Roses two Ounces Confection of Alkermes without Musk or Ambergrise one Ounce Treacle half a Dram Powder of Oriental Saffron six Grains Mix all the Ingredients in a Glass-Vial and give to your Horse with a Horn rinsing the Horn the Vial and your Horse's Mouth with a Mixture of the Waters of Carduus Benedictus Succory and Scabious of each an Ounce and half This Water or Julep allays the Heat of the Fever Inject a Clyster about Four a Clock in the Afternoon give the Remedy at Six and keep your Horse bridl'd till Eight The next Day at Four in the Afternoon administer one of the above-mention'd Clysters at Six let your Horse blood in the two Plate-Veins of the Thighs keeping him bridl'd two Hours after You may repeat the Dose of the Remedy two or three times but not the Bleeding without Necessity In the mean time the Horse must eat little Hay you must frequently wash his Mouth with Verjuice Salt and Honey of Roses and oftentimes inject one of the above-mention'd Clysters Since I have often observ'd that the Apothecaries ask an excessive Rate for this Remedy I thought fit to advertise those who may have Occasion to use it that the highest Price of it does not amount to above * About 6s Three Livres and Ten Sous for the Confection of Alkermes is without either Musk or Ambergrise This Remedy ought to be highly esteem'd by those who are Masters of good Horses for by the Use of it in less than a Month I cur'd Four Horses of Value after they were past Hope of Recovery For your Horses Ordinary Drink You may dissolve in a Pailful of Water the Remedy for Fevers consisting of Salt of Tartar Sal Armoniac c. describ'd in Chap. CXXXVI If that cannot be procur'd you may infuse in a Pailful of Water the Dough of a Peny-Loaf ready to be put into the Oven which makes the Water white cools the Body of the Horse and affords some Nourishment and is infinitely better than Flower which is commonly us'd on this Occasion This is an excellent Remedy for simple Fevers and almost for all Horses that are troubl'd with a violent beating in the Flanks proceeding from a hot Cause and I have even given it with good Success to Morfounded Horses when the Disease was accompany'd with a beating in the Flanks for tho' in this case hot Remedies are requir'd to strengthen Nature and enable her to expel that which offends her yet since the Fever is augmented by the heat of the Medicins we must find out and exhibit a good Remedy that strengthens without much Heat which is the peculiar Character of the above-mention'd Julep or mixture of Waters When the Fever is violent the Sick Horse either does not lie down at all or if he does starts up again immediately by reason of the difficulty of Breathing that oppresses him when he lies and therefore if in this case your Horse lie down and remain long in that Posture you may conclude him to be in a hopeful Condition nor must you reckon it a bad sign tho' he complain more when he lies than when he stands for even the soundest Horses are wont to complain when they are in that Posture This is an important remark in the case of all Horses that are extreamly Sick and a diligent observance of it will enable you to make a better Judgment of the Nature of the Distemper A Potion or Drink for a Founder'd Horse that is very Sick either with or without a Cough Take two Pints and half of the Four Cordial Waters viz. of Scorzonera Queen of the Meadows Carduus Benedictus and Scabious dissolving in the same an Ounce of Confection of Hyacinth without Musk or Ambergreece and one Treacle-Pill in Powder Give this Mixture to your Horse in the Morning and rinse the Pot and Horn with half a Pint of Wild Succory-Water which you must make him drink after you have wash'd his Mouth with it Keep him Bridl'd three Hours before and two Hours after and at Night give him the following Clyster Take Powder of Sal Polychrest an Ounce and a half Pulp of Coloquintida without the Seeds half an Ounce boil 'em in five Pints of Beer half a quarter of an Hour and in the strain'd Liquor dissolve a quarter of a Pound of good Populeum make a Clyster to be injected Lukewarm If this Remedy prove ineffectual you may conclude that your Horse's Life is in danger but if you perceive any signs of Amendment you must frequently repeat the Clyster which will very much promote the Cure I have sometimes given with Success a Dose of Stinking Pills to Horses troubl'd with this Distemper for tho' that Medicine seems at first to encrease the beating in the Flanks it quiets all those disorders afterwards tho' I must confess the same Remedy has disappointed me at other times The Lieutenant's Decoction for a Horse that is Founder'd and very Sick Take Carduus Benedictus and Hyssop of each one handful Juice of Liquorice two Ounces Roots of Gentian stampt in a Mortar one Ounce boil the Ingredients in a Pint and a half of Water for the space of half an Hour and as soon as you remove the Vessel from the Fire pour into it half a Pint of White-Wine straining out the Liquor Add as much Saffron as you can lift between your three Fingers and make a Decoction for one or two Doses according to your Horse's Strength or his Aversion to the Medicine The next Day let him Blood in the Flanks and keep him in a temperate place Since Horses in this Condition are wont to eat very little they must be nourish'd with cleans'd Barley without Butter or Fat or with Bread if you can persuade 'em to eat it or Bran c. For more particular directions in this Case you may consult the Sixth Seventh Eighth and Ninth Chapters of this Book and therefore I shall content my self at present with putting you in Mind that you must frequently put a Bit into your Horses Mouth and remember always to offer him Meat when you unbridle him CHAP. CXXV Crocus Metallorum TAke the best Crude Antimony or that which is fullest of Points and Nitre or Salt-Petre of each an equal quantity beat 'em severally to Powder and mix 'em in a Crucible Then set 'em on Fire with a Match or live Cole and as soon as the Flame is extinguish'd and the Matter cold you will find the Liver of Antimony under the Scoriae which are also of good use in certain Cases Separate the Liver and reduce it to a very fine Powder then throw it into Water and beat again in the same Mortar that which the Water cannot dissolve continuing after the same manner till the whole Matter be reduc'd to an impalpable Powder then suffer the Water to settle and you will find at the bottom a Liver-Colour'd Powder which you must continue to wash by pouring on fresh Water till the Salt of the Nitre that
time Take eight large or ten small Nutmegs put 'em upon the Point of a Knife and hold 'em over a Candle till they be burnt to a red Coal then cast 'em into a Quart of Claret breaking 'em with your Fingers and after they have stood in Infusion all Night strain out the Wine in the Morning and make your Horse drink it blood-warm keeping him bridl'd two Hours before and as long after I have given this Remedy with very good Success to Men that were troubl'd with a Dysentery for the Salt of burnt Nutmegs being dissolv'd in the Wine stops and allays the Ebullition that causes the Flux A Binding Clyster Take Plantane Leaves in Summer or the Seeds in Winter and dry Provence Roses of each a sufficient quantity boil 'em in three Quarts of Beer and add to the Straining Catholicum two Ounces Rhubarb and Seal'd Earth of each four Ounces This Clyster binds moderately and being twice or thrice repeated stops a Super-Purgation in a Horse Another Potion Take two Quarts of Milk in which you have quench'd a Piece of Steel five or six times two Ounces of the Stones of Roasted Grapes an Ounce and a half of Shavings of Hart's-Horn calcin'd and beaten to a very fine Powder Mix for a Potion CHAP. CLXV Another Remedy for a Flux proceeding from a cold Cause DIssolve four Drams of Roman Vitriol reduc'd to Powder in five Pints of River-Water and let the Solution stand all Night to settle In the Morning pour out the clear Liquor throwing away the yellowish Sediment that remains at the Bottom Give your a Horse a Pint of it with a Horn heating it luke-warm in Winter and repeat the Dose every six Hours keeping him bridl'd an Hour before and as long after You may make the Remedy a great deal more effectual by adding to each Quart of the Liquor a Dram of Anniseeds and the like Quantity of Coriander-seeds both beaten to Powder If the Horse's Appetite be not spoil'd this Remedy will cure a Flux proceeding from the Ebullition of hot Humours if you continue the Use of it for some Days but the Cure may be hasten'd by injecting the following Clyster Take half an Ounce of dry Provence Roses and a Dram of Anniseeds boil 'em in two Quarts of this Water or Solution of Vitriol and after one Waum strain out the Liquor thro' a Linnen-Cloth and adding three Ounces of liquid Conserve of red Roses with a quarter of a Pound of fresh Butter Make a Clyster to be injected at the same time that the Potion is given inwardly and repeat the same twelve Hours after if you perceive that the Violence of the Disease is abated But if the Flux continue to torment the Horse you must repeat the Clyster every six Hours with the Potion If the Flux proceed from a cold Cause that is from flegmatic or pituitous Humours after the Clysters mention'd in the preceding Chapter you must give the following Potion A Potion for a Flux proceeding from a cold Cause Take the Yolks of six Eggs and an Ounce and a half of old Treacle dissolve 'em in three Pints of thick Claret in which you have quench'd a Piece of Steel heated red-hot three or four times You may afterwards repeat the Clysters if need require A Binding Clyster Take the Roots of Bistort and Tormentil grossly beaten of each two Ounces the Leaves of Mouse-Ear and Cypress of each one Handful Boil 'em in two Quarts of Claret and a Quart of rain-Rain-Water and dissolve in the Straining two Ounces of fine Catholicum and twenty Grains of Opium A Potion for a Flux proceeding from a hot Cause Take of Conserve of Roses two Ounces Opium thirty Grains new Treacle half an Ounce Succory-Water and Plantane-Water of each a Pint. Mix and make a Potion In the mean time you must rub your Horse's Belly with astringent Baths or Fomentations which are proper for all sorts of Fluxes whether they proceed from hot or cold Caufes Astringent Baths for a Flux Take Leaves of Plantane and Knot-Grass of each four Handfuls Comfrey and Horse-Tail of each one Handful Gall-Nuts Cypress-Nuts and Acorns of each two Ounces red Roses and Leaves of white Mullein of each three Handfuls Boil 'em in a large Pot in an equal Mixture of Claret and Water first putting in the Nuts and Acorns beaten then the Leaves and last of all the Flowers and after they are sufficiently boil'd add a Pint of Vinegar and half a Pound of Oil of Quinces With this Decoction you must bathe your Horse's Belly fomenting it with warm Linnen-Clouts as I order'd in the Cure of a Shoulder-Sprain and you may also anoint your Horse's Belly with a Mixture of equal quantities of the Oils of Quinces and Myrtles The Use of this Bath may be repeated as often as you shall think fit 'T is also very profitable for great Swellings in the Belly occasion'd by Spur-Galling Swellings of the Cods Thighs or Houghs provided the Tumour proceed not from the Biting or Stinging of a venomous Beast You may also anoint the Belly with the Countess's Ointment and foment it with this Bath chusing such of the above-mention'd Remedies as you shall think most convenient or profitable CHAP. CLXVI Of the Falling of the Fundament SOmetimes a violent Flux the Piles or such like Distempers make the Horse strain so violently and with such an intolerable Pain that the Fundament falls out and appears visibly out of its Place And the same Accident is sometimes occasion'd by a Strain and very frequently by cutting off the Tail This Malady ought never to be neglected for it may be attended with dangerous Consequences and therefore you must anoint the Place with Oil of Roses blood-warm and afterwards endeavour to put it up But if you perceive no Amendment after two or three successless Attempts you must have recourse to the following Remedy Beat six Drams of Salt of Lead with half a Pint of Goat's-Milk or for want of that of Cow's-Milk till they be well incorporated You must first beat the Salt of Lead in a Mortar and pour on the Milk by Degrees beating and mixing 'em together all the while till they be reduc'd to the Thickness of a liquid Ointment Sometimes the Salt of Lead imbibes a larger quantity of Milk than at other times and therefore you must pour into the Mortar only what is sufficient to bring it into the above-mention'd Form Put a Tent into the Fundament dipt in this Ointment and anoint all the Part with it repeating the Application from time to time 'T is to be observ'd that when the Falling of the Fundament is occasion'd by the Cutting off of the Tail and accompany'd with a great Swelling the Horse is in a very dangerous Condition for 't is almost always a Sign of a Gangrene in the Tail that spreads towards the Back And therefore after a successless Tryal of this Remedy you may give him over for lost Another Remedy Take Powder of burnt Oyster-Shells two
as I have ordered This is what I thought needful to show you concerning the preparation of the â—â—mors before purging lest it might prove prejudicial to Horses which have 〈◊〉 reluctancy and aversion to it and from which if they be not well prepared for it the many times receive great dammage I have here said a little concerning the Purgation of Horses which before 〈◊〉 hath never been treated of by any to the end people might both receive because by it and that I might also by this small Swatch or Pattern give an opportunity 〈◊〉 the Curious to dive deeper into the Medicine and Physick of Horses than hath 〈◊〉 been done hitherto and which is extremly neglected by those that are capâ—â—â— because they absolutly rely upon the skill of such who can scarcely read their 〈◊〉 and therefore do many times loss their Horses by their negligence and ignorâ—â—â— and for lack of a little Reflection and Study CHAP. LXV Of Glysters THe Word Glyster is derived from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to wash CHAP. LXV Of Glysters from whence it is sometimes called also a Wathing because the Guts are cleansed by the injection that is made into the intestines it is proper for provocking the excretion or voiding of the Excrements to soften their hardness or to correct some intemperature or to abate some great pain or excessive beating of the flanks to expell Wind to stop the immoderate fluxes of the Belly and to kill the worms which are contained in the intestines Glysters also produce a great many other good effects because there is almost no part of the Body which does not receive some relief by them and that by reason of the correspondence that all its parts have with the lower belly or Guts which being fred of their impurities give the more liberty to other parts to discharge themselves of those humors which are prejudicial to them People compose them different wayes and according as they intend to treat the Horse as I shall show you all along the second Part when I discourse of the several Diseases but those which are most in use are the Emollient An Emollient Glyster which are called common Glysters People make a decoction of Mallows March-Mallows Violets Herb Mercury Pellitory of the Wall and Bears-breach causing boyl two or three handfulls of each in three English quarts and a half of water with two ounces of bruised Anniseeds if it be in winter but if it be in the summer then there may be added for cooling the seeds of Cucumbers Gourds Pumpkins Wild-gourds Melons and an ounce or two of Polychrest they afterwards strain all through a cloath and according to their intention add some kind of Electuary to it especially the Catholicum for Horses which is described in the 76 Chap. Sect. 5. of the Second Part or otherwise they make use of Honey or the like Beer or Ale is a decoction ready made in which a man may cause boyl two ounces of the Scorte or refuse of the Liver of Antimony in fine powder or otherways if he intend to make use of Purgatives then Colocynth Sene or any other according to the intention he hath to purge and after having strained the decoction from them he shall then dissolve in it some proper Electuary or other Medicament as he shall think fit However for the conveniency of those who are altogether ignorant of their composition I shall here set down the models of all kinds of Glysters whereby they may be instructed to make any of what nature and operation soever People to expell and drive the wind out of a Horses body A Carminative Glyster make Carminative Glysters of some of the emollient Herbs to which they add Organy or Wila Marjoram Calamint the flowers of Melilot and Camomil of each two handfulls with an ounce and an half of Polychrest in powder they make about two English quarts and a half of a decoction and after having strained it add four ounces of good Oyl of Bays or in place of it two ounces of the Catholicum for Horses or of the Electuary of Bay-Berries an ounce and an half and of all this they compose a Glyster which they administer to their Horse Or in the place of the Electuary of Bay-berries a man may take two ounces of the Oyl of Dill or otherways an English pynt of Emetick Wine in place of either There are many other wayes of composing Carminative Glysters of which I shall give you a description when I discourse of those diseases for which they are proper but particularly where I treat of Colicks occasioned by Wind. Make an ordinary decoction of the Emollient Herbs and Polychrest A purging Glyster then dissolve in two English quarts of what is strained from them an English pynt of Cows Urine being mixed with it two ounces of the Catholicum for Horses and eight ounces of Mercurial Honey and if you will increase its purgative vertue mix with it an English pynt of the infusion of the Liver of Antimony which I shall show you hereafter to make and which is Emetick Seing this Honey is most proper to be given as well in Glysters for the better pâ—â—ging of Horses as in many other preparations I shall therefore here show you iâ— Composition Take three pounds of Herb Mercury well pickt and cleansed wâ—â—â— four pounds of Honey mix and boyl them together now and then skimming theâ—â— until they come to the consistence of a Syrup The Composition of Merurial Honey this being put amongst Glysters wâ— cleanse and purge and people put commonly about eight ounces of it at a time iâ— Glyster or more if they judge it proper there are Books stuffed with the Vertues this Mercurial Honey you may read if you please Renould Bauderon La Franâ—â— siere c. You are to observe That when you intend to purge a horse exactly with Glyster you must put no kind of fat into them because Oyls and Greases adhere to the Vâ—ves or Partitions of the Intestines and so hinder the effect of the purgatives therefore upon the contrary people rather add Common Salt Salt Gem Polychrest or waâ—â— Urine all which prick and irritate the expulsive faculty whence it is that thâ— Countrey Farriers make commonly their Glysters of the Water in which Cod-fish Herring have been steeped which costs but little and because of its saltness causeth horse to empty well To make a Glyster somewhat purgative a man may infuse 〈◊〉 night in a proper decoction an ounce of Sene or otherwayes one or two Colâ—â—yâ—â— Apples cut very small and next morning giving it all a little Boyl shall afterwards strain it to make a Glyster A Glyster to appease a great beating in the Flanks You are to take of the ordinary herbs for decoctions and to put among the◠〈◊〉 or two ounces of Polychrest in powder and in two English quarts of this decoction mix eight ounces of Violet-honey and two three
