The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet Part 2

18. _Another most excellent Cordial._

Take Celandine, Sage, Costmary, Rue, Wormwood, Mugwort, Scordium, Pimpernel, Scabious, Egrimony, Betony, Balm, Carduus, Centory, Peniroyal, Elecampane roots, Tormentil with the roots, h.o.r.ehound, Rosa Solis, Marigold Flowers, Angelica, Dragon, Marjoram, Thyme, Camomile, of each two good handfuls; Licoras, Zedoary, of each one ounce; slice the Roots, shred the Herbs, and steep them in four quarts of white Wine, and let it stand close covered 2 days, then distil it in an ordinary Still pasted up; when you use it, sweeten it with fine Sugar, and warm it.

19. _To make_ Rosa Solis.

Take a Pottle of _Aqua Composita_, and put it into a Gla.s.s, then a good handful of _Rosa Solis_ clean picked, but not washed, put it to the _Aqua Composita_, then take a pound of Dates stoned and beaten small, half a peniworth of Long Pepper, as much of Grains, and of round Pepper, bruise them small, take also a pound of Loaf-Sugar well beaten, a quarter of a pound of Powder of Pearl, and six leaves of Book Gold; put all to the rest, and stir them well together in the Gla.s.s, then cover it very close, and let it stand in the Sun fourteen days, ever taking it in at night; then strain it, and put it into a close Bottle; you must not put in the Pearl, Gold or Sugar till it hath been sunned and strained, neither must you touch the Leaves of the _Rosa Solis_ with your hands when you pick it; keep it very close.

20. _The Heart Water._

Take five handfuls of Rosemary Flowers, two drams of red Coral, two drams of Powder of Pearl, two drams of white Amber, two drams of Cinamon, two pound of the best Prunes stoned, six Pints of Damask Rose water, two Pints of Sack; put all these into a Pipkin never used, stop it up with Paste, let them stand upon a soft fire a little while, then distil it in an ordinary Still pasted up.

21. _The Plague Water._

Take Rosemary, Red Balm, Burrage, Angelica, Carduus, Celandine, Dragon, Featherfew, Wormwood, Penyroyal, Elecampane roots, Mugwort, Bural, Tormentil, Egrimony, Sage, Sorrel, of each of these one handful, weighed weight for weight; put all these in an earthen Pot, with four quarts of white Wine, cover them close, and let them stand eight or nine days in a cool Cellar, then distil it in a Gla.s.s Still.

22. _The Treacle Water._

Take one pound of old Venice Treacle, of the Roots of Elecampane, Gentian, Cyprus, Tormentil, of each one ounce, of Carduus and Angelica, half an ounce, of Burrage, Bugloss, and of Rosemary Flowers one ounce of each; infuse these in three Pints of white Wine, one Pint of Spring Water, two Pints of Red Rose water; then distil them in an ordinary Still pasted up.

This is excellent for Swounding Fits or Convulsions, and expelleth any venomous Disease; it also cureth any sort of Agues.

23. _The Snail water excellent for Consumptions._

Take a Peck of Snails with the Sh.e.l.ls on their Backs, have in a readiness a good fire of Charcoal well kindled, make a hole in the midst of the fire, and cast your Snails into the fire, renew your fire till the Snails are well rosted, then rub them with a clean Cloth, till you have rubbed off all the green which will come off.

Then bruise them in a Mortar, sh.e.l.ls and all, then take Clary, Celandine, Burrage, Scabious, Bugloss, five leav'd Gra.s.s, and if you find your self hot, put in some Wood-Sorrel, of every one of these one handful, with five tops of Angelica.

These Herbs being all bruised in a Mortar, put them in a sweet earthen Pot with five quarts of white Wine, and two quarts of Ale, steep them all night; then put them into an Alembeck, let the herbs be in the bottom of the Pot, and the Snails upon the Herbs, and upon the Snails put a Pint of Earth-worms slit and clean washed in white Wine, and put upon them four ounces of Anniseeds or Fennel-seeds well bruised, and five great handfuls of Rosemary Flowers well picked, two or three Races of Turmerick thin sliced, Harts-horn and Ivory, of each four ounces, well steeped in a quart of white Wine till it be like a Jelly, then draw it forth with care.

