Chap.17* c Tbeatrum Botanicum. Tribe 3: 
caufc of that errour, but I verily fuppofe it to be more antient,for Diojco rides faith in his Chapter of Arum, among 
the doerfe names thereof, that thofeofC;/>iw did aWArum by the name of Colocapon, and therefore itis molt 
probable that diverfe Nations, eating the rootes of this Arum, as well as the reft, which were not hot andfharpe 
in tafte, in thofe countries, as they are in thefe colder, did from the Cyprians call it Colocafia , becaufe the roote of 
the Egyptian Beane, being alfo called Colocafia, was boyled and eaten as thofe of Arum were : and thus this er¬ 
rour ip: eading, and the ule of them encreafing by being peradventttre, both more plentiful, to be had by en- 
creale, and more acceptable to the tafte, than the fruite of the Egyptian Beane, it became of leffeefteeme, and in 
time to be fo muchnegleffed, that it was no more looked after and planted, whereby it became to be utterly 
uiiknowne at thelaft, and the name Culcas, was ftill maintained and impofed on thofe rootes of Arum, as if they 
had beetle the rootes ofthe Egyptian Bane. Thus much I thought good out of my fimple judgement to declare 
w hich if it doe not agree with truth and reafon, I fubmit it to thofe that can bring better. 
The Venues . 
Tragus reporteth that a dramme weight, or more if neede be, ofthe roote of that Wake Robin, that hath fpot- 
ted leaves, whether it be frefh and greene, or dried it mattereth not; being bruifed or beaten and taken, is a 
moftprefent remedy never failing againftbothpoyfon and plague: fome he faith, take as much Andromack'M 
Treakle with it, for the more certaintie : the juyee of the furbe taken, to the quantitie of a fpoonefull or more, 
worketh the fame eflfeft : but if there be a little vinegar added thereunto, as well as to theroote before fpoken 
of, it will fomewhat allay that fnarpe biting tafte upon the tongue, which it caufeth; the greene leaves likewife 
being bruifed and laid upon any boyle or plague fore, doth wonderfully helpc to draw forth the poyfon: the 
pouder ofthe dried route ofWake Robin, to the weight of a dramme, taken with twife as much Sugar, in the 
forme of a Lohocor licking EIedluary,or the greene roote, doth wonderfully helpe thofe that arepurlie or fliort- 
winded, as alfo thofe that have the cough, having their ftomacke, chell, and longs, ftuffed with much flenme 
for itbreakethand digeftethit in them, and caufeth ittobeeafily avoided and fpit forth : the milke wherein the 
roote hath beene boyled, is effeftuallallo for the fame purpofe : the faid pouder taken in wine or drinke, or the 
juyceofthe berries, orthe pouder of them, orthe wine wfierem they have bcene boyled provoketh 'urine, 
andbringeth downe womens ccurfes when they are ftayed, and purgeth them effectually after child bea¬ 
ring, to bring away the afterbirth; it is faid that it expeileth drunkennefic alfo; taken with fheepes milke, 
it healeth the inward ulcers of the bowells; the diftilled water hereof likewife is effectual), to all the purpofes 
aforefaid; and moreover a fpoonefull taken at a time, healeth the itch; and an ounce or more taken at a 
time for fome dayes together, doth helpe the rupture •- the leaves either greene or drie or the juyee 
of them, doth clenfe all manner ofrotten and filthy ulcers, of what part of the body foever they be, and the 
(linking (ores in the nofe called Polypus and healeth them alfo : the water wherein the roote hath bcene boyled, 
dropped into the eyes,clen(cth them from any filmeor skinne beginning to grow over them, or clouds or 
miftes thatmay hinder the fight, and helpeth alfo the watering and redneffe of them, and when by chancethey 
become blacke and blew: theroote mixed with Keane flower, and applied to the throat or j awes that are in¬ 
flamed, helpeth them : the juice ofthe berries boyled inoyle of Rofes, orthe berries themfelves made into 
pouder, and mixed with the oyle and dropped into the earcs, eafeth the paines in them : the berries or the 
rootesbeaten with hot oxe dung,and applied to the gout, eafeth the paines thereof: the leaves and rootes alfo 
boyled in wine with a little oyle, and applied to the piles, or the falling downe ofthe fundament eafeth them, 
and fo doth the fitting over the hot fumes thereof: the frt fli rootes bruifed and diftilled with a little milke, yeel- 
deth a molt foveraigne water to clenfe the skinne from feurfe, freckles, (pots, or blemiflies wbatfeever therein : 
yet fome ufe the rootes themle ves bruifed and mixed with vinegar,but that is too fliarpe, and not to be ufedibut 
when there is great neede, and with good caution,and not to abide long upon any place : there is a feex/a made 
by art from the frefh rootes, called Gerfdferpentnria, which is as white as"Starch or Cerufe, and being diffolved ill 
milke, or in the diflillcd water, of the rootes and milke aforeiaid, doth wonderfully blanch the skinne, hiding 
many deformities •• the frefh rootes cutfmall and mixed with a fallet of white Endive or Lettice, &c. is an ex¬ 
cellent difti toentertaineafmell-feaft.orunbidden unwelcome gueft to a mans table, to make fport with him, 
and drive him from his too much boldneffe ; or the pouder of the dried roote, ftrawed upon any daintie bit of 
meate, that may be given him to eate ; for either way, within a while after the taking of it, it will fo burne and 
pi icke his mouth and throate, that he (hall not be able either to eate a bit more, or fcarfeto fpeake for paine, 
and will fo abide untill there be fome new milke or frefh butter given, which by little and little, will takeaway 
thehcate and pricking, andreflore him againc.Some ufe to lay the greene leaves of Wake Robinainong their 
Cheches,both tokeepe them from breeding wormes, and to ridde'them alfo being in them. The Arifarumo r 
Friers Con!e,as®ic/cOTi*r andGd/f»affirme,isfarre hotter, and fbarpe or biting m tafte, than Arum or Wake 
Robin, which is not fo found in any part of Europe, whether ftaly or Spaine, France, Germany or England, that I 
know, both hot and cold countries, but in all of them much milder and weaker than the Arum ("which caufed 
Tragus as I faid before, to fufpefl: that our Arum, was the Arifartim of the antients) and therefore they appoint 
it, to be laid to eating,f retting, and running fores, to (lay their fpreading,and abate their malignitie, as alfo to be 
put into fiftulas and hollow ulcers, to helpe to clenfe and heale them up s a peece ofthe roote, put into the fecrct 
parts of any fcmall creature, killeth them, caufing them to die quickly ; which thing is contradifted by fome, 
and faid to be utterly untrue, c Amatut Lufstamss writeth, that in the Low Countries it was ufed againft the 
plague, wherco fC/afim faith, it was not knowne unto his eountrie men, untill he had travelled into Spaine and 
Portugal, and from thence gave them the knowledge thereof, by fending ir unto them: but it may be hee 
miftook cArifarum, for Arum, which as you may fee before, is found cffeffuall for that purpofe. The lArumot 
Egypt™ it is milder in tafte, although fomewhat fliarpe and bitter and flimie in eating, foitis leife effeftuall in 
medicine.becaufeitismoreufuallinmeate. All theEaft countries which the Italians call the Levant, as Apt, 
Syria, Arabia, Egypt, c -re. and lava alfo, and other places in the Indies as you heard before doe mod frequently 
eate the rootes hereof boiled in the broth of flelh, and many other wayes drefled, not onely as a daily foode, but 
as they thinke, to encreafenaturallfpermeor feede, andtocaufe a validitic alfo, and more powerfull abilitie 
ititheaft of generation. 
Caafl 
