Harts-horne j. dram Citron pill Rootes of Angelica and Tormentill Rhubarb and Coralline of each halfe a dram Make these into fine Powder and giue it as is said in a little Carduus water sweetned with some sugar Thus much for Preservation in Health But if there be Suspicion of Infection you must then looke about for a new course In which case generally I condemne both Purging and Bleeding for I know no vse of them in resisting or expelling the Venom which is no other way effected but by Sweating and Running of the Soares Yet I confesse Phlebotomie hath his vse in Sanguine and Strong bodies so it be at the very first while the Spirits are strong and able of themselues to make good resistance But if that first opportunitie be let slip I thinke it better to let it alone altogether then to doe it out of season and so to impaire naturall strength which in this case ought most especially to be preserved and augmented Againe though Sweating be the true way yet it must not be violent for that also weakens the Spirits and makes the body faint therefore those Sweating Medicines must be mixed with Cordialls As for example Take Mithridate or London Triacle one dram Myrrh Enula Campane root and Butter burre roote of each ten graines Mixe these in a quarter of a Pint of Posset-ale and white Wine mixed together to which you may adde some sugar to make the taste somthing gratefull Goe into your warme bed then drinke this draught prescribed and cover you with a reasonable weight of cloths and so sweat two or three houres or somewhat more as your strength will beare But take heed you sleepe not in this while Then by degrees let the clothes be taken away first one and then another when you haue sweat sufficiently or as much as you can endure And let some one with warme Napkins wipe you drie and shift your linnen being very carefull of taking cold Then presently take this Iulep Take of Carduus water three ounces Syrup of Lemons one ounce Bole armoniake Tormentill Angelica roote of each one scruple Mixe all together and drinke it off Doe this once in twelue houres if you finde strength to beare it till you haue performed it at the least three times and at the second and third times before you beginne to sweat binde vnder either arme-hole and to eyther groyne some thin slices of Radish roots beaten with a little bay-salt and sprinckled with a little Vineager and Rose-water wrap them vp in foure little thin rags and apply them Also apply to the region of the heart that Quilt which I haue prescribed in stead of an Amulet When this is done and the Soares beginne to shew themselues follow the advise of those that are appointed to that purpose For I must not enter into the infected house Therefore farewell And the LORD in Mercie looke vpon this afflicted CITTIE FINIS IF any be pleased to vse my Antidotes I haue two Powders one is for daily vse called Pulvis Pestilentialis the other in case of speciall danger called Pulvis Vitalis I haue also an excellent Electuarie which I call Antiloimon for his singular vertue against the Plague I haue likewise Lozenges and Trochisks to hold in the mouth and rich Pomanders to smell too They were all of my Grand-fathers invention and haue beene proved to be admirably effectuall both by his and my Fathers experience I confesse they are costly but slight meanes and cheape Medicines how ever they promise proue as deare as death For we see by woefull observation that the Plague will not be repelled but by imperious encounters I could relate very true and admirable stories of the effects of those three Medicines aboue mentioned but I will begge no mans beliefe Whosoever knows any thing of the name of Iohn Banister must needs haue heard of many famous Medicines by him invented The first Powder is 12. pence a dram his quantitie to be taken at once is halfe a dram The second is 3. pence a graine the quantitie is 10. or 12. graines The Electuarie is 2. shillings 6 pence an ounce the quantitie is one or two drams Because many men know that I haue a whole volume of excellent Receipts left me both by my Grandfather and my Father and lest they should censure me as too strict and covetous in keeping all secret to my selfe I haue thought fit for the common good to divulge this excellent Antidote following Electuarium De Ovo Stephani Bradwelli Rs. vitelli ovi vnius Croci pulveriz scrup ij Conterantur simul donec in Pultiformam rediguntur Postea imponantur in alia testa vacua cum exiguo foramine in capite facto benè obturetur et lento igne donec testa nigrescit assetur Dein exempta materia exiecetur subtilissime pulverizetur Cui Adde rad tormentillae zedoariae Angelicae Valerianae Dictamni Aristolochiae rotunda ana vnc j. ss Myrrhae scrup iiij Baccarum lauri Baccarum Iuniperi and drach ss Corticis citri scrup ij ss sem citri sem cardui Benedicti ligni aloës ana scrup ij Cornu Cervini Boli armeni ana drach j. ss Moschi gr x. Pulveriz omnia subtiliss Adde etiam Conservae florum Calendulae vnc ij Theriacae Lond. vnc j. Cum aqua Cardui et sacchari q. s fiat Electuarium s ae THere is a Fellow in Distaffe Lane that disperseth Bills abroad bragging of a Medicine that was my Grandfather Banisters thinking vpon the fame of his name to get both glory and gaine to himselfe But let me warne all men to