things which are very hot as Wines Spices Salt and salt meates c and also from raw fruites greene hearbes and all cold thinges or at the least vse of these as little as thou maiest For thy body being emptied it is very requisite thou make supply with those thinges which are of good nutriment and fittest to breed good blood For otherwise it is but vaine to take away that which is bad and to fill the place with that which is worsse Wherefore let thy Drinke be Ale thy Bread of the finest of good Wheate whereof also eate very little thy Meates for the most part boyled and such as are fine and light of digestion 14 In any wise read and marke well these rules before thou take of the potion For the Head-ach and for such as are much bound and haue their excrement alwayes hard and dry also for the swimming of the Head and for red and sore Eyes The fourth Chapter THe Head-ach proceedeth of diuers causes First of heate and chiefely of the Sunne which heateth the Braine and blood about the Head and this kind of Head-ach is sayd to be of heat alone without the mixture of any Humour causing the same 2 The second kind of Head-ach contrarie to the first is of cold alone and happeneth most vnto those who hauing long vsed to keepe their heads warme suddainly take cold But because these two kindes happen seldome also for the most part stay not long and the causes being knowne may easily be preuented I write nothing touching the cure of the same There are also diuers other griefes of the Head but mine intent is to speake here onely of the cure of those which follow 3 The third kind of headach is of fulnes when the partie liuing in great securitie some some feedeth his bodie excessiuelie euen vntill his Eies swell with fatnesse and his whole Bodie be puffed vp like a bladder 4 The fourth kind is of corrupt humors which abounding in great quantitie are the verie present cause alone of the Headach without any other accidentall matter For cure of this third fourth kind take of my Potion so much as shall giue thee three foure or fiue stooles a daie for eight daies or longer vntill thy head and bodie be well emptied In this sort shalt thou vse the potion for the cure of the swimming or giddinesse of the head and for sore and red watering eies 5 The fift kind is of the fume of corrupt humors not of the humors themselues for that the corruption lying in the stomach onely casteth vp to the braine euill fumes which offende the same being of all other partes the most sensible For cure of the fift kind take of my Potion so much as shall giue thee foure or fiue stooles a day for three dayes and keepe thy bed one houre after the same but sleep not 6 There is also one other kind of head-ach which proceedeth of the excrement continuing ouer-long in the body whereof I thinke it very necessarie to speake After thou hast receiued thy food first Nature sucketh from it that which is thin and pure leauing the rest as grosse corrupt And if then it remaine longer in the body the noysome fumes thereof it being now an excrement and hauing lost the nature of a nutriment ascend vp to the Braine and cause the Head-ach also otherwise nature being as yet forced to feede thereupon it greatly infecteth the body So that it is in reason a thing vnpossible for him to be long in health who is much costiue or bound in his body For cure of this sixt and last kind take for ten or twelue dayes together or longer euery morning fasting so much of my Potion as shall giue thee one stoole a day more then ordinarie And when thou hast brought thy body to good order take alway lesse and lesse for by that meanes thou shalt toll nature on to doe her worke without helpe And in any wise remember that euery morning both whilest thou vsest the Potion and afterwards also thou offer thy selfe to the Stoole although thou feele no prouocation For Pimples or other itching humors rising in the face and for all itches of the bodie a verie rare ointment The fift Chapter FOr the Pimpies or other itching humors rising in the face when you goe to bed annoint the place lightlie euery night and in the morning moisten it with a litle new milke and wipe it for your bodie annoynt when you go to bed by a fire foure or fiue nights which will kill an itch be it neuer so olde For those that are troubled with Biles itches scabs and such like proceeding of inward infection The sixt Chapter SOme by nature from their Parents some by long and euill diet others by companie haue their bodies inclined to Biles Scabs itches and such like all which I will teach thee to cure euenin as perfect an order as thou maâ—est wash a foule vessell with faire water Take of the potion so much as shal giue thee foure stooles a daie for three daies The fourth day take of the rootes of Briony which thou shalt haue at maister Claphams and boile halfe an ounce thereof and one whole mase in a pint of ale gently halfe an houre then adde thereto a little