A boke of the propreties of Herbes called an herball, wherunto is added the time yt herbes, Floures and Sedes shold be gathered to be kept the whole yere, wyth the vertue of ye Herbes when they are stilled. Also a generall rule of all maner of Herbes drawen out of an auncyent booke of Phisyck by W.C. ☞

¶De virtutibus herbarum e• primo de littera.A.

¶Agnus castus.

THys herbe Agnus castus that men do cal Tutsayne, and other wyse Parke leues, this hath leues somdel red lyke vnto the leues of Orage, and thys herbe hath senowes on hys leues as hath Plan•ayne, and it hath yelowe flowers & bereth blacke beris & it groweth in dry wodes, yt vertu of this herbe is, it wyl kepe men & women chast For as Discolidion & Placens do say, this herbe is called Agnus castus for ye knowledge & the vse of thys herbe maketh men chast, and thys herbe wyll open the pores of man and let out wycked humou•s and sprytes of his body, this herbe destroyeth the moysture of mānes fede. Also ye same auctor sayth that yf thys be sodē with Fenel, in Asel it is good to destroy ye dropsi. Also if this herbe be sodē with smalage, and Sage, in salt water, and afterwarde the hynder parte of a mannes hed be well wasshed •herwyth it heleth it and vnbyndeth an euyl that is called Lytargy. Also thys herbe destroyeth the foule luste of Lechery and it be dronk•n, or yf it be borne a bout hym, therfore somtyme they do eat it rosted, bycause it shall kepe them chast, for yf this herbe be eaten rawe, it wil engēder head ache. Thys he•be is good to defie the hardnes and stoppyng of the Mylte. Also a playster of thys herbe is good to do awaye ache of a mannes heed, that is engendred of wycked humours. Thys herbe is hote & drye in the seconde degre.

☞Apium.

This herbe Apium, is a herbe that mē do cal Smalage, or stāmarche, the vertue of this herbe is this. It wyll make a man to pysse, & opyn the stoppinge of the lyuer, also the sede of the herbe hardneth a mannes wombes, and it draweth wycked humours of a mannes bodye vnto the head & to ye stomake and the wombe, and therfore it noyeth them that haue the fallinge euyl, & to women that be with chylde, for whan it draweth suche humours to the wombe and engendreth that be the cause of pestilence, and therfore it is cōmaunded of leches that women that be with chylde & they that kepe suckynge chyldrē shulde nat eat nor drinke of this herbe for dred of yt fallyng euyl, for it is hote and drye, & there be speces therof, y• ioye is good for colde playsters tempered with flower, and for scalding, this herbe is hote in ye.i. degre

¶Anetum.

☞This herbe Anetum that men do call Anete otherwyse Dyl, thys herbe hath leues lyke to Fenel but the sede is somdel brode as Orage sede is, the vertue of thys herbe is thus. It wil make a man pysse, also it swageth rumblinge in a mannes wombe, and wycked wyndes in the wombe, also it distroyeth the vexinge, the sede of this herbe brēt and layde vpon a woūde it heleth soone & namely yf a mā be scalded in hys membres ...