luke-warm Water to drink and in the Evening the following Clyster A Clyster for Diseases of the Head or the Fiery-Evil Make a good Decoction according to the usual manner with Polycrest or mix an Ounce of Polycrest in Powder with five Pints of Beer put 'em into a brazen Pot with a cover and boil 'em half a quarter of an Hour with an Ounce of Coloquintida slic'd small Add to the strain'd Liquor half a Pound of Honey of Violets and give the whole Blood-warm by way of Clyster to the Horse in the Evening for two days together A Bag to give the Horse an Appetite If your Horse refuse to eat take Angelica and Assa-foetida both in Powder of each half an Ounce tye 'em to the Bit in a Linnen-Bag and let the Horse champ on it two hours after which let him Eat two Hours then put in the Bit again and continue after the same manner This will purge the Horse's Head and make him cast forth a great deal of slimy Matter after which he will feed more heartily The same Bag is very useful for all sick Horses or such as have lost their Appetite A Remedy to prevent Diseases of the Head I propose this Remedy for those Diseases of the Head which continu'd to infest some Horses in the Year 1672. and it will certainly succeed if you resist the Disease in the beginning but if the Distemper has made any progress it will not yield to this Remedy And therefore you must prepare the Medicine as soon as you have the least suspicion that your Horse is seiz'd with this Distemper for 't is better to make it in vain four times than once to neglect the opportunity of making it since it always produces some good effects As soon then as you perceive the least sign of this Disease For example if the Horse be dull heavy and refuse his Oats give him an Ounce of burnt Allom in Powder with an Ounce of Salt of Glass or Axungia vitri and two Ounces of Sugar-Candy in a Quart of White or which is better Spanish-Wine Then keep him Bridl'd two Hours after which unbridle him and you will certainly find him free of the Distemper And even tho' he be not troubl'd with that Disease this Remedy will do him good by consuming the Phlegm in his Stomach and giving him a good Appetite A Charge for Diseases of the Head Take about two Pounds of Blood out of the sick Horse's Neck-Vein receive the Blood into a convenient Vessel stirring it with your hand to hinder it from coagulating then set it on the Fire stirring it continually with a Wooden Slice and add to it three quarters of a Pound of Oil-Olive and two Glasses of Vinegar Boil 'em to the consistence of an Ointment with which luke-warm Charge his whole Head leaving only his Eyes open This Charge will dissolve the Matter that is gathered in the Passages and make it run besides it will strengthen and bind the Parts and hinder the Defluxion from falling upon ' em The frequent use of Clysters will also divert the Humours and make a Revulsion and you must give one at least every day Besides you must apply black Hellebore as you were taught before and make a second application two days after if the first do not cause a swelling CHAP. XXVI An excellent Remedy for the Disease in the Head call'd The Spanish-Evil HItherto there have been but few good Remedies prescrib'd for the Disease of the Head callâ—d I know not why the Spanish-Evil You may know it by the Horse's staggering or reeling as he goes which is caus'd by the motion of the Vapours in their ascent to the Brain which make him so giddy that he cannot walk straight forward Besides he has a strong aversion to his Meat his Mouth burns his Heart and Flanks beat violently and by viewing him attentively you may easily perceive that he suffers extreamly and can hardly escape without timely assistance Take one of those Beer-Glasses which are very large and yellow reduce it to Powder and strain it thro' a fine searce Or rather which is far more effectual take four Ounces of Salt of Glass which is white and may be found in Druggists-Shops beat it very small and afterwards beat a handful of Salt mix 'em with three Pints of cordial-Cordial-Water in a Pot and heat 'em till the Salt be dissolv'd that is as much of it as can be dissolv'd The common Salt will open the Body of the Salt of Glass and make the cordial-Cordial-Water penetrate it for Salts do not act unless they be dissolv'd Then strain out the Liquor and while it boils infuse in it two Ounces of good and fresh Thea for six or eight Hours during which time you must keep the Water luke-warm Strain again and throwing away the Thea as useless keep the Water that is impregnated with the Salt and with the Tincture of the Thea. Afterwards give the whole quantity of the Liquor to the Horse pouring it into his Throat with a Horn then cover him and keep him three Hours Bridl'd in the Stable If the first Dose do not cure him give him another four and twenty Hours after and every day inject a Clyster of two Quarts of Emetic Beer or instead of that take an Ounce of Sal Polycrest as much Coloquintida slic'd small two Drams of Anni-seeds beaten and two Quarts of Beer mix 'em and let 'em stand in Infusion six hours on hot Ashes then boil 'em a little strain and adding a quarter of a Pound of fresh Butter inject it luke-warm There is a great deal of Malignity in this Distemper for 't is accompani'd with a preternatural Heat which destroys that which is natural and oftentimes before a Man thinks of giving this Remedy some noble Part is seiz'd with so violent an Inflammation that the Fire cannot afterwards be extinguish'd till the whole part is consum'd which fatal event may be occasion'd by the neglect of one day Thus the Horse's Death must not be imputed to the insufficiency of the Remedy which is certainly very effectual but to the untimely application of it By virtue of the Fix'd Salts of which it is compos'd it puts a stop to the subtilty or if I may use that expression the great Volatility of the sharp and subtle Spirits which by reason of their lightness are carri'd to the Brain and by their malignant and poysonous sharpness change and vitiate its Substance And since a Fix'd Salt when 't is stronger and in greater quantity is able to fix a volatil Salt and unite the same to its own Substance the two Salts that compose this Remedy will fix those Saline Spirits that rise with the Vapours and occasion all the Disorders that are observ'd in Horses when they are seiz'd with this Distemper This is a very probable Hypothesis and I wou'd insist longer upon it if it cou'd be understood without some Knowledge in Chymistry Besides what I have said concerning the Effect of those
of Remedies you are at last oblig'd to give the Fire but since some Men will not be perswaded of the incredible effects of this Remedy and others cannot procure it when they have occasion to use it I shall communicate the description of an Ointment for Wounds that will advance the Cure more in one Day than other Ointments do in a considerable space of Time CHAP. CV The Hermit's Ointment for Wounds in Horses TAke the green Leaves of Long-Birthwort Paul's-Betony and Sage of each a handful and half Sanicle one handful Roots of Marsh-mallows and Comfrey dry'd in the Shade of each an Ounce slice the Roots very small and boil 'em in a Skillet with a Pint of Cream for the space of a quarter of an Hour after which add the Leaves chopt small and boil 'em so long till you can perceive nothing in the Skillet but a pure Butter produc'd by the boiling of the Cream then strain it out into a Pot and put into the same Skillet a quarter of a Pound of the Lard of a Hog fed with Acorns cut into Slices and mixt with the remaining Herbs and Roots boil all together about a quarter of an Hour and strain out the melted Lard upon the Butter in the next place boil two Ounces of Oil-Olive in the Skillet with the same Herbs and Roots for the space of a quarter of an Hour and strain it out into the Pot with the Butter and melted Lard after which squeeze out all the Juice and Fat of the Herbs and Roots in the same Pot and while they are still hot add an Ounce of melted Tar and an ounce and a half of Burnt-Allom in Powder incorporating the whole Mass and stirring it till it be cold When you have occasion to apply this Ointment melt a little of it in a Spoon and with a soft Pencil anoint the Wound very lightly covering it gently with Flax or Powder of old Ropes and renewing the Application once a Day The Wound will be quickly heal'd by this Method if Nature the principal Operator assist the efficacy of the Remedy by Sodering Gluing Nourishing Preserving and Restoring the Part to its proper Temperament and Condition Besides the Application of the Ointment you must consider diligently whether there be any unnatural or extraneous Substance in the Wound which must be taken out and if you perceive Excrescencies of spongy Flesh you must either give the Fire or consume 'em with White-Vitriol dissolv'd in Spirit of Wine which is of admirable use in this case and after the Scab is fall'n or rather the Swelling asswag'd apply the Ointment If you have occasion to cleanse any part in the Wound which you cannot see and dare not burn for fear of hurting the Sinews you may use the following Water which is an admirable Cleanser Lime-Water or the Yellow-Water Those who love to disguise Trifles with hard and lofty Names call this the Phagedenical-Water You may easily prepare it thus Take two or three Pounds of unslak'd Lime newly made put it into a large Bason of fine Tin and pour upon it by degrees five Quarts of rain-Rain-Water then set the Bason in a convenient place for two Days stirring the Water often after which suffer the Lime to fall to the bottom pour off the Water by inclination strain it thro' brown Paper and to three Pints of it add half a Pint of good Spirit of Wine an Ounce of Spirit of Vitriol and as much Corrosive Sublimate in fine Powder Mix and preserve it for use in a Glass-Vial If you perceive a great deal of Corruption in the Wound or any appearance of a Gangrene add to the whole quantity of the Water an Ounce of Arsenic diminishing the Dose proportionably according to the quantity of the Water I shall take this occasion to give a brief Account of the signs and cure of a Gangrene Of a Gangrene A Gangrene may be consider'd in two different respects for in its Progress 't is only a tendency to Mortification whereas it ends in a Sphaceâ—â—s or confirm'd Mortification The signs of it are a sudden loss of Sense and consequently an insensibility of Pain lividness and afterward blackness of the Part affected a noisome Smell resembling that of a dead Carcass and an extraordinary softness in the Part that was before hard and distended The Cure of a confirm'd Gangrene is impossible and ought not to be attempted but while 't is in the beginning and even in its progress the Case is not altogether desperate As soon as you perceive any part of a Wound to be seiz'd with a Gangrene you must immediately scarifie it to the quick with your Fleam wash it with Sea or Salt-Water and cover the whole Wound with Flax steep'd and soak'd in the strongest Lime-Water dressing it twice a Day after the same manner A Detergent and Cleansing Water for a Gangrene If the Lime-Water be too weak you may prepare another thus Take crude Allom one Pound German-Copperas grosly beaten half a Pound Verdigrease in fine Powder three Ounces boil all together in a Gallon of strong Vinegar to the consumption of one half then without straining the Liquor reserve it for use in a Glass-Vial The use of this Water is the same with that of Lime-Water shake the Bottle as often as you have occasion to apply the Liquor and if after the first Application you find that it is too weak add two Ounces of strong Aqua-Fortis to each Quart shaking 'em well together Another Cleansing-Water Take very strong White-Wine two Pints and a half Aqua-vitae half a Pint Spirit of Vitriol two Ounces mix them in a Glass-Bottle capable of containing two Quarts and an Hour after add two Ounces of Verdigrease in fine Powder White-Vitriol four Ounces and Green Copperas one Pound the two last grosly beaten stop the Bottle very close with a Cork and Hog's-Bladder then let it stand in Infusion on hot Embers twenty four Hours shaking it every six Hours after which preserve it for use shaking it every time and applying it according to the Directions prescrib'd for the use of Lime-Water It may be kept three Months without losing its Virtue The greatest simple Wound may be quickly cur'd by a prudent and diligent observation of the Method and Directions prescrib'd in this and the preceding Chapters When a Horse's back is Gaul'd during a Journey the best way is to take out a little of the stuffing of the Pannel over the Swelling then sow a piece of white and very soft Leather on the inside of the Pannel anoint it with Salt-Butter and every Evening wipe it clean rubbing it till it grow soft and anointing it again with Butter or for want of that with Grease Wash the Swelling or Hurt every Evening with cold Water and Soap and strew it with Salt till the Horse be Sadl'd in the Morning The Sea-rush that is usually wrapt about Glasses that are brought in Chests from Venice is of admirable efficacy for the cure of Saddle-Gauls during
that none of the Remedy may be lost then let the Horse stand two Hours bridl'd and renew the Dose once every two Days for the space of a Month till the Cure be perfected Or you may with less trouble give half an Ounce of the Powder every Morning in moisten'd Bran for fifteen or twenty Days Whatever Method you think fit to take for administring the Powder you must always remember to walk your Horse gently an Hour or two every Day and even you may make him perform his usual Service only you must neither ride him too hard nor make him sweat too much The Angelical Powder may be exhibited very safely and with good Success to Men for the curing of Intermitting Feavers The Dose is from two to six Grains in any convenient Vehicle or from two to four Ounces of its Infusion in Wine It cures the Plague being given in Substance when the Disease begins to appear before the Patient's Strength be wasted CHAP. CXIX The Yellow Pills for short-winded Horses THis is an excellent Remedy and infallibly performs the Cure if it be not absolutely impossible Take half an Ounce of Gum Tragacanth one Dram of Oriental Saffron in Powder infuse and macerate 'em in a Pint of colts-foot-Colts-Foot-Water till it turn to a Gelly Then take two Pounds of Glass of Antimony very transparent and of a Citron Colour beat it to a fine Powder and mix it in a Mortar by degrees with the Gelly or Mucilage of Gum Tragacanth beating and incorporating them with the Pestle till they be reduc'd to a Mass that will retain any Figure Make it up into Pills weighing nine Drams each and having dry'd 'em on the bottom of a Strainer turn'd upwards keep 'em in a Box. These Pills are incorruptible Make your Horse eat one of 'em every Day reduc'd to Powder and mixt with moistne'd Bran and in the mean time you may ride him and if he forsake his Meat forbear repeating the Pills till he begin to recover his Appetite If the heaving in his Flanks be encreas'd instead of being abated 't is a Sign that the Lungs are incurably ulcerated and therefore you must entirely lay aside the use of the Pills which in this Case wou'd only hasten his Death The same Dose may be also given in a Pint of White-Wine after the Horse has stood bridl'd two Hours You must also keep him bridl'd two Hours after and in the mean time may give him his usual Allowance of Food observing the above-mention'd Directions concerning the Heaving or Palpitation of the Flanks and the loss of Appetite If you perceive that he begins to relish his Meat again repeat the Dose for thirty Days together observing still that if the Palpitation of his Flanks be augmented the use of the Pills must be absolutely discontinu'd But if neither that Symptom be increas'd nor his Appetite quite lost you must continue the use of the Pills till the whole quantity that was prepar'd be consum'd for as I intimated before the most stubborn Pursiveness will yield to this Remedy if the Disease be not altogether incurable At first your Horse perhaps will grow lean and seem to be wasted but he will afterwards recover his Flesh and grow fatter than before This Remedy must never be administer'd to Horses that have weak and tender Stomachs for even the greatest Feeders are wont sometimes to forsake their Meat on this Occasion and will neither taste Bran nor Oats in which Case you must forbear giving 'em any more Pills till their Appetite be restor'd but many Horses undergo the whole Course without losing one Stroak of their Teeth When the Lungs are ulcerated or putrefi'd these Pills will certainly kill your Horse if you continue the use of 'em after he has lost his Appetite but when the Disease is incurable as 't is in this case the best way is to dispatch him speedily The Glass of Antimony may be also prepar'd and exhibited after this manner Mix half a Pound of it with two Pounds of the Dough of a Loaf kneading 'em together till the Powder be throughly incorporated with the Dough then bake the Loaf and two Days after give the Horse an eighth part of it repeating the same Dose every Morning till he has eaten two Pounds if he do not lose his Appetite and if the heaving in his Flanks be not augmented This Remedy removes obstructions and opens the Passages very effectually cooling the Lungs that were heated for want of Air and the Natural Temperament of that Part being restor'd the Horse will recover his Health and Breath without any Difficulty The Charge of the two Pounds of Pills will not amount to above Seven Livres allowing a moderate Gain to him who prepares 'em for Glass of Antimony is sold very cheap at Paris Tincture of Sulphur for Short-winded Horses Since Sulphur is the Balsam of the Lungs the Tincture containing its pure Substance or Essential Salt must certainly be a very effectual Remedy in this Case for this Distemper being accompany'd with a Redundancy of putrefi'd tough and viscous Humours requires a powerful cutting Medicine and 't is certain that the Operation of Minerals is more effectual than what can be expected from Vegetables The Remedy is thus prepar'd Take Powder of Brimstone and unslak'd Lime of each one Pound put 'em into a glaz'd Earthen-Pot capable of containing fifteen Quarts placing it in a Furnace full of live Coals and stirring uninterruptedly till the Matter break forth in a bluish Flame which proceeds from the Sulphur then pour in about twelve Quarts of boiling Water stirring the Matter perpetually to prevent its growing hard After six or seven Waums the boiling Water will be ting'd with the Colour of the Brimstone and after it has boil'd half a quarter of an Hour it will be impregnated with the Tincture and must be pour'd off from the Matter Take four Pints and a half of this Tincture and boil it for the space of half a quarter of an Hour in a large Pot with three handfuls of the Leaves of Colts-Foot chopt small three Roots of Ellecampane stampt in a Mortar and three Stalks of Liquorice beaten then infuse them in hot Ashes all Night and in the Morning set it over the Fire till it grow hot after which strain out the Liquor and make your Horse drink it up keeping him bridl'd two Hours before and as long after and walking him gently for the space of half an Hour Repeat the Dose five Days together after which let him rest two Days then give him his Potion five Days as before and after two Days of Intermission finish the Course by exhibiting the Remedy five Days longer at the end of which the Horse will recover his Health if the Disease be not absolutely incurable If during the use of this Remedy your Horse forsake his Meat you must suffer him to rest till he recover his Appetite and then proceed as before The Tincture may be exhibited alone with very good Success
