Joyful News out of the New Found World

          Being 3 books of Dr. Monardes of Sevil,
          Englished by John Frampton, 1577

Take to your comfort this:
That out of the new found world comes joyful news
Brought from the Indies into Spain and hither
By such as traffic daily.
I, John Frampton, merchant,
That the herbs described might bring in time rare profit
By wonderful cures of sundry great diseases,
Have Englished here three books.
To illustrate: A plant
Of singular virtue, which commonly grows in places
Moist and shadowy, bearing the name tobacco,
Gives present remedy
In every manner of hurt
That haps to man or woman or child. Therefore
They have left off the older order of physick
Used before this was known.
Of the leaves only we know
The virtues: Pains that come of windiness
It taketh away; fresh wounds it doth reduce
To perfect health; laid hot
To grief of headache, brings
And altogether incredible relief.
Smoke being freely taken in at the mouth
Doth cure grief of the breast
And nastiness of breath;
Chewed in little balls it taketh away
Hunger and drought; travelers can pass days
Without having to eat
Or drink; aches of joints
Or teeth it cures; moreover it can make
A man see visions. Find herewith aptly described
Its portraiture: a flower
Like white campanula,
A tawny bark, broad leaves of russet green,
A wide and heavy plant, which groweth up
To be exceeding great,
Whose precious remedies
Notwithstanding failure of belief
Have nevertheless by practice been found out
To be entirely true.

　

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