A Book of Fruits and Flowers Part 4

Chew the root of _Pellitory of Spaine_, often in the mouth.

_A Medicine that hath healed old Sores upon the leggs, that have run so long that the bones have been seen._

Take a quant.i.ty of good sweet _Cream_, and as much _Brimstone_ beaten in fine powder, as will make it thick like Paste, then take so much _b.u.t.ter_ as will make it into the form of Oyntmemt, and herewith annoynt the place grieved, twice a day.

_An Oyntment for a Rupture._

Take of _Sanicle_ two handfulls, of _Adders_ tongue, _Doves_ foot, and _Shephards purse_, of each as much, of _Limaria_ one handfull, chop them somewhat small, and boyle them in _Deers_ seuet, untill the Hearbs doe crumble, and wax dry.

_A Barley Water to purge the Lungs and lights of all Diseases._

Take halfe a pound of faire _Barley_, a gallon of running water, _Licorice_ halfe an ounce, _Fennell_ seed, _Violet_ leaves, _Parsley_ seed, of each one quarter of an ounce, red _Roses_ as much, _Hysop_ and _Sage_ dryed, a good quant.i.ty of either, _Harts tongue_ twelve leaves, a quarter of a pound of _Figges_, and as many _Raisons_, still the _Figges_ and _Raisons_, put them all into a new earthen pot, with the water cold, let them seeth well, and then strain the clearest from it, drink of this a good quant.i.ty, morning and afternoone, observing good diet upon it, it taketh away all _Agues_ that come of heat, and all ill heat; it purgeth the _Lights, Spleene, Kidneyes_, and _Bladder_.

_To Cure the Diseases of the Mother._

Take six or seaven drops of the Spirit of _Castoreum_ in the beginning of the fit, in two or three spoonfulls of posset _Ale_, applying a Plaister of _Gavanum_ to the Navill.

_To kill Warts: an approved Medicine._

Take a _Radish_ root, sc.r.a.pe off the out side of it, and rub it all over with salt, then set it thus dressed upright in a saucer, or some other small dish, that you may save the liquor that runneth from it, and therewith annoynt your Warts three or four times in a day, the oftner the better, and in five or six dayes they will consume away, _Sepe probatum_.

_For the Piles._

Set a Chafin-dish of coales under a close stoole chaire, or in a close stoole case, and strew _Amber_ beaten in fine powder, upon the coales, and sit downe over it, that the smoak may ascend up into the place grieved.

_A Medicine for the Piles._

Take a little _Orpine, Hackdagger_, and _Elecampane_, stamp them all together with _Boares_ grease, into the form of an Oyntment, and lay them to the place grieved.

_A Diet for the Patient that hath Ulcers or Wounds that will hardly be Cured with Oyntments, Salves, or Plaisters._

Take one pound of _Guaic.u.m_, boyle it in three pottels of _Ale_, with a soft fire, to the consuming of two parts, but if it be where you may have wild Whay, or cheese Whay, they are better. Let the Patient drink of this morning and evening, halfe a pint at a time, and let him sweat after it two hours. His drink at his Meals must be thus used, put into the same vessel where the former was made, to the _Guaic.u.m_ that is left, three pottels of _Ale_, and not _Whey_, let it boyle to the one halfe, let him drink thereof at all times, and at his meale, which must be but one in a day, and that so little, that he may rise hungry. Thus he must doe for five dayes together, but he must first be purged.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Cowslips]

_Of Cowslips_.

_Oyle of Cowslips._

Oyle of _Cowslips_, if the Nape of the Neck be annointed with it, is good for the _Palsie_, it comforteth the sinews, the heart and the head.

_The use of the Oyle of Wormwood, and Oyle of Mint_.

Oyle of Wormwood is good for straines and bruises, and to comfort the stomach; it is made of the green Hearb, as are the Oyle of _Cammomile_, _Rue_, and _Mint_, are made.

Oyle of _Mint_ comforteth the stomack, overlayed or weakned with Casting, it doth drive back, or dry up Weomend b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and doth keep them from being soare, being therewith annointed.