take heed of such impudent lyers My Grand-father was very scrupulous of giving any speciall Receipts to others But if any man can say he hath any Receipt of his I am sure if it were of any value I haue the Coppie of it But I professe vpon the word and credit of an honest man that among all his Receipts he hath not prescribed one Preservatiue Drinke for the Plague And besides his judgement ever was that the best forme of an Antidote was either Powder Pill or Electuarie Therefore this Drinke that he talkes of was either none of my Grandfathers or els some very slight thing by him little esteemed I cannot beare it that any should abuse the Kings people with sophisticate Medicines and lay the imputation vpon so famous and so all beloved a Man as Master Iohn Banister was Li. de Probitate Medici boni ad tempus appositi sunt ad occasionem eripiendum accōmodati Proëmium The Name The Causes The Qualities The Symptoms and Signes The Name The first and principall cause is God The way of Cure The influence of the Starres the second cause The cure of this Cause is the same with the former The Corruption of the Aire the third cause The Aire is corrupted by the windes and weather What Constitutiō of the Aire is most Contagious The necessitie of the Aire The Cure of this Cause Flight Citò Cede
dewe rayne c. And in vnholsome places such as haue bene reckoned already as also in drawing into the Body too much of such Aire as is Pestilent and contagious To cure this point of Diet we must proceede in purging the Aire and hauing done with the generall let vs now goe to purifie the Speciall and first of all that which is inclosed within the House Let every roome be kept continually very cleane leaue no sluttish corners let no water stand in any vessell so long as to putrifie which in a corrupt Aire especially in hot weather it will soone doe Cleanse all your vessels often wash those roomes that are in continuall vse both floores and wainscoting every morning and those which are able wash the Windowes Tables Cupboards Stooles Benches and all wainscotings in summer with rose-water and vineger and in winter with the Decoction of Rew Worme wood Balme c. And after these are washed wipe them allwayes drie againe for as I said before of slabbering the streets so much more vnholsome is it to leaue the roomes of the house wet hauing wiped them as drie as you can aire them also presently with fire A pan of fire set on the floore in the midst of the roome is the best quickest way of aireing it In the meane time let the windows and doores be shut But obserue this Enter not into the roome at least to tarry till it be aired and the fier taken away because then the heat and moysture are buisily working together which for the time of working till the heat haue prevailed is vnholsome And if you must needs goe in during that time make hast out againe and set the doore wide open while you tarrie for such vapours kept close haue suddenly depriued some of life before they haue felt themselues offended as Skenckius in his observ li. 2. De Partibus vitalibus observ xix proveth by diuerse examples And I could name some also of mine owne knowledge if need were Moreover while these roomes are thus aireing you may cast into these fiers in Cold weather Iuniper both the wood and the berries Pitch Turpentine Franckencense Storax Beniamin Oken-leaues Bay leaues c. Also at such a season you may strew your windows shelues ledges with Balme Mints Lavender Worme-wood Rew and such like warming smells And if the heat of them offend steep them in Vineager six houres and then strew them as before In hot weather Take a tile or a fier-shovell heated hot and poure into it an equall quantitie of whitewine vineager and Rose-water wherein a little camphor hath been dissolued with this perfume the roomes At such a time likewise strew the roomes with Primroses Rose-leaues Violets or some such coole or temperate smelling hearbs as the season will afford In temperate weather Rosemary and Bay-leaues in Rosewater heated in a perfuming pot is very sufficient Or take Pitch Tarre Turpentine Rosin of each a like quantitie melt them together on the fier and to every pound put in a pinte of vineager Boyle them to the consumption of the vineager Burne some of this daily at all seasons and in all weathers And if you adde to it the wood of Iuniper made into powder It will bee excellent If any vault or vnsauory sincke be so neere as to offend any roome of the house Aire that roome most and vse it least The other kinde of Speciall Aire is sayd to be that which is immediatly next to the person of every one This is to be purged Foure wayes 1. By things held in the mouth 2. By odours held to the nose 3. By Apparell 4. By Amulets For the first Of things held in the mouth some be Simple and some Compound Simple are Cloues Citron pills Roots of Tormentill Angelica Zedoarie and such like Compound are such as these following Take of London Triacle halfe an ounce mix it with the muscilage of Gumm Dragagant Rose water and a little sugar So make it vp into Rowles or Lozenges hold one in your mouth and let it dissolue therein all the while you are neare any place or person suspected to be infected You may also hold Mithridate in your mouth if the heat offend you not But a