AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 



7 



DOWN, OR COTTON-THISTLE. 



Descript.] THIS has large leaves lying 

 on the ground, somewhat cut in, and as it 

 were crumpled on the edges, of a green 

 colour on the upper side, but covered with 

 long hairy wool, or Cotton Down, set with 

 most sharp and cruel pricks, from the mid- 

 dle of whose head of flowers, thrust forth 

 many purplish crimson threads, and some- 

 times (although very seldom) white ones. 

 The seed that follows in the heads, lying 

 in a great deal of white down, is some- 

 what large, long, and round, like the seed 

 of ladies thistle, but paler. The root is 

 great and thick, spreading much, yet it 

 usually dies after seed-time. 



PlaceJ] It grows in divers ditches, 

 banks, and in corn-fields, and highways, 

 generally every where throughout the land. 



Time^] It flowers and bears seed about 

 the end of Summer, when other thistles do 

 flower and seed. 



Government and virtues.^ Mars owns 

 the plant, and manifest to the world, that 

 though it may hurt your finger, it will help 

 your body; for I fancy it much for the 

 ensuing virtues. Pliny and Dioscorides 

 write, That the leaves and roots thereof 

 taken in drink, help those that have a crick 

 in their neck ; whereby they cannot turn 

 their neck but their whole body must turn 

 also (sure they do not mean those that have 

 got a crick in their neck by being under 

 the hangman's hand.) Galen saith, that 

 the root and leaves hereof are of a healing 

 quality, and good for such persons as have 

 their bodies drawn together by some spasm 

 or convulsion, as it is with children that 

 have the rickets. 



DRAGONS. 



THEY are so well known to every one 

 that plants them in their gardens, they 

 need no description ; if not, let them look 



down to the lower end of the stalks, and 

 see how like a snake they look. 



Government and virtues.^ The plant is 

 under the dominion of Mars, and therefore 

 it would be a wonder if it should want 

 some obnoxious quality or other: In all 

 herbs of that quality, the safest way is 

 either to distil the herb in an alembick, in 

 what vehicle you please, or else to press 

 out the juice, and distil that in a glass still, 

 in sand. It scours and cleanses the in- 

 ternal parts of the body mightily, and it 

 clears the external parts also, being exter- 

 nally applied, from freckles, morphew, and 

 sun-burning : Your best way to use it ex- 

 ternally, is to mix it with vinegar ; an oint- 

 ment of it is held to be good in wounds 

 and ulcers ; it consumes cankers, and that 

 flesh growing in the nostrils, which they 

 call Polypus : Also the distilled water being 

 dropped into the eyes, takes away spots 

 there, or the pin and web, and mends the 

 dimness of sight; it is excellently good against 

 pestilence and poison. Pliny and Dios- 

 corides affirm, that no serpent will meddle 

 with him that carries this herb about, him. 



THE ELDER TREE. 



I HOLD it needless to write any descrip- 

 tion of this, since every boy that plays with 

 a pop-gun will not mistake another tree 

 instead of Elder : I shall therefore in this 

 place only describe the Dwarf-Elder, 

 called also Dead-wort, and Wall-wort. 



THE DWARF-ELDER. 



Descript.~] THIS is but an herb every 

 year, dying with his stalks to the ground, 

 and rising afresh every Spring, and is like 

 unto the Elder both in form and quality, 

 rising up with a square, rough, hairy stalks, 

 four feet high, or more sometimes. The 

 winged leaves are somewhat narrower than 

 the Elder, but else like them. The flowers 

 are white with a dash of purple, standing in 

 umbels, very like the Elder also, but more 

 T 



