How the defects of wine may be managed and restored OUr forefathers found out many remedies to preserve wine and in our dayes we have taken no less pains For wine is easily corrupted and takes to it self many strange qualities Paxamus saith wine either grows sowre or dead about the Solstices and when the seven stars set or when the dog star causeth heat and when it is extream cold or hot or rainy or windy or when it thunders We shall shew remedies for all these First we shall lay down out of Africanus the signs to know wines that will last or will corrupt When you have put your wine into a vessel after some time change the vessel and look well on the Lees for thence shall you know what the wine is proving it by smelling to it whether it corrupt or weevils breed in it these are signs it putrifies Others take wine out of the middle of the vessel they heat it and when it is cold they taste of it and they judge of the wine by the favour some by the smell of the cover a strong taste is the best sign a watry the worst sharpness of duration weakness of corrupting The signs must be taken at the times to be feared we mentioned But to come to the remedies we shall shew how To mend weak wine The wine will be weak when it begins to breath forth that force of heat fot when the soul of it is breathed forth the wine grows immediately sowre vineger is the carcasse of wine Then we may presently prevent it by adding aqua vitae to it for by that it may put on a new soul the measure will be the fourth part of a pound for a vessel Another remedy will be That wine may not grow hot In the Summer Solstice wine grows hot by the hot weather and is spoiled then put quick-silver into a glass-viol well stopt and hang it in the middle of the vessel and the coldness of it will keep the wine from heating The quantity is two pound for great vessels for when the air is hot the external heat draws forth the inward heat and when that is gone it is spoiled We That wine may not exhale use this remedy The vessel being full we pour oyle upon it and cover it for oyle keeps the spirits from evaporating which I see is now used for all liquors that they may not be perverted Wines sometimes are troubled But To clear wines Fronto bids us do thus Cast three whites of egges into a large earthen dish and beat them that they may froth put some white salt to them that they may be exceeding white and pour them into a vessel full of wine for salt and the white of an egge will make all thick liquors clear but as many Dolia or such measures as there are in the vessel so many whites of egges must you have to be mingled again with so many ounces of salt but you must stir the mixture with a stick and in four dayes it will grow clear Also it is done That wines may not corrupt I said that salt keeps all things from corrupting wherefore for every Dolium powder one ounce of Allome and put it into the wine vessel with the wine for it will keep it from corrupting The same is done if you put in one ounce of common salt or half one half the other Also brimstone hinders putrefaction Wherefore if you shall adde to eight ounces of Allome or of Salt four ounces of brimstone you shall do well The Antients were wont to peserve wine by adding Salt or sea-sea-water to it and it would continue along time Columella teacheth thus when the winds are quiet you must take water out of the deep sea when it is very calm and boyl it to thirds adding to it if you please some spices There are many ordinary things but we let them pass CHAP. XXIV How Oyl may be made of divers things IT is an excellent thing to shew the diversity of ways to make Oyl That if Olives should ever be scarce yet we might know how to draw Oyl from many kinds of fruits and seeds And some of these ways that came from the Antients yet onely the best and such as are our inventions Wherefore to begin We say that Oyl may be made of Ricinus call'd Cicinum Dioscorides makes it thus Let ripe Ricini as many as you please wither in the hot Sun and be laid upon hurdles let them be so long in the Sun till the outward shell break and fall off Take the flesh of them and bruise it in a morter diligently then put it into a Caldron glazed with Tin that is full of water put fire under and boil them and when they have yielded their inbred juyce take the vessel from the fire and with a shell skim off the Oyl on the top and keep it But in Egypt where the custom of it is more common for they cleanse the Ricini and put them into a Mill and being well grownd they press them in a press through a basket Pliny saith They must be boiled in water and the Oyl that swims on the top must be taken off But in Egypt where there is plenty of it without fire and water sprinkled with Salt it is ill for to eat but good for Candles But we collected them in September for then is the time to gather them with it parts from a prickly cover and a coat that holds the seed in it it is easily cleansed in a hot Caldron The weight of Oyl is half as much as the seed but it must be twice knocked and twice pressed Palladius shews how Oyl of Mastick is made gather many Grains of the Mastick-tree and let them lye in a heap for a day and a night Then put a basket full of those Berries into any vessel and pouring hot water thereto tread them and