peece of a Citron pill alone is best of all in sommer And in winter a slice of Angelica roote Likewise generally at all seasons Iuniper berres steeped all night in whit-wine Vineager Or Cloues steeped in Rose vineager And in like manner may you steep slices of the Roots of Angelica Enulacampane Zedoarie Tormentill c. In Rose-water and vineager for they are too hot of themselues And for those that haue cold stomachs greene Ginger is exceeding good Secondly Odours that are to be carryed in the hand and held to the nose are also Simple and Compound Simple are Balme Mints Rue Worm-wood Penniroyall Myrtles Lauender c. But these hot hearbs are not fit for any but cold and flegmaticke complexions to vse them Simply and alone And it is a strange thing to see how all sorts of people play the fooles with their owne noses all carrying Worm-wood and thrusting it vp into their nostrills Wherein ten doe themselues iniurie for one that doth good For though they perceiue not the danger presently yet it must needs inflame their braine which being over heat will send downe such iuices to the heart as shall inflame that also and so bring them into a burning Feauor which is the high way to that Sicknes they most desire to shunne For the Brayne is the continuall spring that cooles the heart which office if it performe not the heart will soone over heat it selfe how much more will it be over heat then when that which should temper it bringeth distemper to it But people will be so skilfull that they thinke they need aske no counsell in these matters but like a flocke of sheep leap one after another they neither know whether nor wherefore It is good therefore to take the iuices of such hearbs as these and mix them with Rose-water and vineager and so carrie a sponge or handkercheif dipped therein And obserue this Allwayes mix cold smells with hot and even for cold constitutions also Let the cold odours be most praedominat for the greatest danger is in over-heating For hot things though they purge the Aire yet they inflame the Bloud and humors Therefore temper them according to the constitution of the body and weather Let them likewise be something Sweet For vnsauory smells doe dissolue the Spirits and weaken the faculties It is a sure rule that those things which nature abhoreth will alwayes hurt her but neuer help her except it be to euacuate in some case of repletion only Now for Compound Odours Take of London Triacle halfe an ounce Vineager an ounce rose-Rose-water two ounces Mixe them together till the Triacle be well dissolued Then dip a peece of a Sponge in this liquor
with Lemons Spices c. And those that are made with Sage Worm-wood Scorby-grasse and other such Ingredients vnto which may be added Metheglin Mead Bragget Vsquebath Hippocras Aqua-Vitae Rosa solis Aqua Composita and all strong and Compounded waters As these are indeed no other then Medicines so neither are they otherwise to be vsed that is alwayes with good Caution vpon good cause and with skilfull Counsell Pery and sweet Cyder are to be refused for their sweetness and coldness Wines though they are frequently vsed among sober people yet they are not so fit for the constitution of English men as Beere and Ale And this is evident in that the onely wise God who knoweth best what is fittest for every Region hath forbidden this Soyle to bring forth such things because they are either needlesse or not naturall to the Inhabitants Therefore it were good if all kindes of Wines were vsed of vs but as so many kindes of Medicines also that is onely to helpe Nature when shee is too weake to helpe her selfe in Concoction Retention and Excretion And among Wines in regard of the Sicknesse those that are new sweet blacke and troubled are forbidden Piercing Wines such as White and Rhenish for the reasons already alleaged in Piercing and Attenuating things I cannot allow of for ordinary vse though some Physitions doe As for Muskadell and Malego their sweet taste and that dullnesse of Spirit which is caused by them betrayes their vnfitnesse in times of Contagion And before I leaue this point let me leaue with you this Caveat Take heed into what houses you enter to drinke with your friend lest in stead of a health you drinke your death Let euery man drinke in his own cup and let none trust the breath of his Brother Also take heed of all drinkes that smell or taste of the Caske Now me-thinkes I heare one whisper in mine eare hee would faine know what I thinke of Tobacco he takes it to be the onely Antidote against the Plague I cannot stand to dispute the case deepely But I will briefly shew my opinion Tobacco hath these manifest Qualities It is Heating and Drying it evacuateth grosse Humors it draweth away Rheums it provoketh Vrine and keepeth the belly soluble There may be some times and some bodies wherein a Medicine having these opening qualities may be vsed as namely to a Cold and Flegmaticke complexion full of grosse humors the partie for the time keeping himselfe warme and within dores But for the common fashion of taking it by every man every day yea almost every houre in shops and open places without consideration of constitution or iust cause I cannot approue of it at all much lesse as any Antidote But let vs examine it a little further for their