Plinics Natural! Hiftorie. 5^5 



A a great glut of rainc^jinfomuch as the groiind ftands with water,thei;e befalleth unto all corn and 

 pulfe,ye3jand whatfoever is Ibvvneja certaine difeafc calJedin Latine Vrica : iiiromuchjas the ve- 

 ry Gkh-pea(etaketh hurt thereby: for by reafonthattheruinewailied from them rhatfaltqua- 

 lide which is naturail thereunto, it becommeth fwceter tlian itlhould bt-eyand loolerh the kind 

 taft.There is a weed thatclaipeth and tieth about Ciclies and ErvilCjwhcreby itchokcth and kil- 

 leth them both: and thereupon it is called Ofobandum/.C lioke Ervile, After the fame nianner 

 dealeth *Raie or Darnell by Wheat 5 wild Otes likewi{e,named.by foine y^gtiops, with Barley ; *jEra.4: 

 as alfo the weed Securidaca,/. Ax-fitch, which the Greekes.ilfo(for thercfEiBbiance that it hath 

 to an axe head ) call Pelecinon, *with Lentils. Thefe weeds (I lay) kijicof ne by winding about Vw, but , 

 ir. Another hearb there is^growing neare to the citie PhilippijWhich killeih Beans : if the ground ^^'^^J"''^ "'.f' 



B be fat and good^they name the faid weed Atcraninon : but if it bee found in a hungrie and leanc cphr^pS. Thus 

 fbilcjand namely^whcn being wet, fome unhappie wind bJoweth upon it^they call itTeramnon. ""/^^ 

 As for the graitieof Raie or Darnell, it is very foiall, and liethenclofedwith a l"harpe- pointed pL?,.7:'andros 

 huske.The bread which bath any of this feed in it/oone caulethdizzineffe iind fwimming of the examp'e.im- 

 head.And(by report)in Afia and Greece the maift ers oi the common Baines and StUphs,when ^^^^,['^^^^2 

 they would kcepe away the great refort of multitude thither, havea devife to cafi Darnell feeds r.'LJ, which 

 upon burningcoalesjfor this perfume will quickly fct them farther off.Moreovcrjif the VVinter appropriate 

 prove to be wet and waterifh^yee ("hall have in the Pulfe called Ervile^a little vermine engendred Jhaf l/^u'^- 

 thcrcjcalled Phalangionjand it is ofthe kind of thefe Spiders. Likewife upon Vetches there will muchfeahlpg, 

 breed naked dcw-fnailes^yea^and otherwhile thofe litde ones with Ihels or houfes on theirbacks, °y ^^'j *jf 



C which creepingfrom the groundjwill gnaw &eat them^thatit is a wonder tofee what foule work ol.brafi°^ap.'i^, 

 they will make. Thus much concerning all the maladies and inconvcnicnces(tolpeakeof)inci- &H-^ii^.'i'ii» ' 

 dent to corne.Itremaineth now toteSttbe ofthe remedies, .^jj . , 



As touching the cure of thole harmes that come by hurtfuil weeds to the co'rne in bladCjit con- 

 llfteth principally in two things : namelyjCither in the ufc of the weeding ki^feor hookCjwhen 

 ihey be newly come upjor ellc in ftrewing afhes when the corne is a fowing.But asfor thole dan- 

 gers that touch the feed or graine in theeareand codjas alfo that fettle about the root,theymuft 

 be preverjted by good forecaftjeven beforeit be thrown into the ground Jt is generally thought 

 that if fe'ed-cornc lie ftceped beforehand m Wine, it will bee better able afterwards to reiift all 

 dileafes whatfoever.r/r^///givcth order to infule or foke theBeanes that mull be Ibwne, in Nitre 



D and Oile lees or dregs: and hee aflureth usjthat they will profper mightily bcfides, and become 

 exceeding great.B ut others arc of opin ion5That if for 3 daies before they bee caft into the eartlt 

 they lie in urine and fhere water mingled togeclxr,they will being thusprepared,come on apace,' 



• and thrive palling well. Itis faid moreover, fhat if Beanesbeethriceraked and ridfrom weedsj- 

 oneN4odiusof them beingwholeandfolidcjwillyeelda Modius againe after it is husked & bro- 

 ken. As for other (eed'corne^it will cicape the danger of the worme^if eitherit lie before among 

 Cyprede leaves bruifedjorbelcnvsd in and about tiiechangc of iheMoonCjnamelyiVvhen flic is 

 not to be (eene above the earth in our hcmilplia're.fvlany &here be whiO pra(5tife other remedies :' 

 and namely for the Millet,thcy would have a toad to be caried round about the field before that 

 it be harrowed : whichdone/o beeput dole within an earthen pot,and fo buried in the middeft' 



E of the faid field: and by this meanesforfooth, neither Sparrows will lie upon the corne, nor any 

 worme hurtit.Mariejin any cafe tiiis fame toad muft be digged oucof the ground againe before 

 the field bee mowedjclfe will the Millet proovebitter in talt.The like experiment they fay is of 

 Moldwarpes l'houlder,forif any corne be fowed or touchcdrherewith before.it wiiicome up the 

 better and bring more encreale. Den-ocritm had a devifeby himfclfe for all feed & coriie wharfo- 

 €ver,nameIy,to temper &r foke the fairje corne in the juice of the hearb Houfleeke or Sea-green, 

 growing upon houfes either tiled or fliindledj which in Greeke is called Aizoon, and in Latine 

 Sedum or Digitellum, for this medicine will ferve for all maladies.The common pradile of out 

 Husbandmen is this,Inca(e through the overiweetfap or juicein greene corne ^wormcs take to 

 the robts : for to Iprinckle them with fimple oile lees pure and cleane without any falt,and after- 



F wards to rake it in. Alfo, when thecorn begins to joint and gather into knots,then to cleanle the 

 ground,and put otf no longcr/or tearelealf the weeds do get head and overgrow. This lam fure 

 upon mine owneknowledgG, that there is an hearbe (but wha*t proper namcithath Iwotenot) 

 whichif it bee enterred in the foure corners of a field that is fowne with M.illet,it willdrive away 

 Stares and Sparrowes,which otherwife would by whole flights and flockes lie thereupon and doc 



uiuch 



