o~, 
. 
of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 217 
- A grew, ittooke hold of thefplene or milt,and clave faft unto it,fo as in the end it was {cen to have 
confumed and wafted it cleane: hereupon fomethere be that call it Splenion, 7. Splene- woort. 
And there goeth acommon {peach of it, That if {wine doe eat the root of this hearbe,thcy fhall 
be found without a milt when they are opened. Some there be, who take for Teucrium and by 
- tharnamedocall, another hearb full of branches in manner of hyflope, leafed like unto beans 
and they give order, thatit{houldbe gathered whiles itis the floure; as if they made no doubs 
but that it would floure .The beftkind of this hearbe they hold tobe that which commeth from 
the mountains of Cilicia and Pifidia, | 
Who hath not heard of -Melampus that famous divinour and prophet? he it was of whome 
one of the Ellebores tooke the name,and was called Melampodion : and yet fome there be who 
B attribute the finding of that hearbe unto a fhepheard or heardman of that name, who obferving 
well thathis thee goats feeding thereupon, fell a fcouring, gave their milke unto the daughters 
of K. Pra@tws whereby they were cured of their furious melancholie,and brought againe to them: 
tight wits. This hearbe then being of fo excellent operation, it {hall not be amifle to difcourfe 
“ar once of allthekindsof Ellebore; whereofthis maketh one. And to begin withall two princi- 
pall forts there be of it; namely ,the white and the blacke: which diftin€tion of colour; moit wri- 
ters would have tobe meant and underitood of the roots onely,and no part els: others there be, 
who would havethe root of the blacke Ellebore to be fafhioned like unto thofe of the Plane tice, 
but that they be {mallerand of a more darke and duskifh greene,dividedalfo into more jags and 
cuts ;but thofe of the white Ellebore,to refemble the young Beet new appearing above the 
C ground, fave onely that they be of a more blackifh colour,and along the backpart of their con- 
cavitie enclining to red, Both the one and the other bringeth forth a {talk in fathion like the Fe- 
rula or Fenell geant,a {pan or good hand-breadth high, and the farne confifterh ofcertain tunt- 
cles or skins folded one within another inmannet of bulbous plants, rifing from the likeroot 
aud the faid rooris full of ftrings or fringes, as is the head ofan onion. The blacke Ellebore is a 
very poifon to horfes,kine,oxenjand {wine,for itkillerh them ;and therfore naturally thele beafts 
beware how they eat of it,whereas confidently they feed upon the white, The sight feafon of ga- 
theringthe Ellebores,ts in harveft ume.Great {tore thereof groweth upon the hill Oeta,but the 
beft is that which isfound in one only place therofneare about * Pyra. The black Elicbore com> + where Hes 
mech up every where; but the beit is inHelicon, a mountaine much renowmed and oraifed for cesfried to 
D other hearbs befide it wherewith it is well furnifhed, As touching the white, that ofthe mount cata 
were,in a figs 
Osta iscounted the principal: in afecond degree, is the white Hilcbore of Pontus:inthe third nerall fre, 
* place isto be raunged, that which commeth from Elea,which(«hey fay) gicweth among vines : wie ei 
inthe fourth and lait place, for goodneffe, is that of the mount Pernaflus, whichis fophitticated p,. ah 
wich the Ellebore of Axtolianeare by, The blacke Ellebore is called Melampodiuin, wherewith 
folke ule to hallow their houfes forto drive away ill {pirics,by ftrewing or pertuming the fame,and 
ufing a folemmne praicrwithall : it ferverh alfo to bleffe their cattaile after the fame order. Bat for 
thefe parpofesthey gather ir very devoutly and with certaine ceremonies for firlt and foremoft, 
they make around circle about it with a {word or knife, before they goe in hand totake itfoorth 
o; the ground: then the partie who istocut or dig it up, turnerh his face into the Eaft, with an 
E bumble prayer unto the gods, That they would vouchfafe to give him leave with theit favour co 
doethe deed ;and with thar, hee marketh and obferveth the fight of the Agle ;for lightly while 
they de cutting up of thisroot,ye fhall fee an Zyle foaring aloft in the aire :nowin cafe thefaid 
4égie die neare unto him or her that is cutting up Ellebore, it is a certain prefage and foretoken, 
that he or the thall furely die before that yeare goe about. Much adoe alfo thercis about the ga- 
thering of the white Ellebore ;for unlefle the partie do eat fome garlicke before, and eftfoons in 
the gathering {up off fome wine,and withall make haft to digit wp quickly, ic will fluffe and of- 
fend the head. Thé blacke Ellebore fome call Eutomon, others Polyrrhizon;it purgeth down- 
ward: the white,by vomit upward,and doth evacuat the offenfive humours which caule difeafes. 
Intimes paftit wasthoughtto bea daungerous purgative, and men were afraidto ufe ity but afs 
iE tecwards it became familiar and common, infomuchas many ftudents tookeit ordinarily for to 
Cleanfe the:cyesof thofe fumes which troubled their fight, tothe end that whiles they read ot 
wrate,they might {ec the berser and more clearely. It is well knowne,that Carneades the Philofo- 
pher purpofing to anfwer the books of Zene,prepared his wits and quickened his {pirits, by pur- 
ging ais head with this Ellebore, And Drufws our countreyman, one of the moft famous ang 
renowime 
— 
