Tribe 3. The Theater of Plants. C ha p, 6. 
an experiment ofhisowne, that upon a fuddaine became drowfte, fitting at his booke in his ftudy, and mu- 
I "ling what fhould be the caufe, found that it proceeded from the lent of one of thefe apples, which he had laid on 
a fhelfe therein, which being removed he found no further inconvenience:the barke or the juice taken therefro, 
is given to thofe that in their fickeneffc cannot fleepe, the decoftion of the rootem wine alfo doth the lame P 
and is exhibited to thofe (as is aforefaid) that are to be feared, or a limbe or member to be cut off, to induce the 
I Iefl'e fence of paine: the condenfate juice taken to the waight of one fcruplc in fweete wine, purgeth flegme 
and melancholy by vomit like unto HcUebor, but taken in a greater quantity it killeth: it is ufed alio in peffa- 
ries, either of it felfe, or with other emollient thinges to take away the hardneffe of the matrix, to procure their 
courfes, and to expell the dead birth. But fee that not above halfe a ferup'e be ufed at a time: the laid juice is 
alfo ufed with thofe ocular medicines that coole inflammations in the eyes : the leaves are likewife uled for 
the fame purpofe, as alfo impoftumes, and difculfe, all hardneffe, knotsjand kernels in the flefh, and take away 
the fears of burning,being often rubbed therewith : the roote beaten with vinegar and applyed to thofe inflam¬ 
mations, called Saint fire, doth heale them, and applyed with honey or oyle, taketh away the fling of 
Serpents. It is laid that if Ivory be boild with the roote hereof fix hourcs together, it will fo inollifye it, that it 
will take what forme or imprelfion you will give it ; the apples and efpecially the feeds in them, doe purge and 
. coole the hot matrix, as Serapio Avicen, and Paulies ^£gineta after Diofcoridcs have fee downe, which perad- 
venture Rachel knowing to be available for her hot and dry body, which was the caufe of her barennefle, (and 
her beauty argueth a probability of fuch a conftitution) defired the more earneftly the Mandrake apples that 
Ruben Leahs lonne had brought his mother, as it is Gene fa 30.V.14. the ftrong fent of thefe apples is remembred 
alfo Cant, 7,1 3, although fome would divert the fignification of the Hebrew word ai&TH, (which is the lame 
in both places)unto Violets or fome other fweete flowers,that Rachel , defired and the fruite of CMufa or Adams 
apples to that in the Canticles ; Hamilcar the Carthaginian Captaine is laid to have obtained a famous vidfory, 
over the Libians by infetfling their wines with the apples of Mandrake,whereby being made drowfie they left 
their wals unmand. 
Chap. VI. 
Solatium . Nightfliade. 
B Here are diverle forts of Nightfhades, properly fo to be called, and there be fome other that are 
referred thereunto, for the likenefle of the leaves, flowers, or fruite, or for the properties in the 
operation. Of thofe that are referred unto the Nightfliade, I have already fpoken of diverle in 
my former booke, whereunto I referre them, that would be enformed of them, not meaning to 
repeate their deferiptions, but denominations in this place, which are Mirabilia Pervana J the 
Mervaileof jP^#wofthe wovld.Tomum amorisfruclu majore , Apples of love the greater fort. 
Stramonium five Pomum fpinofum majus fare fimpli albo , & pur pur co, & T)atura T urcarum fare albo Jimplici & 
fare duplici purpureo , Thorne apples the greater, with afingle white,or Angle purple flower,and the lefl'er with 
a Angle white flower, or a double purple flower. S olanum arborefeens or fiuttcofum , called alfo Pfeudocapfaunz 
Dodon£i y or AmomumPlinij, Solatium Americanum, & Cerafa Indiana, Tree Nightfhade, the Mumme tree, or 
Winter Cherry tree: & Solanumvefaarium or Alkek e . n gh Winter Cherries, potatoes of Virginia called of 
many, apples of youth, and of Bauhin us in his Afattbiolus Solatium tuberofum efculentum,znd thought by ChfaSy 
that it did in many things refemble the Pycnocomon of Diofcorides, moved chiefdy thereunto from the likenefle 
of the figure thereof, which he law in a written copy of ‘Diofcorides^ that had figures; as alfo that ie might be 
Arachidna otTbeophraftus ; but fetteth it downe in his Hiflory of Plantes, by the name of Papas Teruvianorum , 
and called by the Indians 9 or Spaniards Papas, as Gomara and others fay s and although the common wild Night- 
fhade, is not dangerous, as divers others are, nor planted in Gardens with us as it was in former times, to be as 
a potherbe or falletherbe ufually eaten, (but now adayes utterly refufed,) and therefore called Garden Night- 
fliade,yet let me fet it with the reft of the familye and not disjoine it from them, 
I. Solanumvulgare. Common Nightfhade. 
The Common Nightfhade, hath an upright round greene hollow ftalke, aboutafoote, or halfe a yard high, 
bufhing forth into many branches, whereon grow many darke greene leaves, fomewhat broad and pointed at 
the ends, foft and full of juice, larger than the leaves of Baflill, elfe fomewhat like,and a little unevenly dented 
about the edges, at the toppes of the ftalkes and branches, come forth three or foure or more white flowers, 
made of five fmall pointed leave? a peece, handing on a ftalke together, one by or above another, with yellow 
pointels in the middle, compofed of foure or five yellow threds fet together, which afterwards turne into fo ma¬ 
ny pendulous greene berries, of thebigneffeof fmall pcafe, full of greene juice, and fmall wbitifh round flat 
feede,lying within it: the roote is white and a little wooddy, when it hath given flower and fruite, with many 
fmall fibres at it: the whole plant is of a waterifhinfipidetafte, but the juice within the berryes, is fome- 
what vifeous, like unto a thin mucilage,and is of a cooling and binding quality. 
2. Solannm vulgare baccis rubris. Red berryed common Nightfhade. 
I call this common Nightfliade, becaufe it is in all things like the former common Nightfhade,except that the 
leaves hereof are fomewhat harder and rougher, and the berries when they are ripe, are either of a yellow, or 
of a yellowifh red colour, the whole plant growing alfo little bigger then the other: this fort we have had out 
of Spaine, but endured not a winter with us, being more tender as coinming out of a hotter Country, where it 
abideth many ycares, and it may be, that it is but a degeneration by reafon of the climate, as it hapencth in fweete 
Fcnell feede and divers other things which change by tranfplantation. 
Solanum Somniferum. Sleepy Nightfhade. 
Sleepy Nightfliade rifeth up,with divers thickc round foft woolly ftalkes,divided into other branches,where¬ 
on grow many foft woolly, but greene broad round leaves, very like unto Quince leaves, two alwayes fet at a 
joynt one againft another. of fomewhat a hoc tafte as Clrfw faith; the flowers come forth at the joynts with 
the 
341 
