Chap. 87. ‘EngUjh Herbs. 
1 1 
7 
moji like to thofe oj dead Hetties -, or Jomething re- 
J'embling the blowers of Orchis, but larger , and oj 
a deadjjh yellow color , as the Stalks and Leaves alfo 
are , after which grow forth long , thick and round 
husks , in which are contained very many Seeds , yet 
good for nothing but Parkinfon fays, it perijhes 
without Seed. 
IV. The Places. Gerard fays, that Broom-Rape is 
not to be found any where but where Broom grows. 
It may be found in a Broom-field at the foot of 
Shoot ers-htll next London ■, upon Hampfie ad,- Heath, 
and in feveral other places. But Parkinfon fays, 
it grows more often where no Broom grows, viz. 
by Fields and Hedge fides, and upon Heaths and 
other Authors fay, in Cornfields and Hemp-lands. 
V. The Times. It rifes up, and appears, and is 
in its chief perfection in the Month of June. 
VI. The Qualities. It is Temperate in refpeff to 
Heat or Cold, Drynefs or Moifture, Aperitive, Ab- 
iterfive, Diuretick, and Vulnerary -, Hepatick, Ne- 
phritick, and Alterative. 
VII. The Specification. Its peculiar property is 
to provoke Urine, and help the Strangury. 
VIII. The Preparations. You may make there- 
from, 1 . A liquid Juice. 2. An E fence. 3. A 
Decottion. 4. An lnfolated Oil. 5. A half am. 
6. A Cataplafm. 
The Virtues. 
IX. The liquid Juice. It is an extraordinary 
thing to cute not only green Wounds, but alfo run- 
ning Sores, old, filthy, running Ulcers, and malig- 
nant breakings out whatfoever. 
X. The Efjence. It is thought to be as efteUual 
in opening ObftruUions of the Reins, Ureters and 
Bladder, provoking Urine, and expelling Sand, Gra- 
vel, Stones, or any Vifcous, Tartarous or Slimy 
Matter out of the Urinary paffages, as Broom it fell! 
Dole three or four ounces at a time, Morning and 
Evening, in a glafs of White Wine. 
XI. The Decotfion. It has the Virtues of the Ef- 
fence, but not all out fo powerful. 
XII. The lnfolated Oil. It ought to be made of 
four or five repeated Infufions of the top Stalks 
with the Flowers, Brained forth and cleared. It is 
laid to cleanfe the Skin of all manner of Spots, 
Freckles, Lentils, Sun-burning, Tanning, and other 
like deformities which rife through heat of the Sun, 
or fuperabundancy of malign Humors. 
XIII. The Baljam. It is cleanfing, incarnative,and 
healing, and therefore beneficial againff all forts ol 
old, putrid, malign, and running Sores % and Ulcers : 
It heals Wounds admirably, and conglutinates their 
Lips in a very fhort time. 
XIV. The Cataplafm. It is good againft Burnings 
and Scaldings, eafes Pain, dilcufles Swellings and 
Contufions, where the Skin is not broken, and fof- 
tens hard Tumors. 
CHAP. LXXXVII. 
B R I T A N N y. 
I. ' | v H E Karnes. It is called by Pliny, lib. 20. 
X cap. 21. in Greek Hydro/apa- 
thum : in Latin , Lapathum Sylvejire longifolium 
nigrum, Hydrolapatbum, Hydrolapathum nigrum, and 
Britannica : in Englijh, the Wild Black long-leavd 
Water-Dock, or Black Watei'-Dock, and Britanny, 
which laft is its moft Common Appellation. 
II. The Kinds. The Arabian, Greek and Roman 
Authors affirm it to be a Species of Lapathum, or 
Dock,- which that laborious Botanift Abraham Mun- 
ting in his famous Herbal, publifhed in Holland, in 
folio. Anno 1696. has efficiently demonftrated. 
And of this. Plant there are two fpecial kinds, 
1. The European, fimply called Britannica, and Bri- 
tannica Antiquorum vera, or Britanny. 2. The A- 
merican , called by the aforenamed Author, Britan- 
nica Americana and from forne of the places where 
it grows, Britannica Virginiand, American, or Virgi- 
nian Britanny. 
III. This Plant has layen in the Dark for man/ 
Ages, ever fince the Times of the Ancient Romans, 
to whom it was well known, and by whom it was’ 
much uied, as Avicen, Dwfcorides, Pliny, Galen, 
TEgineta,' JEtius, Orobafius, and others, teftihe • 
whereby it is manifeff, that in Ancient times' it was 
famous for its cures, which it performed in the 
Roman Armies, which in Britanny and the Low 
Countries, they laboured under, being chiefly the 
Scurvy, or Scorbutick Diftempers, as Diarrhea's or 
Fluxes of the Bowels, Pains or Aches, Loofenefs’ of 
leech, CVc. for which reaTon Claudius Ccejar carried 
it along with him to Rome, ordering it to be lpread 
upon the Pageants of his Triumph, and to be hung 
yp in the Capitol^ i^ftd Aero himlelf took care of 
it afterwards for its Culture, by caufing it to he 
Nuilt up in the Gardens of Rome. But it Lems' 
when the Goths, and other Barbarous Nations over- 
™ n the Roman Empire, and the greateft part of 
C hriltendom, deftrOying and rooting up every thing' 
they came near, that this Plant was buried or Iolf 
in that Universal DeftruUion of almoft all things' 