24. _To make a rare sweet Water._

Take sweet Marjoram, Lavender, Rosemary, Muscovy, Maudlin, Balm, Thyme, Walnut Leaves, Damask Roses, Pinks, of all a like quant.i.ty, enough to fill your Still, then take of the best Orrice Powder, Damask Rose Powder, and Storax, of each two ounces; strew one handful or two of your Powders upon the Herbs, then distil them with a soft fire; tie a little Musk in a piece of Lawn, and hang it in the Gla.s.s wherein it drops, and when it is all drawn out, take your sweet Cakes and mix them with the Powders which are left, and lay among your Clothes, or with sweet Oyles, and burn them for perfume.

25. _A very good Surfet water._

Take what quant.i.ty of Brandy you please, steep a good quant.i.ty of the Flowers of Red Poppies therein, which grow amongst the Wheat, having the black bottoms cut off, when they have been steeped long enough, strain them out, and put in new, and so do till the Brandy be very red with them, and let it stand in the Sun all the while they infuse, then put in Nutmegs, Cloves, Ginger and Cinamon, with some fine Sugar, so much as you think fit, and keep it close stopped; this is very good for Surfets, Wind in the Stomach, or any Illness whatever.

26. _An excellent Water for the Stomach, or against Infection._

Take Carduus, Mint and Wormwood, of each a like quant.i.ty, shred them small and put them into new Milk, distil them in an ordinary Still with a temperate fire; when you take any of it, sweeten it with Sugar, or with any Syrrup, what pleases you best; it is a very good water, though the Ingredients are but mean.

27. _The Melancholy Water._

Take of the Flowers of Gilliflowers, four handfuls, Rosemary flowers three handfuls, Damask Rose leaves, Burrage and Bugloss flowers of each one handful, of Balm leaves six handfuls, of Marigold flowers one handful, of Pinks six handfuls, of Cinamon grosly beaten, half an ounce, two Nutmegs beaten, Anniseeds beaten one ounce, three peniworth of Saffron; put them all into a Pottle of Sack, and let them stand two days, stirring them sometimes well together; then distil them in an ordinary Still, and let it drop into a Gla.s.s wherein there is two grains of Musk, and eight ounces of white Sugar Candy, and some Leaf-Gold; take of this Water three times a week fasting, two spoonfuls at a time, and ofter if you find need; distil with soft fire; this is good for Women in Child-bed if they are faint.

28. _To make the Elder water, or spirit of_ Sambucus.

Take some Rye Leaven, and break it small into some warm Water, let it be a sowre one, for that is best; about two Ounces or more: then take a Bushel of Elder Berries beaten small, and put them into an earthen Pot and mix them very well with the Leaven, and let it stand one day near the Fire; then put in a little Yest, and stir it well together to make it rise, so let it stand ten days covered, and sometimes stir it; then distil it in an Alembeck; keep the first Water by it self, and so the second, and the third will be good Vinegar, if afterward you colour it with some of the Berries.

Distil it with a slow fire, and do not fill the Still too full.

This Water is excellent for the Stomach.

29. _To make the Balm water Green._

Take any Wine or Lees of Wine, or good Strong Beer or Ale with the Grounds, and stir them all together very well, lest the Wine Lees be too thick, and burn the bottom of the Pot; put them into an Alembeck with good store of Balm unwashed, therein still these till you leave no other tast but fair water, and draw also some of that, draw two Alembecks full more as you draw the first, until you have so much as will fill your Alembeck, then put this distilled water into your Alembeck again, and some more Balm, if you draw a Wine Gallon, put to it half a pound of Coriander seeds bruised, two Ounces of Cloves, one quarter of an Ounce of Nutmegs, and one quarter of an Ounce of Mace bruised all of them, then set a Receiver of a Gallon under it, and fill it with fresh and green Balm unwashed, and your Water will be as green as Gra.s.s; put still more and more of the Herbs fresh, and let it stand a week to make it the more green.

Take this Green Water, and put to it one quart of the best Damask Rosewater, and before you mix your Balm-water and Rose-water together, you must dissolve two pounds of fine Sugar in the first distilled water, then take Ambergreece and Musk, of each eight Grains, being ground fine, and put it into the Gla.s.s in a piece of Lawn; put also a little Orange or Limon Pill to it, and keep it cool and from the Air.

30. _To make the very best Surfet-water._

Take one Gallon of the best French Spirits, and a Pint of Damask-Rose-water, half a Pint of Poppy water, one pound of white Sugar Candy bruised, then take one pound and half of Raisins in the Sun stoned, half a pound of Dates stoned and sliced, then take one Ounce of Mace, one Ounce of Cloves, one Ounce of Cinamon, one Ounce of Aniseeds rubbed clean from the dust, then take a quarter of an Ounce of Licoras clean sc.r.a.ped and sliced, and all the Spices grosly beaten, let all these steep in the Spirits four days; then take a quarter of a peck of Red Poppy Leaves fresh gathered, and the black part cut off, and put them in, and when it hath stood four or five days, strain it, and put it into your Gla.s.s, then put in your Sugar-Candy finely beaten, twelve peniworth of Ambergreece, six peniworth of Musk, keep it close, and shake it now and then, and when you use it, you may put some kind of Syrrup to it, what you please.