Horses For 't is impossible to perceive the least sign of Nature's Victory in 'em But you may confidently and safely proceed to the use of Purgatives as soon as you see the Tempest succeeded by a Calm In the mean time 't will be convenient to administer cooling Remedies for some Days such as Sal-Polychrest in Wine to extinguish the latent Fire that lies bury'd in the Embers after the Flame is seemingly quench'd and to recruit the Horse's strength by a good and wholsome but spare Diet for 't is a dangerous Error to imagine that the abundance or large quantity of Nourishment repairs the decay'd Vigour of the Horse's Body For if the Stomach be over-loaded with Food it cannot duly perform the work of Digestion without which the Aliments are not only useless but very hurtful After you have spent some time in endeavouring to strengthen and cherish Nature you may give such a Purging Remedy as you have reason to believe is least apt to disturb her There is a great variety of those Medicines but we shou'd be taught by Experience to reject those that are usually observ'd to occasion Disorders in the Body and to make use of such as are most likely to answer your Design and Expectation 'T is in my Opinion a very hard Task to discover the peculiar Nature and Properties of the offending Humour and to choose Specific Remedies for the evacuation of Choler Flegm or any other particular Humour Sal-Polychrest purges gently and almost insensibly And I have successfully us'd the following Remedy which I recommend as one of the best and most effectual Medicines that can be propos'd in this case A Purging Remedy for a Horse after his Recovery from a Fever and generally in all other Cases Take Powder of white Tartar and fine Nitre of each two Ounces put 'em in an Earthen Dish and kindle 'em with a live Coal After the Matter is sufficiently burnt and cold beat it to a fine Powder put it into a Quart of Water with a like quantity of White-Wine and four Ounces of Sena and let 'em stand all Night in a cold Infusion Take of fine Powder of Scammony half an Ounce for an ordinary Horse or five Drams for one of a very large size incorporate it in a Mortar with half a Pound of Honey prepar'd with the Herb Mercury Then pour on your strain'd Infusion stiring it gently with the Honey and Scammony with the Pestle and give the whole quantity to your Horse keeping him Bridl'd four Hours before and three Hours after Give him moisten'd Bran instead of Oats and twenty four Hours after walk him gently for the space of an Hour to facilitate the Operation of the Medicine 'T is a peculiar Excellency of this Remedy that it Purges effectually without heating the Body For tho' Infusions are generally free from the excessive heat of Medicines even in Substance they rarely procure a plentiful Evacuation But this Remedy operates powerfully tho' the Sena be not given in Powder for the Scammony and Honey of Mercury produce the desir'd effect because the Salt of Tartar opens the Body of the Sena and enables the Decoction to extract its essential Salt in which its Purgative quality is lodg'd This Medicine may be safely administer'd to Horses of a hot and fiery Constitution when they are extreamly fatigu'd with violent Exercise and on all other occasions when they stand in need of Purgation without any danger of heating and inflaming their Bodies CHAP. CXXXVIII An excellent Catholicum for Clysters TAke of the Roots of Flower de Luce of Florence half a Pound Sena fine Aloes and Hermodactyls of each four Ounces black and white Hellebor of each two Ounces Indian Pine-Nuts an Ounce Beat all the Ingredients to a gross Powder and put 'em into a large Pot with three Quarts of Water an Ounce of Spirit of Vitriol and four Ounces of Sal-Prunellae in Powder let 'em stand in a cold Infusion three Days and as many Nights stirring 'em from time to time then strain out the Liquor thro' a very thick Canvas-Bag and evaporate it with a gentle Heat over a clear Fire till there be about a Quart remaining to which add a Pound and half of good common Honey and boil it to the thickness of a Syrup then put in Jalap and Turbith of each four Ounces Coloquintida and Gum-Gotte of each two Ounces Scammony one Ounce green Anniseed and Fennel-seed of each two Ounces all beaten to a fine Powder and well sears'd Boil to the thickness of an Electuary stirring perpetually The Dose is from three Ounces to three Ounces and a half dissolv'd in any of the usual Decoctions for a Clyster without Honey Oil or any other addition It operates very effectually and is an universal Purger of all bad and corrupt Humours I must acknowledge that I cou'd never yet administer a Purging Remedy without dreading the event even after a hundred successful Tryals For certainly the Motion occasion'd by those Remedies is contrary and even oftentimes destructive to Nature and there are so many Aspects and Oppositions of the Stars that may occasion great Disorders after the use of those Remedies that I never give 'em without an absolute necessity And it has been frequently observ'd that for want of a regular Preparation of the Horse's Body or perhaps of a due observation of the Heavens several Horses have been Founder'd and even kill'd by Remedies that have been given with success a hundred times before But since according to the usual Proverb Necessity knows no Law we are sometimes oblig'd to break thro' all those Considerations choosing the least dangerous Medicines and observing all possible Precautions Nevertheless Clysters are safe and gentle Remedies for the most powerful Purgatives perform their Operation without the least disturbance when they are injected at the Fundament And this is a true Catholicum that is an universal Remedy fit or rather necessary for all those that go to the Army where many Horses perish for want of a duly prepar'd Clyster CHAP. CXXXIX Of the Farcin THE Farcin is a Swelling that frequently appears with an Ulcer caus'd by the corruption of the Blood and that by a certain Poyson which is more or less Malignant and consequently makes the Horse's condition either hopeful or altogether desperate When any Part that is necessary or of considerable use and importance for the regular performance of the Vital Functions fails in the discharge of its Office by reason of some defect in its Temperament Figure or Contexture the economy or disposition of the Body must unavoidably suffer a great and dangerous alteration If the Part be necessary for Sanguification the mixture of the Blood is disturb'd and perverted and according to the vitiated constitution of the Part affected it receives a noxious Impression and oftentimes acquires an acid hot and corrosive quality that eats and consumes the Parts where it stagnates as it appears evidently in the Farcin which spreads almost over the whole
you think fit but whether you purge or not you must begin with Bleeding Then Take Sarsaparilla and China-Roots cut small of each three Ounces Roots of Avens two Ounces Leaves of Agrimony two large handfuls Scordium a handful and a half boil 'em gently in four Quarts of Water to a Quart and a half in a cover'd Vessel then strain and adding a Pint of White-Wine make a Decoction for five Doses to be given five Mornings together adding to every Dose an ordinary Glass-full of Urine Substance in the Top and in the Neck of the Vial. Thus you have a sweet Sublimate which if it be rightly prepar'd will not discover the least Acrimony when you touch it with your Tongue for all the sharp and biting Salts that made the first Sublimate corrosive are evaporated thro' the Neck of the Vial which must be always kept open during the Sublimation and even part of the first Corrosive Sublimate is carry'd off with the Salts so that there remains only the sweet Sublimate or Mercury which may be kept for several Uses 'T is to be observ'd that all the Preparations of Mercury may be reviv'd and restor'd to their natural Form and Fluidity with Filings of Steel or unslak'd Lime which by the Assistance of the Fire attract and retain all the Spirits that kept the Mercury in a manner imprison'd in so many various Forms according to the Diversity of the Preparations for several Uses Thus Cinnabar which is only Mercury sublim'd with Sulphur may be reduc'd to fluid Quick-silver with Filings of Steel and the same may be said of all the other Preparations of Mercury such as the Precipitates Turbith Mineral c. CHAP. CXLIV Remedies for the Farcin that resembles a Hen's Fundament THE Humour that foments this Kind of Farcin partakes so much of Melancholy that the Knots are seldom or never brought to Suppuration sending forth a sort of foul and proud Flesh that can hardly be curb'd or extirpated by Remedies The Difficulty of the Cure ought to heighten our Diligence and convince us of the Necessity of using the most potent Remedies to expel the Cause of the Distemper such as these that follow Since black Hellebore is one of the principal and most effectual Remedies for the Cure of this Disease great Care shou'd be taken to correct its ill Qualities by an exact Preparation Take a sufficient quantity of the Roots of true black Hellebore wash'd and dry'd infuse 'em twenty four Hours in Vinegar of Roses and throwing away the Vinegar dry the Roots at a very gentle Fire Pills for the Farcin Take Sena Leaves and Salt of Tartar of each an Ounce Turbith Aloes and Mercurius dulcis of each half an Ounce black Hellebore prepar'd three Drams Rhubarb two Drams Ginger and Nutmegs of each a Dram and a half Anniseed and Fennelseed of each half a Dram Beat all the Ingredients to a gross Powder and with a Pound of fresh Butter make 'em up into Pills keep your Horse bridl'd six Hours before and as long after and assoon as he has taken the Pills walk him gently for the space of half an Hour well cover'd Note That you must bleed your Horse the day before you give him the Pills You may purge a Horse for the Farcin with two Ounces of the Catholic or Imperial Pills of Fernelius mix'd with half an Ounce of Mercurius dulcis made up into one or two Pills and exhibited in a Pint of White-Wine As soon as you perceive that your Horse has recover'd a good Appetite and that the Operation of the Purgative is over give him the following Ptisan CHAP. CXLV The German Ptisan for the Cure of the Farcin TAke the dry Roots of Angelica Gentian Valerian Avens round Birthwort and Marsh-Mallows of each an Ounce and a half or a double quantity of the green Roots Leaves of Agrimony two Handfuls Beat the Roots grossly boil all the Ingredients in a close-cover'd Pot in three Quarts of Water to the Consumption of one half Then press out the Liquor thro' a Linnen-Cloth and add to the Straining before it grow cold half an Ounce of Juice of Liquorice and White Wine an equal quantity to the whole Decoction and afterwards add two Pugils of Oriental Saffron in Powder Three Days after the Purgation when the Evacuation is over and the Horse's Appetite restor'd let him stand bridl'd from Five a Clock in the Morning to Eight then give him the fifth Part of the Decoction keeping him bridl'd three Hours after Repeat the Decoction after the same Manner for five Days together If his Appetite be not fully restor'd in the limited time after the Purgation you must wait four five or six Days till you are convinc'd that he feeds as heartily as he did before you gave him the purging Medicine During the time of his taking the Decoction if the Weather be not too hot walk him gently half an Hour every Day after Dinner These five Doses of the Decoction are usually sufficient for perfecting the Cure without any other Remedy and the Cords Knots and Tumours are heal'd and dry'd up Moderate Exercise is convenient in the beginning but afterwards you may travel him as if he were perfectly sound If you perceive new Knots to arise at the first New Moon you may conclude that the Disease is not perfectly extirpated and therefore you must prepare and exhibit the Ptisan as before but without Bleeding or Purging If the Tumours break forth again the Case is altogether desperate for it has been frequently observ'd that when the Farcin is inveterate and has long resisted the Efficacy of the best Remedies especially when corrupt Flesh breaks out of the Tumours instead of Matter that the Malignity of the burnt and corrupted Blood has so heated the Substance of the Lungs that there are Ulcers generated in several parts of 'em And therefore since 't is impossible to restore a consum'd Part those Ulcers that waste the Lungs are the infallible Messengers of Death The Truth of this Observation is confirm'd beyond Contradiction by the Diffections of those Horses that die of the Farcin for their Lungs are almost always found to be corrupted and putrefy'd and sometimes the Liver is over-spread with Ulcers and part of it wasted and turn'd to Putrefaction Now I wou'd willingly know of those confident Pretenders to infallible Secrets for the Farcin whether their Remedies are able to restore a rotten and wasted Liver If not 't is in vain to expect the Horse's Recovery for the putrefy'd Liver will still continue to vitiate the Blood and hinder the Cure of the Farcin which is occasion'd by the Corruption of the Blood How ridiculously do those Boasters betray their Ignorance for want of Experience Since all that the most skilful and expert Farrier can promise in this Case is That he will cure the Farcin if it be curable for sometimes the Liver is ulcerated at the first Appearance of the Distemper and is the very Cause of the Disease in
which Case 't is certainly incurable And I have already intimated that an inveterate Farcin may infect and waste the Substance of the Lungs And how a Remedy apply'd to the Fore-head put into the Ear hung at the Tail or Mane or Ointments spread on the Knots can heal an Ulcer in the Lungs I confess is very much above my Capacity to comprehend Only thus much I know and dare confidently maintain That so long as those Ulcers remain the Farcin that is caus'd and fomented by 'em must necessarily subsist From what has been said I may reasonably conclude That those Infallible Gentlemen are very little acquainted with the Nature of the Disease they pretend to cure and perhaps never made an Experiment of the Virtue of their Remedies The Farcin seems to have a very near Resemblance to the French Pox Leprosie and King's Evil. CHAP. CXLVI Of an inveterate Farcin YOU will sometimes meet with Farcins of so long a standing and so deeply rooted that the Cure is extremely difficult and even sometimes impracticable if the Substance of the Liver or Lungs be wasted and corrupted But since 't is impossible to divine whether those Parts be infected 't wou'd be a very unreasonable Inference from what I have said on this Subject to pretend that when a Horse is troubl'd with an inveterate Farcin he must be suffer'd to perish without Assistance And besides these Parts are oftentimes only heated dryed or so slightly ulcerated that they may be easily heal'd and restor'd to their wonted Temperament by the Use of convenient Remedies But I shall never advise any Man whatever Tryal he may have made of his Remedy to promise the Cure of an inveterate Farcin when the Knots send forth great Pieces of Flesh like large Mushrooms especially after an unsuccessful Application of other Remedies For such Attempts are oftentimes attended with Shame instead of Honour and Success especially when the Farcin is accompany'd with a Running at the Nose or seizes on the Kernels as it happens frequently in inveterate Farcins which degenerate into the Glanders according to the Vulgar Saying That the Farcin is Cousin-German to the Glanders Before you proceed to the Application of Remedies you may try this easie Experiment Spread about two Ounces of Assa-foetida on a Stick and wrapping a Cloth about it put it into the Horse's Mouth and make him champ upon it twenty four Hours together without suffering him to eat or drink all the while This will draw forth a prodigious Quantity of filthy Humours and if the Lungs be not consum'd or the Liver ulcerated perhaps the Horse will recover You must not be afraid of the seeming Violence of the Remedy for a Horse may fast twenty four Hours without any Danger Neither do I blame the Custom of those who put a second Stick with fresh Assa-foetida into the Horse's Mouth after twelve Hours The Decoctions of Guaiacum Sassafras Sarsaparilla and China Roots are very proper on this Occasion and may be given every Morning for seven or eight Days before Purgation For Example If the Horse's Body be full of raw tough and viscous Humours to which Inconveniency fleshy Horses are very subject the Decoction of Guaiacum will cut attenuate and prepare the Humours to be expell'd by Nature or evacuated by a Purging Remedy If the Horse be Lean and Dry full of Hot and Choleric or Melancholic Humours the Decoction of China will prepare 'em without augmenting their Heat for it may be conveniently given in a Consumption and ill Habit of Body The Decoction of Sarsaparilla is of a middle Nature between the other two The Decoction of Guaiacum is proper for those thick and bulky Dutch Horses that are over-loaded with Flesh and full of Moisture and running or watery Sores The Decoction of Guaiacum Infuse ten Ounces of the Shavings of Guaiacum Wood or for want of that of Box Wood in nine Pints of Water and after they have stood twelve Hours in Infusion on hot Ashes Boil 'em with a gentle Heat in a cover'd Vessel to the Consumption of the third Part of the Water Then strain out the Liquor and give your Horse a Quart every Day for eight Days together keeping him bridl'd three Hours before and three Hours after every Dose You may Purge him afterwards with one of the above-mention'd Remedies The Decoction of China Take four Ounces of the Roots of China cut very small put 'em into a large Glass-Bottle well stopp'd with nine Pints of Water and after they have stood fifteen Hours in Infusion boil 'em over a gentle Fire to the Consumption of one half taking care to prevent the Evaporation of the thinner Parts of the Medicine Then strain out the Liquor and give your Horse a third part of it every Morning keeping him Bridl'd two Hours before and as long after This Decoction must be drunk luke-warm and prepar'd every three Days because 't is apt to turn sowre After eight Doses 't will be convenient to exhibit a Purging Remedy The Decoction of Sarsaparilla This Decoction is prepar'd like that of China only the quantity must be larger because 't is adapted for the Preparation of thicker Humours For Example instead of four Ounces of China you must take six of Sarsaparilla Continue the use of this Decoction six or eight Days to prepare the Humours that cause and foment the Farcin and to purifie the Blood After such a Preparation the Purging Remedy operates more effectually and procures a more plentiful Evacuation whereas the Purgatives that are given without any Preparation or consist of ill chosen Ingredients increase the Distemper instead of abating it and even augment its Malignity After Purgation repeat the Decoctions to dry the habit of the Body and to drain the source of those Malignant Humours that foment the Disease This Method is also very proper for Coach-Horses that are troubl'd with the Pains or filthy Sores in their Legs for otherwise 't is hardly possible to stop the course of the Humours and dry up the source of those noisome Ulcers since they usually break forth again three Months after they are dry'd up and at last are succeeded by hard Swellings like Warts which render the Disease incurable To prevent those dangerous Relapses while your Horse is Young after you have observ'd twice or thrice his Legs to be over-run with Sores you must take two Pound of Blood from him then give him the Decoctions of Guaiacum or for want of that of Box-Wood and afterwards purge him and dry up those watry Humours If the Sores break forth again make him drink the Decoction ten Days then purge him and after the Evacuation is ceas'd and his Appetite perfectly restor'd give him the Decoction for ten Days longer which in all probability will put a final stop to the course of the Humours Instead of the Decoctions of Guaiacum China and Sarsaparilla you may exhibit two Ounces of the Powder of either of the three in a Quart of White-Wine and observe the
