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Show “Lheatrum Botanicum. CHaPrP26. Tripe 3° Cuar.26; Plinye, Gerard tooke this for the next to call it precox. Banhinus to diftinguifh them calleth this loreSubviridiand 8. Elleborineanguftifotia. Variable wilde white Ellebor. A, Elleborine minorflove albo. \ Small wilde white Ellebor, The Theater of Plants. « RIBE 2, the fecondflore atro-rnbente,other writers ox purpura nigricantesand Lobeladdeth pracox yntoit:the thirdis called by Clufius Elleborine recentiorum,and ofothers CalceolusMaria or Marianus and Ligdunenfis, E Ucborineferruginea Datechampii;Gefnerin hortis Germania taketh itto be Al/matisfpeciesjand {o doth 7halivs likewile,and fome Da- mafonium nothum & P{endodama(onium; the fourth is taken by fome to be Epipattis, by others Alifina or Dama- fonine, but generally is now adayescalled El/eborine flore albo: the refthave their names in their titles; as they are molt ofually entitled by others: the controverfies hereabouts I have touched in the foregoing chaptet, and therefore will not here againe récite it + the Arabianscallit (barbachem, the Italians Elleboro branco,the Spaniards Verdegambre blanco ce yervade balafticros,the French Veraire and Helleboire blanc, the Germanes Weifs Nicfwurtz, the Dutch wite Nicferuyt, and wein Englifh white Ellebor or Neefewort. ¢ The Vertues, 2 The roote of white Hellebor or Neefewort is of: moft ufe (neither the leaves flowers hor feedebeing unfed at any time with us that | know ) and worketh very ftrongly and churlifhly with any that fhall take,it pro~ curing {trong vomitings: yet being taken with convenient preparation of the body. aforehand,and dieted by ad- vife as Diofcorides warneth it,may doe much good to ftrong conftitutions that canendure the workingofit, by caufing much tough vifcous clammy and corrupt humours that offend the {tomacke to be avoyded, to be takent notfalting but for fometimeafter one hatheaten, tor whith parpofes the Oxymel Helleboratum isa medecine preparedto your hand and fir tobe ufed: it provoketh worhens courfes andwill kill the birth if ibe teken inwardly :halfe a dramme of the roote prepared with Oxymel and given in wine, to thofethat are fo deepely poffeffed with melancholythat it canfethfits of fury or madnefle,do:h muchabate the peccant humour giving much eafe to the party being likewife fteeped and after wards boy'ed in broth and given, helpeth thofethat are troubled with the falling fickneffe, the leprofie, and all other breakings ont in the skinne, as fcabbes, &c. quartane; agues, the ptificke or pining con{umption, an old cough, the dropfie, ruptures, {ciatica, goute, crampes, paines inthe joytits and finewes, and paines and {wimmingin the head: the beft preparationofit is to be intufed in the juyce ofa Quince, or to be put intoa Quince; and either bakedin an oven,ot roafted under the embers,and halfe a {cruple thereof given ata time; and this wasas Masthiolus faith, the ancient manner of curing thefe difeafes : but being fo dangerous a medecine thoughfometimes taken with caution;that it putteth many in hazardofftrangling, and is onely remedied by eating Quinces,or taking the juyce or the Syrope made thereof, hath: made the ufe thereof wholly almoft to be given over andleft: the roote faith Diofcorides is put with other things tohelpe the dimnefle ofthe fight : the juyce of theroote dropped into the eares taketh away the noyfe and finging in them: being boyled inlye andthe head wafhed therewithit killeth lice and helpeth the running fcabbes and fores thereof, being mingled with flower anda little honye or butter, or elfe boyled in milke and fet where flies gnats, &c. doe much refort, doe kill as many as toychit: if hens, duckes, or geefe doe chance to drinke thereof it willkill them likewife : being moulded up with meale and honye,andputinto moaleholes or the burrewes of field or dormife, or any other fuch {mall Vermine will quickly dettroy them: the powder or {craping of the roote byit felfe;or with a few leaves of Marjerome put up into the nofe,purgeththe head and braines by neefing: being boyled in vinegar and the decoction gargled in the mouth, eafeth the paines ofthe tooth ach: the fame de= cottionlikewife helpeth the itch and {cabbesin the hands, and clenfeth foule fores and ulcers in the legges and other parts. The Spaniards and Navarrois doe make a certaine poy{onof the juyce of the rootes ofwhite Hellebor whichafter ithath fermented ina horne or cartheni leaded veflell (the time whengit is readie tobe nfed fathion with finall fhort leaves at thé faike of