Devil's Bit
Description. This rises up with a round, green, smooth stalk, about two feet high, set with divers long and somewhat narrow, smooth, dark green leaves, somewhat nipped about the edges, for the most part, being else all whole, and not divided at all, or but very seldom, even to the tops of the branches, which yet are smaller than those below, with one rib only in the middle. At the end of each branch standeth a round head of many flowers set together in the same manner, or more neatly than scabions, and of a more blueish purple colour, which being past there followeth seed that falleth away. The root is somewhat thick, but short and <??> strings abiding after seed time many <??> was longer, until the devil (as the friars <??> rest of it for spite, envying its usefulness <??> he was not troubled with any disease <??>. <??> other sorts hereof, in nothing unlike <??> that the one beareth white, the other <??>wers. <??> groweth as well in dry meadows <??> in many places of this land: But the <??> rare, and hard to be met with, yet <??> growing wild about Appledore, near <??> <??>Flower not usually until August.
Government and virtues. The plant is venereal, pleas<??> The herb or the root (all that the <??> it) being boiled in wine and drank, is <??>inst the plague, and all pestilential <??> poisons also, and the bitings of ve<??>helpeth also those that are inwardly <??>lity, or outwardly by falls or blows, <??>tted blood; and the herb or root <??>dly applied, taketh away the black <??> remain in the skin. The decoction <??>ney of roses put therein, is very ef<??> inveterate tumours and swellings of <??> throat, by often gargling the mouth <??>path also to procure women's courses, <??> of the another, and to break and <??> and in the bowels. The powder <??> drink, driveth forth worms in the <??> or distilled water of the herb, is ef<??>wounds, or old sores, and cleanseth <??> and the seed outwardly, from sores, <??>, freckles, morphew, or other de<??>pecially if a little vitriol be dissolved <??> DOCK. <??> these are so well known, that I shall <??> a description of them: My book <??> <??> virtues. All docks are under Jupi<??> dock, which is commonly called <??> the blood, and strengthens the <??> dock-root is best to be taken when <??> liver is affected by choler. All of them have a kind of cooling (but not all alike) drying quality, the sorrel being most cold, and the bloodworts most drying. Of the burdock, I have spoken already by itself. The seed of most of the other kinds, whether the gardens or fields, do stay lasks and fluxes of all sorts, the loathing of the stomach through choler, and is helpful for those that spit blood. The roots boiled in vinegar helpeth the itch, scabs, and breaking out of the skin, if it be bathed therewith. The distilled water of the herb and roots have the same virtue, and cleanseth the skin from freckles, morphew, and all other spots and discolouring therein. All docks being boiled with meat, make it boil the sooner; besides, blood-wort is exceeding strengthening to the liver, and procures good blood, being as wholesome a pot-herb as any that groweth in a garden; yet such is the nicety of our times, forsooth, that women will not put it into a pot, because it makes the pottage black; pride and ignorance (a couple of monsters in the creation) preferring nicety before health.