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Show Theatrum Botanicum. Cuar.$. TR1sz.2. 1. Scammonia Syriaca legitima. The true Scammonye, 3 iousiancns . Thé true Scammony hatha long roote,of a darke afh-colour on the outfide,and white ian of the bigs The Theater ofPlants. Cuare4. ne, quickly perifh with the firft approach thereof, and therefore to be kept fafe in thefe cold climates, it requireth fome vault, or ftove; or other {uch conyenient place. The fecond groweth in Candy as Alpinus faith, The third f; e, (for fuuch hath beene brought us from Tripoli) with apithin themiddle thereof, and many Feidheencetich being dryed as AZatthiolus faith,the pith taken out,feemed . eee an of Tur bith, which are broughtus, from the farre remote Eafterneparts, none knowing w icsa } ms nor :ther :unto neere the Seafide, aswell by AZompelier, asthe kingdome of Valentia in Spaine, where (lufins faith he found it: and the laft in Virginia, itis Like, {omethinking it to be the roote of T7ipolivm or Sea-Starre-worte, which " eee utet hs Others akind of Fern/a or Ferulaceons plant, altogether improbable, but that theyare not fo oe bj bar a rit rom w hence arife por Apothecaryes the of tle, that otherwife'it might be thought, to be the right Turbith The Time, , They flourifh:in thefe Countries| in Tune, Iuly, and Augaft, but the firlt, and two lalt, doe feldome perfed& many long; round,greene, branches, winding themfelveslike a Se =“ a tr ~ of any other herbes or things that ftand next untoit, unto a goodheight without any oe tenc “ : i : the = = wilde Vine: fromthejoynts of the branches,comeforth the leaves, every one byit felfe, ( yet foie oe rye plants that have had two leaves one again{t another, upon fhort foote ftalkes, fomewhat en att! ic ottome, with two corners next thereunto, and fome alforound that Ihave feene, and “ growing ong - : ae to'the end, being fmooth, and of a faire greene colour, fomewhat fhining : a ar — eee the < wii ies atthe joynts with the leaves, come forth large whitifhBell flowers; with wi € open = * natrow bottomes; af ter which come round heads, wherein are contained 30r4 cornered blacke feede 3 for fuch ? rat had given me, from whence hath {prung plants, which perifhed quickely,not abiding a — is me: if any part of this plantbe broken, it yeeldeth fortha milke, not hot or burning, norbitter, yetfomewhat unpleafant, provoking i cafting. ‘wean ae Scammonia Macrorhyza Cretica, Long rooted Scammonye of (andye, Profper Alpinus,inhb, de exoticis, faith, thathe in his former times received from fog another fort of Scammonye; differing nothing from the true Scammonye here before defcribed, ‘but in the fafhion of the roote whichis long and flender, of about fingers thickneffe, but purging as flronglyas that of Syria, and this in my judgement doth very neere refemble, ourcommon white greater Bindeweede,that fhall follow next the Coune trey making the difference onely as Ithinke. _ en 3- Convolvulus major albus, The great white Bindeweede. 4 : Our great Bindeweede commethas think fo neere unto the former Scammonye,that excepting the largeneffe of the rootes, and the greater force in purging, which may both proceede from the climate; you would faythis were altera eadem, whole many {lender windingftalkes,runne up and winde them({elves upon hedges,or what{o= ever ftandethneere untoit, having diverfe large leaves growing feverally thereon, fomewhat tong, and pointed at the further end, and parted into two points at the broad part, next to the ftalke, making {quare, being fmooth and of a pale greene colour, yeeldinga milke being broken, butnot it feeme almoft three fo plentifilly as the Scamonye + atthe joynts with the leaves towardsthe toppesof the branches,come forth large white Bell fowers, without any divifion in them,after which rife round skinnie huskes, or heads, conteining' within them diverfe blackifh, three cornered fede, like the former, but leffer s the roote is whitifh, and fmall, of the bieneffe ofConchgraffe, or:fomewhat greater, running muchunder ground,and fhooting forth in fundry places : both ftalkes and leaves perith every yeare, the roote living in the ground, and fhooting a frefh every {pring, which yeeldeth niilke, being broken. 