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Of Clownes Wound-Wort, or All-Heale

The Description.

CLownes All-heale, or the Husbandmans Wound-wort, hath long slender square stalkes of the height of two cubits: at the top of the stalkes grow the floures spike fashion, of a purple colour mixed with some few spots of white, in forme like to little hoods.

The Place.

It groweth in moist medowes by the sides of ditches, and likewise in fertile fields that are somewhat moist, almost every where; especially in Kent about South-fleet, neer to Gravesend, and likewise in the medowes by Lambeth neere London.

The Time.

It floureth in August, and bringeth his seed to perfection in the end of September.

The Names.

That which hath been said in the description shall suffice touching the names, as well in Latine as English.

The Vertues.

The leaves hereof stamped with Axungia or hogs grease, and applied unto greene wounds in manner of a pultesse, heale them in short time, and in such absolute manner, that it is hard for any that have not had the experience thereof to beleeve: for being in Kent about a Patient, it chanced that a poore man in mowing of Peason did cut his leg with a sithe, wherein hee made a wound to the bones, and withall very large and wide, and also with great effusion of bloud; the poore man crept unto this herbe, which he bruised with his hands, and tied a great quantitie of it unto the wound with a piece of his shirt, which presently stanched the bleeding, and ceased the paine, insomuch that the poore man presently went to his daies worke againe, and so did from day to day, without resting one day untill he was perfectly whole; which was accomplished in a few daies, by this herbe stamped with a little hogs grease, and so laid upon it in manner of a pultesse, which did as it were glew or sodder the lips of the wound together, and heale it according to the first intention, as wee terme it, that is, without drawing or bringing the wound to suppuration or matter; which was fully performed in seven daies, that would have required forty daies with balsam it selfe. I saw the wound and offered to heale the same for charity; which he refused, saying that I could not heale it so well as himselfe: a clownish answer I confesse, without any thankes for my good will: whereupon I have named it Clownes Wound-wort, as aforesaid. Since which time my selfe have cured many grievous wounds, and some mortall, with the same herbe; one for example done upon a Gentleman of Grayes Inne in Holborne, Mr. Edmund Cartwright, who was thrust into the lungs, the wound entring in at the lower part of the Thorax, or the brest-blade, even through that cartilaginous substance called Mucronata Cartilago, in-somuch that from day to day the frothing and puffing of the lungs did spew forth of the wound such excrements as it was possessed of, besides the Gentleman was most dangerously vexed with a double quotidian fever; whom by Gods permission I perfectly cured in very short time, and with this Clownes experiment, and some of my foreknowne helpes, which were as followeth.

First I framed a slight unguent hereof thus: I tooke foure handfulls of the herbe stamped, and put them into a pan, whereunto I added foure ounces of Barrowes grease, halfe a pinte of oyle Olive, wax three ounces, which I boyled unto the consumption of the juyce (which is knowne when the stuffe doth not bubble at all) then did I straine it, putting it to the fire againe, adding thereto two ounces of Turpentine, the which I suffered to boile a little, reserving the same for my use.

The which I warmed in a sawcer, dipping therein small soft tents, which I put into the wound, defending the parts adjoyning with a plaister of Calcitheos, relented with oyle of roses: which manner of dressing and preserving I used even untill the wound was perfectly whole: notwithstanding once in a day I gave him two spoonfulls of this decoction following. I tooke a quart of good Claret wine, wherein I boyled an handfull of the leaves of Solidago Saracenica, or Saracens consound, and foure ounces of honey, whereof I gave him in the morning two Spoonefulls to drinke in a small draught of wine tempered with a little sugar.

In like manner I cured a Shoo-makers servant in Holborne, who intended to destroy himselfe for causes knowne unto many now living: but I deemed it better to cover the fault, than to put the same in print, which might move such a gracelesse fellow to attempt the like: his attempt was thus; First, he gave himselfe a most mortall wound in the throat, in such sort, that when I gave him drinke it came forth at the wound, which likewise did blow out the candle: another deepe and grievous wound in the brest with the said dagger, and also two others in Abdomine: the which mortall wounds, by Gods permission, and the vertues of this herbe, I perfectly cured within twenty daies: for the which the name of God be praised.