Sugar And let the Patient drinke a good draught thereof warme and keepe his Bedde and sweat three houres aud during his sweat now and then let him take more of this Ale vntill he haue taken the whole pint but if it be a Child lesse as the age dooth require Use this order three daies together and longer if the disease haue beene of long continuance Note that in Sweating the patient must rubbe his bodie with warme clothes to take away such corruption as commeth out by sweating Note also that by this meanes thou maiest preuent the Pockes and Meazels in Children and others in such sort as they shall be vnapt to take them as they which haue had them For those that are full of Flegeme also for the Cough and shortnesse of breath for such as haue taken an heat and cold and for those which are towards the consumption of the Lunges The Seuenth Chapter THey whose bodyes are full of flegme and haue their Lunges stuffed with the same or other corruption so that thereby they are troubled with the Cough are thus to be cured Take of my Potion for three dayes euery morning fasting so much as will giue thee foure or fiue stooles a day for thereby thou shalt finde thy body vnladen of much Flegme Then take one handfull of the hearbe called Tussilago or otherwise Vngula caballina Lickerish scraped and brused 2. ounces Aniseed brused halfe an ounce I soppe foure branches boyle these in three pintes of water gently vntill halfe bee consumed then straine put therto three ounces of Sugar or Sugar-candie which is better Drinke hereof a reasonable quantitie well warmed euery morning one houre before you rise for ten
matter in hand and I know my slender receipt shall be greatly suspected for the working of so rare an effect But notwithstanding being greatly incouraged by experience and reason hir good Lady and Gouernesse I will boldly proceed heerein Take on thy two good dayes euery day so much of my Potion fasting as will giue thee sixe or seuen stooles The third day which is thy fit day passe ouer as thou thinkest good for I prescribe thee nothing The fourth day take of the Water whereof I spake in the Chapter before a reasonable draught warmed early and keepe thy bed sweat moderatly fiue or sixe houres and during thy sweat drinke now and then Ale clarified warme into euery draught put three spoonefuls of the Water and one spoonefull of good wine vineger Use this order foure dayes togither If the Quartan forsake thee not in that time which I thinke almost impossible vpon thy next fit day two hours before thy cold take the like quantitie of the water as before and sweat vntill the time of thy cold be past and in thy sweate drinke Ale clarified as before also Use this order three times onely vpon thy fit dayes After thy fits haue left thee take ten dayes together of my Potion so much as will giue theâ— dayly two stooles Note that this Water being dispearsed in thy bodie by naturall heate stirred vp in sweating doth in wonderfull sort ripen and digest the matter of the quartane Ague so that it far excelleth all the preparatiues of the world For thereby alone I haue cured many without purging but it is farre better to purge For the Tertian Ague which commeth euery second day The 18. Chapter TAke of Centuary sixe handfuls Endiue twelue handfuls distill these with a very gentle fire and keepe the water close stopped in a Glasse but let the Glasse bee but halfe full for so it will keepe the better For cure first let the Patient take so much of my Potion as will giue him fiue or six stooles on his good day the next day two houres before his fit will come giue him a reasonable draught of the Water warmed well whereunto ad a little sugar and let him keepe his bed and sweate three or foure houres and in his sweat let him drinke Ale clarified and in euery draught of Ale put two or three spoonefuls of the water vse this order also the second fit and thou shalt giue the Feuer such a check that it dareth not assault the patient any more Be carefull and thou mayest cure many extreame hot Feuers with this Water euen in one fit but after the fittes bee gone purge and so shalt thou deale very orderly thou mayest make a Water of Celendine alone which will cure the quotidian tertian and quartan Agues is this sort Take this Hearbe when it bloweth and is in greatest force chop it very small and digest it in a close vessell of Glasse ten dayes in Balneo Mariae which done thou shalt find it blacke and of a very sweete and pleasant sauour then distill it with a gentle heat and when in thy iudgement thou hast halfe the Water take it away keepe it by it selfe then increase the heate of the fire and get as much more Water as thou canst These Waters are to be vsed as the others whereof I haue spoken in the cure of these agues but the first water being of the colder nature doth cure onely the Tertian the second being hotter cureth the quotidian and quartan A generall cure for all Agues The 19. Chapter TAke a good draught warmed of the Iulip for Agues one houre before your fit and keepe your Body very warme and within halfe an houre take as much also in like sort take also in the same order the third draught in three fits this cureth all Agues orderly vsed If the Patient keepe his Bed and sweate in taking the Iulip hee may be the sooner cured For the Plague The 20. Chapter THere be three speciall causes of this disease The first is the iust iudgement of GOD for the sinnes of the people And herein I consent with the Diuines that in this case the Plague commeth as it were by the commandement of God and then in vaine worketh the pollicie of Man vnto health where the power of the Almightie worketh to destroy Wherefore repentance and amendment of life is the only salue for the sore Yet withall for that we are ignorant of the determination of God I wish no man to omit such naturall meanes as he hath prouided for the preseruation of our natural bodyes least thereby he tempt him The second kind proceedeth of the corruption of the Ayre which is of two sorts the one generall the other particular The Ayre is generally infected by the distemperature of the Heauens which thou shalt know in this sort The weather is long darke cloudy foggy stifeling very hot and moyst also our bodyes faint we loath the breath we draw for it bringeth a most sensible and present offence it is hard to keepe Flesh sweete litle Frogs Todes also flies Lobchesters Wormes of sundry sortes such as commonly proceed of putrifaction doe greatly abound and to conclude the Heauens do as it were refuse to draw the corruption from the Earth but rather seeme to yeelde downe againe such as they had taken away before The Ayre is particularly infected by the sauour of dead Carcases as it happeneth oft in battaile where many are slaine and lie vnburied which infecteth the particular â—lace onely where the bodyes lie also by the euill and putrified sauour of a fennie or marish ground or such like And further by the breath and sauour of the bodyes of such as throng togither in a taynting or stifeling sort especially in some close or sluttish place as it happeneth no doubt often in London and such like Cities of great resort that many lodge together in one small roome hauing perhaps as many Beds as the place will well containe And then after one houre or two how may any of these draw fresh or sweete breath but such as his fellowes haue drawne often before as also the rancke fume of their bodyes Both which are so contrary to Nature that some and some with continuance they infect the vitall spirites and breed such corruption as bursteth out into the Plague The third kind of Plague riseth of the corrupt Humours in mans body by euill diet ingendred And these last sorts come by the permission of God like as the first by his commandement To preuent this heauie griefe first I wish one old order to be renewed which was to make Fires in all great Cities Townes in the open streets vpon certaine dayes euery yeare which no doubt doth greatly cleanse and purifie the ayre And although this order was diligently obserued by the followers of the Pope yet I thinke they did it rather of policie then of religion and therefore being good it is not to be reiected Secondly I
which lieth in them but the purging doth take it away It were also more agreeing with physicke reason if thou purge a little before thy sweating to cleanse thy stomach and guts least such corruption as lyeth there be caried into the body But in the meaner sort who euer do expect suddaine helpe I often haue omitted the first purging yea and sometimes also they feeling ease haue neuer sought for the second Note if the Iaundise in short time after shew not himselfe perfectly cured let the patient sweat againe as before Note also hereby thou shalt cure the obstruction of the Liuer But the most easie and ready cure of the Iaundise is by the conserue for the Iaundise of which take euery morning fasting for ten dayes together as much as a Walnut and fast one houre after it For the Blacke Iaundise for the hardnesse and swelling of the Spleene or Milt also for the Piles The xiiij Chapter LIke as the Yellow Iaundise proceedeth of Choler so the Blacke Iaundise of Melancholie which ioyning with the Blood is dispearsed ouer the whole body It is knowne by diuers signes but chiefly by this token which wil serue for all They that are troubled with this Disease haue alwayes dry withered and blacke bodyes It is very hard to be cured and requireth great diligence of the patient for Melancholie is a very stubborne humour and without great digestion will not yeeld to any Purgation whatsoeuer For cure take Ceteracke the inner rine of the Ash the roots of the white Uine Parsely of each foure ounces hoyle these gently in three gallons of Whey clarified one houre at the least and being cold keepe it in some cleane vessell vntill the same