The English physitian, or An astrologo-physical discourse of the vulgar herbs of this nation being a compleat method of physick, whereby a man may preserve his body in health, or cure himself being sick for three pence charge, with such things only as grow in England ... / by Nich. Culpeper.

Vertues and Use.

Will you give me leave to be Critical a lit∣tle? I must take leave; Wormnwood is an Herb of Mars, and if Pontanus say otherwise he is beside the Bridg. I prove it thus: What delights in Martial places is a Martial Herb, But Wormwood delights in Martial places, (for about Forges and Iron Works you may gather a Cart load of it) Ergo it is a Martial Herb. It is hot and dry in the first degree, Viz, Just as hot as your Blood and no hotter: It remedies the evils Choller* 1.1 can inflict on the Body of man by Sympathy.* 1.2 It helps the evils Venus and her wanton Girls produce, by Antipathy; and it doth somthing else besides; It clenseth the Body of Choller (and who dares say Mars doth no good?) It provokes Urine, helps Surfets, Swellings* 1.3 in the Belly; it causeth an Appetite to meat, because Mars rules the Attractive faculty in Man: The Sun never shone upon a better Herb for the yellow Jaundice than this is: Why should men cry out so much upon Mars for an Infor∣tue (or Saturn either?) Did God make Crea∣tures to do the Creation a mischief? This Herb testifies that Mars is willing to cure all the Diseases he causes; the truth is, Mars loves no Cowards, nor Saturn Fools, nor I, either. Take of the Flowers of Wormwood, Rosemary, and black Thorn, of each a like quantity, half that quantity of saffron, boyl this in Renish Wine, but put not in the Saf∣fron till it is almost boyled;* 1.4 This is the way to keep a Mans Body in health, appointed by Camerarius in his Book intituled, Hortus, Me∣dicus, and 'tis a good one too. Besides all this, Wormwood provokes the Terms.* 1.5 I would willingly teach Astrologers, and make them Physitians (if I knew how) for they are most fitting for the Calling, if you will not beleeve me, ask Dr. Hippocrates, and Dr. Galen, a couple of Gentlemen that our Col∣ledg of Physitians keep to vapor with, not to follow. In this one Herb I shall give the Pat∣tern of a Rule to the Sons of Art, rough caft, yet as neer the Truth as the men of Benjamin could throw a stone; whereby my Brethren of the Society of Astrologers may know by a penny how a shilling is coyned: (as for the Colledg of Physitians they are too sta••ely to learn, and too proud to continue, They say a Mouse is under the Dominion of the Moon, and that's the reason they feed in the night: The House of the Moon is Cancer: (Rats are of the same nature with Mice but that they are a little bigger.) Mars receives his fall in Can∣cer Erga•• Wormwood being an Herb of Mars is a present Remedy for the biting of Rats and Mice.* 1.6 Mushroms (I cannot give them the title of Herba, Frutex, or Arbor) are under the Dominion of Saturn (and take them one time with another they do as much harm as good:) if any have poyson'd himself by ea∣ting them, Wormwood an Herb of Mars cures him, because Mars is exalted in Capricorn the Hous of Saturn, & this it doth by Sympathy as it did the other by Antipathy.* 1.7 Wheals, Pushes black & blew Spots* 1.8 coming eitheir by bruises or beatings, Wormwood an Herb of Mars helps, becaus Mars (as bad as you love him, & as ill as you hate him) will not break your Head, but he'l give you a Plaister. If he do but teach you to know your selves, his Courtesie is greater than his Discourtesie: The greatest Antipathy between the Planets is between Mars and Venus, one is hot, the other cold, one Diurnal, the other Nocturnal; one dry, the other moist, their Houses are opposite, one Masculine the other Feminine, one pub∣lick the other private, one is valiant, the other effeminate, one loves the light, the other hates it, one loves the Field, the other the Sheets; then the Throat is under Venus, the Quinsie* 1.9 lies in the Throat and is an Inflama∣tion there: Venus rules the Throat (it being under Taurus her Sign) Mars eradicates all Diseases in the Throat by his Herbs (of which Wormwood is one) and send them to AEgypt on an errand never to return more; this by Antipathy. The Eyes are under the Lumina∣ries, the right Eye of a Man, and the left Eye of a Woman, the Sun claims Dominion over: The left Eye of a Man, and the right Eye* 1.10 of a Woman, are the priviledg of the Moon, Wormwood an Herb of Mars cures both: What belongs to the Sun by Sympathy becaus he is exalted in his House; but what belongs to the Moon by Antipathy, because he hath

