RIBE 5, 
The Theater of ‘Plants. 
Chap. 113* 
imer times almoft every country had afeverall Trcfoile with yellow flowers to be their t Mellilot. The A- 
Urn call it Alchilelmelich , and the Italians,'Spaniards , ,and French Melilate , the germane! Edlerftanklee, the 
tt'cb Groote Steenclayeren, and Ghemayne Melilot • and inSngliJb as I have faid before. 
The Venues. 
Diofcorides faith, itliath an aflringent or binding qualitie. Itmollifieth all hard tumours and inflam mations s 
at happen in the eyes or other parts of the body, as the (cate or fundament, and the privic parts of man or wo¬ 
rn being boyled in wine and laide to the place, and fometimes the yoalkc of a roafted egge, or the powder 
Feniereekc or Linieede, or fine flower, or Poppie feede, or Endive is.added onto it. It healeth thofe impo- 
Lpes that are frelhjbeing applied with terrafyi/lata and wine, and the fpreading ulcers alfo in the head,being 
Rallied witha lye made thereof.lt eafeth the paines of the ftomacke, applied either freih, or boyled With any 
her of the aforenamed things. It helpeth alfo the paines of the eares being dropped into them, and deeped in 
ginegar or Rofewater it mitigateth the headach : Thus faith Diefcoridfs. Galen faith in his fixth Booke of fim- 
L Medecines, that Melilot is of a mixt qualitie, for it hath a little aflringent faculue in it, and yet it doth digeft; 
,r the warming or hot qualitie is more abundant therein thenthe cold. The Arabian Phyfitians doe appoint the 
:>ds and feede, to be ufed in medicines, and make no mention of flowers. T h e Greeks contrariwile doewill 
lie flowers onely to be ufed, and never make ufe of feede or codds; and therefore as eJMauhidm faith, it isno 
ronder that the compound plaifter of Mellilot, which the Apothecaries make, not having any ofthemeale of 
he feede ofthe true Melilot therein, doth not worke that cffeifl that the Phyfitians doc expeft, for this cam- 
round plaifter is appointed to be ufed, to diffolve hardnefle, windineffe, tumours and dwellings, both ofthe 
nleene, liver and belly, as alfo mightily to cafe the paine of them all, andtoheale the Hypochondria, or fore 
;art ofthe belly, about the fhortribbes, when it is ftretched or crackt by the dwelling thereof; but there is anc - 
her plaifter called Mellilot,which is much ufed,to draw and heale all fores and wounds that neede cleanfing.and 
1; made ofthe juice ofthe greene young Mellilot,boyled with Roffen, Waxe.Sheepe tallow,and fome Turpentine, 
ivhich if it be well made, will be almoft as’greene as the herhe it felfe, and fmell very ftrong thereof, although 
|t be two or three yeares old. The flowers of Mellilot aud Camomill are much ufed to be put together into 
Idyfters that are given to expell winde, & to cafe paines,as alfo into pultofcs that are made for the lame purpofe, 
lind to affwage dwellings or tumors that happen either in the fplcene or other parts, bythemollifyingordif- 
tufling qualities that are in if. It helpeth alfo inflammations whether in the eyes or face, or other parts of the 
j) 0 dy. The juyee dropped into the eyes is a Angular good medicine to take away any filme or skinne from them, 
that groweth as a cloud to dimme the cyefight. It is effeftuall to be applied to thofe that have fodainely loft their 
[fenfes by any paroxifme, as alfo to ftrengthen the memorie, to comfort the head and braines, and to preferve them 
from paines, and the feare of the Apoplexie.if the head be often waflied, with the diftilled water of the herhe 
and flowers, or a lye made therewith. The water alfo diftilled ferveth as a perfume, to walh courfe gloves or 
other things. The flowers and herbe of the white flowred Mellilot, fteeped in oy le Olive, and fet into the Sunne 
todigeft for fame time, and after being boyled in a Balneo of hot water, and drained forth, and other frefh 
flowers and berbes being put thereto, and Sunned, as before and drained, and fo ufed at the fecond or third time, 
is accounted amoft foveraine Balme, both for greene wounds and old fores, for fwellings, inflammations, 
erampe. ,convulfions,paines,or aches whatfoever in any part of the body .whether it be in any flelhy or mufculous 
part, or among the finewes and veines. The Italian Melilot, is as efteduall as any of the other, and by fome ac¬ 
counted to be of more efficacie and vertue. The Egyptian Melilot, as Alpinns laith, the feede thereof onely is 
ufed by them, being boyled, and the places greeved, fomented and bathed with the warmc decoflion againft 
paines ofthe (ides, the Pleurifie and Peripneumonia, as alfo the paines of the collicke and winde in the belly, the 
windineffe or ftrangling of the mother, or any griefes thereof to fit in the deco&ion thereof; and if Fenegreeke ; 
and Linefeede, and Camomill flowers be added thereto, it helpeth all tumors or hard fwellings thereof, and 
doth helpe to provoke the monethly courfes, and to open the obftruftions ofthe veines, and afterwarwards to 
ftrengthen the parts. The Indian Mellilot, if wee would ufe the feede, which as I faid before fmcilethftrongcr 
than the reft of the plant, hath no doubt the fame qualitie that the former have, the fmell and tafte perfwading 
plainely thereunto. 
Divers other herbes thereare that might be referred to this Claffis, fome whereof are fet forth in my former 
Booke, and fome you fhall finde fpecified as well in the precedent as fubfequent Chapters of this Worke, which 
you may oblerve in the Vcrtues as you reads them. 
q PLZJffTJE 
