Tr ibr 
V- 
* 7 - 
The Theater of Tlantt. 
ChAF.2, 1565 
; n M V falth ' thac r chat fort °t f wee C wood that commeth from Com™, and ZeiUn, and there 
called Agmla W that is to fay, Ug^m Aloes fylveftreM not true Listen Abes, which true fort as all the 
Auncent Authours doe fet it downs is a blackilh wood in peeces, fome accounting the greater peeces to be the 
better, but yet fomewhat difcoloured with vetnes, (fome Authours faying it i« to weighty and heavy, that it 
will finkeand not fwimmc being put into water •• but othersdoe not allow of that note, laym, that the belt that 
is willfwunmeland full of an oyleons tubftance, of a tine fweete and aromaticlte fent.whichlt will fweat forth, 
when it■ Mburned : Now to come to our later times and fhew you, that for many yeares together (as many 0! 
ther fuchlike rare drogues ) true Lignum Aloes was not knowne to the Phyfitions or Apothecaries of Europe, for 
they ufed inftead thereof a k.ndeot Lsgmm Rhodium, which R«ell,,« tooketob <s AfpaUth.ss, and but that the 
X'ersetiansdi late dayes by their travel! and fearch, both in Cairo and the Halt Indies, canted fome of the true 
fort to be lent unto Venice, and was upon view and tryall approved, th e 7 >m»j«J, Sea voyages tothe haft In- 
dies, did firft make it knowne in thete later times to Chnftcndome : bnt now in our Droguitf and Apothecaries 
ihops there is much variety and counterfeit fluffe obtruded on the ignorant, divers forts being to be teene and 
yet fcarce one of them true Lsgnnm Aloes having thofe markes and notes formerly fet downe, and acknowlcd - 
ged by the Ancients, which are the onely true notes whereby to know the bedand fuel, no doubt is ou"be/i 
lort, which ate knobbed or uneven peeces, very brittle, an cl breaking fliort, fomewhat blacke on the outfide 
and more gray and decoloured within, of a very fmall fent, untill it be burned ; yet I have feenc with Mafte’r 
TuJefcmt the elder before he dyed.a great peece of true Lignum Aloes, and of the bed fort, as binge and as Ion* as 
a mans legge, without any knot therein, which as he (aid our King Charles gave him with his owne hands, but 
was here kept before, and accounted by many,as a great religious rellicke, even to be a peece of the Wood of that 
C, o(Te, whereon our Saviour was crucified, and therefore was fetched away againe from his Sonne, to be kept 
as. monument or relhckc dill i butth.s.shkealltheotherrellickesinthe world, even mcere Imputes, for 
auurcdly if all thofe peeces of wood, that are or were to be found inthe world, laid robe parts of that Croffe 
were all fet together,they would goe ncere to make one,yea many cart loads full: yet lo fond and fuperftitiou. 
are men to teleeve lies rather then truthes, that they will rarher kill the gainefayers and thinke that therein they 
doe (Sod good fervice, then be wife to fee their errours. The other forts which arc (mooth and plaine, with 
long qM.ncs.are no true Ls ? m>m Aloes, although fo called, being neither of that worth in price, nor goodnefle 
meffeft.The propertyes whereof are very cordtall for the hea, t.and comfortable for the head and braine, heloin? 
the memory, and warming and drying up thedefluxions of rheumaticke humours on thofe parts for it is 
hot and dry in the fecond degree,a little adringent and bitter, and offubtill parts, it much conduce* to weake 
Pkuter"e d alntmg fPlr ‘ tS ' an< ^ ^ ren S t hcneth aHo a languid,ing flomacke, helpcch difentries or laskes, and the 
..^ ou 8 hthe ,( flb J c ^™ tt " of ^ iswhoIe wo rk eisthedefcription ofPIants, and of no other things, yeti 
cd^ciah^fuch laare'befl^nowne.^ PhyfiCSU Dr ° S “ V0 trMW ° f 3 teW 0th£rS lh " ^ 
C H , 
II. 
Ambra Qitrina, Yellow Amber.' 
Ellow Amber Is called by the Greekcs, Succinm, by the Latines, and Carabe by the Arabs. 
'" m > and in the Apothecaries {hops, and is of fundry colours, fome peeces being whitifh, feme 
yellow,paler, or deeper,and fome of a very deepe red colour,and darkc, all the other being decre 
cra n<parent,buc much more being pohlhed : It is generally taken to be a kinde of liquid Bun. 
t 7 /„H ,X h P r nS r d Fon , nUm f s arc in ^ Germane Seas, and running into peeces, fome grea- 
in rho o«r#> i* i P rLn u h £°u h - fS V *" d 15 J :ak en up with iron hookes, being loft under water, buchardning 
in rhearre Uke Corall: that which is white, as being accounted the lighter and Iwecter is the belffor medicine; 
as th. yellow for mechamckeufcs, and being rubbed a little while, will then drawunco it llrawes and other 
fuch hke fmall things as the Loadftonedoth iron, it will alfo burne like Roffin or Bitumen, w i t h a [Irons hea¬ 
dy lent, and the rather thereof caff into the flame ofa candle or other light, will make a hidden fl.fti like ligh- 
: tenmg, and oeingfo bituminous it yeelderh an oyle, being deltilled in a retort, which although at the firft ft is 
EMvery fierce and ftrong of tlie fite.a'tr,oft odious, yet fay being fundry times rent ed 
becomm th fo rea.fyed.that both fent and colour is fo farre amended, that it is then fit to be ufed. The Phyfo 
lea 1 ptopert.es ofAmber are many, for being moderately hot and dry, being burned on quicke coales, the fumes 
received to the head,doe much helpc the moift deftillations thereof on the eyes,teeth,nofe,or flomacke and is ve- 
ry convenient for thofe that have the falling fickencffe, to leffen their fits, and to refC £ ft is good to plo- 
voke womens courfes and Angular good to helpe the ftrangling of the mother, and helpcth womei^with child 1 
a dram if-V.h i u time WIth eafe ' and t0 hind " their milcarrying that are fubjeft thereunto, to take halfc 
that Ime the vthftes^d me 'T ” W,ne . chrce or foure mornin S s togethci.and this alfo hclpeth them 
that ha re the whites, and men that have the gonorrhaia or running of the reines, conftraineth the flux and 
eS b 'SSS T C Vu d V Cert T recnedy fljr tholc that haye *eir “tine (topped many dayes to- 
r.i d ple " tltu,ly ' bei "S take " in Saxifrage water; it is alfo very good for old couahes and 
mominssfaftftp^^"intoaeonfumption, to take the pouther thereof mixed with Conferve of red Rofcs inthe 
Cioimngsfaftmg, and isivery availeablc for joynt aches, and the running gout. The Chimicallovkof Ambe- 
ubemg taken inwardly, three or foure drops in a little Mufcadine doth wonderfully eafe the (lone J.j ,u o 
**»*"«, £ jp 
CsAP] 
