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¶ The Description.
1 SAint Iohns wort hath brownish stalkes beset with many small and narrow leaues, which if you behold betwixt your eyes and the light do appeare as it were bored or thrust tho∣row in an infinite number of places with pinnes points. The branches diuide them∣selues into sundry small twigs, at the top whereof doe grow many yellow floures, which with the leaues bruised do yeeld a reddish iuyce of the colour of bloud. The seed is contained in little sharpe pointed huskes, blacke of colour, and smelling like Rosin. The root is long, yellow, and of a wooddy substance.
2 The second kinde of S. Iohns wort named Syriacum, of those that haue not seene the fruit∣full and plentifull fields of England, wherein it groweth aboundantly, hauing small leaues almost like to Rew or Herbe-Grace: wherein Dodonaeus hath failed, entituling the true Androsaemum by the name of 〈◊〉〈◊〉; whereas indeed it is no more like Rew than an Apple to an Oister. This plant is altogether like the precedent, but smaller, wherein consisteth the difference. ‡ It had beene sitter for our Author to haue giuen vs a better and perfecter description of this plant (which as he saith growes so aboundantly with vs) than so absurdly to cauill with Dodonaeus, for calling, as he saith, the true Androsaemum, Rutasyluestris: for if that be the true Androsaemum which Dodonaeus made mention of by the foresaid name, why did not our Author figure and describe it in the next chapter saue one, for Androsaemum, but followed Dodonaeus in figuring and describing Tutsan for it? See more hereof in the chapter of Tutsan. I cannot say I haue seene this plant; but Lobel the Au∣thor and setter forth thereof thus briefely describes it: the leaues are foure times lesser than those of ours, which grow thicke together as in rundles vpon stalkes, being a cubit high. The floures are yellow, and like those of our common kinde. ‡
3 Woolly S. Iohns wort hath many small weake branches trailing vpon the ground, beset with many little leaues, couered ouer with a certaine soft kinde of downinesse: among which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 forth weake and tender branches charged with small pale yellow floures. The seeds and roots are like vnto the true S. Iohns wort.
‡ The figure that our Author gaue was of that which I here giue you second in the third place, vnder the title of Hyper. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Clusij; for Clusius saith it was his, and blames Lobel for making it all one with that he found about Montpelier; whose figure also I giue you first in the third place, that you may see what difference you can obserue by them: for Clusius saith Lobels is but an hand∣full high; yet tells he not vs how high his growes, neither instances how they differ, neither can I gather it by Lobels description: but I coniecture it is thus; That of Clusius his description is tal∣ler, more white and hairy, and hath the floures growing along little foot-stalks, and not in manner of an vmbel, as in the other.
‡ 4 Besides these two creeping hoary S. Iohns worts here described, there is another small kinde which is called by Dodonaeus, Hypericum minus; and by Lobel, Hypericum minimum supinum Sep∣tentrionale. It growes some handfull or more high, with weake and slender branches set with leaues like those of the ordinarie kinde, but lesse: the floures are also like those of the first described, but fewer in number, and lesse. It is to be found in dry and barren grounds, and floures at the same time as the the former.
5 I haue obserued growing in S. Iohns wood and other places, that kinde of S. Iohn Wort