press them forth Then from that humour that runs forth of them the Oyl of Mastick that swims on the top is poured off But remember lest the cold might hold it there to pour hot water often on For thus we see it made with us and all the Country of Surrentum also so is made Oyl of Turpentine as Damageron teacheth The fruit of Turpentine is grownd in a Mill as the Olives are and is pressed out and so it sends forth Oyl The kernels serve to feed hogs and to burn Likewise Oyl of Bays Boil Bay-berries in water the shels yield a certain fat it is forced out by crushing them in the hands then gather the Oyl into horns Palladius almost as Dioscorides in January boil many Bay-berries that are ripe and full in hot water and when they have boy'ld long the watry oyl that swims on the top that comes from them you shall gently pour off into vessels driving it easily with feathers The Indians make as it is said Oyl of Sesamon It is made as we said before it sends forth excellent Oyl abundantly There is made Oyl of
it and press her between your hands that no Wine remain and then adding two Cups of white-Wine distil her in a Chymical Vessel then distil the Flowers of Bindeweed Citrons Oranges together and keep this water by it self Then open Lemmons and press out the juice And also take water of Bean-flowers then distil six cups of Asseâ— milk and as many of Cows-milk You shall do the same with water of Gourds and of Milk well boyled and of water of Bean-flowers and of Rosin of Turpentine Then provide a glazed Vessel put into it Camphire two drachms four ounces of Ceruss finely powdered mingle them with the aforesaid waters and set it in a soft Vessel in the open Air fifteen days and nights When you would use it wet a Linen-rag in it and wash your Face CHAP. XVII How to make the Face Rose-coloured I Have made the Face white now I will make it red that the wise may be made wholly Beautiful for her husband And first To make a pale Face purple-coloured And to adorn one that wants colour use this Remedy Take Vinegar twice distilled and cast into it the raspings of red Sanders as much as you please boyl it at a gentle fire adding a little Allom and you shall have a red colour most perfect to dye the Face If you would have it sweet-smelling add a little Musk Civet Cloves or any Spices Now Another Take Flowers of Clove-Gilliflowers bruise the ends of the sprigs and draw forth the juice if they be so ripe that they are black add juice of Lemmons that they may shine with a more clear red With this paint your Face and you shall have a pleasant red colour without any stinking smell or wet the sprigs of Clove-gilliflowers in juice of Lemmons and set them in the Sun Take away the old and put in fresh until it be as red as you would have it let the juice dry and the color will be most glorious But I draw a quintessence from Clovegill flowers Roses Flower-gentle with Spirit of Wine then I add Allom and the juice of a Citron and I made an excellent colour to beautifie the Face Take Another If you add to the best Wine one tenth part of Honey and one ounce of Frankinsenceâ— and then distil it and steep in it the raspings of red Saunders until it is coloured to your minde and then wash your Face with it it will make your Face white and well-coloured Also A Fucus that cannot be detected And it is so cunningly made that it will delude all men for a cleer water makes the Cheeks purple-coloured and it will last long and the cleerer the part will be the more your wash it with it and rub it with a cloth of Woolen You shall draw out a water from the Seeds of Cardamom which the Apothecaries call Grains of Paradise Cubebs Indian Cloves raspings of Brasil and Spirit of Wine distilled when they have been infused some time draw forth the water with a gentle fire or corrupt Dung and wet your Face often with this There are also Experiments To colour the Body If you boyl Nettles in water and wash your Body with it it will make it red-colored if you continue it long If you distil Straw-berries and wash your self with the water you shall make your Face red as a Rose But the Ancients dyed their bodies of divers colours partly for ornament partly for terrour as Caesar writes of the Britans going to war for they painted themselves with wood Theophrastus calls it Isatis and we call it Guado The Grecian-women painted themselves with wood as Zenophon writes And in our days the West-Indians crush out in Harvest-time a blood-red juice from the Roots of wilde Bugloss which the women know well enough whereby they cover their pale colour with a pleasant red and so change their over-white colour with this Experiment CHAP. XVIII To wash away the over-much redness of the Face I Have shewed you how to colour the Face now I shall shew how to uncolour it when the Face is too red and women that are very red desire this The way is To wash away the too-much redness of the Face Take four ounces of Peach-Kernels and Gourd-Seed two ounces pown them and crush them out strongly that you may draw forth an oyly Liquor with this morning and evening anoynt the red Carbuncles of your face and by degrees they will vanish and be gone Another Take Purple-Violets Egg-shells Saunders Camphire mingled with water set the water in the open Air and wash the redness