bunnyjadwiga | Willyam Bulleyn on Sage

Ok, more sage stuff. Only one more week and it will be done. Then I'll start posting more randomage. From William Bulleyn, Bullins Bulwarke of Defece Againste all Sicknes Sornes and Woundes, London 1562. (reprint: New York, Da Capo Press, 1971)

Marcellus: I do know Sage by name, because it doth grow inmy garden and is used in my kitchin, but Christ doth know, the vertu thereof is hidden from me.
Hillarius: This noble herbe called Elelist bacon*, Salvia, or Sage, as it shoulde appeare by Theophrastus there bee twoo kindes of Sage, the one of the garden whiche is roughe, longe and broade leaves. which sayeth Mathiolus, I suppose to be the female herbe, the other Sage which is shorter, narrower, with twoo small eares in the beginnyng of their leaves, whiche the sayd Theophrastus cal Sphacelo, whom Mathiolus clepeth the male herbe, and of this groweth great plenty in Italy, in the toppes of Mountaines, in the noble countries bothe of Apulie and Calabrie, so dooe there almoste in everye Garden in Englande. This herbe is hot and drie saieth Aetius, so saieth Galen, and some notable practioners do say, that perfume of Sage doeth stop the inmoderate Flux menstrual. Agrippa did call this the holy herbe, because it was so good to women, not only inexpulsynge evell matter from the Matrix: but also in reteinyng the vitall seede of generation whereby concepcion is made perfect. If a woman drinke the iuce thereof with a little Salte and Suger sodden together, foure daies before, and after, the she use with her husbande, gevyng the man the like quantitie, before the time of procreation, without doubt conception followeth. It is saied, sometime there was so greate a pestillence in a Citie of Egypt, that through the poyson thereof few were left alive, but when the Plage was seased, the younge women were compelled to drinke the wine, or juce of Sage, through whose vertue they were conceaved with children, havyng the help of man, that in the ende, the Citee was replenished againe, and filled with people of their owne generacion. Sage saieth Orpheus, [wiggle], iiii, mingled with cleane clarified Hony, & eaten of an emptie stomacke, dothe incontinently stop the bloud that cometh from the breast, stomacke, or lunges, breaking out of the mouth with cruent vomites. There is a sicknes with in the body, called Tabes, which is a great corruption of humours, through foule matter & bloud mingled together, whose beginnyng comes from the headde through a continuall rume, and doth Apostumate and womede the Longes, through whose putrifaction by littell, and by littlell, all the members of the body consumeth, through drinesse, leanesse, and coninuall coughe, with paines in the breast, and Shortnesse of the wynde, the remedie therof some time hath bin with Sage in this maner. Take Spicknard, Ginger, of each [squiggle].ii. Seed of Sage.[squiggle]viiii, dried, beaten fine in pouder, with the foresaied spices, and .[squiggle].xiii. of long Peper in like maner, and.[squiggle].i. of old Alder, and the juce of Sage, and to make your Pille in a cleane morter, and take every mornyng fastyng,[squiggle].i. of this, and as much at night, drinking after it pure cleane Sage water, and this is the best Pille that ever I did knowe, and helped me in a great sicknesse in Suffolke, where some time I dwelled. This herbe also provoketh urine, cleanseth flume, expulseth winde, drieth up dropsie, helpeth the Paulsie, strengtheneth the sinewes, and purgeth bloud, if it be sodden in runnyng water. Roche Alam, and Woodbinde leaves, it killeth the Canker in the mouthe, and also quecheth the great heate and burning, stinke, filthe, and matter, that oftentimes cometh through corruption of nature, or meritrix maner, doth chaunce into the secrete places of men or womene, is helped this way, puttinge in a littell of the pouder of Astrologia rotunda; for as much as it drieth, it is put into Pigges, which be moyst of nature to drie up their humidite or moyster withall, which else be evell for fugmatike persons. The incomparable vertue is so excellent of this herbe, that the great learned fathers of Salarn, did write these wordes to the late famous Prince King Henry the eight, in the laud therof saiyng, Cur moritur homo, cui salvia Crescit in horto? Inqueryinge why mortall men should die, which have Sage in their Gardens but because no herbe hath power to make men immortal: they say furthermore, Contra vim mortis non Crescit medicina in hortis. And thus I doe conclude of this vertuous herb Sage, whose wine being dayly dronke, is good againstt the faulyng sickness, And the comon Sage Ale, rightly brewed with Sage, Squinans, Spicknarde, Calamus, Fenell seedes, and Bettony, is very holsome for the flugmaticke, Dropsie, winde Collike, rawness of the stomacke with indigestion.