Of Cats taile.
The description.
Cats taile hath long, rough, thicke and flaggie leaues, full of a spungious matter, like marrow, among which leaues, groweth vp a long smooth naked stalke, without knot or ioint, fashioned like a speare, of a firme or solide substance, hauing at the top a browne knop or eare, soft, foft, thicke and fmooth, feeming to be nothing elfe but a deale of flocks thicke fet and thruft together, which being ripe turneth into a downe, and is caried away with the winde. The rootes be hard, thicke and white, full of ftrings, and good to burne, where there is plentie thereof to be had.
The place.
It groweth in pooles, and fuch like ftanding waters, and fometimes in running ftreames. I haue found a fmaller kinde hereof growing in the ditches and marfhie grounds in the Ifle of Shepey, going from Sherland houfe to Feuerfham.
The time.
They flower and beare their mace or torch, in Iuly and Auguft.
The names.
They are called in Greeke τύφη; in Latine Typha: of fome Cestrum Morionis: in French Marteau, Maffes: in Dutch Lischdodden, and Donfen: in Italian Mazza sorda: in Spanifh Behordo, and Iunco amacorodaco: in Englifh Cats taile, and Reede mace. Of this Cats taile Aristophanes maketh mention in his Dialog of Frogs, where he bringeth them foorth one talking with another, being very glad that they had spent the whole day in skipping & leaping inter Cyperum and Phleum, among Galingale and Cats taile. Ouid feemeth to name this plant Scirpus, for he termeth the mats made of the leaues, Cats taile mats, as in his fixt booke Fastorum, > At Dominus, discedite, ait, plaustroq; morantes > Sustulit, in plaustro scirpea matta fuit.
The temperature.
It is cold and drie of complexion.
The vertues.
A The foft downe ftamped with fwines greafe well wafhed, healeth burnings or fcaldings with fire or water. B Some practitioners by their experience haue found, that the downe of the Cats taile beaten with the leaues of Betonie, the rootes of Gladiole, and the leaues of Hippogloffon into powder, and mixed with the yelks of egs hard fodden, and fo eaten, is accounted a moft perfect medicine, againft the difeafe in children called in Greeke Ἐντεροκήλη, which is, when the gut called Intestinum cæcum, is fallen into the cods. This medicine muft be miniftered euery day fafting for the fpace of thirtie daies, the quantitie whereof to be miniftered at one time is 1. ʒ. This being vfed, as before is specified, doth not onely helpe children and ftriplings, but growen men alfo, if in time of their cure, they vfe conuenient ligature or truffings, and fit confounding plaifters vpon the greeued place, according to art appointed for that purpofe in chirurgerie. C This downe in fome places of the Ile of Ely, and the lowe countries adioining thereto, is gathered and well fold, to make mattreffes of, for plowmen and poore people. D It hath been alfo often prooued, to heale kibed or humbled heeles (as they are termed) being applied to them, either before or after the skin is broken.
Text in Gerard's own spelling (the long s is printed as s), transcribed by the Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). A chapter may run onto pages not yet transcribed. Gerard wrote within Galenic medicine; nothing here is advice.