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 Lauriel or Lowrye. Chap. xxxvi.

❀ The Description.

LAuriel groweth of the heigh of a foote and a halfe or more, it hath many tough branches which will not easily breake with wresting or playing, couered with a thicke rinde or barke: round about the sayde branches, but most cōmonly at the top grow many leaues clustering togither, thicke and of a blackish colour, like in fashion to Baye leaues, but not so great, the which being chewed in the mouth, do chafe and burne the mouth, tongue, & throte exceedingly. The flowers grow vpon short stemmes, ioyning and vppon the leaues, well clustering togither about the stalke, of a white greene or herby colour. The fruit in the beginning is greene, and after being ripe, it is blacke almost lyke a Baye berie, but lesser. The roote is long and of a wooddy substance.

❀ The Place.

Lauriel groweth in rough mountaines, amongst wood, and is found in the Coun∣trie of Liege and Namure, alongest the ri∣uer Meuse, & in some places of Almaigne. It groweth also in many places of Eng∣lande.

❀ The Tyme.

It flowreth all bytimes in Februarie: the seede is ripe in May.

❀ The Names.

This plant is called in Greke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: Daphnoides: in Shoppes Laureola: in Frenche and base Almaigne Laureole: in high Almaigne Zeilandt: in Englishe Lauriell.

❀ The Nature.

It is hoate and dry in the third degree, drawing neare to the fourth.

❀ The Vertues.

[ A] The leaues of Lauriel open the bel∣ly, and purge slymie fleme, and waterie superfluities, & are good for suche as haue the Dropsie. Like vertue haue fouretene or fiftene of the Beries taken at once for a purgation.

[illustration]

Daphnoides.

[ B] The leaues of the same holden in the mouth and chewed, drawe foorth muche water and fleme from the brayne, and put into the nose they cause snee∣sing.

❀ The Danger.

Lauriel doth vexe and ouerturne the stomacke very muche, and inflameth, hurteth, and burneth the inwarde partes.

❀ The Remedie.

The leaues of Lauriell are corrected and made more apt to be receiued, in like manner as Chamelaea.