A Book of Fruits and Flowers Part 3

_To strengthen the Back weak or diseased._

Take the pith of an Oxes back, wash it in Wine or Ale, and beating it very small straine it through a course cloath, and make a Caudle of it, with _Muskadine_ or strong _Ale_ boyling it therein a few _Dates_ sliced, and the stones taken out, and drink it first and last as warm as you can, walking well, but temperately after it. Toasted dates often eaten are very good for the same.

_For a Paine or Ache in the Back._

Take _Nepe, Archangel, Parsley_, and _Clarie_, of each halfe a handfull wash them cleane, and cut them small, and then fry them with a little sweet b.u.t.ter, then take the yolks of three or four Eggs, beat them well together, and put them to the Hearbs, fry them all together, and eat them fasting every morning, with some _Sugar_; to take away the unsavorinesse of the Hearbs, some use to take only _Clary_ leaves, and _Parsley_ washed, not cut, or _Clary_ leaves alone, and powring the yolks of the Eggs upon them, so fry them, and eat them.

_For a suddain Bleeding at the Nose._

Burne an Egg sh.e.l.l in the fire till it be as black as a coale, then beat it to a fine powder, and let the party snufle it up into his Nostrills.

_A Medicine for Burning or Scalding._

Take _Madenwort_, stamp it, and seeth it in fresh b.u.t.ter, and therewith anoynt the place grieved presently.

_For the Canker in Womens b.r.e.a.s.t.s._

Take _Goose_-dung, _Celedonie_, stamp them well together, and lay it plaister-wise to the soare, it will cleanse the _Canker_, kill the wormes, and heale the soare.

_For the Canker in the Mouth._

Take the juice of _Plantaine, Vineger_ and _Rose_ water, of each a like quant.i.ty, mingle them together, and wash the mouth often with them.

_To make a Tooth fall out of it selfe._

Take wheat flower and mix it with the Milk of an Hearb called _Spurge_, make thereof a past, and fill the hole of the Tooth therewith, and leave it there, changing it every two houres, and the Tooth will fall out.

_To take away the cause of the paine in the Teeth._

Wash the mouth two or three times together in the morning every moneth, with _White-wine_ wherein the root of _Spurge_ hath been sodden, and you shall never have paine in your Teeth.

_For A Consumption._

Take Ash-keyes so soon as they look wither'd, set them into an Oven, the bread being drawne, in a pewter, or rather an earthen dish, and being so dryed pull off the out side, and reserving the inner part, or the seed, or keyes, beat them to fine powder, and either mix it with good English honey, and so eat of it, first and last, morning and evening, a pretty deale of it at once, upon the point of a knife, or else drink of the powder in some posset Ale, or thin broth. Mares milk, or a.s.ses milk, which is best, being drunk warm morning and evening, is the most soveraigne Medicine for it.

_An excellent Medicine for the Cough of the Lungs._

Take _Fennell_ and _Angelica_ of each one handfull, the leaves in Summer, roots in Winter, sliced figgs twelve, but if the body be bound, twenty at least, green Licorice if you can, two or three good sticks sc.r.a.ped and sliced, Anniseed cleaved and bruised, two good spoonfulls, two or three Parsley roots sc.r.a.ped, and the pith taken out, and twenty leaves of Foale-foot, boyle all these in three pints of _Hysop_ water, to a pint and halfe, then straine it out into a gla.s.se, putting to it as much white _Sugar_-candy as will make it sweet, drink hereof, being warmed, five spoonfulls at a time, first in the morning, and last in the evening, taking heed that you eat nor drink any thing two howres before nor after.

_Of Violets._

_The use of Oyle of Violets._

Oyle of _Violets, Cammomile, Lillies, Elder flowers, Cowslips, Rue, Wormwood_, and _Mint_, are made after the same sort; Oyle of _Violets_, if it be rubbed about the Tempels of the head, doth remove the extream heat, a.s.swageth the head Ache, provoketh sleep, and moistneth the braine; it is good against melancholly, dullnesse, and heavinesse of the spirits, and against swellings, and soares that be over-hot.

