*8 Ch A P.2 
Tbeatrum Botanic urn. 
all ! 
W 
T R I B 
them fattened at the head thereof, like unto A fphodill rootes,of the moft poifonfull qualitie, that hath beene found . 
in any other herbe. 
3. Aconitum V ardulianches Jive,Tboramajor. The greater Leopards bane. 
The greater Leopards bane, is in all things like unto the letter, before defcribed, but that it is greater, and ri- 
feth higher,havinglarger leaves,and finely dented about the edges, and two or three (landing together about 
the middle of the ftalke, fome l'mallcr than others, and fomctimes one above another, and fome fmall long and 
narrow ones at the Joints and brancheth forth into two or three parts or more, bearing every one his fmall yel¬ 
low flower, like the former: the feede and roote is alfo like the other, - 
3. Aconitum Peirdaliancbes AeLatthioli common ilium. ALatthiolus his fained Leopards bane, 
I thinke it not amide to let forth unto your view that figure of ALatthiolus, which he ( as is thought caufed to 
be drawneaccording to his ownefancie, taking his patterne from this TW<r, and defirousto expreffe it with j 
fome nearer rdenroiancc unto Die'coridee his defcription, of A conitum Tardalianches,) hath fet forth, with 1 
foure round rough leave , and one long crooked roote, bunched out in diverfe places, like unto the taile of a : 
Scorpion, which figure bred a great contention betwixt Gefner and him; Gefner laying to his charge, that he had : 
but fained it, and that there was no fuch herbe, in rerum nature!, becaufe it was made fo artificially, and wanted j 
fibres, which all other rootes have, whereby they draw nourifhment out of the earth. Matthivlus in his defence i 
to that point alledgeth, tha cDentaria which we call Lungwortc, hath no fibres) beinga roote confidingonely 
offcales, as it were fet together ; as alfo in that other roote called Dent ana bulbifera, which as Matthiolus . 
faith, the German; call SunicuUi alba, and he fetteth forth among the S ymphita ■ blit the Author of the great 
Herball printed at Lyons who viasloaimes Molinctis and going under the name of Dalechampitts, but of melt 
writers called Lugdmenfie, taketh upon him the defenfe of Adatthio/us his fmceritie in his appendix to that ge-; 
nerail hittory, and {heweth the fame figure of Matthiolus, with a ftalke of leaves and flowers added to it,which 1 
the former wanted, and with all giveth the defcription thereofin this manner; it rifeth up faith he early in the 
yeare.if the fpring be mildc.with his ttalk, before any of the lower leaves appeare,as the Cokes foot and the But¬ 
ter burre doe; having foure fmall round hairy leaves upon the ftalke, fet by couples at diftances; the flowers are 
many growing in a tuft, or round head together at the toppe thereof, of a pale yellow colour,with many yellow- 
ifhthreds in the middle: when the flowers ate paft, then commeth up the leaves, which a re foure for the moft 
part, and are almoft round , hairy and greene on the upperfide, and hoary white underneath, full of veines run¬ 
ning through them, and full of fmall fpots: the roote confifteth of many knots and Joints like unto a Scorpions . 
taile, in tbe fame manner as Adatthiolus hath fet it forth in his figure : this he faith groweth on the Alpes of So. 
•»oy,not farre from the chiefc Monaftery of the Canhuftans, in a rough rockie place, which they call, Les Efcheles, 
that Is, the ladder, becaufe the way of the rocke, is cut out into fteppes, to get up to the toppe : and faith that this 
lie law with his owne eyes, and that an Apothecary of Treners, who had diverfe plants growing thereof in his 
garden, and abiding many yeares, from whom he obtained the whole plant to fet forth, to end the controverfie 
betweene two fuch worthy men; and yet this figure is much fufpefted alfo to be but counterfeit, by Columna in 
the 44, page of his minus cognitanum fiirpium, 3 c by Tauhinus and many otherstbut if! might drew mine opinion, 
1 would rather thinke that Matthiolus let forth his figure a little artificially from the Doronicum bretchietia rad/ce 
which hath round leaves and fuch a like roote: if 1 be miftaken let it be accounted my error. 
Tbe place. 
The firft groweth in (hadowie places, on the fnowiehils in Savoye, where there isfearfe any cruft of earth 
for the rootes to grow in, neereuntocJIArr4,andin the toppe of lum. Thefecond groweth in the like places, 
among thole Alpes of the Valdcnjes. that refpedb Italy, called Vnderflumen and Engronut, as alfo upon the moun- 
taine Tdaldus, which is not farre fi om Verona-, the laft his place is declared in the defcription. 
The Time. 
They all but the laft doe flower in June, and Iuly, which are the fpring Moneths of the Alpes, and their feede 
is ripe in Auguft. 
The Names, 
It is called inGreekeby Ditfcorides m/mvAconitum Pardalianchcs, becaufe the herbe killeth 
Leopards, Wolves, and a 11 other foure footed beafts very feedily. It is called of diverfe alfo Thera, from the 
Grceke word »S»f e . that is, conuptio, venenum aut mors. Theophraflus deferibeth it in his ninth Booke and ninth 
Chapter,under the name of Thelyphonon, becaufe it is a fpeedy death to females; or becaufe being put into the fe- 
cret parts of females, it fpeedtly killeth even within a day. Gefner and others take it to be Limeum of Pliny, in 
his 17. Booke and 10 C hapter, which he faith is an herbe fo called by the Gaules wherewith they doe make a me¬ 
dicine, to dippe their arrow heads in, when they hunt wild beads, which they call Cervaria : Gefner faith alfo it 
was called of fome in his countric, Lmaria, becaufe the leaves were round like nnto a full Moone, himfclfe cal- 
I'.th it Thr/rei Venenata and Toxicnm Vaidenfuim. Cltfjitts makethit to be his third Ranunculusgrumofa radice, and 
Label calleth it Phthora Valdenfium. eJMatthiolus in contempt of Gefner calleth it Tfeudo aconitum Pardalianches 
as though it were but a bafe kind of Aconite, without force or vertues, (which it feemeth he rather uttered in the 
heate of his contention, and conteftation with Gefner, who alledged that this was the truer Aconitum Pardalian. 
ches of Diofcorides than in the truth of the matter) it being theneareft toCDiofcorides his defcription in all other 
parts as well as in the rootes which are fhining white like Alablafter, and the ftrongeft and fpeedieft poifon ofall 
manner ofherbes. It may be called in Englijb, either round leafed Wolfes bane, or Leopards bane to diftin°uifh 
it from the former. s 
The Vertues 
Diofcorides giveth no other properties to this kindeof Aconite, then death to all foure footedbeafts, beinggi- 
ven to them in flefh, befides the helpe it giveth to the eyes in eafing their paines, being put with other things that 
are for that purpofe : Theopbraflus, and Pliny after him fay, that it is a remedy againft the Scorpion, being taken 
in warmed wine, for it killeth nature if it fin’denot an enemie in nature, whom it may kill, againft whom it ftri- 
veth and fpendeth itsftrength, to overcome it, that it might free nature of danger, thus faith Pliny-, it was called 
Scorpio becaufe the rnote was like a Scorpions taile, it feemeth alfo it was upon the like occafion called Theriopho- 
becaufe it killeth Serpents; for they fay, that the Scorpion is a ftonied, and loofeth both ftrength and motion. 
