•IB. 2. 
Of the Hiftory of Plants'.' 
867 
hardncd,is greatly vfed in Phy ficke : for which consideration, there is not any plant growing vpon 
the earth, the knowledge whereof more concerneth a Phy fition, both for his drape and properties, 
than this Scammonie, which Pena calleth Laclaria fcanfbriaque volvula, that is,milkie and climbing 
Windweed, whereof it is a kinde ; although for diftin&ion fake I haue placed them as two leuc^ 
rail kindes. And although this herbe be fufpe£ted,and halfe condemned of fome learned men, yet 
there is not any other herbe to be found, whereof fo fmall a quantitic will do fo much good : nei- 
ther could thofe which haue carped at it, and reproued this herbe, finde any fimple in refpeft of his 
vertues to be put in his roome : and hereof infueth great blame to all practitioners, who haue noc 
endeuoured to bee better acquainted with this herbe, chiefely to auoid the deceit of the craftie 
Drug-feller and Medicine- maker of this confeCted Scammonie, broughtvs from farreplaces, ra- 
ther to be called 1 feare infected Scammonie, or poifoned Scammonie, than confected. But to a. 
uoid the inconueniences hereof, by reafon of the counterfeiting and ill mixing thereof: I haue 
therefore thought good to fet downe what I haue taken out of the diligent, and no leffe learned ob- 
feruations of Pena, concerning this plant, /fwni 156 i,or ij6i.Vtd.adverf.pag.iji. 
Sequinus Martmcllus an Apothecarieof Ve- 
$ 3 Scammtmium Monfpel/enfe. 
French Scammonie, 
nice, being a moft diligent fearcher of Simples, 
that hemight haue the right Scammony of An- 
tioch, trauelled into Syria,wherefrom thecitie 
of Alepo hee fentan 100. weightofthe iuice 
of Scammonie of Antioch, prepared and hard- 
ned into a lumpe,atthe making whereof he was 
prefent himfelfe. This man fent alfo of the 
feeds thereof, which in all points anfwered the 
cornered feed of VclubiUs ; which being fovvne 
in the beginning of the Springat Padua and 
Venice, grew vp to the form of a braue & good- 
ly Convolvulus, in leayes,floures,and fhewfo like 
vnto our C/ffampelos, that a man would haue ta- 
ken it for the famewithoutcontrouerfie,fauing 
ihat the root was great, and in bignefle equall 
to the great Brionie, as a’foin tendernefle.The 
outward bark of the root was of a dusky colour^ 
and white within : the inner pithbeeing taken 
forth feemeth in all mens iudgements to be thp. 
fame and the beft allowed 7 'urbith ojficinarum ' : 
and yet it differeth from Turbith, in that, that 
it is more brittle, and will more eafily bee 
broken, though the pith in Scammonie bee no 
lelfe gummieand ful of milkie iuice, than Tur- 
bith. Further Pena reporteth,that afterward hee 
fent of this feed vnto Antwerpe, where it grew 
very brauely, the climing firings and branches 
growing vp to the height of fine or fix cubites, 
not differing from that which was fowne in Ita- 
lic. Alfo William Dries of Antwerp, a moft ex- 
cellent Apothecary,didcutoffthe branches of 
his Antwerpian Scammonie from the root, and 
- . , . dried them, planted the feeds in his garden, and 
conferred the fuperfluous branched roots with the Turbith of Alexandria,and could not find them 
to differ or dtfagree the one from the other in any point. Buthe that will know more concerning 
the makmg,dmerence, choice and vfe of Scammony, let him reade Pena in his chapter of Scammo- 
tne,m the place formerly citedjwhere he fhall finde many excellent fecrets worthy the noting of 
thofe which would know how to vfe fuch rare and excellent medicines. 
2 Scammony of Valentia (whereof I haue plentie inmy garden)is alfo a kinde of Bindweed, 
growing naturally by the fea fide vpon the grauelly fhore, by the mouth of the riuer Rhodanus at 
the waters called Aquas Marianas^ here the Apothecaries of Montpellier gather of it great plen- 
tie, who haue attempted to harden the milkie iuice thereof,to vfe it in (lead of Scammonie of An- 
tioch. This plant bringeth forth many (lender branches, which will climbe and very well run vpon 
3 pole^as being fupported therewith, and mounteth to the height of fiue or fix cubits, climbing8c 
tamping like the firft kinde of Scammonie. Theleaues aregreene, fmooth,plaine, and fharpe 
pointed, 