or four ounces of the Catholicoâ—â—â— horses Glysters described in the 76 Chap Sect. 5. of the second part and let it be given luke-warm to your horse Take an English Quart and an half An astringent orbinding Glyster of that Water wherein Smiths quench their hot Iron boyl in it two handfuls of Plantaine Knot Grass or Centinodia and white Mullain strain this decoction and mix amongst it an English quart and an half of Milk in which you shall have quenched small red hot White pebble stones for six or seven times then add to it fine Bole and Starch of each two ounces with half a dozen Yolks of Eggs you may also if you will make use of the seeds of Garden Sâ—â—â—â— White Poppy the Oyl of Roses the Oyl of Quinces and many others where with you may make a Glyster either stronger or weaker according to your intention Ane Anodyne Glyster An Anodyne Glyster is that which asswageth pain by the agreeable temper it 〈◊〉 with the nature of the parts To compose which Take three English pints of Milk and a quart of Water mix amongst it a poâ—â— of Linseed meal with the soft of a penny Loaf which must be well dissolved in it then take of the Flowrs of Camomil and Melilot and causing all boyl together 〈◊〉 or six Walmes pass it through a double linnen Cloath squeezing it very strongly afâ—â—â— which dissolve in it half a dozen Yolks of Eggs four ounces of the Oyl of Roses a Violets and half a pownd of Butter or if you have the marrow of a Hart or Deer thâ— fat of a Fox Goose or Hen they will be better than the Butter and therefore you 〈◊〉 make use of any of them in its place A man may also make an Anodyne Glyster of the broath of Tripes only adding to 〈◊〉 the herbs and dissolving therein the Anodyus before mentioned People call that Diuretick A Diuretick Glyster The five opening Roots which expells the watery humors and serosities contained in the body by Urine you shall then cause boyl the five aperient or opening 〈◊〉 Viz Smallage Fennel Asparagus Parsly and Radishes with Barley and the â—â—ent herbs and having strained the Decoction dissolve amongst it two ounces of â—â— prunella otherwayes called Chrystal Mineral or which is more proper an ounce as a half of Polychrest in powder with half a pound of common Turpentine in which yâ—â— are to dissolve three Yolks of Eggs then mixing with all some propper Electuaâ— such as the Catholicum for horses and Diaprunum solutivum or Electuary of pruns pâ—â—ing about three or four ounces together with an English pint of Emetick Wine whiâ—â— Clyster being given to your horse will cause him piss more then all the Galeâ— Diureticks A man may compose many other kinds of Glysters by the knowledge I have give him of the Simples and of the manner they are to be made use of for example whâ— you would purge Bile then you are to put in the Glysters those Electuaries whâ— purge it and so of the rest which purge the other humors as well Simples as Electuaries which are all ranked in their proper Classes You will find in the 22 Chap. Sect. 5. of the 2d part a Carminative and Purgagative Oyl to be put in Glysters which is excellent as also in the 76 Chap. Sect 5. of the said part a Catholicum for the same purpose and which is particularly composed for horses CHAP. LXVI After what manner a Glyster is to be administred to a horse THe Common Farriers CHAP LXVI How to give a Horse a Glyster don't give to horses above an English quart or three pints of Decoction for a Glyster neither have they generally a great effect for besides that the liquor is given in too small a quantity they also spare the Drugs and commonly mix nothing with the Decoctions but salted water honey and Oyl however it is not but if People would pay them as they desire they would perhaps make them good My opinion is that there is required for a Glyster at least two or three English quarts of Decoction because being in a less quantity then that it but moistens and washes little for as a horse drinks ten times more then a man and that People give also twenty times more then the doze for a man to purge him it follows that the same proportion should be observed for his Glysters A Glyster being prepared after this manner should not be given till the horses great Gut be cleared of its dung which by Farriers is called Raiking and is performed by first anointing your hand well with a little Oyl or Butter and then thrusting it up into his Fundament taking care not to scratch the Gut with your Nailes and with it drawing forth all the dung you can conveniently bring away or otherwayes thrust up into it about the bigness of a large Hens Egg of Castile Soap anoynted with Oyl to make it enter with the more ease half an hour after which the horse will empty so that using this you need not thrust up your hand to Raik him because the Soap will do it sufficiently of it self having thus Raik't or caused your horses to empty you are next to place him with his fore-parts a little lower than his Croupe and thrusting in to his Fundament a horn made for that purpose open at the small end pour into it by degrees the Glyster which must be but Milk-warm and if it should stop in the born without passing down you are to make the horse move his Tongue and then strike him gently with the palm of your hand upon the Reins which will make it enter after which you are to put your horse in the stable again tyed up to the Rack without moving him afterwards contrary to the common practice for the Farriers ordinarly cause walk a horse while the Glyster is yet in his Guts It is also fit that your horse by tyed up to the Rack two hours before he take his Glyster and that he also eat none untill he hath rendered it or about an hour after he hath taken it People should also endeavour as much as possible to give horses their Glyster with a Seringe as they do men but then it must be made so large as to contain the whole Glyster and the hollow of its pipe which enters his Fundament should be so big as that a man may put his finger into it this method is better than that with a horn for it is both quicklier done and the horse receives it better without so much as needing to be taken out of the stable and therefore as he is less moved after receiving it so he will have the less cause to render it too soon this method is at present much in fashion and with a great deal of reason seeing it is the only one that is good 〈◊〉 may see the form of such a Seringe in the upper part of the 6 Plate Those who cause walk
application of 'em and in the composition of every Medicine you must have a special regard to the restoring of their Appetite that the Remedy may not only be proper for the Cure of the Disease but agreeable to the Stomach The application of these Rules to particular cases would require an account of all the Diseases to which Horses are subject and therefore I shall at present content my self with laying down this general Observation that when a Horse abstains obstinately from all manner of Food you must use all means that are not contrary to his Distemper to make him eat lest you be forc'd at last to have recourse to violent Methods such as the usual way of pouring in his necessary Sustenance with a Horn which cannot be done without drawing up his Head with a Halter and putting him into a very uneasie posture which hinders him from breathing freely and increases the Fever when he has any I confess you may make him swallow a Draught without using the Halter but even that cannot be done without exposing him in some measure to the same Inconveniencies I cannot approve the Method of those who if a Horse abstain from eating for the space of twelve or fifteen hours and even tho' he be seiz'd with a Fever immediately give him a Quart or two of Milk with Yolks of Eggs which they imagine is sufficient to prevent all the ill effects of his preceding Abstinence But besides that a Horse may be suffer'd to fast two days without any danger this sort of Nourishment is not at all agreeable to his Stomach and even is apt to make him Sick tho' he was not so before 'T is true Milk yields good Nourishment and is easily digested but 't is subject to the common Inconveniency of the best Aliments that it quickly corrupts in a disorder'd Stomach where it curdles and occasions violent Pains and if it be not cast forth at the Mouth which a Horse cannot do since he never Vomits it hardens and produces dangerous Obstructions So that Hippocrates had reason to forbid the use of it in Diseases of the Head Fevers and some other cases tho' he recommends it on certain occasions Lac dare capite dolentibus malum malum etiam febricitantibus If that famous Author thought it inconvenient for Men who are accustom'd to it and can discharge it by Vomiting how prejudicial must it be to Horses who never taste a drop of it after they leave off Sucking and besides cannot Vomit I have made some Trials of it but always without the least Success especially when the Horses were Feverish In Stomacho aegrotantium Animalium acessit lac sed non imprimitur vitali Caraciere propterca aciditas fit putrefactiva quae non nutrit sed malum auget Those who will not be disswaded by these Reasons fromfeeding their Sick Horses with Milk may blame their own Indiscretion for the ill success of the Cure For let a Person who is in Health drink a Glass of Milk fasting and immediately Vomit it up again as some can do without the least difficulty he will find that t is already become sowre and even half coagulated or turn'd to Choose by reason of the Acid or Sharp Juice in the Stomach of all sorts of Animals For 't is a vulgar Observation that Acids have a power to curdle or coagulate Milk which therefore cannot be agreeable to the Stomach of a Sick Horse where it presently turns to Corruption and instead of nourishing him encreases his Disease 'T is true this Experiment cannot be made upon a Horse who never Vomits but it may serve for a convincing Argument that Milk is rather hurtful than profitable to a Diseas'd Horse Some give their Horses strong Flesh-Broths or Jellies which I have found by experience to be very prejudicial to 'em for it would be more proper to give em Extracts of Hay and Oats which are their usual Food The dangerousness of this Method will appear more evidently if we confider that Horses have so strong an avernon to Flesh and Fat that such Broths are apter to destroy than to restore their Appetites And all the World knows that if the Teeth of a Horse who is in perfect Health be rubb'd with Fat or Suet he will forsake his Meat much more when he is actually Sick I am not ignorant that the Fat may be taken away from Broath but still 't is plain that any sort of Broth is nauseous to a Horse and disagreeable to his Stomach and therefore ought never to be given since there are other Aliments which are more natural and in all respects more convenient I commend a very thin Broath made of Bread especially the Crum boil'd with Water and a little Salt for 't is certainly very proper Nourishment for a Horse that will neither eat Hay Oats nor Bran. I have seen some Horses drink this Liquor like Water which nourish'd 'em for a considerable time and if they should happen to loath it you may force it down their Throats with a Horn for a very little quantity will serve to sustain ' em You may also feed the Sick Horse with a Broth or Liquor which is both cheap and easily prepared and besides is of the same nature with his usual Nourishment 'T is made of Oats or cleans'd Barley well boil'd in pure Water without Butter Fat or any other mixture you must strain the Liquor from the Grains and give it him luke-warm It differs from his ordinary Food only by the boiling of the Oats or Barley which cannot make it prejudicial to a Stomach that is weaken'd by the continuance of a Disease This Method seems to be founded on Reason and agreeable to the dictates of good sence And experience will discover its usefulness Take a pound of Barley-flower well fears'd and purifi'd from the Bran boil it in about two pints of Water to a sufficient thickness then take it from the Fire and add a quarter of a pound of Sugar The quantity of Broth here prescrib'd is sufficient to sustain a Horse four and twenty Hours and must be given with a Horn. It moistens the Body when dry'd by a Feverish heat or any other cause but if the Fever be very gentle and the want of Appetite proceed from some other Cause you may add to the Broth an Ounce of the Cordial-Powder hereafter describ'd which will contribute powerfully to the recovery of his Appetite Or you may mix with the Broth an Ounce of Ever of Antimony in Powder which will make him Hungry and allay the preternatural heat of his Entrails When a Horse is troubl'd with a Fever Palpitation or unusual beating of the Heart or any other hot or violent Diseases which seldom continue long you must be careful in proportioning the quantity of his Food and neither give nor suffer him to eat too much Excessive Eating has to my certain knowledge prov'd fatal to several Horses who might have escap'd if they had been kept to a convenient that
losing a part of their Virtue 't is better to mix 'em with Balls that they may be preserv'd in their intire Force Beat all the Ingredients separately reducing 'em to a gross Powder then strain 'em thro' a Hair-Sieve mix the whole Powder exactly and weigh it for you must not weigh the Drugs before they are beat and searc'd a-part The Powder may be preserv'd a long time without any diminution of its Virtue if it be press'd hard in a leathern Bag which must be kept close ty'd This is so universal a Remedy that every Man who keeps a Horse shou'd always have some of it by him especially on a Journey or in the Army where there is not Conveniency to make it for by the Use of this Medicine Horses have been frequently preserv'd from several very considerable Infirmities The Virtue of this Powder decays if it be kept too long and therefore the best way is to prepare a small Quantity of it that you may always have some of it fresh I have lately found out a way which has prov'd very successful to keep it Thirty Years in its full Strength and besides to render it portable and more effectual which are certainly very great Advantages I reduce it to Balls which are so hard that the Air cannot penetrate nor spoil 'em and a Man may carry 'em in his Pocket Portmantle or any other way that shall be most convenient It will plainly appear by the following Account of my Method that the Cordial Powder is very much improv'd by it CHAP. XVII Of the Cordial Balls or Treacle Pills TAke a Bushel of ripe and black Juniper-Berries gather'd in the End of August or the Beginning of September beat 'em and put 'em into a Kettle with eight or nine Quarts of Water Set it on the Fire to boil stirring it sometimes till it grow thick then press it out and reserve the Liquor Strain the remaining Substance thro' a Searse as they use to strain Cassia throw away the Husks and Berries and mix the strain'd Pulp with the above-mention'd Liquor Boil it again over a clear Fire stirring it from time to time till it be reduc'd to the Thickness of Broth then take it from the Fire and when 't is half cold mix it in a Mortar with the full Quantity of the Powder prescrib'd in the preceding Chapter adding a Pound of the Grains of Kermes in Powder Make up the whole Mass into Balls weighing twelve Drams each which must be dry'd on the Strainer with its Bottom turn'd upwards These Balls grow little and very hard but they must be made in Summer for they are not easily dry'd in the Winter and besides they grow mouldy if they be not kept in a Stove or Skellet After they are dry they lose not their Virtue and the Addition of the Mucilage of Juniper-Berries which serves for a Cement to unite the parts of the Powder does also very much augment its Efficacy for those Berries alone are endow'd with admirable Virtues They are good for the Stomach and Breast provoke Urine and may be justly call'd the Treacle of the Germans But the Powder may be made up into Balls without any Mucilaginous or glewy Substance after the following Manner Put the Powder into a large Mortar and mix it with a little Cordial Water of Scorzonera or such like and after you have beaten and mix'd 'em with the Pestle pour in more Water and continue to beat mix and add new Water by turns till the whole Mass be of a sufficient Consistency to be made up into Balls Those Balls may be dry'd sooner and more easily than the others but since the Mucilage of the Juniper-Berries does very much increase the Virtue of the Balls instead of that you must add half a Pound of the Berries which you may beat with the rest of the Composition when you mix it with the Water and beat it up to a Mass and it will be still more effectual as I hinted before if a Pound of Grains of Kermes be added to it When you have occasion to use the Balls you must beat 'em to a gross Powder which you may either infuse a whole Night or mix with Wine immediately before you exhibit it for if you should give the Balls whole the Horse wouâ—d perhaps void 'em as intire as he took ' em The Dose is two Balls They have the same Virtues with the Cordial Powder I have us'd 'em with very good Success and find 'em very convenient both with respect to Carriage and to the Quantity of the Dose which is always ready weigh'd I give 'em the Name of Treacle-Pills or Balls because they have all the Virtues of Treacle and are even in some respects better since there is not the least Mixture of Honey and they are compos'd of Ingredients that strengthen Nature without inflaming it They resist Corruption and destroy that superfluous Acid which is the Root of all Diseases when there is too great Abundance of it in the Body for it causes a Fermentation that cannot be allay'd or stopp'd but by the Alcali contain'd in these Ingredients And Experience will convince you that this Remedy restores Health without heating the Body too much The shivering Fits that are occasion'd by the drinking of extremely cold Water may be quickly stopt by giving one of these Balls beaten to Powder in a Pint of good Wine and the sooner if you mix 'em with Spanish Wine When a Horse forsakes his Meat on a Journey give him two of these Balls in a a Quart of Wine and after you have kept him two hours bridlâ—d he will eat assoon as you unbridle him This Remedy is not inferiour to the Lieutenant's Powder and you may also give a Dose of it by way of Prevention to preserve Horses from Diseases There are several Persons who wou'd value themselves very highly upon the Invention of such a Secret and would be very loth to communicate it to the Public The Dose of the Cordial Powder is two Ounces but since there is no Danger in exceeding the Quantity if you have not Scales by you you may give three silver Spoonfuls to large Horses and two to small ones Infuse it cold all Night in a Quart of red Wine and in the Morning give it to the Horse keeping him bridl'd four hours before and two hours after And besides you must rinse the Pot or Horn with another half Pint of Wine and give it to the Horse to wash his Mouth You may either infuse the Balls or mix 'em immediately before you give 'em and you may repeat the Dose of either the Balls or Powder every Morning for three or four Days together To a Horse troubl'd with the Cold who voids Matter or coughs you may give either of these Remedies with very good Success in a Quart of Spanish Wine Neither must you be afraid that they will heat him too much for that which is call'd Heat in Horses proceeds only from the acid or
of the Rheum appear of a faint yellow Colour below and almost never above This being suppos'd as 't is certainly true 't is plain that by cutting out this kernelly Flesh you take away the Receptacle of the Humours which therefore must take another course and fall upon the Neighbouring Parts such as the musculous Flesh less tender and delicate than the Eye where Nature will be sufficiently able to digest and concoct ' em And from what has been said you may reasonably conclude that this Operation can only preserve the Eye in its present Condition but not restore it to its former Perfection Besides when you take up the Eye-Vein you may cut the Nerve that lies under it for the Reasons alledg'd before How to cleanse the Eye above To perform this Operation you must cut the Skin in the middle of the hollow part above the Eye with a Launce and with a Hook pull out the Fat which is contain'd in that part and may be easily separated from it After you have taken out the quantity of a Walnut wash the Wound with warm Wine and fill the empty space with fine Flax smear'd with Aegyptiacum tying it on with two threads fasten'd to the Lips of the Wound Dress the Sore every day with warm Wine and Aegyptiacum till it be heal'd and in the mean time great care must be taken to preserve it from the least blast of Wind which might produce dangerous Consequences But after all I never found this Operation beneficial to the Eyes and therefore I slight it as much as I esteem the other Since all Men are not fond of Knives and Launces I shall proceed to describe other Remedies for Moon-Eyes among which Purgation is usually reckon'd which must not be administer'd till the Eye be wholly freed from the Rheum for otherwise it will do more harm than good Pills for Lunatic or Moon-Ey'd Horses Take of fine or bright Aloes two Ounces Agaric half an Ounce Troches Alhandal which is a Preparation of Coloquintida three Drams If the Horse be of a middle size this Dose will be sufficient to purge him but if he be large you must add another Dram of the Troches Alhandal Reduce all the Ingredients to a gross Powder and mix 'em with a handful of Betony-Leaves beaten and a Pound of fresh Butter Make up the Mass into Pills of the bigness of a Tennis-Ball which you must give the Horse in Wine and walk him half an hour after Or without giving your self the trouble to prepare a Medicine expresly for that purpose you may make use of Pilulae Aureae or Lucis of which you must give at least two Ounces having injected a Purging Clyster the day before And since Aloes is the true Purgative for Horses and enters into the Composition of all those Pills it will not be improper to subjoin the following Preparation of it which must not be esteem'd the worse because 't is common The Preparation of Aloes Take of the best clear Aloes which is finer than the Succotrin reduc'd to Powder four Ounces Infuse pale Rose-Leaves in Water four and twenty Hours then strain out the Water and add fresh Rose-Leaves and repeat the Infusion three several times Sprinkle your Aloes with this Water and dry it in the Shade moisten and dry it a second and third time after which 't is duly Prepar'd It will be better if you wash it with Juice of Damask-Roses both which Preparations are known by the name of Aloes Rosata The Aloes thus Prepar'd will produce the desir'd effect in a less quantity It purges and strengthens the Stomach and the Brain