82 



THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



GARL1CK. 



THE offensiveness of the breath of him 

 that hath eaten Garlick, will lead you by 

 the nose to the knowledge hereof, and (in- 

 stead of a description) direct you to the 

 place where it grows in gardens, which 

 kinds are the best, and most physical. 



Government and virtues.^ Mars owns 

 this herb. This was anciently accounted 

 the poor man's treacle, it being a remedy for 

 all diseases and hurts (except those which 

 itself breed.) It provokes urine, and women's 

 courses, helps the biting of mad dogs and 

 other venomous creatures, kills worms in 

 children, cuts and voids tough phlegm, 

 purges the head, helps the lethargy, is a 

 good preservative against, and a remedy 

 for any plague, sore, or foul ulcers ; takes 

 away spots and blemishes in the skin, eases 

 pains in the ears, ripens and breaks impos- 

 thumes, or other swellings. And for all 

 those diseases the onions are as effectual. 

 But the Garlick hath some more peculier 

 virtues besides the former, viz. it hath a 

 special quality to discuss inconveniences 

 coming by corrupt agues or mineral va- 

 pours ; or by drinking corrupt and stinking 

 waters ; as also by taking wolf-bane, hen- 

 bane, hemlock, or other poisonous and dan- 

 gerous herbs. It is also held good in hydro- 

 pick diseases, the jaundice, falling sickness, 

 cramps, convulsions, the piles or haemorr- 

 hoids, or other cold diseases. Many au- 

 thors quote many diseases this is good for; 

 but conceal its vices. Its heat is very ve- 

 hement, and all vehement hot things send 

 up but ill-favoured vapours to the brain. 

 In coleric men it will add fuel to the fire ; 

 in men oppressed by melancholy, it will 

 attenuate the humour, and send up strong 

 fancies, and as many strange visions to the 

 head ; therefore let it be taken inwardly 

 with great moderation ; outwardly you 

 may make more bold with it. 



GENTIAN, FELWORT, OR BALDMONY. 



IT is confessed that Gentian, which is 

 most used amongst us, is brought over from 

 beyond sea, yet we have two sorts of it 

 growing frequently in our nation, which, 

 besides the reasons so frequently alledged 

 why English herbs should be fittest for 

 English bodies, has been proved by the 

 experience of divers physicians, to be not 

 a wit inferior in virtue to that which comes 

 from beyond sea, therefore be pleased to 

 take the description of them as follows. 



DescriptJ] The greater of the two hath 

 many small long roots thrust down fleep 

 into the ground, and abiding all the Winter. 

 The stalks are sometimes more, sometimes 

 fewer, of a brownish green colour, which 

 is sometimes two feet high, if the ground 

 be fruitful, having many long, narrow, dark 

 green leaves, set by couples up to the top ; 

 the flowers are long and hollow, of a 

 purple colour, ending in fine corners. The 

 smaller sort which is to be found in our 

 land, grows up with sundry stalks, not a 

 foot high, parted into several small branches, 

 whereon grow divers small leaves together, 

 very like those of the lesser Centaury, of a 

 whitish green colour ; on the tops of these 

 stalks grow divers perfect blue flowers, 

 standing in long husks, but not so big as 

 the other ; the root is very small, and full 

 of threads. 



PlaceJ] The first grows in divers places 

 of both the East and West counties, and as 

 well in wet as in dry grounds ; as near 

 Longfield, by Gravesend, near Cobham in 

 Kent, near Lillinstone in Kent, also in a 

 chalk pit hard by a paper-mill not far from 

 Dartford in Kent. The second grows also 

 in divers places in Kent, as about South- 

 fleet, and Longfield ; upon Barton's hills 

 in Bedfordshire ; also not far from St. 

 Albans, upon a piece of waste chalky 

 ground, as you go out by Dunstable way 

 towards Gorhambury. 