his Fall in hers. Suppose a man be bitten or s••ung* 1.11 by a martial Creature, imagine a Wasp, a Hornet or Scorpion, Wormwood an H••••b of Mars gives you a present cure: Then Mars as Chollerick as he is, hath learned that Pa∣tiences, to pass by yenr evil speeches of him, and tells you by my Pen, That he gives you no Affliction but he gives you a Cure; You need not run to Apollo nor AEsculapius; and if he were so Chollerick as you make him to be, he would have drawn his Sword for Anger ••o see the ill conditions of those people that can spy his Vices and not his Vertues. The eternal God when he made Mars, made him for a publick good, and the Sons of Men shall know it in the latter end of the world. Et caelum Mars solus habet. You say Mars is a Destroyer, mix a little Wormwood an Herb of Mars with your Ink, and neither Rats nor Mice will touch the Paper is written with it, and then Mars is a Preserver. A∣strologers say Mars causeth Scabs and Itch, and the Virgins are angry with him, because wanton V••nus told them he desorms their Skin: But quoth Mars, my only desire is they should know themselves; my Herb Wormwood will restore them to the beauty they formerly had, and in that I will not come an inch behind my opposite Venus; for which doth the greatest evil, he that takes away an innate beauty, and when he hath done knows how to restore it again; or she that teaches a company of wanton Lasses to paint their Fa∣ces? If Mars be in the Virgin in a Nativi∣ty, they say he usually causeth the Chollick ('tis well God hath set some body to pul down the pride of Man) He in the Virgin troubles none w^th the Chollick but them that know not themselves (for who knows himself may easily know all the world:) Wormwood an Herb of Mars is a present cure for it: and whether it be most like a Christian to love him for his good, or hate him for his evil, judg ye. I had almost forgotten that Charity thinks no evil, I was once in the Tower and viewed the Wardrobe, and there was a great many fine Cloathes (I can give them no other title, for I was never neither Linnen or Woollen Dra∣per) yet as brave as they looked, my opinion was, the Moaths might consume them (yea Henry the eighth his Codpiece.) Moaths are under the Dominion of Mars, his Herb Wormwood being laid amongst Cloathes will make a Moath scorn to meddle with the Cloath, as much as a Lyon scorns to meddle with a Moule, or an Eagle a Fly. You say Mars is angry, and 'tis true enough, he is angry with my Country-men for being such Fools to be led by the Noses by a Colledg of Physitians, as they lead Bears to Paris-Gar∣den. Melancholly men cannot endure to be wrong'd in point of good name, and that hath ••orely troubled old Saturn, because they called him the greatest Infortune: In the Bo∣dy of Man he rules the Spleen* 1.12 (and that makes Covetous men so Splenetick.) The poor old man lies crying cut of his left side, Father Sarwn's angry, Mars comes to him, come Bic••••er, I confess thou an evil spoken of, and so am I th•• knowest I have my ex∣altation in thy House, I'le give him an Herb of mine, Wormwood, to cure t•••• poor man; Saturn consented but spoke but little, and so Mars cured him by Sympathy. When Mars was free from War (for he loves to be figh∣ting, and is the best friend a Soldier hath) I say when Mars was free from War he cal∣led a Councel of War in his own Brain to know how he should do poor sinful man good, (desiring to forget his in being called an Infortune) He musters up his own Forces and places them in B••ttalia, ••h, quoth he, why do I hurt a poor silly Man or Woman? His Angel Answers him, 'Tis because they have of••ended their God [Look back to Adam] Well, saies Mars, though they speak evil of me, I'le do good to them; Death's cold, my Herbs shall heat them, They are full of ill Humors (else they would never have spoken ill of me) my Herb shall clense them and dry them: They are poor weak Creatures, my Herb shall threngthen them; they are dul witted, my Herb shall fortifie their Apprehen∣sions; and yet amongst Astrologers, all this doth not deserve a good word; ••h, the Pati∣ence of Mars.

