7 16 
Of the Hiftorie of Plants. 
Li 
B. 2. 
C h a p. 248. Of Diuels bit. 
Af or fits Viaboli • 
Diuelsbit. 
C<xL 1 0 s ot- £ l aVLsJscsj 
A 
Dcfcription, 
JA Iuels bit hath (mall vpright round (talks ofa 
, c !’ blte hl gh,befet with long leaues fomavhat 
broad, very little or nothing fmpt about the ed- 
ges, lomewhat hairie and euen. The floures alfo 
are of a darke purple colour, fafhioned like the 
noures of Scabious, which being ripe are carried 
aivay with the winde. The root is blacke,thicke, 
hard and ihort, with many thieddie firings fttfte- 
ned thereto. The great part of the root ibemeth 
to be bitten away : old fantafticke charmers re- 
port, that the diuell did bite it for enuie, becaufe 
it is an herbe that hath fo many good vertues,and 
is fo benehciall tomankinde- 
The Place . 
Diuels bit groweth in drie rnedows and woods, 
and about waies tides. I haue found great ftore of 
it growing in Hampftc ad wood neere London.at 
Lee in bflex , and at Raleigh in E(Tex,in a 
wood called Hammerell, and fundrie other pla- 
ces. ^ 
*1 The Time. 
It floureth in Auguft,and is hard to be knowne 
from Scabious, failing when it floureth. 
The Names. 
It is commonly called Morfus DiaUli,ox Ditiels 
bit, of the root(as it feemeth)that is bitten otf.-for 
the luperftitious people hold opinion, that the di- 
ucllforciiuie that he beareth to mankinde bit it 
oft, becaufe it would be otherwife good for many 
vfesiit is called of Fuchfim^uccifisin High Dutch 
%cuffels(abbifj:in Low Dutcli.©t(pt le iiegbect 
m trench Mors dtt Viable : in Bnglifh, Diuels bit, 
the fjf^^ofzj/^^defctibcdbyhimfi ^ Co/ “ mm{a ^ k to bee 
*?faond‘ig,er 6 ‘ ‘ : 8nd that in [be lateral of 
Tl .. , • '-IT TheVertttes. 
beSi; g^***!"#* ^“ ingS ° f,he Xlmonds^nd vpper pares of, he ,h* 
,, r nr„ m ee,, it , a „a , e 
,no,,,|,»d S a,g„,,ed,,rpec„ % if.li.rlo 
It is reported to be 
D 
again!! the ftiygii)gs'<^^n^ou5bea^,pm'fons^nd^eftilent™|f^f« , ^dtocoDl' 1 ' 0 
away plague foreseeing ftamped and laid vpon them Vnd toconfumeand walk 
Ai^dierTOfte^'rnnke 6 ^ ^ aineS the matrix or m °ther,and to driue forth winde, if the deco 
