Of water Dockes.

| 3 Hydrolapathum magnum. | 4 Hydrolapathum minus. | | :--- | :--- | | Great water Docke. | Small water Docke. |

The description.

The Great water Docke hath very long and great leaues, stiffe, and harde, not vnlike to the garden Patience, but much longer and broader. The stalke riseth vp to a great height, oftentimes to the height of fiue foote or more. The flower groweth at the top of the stalke in spokie tufts, browne of colour. The seede is conteined in chaffie huskes, three square, of a shining pale colour. The roote is verie great, thicke, browne without, and yellowish within. The Small water Docke hath long crooked and crompled leaues, plaited or folded in diuers parts, set vpon a stiffe stalke. The flowers growe from the middle of the stalke vpwarde in spokie rundels, set in spaces by certaine distances rounde about the stalke, as are the flowers of Horehounde: which Docke is of all the kinds most common, and of lesse vse, and taketh no pleasure or delight in any one soile or dwelling place, but is founde almost euery where, as well vpon the lande as in waterie places, but especially in gardens among good and holsome potherbes, being there better knowne then welcome or desired: wherefore I intende not to spend further time about his description. 5 Hippolapathum satiuum. Patience, or Munkes Rubarbe. 6 Hippolapathum rotundifolium. Bastarde Rubarbe. 5 The garden Patience hath very strong stalkes, furrowed or chamfered, of ten or twelue foote high when it groweth in fertill grounde, set about with great large leaues like to those of the water Docke, hauing alongst the stalkes towarde the toppe flowers, of a light purple colour declining to brownnesse. The seede is three square, conteined in thinne chaffie huskes, like those of the common Docke. The roote is verie great, browne without and yellowe within, in colour and taste like the true Rubarbe. 6 Bastarde Rubarbe hath great broade rounde leaues, in shape like those of the great Burre Docke. The stalke and seedes are so like vnto the precedent, that the one cannot be knowne from the other; sauing that the seeds of this are somwhat lesser. The root is exceeding great and thicke, verie like vnto the Rha of Barbarie, as well in proportion as in colour and taste; and purgeth after the same maner, but must be taken in greater quantitie, as witnesseth that famous learned phisition nowe liuing, master doctor Bright and others, who haue experimented the same. 7 The seuenth kinde of Docke is best knowne vnto all, of the stocke or kindred of Dockes; it hath long thinne leaues, sometimes redde in euerie part thereof, and often stripped heere and there with lines and strakes, of a darke red colour: among which rise vp stiffe brittle stalkes of the same colour: on the toppe whereof come foorth such flowers and seede as the common wilde Docke hath. The roote is likewise red, or of a bloudie colour.

The place.

They do growe for the most part in ditches and water courses, very common through Englande. The two last do grow in gardens, my selfe and others in London and elsewhere, haue them growing for our vse in Phisicke and chirurgerie.

The time.

Most of the Dockes do rise vp in the spring of the yeere, and their seede is ripe in Iune and August.

The names.

The Docke is called in Greeke Λάπαθον: in Latine Rumex, and Lapathum, yet Plinie in his 19 book 12. chapter seemeth to attribute the name of Rumex onely to the garden Docke. The Monkes Rubarbe is called in Latine Rumex satiuus, and Patientia, or Patience, which worde is borrowed of the French, who call this herbe Pacience: after whom the Dutch men name this pot herbe also Patientie: of some Rhabarbarum Monachorum, or Monkes Rubarbe: bicause as it should seeme some Monke or other haue vsed the roote hereof in steede of Rubarbe. Bloudwoort, or bloudy Patience, is called in Latine Lapathum sanguineum: of some Sanguis Draconis, of the bloudie colour wherewith the whole plant is possest, and is of potherbes the chiefe or principall, hauing the propertie of the bastarde Rubarbe; but of lesse force in his purging qualitie.

The temperature.

Generally all the Docks are colde, some little and moderately, and some more: they doe all of them drie, but not all after one maner: notwithstanding, some are of opinion that they are drie almost in the third degree.

The vertues.

