OCR Text |
Show 1402 | ~ OftheHiftorie of Plants. 4]. The Temperature, Chamelea Arabum Tricoccos. Widow-Waile. Boththe leaues andfruit of Spurge. Oline.as we haue faid, are ofa burning and extrme tn temperature. e @ The Vertues, The leaues , faith Diofcorides, purge both flegme and choler, efpecially taken in pills, fo thattwoparts of Wormewoodbe mixed ith one of Spurge Oliue,and made vpinto pils with Mede orhonied water. Theymeltnotin the belly, but as many as be takenare yoided whole. Mefue likewife hatha defcription ofpills of the leaues of Mezereou, that is, Chamelea, ot Spurge-Oliue (yet Sy/uiws expoundethit Thy. eelea,or Spurge-Flax) but inftead of Won. wood he taketh the outwardfubftance ofthe yellow Mirobalans and Cepula Mirobalans, and maketh them vp withTereniabin, thatis to fay, with Manna and foure Dates, which they call Tamarinds, diffoluedin Endiue wa. ter ; andappointeththefameleaues tobe firlt tempered with veryftrong vineger, and to be dried, Thefe pills are comimended againft the had rather call it Chamelea Ger \gothecaties of our countrey name it Mezereon, but we rc. We faglifh,Dutch Mezereon,or it may be called Germane Oliue f e Mountain ontanum, M Piper thereof fruit the name ues [talians do or Spurge Laurell is this plant,but there is another Lawreola, of bywhat name it is called of the old writers,and whether t hey kn thought tobe Cuearon album Theophraftiut by reafon of his breuiti There is, faithhe,twokindes of Cxcoron, thewhiteand the blacke, thes low {ikein forme to Spurge Oliue: the black is ful of fubftancelike Mirtlesthe ates thelame is with {mell, and the blacke without {mell: Theroot of both which giow greatithe branches be many,thicke,wooddie,immediatly gr owing out of the earth,or little aboue theearth,tough : wherefore they vfe thefe to binde withjas with Oziars. They bud and floure when eAutumne Equino@iall is paft,and along time after. Thus much Theophraftus. the floureis fiveet of The Germane Spurge Oliueis not muchvnlike to the Oliuetree in leafe {nell :the buds whereof,as we haue written,come forth after Autumne: the branches are wooddy a/pliable : the root long,growing deepe : all which fhewthar it hath great likeneffe and affinity with Cneoron,ifitbenot the very fame. g The Temperature. Thisplancis likewife in all parts extreme hot: the truit, the leaues,andthe rindeare very fharpe andbiting : they bite the tongue, andfet the throte onfire. @ The Vertues. Theleaues of Mezcreon do purge downeward,flegme,choler, and waterifh humours w violence. Alfoifa drunkarddo eat one graine or berryof this plant, hee cannot be allured to drinke any B tinkeat that time; {iach will be the heat of his mouth and choking inthe throat. This plant is very dangerous to be taken into the body, & in nature like to th Dropfie,tor they draw forth watery humours, butare violent to nature , therfore we muftvie liming (ific be chewed) {uchan heat and burning in the throat, thatit is hard tobe quence addeth,that the leaues of Spurge Olimebeaten litinvertue and operationto the other,therefore it may be vfed in ftead therof, and prepared after thlikeand felfe-fame mannere * themaslittle as may be. Morcouer,Dia(irides with hony do clenfe filthyorcrufted vicers. Chamelea Germanica,fine MeXereon, Spurge Flax, orthe dwarfe Bay. Of the Hiftory of Plants. ivi B, 3. The fhops of Germany and of the Low-countries dowhen needre wire vfe the leaues here itfead of Spurge Oliue,which may be done without errour ; for this Germane Cuar.64, OfSpurge Flax. CHAP. 63. 1 Thymelea. : SugeFlax,or mountaine Widowwaile. OfGermane OlineSpurge. yaa G The Defiription. He dwarfe Baytree, called ofDutch met MeZereon,is a {mal fhrub twocubits high: the branches be tough,limber, & eali¢ t bend, very foft to becut ; whereongrowlong leaues like thofe of Priuet,but thicker and fatter.The floures appeate before the leaues, oft times Tanuarie,cluftring together aboutthe ftalksat certaindiftances, ofawhitith colour tenes to purple, and of amoft fragrant andpleafant fweet {mel : after come the fall besries.gf°" at the firft,but being ripe,ofa fhining1° oF lour,and afterward wax ofa dark black colt’, ofavery hot and burningtafte,inflame E ; with@?>" mouth and throat, being tafted, ofchoking. The rootis wooddy. q The Place and Time. This plant grows naturally inthe 1 fhadowy woods of moft ofthe Eaft cou efpecially about Meluin in Poland, whence I haue hadgreat plenty thereot f f ate garden, where they floure in the firft of 12 Spring,and ripen — fruit in Augut. The Names, ‘ It is vfually called in high-I .Dutch,Zallant, a e the e thals +"ne Weidelbatt,Lentsbraut,and elpothecar Spurge Oliue is q The Defcription. ; d Purge Flax bringeth forth many flender branched {prigs abouea cubite high, couered round with long and narrowleaues like thofe of flax,narrower & leffer than the leaues of Spurge Oliue. The floures are white,fmall, ftanding on the vpperparts ofthe {prigs: the fruit is round,greene at the firft, but red when it is ripe, like almoft to the round berries ofthe Hawthorne,in whichis a white kernel couered witha blacke skinne,very hot and burning the mouth like. Mezereon : the rootis hard and wooddie. q The Place. It groweth in rough mountains, and in vntoiled placesin hot regions, It groweth in my garden. @ The Time. It is greene at any timeof theyeare,but the fruit is perfeed in Autumne. @] The Names. ; The Grecians call it suas the Syrians, as Diofiorides witneffeth , Apolinon : diuers alfo Chamelea,but not properly :but as Diofcorides faith,the leafe is properly called Gneoron,& the tuit Coccos Cnidios~s notwithftanding thofe which TAcophraftus calleth Cneora feemto dif. fer fro m Thymelea,or Spurge Flax, vnlefle yy. grum Cncoron be Thymelaafor Theophraftus faith e} 3 thea |