Of Towers Mustarde.

1 Turritis. Towers Mustard.

The description (la descripción).

1 Towers Mustarde, of some hath beene taken for a kinde of Cressis, & referred by them to it: of some, for one of the Mustardes, and so placed among the Thlaspios as a kinde thereof, and therfore my selfe must needes bestowe it some where with others. Therfore I haue with Clusius and L'Obell, placed it among the Thlaspios as a kinde thereof; which commeth out of the grounde with many long and large rough leaues, like those of Houndes-toong, especially those next the grounde: among which riseth vp a long stalke of a cubite or more high, set about with sharpe pointed leaues like those of woade. The flowers growe at the top, if I may terme them flowers, but they are as it were a little dustie chaffe driuen vpon the leaues & branches with the winde: after which come very small cods, wherein is smal reddish seede like that of Cameline, or English Woormseed, with a roote made of a tuft full of innumerable threddes or strings. 2 Golde of pleasure is an herbe with many braunches set vpon a straight stalke, rounde and deuided into sundrie wings, in height two cubites. The leaues be long, broade and sharpe pointed, somewhat snipt or indented about the edges like those of of Sowthistles. The flowers along the stalkes are white, the seede conteined in rounde little vessels, is fat and oilie. 3 Treacle Wormeseede riseth up with tough and pliant braunches, whereupon do growe manie small yellowe flowers, after which come long slender cods like Flixe-weede, or Sophia, wherein is conteined small yellowish seede, bitter as Wormeseed or Coloquintida. The leaues are small and darke of colour, in shape like those of the stocke Gilloflowers, but not so thicke, nor fat. The roote is small and single. There is a kinde of mustard called Draba Vulgaris, or drunkards Mustarde, it hath small rounde stalkes a foote and a halfe long, set with greene leaues like unto the Marigolde, though not so thicke or fat: the top of the stalke is diuided into many braunches of equall height, charged on the top with many white flowers like unto Elder, and of the same smell. The seede is contained in small flat huskes, sharpe pointed, and as it were a little raised up like the brests of a woman. There is likewise another sort of byting mustard or Treacle mustarde, which hath manie weake braunches trailing, or as it were leaning on the grounde, upon which do grow whitish leaues somewhat toothed or snipped about the edges, bearing at the top of the stalkes small white flowers, after which there followe long cods like the Stocke gilloflowers, but much smaller, wherein is the seede, of a sharpe and biting taste. 1 Myagrum. Golde of pleasure. <column-break/> 3 Camelina. Treacle Wormeseed.

The place (el lugar).

Towers Treacle groweth in the West part of Englande upon dunghils and such like places. I haue likewise seene it in sundrie other places, as at Pyms by a village called Edmonton neere London, by the citie wals of West-chester in the corne fieldes, and where flaxe did growe about Cambridge. The other growe in the territorie of Leoden in Zelande, and many places of the Lowe countries, and likewise wilde in sundry places of England.

The time (la época).

These herbes do flower in Maie and Iune, and their seede is ripe in September.

The names (los nombres).

Golde of pleasure, is called in the Latine toong Erysimum; it is called properly Myagrum; for that there is another herbe called Erysimum: in the Germain toong flachsdottern: in shops Sesamum, where they vse the oyle thereof in steede of oyle of Sesamum, not without errour. Treacle wormeseede is called Camelina, and is that Erysimum or kinde of graine which Galen in his first booke of the faculties of nourishmēts, and Theophrastus likewise do call ἐρύσιμον, & is described by Dioscorides in his second booke: wherof Galen in his 6. booke of the faculties of symple medicines hath made mention, much differing from this Erysimum of Theophrastus: for Dioscorides doth not call this plant Erysimum, but Melampyrum, which some (faith he) do call μελάμπυρον, peraduenture through the likenes of the leaues which it hath with the other Melampyrum of Theophrastus and Galen, differing also from Myagrum or Camelina.

The temperature (el temperamento).

These plants be hot and drie in the thirde degree.

The vertues (las virtudes).

It is thought saith Dioscorides, that the roughnes of the skinne is polished and made smooth with the oilie fatnesse of the seede of Myagrum. Ruellius teacheth, that the juice of the herbe healeth vlcers of the mouth, and that the poore peasant doth vse the oile in banquets, and the rich in their lampes. The seede of Camelina stamped and giuen children to drinke, killeth wormes, and driueth them foorth both by siege and vomit.