862 IMP 
I-I. With many-flowered peduncles, n. Impatiens 
triflora, or three-flowered balfam : peduncles three-flow¬ 
ered, folitary ; leaves narrow lanceolate. Burman fays it 
is a native of Ceylon: Mr. Miller adds, and of many parts 
of India; but that, the flowers being fmailer than 'thofe of 
the common fort, this is not worth cultivating for beau¬ 
ty. Burman however fays, that they are large and very 
elegant. 
Impatiens noli tangere, or common yellow balfam : 
peduncles many-flowered, folitary; leaves ovate, joints of 
the Hem. fweliing. Root annual. Stem a foot high, up¬ 
right ; Idem and branches pale yellowilh green, Imooth 
and fliining,' fomewliat transparent, thickeit at the joints, 
fucculent and brittle. Flowers yellow ; the lateral petals 
fpotted with red, by cultivation changing to pale yellow 
or purplifn. Seeds rather large, angular, ftriated, ovate. 
When the feeds are ripe, upon touching the caplule, they 
are thrown out with confiderable force. Hence the Latin 
names of impatiens and noli tangere , and the Englifli name 
of quick in hand, (alive 3s it were in the hand.) Gerarde 
calls it codded arfmart, and Parkinfon, wild mercury. The 
olafticity of the feed-veflel has furnifhed names in molt of 
the European languages. In the day-time the leaves are 
expanded, but at night they hang pendent, contrary to 
what is obferved in molt plants, which, from a deficiency 
of moifture, or a too great perfpiration from heat, com¬ 
monly droop their leaves during the day. The whole 
plant is confiderably acrid, and no quadruped, except 
perhaps the goat, is faid to eat it. Notwithftanding this, 
it was formerly coniidered as diuretic and vulnerary, and 
was given to relieve the haemorrhoids and the ftrangury. 
Boerhaave regarded it as poifonous. It is now conligned 
wholly to the flower-garden, where however it is not of¬ 
ten feen. It is the only fpecies of Impatiens wild in Eu¬ 
rope. It is alfo found in Canada. With us it occurs in 
Wales, and the northern counties of England, in moift 
fhady places, and by the banks of rivulets ; as on the 
banks of Winander-mere near Amblefide, near Rydall- 
hall, and between both places, in Weftmoreland ; in Sa- 
terthwait-parilh, and by the fide of Conifton-lake, in Lan- 
calhire ; and about Bingley in Yorkfliire. Flowering in 
July and Augult. 
Propagation and Culture. The feeds of thefe plants 
fhould be fown on a moderate hot-bed in the fpring, and, 
when the plants are come up about an inch high, they 
ihould be tranfplanted on another moderate hot-bed at 
about four inches diftance each way, obferving to (hade 
them from the fun till they have taken new root; after 
which they Ihould have a large fliare of free air admitted 
to them, at all times when the weather is favourable, to 
prevent their drawing up tall and weak ; they will require 
to be often refreshed with water, but it Ihould. not be 
given to them in too great plenty; for, as their Items are 
Very fucculent, they are apt to rot with much moifture. 
