Of Thorne apples.
The description (la descripción).
The stalks of thorne Apples are oftentimes aboue a cubite and a halfe high, seldom higher; an inch thicke, vpright and straight, hauing very fewe braunches, sometimes none at all, but one vpright stemme; whereupon do growe leaues smooth and euen, little or nothing indented about the edges, longer and broader then the leaues of Nightshade, or of the mad apples. apples. The flowers come foorth of long toothed cups, great, white, of the forme of a bell, or like the flowers of the great Withwinde that rampeth in hedges, but altogither greater and wider at the mouth, sharpe cornered at the brims with certaine white chiues or threds in the middest, of a strong ponticke fauor, offending the head when it is smelled vnto: in the place of the flower commeth vp round fruite full of short and blunt prickles, of the bignes of a greene Walunt when it is at the biggest, in which are the seeds of the bignes of tares, or of mandrakes, & of the same forme. The herbe it selfe is of a strong fauour, and doth stuffe the heade, and causeth drowsinesse. The roote is small and threddie. 2 There is another kinde heereof altogither greater then the former, whose seedes I receiued of the right Honorable the Lord Edward Zouch, which he brought from Constantinople, and of his liberalitie did bestowe them vpon me, as also many other rare and strange seeds, and is that Thorn apple that I haue dispersed through this lande, whereof at this present I haue great vse in Chirurgerie, as well in burnings and scaldings, as also in virulent and maligne vlcers, apostemes, and such like. The which plant hath a very great stalke in fertill ground, bigger then a mans arme, smooth & greene of colour, which a little aboue the ground deuideth it selfe into sundrie boughs or armes in maner of an hedge tree; whereupon are placed many great leaues cut and indented deeply about the edges, with many vneuen sharpe corners: among these leaues come white round flowers made of one peece in manner of a bell, shutting it selfe vp close towarde night as doe the flowers of the great Bindeweede whereunto it is very like, of a sweete smell, but so strong that it offendeth the sences. The fruite followeth rounde sometimes or of the fashion of an egge, set about on euery part with most sharpe prickles; wherein is conteined very much seede, of the bignesse of tares and of the same fashion. The roote is thicke, made of great and small strings. The whole plant is sowen, beareth his fruite, and perisheth the same yeere. | 1 Stramonium Peregrinum. | 2 Stramonium spinosum. | | :--- | :--- | | The apple of Peru. | Thornie apples of Peru. |
The place (el lugar).
This plant is rare and strange as yet in Englande, I haue receiued seedes thereof from Iohn Robin of Paris, an excellent Herbarist; which did growe and beare flowers, but perished before the fruite came to ripenesse. The Thorne apple last described was brought in seede from Constantinople, by the right honorable the Lorde Edwarde Zouch and giuen vnto me, and beareth fruite and ripe seede.
The time (la época).
The first is to be sowen in a bed of horsedung, as we do Cucumbers and Muske Melons. The other may be sowen in March or Aprill as other seedes are.
The names (los nombres).
The first of these Thorne apples may be called in Latine Stramonia, & Pomum or Malum spinosum: of some Corona regia & Melospinus: the Grecians of our time name it παλαίοκυλον, or rather βαρυοκύκυλον, as though they should saie a nut stuffing and causing drowfinesse and troublesome sleepe: the Italians Paracoculi: it seemeth to Valerius Cordus to be Hyoscyamus Peruvianus, or Henbane of Peru: Cardanus doubteth whether it should be inserted among the Nightshades as a kind thereof: of Serapio & others it is thought to be Nux methel: Serapio in his 375. chapter saith, that Nux methel is like vnto Nux vomica: the seede whereof is like that of Mandrake, the huske is rough or full of prickles: which description agreeth heerewith except in the forme or shape it shoulde haue with Nux vomica: Anguillara suspecteth it to be Hippomanes which Theocritus mentioneth, wherewith in his Eglog of charmes he sheweth that horses are made madde: for Crateuas whom Theocritus translator doth cite, writeth that the plant of Hippomanes, hath a fruite full of prickles as hath the fruite of wilde Cucumbers: in English it may be called Thorne apple or the apple of Peru.
The temperature (el temperamento).
The whole plant is colde in the fourth degree, and of a drowsie and numming qualitie, not inferiour to Mandrake.
The vertues (las virtudes).
The iuice of Thorne apples boiled with hogges grease to the forme of an vnguent or salue, cureth all inflammations whatsoeuer, all maner of burnings or scaldings, as wel of fire, water, boiling lead, gunpowder, as that which comes by lightning, and that in very short time, as my selfe haue found by my daily practise to my great credite and profite. The first experience came from Colchester, where mistresse L'Obel, a marchants wife there, being most greeuously burned with lightning, and not finding ease or cure in any other thing, by this founde helpe when all hope was past, by the report of master William Ramme, publike notarie of the saide towne was perfectly cured. The leaues stamped small and boiled with oile oliue vntill the herbes be as it were burnt, then strained and set to the fire againe with some waxe, rosin, and a little turpentine, & made into a salue, doth most speedily cure olde vlcers, newe and fresh wounds, vlcers vpon the glandulous part of the yarde, and other sores of hard curation.
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.