The Description.

            1. The Great Dragon riseth up, with a straight stalk a cubit and a half high or higher, thick, round, smooth, sprinkled with spots of divers colours, like those of the adder or snake: the leaves are great and wide, consisting of seven or more joined together in order; every one of which is long and narrow, much like to the leaves of Dock, smooth and slippery: out of the top of the stalk groweth a long hose or husk greater than that of the Cuckoo-Pint, of a greenish colour without, and within crimson, with his pistil which is black, long, thick, and pointed like a horn; the skin or film whereof when the seed waxeth big, being stretched or broken asunder, there appeareth the fruit, like to a bunch or cluster of grapes: the berries whereof at the first be green, afterwards red and full of juice; in which is contained seed that is somewhat hard: the root continueth fresh, thick, like to a knob, white, covered with a thin pilling, oftentimes of the bigness of a mean apple, full of white little threads appendant thereunto.

            2. The lesser Dragon is like Aron or Wake-Robin, in leaves, hose or husk, pistil, and berries, yet are not the leaves sprinkled with black but with whitish spots, which perish not so soon as those of Wake-Robin, but endure together with the berries even until winter: these berries also be not of a deep red, but of a colour inclining to saffron. The root is not unlike to the Cuckoo-Pint, having the form of a bulb, full of strings, with divers rude shapes of new plants, whereby it greatly increaseth.

Fig. 1237. Water Dragon (3)

            3. The root of Water Dragon is not round like a bulb, but very long, creeping, and jointed, and of mean bigness; out of the joints whereof arise the stalks of the leaves, which are round, smooth, and spongy within, and there grow downwards certain white and slender strings. The fruit springs forth at the top upon a short stalk, together with one of the leaves, being at the beginning covered with little white threads, which are instead of the flowers: after that it groweth into a bunch or cluster, at the first green, and when it is ripe, red, lesser than that of Cuckoo-Pint, but not less biting: the leaves are broad, greenish, glib, and smooth, in fashion like those of Ivy, yet lesser than those of Cuckoo-Pint; and that thing whereunto the clustered fruit grows is also lesser, and in that part which is towards the fruit (that is to say the upper part) is white.

            4. The Great Dragon of Matthiolus his description is a stranger not only in England, but elsewhere for any thing that we can learn: myself have diligently enquired of most strangers skilful in plants, that have resorted unto me for conference' sake, but no man can give me any certainty thereof; and therefore I think it amiss to give you his figure or any description, for that I take it for a feigned picture.

The Place.

            The greater and the lesser Dragons are planted in gardens. The water Dragons grow in watery and marsh places, for the most part in fenny and standing waters.

The Time.

            The berries of these plants are ripe in autumn.

The Names

            The Dragon is called in Latin, Dracunculus. The greater is named Serpentaria maior: of some, Bisaria, and Colubrina: Cordus calleth it Dracunculus polyphyllos, and Luph crispum; in High Dutch, Schlangenkraut: in Low Dutch, Speerwortele: in French, Serpentaire: in Italian, Dragontea: in Spanish, Taragontia: in English, Dragons, and Dragon-wort. Apuleius calleth Dragon Dracontea, and setteth down many strange names thereof, which whether they agree with the greater or the lesser, or both of them, he doth not expound; as Pythonion, Anchomanes, Sauchromaton, Therion, Schænos, Dorcadion, Typhonion, Theriophonon, and Eminion. Athenæus showeth, that Dragon is called Aronia, because it is like to Aron.

The Temperature.

            Dragon, as Galen saith, hath a certain likeness with Aron or Wake-Robin, both in leaves, and also in root, yet more biting and more bitter than it, and therefore hotter, and of thinner parts: it is also something binding, which by reason that it is adjoined with the two former qualities, that is to say, biting and bitter, is is made in like manner a singular medicine of very great efficacy.

The Virtues.

            A. The root of Dragons doth cleanse and scour all the entrails, making thin, especially thick and tough humours; and it is a singular remedy for ulcers that are hard to be cured.

            B. It scoureth and cleanseth mightily, as well such things as have need of scouring, as also white and black morphew, being tempered with vinegar. The leaves also by reason that they are of like quality are good for ulcers and green wounds: and the less dry they are, the fitter they be to heal, for the dryer ones are of a more sharp or biting quality than is convenient for wounds.

            C. The fruit is of greater operation than either the leaves or the root: and therefore it is thought to be of force to consume and take away cankers and proud flesh growing in the nostrils, called in Greek Polypus: also the juice doth cleanse away webs and spots in the eyes.

            D. Furthermore, Dioscorides writeth, that it is reported that they who have rubbed the leaves or root upon their hands, are not bitten of the viper.

            E. Pliny saith, that serpents will not come near unto him that beareth Dragons about him, and these things are read concerning both the Dragons, in the two chapters of Dioscorides.

            F. Galen also hath made mention of Dragon in his book Of the Faculties of Nourishments; where he saith, that the root of Dragon being twice or thrice sod, to the end it may lose all his acrimony or sharpness, is sometimes given as Aron, or Wake-Robin is, when it is needful to expel the more forceable thick and clammy humours that are troublesome to the chest and lungs.

            G. And Disocorides writeth, that the root of the Lesser Dragon being both sod and roast with honey, or taken of itself in meat, causeth the humours which stick fast in the chest to be easily voided.

            H. The juice of the garden Dragons, as saith Dioscorides, being dropped into the eyes, doth cleanse them, and greatly amend the dimness of the sight,

            I. The distilled water hath virtue against the pestilence or any pestilential fever or poison, being drunk blood-warm with the best treacle or mithridate.

            K. The smell of the flowers is hurtful to women newly conceived with child.