66 



THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



Place.] It grows commonly through this 

 land in divers ploughed grounds to the no 

 small trouble of the husbandmen, as also 

 of the gardeners, in gardens, to weed it out, 

 if they can ; for it is a constant customer to 

 the place it get footing in. 



Government and virtues.'] 'Tis under the 

 dominion of Jupiter, and is the most medi- 

 cinal of all the Quick-grasses. Being 

 boiled and drank, it opens obstructions of 

 the liver and gall, and the stopping of 

 urine, and eases the griping pains of the 

 belly and inflammations ; wastes the mat- 

 ter of the stone in the bladder, and the 

 ulcers thereof also. The roots bruised and 

 applied, do consolidate wounds. The seed 

 doth more powerfully expel urine, and 

 stays he lask and vomiting. The dis- 

 tilled water alone, or with a little wormseed, 

 kills the worms in children. 



The way of use is to bruise the roots, and 

 having well boiled them in white wine, 

 drink the decoction : 'Tis opening but not 

 purging, very safe : 'Tis a remedy against 

 all diseases coming of stopping, and such 

 are half those that are incident to the body 

 of man ; and although a gardener be of 

 another opinion, yet a physician holds half 

 an acre of them to be worth five acres of 

 Carrots twice told over. 



DOVE'S-FOOT, OR CRANE'S-BILL. 



Descript.~\ THIS has divers small, round, 

 pale-green leaves, cut in about the edges, 

 much like mallow, standing upon long, 

 reddish, hairy stalks lying in a round con- 

 pass upon the ground ; among which rise 

 up two or three, or more, reddish, jointed, 

 slender, weak, hairy stalks, with some like 

 leaves thereon, but smaller, and more cut in 

 up to the tops, where grow many very 

 small bright red flowers of five leaves 

 a-piece ; after which follow small heads, 

 with small short beaks pointed forth, as all 

 others sorts of those herbs do. 



Place.] It grows in pasture grounds, and 



by the path-sides in many places, and will 

 also be in gardens. 



Time.] It flowers in June, July, and 

 August, some earlier and some later ; and 

 the seed is ripe quickly after. 



Government and virtues.^ It is a very 

 gentle, though martial plant. It is found 

 by experience to be singularly good for wind 

 cholic, as also to expel the stone and gravel 

 in the kidneys. The decoction thereof in 

 wine, is an excellent good cure for those 

 that have inward wounds, hurts, or bruises, 

 both to stay the bleeding, to dissolve and 

 expel the congealed blood, and to heal the 

 parts, as also to cleanse and heal outward 

 sores, ulcers, and fistulas ; and for green 

 wounds, many do only bruise the herb, and 

 apply it to the places, and it heals them 

 quickly. The same decoction in wine 

 fomented to any place pained with the 

 gout, or to joint-aches, or pains of the 

 sinews, gives much ease. The powder or 

 decoction of the herb taken for some time 

 together, is found by experience to be sin- 

 gularly good for ruptures and burstings in 

 people, either young or old. 



DUCK'S MEAT. 



THIS is so well known to swim on the 

 tops of standing waters, as ponds, pools, 

 and ditches, that it is needless further to 

 describe it. 



Government and virtues.] Cancer claims 

 the herb, and the Moon will be Lady of it ; 

 a word is enough to a wise man. It is 

 effectual to help inflammations, and St. 

 Anthony's Fire, as also the gout, either 

 applied by itself, or in a poultice with Bar- 

 ley meal. The distilled water by some is 

 highly esteemed against all inward inflam- 

 mations and pestilent fevers ; as also to 

 help the redness of the eyes, and swellings 

 of privities, and of the breasts before they 

 be grown too much. The fresh herb ap- 

 plied to the forehead, eases the pains of 

 the head-ache coming of heat. 



