( u) 
Flower and Fruit, is near of kin. Digitalis and G rat tola , 
are Emetick and Purgative. The fquamous and bulbous 
Roots are Emollient, and more or le(s Acrid* Thus Al- 
lium , Cepa, Porrum , unboil’d, are Hot, Diuretick and Li- 
4hontriptick. All the Seda are coolers. 
Thus at the firft view, without knowing tfce Chari- 
Rericks fo nicely as Botanifts do, but only exadtly ob- 
(erving the Facies externa of the Plant, when the Vir- 
tue of one Species is known, the Virtues of all the Con- 
geners may be guefs'd at, if not fully determin’d. 
The next fimple Method of the Ancients, to difeo- 
ver the Virtues of Plants, feems to have been the Tafte 
and Smell. Thus Apium and Petrojelimm have a Tafte 
refembling to each other, therefore they are to be pre- 
feribed together. The Seeds of Faniculum and Ani(um 
have much of the fame tafte and fmeli, and therefore 
both of them muft be Carminative, or Expellers of Wind, 
&c . They had likewife recourfe to the Temperament 
and Qualities, fuch as Hot and Dry, Cold and Moift, 
in the ift, id, 3d, and 4th Degrees* Buc fince the 
Tafte is not always the fame in one Perfon, and that 
different Perfons have different Seniations; that, as be- 
ing too much fubje&ed to the different Tempers *and 
Imaginations of People, is defervedly exploded. 
I have lately compos’d a Compendious Scheme of all 
the Plants usd in Phyfick ; in which, that I might 
render it left liable to Obje&ion, and not feem to in- 
troduce any innovation in the diftribution, I have not 
fo ftri&ly obferv’d the making their Characfteritlick 
Nores and Virtues agree, as the diftributing them ac- 
cording to their Operations. 
The firft Diftribution, is, by joining together all 
thofe which are preferibed under one Title in the Shops ; 
fuch as the Opening Roots, Emollient and Capillary 
Herbs, Cordial Flowers, hot and cold, greater and let 
fer 