and resists the Corruption of the Humours for which reason 't is usually made the Base of Purging Pills Tho' Aloes is render'd more effectual and much improv'd by this Preparation nevertheless I propose it only for the satisfaction of the Curious For if you can procure fine and clear Aloes it will purge your Horse certainly and safely and I know no better Purgative than this nor any so agreeable to the Nature of a Horse Agaric by being reduc'd to Troches is freed from two defects it s too great lightness which hinders it from falling to the bottom of the Stomach and its slowness in Operation Nevertheless 't is frequently given to Horses without any Preparation 'T is prepar'd with Malmesy and Ginger After Purgation you must wait till the Twentieth day of the Moon and then proceed to the use of the Cautery or Fire if the Eyes be pretty clear CHAP. XXXV How to Cauterize or burn the Parts above the Eyes ON or about the Twentieth Day of the Moon draw a Line with a Red-hot Knife from one Ear to the other under the Head-stall of the Bridle to conceal the Mark left by the burning and draw the Knife backwards and forwards till the Line it makes be of a Cherry-colour then burn a Star over the Eye-Veins without piercing the Flesh for the Scar would never wear out After the Scab is fall'n off bathe the Sore with Aqua-Vitae Morning and Evening and tho' you neither apply Pitch nor Butter there will seldom remain any Scar But if you pierce the Skin you must bathe the part every Morning and Evening with Aqua-Vitae mixt with Honey I have seen Moon-Ey'd Horses cur'd by this way of burning And the worst that can happen is that you may preserve one Eye by putting out the other For if both the Eyes be subject to this Infirmity the visual Spirits of that which is lost retire to the other and strengthen it And besides you may preserve the Eyes for some time by taking up the two Veins in the Neck call'd the Jugulars All Lunatic and Moon-Ey'd Horses at last grow Blind unless that Disaster be prevented by the Methods above prescrib'd or by putting out one Eye which must be thus perform'd Thrust a threaded Needle into the worst Eye making the Point come out in the part opposite to that where it enter'd and leave the Thread hanging at it seven or eight days during which time the Eye will continually cast forth Water till it grow dry Then take out the Thread and by degrees the visual Spirits which pass to the other Eye will strengthen and preserve it from the like Infirmity and the pierc'd Eye will be dry'd up I have seen a Horse who had an Eye of Enamel or Glass put in the place of one of his Eyes which had been put out ot preserve the other This is a hereditary Distemper and therefore great care must be taken to chuse Stallions that have good Eyes It may be also occasion'd by the Foal's eating Oats with his Dam when he is but one Year Old or younger for by their straining and endeavouring to chew the Oats the Veins above and about their Eyes are stretch'd and distended and consequently draw too much Blood to those Parts which by the too great quantity of Nourishment are heated and render'd obnoxious to Defluxions either to that kind which
Fellow may hurt the great Gut with his Nails the safest way is to thrust a large Tallow Candle or rather a Piece of Soap into his Fundament which will be quickly dissolv'd and bring out with it the Excrements contain'd in the great Gut When you have either taken out or rotted the Vives an hour after you have given the above-mention'd Draught it will be convenient to administer the following Clyster to divert the Defluxion and make an entire Revulsion A Clyster for the Vives Boil five Pints of Beer with an Ounce and a half of Sal Polychrest in fine Powder remove it from the fire add two Ounces of Oil of Bay and inject it blood-warm If Beer cannot be had take equal Quantities of Wine and Water Another Take the five opening Roots of each one handful beat 'em grosly and boil 'em in three Quarts of Water for a quarter of an hour add the softening Herbs Mallows Violets herb-Mercury and Pellitory of the Wall of each one handful boil 'em again as before then strain out the Liquor and add a Pint of Emetic Wine or the same quantity of the Infusion of Crocus Metallorum Honey of the Herb-Mercury half a Pound fresh Butter four Ounces Oil of Rue describâ—d in the CXXXIId Chapter two Ounces Make a Clyster to be injected after you have rak'd your Horse Or you may make a very good Clyster by boiling two Ounces of Liver of Antimony in fine Powder over a strong fire for half a quarter of an hour in a common Decoction then strain out the Liquor and add half a Pound of Honey and a quarter of a Pound of Oil. Another Remedy for the Vives Give your Horse an Ounce of Orvietan or rather of Treacle in a Quart of Red-Wine or in a Pint of Aqua-Vitae if the Disease be violent and at the same time prepare a Clyster of the softening Herbs with an Ounce and a half of Liver of Antimony in Powder adding to the strainâ—d Liquor two Ounces of Orvietan or the same quantity of Treacle with a quarter of a Pound of fresh Butter Thus you must give Treacle both above and below and you will â—arely meet with any Instance of this Distemper that will not yield to this Remedy You will find in the XLVIIIth Chapter the Description of a Remedy compos'd of the Spirits of Nitre and Wine distill'd together till they be thorowly united which is very useful in this Case if it be administer'd according to the Directions prescrib'd in that Chapter All Horses have a sort of Knob like a Chesnut hard as Horn above the Knees and under the Hams cut off a little of this and casting it into a Chafing-Dish make a Horse receive the Fume of it at his Nose covering his Head with a Bag. CHAP. XXXIX Of the Colic Fret or Gripes THis Disease is occasion'd by the Sharpness of the Humours which boil and ferment in the Entrails by reason of some Salt and Spirituous Liquor that falls into those Parts and sometimes it proceeds from Wind or Crudities which Nature is not able to digest You may conclude that a Horse is troubl'd with this Distemper when he tumbles tosses lies down and starts up again suddenly for tho' it may attack a Horse that is not troubl'd with the Vives yet the Vives never appear without the Colic It will not be improper to give a large Account of this Distemper since 't is not only dangerous but sometimes fatal to Horses Clysters are very effectual in this Case especially one sort of 'em which shall be particularly describ'd To accommodate my Discourse to the Capacity of the Reader I shall divide the Colic into several Kinds according to the various Causes from which it may proceed and after the Description of every kind subjoin its proper Remedies Qui bene distinguit bene docet CHAP. XL. Of the First Kind of Colic I Shall first consider that sort of Colic which is occasion'd by eating too much Provender for the Stomach being unable to digest so large a quantity of Food is fill'd with Crudities which in a manner stifle the natural Heat tho' not without a considerable Struggle which raises windy Vapours that either fall upon the Guts or remain in the Stomach causing violent Pains in whatever part they attack This defect of Digestion rarely proves Mortal unless as it has been sometimes observ'd the Horse be so gluttonous as to eat till he burst when he meets with a convenient Opportunity A great quantity of Rye eaten unboil'd is apt to occasion these Pains by reason of its Windiness Wheat is not so dangerous because more easily digested Beans that are usually given to Horses to fatten 'em breed this Distemper if they be eaten in too great abundance and the same effect is produc'd by too large a quantity of Oats eaten at one time The Cure of this sort of Colic is perform'd by assisting Nature to digest the Aliments after you have empty'd the Guts with a convenient Clyster for you must never give Vomits to Horses because instead of easing them they overturn the whole Oeconomy of Nature and never procure Vomiting The Clyster must be compos'd of a Decoction that is endu'd with a vertue to discuss Wind to which you must add a Quart of Emetic Wine or a convenient quantity of the Infusion of Crocus Metallorum Assoon as the Clyster is rejected make the Horse drink a Pint of Aqua-Vitae with an Ounce of Treacle and as much Saffron as you can lift with the ends of your Fingers If the Distemper continue after the use of these Remedies walk him abroad in his Cloaths without suffering him to lie down and after you have put him up in the Stable hold a Warming-Pan full of live Coals under his Belly for a quarter of an hour or half an hour keeping him well cover'd Since Orvietan is not always to be had it will not be improper to give a faithful description of it for it may be profitably given to Men to Horn'd Cattle and especially to Horses It must be prepar'd by a skilful Apothecary CHAP. XLI Of Orvietan TAke of Sage Rue Rosemary and Goat's-Rue of each one handful Carduus Benedictus Dittany of Crete Roots of Masterwort Bohemian Angelica Bistort Birthwort round and long white or bastard Dittany Galingal Gentian Costmary Aromatic-reed and Parsley-seed of each one Ounce Bay-berries and Juniper-berries of each half an Ounce Cinnamon Cloves and Nutmeg of each three Drams Seal'd Earth prepar'd with Vinegar and old Treacle of each one Ounce Powder of Vipers four Ounces Walnuts cleans'd and dry'd Crum of Wheat-Bread dry'd of each eight Ounces clarifi'd Honey seven Pounds Make an Electuary according to Art Chop the Walnuts and beat 'em with the Bread then strain 'em thro' a Searce turn'd upside down adding the Powders and other Ingredients and at last the Treacle and Honey which serve instead of Leven to ferment the rest This is the exact description of Orvietan which I dare warrant
If the Horse be not swoln one simple * i. e. That discusses Wind. Carminative Clyster will for the most part be sufficient to perfect the Cure Galen one of the great Luminaries of Physic ascribes the Original of the Flatulency or Wind which is generated in the Body to a middle degree of Heat strong enough to raise Vapours from a cold and viscous Humour but not sufficiently vigorous to disperse 'em after they are rais'd For meer Cold is wholly destitute of a Power to attenuate digest or dissolve and therefore can never produce Wind and on the other side a Heat that acts upon the Humours with a force considerably Superior to their Resistance makes 'em too thin to generate Wind which probably proceeds from a weaker degree of Heat according to the Doctrine of Galen When these Windy Vapours abound in the Body they stretch and distend the Guts beyond their due measure and occasion violent Pains Besides they blow up the Horse's Body as if it were ready to burst which Swelling is the most peculiar sign of the Wind-Colic in which as in all the other Kinds of that Distemper the Horse tumbles and tosses with extraordinary violence Wind may also occasion that painful and dangerous kind of Colic call'd Convolvulus which is a Motion of the Intestines against Nature tending from below upwards and may proceed either from the Irritation of the Spirits or the malignant Fermentation of the Excrements retain'd in the Guts The violence of this Distemper will be mitigated by the use of the following Remedies but almost always it proves Mortal at last and when a Horse dies of it Farriers usually say that he had the Red-Colic The same Remedies that are good for the Wind-Colic are also us'd in this case but with littles uccess The cure of the Wind-Colic is perform'd by Bleeding the Horse in the Flanks and under the Tongue and by walking him frequently for Exercise rouzes and envigorates the natural Heat and enables it to dispel the Wind that causes the Distemper Cover him well and walk him at a Trot and sometimes at a Foot-pace and if the Violence of the Pain be not abated give him the following Clyster which I prefer before many other Remedies A Clyster to expel Wind. I have often had experience of the admirable Efficacy of this Clyster and therefore I may boldly recommend it to all those who shall have occasion to use it Take a Pound of large fat Figs chop'd boil 'em in three Quarts of Water for a full half Hour then add two handfuls of Rue cut sinall and boil 'em again pretty briskly for a quarter of an hour After the Liquor is half cool'd strain it out and pour off two Quarts of the clearest throwing away the rest In this Decoction dissolve half a Pound of Oil-Olive and inject the whole luke-warm after which walk the Horse before you put him up in the Stable This Clyster will draw all the Wind into the straight Gut and afterwards expel it It usually remains a great while in the Body and for that reason works more effectually A Clyster for the Wind-Colic The following Clyster is also very useful in this case Take an Ounce of Sal Polycrest and six or eight Handfuls of Sage Boil 'em in three Quarts of Claret to the consumption of a third Part Strain and adding two Ounces of Oil of Bay inject the whole by way of Clyster If the Horse be not cur'd by this Clyster an hour after he has rejected it give him a Pound of Oil-Olive mixt with a Quart of Aqua-Vitae pouring it in with a Horn then walk him abroad well cover'd making him Trot one quarter of an hour and go a Foot-pace another An excellent Clyster to break and dispel Wind. Take two Ounces of the Scoriae of Liver of Antimony in fine Powder boil 'em a little but very briskly in five Pints of Beer then adding three or four Ounces of good Oil of Bay make a Clyster to be injected luke-warm and repeated every two hours till the Cure be perfected This is the best Remedy that can be Invented In the next place I shall subjoin the description of an Oil which is a specific Medicine for the Wind-Colic and also good against several other Distempers For it expels the Impurities of the lower Belly and makes room for the rest to descend This is a cheap and durable Medicine and therefore 't will be convenient for those who have a great number of Horses to keep some of it by 'em especially in an Army CHAP. XLIV A Carminative and Purging Oil for Clysters TAke Rue Calamint Origanum or Wild-Marjoram and Penniroyal all dry'd in the shade of each one handful seeds of Cummin Carrots and Fennel Bay-Berries of each one Ounce Oil-Olive two Pounds White-Wine a Pint. Reduce the Herbs to Powder beat the Seeds and put 'em all together in an Earthen glaz'd Pot covering it with another Pot somewhat less and luted with Clay or Paste Boil 'em over a flow Fire till half the Wine be consum'd that is about six hours Strain out the Oil after t is half cool'd and adding four Ounces of the Pulp of Coloquintida put it again into the same Pot covering and luting it as before then boil it with a gentle Heat six or eight hours after which let it boil briskly half an hour and after 't is half cool'd uncover the Pot and press out the Oil which must be kept in a convenient Vessel for Use Three or four Ounces of this Oil in an ordinary Clyster will expel the Wind effectually and bring forth the tough and viscous Humours which for the most part occasion this Distemper 'T is better tho' much cheaper than the usual Electuaries and Experience will convince you of its Virtues I have seen Horses die of the Wind-Colic after a diligent but unsuccessful Application of all the above-mention'd Remedies and when they were open'd after their Death their Guts were found extremely distended as if they had been purposely blown up I know no other way to prevent such Accidents than by injecting good Clysters walking the Horse perpetually and letting him rest as little as you can You must also give him two stinking Pills and repeat the same Dose an hour after and a third time if the Disease continue in the mean time you must inject a Clyster between the Doses for by a careful Observance of this Method the Wind may be dispell'd You must not be afraid of giving three Doses of Pills in the space of three hours for they will not over-heat the Horse's Body and perhaps may cure the Distemper CHAP. XLV Of the Third Kind of Colic THis Kind is not so easily known as the two former and often puts an end to the Horse's Life which the other Kinds rarely do 'T is caus'd by a sort of Glassy Phlegm that owes its Sharpness either to its Rottenness and Corruption or to its Saltness and biting Quality and forces Nature to violent
Hurt by a Blow from another Horse by a Fall or when his Shoulder is bruis'd by the Saddle In all which cases you must in the beginning order the Sorance as if it were a proper Shoulder-splait There are several other ways to know whether Horses be Shoulder-splaited but there are few or none of 'em who do not draw their Leg or cast it a little outwards And the surest way is to observe how they tread when you turn 'em short for with a little practice and attention you may easily discover whether the Grief be in the Shoulder A Remedy for a Strain Blow or any other Hurt in the Shoulder When you perceive that the Grief is in the Shoulder if the Weather be not Cold and the Horse halt but a little lead him to a Pond or River and make him Swim half a quarter of an hour in the Morning and as long at Night At his coming out of the Water rub the part with Aqua-Vitae and if the Hurt be small it will be cur'd without further trouble Thus by the rolling of a Stone under a Horse's Foot when he is Galloping his Shoulder may be strain'd or a Shoulder-wrench may be occasion'd by a false Step In such cases if the Hurt be small the Cure may be perform'd by bleeding him in the Neck swimming him Morning and Evening and rubbing his Shoulder with Aqua-Vitae at his coming out of the Water as I intimated before If this Remedy prove ineffectual bleed him in the Neck receiving the Blood in a Vessel and stirring it with your Hand to prevent its curdling then mix half a Pint of Aqua-Vitae with the Blood and charge the Shoulder rubbing it hard with your Hand to make the Aqua-Vitae penetrate the Skin which with the astringent and strength'ning quality of the Blood does frequently perform the Cure without any other Remedy But you must keep the Horse shackl'd if he walks awry or describes a crooked Line with his sore Leg. If the Lameness continue still you may conclude that the Hurt is greater than you imagin'd But there is no Hurt so great either in the Shoulder or Hip that may not be cur'd with the Ointment of Montpelier apply'd after the following manner The day after you let the Horse Blood and charg'd his Shoulder with Blood and Aqua-Vitae put a Patten-Shoe on the contrary Foot if he does not lean on his Sore Foot and fetter his two Fore-feet if he walk sloping from side to side then chafe the Shoulder very hard first with Spirit of Wine and then with black Soap to make 'em pierce the Skin rubbing in half a Pint of the former and about half a Pound of the latter and leave the Horse in that-condition four and twenty Hours after which chafe him every day with Ointment of Montpelier keeping him shackl'd and shod with the Patten-Shoe about ten days if need require at the end of which take off the Patten-Shoe and trot him out gently to see how the Cure goes on If he Halt a little still continue to rub him every Morning with the Ointment of Montpelier and at Night without taking off the Ointment or any part of it chafe him with Spirit of Wine Continue thus till he Halt but a very little or only yield or feign and then make a Bath or Fomentation of convenient Herbs with Lees of Wine and Honey bathing and chasing the Shoulder with it every day After the Lameness is quite gone suffer him to remain in the Stable for a considerable time without either Walking or Riding him all the while for nothing but Rest can make him perfectly Sound And 't is a general Rule that Repose is absolutely necessary in all Hurts of the Shoulder that Nature may have leisure to repair the Disorders caus'd by the Strain Ointment of Montpelier Several Apothecaries make use of Tallow colour'd red with Alkanet and wash'd in Rose-water to give it a Smell and sel it for Ointment of Roses But the true Unguentum Rosatum is made of Roses from which it takes its Odour for the Colour is a meer Trifle since it adds no Virtue to the Composition And the like abuse is frequently committed in making the Ointment Populeum by adding Verdigrise to give it a bright green colour and make it more saleable Take then of the true Ointments of Roses Marsh-Mallows Populeum and Honey of each one Pound mix 'em cold and keep 'em in a Pot close cover'd This is the true Description of that famous Ointment so highly esteem'd by Lovers of Horses for its manifold Virtues for it strengthens without Heat and is proper in all cases when there is occasion for Charges or Ointments CHAP. LV. The Baron's Ointment for Strains in the Shoulders or Hips TAke of new Wax Resin Pitch and common Turpentine of each one Pound Oil-Olive two Pounds Grease of Capons Badgers Horses and Mules and the Marrow of a Stag of each five Ounces Oils of Turpentine Castor Worms Commomil St. John's-Wort Linseed and of Foxes of each four Ounces Oil of Gabian or if that cannot be had Oil of Peter two Ounces Put the Oil-Olive in a Bason over a clear Fire with the Wax Resin and Pitch beaten together stir 'em over the Flame till they be dissolv'd then add the Fat 's and Stag's Marrow and afterwards the Turpentine incorporating all together over a very gentle Fire in the last place pour in the Oils stirring the whole Mixture half a quarter of an Hour after which remove it from the Fire and continue to stir till it be cold This Ointment is good for Shoulder-splaits Sprains Pricks Hip-shot Wrenches in the Hough or Thigh Wringing Surbating bruised Legs Sinews sprung or sprain'd and for all manner of Defluxions and Feebleness in any part of the Body Before you apply it you must heat the part by rubbing it with a wisp of Straw or with your Hand then chafe it with the Ointment as hot as the Horse can bear it holding a Fire-shovel red-hot near the part to make the Ointment penetrate and repeat the same Application once every two days till the Horse be cur'd If the Grief be in the Shoulder you may put Pasterns on his Legs and a Patten-Shooe on the sound Foot if need require You must not be surpriz'd at the Swelling which will happen in the Part for after the Pain is remov'd you may easily take away the Tumour with convenient Baths or Fomentations You may cure even Old Hurts by this Method but since the Ointment is not always to be had you may use the following Remedies In the first place you must let the Horse blood and charge his Shoulder with Blood and Aqua-Vitae as before The day following apply the Honey-Charge which you will find describ'd Chap. 57. renewing it daily for three or four Days and the Disease must be very stubborn and deeply rooted if it yield not to this Remedy You must not be surpriz'd if the Honey-Charge raise a Swelling for that is a good Sign