sakes that would vse it more orderly and see whither it may be accounted a Preservatiue Medicine or no. I haue already reckoned the best qualities it hath being taken in the Pipe for so onely I discourse of it and the first of those qualities indeed shews a faire countenance to the case But the foure latter talke too much of penetration and evacuation wherewith it opens the pores and makes the body fit to receiue the contagious aire it also dissolues the braine and causeth the humors thereof to fall downe into all parts of the body distempered with a heat contrary to nature wherupon it enflames the blood turns it to melancholy and resteth not till it haue also turned Blacke Choller into Burnt Choller And in all this doing his heat carries no cordiall to the spirits which must never be absent from an Antidote for it is mixed with a nauseous qualitie noysome to the stomach and offensiue to nature as appeares by the violence it offers in vomiting when a little of the iuice is given to that purpose These things considered I thinke Tobacco hath very little good vse in Pestilent times And thus much for noysome things to be avoided Now we come to reckon vp holsome things to be elected Let the Qualities of your meats and drinkes be temperate betwixt hot and cold and rather drie then moyst And if the stomach may endure it let them for the most part haue a sharp or sower smacke with them Let them be of easie digestion breeding good blood and sincere humors in the body Let your Bread be made of the best and purest Wheat which alone maketh the best Bread or mixe it with some Rie Let the Corne be such as harvest hath housed before the Aire became infectious Leauened bread is the most holsome because of the sowernesse Let those that may bake their bread at home Rosted Beefe may be eaten with Vineager A rosting Pigge is not to be denyed if his belly be stuffed with Sage sweete Marioram Spinach Parsley and Mints the sauce also made sharpe with Vineager and spiced with a little Pepper or Ginger Veale Mutton Lamb Kid and Coney are very holsome but let them not be very fat Of Fowles such as fly neerest the Sunne and build their nests on high feeding on sweet and holsome graine are best approved by the best Authors because they receiue lesse infection from the lower aire which is the most contagious But if we examine which are they we shall finde but a few that keepe all these conditions For the Hearon flies high and builds high but feeds in fenny and moorish places and on moyst meates The Kite Hawke Raven and such like feed on carrion and are never counted worthy to be served as a dish at the Table The Larke flies high and neare the Sunne but hath his nest on the earth The Rookes in deed flie somthing high build high and feed on the best Corne and their young ones are esteemed daintie food but these are not for every ones dish Therefore we may not be so over-curious in the choice of these creatures Let these suffice as most holsome viz. Capon Turkey Henne Pullet Chicken Partridge Pheasant tame Pigeons yong wilde Pigeons Turtles Larks Black-birds Thrushes and Finches Some Inwards of Beasts and Fowles also are very good and holsome as the Gizards and Livers of Hens and Capons the Hearts of Veale Mutton and Lambe also Lamb-stones and young Cock-stones are excellent meat and fit for the state of some bodies But whosoever he be that makes choice of them for the nourishment of his lust let him remember the Israelites Quailes and tremble lest while the meat is in his mouth the hand of God be at his heart and in the messe of his sinne the Plague salute him with the message of death Fishes that are of Rivers and cleare running waters are best as Plaise Flounders c. Fresh Salmon Trouts Barbels Shrimps c. Of Sea-fish there are but a few fit to be vsed in these times and those are Gogions Mullets Soales Gurnards Lobsters and Cray-fishes But fish must be seldomer vsed then flesh and onely for change
of diet to weake and longing stomachs For all kindes of fish breed but a watrish kinde of blood Egges of Hens if they be eaten new and reare dressed are good whither they be rosted boyled fried or poached and eaten with Veriuice or Vineager and the iuice of a Lemon Also Turkey Egges so vsed are good but eate them seldomer because they afford a little too rancke nourishment In Summer time eate flesh and egges more sparingly then in Winter lest you increase blood too much or turne it to choller which also turneth to inflamation and putrefaction Butter is very good and so is Buttermilke if moderately vsed but they doe easily inflame a chollericke stomacke and send vp hot fumes into the head The milke also purgeth some bodies such therefore are the more to forbeare it Fruits may be allowed but seldome and in little quantitie to be vsed the sower and sharpe are best as sower Cherries and Plums but these preserved or in tarts or at least scalded rather then raw the Norwich and Katherin Peares the Peppins Pearmains Harvie Apples being growne old are counted Cordialls Also Peaches Quinces Pomgranets Oranges Lemons Medlars Sarvices Strawberries Gooseberries Barberies Raspes Mulberries likewise dried fruits as dried Peares Plums Cherries Figs Raisins Damask proins c. Those that haue hot stomachs and desire Cucumbers may eat them