The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher Part 12

Take man's skull prepared, and powder of male peony, of each an ounce and a half, contrayerva, b.a.s.t.a.r.d dittany, angelica, zedvary, of each two drachms, mix and make a powder, add thereto two ounces of candied orange and lemon peel, beat all together to a powder, whereof you may take half a drachm or a drachm.

_A Powder for the Epilepsy or Falling Sickness._

Take of opopanax, crude antimony, castor, dragon's blood, peony seeds, of each an equal quant.i.ty; make a subtle powder; the dose, half a drachm of black cherry water. Before you take it, the stomach must be prepared with some proper vomit, as that of Mynficht's emetic tartar, from four grains to six; if for children, salts of vitrol, from a scruple to half a drachm.

_For a Headache of Long Standing._

Take the juice or powder in distilled water of hog lice and continue it.

_For Spitting of Blood._

Take conserve of comfrey and of hips, of each an ounce and a half; conserve of red roses, three ounces; dragon's blood, a drachm; spices of hyacinths, two scruples; red coral, a drachm; mix and with syrup of poppies make a soft electuary. Take the quant.i.ty of a walnut, night and morning.

_For a Looseness._

Take Venice treacle and diascordium, of each half a drachm, in warm ale or water gruel, or what you like best, at night, going to bed.

_For the b.l.o.o.d.y Flux._

First take a drachm of powder of rhubarb in a sufficient quant.i.ty of conserve of red roses, in the morning early; then at night, take of tornified or roasted rhubarb, half a drachm; diascordium, a drachm and a half; liquid laudanum cyclomated, a scruple: mix and make into a bolus.

_For an Inflammation of the Lungs._

Take of cherious water, ten ounces; water of red poppies, three ounces; syrup of poppies, an ounce; pearl prepared, a drachm; make julep, and take six spoonfuls every fourth hour.

_An Ointment for the Pleurisy._

Take oil of violets or sweet almonds, an ounce of each, with wax and a little saffron, make an ointment, warm it and bathe it upon the parts affected.

_An Ointment for the Itch._

Take sulphur vive in powder, half an ounce, oil of tartar per deliquim, a sufficient quant.i.ty, ointment of roses, four ounces; make a liniment, to which add a scruple of rhodium to aromatize, and rub the parts affected with it.

_For Running Scab._

Take two pounds of tar, incorporate it into a thick ma.s.s with well-sifted ashes; boil the ma.s.s in fountain-water, adding leaves of ground-ivy, white h.o.r.ehound, fumitory roots, sharp-pointed dock and of flocan pan, of each four handfuls; make a bath to be used with care of taking cold.

_For Worms in Children._

Take wormseed, half a drachm, flour of sulphur, a drachm; mix and make a powder. Give as much as will lie on a silver threepence, night and morning, in grocer's treacle or honey, or to grown up people, you may add a sufficient quant.i.ty of aloe rosatum and so make them up into pills; three or four may be taken every morning.

_For Fevers in Children._

Take crab-eyes, a drachm, cream of tartar, half a drachm; white sugar-candy finely powdered, weight of both; mix all well together and give as much as will lie on a silver threepence, in a spoonful of barley-water or sack whey.

_A Quieting Night-Draught, when the Cough is Violent._

Take water of green wheat, six ounces, syrup diascordium, three ounces, take two or three spoonfuls going to bed every night or every other night.

_An Electuary for the Dropsy._

Take best rhubarb, one drachm, gum lac, prepared, two drachms, zyloaloes, cinnamon, long birthwort, half an ounce each, best English saffron, half a scruple; with syrup of chicory and rhubarb make an electuary. Take the quant.i.ty of a nutmeg or small walnut every morning fasting.

_For a Tympany Dropsy._

Take roots of chervil and candied eringo roots, half an ounce of each, roots of butcher-broom, two ounces, gra.s.s-roots, three ounces, shavings of ivory and hartshorn, two drachms and a half each; boil them in two or three pounds of spring water. Whilst the strained liquor is hot, pour it upon the leaves of watercresses and goose-gra.s.s bruised, of each a handful, adding a pint of Rhenish wine. Make a close infusion for two hours, then strain out the liquor again, and add to it three ounces of magirtral water and earth worms and an ounce and a half of the syrup of the five opening roots. Make an apozen, whereof take four ounces twice a day.

_For an Inward Bleeding._

Take leaves of plantain and stinging nettles, of each three handfuls, bruise them well and pour on them six ounces of plantain water, afterwards make a strong expression and drink the whole off. _Probatum est._

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS