A Book of Fruits and Flowers Part 6

_An approved Medicine for the Gout in the feet_.

Take an _Oxes_ paunch new killed, and warm out of the belly, about the latter end of _May_, or beginning of _June_, make two holes therein, and put in your feet, and lay store of warm cloaths about it, to keep it warm so long as can be. Use this three or four dayes together, for three weeks or a moneth, whether you have the fit or paine of the _Gout_, at that time or no, so you have had it at any time before. This hath cured divers persons, that they have never been troubled with it againe.

_For one that cannot make water_.

Take the white strings of _Filmy_ roots, of _Primroses_ wash them very clean, and boyle of them halfe a handfull, in a pint of _Beer_ or _White-wine_, till halfe be consumed, then straine it through a clean cloath, and drink thereof a quarter of a pint, somewhat warme, morning and evening, for three dayes, it will purge away all viscous or obstructions stopping the pa.s.sage of the water, _probatum_.

_To kill the Ring worme, and heat thereof_.

Take a quart of _White wine_ vineger, boyle therein of _Woodbine_ leaves, _Sage_, and _Plantaine_ of each one handfull, of white _Coperas_, one pound, of _Allum_ as much as an Egge; when it is boyled to halfe a pint, straine out the liquor, and therewith wash the soare as hard as you can suffer it.

_To make a Water for all Wounds and Cankers_.

Take a handfull of red _Sage_ leaves, a handfull of _Selandine_, as much _Woodbine_ leaves, then take a gallon of Conduict water, and put the hearbs in it, and let them boyle to a pottell, and then strayning the Hearbs through a strainer, take the liquor and set it over the fire againe, and take a pint of English _Honey_, a good handfull of _Roche Allum_, as much of white _Copperas_ tinne beaten, a penny worth of _Graines_ bruised, and let them boyle all together three or four warms, and then let the sc.u.m be taken off with a feather, and when it is cold put it in an earthen pot or bottell, so as it may be kept close; and for an old Wound take of the thinnest, and for a green Wound, of the thickest, and having dressed them with this Water, cover the soare either with _Veale_, or _Mutton_, and skin it with _Dock_ leaves.

_For a Swelling that cometh suddenly in mans Limbs._

Take _Harts_ tongue, _Cherfoyle_, and cut them small, and then take dreggs of _Ale_, and _Wheat_ Branne, and _Sheeps_ tallow molten, and doe all in a pot, and seeth them till they be thick, and then make a Plaister, and lay it to the swelling.

_Of Apric.o.c.ks_.

_To dry Apric.o.c.ks_.

Take them when they be ripe, stone them, and pare off their rindes very thin, then take halfe as much _Sugar_ as they weigh, finely beaten, and lay them with that _Sugar_ into a silver or earthen dish, laying first a lay of _Sugar_, and then of Fruit, and let them stand so all night, and in the morning the _Sugar_ will be all melted, then put them into a Skillet, and boyle them apace, sc.u.mming them well, and as soon as they grow tender take them off from the fire, and let them stand two dayes in the Syrupe, then take them out, and lay them on a fine plate, and so dry them in a Stove.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Aprec.o.c.ks]

_Clear Cakes of Quinces, or Apric.o.c.ks._

Take of the best _Sugar_ finely beaten and searced, one pound, to a pound of _Quinces_, or _Apric.o.c.ks_, set your _Sugar_ upon a chafin-dish of coales, and dry it above halfe an houre, then cooling it, stir into it a little _Musk_ and _Ambergreese_ finely beaten, and powdered, then pare your _Quinces_, and boyle them in faire water whole, till they be tender and not covering them for so they will be white; then take them, and sc.r.a.pe off all the _Quince_ to the coare, into a silver dish, and boyle it therein till it grow dry, which you shall perceive by the rising of it up, when it is thus well dryed, take it off, let it coole, and strew on the _Sugar_, letting some other to strew it, till it be all throughly wrought in, then lay it out on gla.s.ses, plates, or prints of Flowers, or letters, an inch thick, or lesse as you please.