exceeds all Galenical Remedies whatsoever Another cheap Remedy This is a very simple Medicine yet 't is frequently attended with better Success than the most pompous Compositions 'T is singularly good for old Sinew-sprains for tho' there be a hard Lump on the griev'd Part and the Sinew it self be swoln and hard this Remedy will compleat the Cure Melt a sufficient quantity of Black Pitch in a large Iron-Spoon or Ladle and assoon as it begins to boil remove it from the Fire and add by degrees as much fine Wheat-Flower as will bring it to a convenient thickness then suffer it to cool and spread it on a thin piece of Leather After you have shav'd away the Hair apply the Plaister round the griev'd Part and walk your Horse Let the Plaister stick till it fall away of its own accord and if the Horse be not cur'd apply a second If the Plaister leave a Swelling apply the Ointment of Beetles which in once or twice Dressing will take away the old Tumour by causing a new one for the congeal'd Humours will be rarify'd and dispos'd for Resolution But if notwithstanding all these Remedies there still remain a Swelling the surest way is to draw five or six Lines with a Searing-Iron long-wise never cross-wise and then to apply a good Plaister But you must never give the Fire till the Pain be asswag'd and you may easily know the fit time for the Heat and Pain always leave the Part together CHAP. LXXVII Of swell'd and gourded Pastern-Joints WHen the Pastern-Joint swells after Travelling if the Tumour be small chafe it every Morning and Evening with a Mixture of two parts of Aqua-Vitae and one of Oil of Nuts well shaken together But if the Swelling be large and this Remedy ineffectual apply the Remolade of Bohemia or the Red-Honey-Charge after which a convenient Bath will asswage the Swelling Or if it still continue you may easily drive it away with the Remedy compos'd of Whites of Eggs Spirit of Wine and Honey describ'd in the Sixty first Chapter If the Swelling about the Joint be harden'd and the Humours congeal'd you must apply a more powerful Softener and Resolvent such as that which follows A Remedy for Swell'd Pastern-Joints Chop a convenient quantity of Rue boil it to a Paste with thick Wine and apply it as a Pultiss round the swoln Joints Coleworts boil'd and mixt with Bean-flower will produce the same effect and all the Remedies for Wind-galls describ'd in the Seventy fifth Chapter especially one near the end are excellent in this case Sometimes the Legs are gourded about the Joints and higher by reason of want of Exercise especially if the Horse be fat and fleshy The best and speediest Remedy is to bathe the Joints and other gourded Parts very hard with a Lye made of two parts of Ashes of Vine-twigs and one third of Ashes of Tartar then charge 'em with the Ashes that sink to the bottom of the Vessel and one or two Applications will take away the Swelling To resolve a Swelling that grows at the side of the Pastern-Joint Besides the above-mention'd Tumours sometimes there arises a Swelling on the Bone of the Pastern-Joint a little towards one side about half the bigness of a Pigeon's-Egg it grows bigger if it be neglected but not very hard nor does it make the Horse Halt I have oftentimes prescrib'd the giving of Fire in this Case but there are other Remedies to be try'd before that Resolving Plaisters are very proper and among others that which follows if it be kept long on the Tumour will certainly resolve and asswage it Dissolve two Pounds of Gum-Ammoniac in two Quarts of very strong Vinegar boil it over a clear Fire stirring often till the Solution begins to grow thick then strain it thro' a piece of Canvas of that which is used for a Ground to Tapistry and throwing away the Dregs put the rest into the Skellet again and boil to the thickness of â—â—laister which must be spread on Leather apply'd and ty'd to the Part after the Hair is shav'd away where it must be kept on very long that is about four and twenty Days during which the Swelling will be resolv'd by insensible Transpiration The Plaister must be made an Inch longer than the Part about its whole Circumference and one will serve eight Days without being chang'd or touch'd The whole quantity here prescrib'd will make four Plaisters which will serve two and thirty Days for so long you must sometimes wait before the Swelling be entirely dissipated but those who have not so large a stock of Patience may apply the Ointment of Beetles or some other good Retoire which will ripen the Tumour and reduce it to a red-Red-water CHAP. LXXVIII The Plaister of Walnuts to resolve Swellings TAke green Walnuts so small that when they are cut they are equally soft beat 'em to a Mash in a Marble Mortar and strain 'em thro' a Sieve with the bottom turn'd up as Cassia is usually strain'd beat that which remains till the whole pass thro' the Sieve and put two Pounds of this Pulp or Mash into a glaz'd Earthen Pot with a Pound of Salt well dry'd and a Pound and a half of common Turpentinel Set the Mixture in a Cellar to ferment fifteen Days then evaporate the Moisture over a gentle Fire stirring all the while till it be reduc'd to the consistence of a Plaister which cannot be done without some difficulty and preserve it in a Pot close cover'd as an excellent Remedy to resolve the Water-farcy and all other Swellings It retains its Virtue Thirty Years Since the Pastern-Joint is at so great a distance from the Center of natural Heat the Swellings that are form'd in that Part require a powerful Remedy to resolve 'em And this Plaister will do the work if it be carefully apply'd and renew'd every eight Days shaving off the Hair and continuing after the same manner till the Swelling be perfectly dissolv'd The poorer sort of People may use this Plaister for Swellings occasion'd by the falling down of cold Humours in their Arms or Hams and even in their Hands It resolves Wens or Flegmatic Tumours in the Knees and all other Parts of the Body but in such cases the Cure cannot be perfected in less than a Month and sometimes two or three Months and others are never Cur'd according to the largeness and quality of the Swelling When this Plaister is apply'd to Men it must be renew'd every four Days CHAP. LXXIX Of an Attaint or Over-reach AN Attaint proceeds either from a Blow with another Horse's Foot that takes off the piece above the Cronet or from an Over-reach when a Horse strikes his Hinder-Foot against his Fore-Leg You may easily know an Attaint by the Wound or piece of Flesh that is torn away by the Blood which flows out and the halting of the Horse Wash away the filth or dirt with Vinegar and Salt and if there be any loose piece of Flesh cut it off
Remedies for 'em in the same Order Remedies for simple Scratches The simple Scratches are cur'd by taking out the Piece of Rotten Flesh that lies between the Flesh and the Skin In order to that end take the quantity of an Egg of Leaven made of Rye-Meal two or three Heads of Garlick beaten and as much Pepper as you can lift with the Ends of three Fingers temper 'em with Vinegar and apply the Mixture to the sore place This is certainly a very good Remedy for in four and twenty hours it brings forth the corrupt Piece of Flesh without leaving any Foulness at the Bottom of the Sore If you cannot procure Rye-Leaven take Leaven made of Wheat-Dough or prepare the following Remedy Take the Bulbs of two or three Leeks or for want of these two white Onions beaten incorporate 'em with the bigness of an Egg of Hog's Lard and as much Mustard-seed as you can take up with the Ends of your Fingers Apply this Remedy to the Swelling renewing it once a day and the rotten Flesh will quickly come forth then wash the Part with Aqua-Vitae and apply to the Sore the above-mention'd Ointment of Honey and Verdigrease by which Method continu'd for some time the Cure will be speedily perfected If the Scab or Scurf that falls off be very large as sometimes it is you must cleanse the Sore with fine Flax and apply the already-mention'd Ointment which is very excellent for this Purpose or rub the Part with the Herb call'd Greater Celandine which grows always in shady places and has a yellow Juice You must beat it and squeeze out the Juice to rub the Part and bind the bruis'd Herbs upon it for there is not a more powerful Dryer in the World Or you may take out the Corrupt Flesh thus Chop two or three Onions boil 'em in Water with Mallows and Ground-sell of each one handful strain out the Water and throw it away then add a handful of raw Sorrel to the other Ingredients beat 'em all together to a Paste which must be thicken'd with Flower of Linseed to the Consistence of a Pultiss Spread it on Lint and apply it hot to the Scratches If the Tumour be very hard add a little Hog's Grease or Basilicum before you put in the Linseed and apply as before renewing the same once in four and twenty Hours if there be Occasion for one or two Applications will take out the rotten piece of Flesh leaving a Hole which must be dress'd as before Young Horses are very subject to this Kind of Scratches I shall name several Remedies that are good for it that every one may chuse which he pleases Old Oil Butter the Fat or Grease of Hens Geese Ducks and Hogs the Marrow of Stags and Oxen which may be made up with Rye-flower and Crums of Bread These are also very good and cheap Remedies and easily prepar'd and besides you may use the Plaister call'd Diachylum that of the Mucilages or Basilicum CHAP. LXXXI Of Sinewy Scratches THE above-mention'd Remedies will not produce any considerable Effect in the Cure of the first Kind of sinewy Scratches which lie so deep that they cannot ripen for the Sinews that cover 'em hinder the Operation of the Remedies The white Honey-Charge which you will find describ'd in the Hundred eighty fourth Chapter will more effectually soften the Part if you add Turpentine and Linseed and apply the Remedy round the Pastern charging the whole Leg with cold Lees of Wine to prevent the falling down of the Humours If there be any Appearance that the Swelling is dispos'd to come to a Head in any part of it you must pierce the Skin with a hot Iron round the part making eight or ten Holes according to the Largeness of the space in form of a Circle and sometimes beyond the part according to the Room you have and the Probability of drawing the Matter by opening these Passages If the Matter appear in any part apply a Rowler of soft Linnen moisten'd with Basilicum and over that a Pultiss of the white Honey-Charge as I intimated before keeping the Leg always charg'd with the Duke's Ointment or Lees of Wine and continuing to dress the Sore every day till the Scabs fall off or till you perceive that 't is fit to apply repelling Remedies for Example if the Skin between the two Holes be loosen'd from the Flesh and the Matter flow too abundantly you must lay aside the white Honey-Charge and make use of the following Remedy Heat a Pound or two of common Turpentine in an Earthen Pot by degrees stirring it all the while with a wooden Slice thicken it with very fine Soot stirring always over a gentle Fire till it be reduc'd to the Thickness of a Honey-Charge Then spread it on Flax and apply it warm to the Part but you must first wash the Sore with Aqua-Vitae This Charge is in some measure Restringent it takes away the Heat and hinders the Humours from flowing too abundantly to the griev'd Part. As often as you heat the Restringent Charge you must stir it all the while 't is near the Fire for otherwise 't will turn knotty Let the Horse feed on moisten'd Bran and make him wholly abstain from Oats This Sort of Scratches must never be neglected for all your Care and the most powerful Remedies you can apply or imagine will hardly be able to ripen it I shall in the next place proceed to propose some Remedies for the Scratches that breed upon the Sinew and tho' without any Danger make the Horse halt before the Corruption come forth You may chuse which you please Remedies for the Second Kind of Sinewy Scratches These Scratches grow in the Pastern upon the Sinew they are accompany'd with extreme Pain and make the Horse halt but yield to the effectual Operation of proper Remedies First you must rub the swoll'n Leg daily with the Duke's Ointment and afterwards bring forth the Corruption or rotten Bit of Flesh with one of the Remedies describ'd in the last Chapter as that made of Rye-flower and Garlick or that which is compos'd of Leeks and old Hog's Grease or one of those that follow Take fresh Butter and Oil-Olive of each four Ounces heat 'em with half a Pint of common Water and thicken 'em with two Ounces of Linseed-flower Then boil as if you were going to make Gruel adding a little before you take the Skellet from the fire two Ounces of Pigeon's Dung in powder and charge the Sore warm having first clipp'd off the Hair with Scizzars If that do not answer your Expectation take Leaves of Colt's-foot long Sorrel and Mallows of each one Handful bake 'em under the Embers then beat and incorporate 'em with salt Butter This Remedy being apply'd hot will draw forth the Rotten Piece of Flesh but if it fail Bake or roast four Lilly Roots under the Ashes beat and add Hen's Grease or any other convenient Grease three Ounces Linseed-Oil two Ounces the Yolks of two
a Glass-Bottle over hot Embers adding the weight of a Golden Crown of Alkanet hung unto the Bottle by a Thred after it has stood a quarter of an Hour on the Ashes take out the Alkanet and preserve the Oil for use You may thicken the Oil to the consistency of a Balsam by a melting a little Wax in it but then its penetrating Faculty will be weaken'd When you have occasion to apply it inject it warm opening the Sore that the Oil may penetrate into it then stop the Hole with Cotton to keep it open cover it with Flax and Splents and renew the Application every Day till the Horse go upright 'T is a sure Remedy for all Pricks with Nails or Stubs it helps very effectually Cold Pains Blows Bruises Strains Cold Gout Sciatica Decay'd and Founder'd Legs if it be mixt with an equal quantity of Oil of Worms and a double quantity of Aqua-vitae and 't is also good for a Sprain in the Shoulders or Hips The Vertue of Remedies consists neither in quantity nor price of the Ingredients There are a thousand Remedies that cure a Prick with a Nail in the beginning as Turpentine alone Tallow or Sewet melted with Gum-Elemi Galbanum melted with Butter or Tallow all Balsams for Wounds and several other Medicines A Green Balsam highly esteem'd for its excellent Virtues This is that Balsam usually known at Paris by the Name of Madam Feüillet's Balsam It performs such wonderful Cures on Men that I thought my self oblig'd to insert it in this Book for the conveniency of those who have occasion to use it but it wou'd be needless to describe the Plaister that is usually apply'd with the Balsam since common Diapalma may be substituted instead of that dearer Medicine and besides 't is the Balsam alone that performs the Cure while the Plaister seems only to keep on the Dressing and hinder the Air from hurting the Sore This Balsam is an excellent Remedy for Wounds in any part of a Horse's Body and for Pricks with a Nail Stub c. Take of the Oils of Linseed Olives and Juniper-Berries of each two Ounces Turpentine of Chio and for want of that fine common Turpentine two Ounces Oil of Bay one Ounce Oil of Cloves two Drams Verdigrease beaten and strain'd thro' a Taffeta Searce three Drams White Vitriol two Drams put all the Ingredients into a Glass-Vial mix them cold by shaking the Vial from time to time during the space of a Month and keep the Balsam for use When you dress a Wound the first time wash it with warm Wine then chafe it with this Balsam which must be apply'd with Lint and cover'd with a Plaister if the Wound be deep dip your Tents in your Balsam and lay a Plaister over it When your Horse is hurt dry the Wound with Flax anoint it with the Balsam hot then strew it with the Powder of an old Rope continuing daily after the same manner without moistening the Wound which by this method will be quickly heal'd in any part of the Body For Pricks with a Nail or Stub it must be apply'd as the Oil de Merveille but since these Oils and Balsams are not so convenient for Carriage as Ointments I shall subjoin some of the most approv'd Medicines in that form beginning with one that is much celebrated and was long kept secret Mr. Sicar's Ointment for Pricks with a Nail or Stub Take of the Gum of a Pine-Tree and Gum-Elemi in Powder of each an Ounce melt 'em in a Bason or Pot stirring them over a very gentle Fire then add nine Ounces of Red-Wax beaten stirring the Substances till they be throughly Incorporated after which put in three Ounces of Venice-Turpentine and the whole being well mixt remove the Vessel from the Fire and immediately add one Ounce of Dragon's-Blood and two Ounces of Long Birthwort in very fine Powder stirring the mixture till it be half cold Then pour it on a piece of Marble or a Table rubb'd with Oil-Olive or Oil of sweet Almonds and having anointed your Hands with the same Oil make it up into Rolls of a convenient bigness wrapping them in Paper to be kept for use The Ointment ought to be reddish if it be carefully prepar'd If you have no Red-Wax the Ointment may be made thus Take of good Yellow-Wax one Pound Turpentine four Ounces Oil-Olive and Cinnabar reduc'd to very fine Powder on a dry Marble melt the Wax Turpentine and Oil stirring them carefully and after they are a little cool'd add the Cinnabar Mix and make it up in what form you please This Plaister which I call an Ointment in compliance with the common way of speaking is better old than new it may be kept thirty Years without losing its Virtue and is thus apply'd Having laid open the Sore melt a sufficient quantity of the Ointment in a Spoon with a Spoon with a little Sewet Grease Butter or Oil-Olive and apply it warm continuing after the same manner till your Horse be sound Note That the Dragon's-Blood prescrib'd in the Composition of this Ointment is the Gum of a certain Tree found in one of the Canary-Islands the Tears or Drops that distil from the Tree are of a bright red Colour and are the purest Dragon's-Blood for the Gum that is drawn out of the Tree by Incision is also call'd by the same Name but is inferiour in Vertue to the former The greatest part is brought from the East-Indies and the goodness of both is judg'd by the deepness of their Colour But the Dragon's-Blood usually sold to Farriers ought wholly to be rejected as useless since 't is only Gum-Arabic or some other common Gum dissolv'd in Water and ting'd with Brasil-Wood The Gum is boil'd slowly till it acquire a fine Colour after which 't is strain'd thro' a fine Cloth and the moisture carefully evaporated This Mixture is Sold to Farriers for true Dragon's-Blood because they are not willing to pay a reasonable price for it but it ought not to be imagin'd that the red Colour increases the Virtue of the common Gums of which 't is compos'd CHAP. XCIV Monsieur Curtis 's Ointment for Wounds Bruises or Pricks with a Nail or Stubs TAke Oil-Olive seven Pounds and mix it in a Bason or Skillet with a Pound of Ceruss and a Pound and a quarter of Litharge of Gold or Silver for they are both equally effectual with a Quart of Water mix them in a large Bason wide above and narrow at the bottom or in the form of a Sugar-Loaf and incorporate 'em Cold stirring 'em with a large and strong Wooden-Slice for a quarter of an Hour after which set the Vessel over a Char-coal Fire in a convenient Furnace and boil the Substances stirring 'em perpetually till after they have boil'd upwards towards the top of the Vessel they begin to sink not by abating the heat of the Fire which ought always to be equal and strong but by reason of the consumption of the Water that
