1382 Chap.2^, 
Theatrum ‘ Botantcum . 
1 R IBE 15 
neffe of an Almond, in powder be taken in honied Wine: by the acrimony and bittemeffc therein, n.sgood 
to open the obftrua.ons of the liver, and kidneyes, and the yellow J.undUc and (lone- and by the aftringent qua- 
Uty to (lay the fluxes of the belly, but the more effeaually i thedecoa.on thereofbe taken that ,s made with 
htill or red Wine: by the notable drying quality therein allo.fauhhe, I doubted nottohelpcch.ldrenthere- 
w h that had the falling fickneffe.by tying it about their neckes. And mdeede I law a cb.lde freed from that 
difeafe that had for eight whole moneths together,worne a good peece of the roote about him,and that as oone 
as that peece by feme chance fell from about his necke or was taken away for tryal of the matter, he fell mto 
the difeafe aoaine : but having a frcih one applyed to him aga.ne, he became perkaiy well: the reafon where¬ 
of may be, that the Spirits thereof drawne into the pores by the inward heate, and outward a,re,pierced the pla¬ 
ces efeted with the dilbalc.and cured it: for after the fame manner doth the Succue Cjreuatcus, that is the bed 
LafJ or Lafe^puhsm, cure the uvula, or palate of the mouth as we call it, whenit is fa nedo^e, orfwolne 
through rheume: eras Nigella feede being fryed and bound m athmnewatme lumen cloith, doth dry up the 
thinne and troublelome deilillations ofrhenmes, by the hot breath thereof rrfing through thenolrr, Is: as alfo 
if divers threds dyed in the purple fiarcolour.be bound about a Viper or Adders necke audit thereby ftrangled, 
and they afterwards bound about their neckes that havelwell.ngsor other dileaies in then-neckes and throates, 
doe marvailoufly helpe them : thelebe Galens words: but our age hath not onely found Gate experiments 
true on children the roote ( of the male rather then the female, yea the male not the female,and that frefh and 
not dry,if you m’eane it (hould doe good; is robe hanged aboutthear neckes, and that the decofhon thereof 
to be taken inwardly, to make it the more availcable, and that alfo in older perfonyf the difeafe be notgrowne 
too old and part cure, for whom the roote of the male Kinde wafhed cleane, damped fomewhat fm ill, and laid 
to infiife in a fufficient propo; tion of Sacke for twenty foure tioures at the lead, after drained, and given firft and 
'ad a pood draught for fund y dayes together, before and alter a lull moone, curcththat fickeneffe, if there be 
adue and orderly preparauono ( thebodyafo eiiand with poletdrinke made of Betony,&c. as the learned Phy- 
fitian can bed appoint: the roote alfo is tftefhiall for women that are not diffidently cleanfed after child-birth, 
and for fitch alfo as arc t oublef with the mother, for which iikewile the blackc Iced being beaten to powder is 
given in w inc, the red fcedcs being taken for fluxes: the blacke alfo taken before bed tune, and in the morning 
alfo is very effiftuall for Inch as are in theii fleepe troubled with the difeafe called Epbia/ttt, or Incubus, which 
PH„. ca Ileth 'nppefio msHutna, we ulually call it chc night mare,which is a fupprefTing both of voice and breath, 
i oppreflinu rhe body as it were.with tome heavy burthen,driving ca be ealed thereof, but feeming not to be 
able nor to cad for helpe, Melancholly perfons being for the mod part fubjeft to chisdikafc: it isalfogooda- 
gaind melancholly dreames, Matthsolus donbteth whether our Peony, be that which Galen ufed, becaufe many 
Phyfitians as he faith in his tin e failed in the cry all thereof on young children, and I am in doubt that Tragut his 
male Peony fpoken of here before, was that which they ufed, and thennomarvaile if it proved notcffcauall as 
they expcffcd.yct faith Mattfnolus cur Peony leedes is availeable to reftore fpeech to thole that have loft it,if thir¬ 
ty graines husked be made into powder and given in Wine: it is alfo faith he, good againft the Bitings of Ser¬ 
pents not onely to be drunke but to be laid on the bitten place, which thing Tragus faich of his male Peony, which 
as 1 lhcwed you before, is the Fraxinclla. The deftilled water or Syrupe made of the flowers, worketh to the 
lame effcfls that the roote and feede is applyed before,although more weakely. The male kinde being lo lcarle 
a p! ant and poflefi'ed but by a few,and thole great lovers of rarity in this kinde, and the Female being mote fre¬ 
quent, the one is ufually put inftead ot the other. 
Chap. XXIX. 
Pappas five 2? attatas. Potatoes. 
CteSiiSS&Hcre arc divers forts of rootes that are called Potatoes with us, ferving for foode or delight, more 
then for medicine whereof all that are truely knownc to us, what face or forme of leaves andflow- 
ers they bcareaiecxpi died in my former bookethere are many more of the fame quality 5 befides 
others that ferve in Head of bread, familiar to tire Natives both of the Eaft and Weft Indies, whole 
: names 01 eiy ate extant in thole Authvurs Workes that have written of them,without any further de¬ 
claration either of forme or any property, but that the rootes are eaten by rhem.fome being of better tafte then o- 
thers & longer lading, among whom as I take it the Igname or Inhume ,is a principall one, whereof Scaliger firft, 
and C lupus afterwards,have given us the bed information. C In fun faying it is alfo called by lome Camotes, el- 
motes and Aies.hW he faith of k is thi-.that lome Portugal! Ships that were taken by the/MWcrr, had divers of 
thele rootes in them fome bigger then othersifor lome as he faith were as bigge as ones armc, and of a foote long 
or more,others Idler,and lome thickc and fhort having fome fmall tubers thrufting out at che lower parts of them, 
but all of them covered with an uneven and rugged barke, with many fibres at them : the iubftancc of the roote 
within, being white, foft,lappy,tender,and as it were kernclly, and ofnounpleafant tafte (that is the raw roote 
for he faith he tailed it) at che firft, but a little rough and (harpe afterwards: but being rolled under the embers 
it tafteth more tender then any Chefnut, and fomewhat like a Peare, but faith he what (hike or leafe it bore hce 
could not underhand of any : onely he faith he received one that was Cent him that had afprout at the head of it, 
which was broken off in the carriage, as the figure here exprdleth it unro you, but Label in his tAdvcrfaria, faith 
he underftoodihac thofe rootes of the Inhume, that were brought from Ethiopia and Cjuiney, bore Mallow-like 
leaves (and differeth fromthofe of Spuine, and the Canary Iflands, which are our ordinary great Potatoes jand 
luch like leaves doth Lugctunen/Is give to an American plant called Hetich whofe roote is fomewhac like it and e- 
dible C'ufi’n alio fpeaketh of another fort of thefe Inhumes , which as he faith fome called Teem Peru, bur the' 
Portugal! Jnhume as the former, which although it were like the other, yet the barke was more uneven,and fome 
as it we r e fome knobbes thereon, with fmall fibres going from them, an d from the head of the toote, went but 
hard great itringes,of a foote long,which were prickly for the mod part. Clufisu feemethto referre the Virginia 
Potatoes ,co the Arachiina Thcophrafli, and Lugiunenfu faith lome did the Manihot, and that this Jnhame was 
referred 