therewith Also I know that the distilled water of white Lillies will take away the redness CHAP. XIX How to make a Sun-burnt Face white WHen women travel in the open Air and take journeys in Summer the Sun in one day will burn them so black that it is hard to take it off I found out this Experiment Beat about ten whites of Eggs till they come to water put them in a glazed Vessel adding one ounce of Sugar-Candy to them and when you go to bed anoynt your Face and in the morning wash it off with foutain-Foutain-water Pliny also saith thus Another If the Face be smeered with the white of an Egg it will not be Sun-burnt With us women that have to do in the Sun to defend their Faces from the heat of it that they may not be black they defend it with the white of an Egg beaten with a little Starch and mingled and when the Voyage is done they wash off this covering with Barley-water Some do it Another way rubbing their foul Skin with Melon-Rindes and so they easily rub off Sun-burnings and all other spots outwardly on the Skin The Seed also bruised and rubbed on will do it better Also a Liquor found in little bladders of the Elm-Tree when the Buds first come forth makes the Face clear and shining and takes away Sun-burnings CHAP. XX. How Spots may be taken from the Face OFt-times fair women are disgraced by spots in their Faces but the Remedy for it is this to use Abstergents and Detergents in whiting of their Faces Therefore To take off spots from the Face anoynt the Face with Oyl of Tartar and let it dry on and wash it not at all do this for ten days then wash it with a Lixivium and you shall see the spots no more If the part be not yet clean enough do it once more If this please you not take Another Put Quick-Lime into hot water mingle them and stir them for ten days After two days pour forth the clear water into a Brazen Vessel then take Salt-Ammoniac between your Finger-tops and rub it so long at the bottom of the Vessel until you see the water become of a blew-colour and the more you rub it the better colour it will have and it will turn into a Skie-colour or Purple-colour very pleasant to behold Wet Linen-cloths in this water and lay them on the spots till they be dry and wet them again till
softness remains which is onely given to fat Hands To make the Hands as white as Milk Take things that are Milk-White as Almonds Pine-Kernels Melon and Gourd-Seeds and the like Therefore bruise bitter Almonds Pine-Kernels and Crums of Bread then make Cakes of them with Barley-water wherein Gum Traganth hath been soaked You may use this for Sope when you wash your Hands for they scowre them and make them white I For the same use oft-times bitter Almonds half a pound put them in hot water to blanch them then beat them in a Marble-Morter Afterwards take the lesser Dragons two ounces Deers Suet and Honey of each as much mingle them all in an earthen Pot with a large mouth set them at the fire and let them be stirred gently with a wooden-stick that they mingle well put it up in Boxes for your use If you will have Your hands white wash fresh Butter nine times in sweet water and last of all in sweet-sented Rose-water to take off the ill smell and that it may look as white as Snow then mingle white wax with it and a good quantity of Oyl of sweet Almonds Then wash your gloves in Greek-Wine as the manner is and smeer on the foresaid mixture put on these when you go to bed that all night they may grow soft by the help of fat things Then take Peach-Kernels with the skins picked off Seeds of Gourds Melons white Poppy Barley-meal of each one ounce and half the juice of two Lemmons rosted in the Embers mingle these with as much Honey as will make them thick as an Oyntment and to make them smell well you may add a little Musk or Civet when you go to bed but in the morning wash them with fountain-Fountain-water and for Sope use the Lees of Oyl of Nuts well pressed forth or Lees of Oyl-Olive Others use this Liniment onely Press the Cream out of lemmon-Lemmon-Seeds with two ounces of it mingle one ounce of Oyl of Tartar and as much Oyl of Almonds When at night you go to bed wash your Hands in Fountain-water dry them and anoynt them with this Liniment and put on your Gloves Take Another For one weeks-time infuse the Marrow of Ox-bones in cold water but change the water four or five times a day and for every pound of Marrow take six excellent Apples and cut them in the middle and cast forth the Seeds and Core then beat them small in a Marble-Morter and put them into a new Morter that they may smell the sweeter adding a few Cloves Cinnamon Spikenard let them boyl in rose-Rose-water When they are all very soft take them forth and strain them and again add a sharp Lixivium and let them boyl at a gentle fire until all the water be washed Then set them up in a Glass-Vessel for your use or make them into morsels That which follows is good For the same Make a hole in a Lemmon and put into it Sugar-Candy and Butter and cover it with the Cover wet Hards of Hemp and wrap it up in and boyl it in hot Embers and that it grow soft by rosting when you go to Bed anoynt your hands with it and put on your Gloves CHAP. XXVIII How to correct the ill sent of the Arm-pits THe stink of the Arm-holes makes some women very hateful especially