is under our eyes.”  Opium in Turkey doth scarce offend, with us in a small quantity it stupefies; cicuta or hemlock is a strong poison in Greece, but with us it hath no such violent effects:  I conclude with I. Voschius, who as he much inveighs against those exotic medicines, so he promiseth by our European, a full cure and absolute of all diseases; a capite ad calcem, nostrae regionis herbae nostris corporibus magis conducunt, our own simples agree best with us.  It was a thing that Fernelius much laboured in his French practice, to reduce all his cure to our proper and domestic physic; so did [4117]Janus Cornarius, and Martin Rulandus in Germany.  T. B. with us, as appeareth by a treatise of his divulged in our tongue 1615, to prove the sufficiency of English medicines, to the cure of all manner of diseases.  If our simples be not altogether of such force, or so apposite, it may be, if like industry were used, those far fetched drugs would prosper as well with us, as in those countries whence now we have them, as well as cherries, artichokes, tobacco, and many such.  There have been diverse worthy physicians, which have tried excellent conclusions in this kind, and many diligent, painful apothecaries, as Gesner, Besler, Gerard, &c., but amongst the rest those famous public gardens of Padua in Italy, Nuremberg in Germany, Leyden in Holland, Montpelier in France, (and ours in Oxford now in fieri, at the cost and charges for the Right Honourable the Lord Danvers Earl of Danby) are much to be commended, wherein all exotic plants almost are to be seen, and liberal allowance yearly made for their better maintenance, that young students may be the sooner informed in the knowledge of them:  which as [4118]Fuchsius holds, “is most necessary for that exquisite manner of curing,” and as great a shame for a physician not to observe them, as for a workman not to know his axe, saw, square, or any other tool which he must of necessity use.

SUBSECT.  III.—­Alteratives, Herbs, other Vegetables, &c.

Amongst these 800 simples, which Galeottus reckons up, lib. 3. de promise, doctor, cap. 3, and many exquisite herbalists have written of, these few following alone I find appropriated to this humour:  of which some be alteratives; [4119]"which by a secret force,” saith Renodeus, “and special quality expel future diseases, perfectly cure those which are, and many such incurable effects.”  This is as well observed in other plants, stones, minerals, and creatures, as in herbs, in other maladies as in this.  How many things are related of a man’s skull?  What several virtues of corns in a horse-leg, [4120]of a wolf’s liver, &c.  Of [4121]diverse excrements of beasts, all good against several diseases?  What extraordinary virtues are ascribed unto plants? [4122]_Satyrium et eruca penem erigunt, vitex et nymphea semen extinguunt_, [4123]some herbs provoke lust, some again, as agnus castus, water-lily, quite extinguisheth