The third book of the works of Mr. Francis Rabelais, Doctor in Physick containing the heroick deeds of Pantagruel the son of Gargantua / now faithfully translated into English by the unimitable pen of Sir Thomas Urwhart.

CHAP. L. How the famous Pantagruelion ought to be prepared and wrought. (Book 50)

THE Herb Pantagruelion in September; under the Autumnal Equinox, is dressed and prepared several ways, accor∣ding to the various Fancies of the People, and Diversity of the Climates wherein it groweth. The first Instruction which Pantagruel gave concerning it, was, to di∣vest and dispoil the Stalk and Stem there∣of of all its Flowers and Seeds, to mace∣rate and mortifie it in Pond, Pool, or Lake-water, which is to be made run a little for five days together, if the Season be dry, and the Water hot; or for full nine or twelve days, if the weather be cloudish, and the Water cold: Then must it be parched before the Sun, till it be drained of its Moisture: After this it is in the Shadow, where the Sun shines not, to be peeled, and its Rind pulled off: Then are the Fibres and Strings thereof to be parted, (wherein, as we have already

said, consisteth its prime Vertue, Price, and Efficacy) and severed from the woody part thereof, which is improfitable, and serveth hardly to any other use, than to make a clear and glistering Blaze, to kin∣dle the Fire, and for the Play, Pastime and Disport of little Children, to blow up Hogs Bladders, and make them rat∣tle. Many times some use is made there∣of by tipling, sweet-lipped Bibbers, who out of it frame Quills and Pipes, through which they with their Liquor-attractive Breath suck up the new dainty Wine from the Bung of the Barrel. Some modern Pantagruelists, to shun and avoid that ma∣nual Labour, which such a separating and partitional Work would of necessity re∣quire, employ certain Catarractick Instru∣ments, oomposed and formed after the same manner that the froward, pettish and angry Iuno did hold the Fingers of both her hands interwovenly clenched together, when she would have hindred the Child∣birth Delivery of Al••mena, at the Nativi∣ty of Hercules; and athwart those Cata∣racts they break and bruise to very Trash the woody parcels, thereby to preserve the better the Fibres, which are the pre∣cious and excellent parts. In, and with this sole Operation do these acquiesce and are contented, who, contrary to the recei∣ved

Opinion of the whole Earth, and in in a manner paradoxical to all Philoso∣phers, gain their Livelihoods backwards, and by recoiling. But those that love to hold it at a higher rate, and prize it ac∣cording to its Value, for their own great∣er Profit, do the very same which is told us of the recreation of the three fatal Si∣ster Parques, or of the nocturnal Exercise of the noble Circe; or yet of the Excuse which Penelope made to her fond wooing Youngsters and effeminate Courtiers, du∣ring the long Absence of her Husband Ulysses.

By these means is this Herb put into a way to display its inestimable Vertues, whereof I will discover a part: (for to relate all is a thing impossible to do) I have already interpreted and exposed be∣fore you the Denomination thereof. I find that Plants have their Names given and bestowed upon them after several ways: Some got the Name of him who first found them out, knew them, sowed them, improved them by Culture, quali∣fied them to a tractability, and appropri∣ated them to the uses and subse••viences they were fit for: As the Mercuriale from Mercury, Panacee from Panace the Daugh∣ter of Esculapius, in Armois from Artemis, who is Diana; Eupatorie from the King

Eupator; Telephion from Telephus; Euphor∣bium from Euphorbus, King Iuba's Physici∣an; Clymenos from Clymenus; Alchibiadi∣um from Alcibiades; Gentiane from Gentius King of Sclavonia, and so forth, through a great many other Herbs or Plants. Tru∣ly, in ancient Times, this Prerogative of imposing the Inventors Name upon an Herb found out by him, was held in a so great account and estimation, that as a Controversie arose betwixt Neptune and Pallas, from which of them two that Land should receive its Denomination, which had been equally found out by them both together, though thereafter it was called and had the Apellation of A∣thens, from Athene, which is Minerva: Just so would Lynceus King of Scythia have treacherously slain the young Trip∣tolemus, whom Ceres had sent to shew unto Mankind the Invention of Corn, which until then had been utterly un∣known, to the end, that after the mur∣ther of the Messenger (whose Death he made account to have kept secret) he might, by imposing with the less suspicion of false dealing, his own Name upon the said found out Seed, acquire unto himself an immortal Honour and Glory, for ha∣ving been the Inventor of a Grain so pro∣fitable and necessary to, and for the use of

Humane Life. For the wickedness of which Treasonable Attempt he was by Ceres transformed into that wild Beast, which by some is called a Lynx, and by others an Oince. Such also was the Am∣bition of others upon the like occasion, as appeareth by that, very sharp Wars, and of a long continuance, have been made of old betwixt some Residentary Kings in Capadocia, upon this only De∣bate, of whose Name a certain Herb should have the Appellation; by reason of which difference, so troublesom and expensive to them all, it was by them cal∣led Polemonion, and by us for the same Cause termed Make-bate.