those that are sat and fleshy To cure this we may use such kinde of Experiments The Ancients against the stink of the Arm-pits used liquid Allome with Myrrh to anoynt them or the Secrets and Arm-holes were strewed with the dry Leaves of Myttles in powder The Roots of Artichoaks smeered on doth not onely cure the ill sent of the Arm-pits but of the whole Body also But Zenocrates promiseth by Experiment That the faultiness of the Arm-pits will pass forth by urine if you take one ounce of the pith of the Root boyled in three Lemina's of Muskadel to thirds and after bathing fasting or after meat drink a cup thereof But I am content with this I dissolve Allome in waters and I wash the Feet and Arm-pits with it and let them dry so in some days we shall correct the strong smell of those parts But it will be done more effectually thus Pown Lytharge of Gold or Silver and boyl it in Vinegar and if you wash those parts well with it you shall keep them a long time sweet and it is a Remedy that there is none better CHAP. XXIX How the Matrix ovar-widened in Child-birth may be made narrower TRotula saith we may honestly speak of this because Conception is sometimes hindred by it if the Matrix be too open and therefore it is fit to lend help for such an impedient For some women have it stand wide-open by reason of their hard labour in Child-birth and if their Husbands be not content with it that the men may not abhor the women it is thus remedied Take Dragons-Blood Bole-Armeniac Pomegranate-shells white of an Egg Mastick Galls of each one ounce powder them and make them all up with hot water Put some of this Confection into the hole that goes into the Matrix Or Galls Sumach Plantain great Comfrey Allome Chamaelaea take equal parts of them all and boyl them in Rain-water and foment the Privities Or beat sowre Galls very finely mingle a little of the Powder of Cloves with them Let them boyl in sharp red Wine wet a woollen cloth in it and apply to the part Or thus may you restrain that part of common whores with Galls Gums whites of Eggs Dragons Blood Acacia Plantain Hypocistis Balanstia Mastick Cypress-nuts Grape-skins Akorn-cups Or in that hollow part where the Glans breaks forth and gaping shews the Nucleus with Mastick and Terra Lemnia If all these be boyled in red Wine or Vinegar and the Matrix be often wet therewith it will come very close and be much straighter Or else powder all these and cast them in through a Reed or make a fume under them Great Comfrey will be excellent for this purpose for flesh boyl'd with it will grow together And the other also if it be boyl'd will very well glew together fresh Wounds The Decoction of Ladies Mantle or the juice or distilled water of it cast into the Matrix will so contract it that Whores can scarce be known from Maids or if they sit in the Decoction of it especially if we mingle other astringent things with it and wet the Secrets therewith The distilled water of Starwort being often injected into the Matrix will make one scarce know which is corrupted and which is not But if you will have A woman deflowred made a virgin again Make little Pills thus Of burnt Allome Mastick with a little Vitriol and Orpiment make them into very fine Powder that you can scarce feel them when you have made them Pills with Rain-water press them close with your fingers and let them dry being pressed thin and lay them on the Mouth of the Matrix where it was first broken open change it every
a spung dipped in vinegar and aqua vitae then let it dry which done strew it with unquenched Lime Alome and Salt let it hang so two days in the smoak of Myrrhe Bay Rosemary and Cypress in a dry and open place Then make a mixture of unquenched Lime five pound of burnt Alome one pound good Salt two pound of Aloes and Myrrhe half a pound of Aloes-wood half a pound of the Oyl of Spicknard three onces of the powder of Rosemary-flowers five of burnt Green-brass and Calcanthum two of the best Theriack four of the dust of Cypress half a pound of dryed Saffron one once of the seeds of Coloquintida three and a half of Antimony beaten to powder one and an half of the ashes of Wine-lees five and a half of Musk half a dragm of Amber two Let all be diligently brayed and mixed together and strewed upon the Body which must be for three days together strongly rubbed in an open and dry place This also we admonish that in fat Bodies the fat of the Abdomen Buttocks Hips Muscles of the Leggs thighs and all other places must be first abstracted Things may be also preserved by Balsom But seeing we can compass no true Balsom or if there be any it is exceeding dear we are glad to make artificial Balsoms as we shall shew in due place CHAP. XVI How divers sorts of Bread may be made WE have spoken of preserving fruits and other things It remains to shew how we may use those we have kept Amongst the rest we shall teach you concerning those things that are most necessary for dayly use as for many kinds of Bread Wine Vinegar and Oyls that not onely the Housholder may provide for his family with small cost but when provision is dear he may provide for himself with small pains in Mountains and Desarts of all those things almost we have spoken of But we will begin with Bread and see what our fore-fathers used in