4. Stanmionia Monfpeliaca dita. FrenchBaftard Scammonye. i 2 4. Scammonia Monfpeliaca dita. French Baftard Scammonye, The neere refemblance of this plant, unto the former in many particulars;but efpecially in the {eede, fhewing itto bea Bindewéede; hath canfed meto Joyne it likewifein the fame Chapter, whichhath fandry twining branches fingfive otfixe foote high,twining or clafping the trees rior otherthings that it can reach, whereonare fet two broad and almoft round,yet pointed leaves ata joynt, ofa blewifh greene colour : from betweene the leaves and the branches, asalfo at the toppes ofthem, come forth many {mall white flowers, cluftering together ftarre fathion » confifting of five narrowpointedleaves with threds in the middle: after whichfucceede fuchlike heads, and black cornered feede, asin the formerforts : the roote hereof is {mall,of the big= neffe of ones finger, with many fibres thereat, browni(h onthe ontlide,and pale within, this yeeldeth more plenty of purging milke thanthe laft, comming fomewhat neerer therein untothe firft, 5. Scammonia rotundifolia Virciniana. Wehavehad a kind of Volubilis from Virginia, very neerelyrefembling this kinde of French Scammonye,both in growing and forme of leaves (as you may perceive ‘ onefer bythe plant) but the flowers being {mall by and white doe openlike a Bindeweede, and ‘not like into five leaves, like unto a ftarre, tle lat » the feede groweth not blackithlike other Bindeweeds, in pods, bne in fmall heads|, being {mall and »andand therefore infert ithere, And peradventure dento be fo dangerous, ifnotto the family of Bindeweeds,I know no better place thanto this may be the Indians Hololuichi,. that Aldinus mentioneth in his F.aracfian gar The Place; The firkt groweth in Syria, and the farther Eafterne parts, where nofro fls are felt in the winter, forit quickely is frequent in fiindry places of the’ Land; growing by the hedges tides and ronning thereon, The fourth groweth any feede with us, : The Names, ) The firkt,is called in Greeke Si¢pevias and in Latinealfo Scammonia: the dryed jayce which is molt in ufe,is calledezaprwviay Scammoninm, both in the Druggifts, and Apothecaries fhoppes, as alfo with moft writers, yet fome call the plant fo too: the famebeing prepared, that is, baked ina quince, underthe embers, or in an Ovenj oranyother way; iscalled of the ancient writers Diagridium; whichfhould onely be ufed in medicin es, accor- ding to the appointmentof all Phyfitians, whoare led by the tradition of their elders: but all Apothec aries in generall, doe ufethe Scammonye it felfe, as it commeth; withoxt any other Prep.rat ion; fo ag it be of the pureft, and beft, which by their dayly experience, they finde to worke morecert ainely, and more fafely, than the Diagridiams which is much dulled in the baking or other preparation: andbefid es, whereas the ancient writers doe appoint irtobe diffolved, and fo mixed with their medecines, orto be boyled inthe Elettuar ie, fo tobee diffolved,-wherein it is appointed tobe put: the dayly experience of Apothec aries, who are chiefe matters in their ptofeffions; or fhould be, ifthey be worthy of their name, dothteftifie there again{t; finding that if Scam- monieicome toneverfo little heate almioft in the mixingthereof, it will curdle together and lye in knots in the medicine; beate yee it almoft never {0 longafterit is mixed; and therefor they e alwayes in their Scamoniate medicines, rubbeit finely into powderofit felfe, wichout other preparation, andfo put it laft of all other things into any medicine, that hath beene boyled or heated, and that when it is almoft cold, for feare of curdling or gathering together in knots, as I fayd before; and being thus mixed,the medicin e fhall worke more fafely with ont perturbations ofthe ftomacke, &c, and more furely without tedioui{neffe or procraft ination, than if Diagridium, were put into it : let not this be imputedas anerrour in our profeffion, ora fetled wilfulneflé to contra= ry fo great and ancientauthority, for we know that true experience hath mattered reafon and antiquit ie, and we alfo know,that the experience and diligence ofour times, hathin many more things, not onely taught us to vary from the Methodeand order, appointed by the ancient writers of Phyficke and hearbes, but to contrary. them als fo, when wehavefoundeither by reafon or experience, that there is caufe