of the 

 sun from it ; and is ready to choak or stran- 

 gle it. After these strings are risen to that 

 height, that they may draw nourishment 

 from that plant, they seem to be broken off 

 from the ground, either by the strength of 

 their rising, or withered by the heat of the 

 Sun. Upon these strings are found clus- 

 ters of small heads or husks, out of which 

 shoot forth whitish flowers, which after- 

 wards give small pale white coloured seed, 

 somewhat flat, and twice as big as Poppy- 

 seed. It generally participates of the na- 

 ture of the plant which it climbs upon ; 

 but the Dodder of Thyme is accounted the 

 best, and is the only true Epithymum. 



Government and virtues^] All Dodders 

 are under Saturn. Tell not me of phy- 

 sicians crying up Epithymum, or that 

 Dodder which grows upon Thyme, (most 

 of which comes from Hemetius in Greece, 

 or Hybla in Sicily, because those moun- 

 tains abound with Thyme,) he is a phy- 

 sician indeed, that hath wit enough to 

 choose the Dodder according to the nature 

 of the disease and humour peccant. We 

 confess, Thyme is the hottest herb it usually 

 grows upon ; and therefore that which 

 grows upon Thyme is hotter than that 

 which grows upon cold herbs ; for it draws 

 nourishment from what it grows upon, as 

 well as from the earth where its root is, and 

 thus you see old Saturn is wise enough to 

 have two strings to his bow. This is ac- 

 counted the most effectual for melancholy 

 diseases, and to purge black or burntcholer, 

 which is the cause of many diseases of the 

 head and brain, as also for the trembling of 

 the heart, faintings and swoonings. It is 

 helpful in all diseases and griefs of the 



spleen, and melancholy that arises from the 

 windiness of the hypochondria. It purges 

 also the reins or kidneys by urine ; it 

 opens obstructions of the gall, whereby it 

 profits them that have the jaundice ; as 

 also the leaves, the spleen : Purging the 

 veins of the choleric arid phlegmatic 

 humours, and helps children in agues, a 

 little worm seed being put thereto. 



The other Dodders do, as I said before, 

 participate of the nature of those plants 

 whereon they grow : As that which hath 

 been found growing upon nettles in the 

 west-country, hath by experience been 

 found very effectual to procure plenty of 

 urine where it hath been stopped or hin- 

 dered. And so of the rest. 



Sympathy and antipathy are two hinges 

 upon which the whole mode of physic 

 turns ; and that physician who minds 

 them not, is like a door off from the hooks, 

 more like to do a man mischief, than to 

 secure him. Then all the diseases Saturn 

 causes, this helps by sympathy, and 

 strengthens all the parts of the body he 

 rules ; such as be caused by Sol, it helps by 

 antipathy. What those diseases are, see 

 my judgment of diseases by astrology ; and 

 if you be pleased to look at the herb Worm- 

 wood, you shall fine a rational way for it. 



DOG'S-GRASS, OR COUGH GRASS. 



DescriptJ] IT is well known, that the 

 grass creeps far about under ground, with 

 long white joined roots, and small fibres 

 almost at every joint, very sweet in taste, 

 as the rest of the herb is, and interlacing 

 one another, from whence shoot forth many 

 fair grassy leaves, small at the ends, and 

 cutting or sharp on the edges. The stalks 

 are jointed like corn, with the like leaves 

 on them, and a large spiked head, with a 

 long husk in them, and hard rough seed in 

 them. If you know it not by this des- 

 cription, watch the dogs when they are 

 sick, and they will quickly lead you to it. 