case of necessity I shall let pass those common things as Spilt and Bean-corn Amel-corn Typh-wheat Panick Sesamum being all well known But first To make Bread of Wall-nuts Dioscorides saith there is a kind of Thistle commonly found in the waters that onely in Rivers brings forth a certain seed as big as a Ches-nut with three points membranous full of white pith that tastes like Ches-nuts they call them water ches-nuts vulgarly and the Inhabitants use them in meats as they do Ches-nuts Pilgrims make Chapelets of them The Thracians that dwell by the River Strimon fat their horses with this Thistle when it is green and of the same seed they make Bread to eat Moreover in places where they grow amongst us the Inhabitants when provision is dear make Bread of them as at Ferrara they do of Ches-â—uts and the Brutii rost them in the embers and eat them for juncates Almost in the same manner To make Bread of the Lote tree Theophrastus teacheth it The Lote-tree grows in plain ground where the Countries are overflowed with water The fruit is like a Bean naturally but less and more slender That which grows on the head comes forth promiscuously as Beans do many and very thick together When the Sun sets it closeth and opens when he riseth and springs up above the water The head is as great as a Poppy-head where it grows in Euphrates The Egyptians lay those heads on heaps to putrefie and when the shells are putrefied they wash them in a River and part the fruit from them and dry it and break it and make bread of it and eat it Pliny There is also bread made of the seed of it like to Millet seed in Egypt by the Shepherds and they knead it with water especially or with milk They say that nothing is more wholesom then that bread or lighter whil'st it is hot but cold it is harder to digest and becomes heavy It is certain that those who live upon that are never troubled with Dysenteries Tenasmus or any diseases of the belly And therefore it is one of their remedies For it was of old a custom To make bread of Dates which Pliny writes of Dates that are very dry of Thebes and Arabia that are slender and very lean with a continual vapour they are terrified and are covered rather with a Shel then a Skin In Ethiopia it is crumbled so great is the draught and like meal it is made into bread Bread of the Mulberry-figtree In Caria and Rhodes there is a great Fig of Egypt or increase of the Sycamore-tree and in the neighbouring places where there is little wheat the people for want of corn use it for bread and for all bread corn So great and continual plenty is there of that Apple and abundance of bread is made of it pleasing to the stomach but it affords but little nutriment and we might make the same if we would We find it in Writers of husbandry How we may make bread without leaven Out of Didymus some adde Nitre for Nitre makes bread more crumbly as it doth flesh also Some the day before they make their bread cast Grapes into the water and the next day when they will make their bread they take them away for they swim above the water and they press them out and use the moisture pressed forth for leaven and so they make their bread more pleasing If you would have leaven last you all the year when the new wine hath boiled in the vessels Skim off the froth that boils on the top and mingle with it Millet-meal and work it well together and make morsels of it which dry in the Sun and lay up in a moist place and you may take a sufficient quantity and use it for leaven CHAP. XVII Divers sorts of Bread made of Roots and fruits NOw we shall proceed to other kinds of bread found out in our days that are no small profit to us when corn is dear How to make bread of the Roots of Cuckow-pint the root of Wake-Robin when it is not too acrimonious is eaten and desired in meats Dioscorides saith The decoction was drank as not being over sharp Galen That it was eaten as Rape-roots and in some Countries it grows more corroding To prepare it rightly pour out the water of the first boyling and presently cast it into other hot water In Cyrene those Roots are otherwise then amongst us for there it is no Physical root and is not acrimonious at all so that it is more profitable then a Rape-root Also our forefathers when Corn was dear used this Root in meats with great profit Caesar de bello civili Also there is a kind of Root found by them that were with Valerius which is called Chara which mingled with milk releived a Souldier that was hungry and it was made up like to bread There was great plenty of this Root and of it bread was made when those of Pompey his side objected to our Souldiers that they wanted food they would commonly
