To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
THe leaues of Alexander are cu t into many parcells like those of Smallage, but they be much greater and broader, smooth also, and of a deepe greene colour: the stalke is thicke, often∣times a cubit high: the floures be white, and grow vpon spokie tufts: the seed is thicke,
long, blacke something bitter, and of an aromaticall or spicy smell: the root is thicke, blacke without, white within, like to a little Radish, and is good to be eaten out of which being broken or cut, there issueth forth a juice that quickely waxeth thicke, hauing in it a sharpe bitternesse, like in taste vnto Myrrhe: which thing also Theophrastus hath noted, there issueth out of it, saith he, a juice like Myrrhe.
Alexanders or great Parsley groweth in most places of England.
The seed waxeth ripe the second yeere, in the Moneth of August.
It is called in Greeke, of the greatnesse wherein, it excelleth the other Parsleyes 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or Horse Parsley; of Gaza, Equapium: it is also named Olus alrum, or the blacke pot∣herbe; and of diuers 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Apium, or wilde Parsley; of Galen and certaine others, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by reason of the juice that issueth forth thereof, that is, as we haue said, like vnto Myrrhe, which is called in Greeke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: there is also another Smyrnium of mount A man, of which we do write in the 404. chapter: the Apothe∣caries cal it Petroselinum Macedonicum: others, Petroselinum Alexandrinum: the Germaines, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉: the Low-Country-men, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉: in Spanish, Perex∣il Macedonico: the French, and Englishmen, Alexandre, Alexanders.
The seed & root of Alexanders, are no lesse hot and dry than are those of the Garden Par∣sley, they clense and make thinne, being hot and dry in the third degree.
Dioscorides saith, that the leaues and stalkes are boiled and eaten, and dressed alone by them∣selues, [ A] or with fishes: that they are preserued raw in pickle: that the root eaten both raw and sod, is good for the stomacke: the root hereof is also in our age serued to the table raw for a sallade herbe.
The seeds bring downe the floures, expell the secondine, breake and consume winde, prouoke [ B] vrine, and are good against the straingury: the decoction also of the root doth the same, especially if it be made with wine.
The figure formerly here was of 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and that belonging to this place was put in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 chapter.