Other Herbs and Plants there are, which retain the Names of the Countries from whence they were transported: As the Median Apples from Media, where they first grew; Punick Apples from Pu∣nicia, (that is to say, Carthage;) Ligusti∣cum (which we call Louage) from Liguria the Coast of Genoua; Rubarb from a Flood in Barbary (as Ammianus attesteth) called Ru; Sautonica from a Region of that Name; Fenugreek from Greece; Ga∣stanes from a Country so called; Persicarie from Persia; Sabine from a Territory of that Appellation; Staechas from the Stae∣chad Islands; Spica Celtica from the Land

of the Celtick Gauls; and so throughout a great many other, which were tedious to enumerate. Some others again have ob∣tained their Denominations by way of Antiphrasis, or Contrariety; as, Absinth, because it is contrary to 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; for it is bitter to the taste in drinking; Holosteon, as if it were all Bones, whilst on the con∣trary, there is no frailer, tenderer nor britler Herb in the whole Production of Nature than it.

There are some other sorts of Herbs, which have got their Names from their Vertues and Operatious; as Aristolochie, because it helpeth Women in Child-birth; Lichen, for that it cureth the Disease of that name; Mallow, because it mollifi∣eth; Callithricum, because it maketh the Hair of a bright Colour; Alyssum, Ephe∣merum, Bechium, Nasturtium, Aneban, and so forth through many more.

Other some there are which have ob∣tained their Names from the admirable Qualities that are found to be in them; as Heliotropium (which is the Marigold) because it followeth the Sun; so that at the Sun rising it displayeth and spreads it self out, at his ascending it mounteth, at his declining it waineth; and when he is set it is close shut; Adianton, because al∣though it grow near unto watry places,

and albeit you should let it lie in Water a long time, it will nevertheless retain no Moisture nor Humidity; Hierachia, Erin∣gium, and so throughout a great many more. There are also a great many Herbs, and Plants, which have retained the very same Names of the Men and Women who have been metamorphosed and trans∣formed in them; as from Daphne the Law∣rel is called also Daphne; Myrrhe from Myrrha the Daughter of Cinarus; Pythis from Pythis; Cinara (which is the Arti∣chock) from one of that name; Narcis∣sus, with Saffran, Similax, and divers o∣thers.

Many Herbs likewise have got their Names of those things which they seem to have some Resemblance; as Hippuris, because it hath the likeness of a Horse's Tail; Alopecuris, because it representeth in similitude the Tail of a Fox; Psyllion, from a Flea which it resembleth; Del∣phinium, for that it is like a Dolphin Fish; Buglosse is so called, because it is an Herb like an Oxes Tongue; Iris, so called, be∣cause in its Flowers it hath some resem∣blance of the Rain-bow; Myosata, because it is like the Ear of a Mouse; Coronopus, for that it is of the likeness of a Crows Foot: A great many other such there are, which here to recite were needless. Fur∣thermore,

as there are Herbs and Plants which have had their Names from those of Men, so by a reciprocal Denominati∣on have the Surnames of many Families taken their Origin from them; as the Fa∣bii, à fabis, Beans; the Pisons, à pisis, Pease; the Lentuli from Lentils; the Cicerons, à Ciceribus, vel Ciceris, a sort of Pulse called Cichepeason, and so forth. In some Plants and Herbs the resemblance or likeness hath been taken from a higher Mark or Object, as when we say Venus Navil, Ve∣nus Hair, Venus Tub, Iupiter's Beard, Iu∣piter's Eye, Mars's Blood, the Hermodactyl or Mercury's Fingers, which are all of them Names of Herbs, as there are a great many more of the like Appellation. Others again have received their Deno∣mination from their Forms; such as the Trefoil, because it is three-leaved; Penta∣phylon, for having five Leaves; Serpolet, because it creepeth along the ground; Helixine, Petast, Myrobalon, which the Ara∣bians call Been, as if you would say an Ackorne; for it hath a kind of resemblance thereto, and withal is very oily.