"Vervain. To make folke mery at ye table. To make all them
in a hous to be mery take foure leaves and foure rotes of
vervayn in wyne, than spryncle the wine all about the hous
where the eatynge is and they shall be all mery."
"Musk. Agaynst weyknesse of the brayne smel to musk."
"Struciūn. Against lytargye blowe the powdre of the sede
in to the nose or elles sethe the sede thereof and juice of
rue in stronge vyneygre and rubbe the hynder parte of ye
head therwith."
"Artemisia. To make a child mery hange a bondell of mugwort
or make smoke thereof under the chylde's bedde for it taketh
away annoy for hem."
"Rosemary. For weyknesse of ye brayne. Agaynst weyknesse of
the brayne and coldenesse thereof, sethe rosmarin in wyne
and lete the pacyent receye the smoke at his nose and kepe
his heed warme."
"Southernwood. The fume of it expelleth all serpents out of
the house and what so ever there abydeth dyeth."
There are two delicious violet recipes for "Syrope of Vyolettes" and
"oyle of vyolettes."
"Syrope of vyolettes ī made in this maner--Sethe
vyolettes in water and lete it lye all nyght in ye same
water. Than poure and streyne out the water, and in the same
put sugre and make your syrope.
"Oyle of vyolettes is made thus. Sethe vyolettes in oyle and
streyne it. It will be oyle of vyolettes."
It is in this herbal that we find the first avowal of disbelief in the
supposed powers of the mandrake.
"There be two maners the male and the female, the female
hath sharpe leves. Some say that it is better for medycyne
than the male but we use of bothe. Some say that the male
hath figure of shape of a man. And the female of a woman but
that is fals. For Nature never gaue forme or shape of
mākynde to an herbe. But it is of troughe that some hath
shaped suche fygures by craft as we have fortyme herde say
of labourers in the feldes."
The _Grete Herball_ ends thus--
"O ye worthy reders or practicyens to whome this noble
volume is presēt. I beseche you take intellygence and
beholde ye workes and operacyōs of almighty god which
hath endewed his symple creature mankynde with the graces of
ye holy goost to have parfyte knowlege and understandynge of
the vertue of all manner of herbes and trees in this booke
comprehendyed and everyche of them chaptred by hymselfe and
in every chaptre dyuers clauses where is shewed dyuers maner
of medycunes in one herbe comprehended whiche ought to be
notyfyed and marked for the helth of man in whom is repended
ye hevenly gyftes by the eternall Kynge to whom be laude and
prayse everlastynge. Amen."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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