until this day and observed by our women to smoke their children and rowl them about in frankincense Keep him in an open air and hang Carbuncles Jacinthes or Saphires about his neck Dioscorides accounteth Christs Thorn wilde Hemp and Valerian hung up in the house an amulet against witchcraft Smell to Hyssope and the sweet Lilly wear a ring made of the hoof of a tame or wilde Ass also Saâ—vâ—ion the male and female are thought the like Aristotle commendeth Rue being smelt to All these do abate the power of witchcraft THE NINTH BOOK OF Natural Magick How to adorn Women and make them Beautiful THE PROEME SInce next to the Art of Physick follows the Art of Adorning our selves we shall set down the Art of Painting and how to beautifie Women from Head to Foot in many Experiments yet lest any man should think it superfluous to interpose those things that belong to the Ornaments of Women I would have them consider that I did not write these things for to give occasion to augment Luxury and for to make people voluptuous But when God the Author of all things would have the Natures of all things to continue he created Male and Female that by fruitful Procreation they might never want Children and to make Man in love with his Wife he made her soft delicate and fair to entice man to embrace her We therefore that Women might be pleasing to their Husbands and that their Husbands might not be offended at their deformities and turn into other womens-chambers have taught Women how by the Art of Decking themselves and Painting if they be ashamed of their foul and swart Complexions they may make themselves Fair and Beautiful Something 's that seemed best to me in the Writings of the antients I have tried and set down here but those that are the best which I and others have of late invented and were never before in Print I shall set down last And first I shall begin with the Hairs CHAP. I. How the Hair may be dyed Yellow or Gold-colour SInce it is the singular care of Women to adorn their Hair and next their Faces First I will shew you to adorn the Hair and next the Countenance For Women hold the Hair to be the greatest Ornament of the Body that if that be taken away all the Beauty is gone and they think it the more beautiful the more yellow shining and radiant it is We shall consider what things are fit for that purpose what are the most yellow things and will not hurt the Head as there are many that will but we shall chuse such things as will do it good But before you dye them Preparing of the Hair must be used to make them fit to receive a tincture Add to the Lees of White-wine as much Honey that they may be soft and like some thin matter smeer your Hair with this let it be wet all night then bruise the Roots of Celandine and of the greater Clivers Madder of each a like quality mingle them being bruised very well with Oyl wherein Cummin-Seed Shavings of Box and a little Saffron are mingled anoynt your Head and let it abide so twenty four hours then wash it with Lye made of Cabbage-Stalks Ashes and Barley-Straw but Rye-Straw is the best for this as Women have often proved will make the Hair a bright yellow But you shall make A Lye to dye the Hair thus Put Barley-Straw into an Earthen-pot with a great mouth Feny-Graec and wilde Cummin mingle between them Quick-lime and Tobacco made into Powder then put them upon the Straw beforementioned and pour on the Powders again I mean by course one under the other over till the whole Vessel be full and when they are thrust close pour on cold water and let them so stand a whole day then open a hole at the bottom and let the Lye run forth and with Sope use it for your Hair I shall teach you Another To five Glasses of Fountain-water add Alume-Foeces one Ounce Sope three Ounces Barley-Straw one Handful let them boyl in Earthen-pots till two thirds be boyled away then let it settle strain the Water with the Ashes adding to every Glass of Water pure Honey one Ounce Set it up for your use You shall prepare for your Hair An Oyntment thus Burn the Foeces of Wine heaped up in a Pit as the manner is so that the fire may go round the Pit when it is burnt pown it and seirce it mingle it well with Oyl let the Woman anoynt her Head with it when she goes to Bed and in the morning let her wash it off with a Lye wherein the most bitter Lupines were boyled Other Women endeavour To make their Hair yellow thus They put into a common Lye the Pills of Citrons Oranges Quinces Barley-Straw dried Lupines Foeny-Graec Broom-Flowers and Tartat coloured a good quantity and they let them there lie and steep to wash their Hair with Others mingle two parts Sope to one part Honey adding Ox-Gall one half part to which they mingle a twelfth part of Garden-Cummin and wilde Saffron and setting them in the Sun for six weeks they stir it daily with a wooden-staff and this they use Also of Vinegar and Gold Litharge there is made a decoction very good to dye the Hair yellow as Gold Some there are that draw out a strong VVater with fire out of Salt-Peter Vitriol Salt-Ammoniac and Cinaber wherewith the Hairs dyed will be presently yellow but this as wont to burn the Hair those that know how to mingle it will have good effects of it But these are but ordinary the most famous way is To make the Hairs yellow draw Oyl from Honey by the Art of Distillation as we shall shew First there will come forth a clear VVater then a Saffron-colour then a Gold-colour use this to anoynt the Hair with a Spunge but let it touch the Skin for it will dye it Saffron-colour and it is not easily washed off This is the principal above others because the Tincture will last many dayes and it will dye Gray-Hairs which few others will Or make a Lye of Oak-Ashes put in the quantity of a Bean of Rheubarb as much Tobacco a handful of Barley-Straw and Foeny-Graec Shells of Oranges the Raspings of Guaiacum a good deal of wilde Saffron and Liquorish put all these in an Earthen-pot and boyl them till the water sink three fingers the Hairs will be washt excellently with this Hold them in the Sun then cast Brimstone on the Coals and fume the Hairs and whilst it burns receive the smoke with a little Tunnel at the bottom and cover your Head all over with a cloth that the smoke flie not away CHAP. II. How to dye the Hair bed BEcause there are many men and women that are ruddy Complexions and have the Hair of their Heads and Bearbs Red which should they make yellow-coloured they would not agree with their Complexions To help those also I set down these Remedies The