When the plants are grown fo large'as to touch each 
other, they Ihould be carefully taken up with balls of 
earth to their roots, and ea.ch planted into a feparate pot 
filled with light rich earth, and plunged into a very mo¬ 
derate hot-bed under a deep frame, to admit the plants 
to grow, (hading them from the fun until they have taken 
freih root; then they (hould have a large fliare of air ad¬ 
mitted to them every day, and by degrees hardened fo as 
to bear the open air, into which part of the plants may 
be removed in July, placing them in a warm fituation ; 
where, if the leaion proves favourable, they will flower 
and make a fine appearance ; but it will be proper to keep 
part of the plants either in a glafs cafe or a deep frame, 
in order to get good feeds, becaufe thofe in the open air 
will not ripen their feeds until the furnmer proves very 
warm ; and the plants in (helter muft have a good (hare 
of free air every day, otherwife they will grow pale and 
iickly ; nor Ihould they have too much of the fun in the 
middle of the day, in very hot weather, for that occafions 
their leaves hanging, and their requiring water, which is 
often very hurtful; therefore, if the glades are (haded in 
IMP 
the middle of the day for three or four hours, the plants’ 
will thrive better, and continue longer in beauty, than 
when they are expofed to the great heat. Thole who are 
curious to preferve thefe plants in perfection, pull off all 
the (ingle and plain-coloured flowers from the plants 
which they preferve for feeds, leaving only thofe flowers 
which are double and of good colours; where this is care¬ 
fully done, they may be continued without the lead de¬ 
generacy conftantly. Parkinfon (ays it is a very tender 
plant, and muft be fown carefully in a pot of earth, and 
tended and watered in the heat of Cummer, and all little 
enough to bring it to perfection. In his time (1629) its 
native place was not known here, and the feeds were im¬ 
ported from Italy. The other forts may be treated in the 
manner above directed, being annual plants from the. 
fame countries ; but, if the feeds of the common European 
fort be permitted to fcatter, they generally fucceed better 
than when they are fown ; for, unlefs (own in the au¬ 
tumn foon after they are ripe, they rarely grow. The 
plants require no care but to keep them clean from weeds, 
and thin them where they are too clofe. It delights in a. 
fliady fituation and moift foil. 
IMPA'TIENT, adj. Not able to endure; incapable to 
bear; with of: 
Fartne, impatient of extremes, decays 
Not more by envy than excefs of praife. Pope. 
Furious with pain; unable to bear pain t 
The tortur’d favage turns around. 
And flings about his foam, impatient of the wound. Dryd , 
Vehemently agitated by fome painful paflion; with at be¬ 
fore the occafion ; with of, impatience is referred more to 
the thing, with at, to the perfon.—To be impatient at the 
death of a perfon, concerning whom it was certain he 
muft die, is to mourn becaufe thy friend was not born an 
angel. Taylor's Rule of Living. —Hot; hafty.—The impatient 
man will not give himfelf time to be informed of the matter 
that lies before him. Addifon. —Eager ; ardently defirous ; 
not able to endure delay ; with for before the thing defiled 
The mighty Caefar waits his vital hour, 
Impatient for the world, and grafps his promis’d pow’r. 
Dry den. 
Not to be borne : 
Ay me! deare lady, which the ymage art 
Of ruefull pity and impatient fmart. Spenfer. 
IMPA'TIENTLY, adv. [from impatient.’] With rage, 
under uneafinefs.—Paflionately ; ardently.—Fie confidered 
one thing fo impatiently, that he would not admit any 
thing to be worth confideration. Clarendon. —Eagerly; with- 
great defire. 
IMPA'TIENTNESS, f The ftate of being impatient., 
Scott. 
IMPATRONIZA'TION, f [from impatronize.] The 
aft of putting into the full pofleflion of a benefice. 
To IMPAT'RONIZE, v.a. To gain to one’s felf the 
power of any feigniory.—This word is not ufual.—The- 
ambition of the French king was to impatronize himfelf of 
the duchy. Bacon. 
To IMPAWN',, v. a. To impignorate; to pawn; to give 
as a pledge; to pledge: 
Go to the king, and let there be impawn'd 
Some furety for a Cafe return again. Shakefpeare. 
To IMPE'ACH, v. a. \_empecher , Fr.] To hinder; to 
impede. This fenfe is little in life. —His fons did impeach his 
journey to the Holy Land, and vexed him all the days of 
his life. Davies. 
Each door he open’d without any breach ; 
There was no bar to flop, nor foe him to impeach. Spenfer. 
To accufe by public authority.—They were both impeached. 
by a houfe of commons. Addifon. —Great difientions were 
kindled among the nobles and commons, on account of 
Coriolanus, whom the latter had impeached. Swift. 
IMPE'ACH, 
