6\6 Salmon s Herbal. Lib. I. 
Matthiolus hisfained Leopards-bane. 
VI. A 'oia. Matthiolus indeed, defirons to exprefs 
this laft defcribed Plant with fome near Refemblance 
to Diofcorides his Defcription of Aconitum Pardali- 
anches , has fet it forth with four round rough 
Leaves, and one long crooked Root, bunched out 
in divers places, like unto the Tail of a Scorpion, 
which Figure bred a great Contention between Gef- 
ne r and him •, Gefner laying to his Charge, that he 
had but fuined it, and that there was no fuch Herb 
in re rum nature 1, becaufe it was made fo artificial- 
ly, and wanted Fibres, which almoft all other Roots 
have, by which they draw Nourifhment out of the 
Earth. Matthiolus, in his Defence, allcdges, That 
Dentaria, which we call Lung-wort , has no Fibres, 
being a Root confifting only of Scales, as it were 
let together ^ and that the other Root, called Don- 
tar ia Bulb lj era, which the Germans call Sanicula 
alba,, is without Fibres alfo : but Dalechampius, 
whom molt Authors call' Lugdunenjts, in his great 
Herbal Printed at Lyons, defends Matthiolus his Sin- 
cerity, and gives' the lame Figure, with a Stalk of 
Leaves and Flowers added to it, and withal the for- 
mer Defcription. This he faith he faw with his 
own Eyes and that an Apothecary of Trevers had 
divers Plants thereof growing in his own Garden, 
and abiding many Years, from whom he obtained 
the whole Plant to fet forth, to end the Controver- 
iy between two fuch worthy Men. And yet fome 
other Authors, as alfo Bauhinus and Pabius Columna, 
in his Minus Cognitarium Stirpium, pag. 44. do 
much fufpeff even this of Dalechampius or Lugdu- 
nenfis to be counterfeit alfo. Others will have it to 
be the Doronicum braohiata radicc, which has round 
Leaves, and fuch a like Root : but the Matter is 
yet in Controverfy. The Figure is .from Dalechampius. 
VII. The Places. Thefe poyfonous Plants do 
grow on the Alps and the Mountains of Savoy and 
Switzerland. The fecond grows plentifully in the 
Country of the Valdens, who inhabit part of thofe 
Mountains towards Italy, called XJnderflamen and 
F.ngroma, from whence came the Sirname Valdenfis. 
The fiift on Mount Baldus, a Mountain of Italy, as 
alfo in fhadowy places, on the Snowy Hills in Sa- 
voy, near unto Mura, and on the top of Jura. 
where there is fcarcely any Crult of Earth for the 
Roots to grow in : both which are now nuifed up 
in our Englijh Gardens. The third Dalechampius 
fays grows on the Alps of Savoy , nor far from the 
chief Monaftery of the Carthitfians, in a rough 
rocky place, which they call Lcs JEJcheles, i. e. the 
Ladder , becaufe the way of the Rock is cut out in- 
to Steps, to get up unto the top thereof 
VIII. The Times. The fiift and fecond, Gerard 
fays, flower in March and April, and that their Seed 
is ripe in June : but Parkinfon fays they flower in 
June and July , which are the Spring Months of 
the Alps , and’ that their Seed is ripe in Augufl. 
IX. The Qualities. Leopards-bane is hot and 
dry in the Ultimate of the fourth Degree. It is 
reported by all Authors to be a deadly Poyfon, and 
that the Natives of the place where it grows, do 
very much ufe it to Poyfon their Arrow-heads, the 
more fpeedily and fatally to deftroy Wild Beafts, 
which greatly infeft thofe Mountains of the Alps : 
1 for which Purpofe it is alfo brought into their Mart- 
Towns near thofe places, to be fold' unto the Hunt- 
ers •, the Juice of which is prepared by prelfing 
forth, and fo kept in Horns for ready life, being 
the moft vehement Poyfon of all Vegetables : for an 
Arrow-head touched therewith , leaves the Wound 
incurable, (if it but fo pierces the Skin as to fetch 
Blood ) unlefs that round about the Wound the 
Flelh be fpeedily cut away in good Quantity. This 
Plant may therefore be well accounted the firft and 
chief of all the Aconites or IVolJ-banes , by reafbn 
of its deleterious and poyfonous Qualities aforefaid ; 
and without doubt there is no worfe, nor any more 
fpeedy Vegetable Venom in the World, nor any 0- 
ther Aconite or Toxicum comparable hereunto. It 
is reported, that if any Beaft or Man be wounded 
with an Arrow, Dart, or other Inftrument poyfoned 
with the Juice hereof that remedylefs they will die 
in half an Hour after. Gefner in Libro de Lunariis 
fays, that if Man or Beaft be wounded with Sword, 
Dart, or Arrow, touched with thb Juice hereof, 
that the Malignity fo loon piefees inwardly, that it 
prefently kills, by congealing all the Blood, unlefs 
the Flefh round about be inftantly cut away, as 
aforefaid : and yet (which is admirable) he fays, 
that the Flefh of that Beaft fo killed, is not dange- 
rous or hurtful to any who lhall eat thereof. Pliny 
faith, that being given to Filh in a Bait, it kills 
them prefently, which Ihews, fays he, that this 
Poyfon is an Enemy to the Blood. It is faid to be 
fo pernicious, that if it is but held in the Hand for 
fome little time, that it will almoft take away the 
Senfes : and alfo that onefmelling thereto, after he 
had gathered it, fell down as Dead, and with fome 
Difficulty was recovered again. 
The Virtues. 
X. Diofcorides fays, That being mixed with o- 
ther Medicines for the Eyes, it gives Eafe in their 
Pains. And Theovhraftus, and Pliny after him, fay, 
that it is a Remedy againft the Scorpion, .being ta- 
ken in warmed Wine : but that it deftroys Nature, 
if it finds not an Enemy in Nature to conteft withal, 
and deftroy : but if it finds fuch an Enenfy, that 
then it fpends it Strength and Force upon that, to 
overcome it, and fo frees Nature from the Danger. 
Thus Pliny. All the other Preparations and Virtues 
of Leopards-bane are the fame with iftlmet -flower 
or Monks-bood , and the Cure of the Poyfon of this, 
the fame with that ^ of which we have at large- 
treated in Chap. 353. aforegoing in this Book : fo 
that we need lpeak no more thereof in. this place. 
