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 Purcelayne. Chap. xx.

❀ The Kyndes.

THere be two kindes of Purcelayne, one of the garden, the other wilde: by∣sides these there is also a thirde kinde, the whiche groweth onely in salt groundes.

❀ The Description.

[ 1] GArden Purcelayne hath grosse stalkes, fat, round, and of a brownred colour, the which do grow vp to the length of a span or more, vpō the sayd stalkes are y^e thicke fat or fleshie leaues, somthing long & brode, round before. The flowers grow betwixt the leaues and stalkes, and also at the highest of the stalkes, the which be very smal, & of a faynt yellowish colour. The same being past, there come little rounde close huskes, in whiche is founde smal blacke seede. The roote is tender and hearie.

[ 2] The wild Purcelaine hath thicke fat round stalkes, like the garden Purce∣layne, but tenderer, smaller, and redder, the which grow nothing at al vpright, but are spread abrode, and trayle vpon the ground. The leaues be smaller then the leaues of the other, but the flowers & sede is like. These two Purcelaynes are full of iuyce, and of a sharpe or quicke taste. They are vsed in the sommer to be eaten in Salade, as they vse Letuce.

[ 3] The thirde kinde, the which groweth in salt ground, hath many smal, hard, and wooddy stalkes. The leaues be thicke, of a white greene or ashe colour, ve∣ry much like to the leaues of the other Purcelayne, but whiter and softer in

[illustration]

Portulaca hortensis. Garden Pyrcelayne.

[illustration]

Portulaca syluestris. Wilde Purcelayne.

[illustration]

Portulaca marina. Sea Purcelayne.

handeling, yet not so smoothe nor shining. The flowers growe at the toppe of the stalkes, clustering togither lyke y^e flowers of Orache or Blite. The roote is long and of a wooddy substance, and liueth with his stalke, and certayne of his leaues all the winter.

¶ The Place.

[ 1] The tame Purcelayne is sowen in gar∣dens.

[ 2] The wild groweth of his owne accorde in wayes and alies of gardens, & in some places it groweth vppon rockes, cleeues, and viniardes.

[ 3] Sea Purcelayne groweth vpō bankes or walles cast vp in places adioyning to the sea: and great store therof is founde in Zeeland, and bysides the Ile of Purbeck in Englande.

❀ The Tyme.

[ 2] The garden & wilde Purcelayne, do flower from after the moneth of Iune, vntill September, and in this space they yeelde their seede.

[ 3] The sea Purcelayne flowreth in Iuly.

¶ The Names.

Purcelayne is called in Greke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: in Latine and in shoppes Portulaca: in Frenche, Pourpier, or Pourcelaine: in high Douche, Burgel: in base Almaigne, Porceleyne: in English, Purcelayne.

[ 1] The first kinde is called Portulaca satiua, or Hortensis: in Frenche, Pourpier, or Pourcelaine domestique, or cultinée: in high Douche, Heymisch Burgel, or Burtzes∣kraut: in base Almaigne, Roomsche Porceleyne, or tamme Porceleyne: in En∣glish, garden and tame Purcelayne.

[ 2] The seconde kinde is called of the newe writers, Portulaca syluestris: in Frenche, Pourpier sauuage: in high Douche, Wildt Burtzel: in base Almaigne, Ghemeyne, or wilde Porceleyne: in English, Wild Purcelayne: but yet this is not that wild Purcelayne, which is described in some copies of Dioscorides, the which is of a hoate nature or complexion.

[ 3] The thirde kinde of Purcelayne of the later writers, is called Portulaca ma∣rina: in Frenche, Pourcelaine de mer▪ in Douch, Zee Porceleyne. This seemeth to be that herbe which the Greekes call 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: the Latinistes, Halimus, especially the seconde kinde described by Plinie.

❀ The Nature.

[ 1.2] The garden and wilde Purcelayne are cold in the thirde degree, and moyst in the seconde.

[ 3] Sea Purcelayne is playnely hoate and drie in the seconde degree.

❀ The Vertues.

[ A] They vse to eate the garden and wild Purcelayne in Salades and meates, as they do Letuce, but it cooleth the blood, and maketh it waterie & nourisheth very litle: yet for all that, it is good for those that haue great heate in their sto∣mackes and inwarde partes.

[ B] The same taken in lyke sort, stoppeth all defluxions and falling downe of humours, and is good for the paynes of the bladder and kidneyes, & it healeth them, albeit they be exulcerated, fret or hurt.

[ C] Purcelayne comforteth the weake inflamed stomacke, & it taketh away the imaginations, dreames, fansies, & the outragious desire to the lust of the body.

[ D] The iuyce of Purcelayne dronken hath the same vertue: also it is good a∣gainst burning feuers, & against the wormes that ingender in the body of man.

[ E] It is good for such as spit blood, it stoppeth the blooddy flixe, the fluxe of the Hemoroides, & al issues of blood. It hath the like vertue being boyled & eaten.

[ F] The iuyce of Purcelayne powred vpon the head with oyle & vineger roset, swageth the head ache comming of heate, or of standing to long in the Sonne.

[ G] The same throwen vp into the mother or matrix, helpeth the burning in∣flammations, exulceratiōs, or gnawing frettings in the same, & powred in by a glister, it is good against the flixe of the guttes & exulceration of the bowelles.

[ H] The leaues of Purcelayne mingled with parched barley meale, and layde to the inflammations of the eyes, easeth the same, and taketh away the hoate swelling: so it is likewise good against S. Antonies fier, called Erysipelas: a∣gainst the heate and payne of the head, and against all hoate inflammations and tumours.

[ I] The same eaten rawe, are good against the teeth being set on edge, or asto∣nied, and it fasteneth them that be loose.

[ K] To conclude, Purcelayne cooleth all that is hoate, wherefore being layde vpon woundes, eyther by it selfe or with the meale of parched barley, it preser∣ueth woundes from inflammation.

[ L] The seede of Purcelayne beyng taken, kylleth and driueth foorth wormes, and stoppeth the laske.

[ M] The Sea Purcelayne is gathered in the sommer, and is of some preserued and kept in vineger for Salade, to be eaten at winter like Capers: for being so eaten, it doth heate and comfort the stomacke, causeth good appetite, or meate lust, and prouoketh vrine.

[ N] If this Purcelayne be Halimus, the roote thereof is good against crampes and drawing awry of sinewes, burstinges and gnawinges in the belly, to be taken in Meade the waight of a dramme. It also causeth Nurses to haue store of milke.