Lib. 2. 
Of the Hilf orie of Plants. 
349 
hefheweth that horfes are made mad : for Crateuas, whom Theocritus his Scholiaftdoth cite ivri- 
teth, That the plant of Uippomanes hath a fruit full of prickles, as hath the fruit of vvilde Cucuni- 
bers. InEnglifh it may be called Thorne-apple, or the Apple of Peru. 
$ Thewordsot'Theocritus,Eidy/l..2.aiethe[e: 
Imftgjh <p 07 iv 6 b rraf tifijiTi, &c. 
Which is thus in Englifh : 
Uippomanes 'mongft the Arcadians [firings, by which euenaJl 
T he Colts and agile CMares in mount awes mad do fall. 
Now in the Greeke Scholia amonglk the pxpofitions there is this : &c. That is • Crateuas 
faith, That the plant hath a fruit like the vvilde Cucumber, but blacker ; the leaues are like a pop- 
pie, but thorny orprickly. Thus I expound thefe words of the Greeke Scholiaft, being pag. 5 r of 
theedirion fet forth by ban. Heinfms, Ann. Bom. 1603. tulius Scaliger blames' Theocritus, becaufe 
he calls Hippomanes a Plant : but Hcinfus, as you may fee in his notes vpon Theocritus, pag. i 20 , 
probably iudges, that *»«» in this place fignifies nothing but a Thing [growing.] Such as are' 
curious may haue recourfe to the placed quoted, where" they may finde it more largely handled 
than is fit for me in this place to infill vpon. There is no plant at this day knowne. in tnine opini- 
on, whereto Crate/iA < his defeription may be more fitly referred^ than to the Papaner ftwofum, or ficus 
infernal ts, which we fhall hereafter deferibe , $ 
The whole plant is cold 
rior to Mandrake. 
The Nature. 
in the fourth degree, and of a drowfie and 
Venues, 
numming qua!itie,notinfe- 
The iuyee of Thorne-apples boiled with hogs greafe to the forme ofan vnguent or falue,cureth A 
all inflammations whatfoeuer, all manner of burnings or fealdings, as welloffire, water, boy lin^ 
leade, gun-pouder, as that which comes by lightning, and that in very fhort time, as my felf haue 
found by my dayly praftife, tomy great credit and profit. The firft experience came from Col- 
chefter, where Miftrefle Lobela. Merchants wife there beingmoft grieuoufly burned with light- 
ning, and not finding eafe or cure in any other thing, by this found helpewhen all hope was pad, 
by the report of M‘‘. William Ramme, publique Notarie of the faid towne,was perfedtly cured. 
The leaues (lamped fmall,and boiled with oyle Oliuevntill theherbes be as it were burnt, then B 
drained and fet to the fire againe with fome wax,tofin, and a little Turpentine, and made into a 
falue, doth moll fpeedily cureold vlcers, new and freih wounds, vlcers vpon the glandulous part 
of the yard, and other fores of hard curation . 
Chap. 6 3. 
Of c Bilter-[\\icet i or IV ooddy j\[igbtjhade. 
The Defeription. 
B Itter-fweetbringeth forth wooddy dalkes as doth the Vine, parted into many (lender creeping 
branches, by which it climeth and taketh hold of hedges and Ihrubs next vnto it. The barke 
oftheoldeftftalkesareroughandwhkifh,ofthecolourofa(hes, with the outwardrinde of 
a bright greene colour , bu t the yonger branches are greene as arc the leaues : the wood brittle, ha- 
iling in it a fpongie pith ; it is clad with long leaues, fmooth, fharpe pointed, leffer than thofe of 
the Binde-weed.Atthe lower part of the fameleaues doth grow oneither fide one fmallor lefler 
Icafe like vnto two eare's .TJie floures be (mail, and fomevvhat cindered together,confiding of fiue 
little leaues apiece, ofa perfedl blew colour, with a certaine pricke or yellow pointall in the mid- 
dle : which being paft, there do come in place faire berries, more long than round, at the firfl green, 
but very red when they be ripe - ofa fweettafteat the firft, but after very vnpleafant, ofa ftrono-fa- 
uour, growing together in cinders like burnifhed coral. The root is ofameane bignefle, and full 
of firings. 
I haue found another fort which bringeth forth mod pleafant white floures with yellow poiu- 
tals in the middle, in other refpeds agreeing with the former. 
The Place. 
Bitter-fweet doth grow in moiftplaces about ditches, ruiers, and hedges, almoll euery where; 
The 
