Tribe z. The Theater ofTlantcs. Ckap.6^, 
4. Phyllum manficum &fnminificum. Childing Mercury male and female. , ~~ 
Childing Mercury alfo is divided into two kindes, as the former Mercuries are, whereunto it is fo like in all 
r the parts thereof, that many have beene of opinion, that it is but piaine Mercury, growing in a hotter Co'in- 
■, try : It hath a branched fquare (hike fl give you one defeription for them both, as 1 did in the former, although 
' others give them feverall) full ofj'oynts and branches, in the male lower and more upright, in the female hioher 
i and more bufhie: at the j'oynts (land alwayes two foft woolly leaves, fomewhat narrower and longer, thanin 
I theformer,andnotdentedorbutfeldomeabouttheedges,of anacide and falrilh tafle : at the j'oynts in themab* 
t come forth Ihort ftalkes, bearing two fmall round feedes together at the toppe, like unto the male Mercury 
(for it doth not give any flowers) which are ofanalh colour before they are perfed ripe, but then they turne to 
be more blew; in the female the ftalkes are longer, and bcare many fmall pale moflie flowers, which feldome 
bearethany leede, which when it doth it is fmall and round like the other, fometimes two and fometimes more 
growing together; therooteft white,hardandwooddy; ofthebigneffeand length of a finger, pcrifhing eve. 
fyyeare, and rayfingitfelfeagaine from it owne feede, in the naturall places: thishathaftronger fentand taftc" 
thananyof the former Mercuries: ‘Diofcorides his defeription of this Phyllum is inverted, for unto the male he 
giveth fpiked or bufhie heads, and unto the female feedes like poppie: but as hee faith himfelfe Cratevas was 
fiis author, and not hts owne knowledge. 
5. Mercurialisfylveftris nolimc tangerc diBa five Perficari.i fliquofa, Wilde Mercurie 
called Qujcke in hand. 
This kinde of wilde Mercury (which for the varietie of the forme hath beene diverfely named of writers) 
rifeth up with a round j'oynted ftalke, two foote high fometimes, branching from thence in many places, where- 
at continually ftandeth but one leafe upon a very (lender rough foote ftalke, mod likeuntothofeofFrarf', Mer¬ 
cury, but longer pointed, and fomewhat fmaller at the ftalke, not fo finely, but as it were groffely indented about 
the edges, being thinner, loiter, and of blewilh greene colour; from every joynt with the leafe from the middle 
upwards, and at the toppes of the branches alfo commeth forth one longbrowne foote ftalke, as fmall and fine 
as any haire, bearing one flower thereon, and fometime two or three,fomewhat dole together, hangin" downe- 
, wards, compofed of fixe leaves a peece, fomewhat like untothofeof theHollow roote.but greater) of a fair^ 
gold yellow colour, Bauhintu faith it is found alfo efa paler colour: twoof them that (land like wingesatthe 
' lides, are larger than the other two that (band under them, which are fmall and round, the lowed is longer than 
the other two fmall ones, and broade at the end: theuppermoft endeth in a fhort crooked home orheelebe- 
hindc : the bottome on the infide is whiter than the reft, which have fometimes fomeredfpots in them:" after 
thefe flowers are palt, there come up in their places, fmall long j'oynted pods, hanging downewards, ftriped as 
it were all the length of them,Wherein is conteined fmall long and fomewhat flat feede,ofa duskie colour,which 
is fo hardly gathered, in regard that even before it be thorough ripe, if it be but very lightly handled, the pods 
will breake, and twine themfelves a little, as the pods of Tome certaine pulfes will doe, and the feed will leape 
forth, yea for the moft part, the very Ibaking of the branches by the winde, caufeththe pods to breake open 
and Used their feede on the ground, where the ripeft may beft be gathered if they be taken in time: the roote l” 
blackilh and threddie.periftung every yearc ; the tafte hereof is'fmall and watcrifh, as Columna faith in the 
greene hcarbe as my felfe can teftifie,and little otherwife in the dryed,ar>d which gave him no offence nor me al¬ 
fo, either in the tailing or handling, hut whether there were any further danger in taking a greater quantity, be- 
caufe Label faith it was venemous, was I doubt but onely an heare-fay by tradition, yet neither he nor I would 
make any further experience therein. 
The Place, 
The two firft Mercuries are found wilde in diverfe places of our owne Country, as very plentifully by a vil¬ 
lage called BrookeUnd in Rumney Matifh in Kent- the other called Dogge Mercury is found in fundry places of 
Kent alfo, and elfewhere, the female kinde is more feldome found than the male: the true Dogges Mercury is 
not found wild with us, neither the childs or childing Mercuries, but grow about t Mompelier in France, and in ; 
Spaine and Italy : thelaft groweth in the fhadowie woods of Italy, France, m&qermany. it hath beene found 
likewifeby the fhadiewoodslides, ofche mountainesand their vallycs in Wales, by an induftrious Gentleman 
and Herbarift, Mu Cjeorye Bowles ; and will abide in our Gardens, every yeare fowing it felfe being fet in a Iha- 
dowie place. 
The Time, 
They all flourilh inthe Sommer Moneths, and therein give their feede, but the Childs Mercury fiowrethfo 
late with us, that it hardly beareth ripe feede. Thequicke in hand flowreth andprefently after feedeth, in his 
naturall place about the middle and end of Augufl, but in gardens in lime and luh. 
The Flames . 
French Mercurie. is called inffirecke hn'fuy LinofefiU & i s! u,Z pim,,, | t(t j niu, CMtrcarii berb*,.& m! 9. :rlN , 
Tarthenium ; in Latinc Mercurialis, becaufe as Pliny faith it was found by Mercury : Dogges Mercury is called 
xsila & KvvaKffsC m, Cynea and Cynocrambc which is Canina Brajfica, but becaufe it hath no agreement with any 
Cabbage funlelle you would fay it were meate, or a Cabbage for a dogge) others have called it in Latino Mcr- 
curialis (fanina,propter ignobilitatem, others Mercurialis fylvefirisi The childs or childing Mercury is called in 
Greek & ixmoychhov Phyllum & El aophy Hum .quaf O/eafolium.Theophraflus in his ninth booke and 19.chap, 
faith that they called one herbe Phyllum Arrhenogonon, and another ThelygononMariparu,& Fccminiparum, which 
diverfe doe thinke is but the former French Mercury, becaufe he faith they have leaves like Baffin, whereunto 
the ‘.French and not the Childs or childing Mercury js moft like, and the rather for that Diofcorides appropria- 
teth to his Mercuries thofe effedls of bearing male and female children, that the Phyllum of Theophrafius and 
Diofcorides hath. The French Mercury is generally of all writers almoft, called Mercurialis mas & famina, 
Cordus upon Diofcorides thinketh them to be the ‘Phyllum Arrhenogonon, and Thelygonon of Theophrnjhts ; and 
Bauhmus calleth them Mercurialis tefiiculata er fpicatet: the Italians call it Mercorclla-, the Spaniards Merest - 
riale : the French Mercuriale or Vignohle ; the Germane s B engelhrant , and the ‘Dutch men Bin^e/cruyte & Mer „ 
Curial.lhe fecond is called Mercurialis fylveftrb, by Tragus,Lonicerus,Cordus &Thaliui , & Cynocrambehy Mat. 
thielusjFuchJius^odmaui, Camerariusymd Lobel, who in one figure reprefenteth bo th the male and female. 
Column# 