distilled water from the flowers will wonderfully make the Face whole Also with the decoction of Ivory one may make the Face like Ivory Melanthinm makes the Face beautiful Dioscorides But it shews its excellency when it is thus prepared Pown it and sift out the finest of it take the juice of Lemmons and let the Meal of Gith lie wet in it twenty four hours take it out and let it dry then break an Egg with the Shell and mingle it with it then dry it in the shade and sift it once more In the morning when the woman riseth out of her bed let her put this into a white Linen-clour that is not too fine and wet it with water or spittle and let her rub her Face with the clour that the moysture alone and not the Meal may come on the Face If you will have Your Face white it may be made as white as Milk many ways and chiefly with these that follow Let Litharge of Silver half an ounce boyl in a Glazed Earthen Pot with strong Vinegar until the thinner part be evaporated set it up for use Then in another Pot let half a pound of clear water boyl then mingle both these waters together and shake them and it will become like Milk and sink to the bottom when it is settled pour it off water being plentifully poured in and leaving it a while to settle pour it off again and pour on fresh shake it and leave it to settle a short time and so forbear That which is settled set in the Sun and when it is grown stiff as thick pap make small balls of it and lay them up You may use these with water to make the Face white Or else powder Lytharge of Silver eight ounces very fine pour on the Powder of the strongest Vinegar five pints distil them and keep them for your use Then take Allome de Plume Salt Gemma one drachm Frankincense one ounce and a half Camphire two drachms Oyl of Tartar six ounces Rose-water one pound powder what must be powdered and pour it in distil the water in Chymical Vessel and set it up When you would use them mingle a little of both waters in the palm of your hand and it will be like Milk rub your Face with it and it will be white Or else take off the Pills of about twenty Cirton Lemmons infuse the Pills in one pound of the best Wine and one pint and an half of Rose-water for six days then add one ounce of white Lilly and Mallow-Roots and let them stay as many days then add Rosin of Turpentine four ounces white Mercury sublimate two ounces Boxan half an ounce ten whites of Eggs made hard at the fire and mingle all these together let them stay one night The next day put a cap upon the Vessel and luting the joynts well that nothing may breath forth let the water drop into a Vessel to receive it set it aside for use I me this that is easie to make and doth the business completely Take the white of an Egg and stir it so long with an Iron that it froth well let it stand to turn to water then take half an ounce of the best Honey and beat with that water and â—ingle them until they unite add to them the quantity of two Corns of Wheat Mercury sublimate finely powdered when you go to bed take some of the water in the palm of your hand and wash your Face and so let it dry in that it may not slick to the Linen in the morning wash it off with Fountain-water and you shall have your Face cleer and white CHAP. X. How women shall make their Faces very clean to receive the Colour BEfore any thing be used to make the Face beautiful it must be made very clean and fit to receive it for oft-times women have excellent Waters and Remedies brought them but they have no operation wherefore the matter is that they must first prepare their Face This is the best Preparation of the Face Bind Barley-Meal-Bran in a Linen-cloth and let it down into a Pot full of water and let it boyl till a third part be remaining and press out the juice with this decoction wash your face and let it dry then bruise Myrrh and mingle it with the white of an Egg and burn it on hot Fire-sticks or red hot Tiles and receive the fume by a tunnel let the narrow part of it be toward the Face and the broad to the fire cover the head with a Napkin that the smoak flie not away and when you have received sufficient of the smoak rub your Face with a Linen-cloth then use your Remedy to anoynt your Face I shall shew you One that is stronger When the skin must be cleansed or made white you must cleanse some parts of your Face from skins that will not let your painting Oyntment stick Powder an ounce of Sublimate very finely put it into a Pot that is glazed and cast into it fix whites of Eggs so beaten that they are turned into water then boyl them on hot Embers till they grow thick put them into a Linnen-cloth that is loosly weaved