Faelix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas Inque domus superum scandere cura fi••t.

Oh happy he that can the Knowledg gain, To know th'eternal God made nought in vain.

To this I add,

I know the reason causeth such a Dearth Of Knowledg, 'tis, becaus men love the Earth.

The other day Mars told me he met with Venus, and he asked her what the Reason was that she accused him for abusing Women, he never gave them the Pox, in the Dispute they fell out, and in anger parted, and Mars told me that his brother Saturn told him, that an Antivenerial Medicine was the best against the Pox.* 1.13 Once a Month he meets with the Moon, Mars is quick enough of speech, and the Moon not much behind hand (neither are most Women) The Moon looks much after Children, and Children are much troubled with the Worms, she desued a Medicine of him, he bad her take his own Herb Worm∣wood: He had no sooner parted with the Moon but he met with Venus, and she was as drunk as a Bitch, Al••s poot Venus quoth he•• What, thou a Fortune and be drunk? I'le give thee an Antipathetical Cure, take my Herb Wormwood, thou shalt never get a

Surfet* 1.14 by drinking. A poor silly Country∣man hath got an Ague and cannot go about his business, he wishes he had it not, and so do I, but I'le tell him a Remedy whereby he may prevent it. Take the Herb of Mars Wormwood, and if Infortunes will do good what will Fortunes do? Some say the Lungs are under Jupiter, and if the Lungs, then the breath, and yet a man somtimes gets a stin∣king* 1.15 breath, and yet Jupiter is a Fortune forsooth; up comes Mars to him, Come Brother Jupiter, thou knowest I sent thee a couple of Trines to thy Houses last night, the one from Aries, and the other from Scorpio, give me thy leave by Sympathy to cure the poor man by drinking a draught of Worm∣wood Beer every morning. The Moon was weak the other day, and she gave a man two terrible mischiefs, a dull Brain, and a weak sight,* 1.16 Mars l••ies by his Sword and comes to her, Sister Moon saith he, This man hath anger'd thee, but I beseech thee take notice he is but a Fool, prithee be patient, I will with my Herb Wormwood cure him of both Infir∣mities by Antipathy, for thou knowst, thou and I cannot agree; with that the Moon began to quarrel; Mars (not delighting much in Womens Tongues) went away, and did it whether she would or no.

He that reades this and understands what he reades, he hath a Jewel more worth then a Di∣amond: He that understands it not, is as lit∣tle fit to give Physick. There lies a Key in these words, which will unlock (if it be turned by a wise hand) the Cabbinet of Physick: I have delivered it so plainly as I durst; 'tis not upon Wormwood only that I wrote, but upon all Plants, Trees, and Herbs: He that under∣stands it not, is unfit (in my Opinion) to give Physick. This shall live when I am dead; and thus I leave it to the World, not caring •• Halfpenny whether they like or dislike it. The Grave equals all men, and therefore shall e∣qual me with the Princes, until which time the Eternal Providence is over me; then the ill tongue of a pra••ling Priest, or of one who hath more Tongue than Wit, or more Pride than Honesty, shall never trouble me. Wis∣dom is justified of her Children; and so much for Wormwood.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Choller,
• * 1.2

  Venery,
• * 1.3

  Provokes urine, Helps Surfets, Swellings, Appetite lost, Yelloow Jaundice,
• * 1.4

  Preserve Health,
• * 1.5

  Terms provokes••
• * 1.6

  Biting of Rats & Mice.
• * 1.7

  Mushroms
• * 1.8

  Wheals, Pushes, Black & blew Spots,
• * 1.9

  Quinsie,
• * 1.10

  Eyes;
• * 1.11

  Biting or, stinging by Venemous Beasts.
• * 1.12

  Spleen
• * 1.13

  French Pox,
• * 1.14

  Surfet,
• * 1.15

  Stinking Breath,
• * 1.16

  Dull Brain, weak Sight.