Every flower, which confifteth of five {mall white leaves with a {mall clofe hood in the middle without any fent at all: the feede is alike and fo are the rootes but they know bythis tryall { having thred a needle with thred; and wetted it therein, they draw it througha frogeé whichif it prefently dye, thenit is good, and ready) they dippe their arrow heads therein, and then whar bealt 5. Elleborine minorflore purpurdnte. The {mall wilde white Hellebor with blufhflowers: chickens which dyed prefently after they were wottnded witha wéapondipped therein, in that the verlome had peirced the blood,againft which poyfon no other antidote canbe found more fit and {peedy,than the eating of Quinces, for even the {mell of them being in a honfe wherethat poyfon is, taketh away the whole force thereof : butis reftored againe (as it is faid) ifripe grapes be mixed therewithor ome peppercaft into it : this poyfonis onelyufed while it is frefh, forit lofeth the ftrength,ifthe jayce dryupon the arrow heads,and theréfore to keepe themthe better they ufe to keepe themina cafe, the iron heads being wrapped in wooll and clothes wettherein: but this is the moft wonderfull as it is related, that this poyfon being drunke, procureth almoft no harme to them that drinkeit, unleffe they take too rhuch andas it is fayd the hunters often take it themf€lves to purge them: it is fayd alfo that the flethofthofe beafts killed by this poyfon, is more tender and pleafant in eating than of other finaller. The leaves hereof are narrower thanthe laft,the ftalke and flowers are alike but {maller andof a pale purplifh or bluthcolour. 6. Elleborine flore viridante. Wild white Hellebor with whitith grecne Howers. This differeth not muchfromthelaft, but in the colour of the fower whichis greenifh onthe outfide and fomewhat white within. ¢ 7. Elleborine flore atro-rubente, Wilde white Hellebor with darkered This wilde kinde groweth fomewhatbigger and higher, and with larger leaves than flowers, any otherof thefe {mall wild forts,the flowers likewife are morein number and ofa deepe purple colour. 8, Elleborine anguftifolia picata verficolor, Variable wilde white Hellebor, fhall be wounded therewith fhall tiddenly dye : which thing A4arthiolus faith, hee alfo tryed ondogges and notkilled therewith, and efpecially that part about the wound. Paxfanins in Phocicis recordeth a notable ftra= tagem that So/on ufed in befeidging the Citty of Cyrrbeus, viz, That having cut off the River P/i/Pxs from rune This alfo rifeth fomewhat high, having narrowerleaves on theftalke, yet ribbed fomewhatlike unto theribwortPlant ning into the Citty,he caufed a great manyof thofe rootes tobe put into 4 quantity thereof, which after they : The Place, Both the firkt forts grow in fundry places of Germany and Auffriaas Clufius {aith,as alfo in fomé ofthe ands about Ru/fia where a good fhip might be fraighted with rootesof the ordinary fort as Mafter Trade/cante the elderaffirmed; the other forts grow many ofthemin ourtheowne land as wellas beyond fea, namely the third mye and fixth; efpecially the thirdin a wood called the Helkes in Lancaftire neere the Jare, border of Yorke- verfe other authors performed by the helpe ofother hearbes, Theleffer wilde forts are notknowne with usto aine : the ftalke endethin a long {pike of fine purple coloured flowers, ene hoodes with their labels are white {potted on the infide with purplifhfpin fafhionlike the reft,but the ots : the leaves and rootes are alike, Thene firft tirtt flowreth tlowreth before bef : aa ig a a earlier g it {pring out of the ground, bein Not infower €a untill i the end of Iuly, the reft ower about May, ill fomeearlyerorlater thanothers. : : < : The Names, I have fhewéd youin the chapter before thacit is called Elleborns or Hellebornm, ec. The firlt is cénerally called Hell"nt albus,and by Dodoneus,Cordus upon Diofeoride s and others Veratrum album,Guilandinus tookit tobe the Helleborus candidus of the Grecians, thé {econd, although butis afluredly the Confiligo of Vegetins, Abfyrtus, Columella and Phaye hadfufficientlyinfeéted the water, helet paffe intothe Citty againe, whereof whenthey had greedily drunke they grewfo weake and feeble by the fuperpurgation thereof,that they wereforced to leave their walsunmand whereby the Amphyétions their enemies became matters of their Cirty: the like ftratagems are fet downe by di- be ufed in Phyficke ;_but ifeither ofthefe E//eborines be his Epipattis,he {aithit is good in the defedts of the liver and againft peyfons and to procure vomiting; Theophraftus faith the fame. |