fo monies plainely tobe obferved. For Dio/corides appointetha dramme tobeto doe, as in the dofe of this Scams given at once, whén no Phyfitian with us, dare {carfe give halfe a {cruple, or not above. The fecond Alpinus {o calleth, asis isas muchascan befaydofit: thethird is called Volubilis major & Convolvylas majorby in the title, and that diverfe,as alfo Smilax levis major by others, Helxine Ciffampelos by Cordis on Diofcorides, and Malacociffus D amocratis by Anguilas ra: the fourth Gefner in hortcs calleth Scammonia Monfpel, and Lobel Scammonium Monjpelienfe, but Clufins whoinhis Spanifh obferyations,firft calleth it Scassmonea Valentinas doth in his hiftory entitle it, Apocynsm 4 ; farifolinm, yet referrethitto that ofAMompelier as both one : Camerarius and Lugdunenfis doe call it Scammonig maritima MonSpeliacaas the learned of Mompelier doe;and ufe it accordingly : the laft isremembred onely by my felfe, who {appofe it by beinglike in formeto the lalt, to beneere alfo in quality thereunt o. The Vertues, Scammonye being the ba/# as I mayfo call it, of thofe medecines wh reinit is put, there had neede of efpes ciall careto be takenin the choife thereof, that onely that which is fincere and pure, without droffe or adulterati2 on be ufed in Phyficke; which may be knowneif itbe not heavie,or clofe compact together, but thar itbe moderately light, with fome {mall holes or hollowneffe heere and there the breaking, and not in grumes or knots, or having fmall ftickes or therein; and that it be fmooth and plainein ftonesin it ; fomewhatclecre and blacki~h alfo, but not of a deadi(hdarkeorevill favored colour, and that will be made quickly into a very fine and white powder : this I mention comparatively, for it will be a very hard matter, for any to knowthe beft byrelation; but by infpection; and chiefely by comparifon ofthe good and badtogether,that fo you may learne to know ei-= ther of themat the firtt fight. The dofis hereof as it is appointed by Diofcorides and others, doth fu farre exceedé the proportion of our moderne Phyfittans, that ic hath made Pena to doubr, that the Scammonye in Diofcorides time, was more corrupt, and encreafed withother things thanoursis; becanfe he gave fo much, and we doe give folittle; and «Matthiolus onthe otherfide to donbt, whether wee have any fincere Scammonye brought into us atall, orelfe that the text of Diofcorsdes is corrupt, where he appointetha dramme or foure obolos, that is, two {cruplestoberakenatatime; and hefetteth downe alfo,that ifa purging mediciit e be required to be effectuall; you fhould take 3 obo/i, that is halfe a di am, of Scammonye, 2 oboli, that one feruple ofblacke Yellebor,and one dramof Aloes,all thefe to be taken togetherat one time:but the greateftisdofis now adayes.exceedethnot halfe an obslus to aftrong body ,andleffe tathe weaker, or more tender. Penainh tions hereof fet downein his Adver(aria, hath caufed all whom it may isdiligent obfervations, and declaraconcerne, both tounderftand the choyfe ofthis Scammonye,as alfo thereby to bethinke themof the fincerity of other the quantity of Scammonyeis fo great, that is {pentin all countries, whichis drugges; and that as he guefleth madeonely in one, that unleffe the quantity were augmented by mixture,there could notbe fafficient and althoughin formerages, and eveninour former times, therefincere and pure juyce,to ferye thenrby muchz hath beene muchfalfe and corrupt D¥agges, broughtinto Exrope, andall the countries thereof farre and neere : yet the skill and curiofitie of thefe timesis fach, that our Merchants taking onely the beft forus ofall forts, and refifing the courfe,hath | thinke leffened, if not worne out, that fophifticating art in the mafters thereof, when they fee thar none but trué and fincere is affe&ted and bought: the worft to lye on their hands it grow better: It purgeth both flegme, yellow choler, and watery humors very ftongly: but untill out due refpe@,it will not onelytrouble the ftomacke more if it bee indifcreetly or careleflely given withthan any other medecine, but will alfo {cowre,fret and rafe the eutts in working too forceably, oftentimes tinto blood, and oftentimes caufing faintings and fwounings ; Our Phyfitians therefore doe feldome give,to any tender and gentle body any Scammoniate pee, and |