200 
CHAP.tr. Theatrum ‘Botanicum. Tribe z, , 
whereupon Label ini Pm are bold to affirme in their Adverfaria,tha our age knotveth no herb.that may fo wel I 
or more truely, both in the forme and purging vertues, referable ‘Diofcorides his Alypum, (except the Ferulas) | 
then this herbe here fet forth, altering that word onely.which as he laith may be a fault (fuch as is common in i 
many other places ofhis worke ) in the tranferibers: and hereupon as it is probable Mefitet grounded his opini- j 
on that Turbith was the roote of a ferulous plant. Clufim laith that diverfe profeflors in the Vuiverfitie at Fa- i 
did call an herbe which he thetefound Hippoglofium, fuppofing it to be the true Hippoglofiim of Diofcorides-, . 
wherennto it can as he faith be nothing like.the properties being fo differing,except in a little appearance of like- . 
neffe in the leaves; Clufim alfo doth not acknowledge it to be oAlypum but mifliketh of their judgement, that ( 
doe referre it thereunto, becaufe the leaves are fo dry, that they leemeto be without any j'uyce in them; where- J 
Upon the Spaniard! call it fiempre enxuta, and from the round head of flowers, which is paler in the middle than 
round about, doecall it Coronillade fiayles,Coromla fiatrum the Friers Crowne, andoffome as he faith Segul- 
hada, but others of "ood judgement doe hold them, to be both butone plant, the divetfity, if any be, to confift in 
the climate Daledxtmpius as Lugdunenfs fetteth it forth, was of opinion, thatit might be Empetron of Diofco- . 
rides, which others as lie faith called Pbacoides, onely led thereunto, by the purging quality and growing neere J 
the Sea,as Empetron doth; and becaufe that the Crithmum or Faniculitm m.trmum, is difprooved by moll not to be i 
Empetron, which many heretofore thought to be fo, (and among the red Pandulphus Coll'mutim, in his defenfe J 
of Dlinye again!! Leoniccrut, foritiscertaincly feene, that Plinye hath confounded that Empetrnm, which is il 
a Saxifrage, with the other which is a purger ) becaufe it hath no purging quality in it at all: but feeing we : 
hold this to be the right or neereftit of Diofcorides, I cannot fee what reafon can move any,tothinke il 
it to be Empetrnm alfo, feeing Diofcorides maketh them two diflinft herbes in feverall chapters, and placed the j 
one the very next unto the other : fome alfo as Lugdunenfis fiith, take it for Ptarmica, or for the third fort of l| 
Cornea. Eauhinm in his Pinax, calleth it ThymcUa fo/iis aentis, capitttlo Succift, five Alypum Monfielienfmm. j 
The other is called 7 ‘artou retire by Lugdunenfis, and Label, and is fo called as hee faith, in the Ifles of forfeit and I 
Sardinia, and all along the Sea coafts of Liguria and Marseilles. Dalecbamp'ms faith that many doe referre this j 
tothe Sefamoidesmairwtmof Diofcorides, which he hath mentioned in his fourthbooke, and 147 chapter, with ; 
leaves ofGroundfelfor Rue : and therefore Dalecbampius in the defeription hereof faith, the leaves are like Rue, ; 
which in my judgement doth very hardly agree thereunto, but much Idle unto Groundfell, whereunto they are 1 
alfo compared. Furthermore he faith alfo,that peradventure this may be that Ffelleborus^ ofTheophrattus, whofe j 
feede is like Sefamum, and wherewith in Anticjra as he faith they ufed to make purgations: but the extreame 1 
purging quality herein, fhewing it as Pena faith, to be a new plant of our ages finding, and not well knowne to 1 
be mentioned by any of the ancient writers, G reekes, Arabians or Latines, hath caufed diverfe to referre it, as I 0 
fay, fome to Sefarmiies, and others to Theopbraftus his Hellcborus, with the fruite of Sefamum, and yet whofoe- il 
ver will advifedly confder, the feede of all the forts of Hellebores, both the white and the backe, fliall not finde J 
them much unlike the feedes of Sefamum it felfe. A/phonfus Pontius of Ferrara tookeitto be Cneorum of Tbeo- J 
phraflus : the roote hereofas feat faith, is like unto the Turbith of Alexandria, and hath not fo much lieate or J 
bitterneffe therein, nor other evill tafle as others have. Eauhinus calleth it Tlyrnalea foliis cemdicmtibtts ferici in. a 
fitly molliblts. 
7 he Vertues. 
The feede of Alypum (faith Diofcorides)o\ herbe terrible,purgeth downeward blacke choller or melancholy, j 
if it betaken in the like quantity with Epithymum and a little fait and Vinegar put to it in the taking, but he faith I 
it doth a little exulccrate the bowells: the common people in Narbone, but efpecially the Quackfalvers and wo- j 
men leeches,as Pena faith, notwithftanding they find theeffeft to purge with fuchviolence.yet doe often giveit, | 
making a decodtion with the leaves flowers or feede, or otherwife make them into powder, and give it them 1 
with wine or broth ; the lmalleft quantity thereof, to be taken in chicken broth, faith Plinye is two drammes, 
a meane quantities foure drammes, and the greatefl portion to be given at once is fixe drammes: (lufius faith h 
that the landlopers in Spaine, doe ufually give the decoftion hereof unto thofe, that are troubled with the French if 
dileafe, and that with good fuccefle as it is reported .■ the other Gutworte or Trouble belly isas violentin wor- '• 
king as the former, or rather much more, for the violence thereof is fo unlimited, that it oftentimes cauleth im- > 
moderate fluxes, even to blood and excoriations; efpecially if the dryed leaves be given unadvifedly in powder, 
an' mixed w ; th fome potable liquor, and driveth forth cholericke, fiegmatickcj and watery humors in aboun- > 
dance; the roote likewife worketh powerfully for the fame dileafes,which if it were Thecphrafius\fuWelkborus, i, 
or T> iofioridss Sefamum, were unprofitable or of no ufe; the feede onely with them and not the roote, having 1; 
the propertie and power of purging. Advice therefore before taken, and preparation both of the phyfickeand il 
body, the quantity alfo, the difeafe and ffrengthof the patient conCdered, it may be admitted to be given where a 
better and fafer things cannot on the fuddaine be had. 
Chap. XX I. 
Thjmelaa, Spurge Olive. 
Here remaine yet fome other violent workers, which fliall be declared in this and the next Chap- ■ ' 
ters following, and firffc of the TbymeUas, and then all the forts of ChamtLa and Sanamunda of M 
Clufus, becaufe they are fo like both in forme and nature : and let me alfo adjoyne the final! Sefa- ■ t 
moides of Dalecbampius, for the neere affinitie with them. 
1, Tbymelta. Spurge Olive. 
This Spurge Olive hath diverfe tough flalkes, riling to the height of two or three foote, fometimes in the: 
naturall places, and much lower in fome other, ofthethickneflealfoof ones thumbe, covered with an afh co- ■: 
loured barke, and fpread into many branches; whereon grow many fmall,clammie,flat,pointed leaves,fomewhac 
like unto Mirtle leaves, or rather unto the narrow leaves of the Olive tree, for they are larger and broader than 
the leaves of Flaxe, whereunto many doe compare them, and doe continually abide on the branches without 
