56 THE OLD ENGLISH HERBALS 



manuscript versions of Macer's Herbal, which in parts Banckes's 

 Herbal resembles very closely, and the chapter on rosemary 

 shows that he had access to one of the copies of the manuscript 

 on the virtues of rosemary which was sent by the Countess of 

 Hainault to Queen Philippa. He does not give the beautiful 

 old tradition preserved in that manuscript, 1 but he ascribes 

 wonderful virtues to this herb, with the same loving enthusiasm 

 and almost in the same words. Of rosemary in Banckes's 

 Herbal we read : 



" Take the flowers thereof and make powder thereof and 

 binde it to thy right arme in a linnen cloath and it shale make 

 theee light and merrie. 



" Take the flowers and put them in thy chest among thy 

 clothes or among thy Bookes and Mothes shall not destroy 

 them. 



" Boyle the leaves in white wine and washe thy face there- 

 with and thy browes and thou shalt have a faire face. 



" Also put the leaves under thy bedde and thou shalt be 

 delivered of all evill dreames. 



" Take the leaves and put them into wine and it shall keep 

 the wine from all sourness and evill savours and if thou wilt 

 sell thy wine thou shalt have goode speede. 



" Also if thou be feeble boyle the leaves in cleane water and 

 washe thyself and thou shalt wax shiny. 



" Also if thou have lost appetite of eating boyle well these 

 leaves in cleane water and when the water is colde put there- 

 unto as much of white wine and then make sops, eat them 

 thereof wel and thou shalt restore thy appetite againe. 



" If thy legges be bio wen with gowte boyle the leaves in 

 water and binde them in a linnen cloath and winde it about 

 thy legges and it shall do thee much good. 



" If thou have a cough drink the water of the leaves boyld 

 in white wine and ye shall be whole. 



1 See p. 44. 



