Tribe.;. The Theater of Plants. Chap. 24. 393s 
hereof Bifiortamimr, or Atjm*minor ■ onely Gefner in hortis GcrwwiV,reckoned! it to be a fmall fort of Limoni- 
m But in that jSi/frirfvrcannotbe Britanica this flieweth : in the defeription thereof that the leaves are rough or 
tairv when thefe are fmooth, and that the rootes of "Brit/tnica are fmall and fhort, when thele are not fmall aU 
hough fhort • and Galen in his fixt Booke of Simples, faith that although the leaves ot ’Britanica be fomewhat 
I ike ® nt0 p) 0C ke leaves,yet they are blacker and more hairy. And that it cannot be Beben rubrum, the faculties doe 
tl-afily declare for the rootes of the true Behen rubrnm&album, are both fweete in fmell, andareofan hot qua- 
, itm that they are effefluall to procure venery, or bodily lull which thefe cannot: thelaft is not remembred by 
iny Author before this time. The Italians, Spaniards and French doe follow the Latine, as wedoealfo, the Low 
■ Dutch the Germancs in their appellations, which is Nattentortck. 
The Vertues, 
Both the leaves and rootes of Biftort, have a powerfull facultie’to refill all poyfon, adrammeof theroote 
:in pouder taken in drinke, expelleth the venome of the plague or PeRilence, the fmall Pocks, Meafclls, Purples, 
i'or any ocher infeflious difeafe, driving it forth by fweating ; the fame roote in pouder, or the decoflion thereof 
fin wine beiiw drunke Raieth 'all manner of inward bleeding, or fpittmg ofbloud, as alfo any fluxes of the body 
lin man or woman • as alio when one is troubled with vomiting : the pouder alfo of the roote, or the decoflion 
"thereof being drunke, is very availeable againR ruptures or burftings, or all bruifes or falls whatfoever diflolving 
"the congealed blou d, and ealing che paines that happen thereuponthe fame alfo helpeth the Iaundife : the wa¬ 
ter diddled from both leaves and rootes, is a Angular remedy to walh any place, bitten or flung by any ver.e- 
imous creature as Spiders, Toades, Adders,or the like, as alfo for any the ptirpofes before fpoken of; and is very 
good to walh any running fores or ulcers •. the decoflion of the roote in wine being drunke, hmdercth abortion, 
that is when women are apt to mifearrie in childbearing, the leaves alfo killeth the wormes in children, and is 
a great lielpe to them that cannot keepe their water, ifthey put thereto fome juyee of Plantaine; and applied 
'outwardly doth give much helpe in th egonorrhaa or running of the remes: a dramme of the pouder of the roote, 
taken in the water thereof, wherein fome iron or fteele being red hot hath bcene quenched ,is an admirabledelpe 
! thereunto, fo as the body be firft prepared and purged from the offenfive humours: the leaves or feedes, or 
rootes are all very good to be put into decoflions, or drinkes,ot lotions, for either inward or outward 
wounds or other fores; and the pouder ftrowed upon any cut or wound in a veine, &c. that is apt to bleede 
much ftaieth the immoderate fluxe thereof: the decoflion of the rootes in water, whercunto fome Pomgranet 
Pills and flowers are added, ferveth for aninceflien into the matrice, as well today the accede of humours to 
the ulcers thereof, as alfo to bring it to the place being fallen downe, and to helpe to flay the abundance of their 
coutfes-the roote of Biflort and Pellitory of Spain?, and burnt Allome of each alike quantitie, beaten fmall & made 
into a p'afle with fome hony, a little peece hereof put into an hollow tooth, or holden betweene the teeth, if 
there benohollowncffeinthem, ftaieth the defluxions of rheume upon them, when it is the caufe of paincin 
them and helpeth to denfe the head, and avoide much offenfive matter: the dillilled water is very effefluall to 
waflr’thofe fores or cankers that happen in the nofe or any other part, if the powder of theroote be applied 
thereto afterwards: it is good alfo to fallen the gummes, and to take away the heate and inflammation, that hap. 
pen as well in the jawes, almonds of the throat ot mouth, if the decoflion of the rootes leaves, or feedes, be ufed, 
or the juyee of them : the rootes are more effefluall to all the purpofes aforefaid, than either leaves or feede. 
Chap, XXIV. 
Tormcntiila, Tormentill or Setfoile.’ 
Lthough formerly there hath but one kind of Tormentill or Setfoile beenc knowneto our Snglifi 
Writers, yet now there is found out and made knowne to us two other forts, which fhall be all de¬ 
clared in this Chapter. 
1. Tormcntiila vulgaris. Common Tormentill. 
The common Tormentill (is fo like unto Cinqucfoile, that many doe miftake it, for it may well 
be reckoned as one of them j hath many reddilh Render, wcake branches, riling from the roote, lying 
upon the ground, or rather leaning, than Handing upright, with many Ihort leaves that Hand clofer to the 
ftaikes, than the other Cinkefoiles doe, with the foote (hike encompafling the branches atleverall places, but 
thole that grow next to the ground are fet upon long foote (hikes, each whereof are like unto the leaves of 
Cinhcfotle , or five leafed graffe, but fomewhat longer and leffer, and dented about the edges, many of them di¬ 
vided but into five leaves, but moft of them into leaven, whereof it tooke the name Setfoile, and handing round 
with the divifions like a ftarre, and thereforetalled Stellaria) yet fome may have fixe and lome eight, as the fer- 
tilitie of the foile and nature lift to worke: at thetoppes of the branches (hnd divers fmall yellow flowers, 
confifting of five leaves, like unto thofe of Cinkefoile y but fmaller: the roote is (mailer than Biftort, lomewliat 
thicke but blacker without, and not fo red within, yet fometimes a little crooked, having many blackilh fibres 
thereat. 
2. Torment-ilia Alpina major . The greater Tormentill. _ 
This Tormentill differeth not from the former, but in the largendfe of the leaves.and rootes, which are much 
greater and redder, and of a better lent, in all things elfe agreeing with the former. 
2. Torment ilia argonte a . Silver leafed Tormentill. 
This white Tormentill, hath many fhort, low and thicke fpread reddifh ftalkes, with leaves like unto a 
Cinkefoile,ibut much fmaller than the firft, and confifting of five leaves in1 many of them, and fi xe and feaven in 
moft of them,& lometimes more being fomewhat longer,& each of them fet upon very long foote ftaikes,grcenc 
on the npperfide, and of a filver fhining white colour underneath, fmooth and not fnipt at all about the e ges c 
the flowers are fmaller than in the firft by the halfe, and of a white colour, fetaboutthe ft^lkesat the toppes, 
at fcverall diftances, and Handing in fmall huskesj wherein afterwards is contained fmall yellow i(h leede :^ne 
