‘o£ Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 3 559 
A which(asThaye faid before) is brought out of the Ifland Melos,and therefore called Melinum: 
D 
Certes,there is not an Alume more aftringent,nor more proper to harden: none more firm and 
thicke than it. [¢doth fubtiliatthe roughneffe of the eyes: and being calcined, it is the better for 
torepreffe the fuxion of humors intotheeyes : and in the fame fore prepared, it killeth theitch 
in any part of the bodie ; generally, wherefoever it is applied ourwardly,it ftauncheth bloud: be- 
ing ufed in a liniment with vinegre unto any place where the haire hath been plucked up, it cau- 
fech that which commeth againe to be but foft and in manner of a downe. There is no kind of it, 
but the fame is exceeding aftringent, whereupon it tooke the name in*Greek.In regard of which *svripia. 
fiypticitie, they areall very good for the accidents of the eyes, Alume incorporat with fome 
greafe or fat, is fingulartorepreffe the flux of bloud: very properalfo for the red gum incidentto 
children : and inthe fame fort ftaieth fuch ulcets as tend to putrifaction, ‘yeas it dricth up the 
breaking forth of *wheales and pufhes. With the juice of the Pomgranagjit 1s good for the infir- *P744"™ - 
mities of the ares; in which fort it doch amend the raggedneffe of the nailes, the hardneffe and 
nodofitie-of cicatrices or skars,the excreflence and turning up of the fle(h about the naile roots, 
and thekibes of the heeles. With vinegre,or calcined with the like weight of gall nuts, it is excel- 
lent for cankersand inflammations of fuch ulcers as bee corrofive, Tempered with the juice of 
Beets or Coleworts, it cleanfeth the leprofie. Incorporat with two parts of falt, ithealeth thofe 
fores which are given to eat and {pread farther: and mingled with water, itriddeth away nits,lice, 
andfuch vermine breeding in che head; in which manner it healeth burnes and {calds. Burwith 
pitch and the floure of Erviles,it{coureth away dandroffe and fcurfe in any part of the bodie.In a 
clyfire, Alume is foveraigne forthe bloudie flix. Icferveth Jikewife for the uvula in the mouth and 
the inflammation of the Amygdales.In one word, for all thofe purpofes which I have faid,other 
forts of Allume are good for,we muft alwaies thinke that the Alume brought from Melos, is’ the 
beftand mofteffe@tuall. As touching other ufes befides Phyficke, wherein it is emploied necefla- 
rily,and namely in dreffing of skins and colouring wooll, of what reckoning itis, I have fhewed 
alreadie. It remaineth now totreatof all otherkinds of earth refpectively, as they fervein the 
ule of Phyficke. | 
Cuar. XVio 
ee Of the diver(e forts of earth,to wit,of Samia Eretria,Chia,Selinufia, Paigitis, 
and Ampelitis, together with their medicinable properties. 
Rom the Ifle Samos there be brought two kinds of earth: whereof the one is called by the 
Greekes Syropicon, the other After. As forthe former,the commendation of it, isto bee 
frefh,light,and cleaving to the tongue: The other, is white,and of a more compact conti | 
tution : but both the oneand the other, before they be ufed, oughtto bee calcined and wafhed. 
Some there be who preferre the former: but both bee very good for thofe that {pit blond, They 
enter into emplaftres; which are devifed and made for to exiccate: and they are mingled alfo 
with eye-falves, ; 4 
Touching the earthEretria, diftinguifhed it is likewife by twokinds, forfome there is of it 
white,others of ath colour: and this for Phyficke is held to be the better. Itis known to be good, 
if it be foftin hand;and,if upona peece of braffeit drawa line of purple colour. VVhat power it 
hath,and how itis to bee ufed in Phyficke,] have thewed aJreadie in my difcourfe of paintersco- 
lours.Butthis isa general rulein all kinds of earth(for I will putit off no longer) that areto bee 
wathed,Firft to let them lie well fteeped in water,then ought the fame to bee dried in the Sunne; 
which done,it ought once againe to bebraied in water, and letto reft untill they bee fetrled, thac 
they may bee digefted and reduced into trochiskes . But forthe burning and calcining of thefe 
earths,it oughtto bee done in certaine pots, andeftfoones followed and plied with {haking and 
ftirring. 
rested the forts of earth that bee medicinable,there is reckoned that whichcommeth from 
Chios,and the fame is white, having the fame effects that the earth of Samos: but our dames ufe 
it moft for to embellifh and beautifie their skin. To which purpofe, the earth of Selenus likewile 
is employed: White this earth is as milke,and ofall others,will fooneft refolve in water;which ifie 
be tempered with milke,ferveth to whiten and refrefh the pargetting and painting of walls, 
The earth called *Pignitis,is very like unto Eretria beforenamed,onely it is found in are ae 
ciots Prigicts, é 