_Syrupe of Cowslips_.

Instead of running water you must take distilled water of _Cowslips_, put thereto your _Cowslip_ flowers clean picked, and the green k.n.o.bs in the bottome cut off, and therewith boyle up a Syrupe, as in the Syrupe of _Roses_ is shewed; it is good against the _Frensie_, comforting and staying the head in all hot _Agues, &c_. It is good against the _Palsie_, and procures a sick Patient to sleep; it must be taken in _Almond_-milk, or some other warm thing.

_To keep Cowslips for Salates_.

Take a quart of _White wine_ Vineger, and halfe a quarter of a pound of fine beaten _Sugar_, and mix them together, then take your _Cowslips_, pull them out of the podds, and cut off the green k.n.o.bs at the lower end, put them into the pot or gla.s.se wherein you mind to keep them, and well shaking the _Vineger_ and _Sugar_ together in the gla.s.se wherein they were before, powre it upon the _Cowslips_, and so stirring them morning and evening to make them settle for three weeks, keep them for your use.

_To Conserve Cowslips_.

Gather your Flowers in the midst of the day when all the dew is off, then cut off all the white leaving none but the yellow blossome so picked and cut, before they wither, weigh out ten ounces, taking to every ten ounces of them, or greater proportion, if you please, eight ounces of the best refined _Sugar_, in fine powder, put the _Sugar_ into a pan, and candy it, with as little water as you can, then taking it off the fire, put in your Flowers by little and little, never ceasing to stir them till they be dry, and enough; then put them into gla.s.ses, or gally pots, and keep them dry for your use. These are rather Candied then Conserved _Cowslips_.

_To Preserve all kinde of Flowers in the Spanish Candy in Wedges_.

Take _Violets_, _Cowslips_, or any other kinde of Flowers, pick them, and temper them with the pap of two roasted _Apples_, and a drop or two of _Verjuice_, and a graine of _Muske_, then take halfe a pound of fine hard _Sugar_, boyle it to the height of _Ma.n.u.s Christi_, then mix them together, and pour it on a wet Pye plate, then cut it it in Wedges before it be through cold, gild it, and so you may box it, and keep it all the year. It is a fine sort of Banquetting stuffe, and newly used, your _Ma.n.u.s Christi_ must boyle a good while and be kept with good stirring.

_A Medicine to break and heale sore b.r.e.a.s.t.s of Women, used by Mid-wives, and other skillfull Women in_ London.

Boyle _Oatmeale,_, of the smallest you can get, and red _Sage_ together, in running or Conduict water, till it be thick enough to make a Plaister and then put into it a fit proportion of _Honey_, and let it boyle a little together, take it off the fire, and while it is yet boyling hot, put thereto so much of the best _Venice Terpentine_ as will make it thick enough to spread, then spreading it on some soft leather, or a good thick linnen cloath, apply it to the brest, and it will first break the soare; and after that being continued, will also heale it up.

_A Medicine that hath recovered some from the Dropsie whome the Physitian hath given over_.

Take green _Broome_ and burne it in some clean place, that you may save the ashes of it, take some ten or twelve spoonfulls of the same Ashes, and boyle them in a pint of _White_ wine till the vertue of it be in the wine, then coole it, and drayne the wine from the dreggs, and make three draughts of the Wine, and drink one fasting in the morning, another at three in the afternoone, another late at night neer going to bed. Continue this, and by G.o.ds grace it will cure you.

_An especiall Medicine for all manner of Poyson_.

Take _Hemp seed_, dry it very well, and get off the husks, and beat the _Hemp seed_ into fine powder, take _Mintes_ also, dry them, and make them into powder, boyle a spoonfull of either of these in halfe a pint of _Goats_ milk, a pretty while, then put the milk into a cup to coole, and put into it a spoonfull of _Treacle_, and stir them together till it be coole enough, then drink it in the morning fasting, and eat nothing till noon, or at least two hours; doe the like at night, and use it so three dayes, and it will kill and overcome any poyson.

_Doctor_ Lewin's _Unguentum Rosatum, good for the heat in the Back._