Lib. z. 
Of the Hiftorie of Plants. 
857 
5f The Defer iption » 
1 nr’’ He leaues of Afarabacea are fmooth, of a deepe greene colour, rounder, broader, and 
j tenderer than thofe of Iuy, and not cornered atail, not vnlike to thofe o( Sow-bread; 
the flonres lie clofe to the roots, hid vnder the leaues, {landing vpon ilender foot- 
I ftalkes, of an ill fauoured purple colour, like to the floures and husks of Henbane, but lefle,where- 
! in are contained final 1 (beds, cornered, and fomevvhat rough : the roots arc many, final 1 and flen- 
1 der, growing aflope vnder the vpper cruft of the earth, one folded within another, ofanvnpleafanc 
1 tafte, but of a moil fweetandpleafmgfmell, hauing withal! akmdeofbiting qualitie. 
2 This ftrangekindeof Alarabacca, which Matthiolus hath fet forth creeping on the ground, 
I in manner of our common Aftrabacca,hath leaues fomvvhat rounder and rougher, fleightly inden- 
ted about the edges, and fet vpon long (lender foot-ftalkes : the floures grow hard vnto the ground 
likevnto thofeof Cammomill,but much letter , of a mealy or dufty colour, and not without finei. 
f The roots are long and (lender, creeping vnder the vpper cruft of theeartb,of a tharpe tafte, and 
U bittcrwithall. % This Afarina of c Matthiolus, Clufua (whofe opinion I here follow) hath judged 
p to be the Tuflago llpina 2. of his description; wherefore I giue youhis figure inftead of that of 
p our Author, which had the floures expreft, which this wants. $ 
5[ The Place. 
It delighteth to grow in fhadowie places, and is very common in mod gardens. 
51 The Time. 
Theherbeisalwaies greene ; yet doth it in the Springbring forth new leaues and floures. 
5[ The Names . 
It is called in Greeke 'any, . Afi rum : in Latine, Nardus ruftica : and of diners, Perpenfa .• perpenfa 
j is alfo Baccharis in Pliny, lib. 2 1 .cap. 2 1 . Maccr faith, That Afarum is called Vulgago, in thefe words : 
T.JI Afaron Grace, Vulgago dittx Latine. 
This hetbe, A far on do the Grecians name ; 
Whereas the Latines Vulgago clepe the fame. 
E Itis found alfo amongft the baftard names, that it was called ofthe great learned Philofophers 
| *Ar«c *rnctc : that is, Martis fanguis, or the bloud of Mars : and ofthe French men Baccar • and thereup- 
J on it feemeth that theword Afxrabaccacame,\\ hich the Apothecaries vie, and likewife the com- 
1 mon people : but there is another Baccharis differing from Afarum , yet noewithftanding Crateuas 
ij doth al(o call Baccharis , Afirum. 
This confufion of both the names hath been the caufe, that mod could not diffidently expound 
ri themfelues concerning i^dfarum and Baccharis ; and that many things haue beene written amiile in 
t ! many copies of D iofeorides, in the chapter of Afarum ; for when it is fet downe in the Greek copies 
d a fweet fmelling garden herbe, it belongeth not to the defeription of this Afarum, but to that of 
!| Baccharis ■ for Afirum (as Pliny faith) is fo called, becaufe it is not put into garlands :ar.d fo'by 
that meanes it came to pafle, that oftentimes the deferiptions of the old Writers were found cor- 
:! ruptedand confiifed ; which thing, as itis in this place manifeft, fo oftentimes it cannot foeafily 
t be marked in other places. Furthermore, Afarum is called in French Cabaret in high' Dutch. 1^4 
jeltouttj : in low-Dutch, OOJEIJ ; in Engliili, Afarabacea, Fole-fcot, and Hazel-wort. 
TheTemperature. 
The leaues of A farabaccaarc hot and dry, with a purging qualitie adiovned thereunto, yet not 
i withoutactrtainekindeofaftriflionorbinding. The roots are alfo hot and dry,yetmore than 
j the leaues ; they are of thin and fubtill parts : they procure vrine, bring downe the deiired ficknes, 
and are like in facu'tie,as Galen faith, to the roots of Acorns, but yet more forceable ; and the roots 
) of Acorns arc alfo of a thinne eflencc, heating, attenuating, drying, and prouoking vrine, as he affir- 
metli .-which things are happily performed by taking the roots of Afarabacea, either by tliem- 
! felues, or mixed with other things. 
5[ ThtVertues. 
The leaues draw forth by vomit, thicke phlegrpaticke and cholericke humours, and vvithall A 
moue the belly ; and in this they are more forceable and of greater effsft than the roots them- 
felues. 
They are thought to keepe in hard f.velling cankers that they encreale not, or come toexulce- B 
ration, or creeping any farther, if they be outwardly applied vpon the fame. 
The roots are good againft the (loppings of the liner, gall, and fpieene, a'gainft wens and hard C 
fuellings, and agues of long continuance'’: but being taken in the greater quantitie, they purge 
flegmc and cholcr not much lefle than the leaues (though Galen fay no) by vomit efpecially , and 
alfobyfiege. 
Aaaa 5 ©he 
