Tribe 2. 
The Theater of 'Plants, Chap ,6^. 2p| 
7. Piftolocbiavulgatior, Thebuflbyrooted Birthworte. 
The biifhy rooted Birthwort hath many (lender long branched ftalkes, a foote long or more, ftraked and cre- 
fted as is both the long and the round, whereon grow at diftances as in the former, diverfe round leaves,fmaller, 
rougher, and blacker than the long, whereunto it is'moft like, but a little waved as it were aboutthe edges :the 
'flowers alfo are very like them, but in fome very datke, and inothersofagreeniOr yellow colour: the frniteis 
round and fomewhat long, and round at the end or point, like unto the fruiteof the firfl round kinde but fmal¬ 
ler, which openeth it felfe alfo as the laft before doth at the bottome next unto the [hike, and (hewing foch like 
feede within but fmaller: therootes are many, and fmall, bigger than bullrufhes for the moftparr, (hooting 
from one head with many fmall fibres thereto, of a yello wilh colour as all the reft are: this loofeth the leaves in 
winter as all the former doe, 
8. Piflolocbia Crctica femper virens. Ever greene bufhie rooetd Birthwort of Candye, 
The evdr greene bufhie rooted Birthwort of Candye, fendeth forth many very (lender flexible and traylim? 
cornered (hikes, branching into diverfe other fmaller, about a foote long or better, and of a fad greene colour^ 
whereon are fet found leaves long pointed,full of veines, but leffer than the former, and of a fad greene colour, 
fo abiding all the winter: the flowers are like unto thofe of the long kinde, (landing upon long footeftalkes, of a 
very fad red colour on the outfide and yellowifh within : the fruite and feede is lmallerthan in any other; the 
rootes likewife are like the laft but fmaller, and fmelling fomewhat fwcet- 
The Place. 
The three firft more ordinary kindes grow as well in Narhone and Provence in France, about Mompelier in the 
fields and vineyards, efpecially the running kinde, that it maketh their wine, where it is frequent, to tafte there¬ 
of, as alfo in Spaine and Italy: the other three that are like unto them, Cheflus faith he found in Spai-ae in diverfe 
places; and Honorins 2 lelltts faith in C.redye alfo, in his firft Epiftle to C/uflus, and Petrus Bellomm in his firlt book 
ofoblervations and 17 chap, doth alfo. The leaventh groweth in the ftony Ollive yards of Provence and Spainc- 
and the laft in Candye. 
The Time. 
Thefe doe not flower with us until! the middle or end of Inly, and their fruit doth hardly ripen before the 
winter, yet in rhe warmer countries they flower and feede early: fome of thele doc flower much larer with us, 
if with all the care we can ufe unto them, we can prelerve them in the winter, as both the forts of long rooted 
and bully rooted kinds, for the other arc more hardy. 
The Names. 
Iris called in Greek deittKoflx qua flaw -m< Kojfias,i. e. optima puirperit,but mtpragnantihsu as Pliny hath it, 
it is good to helpe women that are ready to be delivered, and that are delivered, and not thofe that are with 
child, notready to be delivered, forinluch it may caufe abortment, or delii ery before the time : Informer 
times, when ignorance had hid in a cloud all forts of learning and knowledge, tromallourChriftian world, ma¬ 
ny falfe herbes were obtruded for the right, and in thofe errours many lived and dyed: but the induftry of this 
later age,hath fearched out, found and detefted many, and among others this of Ariflolochia ; many taking rhe 
■Padx Cava major to be it, and th z minor to be the Piflolocbia o{ Pliny, but all now by the fight and knowledge 
of the true,are afhamed that any fitch errour fhould at any time crcepe in among wife men : There is alfo fome 
controverfieatnong the later authors,which fhould be the Ariflolochia Clcmatitis o( Diofcorides ■ the Apotheca¬ 
ries of Italy in and before Matthio/us his time, uledthis roote of Ariflolochia Clematitis in (lead of the true long 
Birthwort, not knowing either the true long or that this their lonoa was ‘Diofcorides his Clcmatitis : Lonicerue 
and others found out this errour,wrote againft it,and (hewed chat is was not the long one of Diofcorides, but his 
< Zlematitis ■ but CMaithioItt! contefteth againft them with many words, both for it,'and becaufc they found fault 
with the text in ‘Diofcorides, who faith that tAriftolochia Clcmatitis hath (lender branches, fomewhat round 
leaves like unto Houfeleeke, and the flowers ol Rue : The Grceke word is uir.faic.om or fempervivr.m 
parvitm md they thought it fhould be rather lAre meedafarttmparvttm, becaufe the Ariflolochia C/ematitis hath 
round leaves like Afarttm : but Matthiohu in fhewing that the words are the fame that Orihaflm hath alfo 
who wrote the (ame that Diofcorides did, as alfo that Serapio and Avicen have the fame words, and that there¬ 
fore the text is uncorrupted, would thereupon conclude, that the Ariflolochia Ivina, then ufed in the Apotheca¬ 
ries (hops, could not bee Diofcorides his Clematitis, and the rather,becaufe the flowers of his Clcmatitis are like 
Rue, which thofe of their Ariflolochia tonga are nothing like, againehe faith the rootes are fmall, longer then 
theother; and have a thickebarke that coveteth them, but the longe Ariflolochia oh the (hops hath a thinne 
rinde as all know, that have feene it: yet Matthio/ut is forced to grant, that the Ariflolochialonga, that was ufed 
in the Apothecaries (hops, was not the fame Ariflolochia lonyni, that ‘Diofcorides maketh mention of, hcAv then 
could he not perceive it to he his Clcmatitis, when he had fet forth both the long and the round,and knew that the 
Ariflolochia tonga of the (hops, was like unto the other two forts,but differing in rootes onely/rom them ; but 
faith, he thinketh it might be the Piftolochia of Pliny, or a (pecks of that kind of long, whereof no mention was 
made by the antient writersjyet how far from likelihood thefe words of Matthiohu are,let others j’udqe.-but afl'u- 
redly the text of Diofcorides, and fo likewife of thofe that have followed him, cannot be exempt from blemi(h,or 
elfe neither we,neither any before us, have or know Diofcorides his Ariflolochia Clcmatitis : for he in defcribin- 
the three forts of Ariflolochia, maketh the two former to agree in leafe,flower and fruit, and to differ onely in 
the roote, whereunto all doe agree, but in declaring the Clcmatitis, he fettethdownc the leafe and flower, to 
be farre differing, but fheweth nor what fruit it beareth,yet maketh it agree with the other two in properties, 
although leffe forcible: but feeing there is another herbe knowne to be fo like the other two Ariflolochia s , and 
to differ in nothing from them,fo much'as in the roote, which is fweete, fmall and longer then any of the other, 
as Diofcorides maketh his Clcmatitis to bee, and the very name Clematitis anfwerable to the plant, what 
fhould let it to be the right,and indeede it is fo accounted of all now a dayes without doubt or queftion,notwith¬ 
standing the text ofT) iofeorides ■ as alfo that then Ariflolochia longa of former times, according to Lonicertis 
judgement, and thofe Monkes, that commented upon Mefttes, is ‘Diofcorides his Clcmatitis : Another doubt 
there is likewife rilenof late dayes,what Ariflolochia wasmentby Andromacbus fenior, that heappointeth to be 
put into his Theriaca-, for his elegiack verfes maketh no diftinffion; and becaufe Galen doth fhew in fectmda 
Cc 3 aliment orum 
