Chap. 1. Of Leaves of Herbs or Trees.
- 1. OF Leaves, chuse only such as are green and full of Juyce, pick ••hem carefully, and cast away such as are any way declining, for they will putrifie the rest, so shall one handful be worth ten of those you buy in Cheap side.
- 2. Note in what place they most delight to grow in, and gather them there, for Bettony that grows in the shadow is far better than that which grows in the Sun, because it de∣lights in the shadow; so also such Herbs as delight to grow neer the Water, let such be ga∣thered as grow neer the Water, though happi∣ly you may find some of them upon dry ground, the Treatise will inform you where every Herb delights to grow.
- 3. The Leaves of such Herbs as run up to Seed, are not so good when they are in flower as before (some few excepted, the Leaves of which are seldom or never used) in such cases, if through ignorance they were not known, or through negligence forgotten, you had better take the top and the Flower•• than the Leaf.
- 4. Dry them well in the Sun, and not in the shadow as the swinge of Physitians is, for if the Sun draw away the Vertues of Herbs, it must needs do the like by Hay•• by the same Rule, which the experience of every Country Farmer will explode for a notable piece of non-sense.
- 5. Such as are Artists in Astrology (and indeed none else are fit to make Physitians) such I advi••e, let the Planet that governs the Herb be Angular, and ••he stronger the better, if they can in Herbs of Saturn, let Saturn be in the Ascendent, in the Herbs of Mars, let Mars be in the Mid-heaven, for in those Hou∣ses they delight, let the Moon apply to them by good A••pect•• and let her not be in the Houses of their Enemies: If you cannot well stay till she apply to them, let her apply to a Planet of the same Triplicity, if you cannot wait that time neither, let her be with a fixed Star of their Nature.
- 6. Having well dryed them put them up in brown Papers, sewing the Paper up like a Sack, and press them not too hard together, and keep them in a dry place neer the fire.
- 7. As for the duration of dryed Herbs, a
just time cannot ••e given, let Authors p••ate
their pleasures: For,
First, Such as grow upon dry grounds will keep better than such as grow on moist.
Secondly, Such Herbs as are full of Juyce will not keep so long as such as are dryer.
Thirdly, Such Herbs as are well dryed will keep longer than such as are ill dried.
Yet this I say, by this you may know when they are corrupted, viz. By their loss of co∣lour, or smell, or both, and it they be corrup∣ted, reason will tell you that they must needs corrupt the Bodies of those people that take them.
- 8. Gather all Leaves in the hour of that Planet that governs them.