31. _To make the true Palsie-water, as it was given by that once very famous Physician Doctor_ Matthias.

Take Lavender Flowers stripped from the stalks, and fill a Gallon-Gla.s.s with them, and pour on them good Spirit of Sack, or perfect _Aqua vitae_ distilled from all Flegm, let the quant.i.ty be five quarts, then circulate them for six weeks, very close with a Bladder, that nothing may breath out; let them stand in a warm place, then distil them in an Alembeck with his Cooler, then put into the said water, of Sage, Rosemary, and Wood-Betony Flowers; of each half a handful, of Lilly of the Valley, and Burrage, Bugloss, and Cowslip Flowers, one handful of each; steep these in Spirit of Wine, Malmsie, or _Aqua vitae_, every one in their Season, till all may be had; then put also to them of Balm, Motherwort, Spike-flowers, Bay leaves, the leaves of Orange trees, with the Flowers, if they may be had, of each one ounce, put them into the aforesaid distilled Wine all together, and distil it as before, having first been steeped six weeks; when you have distilled it, put into it Citron Pill, dried Piony seeds hull'd, of each five Drams, of Cinamon half an Ounce, of Nutmegs, Cardamum seeds, Cubebs, and yellow Saunders, of each half an ounce, of lignum Aloes one dram; make all these into Powder, and put them into the distilled Wine abovesaid, and put to them of Cubebs anew, a good half pound of Dates, the stones taken out, and cut them in small pieces, put all these in, and close your Vessel well with a double Bladder; let them digest six weeks, then strain it hard with a Press, and filtrate the Liquor, then put into it of prepared Pearl, Smaragdus, Musk and Saffron, of each half a Scruple; and of Ambergreece one Scruple, red Roses dried well, Red and Yellow Saunders, of each one ounce, hang these in a Sa.r.s.enet Bag in the water, being well sewed that nothing go out.

_The virtues of this Water._

This Water is of exceeding virtue in all Swoundings and Weaknesses of the heart, and decaying of Spirits in all Apoplexies and Palsies, also in all pains of the Joints coming of Cold, for all Bruises outwardly bathed and dipped Clothes laid to; it strengtheneth and comforteth all animal, natural and viral Spirits, and cheareth the external Senses, strengtheneth the Memory, restoreth lost Speech, and lost Appet.i.te, all weakness of the Stomach, being both taken inwardly, and bathed outwardly; it taketh away the Giddiness of the Head, helpeth lost Hearing, it maketh a pleasant Breath, helpeth all cold disposition of the Liver, and a beginning Dropsie; it helpeth all cold Diseases of the Mother; indeed none can express sufficiently; it is to be taken morning and evening, about half a Spoonful with Crums of Bread and Sugar.

32. _For a Cough of the Lungs, or any Cough coming of Cold, approved by many._

Take a good handful of French Barley, boil it in several waters till you see the water be clear, then take a quart of the last water, and boil in it sliced Licoras, Aniseeds bruised, of each as much as you can take up with your four Fingers and your Thumb, Violet Leaves, Strawberry Leaves, five fingered Gra.s.s, Maidenhair, of each half a handful, a few Raisins in the Sun stoned; boil these together till it come to a Pint, then strain it, and take twelve or fourteen Jordan Almonds blanched and beaten, and when your water is almost cold, put in your Almonds, and stir it together, and strain it; then sweeten it with white Sugar Candy; drink this at four times, in the morning fasting, and at four of the Clock in the Afternoon a little warmed; do this nine or ten days together; if you please, you may take a third draught when you go to Bed; if you be bound in your body, put in a little Syrrup of Violets, the best way to take it, is to suck it through a straw, for that conveys it to the Lungs the better.

33. _To make the best Bisket-Cakes._

Take four new laid Eggs, leave out two of the Whites, beat them very well, then put in two spoonfuls of Rose-water, and, beat them very well together, then put in a pound of double refin'd Sugar beaten and searced, and beat them together one hour, then put to them one pound of fine Flower, and still beat them together a good while; then put them upon Plates rubbed over with b.u.t.ter, and set them into the Oven as fast as you can, and have care you do not bake them too much.

34. _Perfumed Roses._