bee well setled Take hereof well warmed a great draught or two euery morning fasting for thou canst not take too much and walke after it vntill the body be hot or else vse some other exercise to stirre thy blood that the Whey may bee the better dispearsed within thy body Take it at the least thirtie or fourtie daies together especially in the Spring and Fall But alwayes remember to take so much of my Potion with the Whey as will giue thee dayly one stoole more then ordinary Note that the Whey thus prepared doth digest some some the melancholy and the potion doth take it away from time to time as it is made fit to be purged Note also that it is good for thee to annoynt thy left side about thy girdle stead where the Spleene lyeth with oyle of Wormewood warmed or oyle of Brionie which is farre better Note thirdly that in this sort thou mayest cure the swelling and hardnesse of the Spleene also the Piles or Hemâ—rrhoides For the Greene-sicknesse The xv Chapter THis Disease happeneth when the Liuer is also weakened that it is not able to conuert the nutriment into blood but the digestion thereof is raw so that the whole body is filled with water and fleame in stead of good blood It is found most in Maydens who either of folly desire to abate their colour to be ouer fine or otherwise of childish appetite feede vpon such things as change the state of their bodyes which are these Apples Peares Plums Cheries and generally all raw Fruites and Hâ—â—rbes also Otemeale Wheate Barlie raw Milke and many other thinges of like nature They that haue this Disease are very pale and greenish if they chaunce to cut a Finger no Blood but Water will rather follow They feele a great paine in their heades with a continual panting or beating They are faint also with shortnes of breath and haue their naturall course stayed For cure take of my Potion for foure or fiue dayes euery day so much as shall giue thee fiue or sixe stooles The next day after thy Purging boyle halfe an ounce of the rootes of the white vine in a wine pint of Ale gently a quarter of an houre and drinke a good draught thereof and keepe thy bed and sweate three or foure houres more or lesse as the body of the patient will beare and in thy sweating drinke of thy Ale now and then vntill thou haue taken all or as much as thou canst The day following take a good draught of thy Ale in like sort prepared one houre before thou rise and keepe thy body warme without sweating vse this last order twelue dayes But it were farre better to walke after thy draught or to vse some other exercise whereof I haue spoken in the Chapter for the Rheume for one houre to heat stirre the humors in thy body Use withall onely meates of good nutriment and easie digestion thou shalt haue very speedy helpe and also perfect health For the quotidian Ague which commeth euery day The xvj Chapter TAke Centurie Burrage and Betonie of each three handfulles Fumiterrae one handfull Iuie berries one pint choppe all these very finely together and put them into a faire Stillatorie with one pint of White-wine and distill them with as gentle a Fire as is possible vntill thou haue all the Water which keepe in a Glasse close stopped with yellow Waxe For the Quotidian Ague let the patient take seauen or eight spoonefuls of this Water warmed two houres before his fit and keepe his bed and sweat three or foure houres and in his sweating let him drinke Ale clarified reasonable hot now and then and into euery draught put two spoonefuls of the Water The next day in like order two houres before his fit get him into a sweat and do in all thinges as before Note that the Water is more perfectly made if the thinges be first digested in a close vessell in Balneo Marie or Fimo equino eight or ten dayes Note also that these thinges orderly doone and the patient well kept from the ayre the Ague is cured in two dayes But if by some ouersight it chaunce to continue longer begin againe and vse the like order for two dayes as before Note thirdly it will be more easily cured if thou purge before thy sweating with so much of my Potion as will giue thee fiue or sixe stooles If a Child be sicke of a Quotidian or Tertian ague which being young will not bee perswaded to take inward things take an ounce of the Rootes of the white Uine beate them to Powder also take halfe so much wheat flower and boile both in a little milke vntill it be thicke then spread it vpon two linnen clothes bind it warme to the Wristes of the child when it is drie take fresh In foure daies for the most part the ague is thus cured it helpeth much also for all others and in all agues For the quartane ague The 17. Chapter THe Quartane Ague is a disease so hard to cure that it hath beene alwaies accounted the reproach and shame of the Physicians For it resisteth the fore of all their vsuall medicines and doth in despite of them triumph ouer their patient Wherefore I shall now take a hard