_The best way to Preserve Apric.o.c.ks_

Take the weight of your _Apric.o.c.ks_, what quant.i.ty soever you mind to use, in _Sugar_ finely beaten, pare and stone the _Apric.o.c.ks_, and lay them in the _Sugar_, in your preserving pan all night, and in the morning set them upon hot embers till the _Sugar_ be all melted, then let them stand, and scald an hour, then take them off the fire, and let them stand in that Syrupe two dayes, and then boyle them softly till they be tender and well coloured, and after that when they be cold put them up in gla.s.ses or pots, which you please.

_Of Lillies_.

_The use of Oyle of Lillies_.

Oyle of _Lillies_ is good to supple, mollifie, and stretch sinews that be shrunk, it is good to annoynt the sides and veines in the fits of the _Stone_.

_To Candy all kinde of Flowers as they grow, with their stalks on_.

Take the Flowers, and cut the stalks somewhat short, then take one pound of the whitest and hardest _Sugar_ you can get, put to it eight spoonfulls of _Rose_ water, and boyle it till it will roule between your fingers and your thumb, then take it from the fire, coole it with a stick, and as it waxeth cold, dip in all your Flowers, and taking them out againe suddenly, lay them one by one on the bottome of a Sive; then turne a joyned stoole with the feet upwards, set the sive on the feet thereof, cover it with a faire linnen cloath, and set a chafin-dish of coales in the middest of the stoole underneath the five, and the heat thereof will run up to the sive, and dry your Candy presently; then box them up, and they will keep all the year, and look very pleasantly.

_To make the Rock Candies upon all Spices, Flowers, and Roots_.

Take two pound of _Barbary Sugar_, Clarifie it with a pint of water, and the whites of two _Eggs_, then boyle it in a posnet to the height of _Ma.n.u.s Christi_, then put it into an earthen Pipkin and therewith the things that you will Candy, as _Cinamon, Ginger, Nutmegs, Rose buds, Marigolds, Eringo roots, &c._ cover it, and stop it close with clay or paste, then put it into a Still, with a leasurely fire under it, for the s.p.a.ce of three dayes and three nights, then open the pot, and if the Candy begin to come, keep it unstopped for the s.p.a.ce of three or four dayes more, and then leaving the Syrupe, take out the Candy, lay it on a Wyer grate, and put it in an Oven after the bread is drawne, and there let it remaine one night, and your Candy will dry. This is the best way for rock Candy, making so small a quant.i.ty.

_The Candy Sucket for green Ginger, Lettice, Flowers._

Whatsoever you have Preserved, either Hearbs, Fruits, or Flowers, take them out of the Syrupe, and wash them in warm water, and dry them well, then boyle the _Sugar_ to the height of Candy, for Flowers, and draw them through it, then lay them on the bottome of a Sive, dry them before the fire, and when they are enough, box them for your use. This is that the _Comfet-makers_ use and call _Sucket Candy_.

_Of Grapes_.

_Syrupe Gresta, or a Syrupe of Unripe Grapes_.

Take a good basket full of unripe _Grapes_, set them three dayes in a vessel after they be gathered, stamp them, and straine out the juice out of them, take thereof six quarts, boyle it with a soft fire till the third part be consumed then four quarts will remaine, let that run through a woollen bagge, and stand till it be clear in it selfe, then take of the clearest of it, seven pints, put thereto five pound of Clarified _Sugar_, boyle them together to the thicknesse of a Syrupe, and keep it in a gla.s.se; it is good for a perbreaking stomach, proceeding of Choller, and for a swelling stomach, it taketh away thirst and drynesse, and chollerick _Agues_, it is of great comfort to the stomach of Women being with child, it is a preservative against all manner of Venome, and against the Pestilence.

*OF PURGES.*

_A Purge to drive out the French Pox, before you use the Oyntment._

Take halfe a pint of good _Aqua vitae_, one ounce of _Treacle_ of _Gene_, one quarter of an ounce of _Spermacaeti_, boyle all these together on a soft fire halfe a quarter of an hour, and let the Patient drink this as warme as he can, and lye downe in his bed, and sweat, and if any of the Disease be in his body, this will bring it forth, and bring him to an easie loosnesse; this is thought the best and surest of all other Cures for this infirmity.