¶Of Lente. cap. 96.
LEns, lentis, is a manner of Codware, and is seruisable to Potage, as Isido. saith lib 17 and hath that name, for it is moyst and softe, and namely in grasse: & of Lens; lentis, commeth Lencicula, the diminutiue thereof, and is writ with c, for difference of Lens, lendis, that is a nit, a little head worme, & is writ with d, in the Genitiue case, and in all the o∣ther, except the Nomnatiue case. Therof one speaketh in this manner.
Lens lendis capiti, Lens lentis con∣uenit o••i.
That is to say, that Lens lendis, is the nit in the head, and Lens lentis, is the titl, and accordeth to the mouth.
The till is colde and drye, and compow∣ned of contraries, as Isaac saith: for one vertue thereof is in the rinde, and ano∣ther in the pith and the meale: For it hath in the rinde a manner sharpnesse, by the which it lareth the wombe: but the pith and the meale is sowrish, and comforteth the stomacke, and constrai∣neth and bindeth, and gendreth thicke & melancholike bloud, and filleth the brain, with thicke smoke, and is therfore cause of horrible and dreadfull dreames, and grieueth the stomacke with ventositie & swelling and stoppeth all the passages & veynes of the bodye, and dryeth the sub∣staunce of sinewes and of skinnes of the braine, and is most grieuous to the skins of the eyen, for it distempereth the moy∣sture thereof and fordrieth. And he say∣eth, that it greueth whole eyen, and then much more it grieueth sore eyen, because that it fordrieth. Oft vse of this, breedeth in the body most wicked euils and passi∣ons, and namely if that it be eaten with the skin and hulles, and if the bodye bée drye of complection. But somtime it hel∣peth them that be hot & moyst. And hel∣peth them that haue the dropsie, if it bée eaten without the skin, for it gendreth much swelling and stretching of guts, and of skins. Till that is most great & fresh and easie to seething, is best, & that both to meate and to medicine. The ma∣lice of Till is tempered if the skinne be put away, and the pith sod in fresh wa∣ter, and then oyle put thereto, & pepper, Comin, and other such things Huc vsq Isaac in Dietis. Plin. saith, lib. 17. cap. 12. that the till loneth leane land more then fat, and dry wether and aire, & all Cod∣ware loueth water before the blossome, and drinesse after the blooming.
(* 1.1Lentills, not common, and is hard of digestion, & causeth dreadfull dreames, it bréedeth cankers, leprosie, and mad∣nesse, yet it is medicinable.)