852- Of the Hiftorie of Plants. L i b. 2 . 
^ The Place. 
The Violet groweth in gardens almoft euery where : the others which are ftrangers haue beene 
touched in their defcriptions. 
*[ The Time. 
The floures for the mod part appearc in March, at the fartheft in Aprill. 
The Names. 
The Violetis called in Greeke'i« ; olTheophraJlus, both -in/u-nu, and in Latine Niaraviok 
or blacke Violet, of the blackifh purple colour of the floures. The Apothecharies keepe the La! 
tine name P/Va: but they call it Herba Vio/aria, and MatcrViolarum : in high-Dutch, 231an 
in low-Dutch, tTiOlCtttl t in French, V lolette cle Mars : in Italian, Violamammola : in Spanifh Vide 
ta : in Englifh, Violet. Nicander in his Geoponickesbelecueth, (as Hermotaus fheweth) that the 
Grecians did call ifi». becaufe certaxne Nymphs of Ionia gaue that floure firft to lupiter. Others 
fay it was called -i». becaufe when lupiter had turned the young Damofeli Io, whom he tenderly lo 
tied, into a Cow, the earth brought forth this floure for her food : which being made for her fal e 
receiued the name from her ; and thereupon it is thought that the Latines alfocalled it Viola as 
though they Ihould fay Vitula, by blotting out the letter?. Seruiut reporteth. That for the fame 
caufe the Latines alio name it V actinium , alledging the place of Virgil in his Bucolicks : 
Alba hgufira cadtmt vaccinia nigra, leguntur. 
Notwithftanding Virgil in his tenth Eclog fheweth, that V actinium and Viola do differ. 
Ei nigra viola flint, ijr vaccinia nigra. 
t Vitruvius alfoin his feuenth booke of Architedfure or Building doth diftinguifh Viola from 
V actinium : for he fheweth that the colour called Site Jtticum , or the- Azure of Athens, is made ex 
V tola - and the gallant purple, ex t accinto. The Dyers, faith he, when they would counterfeit Stic 
or Azure of Athens, put the dried V iolets into a fat,ke ttle,or caldron,and boyle them with water 
afterwards when it is tempered they poure it into a linnen ftrainer, andwringinsit withtlier 
hands, receuie into a mortar the liquor coloured with the Violets ■ and fteepincr earth of Em hr a 
m it, and grinding the fame, they make the Azure colour of Athens. After the fame manner rbey 
temper Vacctmum , and putting milke vnto it, do make a gallant purple colour. B ut what Vaccinia 
are we will elfewhere declare. 
The Temperature. 
The floures and leaues of the V iolets are cold and moift. 
«| The Vertues. 
A The floures are good for all inflammations, efpecially of the fidesand lun<*s - they take aw; j 
the hoarfeneffe of the chert, theruggednefteofthewinde-pipeandiawcs,aIlay , the extream K„ 
of the liner, kidneyes, and bladder ; mitigate the fierie heate of burning agues ■ temper the fharo- 
neffe ofcholer, and take away third. r “ , 
B There isan oylemadeofViolcts, which islikewifecold andmoift, Thefamebeing anointed 
v pon the tefticles, doth gently prouoke fleepe which is hindred by a hot and dry diftemper • mix- 
ed or laboured together in a woodden difh with the yelke of an egge, it affwageth the pain of the 
fundament and hemorrhoides ; it is likewife good to be put into cooling clifters and into nultef- 
fes that coole and eafe paine. 1 
C Outlet the oyle in which the Violets be fteeped be either of vnripe oliues, called Omphacinum , 
or of lweet Almonds, as Mefnes faith, and the Violets themfelues muftbe frefhand moift : For 
being dry, and hailing loft their moifture, they doe not coole, but feemetohaue gotten a kinde 
ofheate. 
D The later Phyfitians do thinke it good to mix dry Violets with medicines that are to comfort 
and ftrengthen the heart. 
E The leai,es of Violets inwardly taken docoole, moiften, and make the belly foluble.Being out- 
wardly applied, they mitigateall kmdeofhot inflammations, both taken by themfelues, and alfo 
applied with Barley floure dried at the fire, after it hath lien foking in the water. They are likewife 
laid vpon a hot ftomacke, and on burning eyes, as Galen wi tnefleth. Diofcondes writeth that they 
be moreouer applied to the fundament that is fallen out. 
F They may helpe the fundament that is fallen out, not as a binder keeping back the fundament, 
but as a fuppler and a mollifier . Befides, Pliny faith that Violets areas well vfedin garlands, as 
fmelt vnto ; and are good againft furfeting,heauinefie of the head - and being dried in water and 
drunke, they remoue the Squinancie or inward fvvellings of the throat. They cure the falling fick- 
neffe,efpecially in yong children, and the feed is good againft the flinging of Scorpions. ° 
G . There is a fyrrup made of Violets and Sugar, whereof three or foure'ounces being taken at one" 
, time, foften the belly, and purgecholer. Themanner to makeitisasfolloweth. 
H Tirft make of clarified fugar by boy ling a fimple fyrrup of a good confluence or meane thicke- 
ne(Ie,whereunto put the floures cleane picked from all manner of filth, as alfo the white ends 
nipped 
