Lib. i. 
Of the Hiftorie of Plants. 
The place. 
They are fowen, as Columella teacheth, in ioofe and dry ground, and are well knowne ail Europe 
through. 1 
2 The fecond is fowen commonly in fome parts of Yorke (hire and theBifliopricke ofDur- 
ham. 
1 The firft is called ofrhe Grecians in high Dutch, d5ec(ten; in Low Dutch, in 
Italian, Orzo : in Spanilli, Cauda: in French,0^e in Englifh, Barley. 
2 The fecond is called of the Grecians and alfo^«^. . Columella calleth it Galattcum ■ 
an d Hippocrates,^,^ ■■ of our Englifh Northerne people, Big, and Big Barley. Crimmon (faith 
Galen in his Commentaries vpon the fecond book'e-of Hippocrates his Prognofticks) is the coffer 
part of Barley meale being groflely ground. Malt is well knowne in England, infonjuch that the 
word needeth no interpretation • notwithftanding becaufe thefe Workes may chance into the 
hands of Strangers, that ncuer heard of fucha word, or fuch a thing, by reafon it is not euerie 
where made ; I thought good to lay downe a word of the making thereof. Firft, it is fteeped in 
water vnrill it iivell ; then is it taken from the water, and laid (as they terme it) in a Couch ; that 
Is, fpred vpon an euen floore the thicknefle of fome foot and an halfe ; and thus is it kept vntill it 
Come, that is, vntill it fend forth two or three little Brings or fangs’at the end of each Corne : 
then it is fpred vfually twice a day, each day thinner than other, for fome eight or ten daies fpace" 
vntill it be pretty dry, and then it is dried vp with the heate of the fire, and lo vfed. It is called in 
high Dutch, Sip alt? ' in lo,v Dutch, «^0Ut *. in Latine of later time, Maltum : which name h bor- 
rowed of the Germanes. Aetins a Greeke Phyfitian nameth Barley thus prepared , nr.., or Bine: 
The vv hich Author affirmed), That a plaifter of the meale ofMalt is profitably laid vpon the 
fvveliingsofthe Dropfie. Zythum , as Diodorus Siculus affirmeth, is not onely made in ,<£gypt,buc 
alfo in Galatia. The aire is fo cold (faith he, writing of Galatia) that the country brin°-eth forth 
neither wine nor oyle ; and therefore men are compelled to makea compound drinke of Barley 
which they call Zytlium. Diofcondes nameth one kinde of Barley drinke Zythum ; another. Cur ms. 
Simeon Zethi a later Grecian calleth this kind of drinke by an Arabicke name, «»' w ; in Englifh we 
call it Beere and Ale which is made of Barley Malt. 
Barley, asCa/Mwtitcthinhisbookeofthe Faculties of nourifhments, is not of the fame term 
perature that Wheat is ; forWheat doth manifeftly heate, but contrariwife what medicine or 
bread foeuer is made of Barley, isfoundtohauea certaiue force to coole and drye jn the firft 
degree, according to Galen in his bookeofthe faculties of Simples. Ithathalfoa little abfterfiue 
orcleanfing qualitie, and doth dry fomewhat more than Beane meale. 
the 
Barley meale boy led in an honied water with figges, taketh away inflammations : with Pitch, R 
Rofin,and Pigeons dung,it foftneth and ripeneth hard Iwellings. " 
With Mclilot and Poppy feeds it taketh away the paine in the fides it is a remedy againft r- 
vvindinefle in the guts, being applied with Linefeed, Focnugrceke,and Rue : with tarrc,wax, oyle, ■ 
and the vrine ofa yong boy, it doth digeft, foften, and ripe hard fivellings in the throat, called the ■ 
Kings Euill. 
Boyledwithwine, myrtles, thebarkeof the pomegranate, wilde peares, and the Ieaues of bram- D 
hies, it ftoppeth the laske. 
Further, it ferueth for Ptifana, Polenta, MtC{a, Malt, ale, and Bcerc. The making whereof if any g 
oedefirous tolearnc, let them reade Lobelias Aduerjaria, in the chapter of Barley. But I thinkeour 
London Beere-Brewers would fcorne to Icarne t° make beere of either French or Dutch, much 
Icflc of me that can fay nothing therein ofujineowne experience more than by the Writings of 
others. But I may dcliuer vnto you a Confection made thereof(as Columella did concerning fiveet 
wine lodden to the halfe) which is this ; Boyle ftrong ale till it come to the thickenefleofhony, 
ftr the forme ofan vnguent or falue, which applied to the paines of the finewes and joints (as ha- 
iling the propertie to abate aches and paines) may for want of better remedies be vfed for old and 
new fores, if it be made after this manner. 
Take ftrong ale two pound, one Oxe gall, and boyle them to one pound with a foft fire, conti- p 
nually Birring it ; adding thereto of Vineger one pound, of olibanum one ounce, floures of Camo- 
mil and melilot ofcacli 5 i.Rue in finepouder 5s. a little hony, and a fmall quantitie of the pouder 
e>t Comin feed-,boyle them all together to the forme of an vnguent,and fo apply it.There be fun- 
The names . 
Thetemperaturc. 
The vert ues. 
dry forts of Confe ftions made of Barley, as Polenta, Ptifana, made of water and husked or hulled 
barley, and fuch like , Polenta is the rncate made of parched Barley, which the Grecians doe pro- 
perly 