Passages that give any hope of drawing those Humours from the Lungs are either the Kidneys Nostrils or Mouth And since all Evacuations that tend upwards are contrary to the Nature of Horses as they who are acquainted with the internal Oeconomy or Disposition of a Horse's Body will readily acknowledge 't is plain that the Cure must be perform'd by Cutting Attenuating or Diuretic Remedies When the Disease is accompany'd with a dry and often-returning Cough or when the Motion of Respiration reaches as far as the Croup and appears visibly on the Rump you may conclude the Cure to be absolutely impossible If your Horse void Flegmatick Humours by his Nostrils and Mouth you will find it a very hard Task to restore him to his Health A Remedy for Pursiveness If a diligent Observation of the various Circumstances with which the Disease is accompany'd convince you that your Horses Lungs are very much heated among all the Remedies that I propose you must choose such as are most temperate But if you perceive no sign of heat you may use the most cutting Remedies However I will endeavour to moderate and qualifie 'em all to such a degree that they may be able to loosen and remove the Obstructions of the Lungs without heating 'em and after I have propos'd the most gentle Remedies at first I shall gradually proceed to the strongest The Cure ought always to be attempted in the beginning of the Disease 'T is to be observ'd that the Horse must eat no Hay and after the ordering of his Diet you may prepare and exhibit the following Remedies Melt two pounds of Lead in a convenient Vessel and removing it from the Fire stir it till it be reduc'd to Powder then continuing to stir it without intermission add two Pounds of Brimstone in Powder and stir 'em together till they be perfectly incorporated Give your Horse an Ounce of this Powder every Day in moisten'd Bran and it will not only give him Ease but not improbably compleat the Cure if your Horse be young and the Disease not very inveterate If your Horse's Lungs be heated with a violent beating in his Flanks Sal Polychrest may give him Relief but by reason of the coldness of that Remedy 't will be convenient to add half the quantity of Juniper-Berries or Nutmegs Thus you may give him an Ounce of Sal Polychrest with half an Ounce of Nutmegs or Juniper-Berries in moisten'd Bran and continue after the same manner for a considerable time If he refuse to eat the Bran give him the Remedies in a Pint of Wine after they have stood in Infusion a whole Night keeping him bridl'd two Hours before and three Hours after every Dose and persisting in this Method for fifteen Days If his Belly be loosn'd by the continu'd use of this Remedy you may entertain more certain hopes of the Cure for so it will evacuate the offendin Humours dilute the Flegm that causes the Obstructions clear and unstop the Passages that cool the Lungs purifie the Blood and resist Corruption If the Disease be not very stubborn and desperate this Remedy will at last mitigate its Violence and since that which gives Ease may at length perfect the Cure you ought to persist in a careful Observance of this Method if you perceive that the Horse receives any benefit by it This Remedy is most proper for young Horses who oftentimes stand in need of cooling Medicines which is seldom or never the Case of those that are old Another Remedy for Pursiveness The proper time for preparing this Remedy is when the Herbs are endu'd with their entire Virtues especially when Broom begins to put out its Flowers Take Mallows White Mullein Colts-Foot Green Broom Tops of the same Year Succory Bramble Tops Bitter Succory Hysop and White Horehound of each three Handfuls Chop 'em small and put 'em into a Kettle capable of containing a Pail full of Water fill the Kettle with Water and boil the Herbs two Hours after which remove the Vessel from the Fire adding a quarter of a Pound of Juice of Liquorice and ten handfuls of Broom Flowers After 't is half cold strain out the Liquor and dissolve in it two Pounds of Honey then melt a like quantity of Brimstome in an Iron Spoon or Ladle and cast it into the Decoction and after it sinks to the Bottom take it out melt it a second time and throw it again into the Liquor repeating the same Operation five or six times that the Decoction may be impregnated with the Salt of Sulphur After you have kept your Horse bridl'd two Hours in the Morning give him a fourth part of this Potion with a Horn walking him gently half an Hour after it then give him another fourth part walking him as before the next Day make him drink the other half observing the same Directions after which suffer him to rest one Day and on the fourth renew the Potion for two Days as before which must be follow'd by a Day of repose and the same Method continu'd till he has drunk the Decoction ten Days and rested four In the Intervals he must eat neither Hay nor Oats but Bran and Straw during the use of this Remedy and you will find him if not absolutely cur'd at least very much eas'd for the Operation of the Medicine depends on the State or Degree of the Disease when it was first exhibited Another Remedy for Pursiveness The former Remedy is only proper in the Summer and therefore since Horses are troubl'd with this Distemper in other Seasons of the Year you may observe the following Method Give your Horse a sufficient quantity of White Mullein chopt small and mixt with moisten'd Oats the larger you make the Dose the more effectually it will work If he will not eat Wheat-Straw moisten his Hay and for his ordinary Drink dissolve a Pound of Honey in a Pail-full of Water for tho' at first he may seem unwilling to drink it he will quickly be reconcil'd to it I have seen Horses abstain from drinking fifty Hours together but at last thirst constraind 'em to drink the Hony'd Water The continu'd use of this Remedy will either cure the Horse or at least make him fit for Service You must give the Mullein as long as you can but 't will be sufficient to make him drink Hony'd Water for a Month more or less according to the stubbornness of the Distemper and in the mean time the Horse may be ridden CHAP. CXV The way of Exhibiting Honey to Horses that are Purfive or troubl'd with Disorders in the Flanks and other Distempers HOney is an excellent Remedy for lean Horses who are troubl'd with Disorders in the Flanks or tir'd and spent with hard Exercise for it comforts the Lungs and allays the sharpness of the Humours But since it must be given Methodically I thought fit to insert all the particular Directions that must be observ'd in those cases Some give it with Oats to Horses that are Short-Winded Nor
take a sufficient quantity of the Leaves of Coltsfoot White-Mullein and Red Maiden-hair boil 'em in Water to four Quarts strain out the Liquor and add ten Pounds of Honey boiling 'em to half the thickness of a Syrup till two Quarts of the Decoction be consum'd and skimming all the while mix the Powders with the Honey while 't is half cold till they be well incorporated and reduc'd to an Electuary which must be set to ferment in a Pot for the space of twenty or thirty Days in Summer but in cold Weather the Fermentation will require a longer time and you must never use the Electuary till it be duly Fermented Electuaries and Confections are more effectual than Powders by reason of the Fermentation that Concentrates and afterwards exalts the Virtues of the Ingredients Avicen was certainly of this Opinion for he expresly affirms That the Virtue or Efficacy of a Medicine is doubl'd by Fermentation And besides a Remedy may be kept longer in this form without losing its Virtue 't is more easily swallow'd and sooner wrought upon by the natural Heat in the Stomach This Electuary does very powerfully allay the boiling and preternatural heat of the Stomach and therefore is an excellent Remedy for fiery and mettlesome Horses that pine away after hard Labour or violent Exercise even tho' they be not troubl'd with a Cough In this case you must take away their Oats feed 'em with hot Bran and give 'em a Dose of this Electuary once every Day for fifteen or twenty Days after which they will be in a thriving Condition For the satisfaction of the curious I shall in few Words explain the Nature of Fermentation It derives its Name from Fermentum or Leven which is a Contraction of Fervimentum from Fervere to be hot or to boil It may be thus defin'd Fermentation is a Motion by which in a Mixture of different Substances those that are most subtil agitate and dilate the rest We may see Examples of it in Dough in Wine and several other Substances Golden or Red Maiden-hair is one of the Ingredients of the Syrup call'd the Syrup of the Capillary Herbs Marsh-Mallow Roots are common at Paris but those who cannot procure 'em may take double the quantity of the dry'd Leaves of Coltsfoot The Dose is four Ounces for Coach-Horses infus'd all Night in three Pints of Beer and drunk luke-warm in the Morning The Horse must be kept Bridl'd two Hours before and as long after the Dose and in those Countries where there is no Beer to be had the Medicine may be Infus'd in an equal mixture of Wine and Water This Electuary is endu'd with all the Virtues of the above-mention'd Powder and besides allays the preternatural Heat that usually accompanies the Cough But if that Distemper be occasion'd by cold tough and flegmatic Humours you must not administer so cooling a Remedy and therefore if after the first and second Dose you perceive that his Hair begins to stare or that he forsakes his Meat or Shivers you must give him the Powder instead of the Electuary but if none of these signs appear persist in the use of the latter which will effectually cure the oldest and most inveterate Cough It happens not unfrequently that after seven or eight Doses of the Electuary the Horse begins to scour as if he had taken a purging Medicine but you must still continue to give him a Dose once a Day for it 's a sign that the Remedy operates effectually You must persist in the daily use of the Electuary till the Cough be perfectly cur'd 'T is a singular Remedy for those Horses whose Lungs are dry'd up by excessive Heat for it moistens the Part and restores it to its natural temper But since the Cure of this Distemper may be sometimes perform'd with less Charge and Trouble I shall propose some other Remedies Other Powders for a Cough Take Femugreek and â—â—â—wers of Brimstone of each an equal quantity and mix 'em with moisten'd Oats Brimstone alone may be given with Oats but the Flowers are better A Pound of Honey put into a Pail-full of Water and us'd for ordinary Drink is excellent for a Cough as I intimated before I have already describ'd a Cordial Powder for the Cure of this Distemper A small handful of Hemp-seed mixt with Oats and given to a fat and fleshy Horse cures the Cough if the use of it be long continu'd The same quantity of Hemp-seed may be beaten and infus'd in White-Wine all Night and both the Wine and the Seed given to the Horse in the Morning A Cough may be also cur'd by giving the Horse a handful of Juniper-Berries every Day for a considerable time Take the Wood and Leaves of Tamarisk either dry or green tho' the latter is best stamp 'em and give 'em to your Horse with moisten'd Oats or Bran beginning with a small quantity and augmenting the Dose every Day to a large Spoonful A Remedy for the Cough Take a Pound of newly churn'd Butter before 't is wash'd and a like quantity of Honey with two Ounces of Juniper-Berries beaten mix and make Pills rolling 'em up with Powder of Liquorice Give your Horse a Dose with a Pint or a Pint and half of White-Wine keeping him Bridl'd two Hours before and three Hours after Repeat the same two or three times interposing a Day or two between the Doses Another Remedy Take of clear Oil of Walnuts newly drawn one Pint common Honey a Pound and thirty Grains of White-Repper beaten Incorporate 'em all together and give the whole quantity to the Horse Repeat the Dose if there be occasion and the second will perfect the Cure Grate two or three Nutmegs and give 'em to your Horse with half a Pint of Brandy One Dose of this Remedy has often cur'd the Cough but if the Horse be old you must repeat it or prepare that which follows Take a small Porringer of dry Pigeon's-Dung beat it and infuse it all Night in a Quart of White-Wine in the Morning heat it till it begin to boil then strain out the Liquor add two Ounces of Juice of Liquorice and make your Horse drink it up Repeat the same thrice interposing one Day between the Doses after which the Cough will probably be cur'd The English Pills for an Old Cough An Inveterate Cough is one of the most stubborn Distempers incident to Horses I have already propos'd several Remedies that have been often but not always attended with Success The following Pills cur'd Horses that were troubl'd with this Distemper six Months and sometimes a whole Year after a fruitless Tryal of other Remedies Take Flower of Brimstone four Ounces Annisâ—eds beaten two Ounces Liquorice dry'd in the shade and beaten four Ounces Bay-Berries in fine Powder four Ounces brown Sugar-Candy six Ounces good Treacle four Ounces Oil-Olive eight Ounces Tarr two Ounces Beat 'em in a Mortar till they be well incorporated and mix 'em with four Eggs beaten in a Dish without the Shells
breaking 'em all together in a Mortar till they be reduc'd to a hard Mass or Paste Make Pills weighing ten Drams each and dry 'em in the Shade on a Hair Sieve turn'd upside down When you intend to give your Horse this Remedy let him have his usual Allowance of Meat and then make him swallow a whole Pill in a Pint of Red or White Wine 'T is not absolutely necessary to keep him Bridl'd before you exhibit the Medicine but 't is certainly most convenient to let him stand Bridl'd an Hour before You must always remember to walk him about an Hour after and then you may ride him and in the mean time you may either work or ride him or put him in a Coach or if not you must keep him Bridl'd two Hours after the Dose Continue after the same manner to give him a Pill once a-day till the Cough be wholly cur'd if the Distemper be inveterate the Cure will at least require twenty Doses The same Pills may be also beaten and mix'd with moisten'd Bran. They may be kept very long and never grow moudly tho' they are almost always moist Tho' your Horse be not troubl'd with the Cough to preserve him from accidental Inconveniencies you may give him one of these Pills in the Morning before Hunting or hard Riding CHAP. CXXII Of. Châ—st-Foundering and Foundering accompany'd with a Fever THis Kind of Foundering is a preternatural Heat caus'd by the Fermentation of Humours in the Guts and Passages of Respiration and is accompany'd with the same Signs that denote Pursiveness but the Symptoms are more violent Only there is this difference between these two Distempers that there are few Horses troubl'd with Pursiveness at the Age of six Years whereas there are many founder'd This Distemper is often occasion'd by riding a Horse from his Wind and beyond his Strength It frequently accompanies the Melting of the Grease and sometimes 't is occasion'd by the Application of a violent Caustic or giving the Fire too roughly for the Cure of Diseases in the Feet but in this last Case the Distemper is not dangerous since it may be easily Cur'd by injecting one or two Clysters with Sal Polychrest Sometimes this follows some other Distempers when the Humours that fomented 'em are not entirely evacuated and continue to send up sharp hot and malignant Vapours which irritate the Lungs and cause the extraordinary Motion that is observ'd in ' em Horses are also Subject to this Distemper if they be suffer'd to feed on corrupt Provender when they are Young as Grass frozen in the Meadows during the Winter which putrefies in the Body and breeds a Ferment that occasions either this or some other dangerous Distemper 'T is caus'd by an Obstruction in the Passages of the Lungs which hinders Respiration if this Obstruction be newly generated or proceed from hot and subtil Matter it may be easily cur'd by the Application of convenient Remedies if it be not accompany'd with a Fever in which Case 't is frequently Mortal The Remedies prescrib'd for the Cure of this Distemper ought to be temperate and rather inclining to Cold than Heat to allay and stop the Fermentation and Ebullition of the Humors whereas the Medicines that are prescrib'd to pursive Horses must be rather Hot than Cold. In the Cure of this Distemper we must endeavour to allay the Heat that occasions the Boiling of the Humors prescribing all the Medicines in a liquid Form to dilute and qualifie the Heat of the Ingredients The Electuary prescrib'd in the preceding Chapter for the Cough is very useful in this Case and will certainly perform the Cure if it be administer'd regularly and repeated for a considerable Time If your Horse eat heartily you may cure him of his Distemper by giving him every Day from one to two Ounces of Liver of Antimony mix'd with moisten'd Bran but if he be naturally squeamish or has lost his Appetite on this Occasion 't will be in vain to attempt this Method If the Horse be Young and not troubl'd with a Fever the surest and easiest Method of Cure is to turn him out to Grass when the Herbs begin to spring forth and to leave him in the open Fields under the Dew during the Months of April and May for the young dewy Grass will scowre his Body and open the Passages Green Barley is also an excellent Remedy for this Distemper If this Method be impracticable by reason of the Inconveniency of the Place or of the Season of the Year you may observe the following Directions Feed your Horse with Wheat-Sheaves and Barley without allowing him either Hay or Oats Let him blood in the Flanks at the New Moon and the next Day give him a softening and opening Clyster which may be thus prepar'd Take of the five opening Roots beaten that is the Roots of Grass Madder Eringo or Sea-holm Capers and Rest-Harrow of each an Ounce Sal Polychrest half an Ounce boil the Ingredients in five Pints of Water for a Quarter of an Hour after which add the five softening Herbs namely Mallows Marsh-Mallows Mercury Violets and Pellitory of the Wall of each a Handful Boil 'em a quarter of an Hour longer then strain the Decoction add half a Pound of Honey prepar'd with the Herb Mercury and inject it by way of Clystâ—â— in the Evening repeating the same five or six Days together The Day after the administring of the last Clyster take White Mullein and Coltsfoot of each two Handfuls Chop 'em and boil 'em in three Pints of Water for a quarter of an Hour with half an Ounce of Sal Polychrest in Powder Assoon as you remove the Vessel from the Fire add three Handfuls of fresh Corn-Poppy Flowers or half an Ounce of the same Flowers dry'd and covering the Pot let 'em stand in Infusion till the Liquor be half cold then strain and adding an Ounce of Juice of Liquorice give the whole Decoction to your Horse with a Horn at Night inject the Clyster and next Morning repeat the Decoction Administer the same Remedies once every two Days for the Space of twelve Days but if during that time the Horse forsake his Meat you must endeavour to restore his Appetite by making him champ on a Chewing-Ball two Hours in the Morning and as long after Dinner and forbear the Use of the Decoction till he begins to eat heartily but this Inconveniency may be prevented notwithstanding the Use of the above-mention'd Remedies by giving him two Ounces of Liver of Antimony in Bran every Day when he is not oblig'd to take the Decoction which will not only preserve his Appetite but promote the Cure If these Remedies prove ineffectual and the Disease continue for a considerable Time it may at last degenerate to Pursiveness to prevent which if your Horse be of a phlegmatic Constitution Slow and Lazy you may give him the following Remedy to expel the thick and slimy Phlegm but if he be of a dark Sorrel Colour or
