The herball or Generall historie of plantes. Gathered by Iohn Gerarde of London Master in Chirurgerie very much enlarged and amended by Thomas Iohnson citizen and apothecarye of London

¶ The Description.

GVaiacum, which some call Lignum San∣ctum: others, Lignum vitae, is a well kown wood, though of a tree nknown, or at least not certainly knowne; for this fi∣gure which I here giue you out of Clusius, was gotten, and the historie framed as you shall heare by his own words, taken out of his Scho∣lia vpon the 21 Chapter of Monardus. About the beginning (saith he) of the yeare 1601. I receiued from Peter Garret a branch of a foot long, which he writ was giuen him by a cer∣taine Surgeon lately returned from America, for a branch of the tree Guaiacum: which if it be a branch of the true Guaiacum, then hath Nicolas Monardus sleightly enough set downe the historie of this tree. I thus described this branch which was sent me.

This branch was a foot long, very writhen, and distinguished with many knots, scarse at the lower end equalling the thicknesse of a writing pen or goose quil, hauing an hard and yellowish wood, and a wrinkled barke o an ash colour: at the vpper end it was diuided into slender branches, whereof some yet retai∣ned their leaues, and other some the floures and the rudiment of the fruit: the leaues, or more truly the wings or foot-stalkes of the leaues grew vpon slender branches one against another, each winged leafe hauing foure or 〈◊〉〈◊〉 little leaues, alwaies growing by couples one against other, as in the Masticke tree; and these were thickish, round, and distinguished with many veines, which by reason of their drinesse (as I obserued) would easily fall off, leauing the footstalks naked, and onely retaining the markes whereas the leaues had beene. In the knots of the vpper branches there grew as it were swellings, out of which together grew six, eight, ten, or more slender foot-stalkes, some inch long, each carrying a floure not great, consisting of six little leaues (but whether white, yellow, or blew, I could not by reason of the drinesse iudge:) out of the middle of the floure grew many little threds, and in some the rudiment of the fruit began to ap∣peare, hauing two cels, almost shaped like the seed-vessell of the common Shepheards purse.

Thus much Clusius, who afterwards receiued the fruit from two or three, but the most perfect from the learned Apothecarie Iohn Pona of Verona: they are commonly parted into two parts or cels, yet he obserued one with three: he found longish stones in them almost like those of Euonymus, and they consisted of a very hard and hairy substance like to that of the Date stones, containing a smooth kernel of a yellowish colour.

Now will I giue you the descriptions of Monardus: then, what I haue obserued my selfe of this wood, which I must confesse is very little, yet which may giue some light to the ignorant. Of this wood (saith Monardus) many haue written many waies, saying that it is either Ebonie, or a kinde of Box, or calling it by some other names. But as it is a new kinde of tree, not found in these regi∣ons, or any other of the whole world described by the Antients, but only those of late discouered; so this shall be a new tree to vs: howeuer it be, it is a large tree of the bigues of the Ilex, ful of bran∣ches, hauing a great matrix or blackish pith, the substance of the wood being harder than Ebonie: the barke is thicke, gummie or fat, and when the wood is dry falleth easily off: the leaues are smal and hard: the floure yellow: the which is followed by a round follid fruit, containing in it seeds like those of the Medlar.

It growes plentifully in the Isles of Sancto Domingo,

Another kinde of this was afterwards found in the Island of S. Iohn de Puerto rico, neere to the former: it is also like the last described, but altogether lesse, and almost without matrix or pith, smelling stronger, and being bitterer than the former, which being left, this is now in vse, and of the wondrous effects it is called Lignum sanctum; neither without desert, being (experience giuing testimonie) it excells the other: yet both their faculties are admirable in curing the French dis∣ease, and therefore the water or decoction of both of them are drunke, either mixed together, or se∣uerally, both for the cure of the forementioned disease, as also against diuers other affects. Thus much for Monardus his description.

The wood which is now in vse with vs is of a large tree, whose wood is very heauy, sollid, and fit to turne into bowles or the like, and all that I haue yet seene hath been wholly without matrix or pith, and commonly it is of a darke brownish colour, somewhat inclining to yellow, hauing a ring of white ingirting it next to the barke; I haue obserued a tree whose diametre hath been two foot and a quarter, to haue had as little or lesse of this white wood as one whose diameter was thirteene inches; and this which was thirteene inches had only a white circle about it of one inch in bredth: I thinke the yonger the tree is, the bigger the white circle is: the best wood is dense, heauy, brow∣nish, leauing a quicke and biting taste in the decoction, as also his smell and colour. The barke of this wood is also dense and heauy, of a hard substance and yellowish colour within, but rough and greenish, or else grayish without, and of somewhat a bitterish taste. Thus much for the de∣scription of the wood and his barke. Now let me say somewhat briefely of the temperature and qualities.