Dog Mercury
Having described to you that which is called French mercury, I come now to give you a description of this kind also.
Description. This is likewise of two kinds, male and female, having many stalks slender and lower than mercury, without any branches at all upon them; the root is set with two leaves at every joint, somewhat greater than the female, but more pointed and full of veins, and somewhat harder in handling; of a dark green colour, and less dented or snipped about the edges. At the joints with the leaves come forth longer stalks than the former, with two hairy round seeds upon them, twice as big as those of the former mercury. The taste hereof is herby, and the smell somewhat strong and virulent. The female has much harder leaves standing upon longer footstalks, and the stalks are also longer; from the joints come forth spikes of flowers like the French female mercury. The roots of them both are many, and full of small fibres which run under the ground, and mat themselves very much, not perishing as the former mercuries do, but abiding the winter, and shoot forth new branches every year, for the old lie down to the ground.
Place. The male and female French mercury are found wild in divers places of this land, as by a village called Brookland, in Romney Marsh in Kent. The dog mercury in sundry places of Kent also, and elsewhere; but the female more seldom than the male.
Time. They flower in the summer months, and therein give their seed. Government and virtues. Mercury, they say owns the herb, but I rather think it is Venus's, and I am partly confident of it too, for I never heard that Mercury ever minded women's business so much; I believe he minds his study more. The decoction of the leaves of mercury, or the juice thereof in broth, or drank with a little sugar put to it, purgeth choleric and waterish humours. Hippocrates commended it wonderfully for women's diseases, and applied to the secret parts, to ease the pains of the mother; and used the decoction of it, both to procure women's courses, and to expel the after birth; and gave the decoction thereof with myrrh or pepper, or used to apply the leaves outwardly against the stranguary, and diseases of the reins and bladder. He used it also for sore and watering eyes, and for deafness and pains in the ears, by dropping the juice thereof into them, and bathing them afterwards in white wine. The decoction thereof made with water and a cock chicken, is a most safe medicine against the hot fits of agues. It also cleanseth the breast and lungs of phlegm but a little offendeth the stomach. The juice or distilled water snuffed up into the nostrils, purgeth the head and eyes of catarrhs and rheums. Some use to drink two or three ounces of the distilled water, with a little sugar put to it, in the morning, fasting, to open and purge the body of gross, viscous, and melancholy humours. It is wonderful, (if it be not fabulous) what Dioscorides and Theophrastus do relate of it, viz. That if women use these herbs either inwardly or outwardly, for three days together after conception, and their courses be past, they shall bring forth male or female children, according to that kind of herb they use. Matthiolus saith that both the seed of the male and female mercury boiled with wormwood and drank, cureth the yellow jaundice in a speedy manner. The leaves or the juice rubbed upon warts, taketh them away. The juice mingled with some vinegar, helpeth all running scabs, <??>letters, ringworms, and the itch. Galen saith, that being applied in manner of a poulti<??> to any swelling or inflammation, it digesteth the swellings, and allayeth the inflammation, and is therefore given in clysters to evacuate from the belly offensive humours. The dog mercury, although it be less used, yet may serve in the same manner, to the same purpose, to purge waterish and melancholy humours. MINT.
Of all the kinds of mint, the spear mint, or heart mint being most usual, I shall only describe as follows.
Description. Spear mint hath divers round stalks, and long but narrowish leaves set thereon, of a dark green colour. The flowers stand in spiked heads at the tops of the branches, being of a pale blue colour. The smell or scent thereof is somewhat near unto basil : it increaseth by the root under ground, as all the others do.
Place. It is an usual inhabitant in gardens; and because it seldom giveth any good seed, the defect is recompensed by the plentiful increase of the root, which being once planted in a garden, will hardly be rid out again. Time. It flowereth not until the beginning of August, for the most part. Government and virtues. It is an herb of Venus. Dioscorides saith it hath a heating, binding and drying quality, and therefore the juice taken in vinegar, stayeth bleeding: it stirreth up venery, or bodily lust: two or three branches thereof taken in the juice of four pomegranates, stayeth the hiccough, vomiting, and allayeth the choler. It dissolveth imposthumes, being laid to with barley-meal. It is good to repress the milk in women's breasts, and for such as have swollen, flagging or great breasts. Applied with salt, it helpeth the biting of a mad dog; with mead and honeyed water, it easeth the pains of the ears, and taketh away the roughness of the tongue, being rubbed thereupon. It suffereth not milk to curdle in the stomach, if the leaves thereof be steeped or boiled in it before you drink it: Briefly, it is very profitable to the stomach. The often use hereof is a very powerful medicine to stay women's courses and the whites. Applied to the forehead and temples, it easeth the pains in the head, and is good to wash the heads of young children therewith, against all manner of breakings out, sores or scabs therein, and healeth the chops of the fundament. It is also profitable against the poison of venomous creatures. The distilled water of mint is available to all the purposes aforesaid, yet more weakly. But if a spirit thereof be rightly and chymically drawn, it is much more powerful than the herb itself. Simeon Sethi saith, it helpeth a cold liver, strengtheneth the belly, causeth digestion, stayeth vomits and the hiccough; it is good against the gnawing of the heart, provoketh appetite, taketh away obstructions of the liver, and stirreth up bodily lust; but therefore too much must not be taken, because it maketh the blood thin and wheyish, and turneth it into choler, and therefore choleric persons must abstain from it. It is a safe medicine for the biting of a mad dog, being bruised with salt and laid thereon. The powder of it being dried and taken after meal, helpeth digestion, and those that are splenetic. Taken with wine it helpeth women in their sore travail in childbearing. It is good against the gravel and stone in the kidneys, and the stranguary. Being smelled unto it is comfortable for the head and memory. The decoction hereof gargled in the mouth, cureth the gums and mouth that is sore, and mendeth an ill-savoured breath; as also the rue and coriander, causeth the palate of the mouth to turn to its place, the decoction being gargled and held in the mouth. The virtues of the wind or horse mint, such as grow in ditches, (whose description I purposely omitted, in regard they are well enough known) are especial to dissolve wind in the stomach, to help the cholic, and those that are short-winded, and are an especial remedy for those that have venereal dreams and pollutions in the night, being outwardly applied to the testicles or cods, The juice dropped into the ears easeth the pains of them and destroyeth the worms that breed therein. They are good against the venomous biting of serpents. The juice laid on warm, helpeth the king's evil, or kernels in the throat. The decoction or dstilled water helpeth a stinking breath, proceeding from the corruption of the teeth, and snuffed up into the nose purgeth the head. Pliny saith, the eating of the leaves hath been found by experience to cure the leprosy, applying some of them to the face, and to help the scurf or dandriff of the head used with vinegar. They are extremely bad for wounded people; and they say a wounded man that eats mint, his wound will never be cured, and that is a long day.