The leaues of the garden Docke or Patience may be eaten, and are somewhat colde, but more moist, and haue withall a certaine clamminesse; by reason whereof, they easily and quickly passe through the belly when they be eaten: and Dioscorides writeth that all the Dockes being boiled doe mollifie the bellie, which thing also Horace hath noted in his second booke of Sermons, the fourth Satyre writing thus, > --------- Si dura morabitur aluus > Mugilus, & viles pellent obstantia concha, > Et lapathi breuis herba. He calleth it a short herbe, being gathered before the stalke be growen vp; at which time it is fittest to be eaten. And being sodden, it is not so pleasant to be eaten as either Beetes or Spinage: it ingendreth moist bloud of a meane thicknesse, and which nourisheth little. The leaues of the sharpe pointed Docke are colde and drie: but the seede of Patience, and the water Docke, do coole, with a certaine thinnesse of substance. The decoction of the rootes of Monkes Rubarbe is drinke against the bloudie flixe, the laske, the wambling of the stomacke which commeth of choler: and also against the stinging of serpents as Dioscorides writeth. It is also good against the spitting of bloud, being taken with Acacia (or as some would haue it, the dried iuice of sloes) as Plinie writeth. Monkes Rubarbe or Patience is an excellent holsome potherbe; for being put into the pottage in some reasonable quantitie, it doth loosen the belly; helpeth the iaunders; the tympanie and such like diseases, proceeding of colde causes. If you take the rootes of Monkes Rubarbe, & red Madder, of eche halfe a pound; Sena fower ounces; annise seede and licorice, of eche two ounces; Scabiouse and agrimonie, of eche one handfull; slice the rootes of the Rubarbe, bruise the annise seede and licorice, breake the hearbes with your hands, and put them into a stone pot called a steane, with fower gallons of strong ale to steepe or infuse the space of three daies: and then drinke this liquor as your ordinarie drinke for three weeks togither at the least, though the longer you take it, so much the better; prouiding in a readines an other stean so prepared that you may haue one vnder another, being alwais careful to keepe a good diet: it cureth the dropsie, the yellowe iaunders, all maner of itch, scabs, breaking out, and manginesse of the whole bodie: it purifieth the bloud from all corruption; preuaileth against the greene sicknesse very greatly, and all oppilations or stoppings: maketh yoong wenches to looke faire and cherrie like, and bringeth downe their tearmes, the stopping whereof hath caused the same. The seede of bastarde Rubarbe is of a manifest astringent nature, insomuch that it cureth the bloudie flixe, mixed with the seede of Sorrell, and giuen to drinke in red wine. There haue not beene any other faculties attributed to this plant either of the auncient or later writers, but generally of all it hath beene referred to the other Docks or Monkes Rubarbe, of which number I assure my selfe this is the best; and doth approch neerest vnto the true Rubarbe. Manie reasons induce me so to thinke and saie: first this hath the shape and proportion of Rubarbe, the fame colour, both within and without, without any difference. They agree as well in taste as smell: it coloureth the spittle of a yellowe colour when it is chewed, as Rubarbe doth: and lastly it purgeth the belly after the same gentle manner that the right Rubarbe doth, onely heerein it differeth, that this must be giuen in three times the quantitie of the other. Other distinctions and differences with the temperature and euery other circumstance, I leaue vnto the learned phisitions of our London colledge (who are very well able to search into this matter) as a thing far aboue my reach, being no graduate, but a countrie scholler, as the whole framing of this historie doth well declare: but I hope my good meaning will be well taken, considering I do my best, not doubting but some of greater learning will perfect that which I haue begun according to my small skill, especially the ice being broken vnto him, and the woode rough hewed to his handes. Notwithstanding I thinke it good to saie thus much more in mine owne defence: that although there be manie wants and defects in me, that were requisite to performe such a worke; yet may my long experience by chaunce happen vpon some one thing or other that may do the learned good: considering what a notable experiment I learned of one John Bennet a chirurgion of Maidstone in Kent, a man as slenderly learned as my selfe, which he practised vpon a butchers boie of the same towne, as himselfe reported vnto me; his practise was this: being desired to cure the foresaide ladde of an ague, which did greeuously vexe him, he promised him a medicine, & for want of one for the present (for a shift, as himselfe confessed vnto me) he tooke out of his garden three or fower leaues of this plant of Rubarbe, which my selfe had among other simples giuen him, which he stamped and strained with a draught of ale, and gaue it the ladde in the morning to drinke: it wrought extremely downwarde and vpwarde within one hower after, and neuer ceased vntill night. In the ende the strength of the boie ouercame the force of the phisicke, it gaue ouer working, and the ladde lost his ague; since which time (as he saith) he hath cured with the same medicine many of the like maladie, hauing euer great regarde vnto the quantitie, which was the cause of the violent working in the first cure. By reason of which accident, that thing hath beene reuealed vnto posteritie, which heeretofore was not so much as dreamed of. Whose blunt attempt, may set an edge vpon some sharper wit, and greater iudgement in the faculties of plants, to seeke farther into their nature then any of the ancients haue done: and none fitter then the learned phisitions of the Colledge of London; where are many singularly well learned, and experienced in naturall things. The rootes sliced and boiled in the water of Carduus Benedictus to the consumption of the third part, adding thereto a little honie, of the which decoction eight or ten sponfuls drunke before the fit, cureth the ague in two or three times so taking it at the most: vnto robustous or strong bodies twelue sponfuls may be giuen. This experiment was practised by a worshipfull gentlewoman called mistresse Anne Wylbraham, vpon diuers of hir poore neighbours with good successe.