of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 2 215 
‘A kinds: the one with a “thicker leafe :the other with a thinner and {maller. pf * Cicfiiais, wae 
Asfor Heracleon Siderion,a plant itis alfo fathered upon Hercules Ic rifeth up with aflender 7°77" 
{talke to the height of four fingers,bearing ared flower,and leavesin manner ofthe Coriander. 
- Found it is growing neareto poolesand rivers: and for a wound. hearb there is not thelike,e{pe- 
cially if the bodie be hurt by {word,or any edged weapon made of yron and fteele. ; 
There isawild Vine,named Ampelos Chironia, for that Chiron was the firft author thereof, 
OF this plancI have written in my difcourfe of Vines[ under the name of Vitis Nigra] like as alfo 
ofanother*hearbe,which hath the goddefle inerva for the inventrefle, lek ‘* Magiiatioe 
Moreover, unto Hercules is afcribed Henbane,which the Latines call Apollinaris;the Arabi- P10, 
ans Altercum or Alrercangenon; but the Greekes Hyofcyamus.Many kinds there be of ir. The “!°"""°™ 
B_ one beareth blacke feed, flowers ftanding much upon purple; and this hearbe is full of prickes. 
And invery truth, fuch isthe Henbane that groweth in Galatia, The common Henbane is whi- 
terand brauncheth more than the other: talleralfo thanthe Poppie . The third kind bringeth 
forth feed like unto the graine of Irio, All the fort of thefe alreadie named, trouble the braine, 
gad put men befides their right wits: befides that,they breed dizzineffe of the head. As touching 
the fourth, it carieth eaves foft,full of down,fuller and fatter than the reft: the feed alfo is white : 
& it groweth by the fea fide:Phyficians are not afraid to fe this in their compofitions, no more 
than that which hath red feed. Howbeit, otherwhiles thiswhite kind efpecially, if it bee not 
throughly ripe, prooverh to bee reddifh,and then it is rejected by the Phytficians. For otherwife 
none of them all would bee gathered,but when they bee fully dite. Henbaneisof thenature of 
© *wine,and therefore offenfive to the underftanding,and troubleth the head. Howbeit,good ul€ ¢7ini.some 
there isboth of the {eed it felfe asit is in fubftance, andalfo of the oile orjuicedrawne out of it tad “eneni, 
apart-And yet the ftalkes,leaves,and roots,are emploied infome purpofes.For mine ownepart, “POY™ . 
[hold itto be a daungerous medicine,and notto be ufed but with great heed and difcretion.For 
this is certainely knowne, Thatif one takein drinke more than foure leaves thereof, it will puc 
him befide nimfelfe.N otwithftanding the Phyficians in old time were of opinion, Thar if ir were 
drunkein wine, it would drive away an ague.An oile(Lfay)ismade of thefeed thereofwhichit it 
be but dropped into the eares,is ynough to trouble the braine. But ftrange it is of this oile, That 
ifit be taken ia drinke,it ferveth for a countrepoyfon,See how induftriousmenhavebentoprove —« 
experiments, and made no end of trying allthings, infomuchas they have found meanes and 
D forced very poyfons to be remedies, OSL 2% | 
Cuap v. 
OS Of Mercurie called Linozoftis,Parthenium,Hermupoa,or rather, Mercurial:s: of Achille- 
um,P anaces,Heracieum,S iderttis and Millefosle:of Scoparegia ,Hemionium ,Teacrium, 
and Splenium:of Melampodium or Ellebore,and how many kinds there be of it:0 
the blacke or white Ellebore,and their medicinubleveriues :bow Ellebore 
is to be given how to be taken,unto whom and when tt is net to 
be given : and now it killeth Mice and Rats, 
He hearbe Mercurie,called by the Greekes Linozoftis and Parthenion, was thought to be 
firft found cut by Mercurie: whereupon many of the Greekes call it Hermu-poa : and wee 
all in Latine name itMercurialis.Of itbetwo kinds,the male and the female :howbeit, the 
female Mercurie is of better operation than the other.Jc rifeth up with a {tem a cubit high,which 
otherwhile brancheth in the top :the leaves bee like unto Bafill, but that they are narrower: full 
of knots or joints the ftalke is; and thofe have many hollow concavities like arme-pits. The feed 
hangeth downefrom thofe joints. Inthe female the fame is white,loofe,and in great plentie: in 
the male it ftandeth clofe unto thofe joints, but thinner :and the fame is {mall & as it were wrea- 
thed. The leaves of the male Mercurie be of a darke and blacker greene: whereas in the female 
F they be more white, The root is altogether {uperfluous,and very little. Both the one & the other 
delight to grow in plaines and champion fields well ordered and husbanded. It is wonderfull if ic 
betrue,that is reported of both thefe kinds, namely, That the male Mercurie,cavfeth women to 
beare boies :and the female, girles. For which purpofe the woman muft prefently after thatfhee 
is conceived, drinke the juice of which Mercurie fhe will, in {weet wine cuit,and eat the leaves i- 
ther fodden with oile and falr,or els greene and rawin afallad with vinegre, Some there a 
a paimaminscie i Lat : wile 