beaten with an Onion and Salt and sauced with Vineager and a little sprinckled with Pepper French Beanes also called à formâ Kidney Beanes may now and then be vsed as the best sort of pulse for meate So may Hartichokes with Butter and Vineager or the iuice of a Lemon If you earnestly desire sometime to eate of the moyster fruits eat after them an Orange with a little Fennell and Salt And if you feele your stomach over-cooled with such kinde of moyst fruits drinke also a draught of good white Wine at such a time that Wine is good to warme the stomach and carrie away the crudities Of Roots these are the best Turneps Carrots Parsnips Hartichokes of Ierusalem Also Onions and Radishes for they are esteemed of great vertue against venoms And so are Leekes because they cleanse the blood Of Hearbs the warme and drying are of greatest vse as Rue Wormwood Baulm Mints Peni royall Rosemary and many such like with which you may stuffe and temper moyst meats But for Sallets and Sauces Fennell sweet mariorâ—m Sage Time Parsley Succorie But of all sharpe and sower hearbs are best and therefore Sorrell is in good request and Endiue or Succorie mixed therewith because of themselues they are opening Hot Spices may be vsed in moyst meats and to temper cold and sower fruits Also in Winter time and to a cold stomach they may be allowed simple or with little qualification otherwise there is no vse of them but to mixe with sauces What Spices I meane are easily knowne viz. Pepper Cloues Mace Nutmegs Ginger and to these I adde Saffron and the roots of Enula Campane Zedoarie Angelica and Tormentill which are very vsefull The fittest Sauces are sharpe and sower ones As Sorrell and Vineager or Veriuice or the iuice of Lemons or Oranges Also Capers and Vineager are very good When the weather is cold your stomach craues it you may mixe them with Spices to make them warmer and in these cases if you doubt the weaknesse of your stomach the binding in of your spirits by cold sower Sauces then temper your meats with Sugar a little Salt Cinnamon Pepper Safron and some Fennell or with Egges Butter and the iuice of Lemons and a little Fennell and Saffron Broths must be very thin and something sharpened with Lemons or Vineager In stead of them also you may somtimes vse Posset-ale turned with Vineager or a Lemon and after boyled with some of these hearbs before commended Or Aleberries for those that cannot away with flesh And let those that feed on these things forbeare drinke Gellyes also are good for weake bodies if they be not intemperately Spiced As for the manner of dressing Rost is better then boyled Fish is beft â—â— fried then boyled But if any desire boyled meat rather then let it be flesh of the drier sort or if yet it must needs be of the moyster let it be well sauced with sharpe and sower things with a little Pepper Cinnamon prepared Coriander seeds and salt Sorrell and Marigold flowers may be added at your pleasure I haue still prescribed Vineager as a thing of generall vse because being cooling and drying it resisteth all kinds of poyson and repelleth putrefaction Which is apparent as Ambrosius Paraeus li. de Peste cap. 8. testifieth in the embalming of dead bodies who are washed in Vineager to keepe them from putrefying But here I must giue a Caveat to women for as Crato in Consil 275. saith it hurteth the Mother therefore they must allay it with white Wine and Sugar Now for Drinke Middling Beere or Ale is generally best for common vse But the constitution of every one must fit it selfe Onely take heed of extremities very strong enflames and very small makes watrish blood Let your drinke be well boyled and stale but quicke and fresh Cyder made of sharpe Apples is not amisse to be vsed somtimes to refresh the pallat with varietie Those that haue need of Wine to helpe their stomachs let them vse good Claret Sherries sacke or Canarie and now and then a draught of White Wine But if your stomach doe not much require them simply allay them with water Let your wine be cleare briske old and pleasant To a weake stomach and a feeble nature Wine is an Antidote against all poysons as Celsus li. 8. de Re Medica cap. 27. affirmeth And Senectutis summa est Medicina it is the best Medicine for Old age as Aëtius teacheth in Tetr 1. serm 4. cap. 30. But let not youths and men of strength thinke they may be so bold with Wine in these contagious seasons as they haue bin wont to be at other times For it must needs inflame their bloud and inflamation is certainly seconded with putrefaction and putrefaction is no lesse then a degree of poyson in the humors which will easily turne to the Pestilence And so much for the Disorder of Mans Diet in Qualitie of Meat Drinke Now we come to Quantitie And herein The disease is Surfeiting and the Remedie must be Sobrietie I will therefore lay open first the Danger of the Disease and then the Course of the Cure In this Disorder of Quantitie I cannot but admire at my Countrey men for if Heliogabalus were now among the liuing he might finde enough companions among Englishmen It was wont to be said The Drunken-Dutchman but the Dutch haue playd the God-fathers haue too kindly bestowd their names vpon our men such names I meane as Diotemus of Athens had who was intituled the Tunnell for his filthy