A nievve herball, or historie of plantes wherin is contayned the vvhole discourse and perfect description of all sortes of herbes and plantes: their diuers [and] sundry kindes: their straunge figures, fashions, and shapes: their names, natures, operations, and vertues: and that not onely of those whiche are here growyng in this our countrie of Englande, but of all others also of forrayne realmes, commonly vsed in physicke. First set foorth in the Doutche or Almaigne tongue, by that learned D. Rembert Dodoens, physition to the Emperour: and nowe first translated out of French into English, by Henry Lyte Esquyer.

Of Bawme. Chap. lxxxij.

❀ The Kyndes.

VNder the title of Melissa, are comprehēded both the right Bawme, and the Bastard Bawme, the whiche both are somewhat like to the Horehounde.

❀ The Description.

[ 1] THe right Bawme hath square stalkes, & blackish leaues like to blacke Horehounde, but a great deale larger, of a pleasant sauour, drawing towardes the smell of a Citron. The floures are of Carnation colour. The roote is single, harde, and of a wooddie substance.

[ 2] The common Bawme is not much vnlike to the aforesayd, sauing that his sauour is not so pleasant and delectable, as the sauour of the right Bawme.

[ 3] There is a certayne herbe bysides these, the whiche some take for the right Bawme (yet they are much deceyued that do so thinke) it hath a square stalke

with leaues like to common Bawme, but larger and blacker, and of an euell sa∣uour: the floures are white, and much greater than the floures of the common Bawme: the roote is harde, and of wooddie substance.

[illustration]

Melissa vulgaris. Bawme.

[illustration]

Melissophylli species.

[illustration]

Herba Iudaica.

[ 4] A man may also place, amongst these sortes of Bawme, that herbe whiche ordinarily is called Herba Iudaica. It hath square hearie stalkes diuided or parted into many branches. The leaues be long and dented round about, and smaller then the leaues of Sage: alongst the toppes of the braunches groweth the floures, of a fainte blew or whitishe colour. The roote hath hearie strings. All the herbe draweth towardes the sauour of Bawme, or Melissa.

❀ The Place.

These herbes do grow in certaine countries in wooddes, and in some coun∣tries ye shall finde them growing about olde walles, & sometimes also ye shall haue it growing by the way sides: but now both sortes are plāted in gardens.

Herba Iudaica groweth in Fraunce and Flaunders, in vntilled places, in vineyardes, and sometimes also alongst the hedges.

❧ The Tyme.

They floure in Iune and Iuly. The Iudaicall herbe floureth in Iuly and August.

❀ The Names.

[ 1] Melisses is called in Greeke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: in Latine Apiastrū, Melitaena, and Citrago: in Shoppes Melissa: in English Bawme: in Italian Cedronella, Herba rosa: in Spanish Torougil, yerua cidrera: in high Douch Melissen∣kraut,

and Mutterkraut: in base Almaigne Confilie de greyn and Melisse.

[ 4] The fourth kinde is called of some in Latine Herba Iudaica: in English it may be called the Iudaicall herbe: in French Tetrahil, or Tetrahit: some count it to be the first kinde of Sideritis, called Sideritis Heraclea.

❀ The Nature.

These herbes are hoate and dry in the second degree, and somewhat like to Horehounde, but in vertue much feebler.

❀ The Vertues.

[ A] Bawme dronken in wine is good against the bitings, and stingings of ve∣nemous beasts, it comforteth the harte, and driueth away all Melancholy and sadnes, as the learned in these dayes do write.

[ B] Bawme may be vsed to al purposes wherevnto Horehounde serueth, how∣beit it is in all respects much weaker, so that according to the opiniōs of Galen, & Paulus Aegineta, it shoulde not be vsed for Horehounde in medicine, but for wante of Horehounde, in steede whereof Melissa may be alwayes vsed.

[ C] If a man put Bawme into Bee hyues, or else if the Hyues be rubbed there∣w^tal, it keepeth Bees togither, & causeth other Bees to resorte to their cōpanie.

[ D] The cōmon Bawme is good for wemen whiche haue the strangling of the matrix or mother to be eyther eaten or smelled vnto. The iuyce thereof is good to be put into greene woundes, for it gleweth togither, sodereth and healeth the same.