Of Treacle Mustarde.
The kindes (las clases).
There be diuers and sundrie sorts of Treacle Mustardes, or wilde Cressess, which you please to call them, for that they may be referred vnto either, as herbes participating of both, as well in qualitie as taste. 1 Thlaspi Dioscoridis. Treacle Mustarde. <column-break/> 2 Thlaspi Vulgatissimum. Mytridate Mustarde. <column-break/> 3 Thlaspimaius. Knaues Mustarde. <column-break/> 4 Thlaspiminus. Bowyers Mustarde. 5 Thlaspi Græcum. Grecian Mustarde. <column-break/> 6 Thlaspi amarum. Clownes Mustard. <column-break/> 7 Thlaspi Clypeatum L'Obelii. Buckler Mustarde. <column-break/> 8 Thlaspi minus Clypeatum. Small buckler Mustarde. <column-break/>
The description (la descripción).
Treacle Mustarde hath long broade leaues, especially those next the ground, the others lesser, slightly indented about the edges like those of Dandelion. The stalks be long & brittle, deuided into many braunches euen from the ground to the top, where grow manye small idle flowers tuft fashion, after which succeede flat, thinne, chaffie huskes or seede vessels hart fashion, wherin are conteined browne long seedes, sharpe in taste, burning the toong as doth Mustarde seede, feede, leauing a taste or sauour of Garlicke behinde for a farewell. 2 Mythridate Mustard hath long narrow leaues like those of Woad, or rather cow Basil. The stalks be inclosed with small snipt leaues euen to the braunches, Pyramidis fashion, that is to say, smaller and smaller toward the top, where it is deuided into sundrie braunches, whereon do growe small flowers; which being past, the cods or rather thinne chaffie huskes do appeere full of sharpe seede, like the former. The roote is long and slender. 3 The thirde kinde of treacle Mustarde, named knaues Mustard, (for that it is too bad for honest men) hath long, fat, and broade leaues, like those of Dwale or deadly Nightshade: in taste like those of Vuluaria or stinking Orache, set vpon a rounde stalke two cubits high, deuided at the top into small armes or braunches, whereon do growe small foolish white spokie flowers. The seede is conteined in small flat pouches like those of Shepheardes purse, browne and sharpe in taste, but of a rancke sauour. 4 Bowiers Mustard hath very small leaues like Toade flaxe, but smaller. The stalkes be small, slender, and many. The flowers be so small, that they seeme to be dust. The seedes be placed vpon the braunches from the lowest part of the plant euen to the top, exceeding sharpe and hot in taste, with a small and single roote. 5 Grecian Mustard hath many leaues spread vpon the ground, like those of the common Daisie, of a darke greenish colour: from the midst whereof, spring vp stalkes two foote long, deuided into many small braunches: whereupon do growe small white flowers, composed of fower leaues, after which succeede rounde flat huskes or seede vessels, set vpon the stalke by couples, as it were sundry paires of spectacles, wherein the seede is conteined, sharpe and biting as the other. 6 Clownes Mustard hath small slender stalkes rising immediately from the ground, set with leaues like those of small Hawkes weede, sleightly indented about the edges. The flowers grow at the top in spokie rundels like those of Seseli Creticum, not much differing from the flowers of wilde parsneps. The seede is as small as sande, yet biting the toong as the former. The roote is single with certaine threds hanging thereat. 7 Buckler Mustard hath many large leaues, spread vpon the grounde like Hieratium or Hawkeweede, somewhat more toothed or snipt about the edges: among which come vp stalkes small and brittle, a cubite high, garnished with many small pale yellowish flowers, in whose place succeede many round, flat, cods or pouches, buckler fashion, conteining a seede like vnto the others. 8 Small buckler Mustard, is a very small, base, or lowe plant, hauing leaues like those of wilde Tyme, set vpon small, weake and tender braunches. The flowers growe at the top like the other buckler Mustard. The seede vessels are like, but not so round, somewhat sharpe pointed, sharpe in taste, and burning the toong. The whole plant lieth flat vpon the ground, like wilde Tyme.
The place (el lugar).
Treacle Mustard groweth wilde in sundry places in corne fieldes, ditch bankes, and in sandy, drie, & barren grounde. I found it in the corne fieldes betweene Croydon and Gods stone in Surrey, at South-fleete in Kent, by the path that leadeth from Harnsey (a small village by London) vnto Waltham crosse, and in many other places. The others do growe vnder hedges, oftentimes in fieldes and in stonie and vntoiled places; they growe plentifully in Bohemia and Germanie; they are seene likewise on the stonie bankes of the riuer Rhene. They are likewise to be found in England in sundrie places wilde, the which I haue gathered into my garden.
The time (la época).
These treacle Mustardes are found with their flowers from Maie to Iulie, and the seede is ripe in the end of August.
The names (los nombres).
The Græcians call these kinds of herbes Θλάσπι, of the huske or seede vessell, which is like a little stuffed shielde. They haue also other names which be found among the bastard wordes: as Scandulaceion, Capsella, Pes gallinaceus. Neither be the later writers without their names, as Nasturtium tectorum, and Sinapi rusticum: it is called in Dutch Wilde Kerse: in French Seneue sauuage: in English treacle Mustarde, Bowiers Mustarde, dish Mustard, of some Thlaspi after the Greeke name, churles Mustarde, and wilde Cresses. Treacle Mustarde is called of some scorodothlaspi, that is to say, Garlicke Thlaspi, of the rancke and strong smell it hath of garlicke.
The temperature (el temperamento).
The seede of these kindes of treacle Mustards, be hot and drie in the ende of the third degree.
The vertues (las virtudes).
The seede of Thlaspi or treacle Mustarde eaten, purgeth choler both vpward and downwarde, prouoketh flowers, and breaketh inwarde apostemes. The same vsed in clysters, helpeth the sciatica, and is good vnto those purposes for which Mustard seede serueth.
The danger (el peligro).
The seede of these herbes be so extreeme hot and vehement in working, that being taken in too great a quantitie, purgeth and scoureth euen vnto blood, and is hurtfull to women with childe, and therefore great care is to be had in giuing them inwardly.
Texto en la ortografía original de Gerard, en inglés de 1597 (la s larga se imprime como s), transcrito por la Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Un capítulo puede continuar en páginas aún no transcritas. Gerard escribía dentro de la medicina galénica; nada de esto es un consejo.