fiery and full of Mettle this Medicine wou'd make him extremely sick tho' a Couple of Clysters administer'd in the Height of the Sickness might perhaps prevent the ill Effects of it if you take care in the mean time to walk him frequently And besides 't is to be observ'd that this Remedy must not be given to a Horse either in the Beginning of the Disease or when 't is accompany'd with a Fever for it wou'd purge his Life out of his Body Take two or three Pounds of Fat of Bacon cut into thin Slices steep it in Water till it be fresh changing the Water five or six times once every two Hours in the mean time take red Colewort not a headed Cabbage and white Mullein of each two large Handfuls Carduus Benedictus one Handful Chop 'em small and beat 'em to a Mash in a Mortar with the fresh Fat of Bacon Form this Mass into Pills like Tennis-Balls and roll 'em up with Powder of Liquorice that they may not stick to your Fingers when you put 'em into the Horse's Mouth After the Horse has taken six or seven of these Pills give him a little Wine with a Horn or even after every Pill if you perceive that your Horse swallows 'em with Difficulty and after he has taken all the Pills wash his Mouth with a Pint of Wine and afterwards pour it down his Throat besides which you must allow another Pint to be taken with the Pills The Horse must stand bridl'd four Hours before and as long after If this Remedy be attended with Success to compleat the Cure you must begin the former Course with the Decoctions and Clysters but if it proves ineffectual administer the following Remedy Take the Leaves of Red Colewort not headed Cabbage which is not only useless but hurtful and Carduus Benedictus of each three Handfuls White Mullein and Colt's-foot of each three Handfuls Juniper-Berries one Handful Boil 'em half an Hour in two Quarts of Water then remove the Vessel from the Fire and add to the boiling Decoction two Handfuls of fresh Corn-Poppy Flowers or one Handful of 'em dry'd Cover the Pot immediately and when 't is almost cold strain out the Liquor adding as much Saffron as is sufficient to tinge it with a yellow Colour with two Ounces of Liquid Conserve of Roses and having given your Horse a Clyster the Day before make him drink up this Decoction repeating the same Clyster in the Evening and continuing after the same manner for twelve Days if your Horse's Stomach be not disorder'd in which Case you must forbear the Use of the Remedies till his Appetite be restor'd After the twelve Days are expir'd if his Flanks be sound without any Palpitation you must not overwhelm Nature with a Heap of Remedies but allow her Time to compleat the Victory and utterly to destroy her Enemy that is already weaken'd by the Medicines Since usually the preternatural Heat which causes the Distemper is augmented by the Remedies and the internal Parts heated and wasted 't will be necessary to restore the Natural and destroy the Preternatural Heat and to remove the remaining Obstructions by giving the Horse every Day an Ounce of Sal Prunellae in Powder and two Nutmegs grated and mixt with moisten'd Bran. The Use of this Remedy must be continu'd for a long time unless the Horse forsake his Meat in which Case instead of Sal Prunellae 't will be convenient to give him two Ounces of Liver of Antimony in Powder which procures an Appetite without cooling the Body so much as the other CHAP. CXXIII Remedies for Obstructions of the Lungs caus'd by Foundering A Young Horse who had so great an Oppression in the Flanks that he was thought to be Pursive and given over for lost was perfectly cur'd by the following Remedy Take Carduus Benedictus Mossie Lung-wort chopt small of each one Handful Missleto of the Oak beaten an Ounce Roots of Marsh-Mallows and Elecampane stampt in a Mortar half an Ounce Hyssop two Handfuls boil the Ingredients about half an Hour then press out the Liquor and add half an Ounce of Juice of Liquorice an Ounce of Liquorice beaten to Powder Anniseed and Fennelseed reduc'd to fine Powder of each half an Ounce a Scruple of Saffron half a Pound of Clarify'd Honey and a Quart of White Wine Mix and make a Decoction to be given blood-warm to the Horse at two Doses who must stand bridl'd six Hours before and after you have walk'd him an Hour must be kept bridl'd four Hours longer This Decoction must be exhibited four Days together then intermit three Days and afterwards give him four Doses more This Remedy will ease him very considerably and even absolutely cure him if he be Young But if you perceive no Benefit by the Use of it you may exhibit the Purging Medicine describ'd in the preceding Chapter observing diligently all the Circumstances and Directions mention'd there And afterwards give him the following Powder which may be also given safely and with good Success without any preceding Evacuation Take three Pound of Linseed dry'd in a Furnace according to the Method describ'd in one of the preceding Chapters Gentian three Ounces Fenugreek two Ounces Elecampane an Ounce and a half Sage and Hyssop of each three Ounces Brimstone half a Pound Mix and make a Powder The Dose is two Spoonfuls mixt with Bran every Morning till the whole Powder be taken and the Horse must stand bridl'd an Hour and a half after every Dose If the Disease continue still give him a Clyster for tho' it will not perfect the Cure it may perhaps give him Ease if it be frequently repeated And afterwards suffer Nature to act for she will quickly subdue her Enemy if you assist her with a well-regulated Diet. The most dangerous Kind of these Distempers is that which is accompany'd with a Fever which not only torments the Horse extremely but makes so quick a progress that it will not admit of so long a Delay as is requir'd for the administring of the above-mention'd Remedies You must begin the Cure with one of these two Clysters Make a Decoction of the softening Herbs chopt small and dissolving half a Pound of Honey in the strain'd Liquor inject it luke-warm Or you may give one of these Clysters in the Morning and the other in the Evening if you think fit Boil an Ounce of Crocus Metallorum reduc'd to fine Powder in five Pints of Beer for half a Quarter of an Hour then suffering it to settle pour off the Liquor strain it thro' a Linnen Cloth doubl'd add a quarter of a Pound of Butter inject the whole luke-warm and the next Day exhibit the following Remedy CHAP. CXXIV A Remedy for a Founder'd Horse that is troubl'd with a Fever and very sick TAke the distill'd Waters of Carduus Benedictus and Sccbious of each six Ounces Water of the Herb call'd Queen of the Meadows Cinnamon Water and Succory Water of each four Ounces Liquid Conserve of
this Distemper for the Farcin and put themselves to needless Trouble and Charge for the Cure of it 'T is occasion'd by a Redundancy of Blood over-heated by several Accidents and other Causes already mention'd For the thinnest and most subtil part of the Blood penetrating the Substance of the Flesh causes external Tumours resembling the Farcin And long Rest and want of Exercise are usually the occasional Causes of this Distemper by hindering the Dissipation of superfluous Humours You may easily cure this Distemper by Bleeding your Horse plentifully once or twice in the Neck-Veins These Tumours are distinguish'd from the Farcin both by the suddenness of their Appearance and of the Cure for sometimes they overspread the Body in one Night And besides they are neither hard nor fasten'd to the Flesh These Swellings are oftentimes repell'd and driven inwards by unseasonable Bleeding and the Horse is seiz'd with a Fever in which Case you must immediately give him a Clyster and an Hour after an Ounce or two of Treacle or Diatessaron in Wine which by driving out the Humour will give Ease to the Horse and at last cure him Some Horses are troubl'd from time to time with little Knots or Bunches in several parts of their Body occasion'd by the Boiling or rather excessive Heat of their Blood for the most subtle and choleric Particles being driven outwards to the external Parts of the Body form these little Tumours part of which break and disappear and the rest are dissolv'd by insensible Transpiration The general and most effectual way to cure all these Ebullitions is to mix with your Horse's Bread those Remedies that are endu'd with a Virtue to cool and purifie the Blood Thus Liver of Antimony given to the quantity of an Ounce and a half every Day will safely and quickly dissolve all those Knots and sweeten your Horse's Blood Three or four Doses of the Cinnabar-Pills are also very effectual in this Case You may prevent this Distemper by giving your Horse Sal Prunellae in his Bran which will expel those Bilious Serosities that usually cause these Symptoms and perhaps drive 'em out by the Urinary Passages The same Remedy allays the Heat of the Blood and Intrails and prevents the Farcin and other Distempers occasion'd by the Heat of the Blood For the Satisfaction of the Curious I shall insert the Preparation of Sal Prunellae which is a very useful Medicine both for Men and Horses CHAP. CL. Crystal Mineral or Sal Prunellae THis is only Nitre or Salt-Petre fix'd with Sulphur to prevent its Solution Take Salt-Petre of the fourth Solution melt it in a Crucible or Iron Pot and when you perceive that 't is entirely reduc'd to a liquid Form throw a little Brimstone upon it Assoon as the Flame ceases cast some more Brimstone into the Crucible continuing after the same manner till you have thrown in an Ounce of Flower of Brimstone for every Pound of Salt-Petre which must be kept in Fusion during the whole Operation Then take out the Salt-Petre with an Iron Spoon and put it into a little Copper Bason which being plac'd in a Pailful of cold Water the Mineral will congeal at the Bottom and appear as white as Snow An Iron Pot is more fit for this Operation than Crucibles which are usually pierc'd and crack'd with the Salt-Petre unless you can procure a good German Crucible For the better understanding of a Passage in the Beginning of the preceding Description it will not be amiss to acquaint the Reader that Salt-Petre is found congeal'd into Chrystals in the Water which is pour'd for that purpose on Lime and Plaister taken from the Ruines of old Buildings and mixt with Ashes This Water is afterwards boil'd till a Scum appear on the Top and then set in a cold place in Woodden Vessels where Chrystals of a long Figure and rusty Colour are form'd which is Salt-Petre of the first Solution Then dissolve these Chrystals in clean Water strain it thro' a Woollen Cloth boil it as before and when 't is cold the Salt-Petre of the second Solution will appear in Chrystals which are proper for the making of Gun-Powder Liver of Antimony and several other Preparations For if the Nitre were too fine and violent it wou'd carry off part of the Antimony that is mixt with it If you wou'd have your Salt-Petre more pure and refin'd dissolve it in Water filtrate boil and chrystallize as before to procure Salt-Petre of the third Solution repeating the same Operation as often as you think fit for if the Salt-Petre be not very pure 't is impossible to make fine Sal Prunellae Crystal Mineral is not only fix'd by the Sulphur but purg'd of those Arsenical Spirits of which it was full so that 't is entirely freed of all Sharpness and Malignity It purifies and cools the Blood and Intrails allays and stops the Ebullition of the Humours in Fevers powerfully opens all Obstructions opens and incides the Body of Medicines that their Virtues may be the better extracted and in one Word 't is a very cooling Remedy without Acrimony or Biting You may give an Ounce and a half of it every Day in moisten'd Bran mixt with half an Ounce of Juniper-Berries beaten or dissolve three or four Ounces of it in a Pailful of Water for your Horse's ordinary Drink and it may be also conveniently mix'd with purging Medicines Every Author extols the Virtues of this Remedy but I have only insisted on its Usefulness for Horses So Cooling a Medicine ought to be cautiously administer'd to Horses whose Constitution is different from that of Men And therefore when you give it in moisten'd Bran 't will be convenient to add half an Ounce of Juniper-Berries beaten to qualifie and correct the extreme Coldness of the Remedy which notwithstanding its great Usefulness in other Respects oftentimes destroys the Horse's Appetite and makes his Hair stare But some Horses have the Advantage of such strong Appetites that the Use of this Medicine tho' administer'd alone produces not the least ill Effect upon their Stomachs And I have made some Horses eat three or four Pounds of it without disordering their Stomachs or making 'em forsake their Meat CHAP. CLI Of the Shedding of the Hair from the Head accompany'd with the Mange And of the Falling of the Hair from the rest of the Body especially about the Neck and hinder part of the Thighs THE Heat that occasions these Disorders is not always an Effect of Distempers in the Intrails but sometimes proceeds from a Corruption of the Humours and is the more dangerous because it may degenerate into a Fever The remote Causes of this Heat are immoderate and violent Exercise too hot Nourishment such as Clover Beans c. Fatness of the Body and a hot or choleric Constitution The Signs are evident for the Hair sheds and falls off from several parts of the Body the Horse is tormented with a violent Itching and several other Symptoms are visible Marks
is an excellent Remedy to ripen Matter in any part of the Body where the Skin is broken and when the circumstances of the Disease require the Sore to be kept open You may apply either of these Remedies according to the greatness of the Swelling Vegetius in the Eighth Chapter of his Third Book where he treats of the Swelling of the Stones orders 'em to be anointed Morning and Evening with the Powder of Burnt-Barley mixt with Hog's-Grease adding that a Dog's-Gall is of admirable efficacy in this case These Remedies are cheap and safe but I cannot recommend 'em from my own Experience CHAP. CLXIV Of the Lask Looseness or Flux of the Belly THis Disease is so frequently Mortal I mean when it attacks Horses that it ought never to be neglected when it comes without a manifest Cause But a Horse may be seiz'd with a Looseness without any considerable Danger after the drinking of cold Water in Summer or of melted Snow and after the eating of tender Grass or other Aliments and Medicines that may be rather said to produce a good Effect by loosening the Horse's Belly and expelling part of the Impurities that are lodg'd in his Body But this is not the Disease treated of in this Chapter The Lask or Flux is caus'd by the Weakness of the Stomach that cannot digest the Nourishment which consequently passes thro' the Guts and is voided at the Fundament almost without any Alteration It proceeds also from the Corruption of the Humours that are either gather'd in the Stomach or flow thither from the neighbouring Parts and by disturbing Nature in the Performance of her important Work of Concoction provoke her to a vigorous Endeavour in order to their Expulsion These Humours are not always raw and cold for oftentimes the Guts are scowr'd by an Inundation of Choler which may be call'd a Natural Clyster This kind of Flux is rarely dangerous and even not unfrequently profitable It is an ill Sign when the Aliments are voided entire without the least Mark of Digestion For 't is absolutely impossible for Nature to repair her Losses and regain her wonted Vigour without fresh Supplies of Nourishment and 't is plain that she receives not any considerable Advantage from the Nourishment when it only passes thro' the Body without undergoing any Change Besides these Internal Causes this Distemper may be occasion'd by eating too much Provender in which Case it may be easily cur'd by diminishing the usual Allowance of Food Sometimes 't is caus'd by eating mouldy or rotten Hay frozen Grass and other unwholsome Nourishment as also by drinking very cold Water and by immoderate and fatiguing Exercise This Distemper may also proceed from want of Exercise drinking immediately after the eating of a great quantity of Oats excessive Fatness feeding on Rye Straw and an ill Disposition of the whole Body To discover the Nature of the Humour that causes and foments the Disease you must consider the Excrements that are voided for if they boil and ferment upon the Ground you may conclude that the Distemper proceeds from over-heated Choler if they be white 't is a Sign of Crudity if they be watery they denote a great Weakness of the Stomach A Remedy for the Flux If the Excrements be mixt with small Pieces or Scrapings of the Guts you have reason to fear an Ulcer in those Parts which usually proves fatal if the Danger be not speedily prevented by a seasonable Cooling of the Entrails which may be effected by the following Remedy Take Barley and the Roots of Marsh-Mallows beaten of each two Ounces Powder of Sal Prunellae an Ounce Boil 'em in three Quarts of Water to one Quart The Dose is a Pint two or three times a day This Decoction allays the Inflammation of the Entrails sweetens the Acrimony of the Humors reduces the Choler to its natural State and destroys the preternatural Heat that occasions the Fever If this Distemper be caus'd by Flegm you must strengthen the Stomach evacuate the redundant Humours and bind and strengthen the relax'd Parts These Indications require the Use of the Cordial-Powder or Pills the Electuary of Kermes Treacle and other hot Remedies that are endu'd with a Virtue to strengthen and corroborate the Parts The Cure of this kind of Flux is easier than in the other Cases The Looseness of the Belly or Flux is frequently an Effect of a vigorous struggle of Nature to throw off and expel a troublesome Load of Humours But if it continue longer than three Days and be attended with the Loss of Appetite it may produce dangerous Consequences for sometimes Horses are founder'd by the long Continuance of this Distemper Therefore you must endeavour to prevent the Danger by the seasonable Application of convenient Remedies and by keeping the Horse to a regular Diet. You must not suffer your Horse to eat Oats but feed him with Bran moisten'd with Claret if he have not too strong an Aversion against it Barley parch'd on a Peel at the Fire and then ground is very good in this Case and you must also chuse the best Hay To proceed to the Use of Remedies you may begin with this scowring Clyster A Scowring Clyster Take Wheat Bran well sifted and whole Barley of each two Handfuls red Roses a Handful true Opium slic'd small half a Dram Boil 'em in Whey or steel'd Water for the space of a quarter of an Hour then add the Leaves of wild Succory Agrimony Beets white Mullein and Mercury of each one Handful In two Quarts of the Decoction dissolve the Yolks of six Eggs Honey of Roses and brown Sugar of each four Ounces Mix and make a Clyster After this Clyster has scowr'd the Guts and expell'd part of the corrupt Matter that was lodg'd in 'em you may give your Horse two Ounces of Liver of Antimony in moisten'd Bran or half an Ounce of the Golden Sulphur of Antimony persisting in this Method for a considerable Time For these Medicines strengthen the Entrails allay the Ebullition or Fermentation of the Humours and contribute very effectually to the Cure of this Distemper This done you may inject the following Clyster A Cooling and Binding Clyster Take Knot-Grass or instead of that Shepherd's Purse and white Mullein of each one Handful Leaves of Plantane two Handfuls Flowers of wild Pomegranates half a Handful the Seeds of Myrtles Lettuce and Plantane of each two Ounces Beat the Seeds and boil 'em in three Quarts of Beer or Barley-Water with half a Dram of good Opium cut into thin slices then put in the Herbs and afterwards a Handful of dry'd Roses Add to the Straining half a Pound of Honey of Roses and four Ounces of Sugar of Roses Mix and make a Clyster to be administer'd after the usual Manner A Potion for the Flux If the Flux be not stopp'd or at least abated by the above-mention'd Preparations of Antimony after these two Clysters you must give the following Potion continuing to repeat the Clysters from time to