_The Syrupe of Violets._

Take faire water, boyle it, sc.u.m it, and to every ounce of it so boyled and sc.u.mmed, take six ounces of the blew of _Violets_, only shift them as before, nine times, and the last time take nine ounces of _Violets_, let them stand between times of shifting, 12 houres, keeping the liquor still on hot embers, that it may be milk warm, and no warmer; after the first shifting you must stamp and straine your last nine ounces of _Violets_, and put in only the juice of them, then take to every pint of this liquor thus prepared, one pound of _Sugar_ finely beaten, boyle it, and keep it with stirring till the _Sugar_ be all melted, which if you can, let be done before it boyle, and then boyle it up with a quick fire. This doth coole and open in a burning _Ague_, being dissolved in _Almond_ milk, and taken; especially it is good for any Inflamation in Children. The Conserves are of the same effect.

_The use of Conserve of Violets and Cowslips._

That of _Cowslips_ doth marvelously strengthen the Braine, preserveth against Madnesse, against the decay of memory, stoppeth Head-ache, and most infirmities thereof; for _Violets_ it hath the same use the Syrupe hath.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Violets]

_To make Paste of Violets, or any kind of Flowers._

Take your Flowers, pick them, and stamp them in an _Alablaster_ morter, then steep them two howres in a sauser of _Rose_-water, after straine it, and steep a little _Gum Dragon_ in the same water, then beat it to past, print it in your Moulds, and it will be of the very colour and tast of the Flowers, then gild them, and so you may have every Flower in his owne colour, and tast better for the mouth, then any printed colour.

_Powder of Violets._

Take sweet _Ireos_ roots one ounce, red _Roses_ two ounces, _Storax_ one ounce and a halfe, _Cloves_ two drams, _Marjerome_ one dram, _Lavinder_ flowers one dram and a halfe, make these into powder; then take eight graines of fine _Muske_ powdered, also put to it two ounces of _Rose_-water, stir them together, and put all the rest to them, and stir them halfe an hour, till the water be dryed, then set it by one day, and dry it by the fire halfe an houre, and when it is dry put it up into bagges.

_A good Plaister for the Strangury._

Take _Violets_, and _Hollyhokes_, and _Mercury_, the leaves of these Hearbs, or the seeds of them, also the rinde of the _Elderne_ tree, and _Leydwort_, of each of these a handfull, and beat them small, and seeth them in water, till halfe be consumed, and put thereto a little oyle Olive, and make thereof a plaister, and lay it to the soare and reines; also in the summer thou must make him a drink on this manner, take _Saxifrage_, and the leaves of _Elderne_, five leav'd gra.s.se, and seath them in a pottell of staile Ale, till the halfe be wasted, then straine it, and keep it clean, and let the sick drink thereof first and last, and if you lack these hearbs because of winter, then take the roots of five-leav'd gra.s.se, and dry them, and make thereof a powder, then take Oyster-sh.e.l.ls, and burne them, and make powder also of them, and mingling them together, let the sick use thereof in his pottage, and drink, and it will help him.

_A Medicine for sore blood-shotten and Rhuematick eyes._

Take ground _Ivy_, _Daises_, and _Celedony_, of each a like quant.i.ty, stamp and straine out the juice out of them, and put to it a little brown _Sugar_ Candy dissolved in white Rose-water, and drop two or three drops of this liquor at one time into the grieved eye, with a feather, lying upon the back when you doe it an hour after, this is a most approved Medicine to take away all _Inflamations, Spots, Webbs, Itches, Smartings_, or any griefe whatsoever in the eyes.

_A Glister to open and loosen the Body being bound, which may safely be administred to any man or woman._

Take _Mellowes_ and _Mercury_ unwashed, of each two handfulls, halfe a handfull of _Barley_ clean rubbed and washed, boyle them in a pottell of running water to a quart, then strayne out the water, and put it in a Skillet, and put to it three spoonfulls of Sallet Oyle, and two spoonfulls of Honey, and a little salt; then make it luke warm, and so minister it.

_To cleanse the head, and take the Ache away._