The Time.
The smaller kindes flower later then the greater; and therefore their fruit are the sooner spoyled with the cold ayres, dewes, and frosts, that come at the latter end of the yeare: but the greater kinds neuer misse lightly to ripen.
The Names.
Both the greater and smaller kindes are generally called Stramonium, Stramonia, Pomum spinosum, and Datura. Bauhinus vpon Matthiolus his Comentaries on Dioscorides, calleth it Solanum fætidum spinosum. Some learned men haue referred it to Nux Metel, of the Arabian Authors. Wee call them generally, in English, Thorne-Apples, and distinguish them by their titles of greater and letter, single and double.
The Vertues.
The East Indian lasciuious women performe strange acts with the seed (of the smaller kinde, as I suppose, or it may be of either) giuing it their husbands to drinke. The whole plant, but especially the seed, is of a very cold and soporiferous quality, procuring sleep and distraction of senses. A few of the seeds steeped and giuen in drinke, will cause them that take it to seem starke drunke or dead drunke, which fit will within a few houres weare away, and they recouer their senses againe, as a drunken man raysed after sleep from his wine. It may therefore (in my opinion) be of safe and good vse to one, that is to haue a legge or an arme cut off, or to be cut for the stone, or some other such like cure to be performed, to take away the sense of paine for the time of doing it; otherwise I hold it not fit to be vsed without great caution. But the greene leaues of the greater kindes (as also the lesser, but that with vs they are not so plentifull) are by tryed experience, found to be excellent good for any scalded or burned part, as also to take away any hot inflammations, being made vp into a salue or ointment with suet, waxe, and rossin, &c. or with Axungia, that is, Hogs larde.
Chap. LXXXIX.
Tabacco. Indian Henbane, or Tabacco.
There hath beene formerly but three kindes of Tabacco knowne vnto vs, two of them called Indian, and the third English Tabacco. In these later yeares, we haue had in our gardens about London (before the suppressing of the planting) three or foure other sorts at the least, and all of the Indian kinde, hauing some especiall difference, eyther in leafe, or flower, or both: And in regard the flowers of some of these carry a pretty shew, I shall only entreate of them, and not of the English kind.