and press the water out of them with your hands and wash your Face with it then mingle Honey whites of Eggs and the aforesaid water together equal parts put some in your palm and rub the place you would make white with the palms of your hands then boyl spelt and when it is boyl'd take the fume of it by a tunnel then rub your Face with a course Linnen-cloth Others wash their Face with water wherein fine flour is boyled CHAP. XI How the Face may be made very soft THe next Beauty of the Face and Hands is Tenderness which is procured by fat things and chiefly by Milk and principally of Asses for it takes off wrinkle and makes the skin white and soft And therefore it was not for nothing that Nero's wife had always five hundred Asses with her and in a Bath with a â—ear she soaked all her body with that Milk Wherefore if you would have Tour Face made soft and white Steep crums of Bread in Whey or in Milk then press it out and with that water wash your Face for it will wonderfully white your Face and make the skin fair Or take six Glasses of Milk steep crumbs of Bread in it five hours take ten Lemmons make clean the Pills and cut the Body of them into thin slices then shake ten whites of Eggs bruise an ounce of Camphire Allom Sauharinum two ounces mingle them all and distil them and set it in a glazed Vessel close covered in the Sun and then set it up for your use Here is one stronger For the same purpose Boyl two Calfs Feet in water first make them clean then boyl the water till half be consumed put it in Rice one pound and boyl it well let crums of Bread steep in Asses Milk or Goats Milk with ten whites of Eggs bruised with
their Shells distil all at a gentle fire add to the water a little Camphire and Borax put into a glazed vessel two yong naked Pigeons with their guts taken forth and put in as much Milk as will cover them and add one ounce of Borax Turpentine three ounces Caâ—phire one ounce five whites of Eggs put on the cover and distil them for it is fat things that make the Face soft I shall say more when I come to speak of making the hands white and soft the reason is the same for both CHAP. XII How to make the face clear and shining like silver THe face is not onely made clear but white as silver by those things that I said were white as silver yet not exactly as silver but they shine as clear as silver There is an herb commonly called Argentaria or Argentina or wilde Tansey whose leaves are green above but on the backside they shine of a silver colour the distilled water of it is drank by women against spots in their faces and to make them white as silver The snails that are found in moist places and leave behind them as they creep a silver cord Dioscorides saith will cure the spots in the face women much desire them for they put them in a still and draw out water from them that polisheth the skin exceedingly and makes it contract a silver gloss And the seashell-fish like an ear whose shell is of a silver colour within or pearl colour and many kinds of shells that being steeped in vinegar will grow pure casting off the outward crust as the Oystershel doth that brings forth pearl There are also shells we call the Mothers of pearl that inwardly are shining and of a silver colour like pearls all which women use for their art of beautifying themselves for they make the face smooth and to shine as white as silver But pearls do it best of all things when they are dissolved in sharp juyces and soaked in rotten dung till they send forth a clear oyl that is the best thing to beautifie the face as I shall shew elsewhere For the same use is a glass-stone used that shines like silver But no better water is prepared then from Talk or Quick-silver as I shall shew in that which follows CHAP. XIII How to dissolve Talk for to beautifie women THough I shall speak in a work on purpose more at large how Talk may be dissolved into water or oyl We shall here onely set down how it may be fitted for womens use Of all such ways as are used I shall set forth such as I have tried to be good Beat Talk in a mortar of metal then put it into a pot of the strongest clay and cover it and bind it in with strong iron wyer lute it well all cover and stop the joynts that nothing breathe out and set it in the Sun to dry Then put this stone in an oven that flames strongly or in some other place where the fire is most vehement When the fire of the oven is out take it forth and break the vessel and if it be well calcined it is enough Otherwise do the same again until the calx of it be as white as it ought to be When the calcined body of it is white as it must be grind it on a porphyry-stone and put it into a little bag or upon a marble in a very moist place or deep well or cistern and let it lie there long and with much moisture it will drop forth at last It will more easily and perfectly dissolve into water if it were burnt long enough and turned into a calx For the parts being turn'd to lime and made exceeding dry by force of fire they attract moisture It is also done Another way that is good Calcine the Talk and put it in an earthen pot and set it in the hottest part of a potters oven to stay there six days When the Talk is thus turn'd to a calx put it into a gourd-glass which you shall first make clean and make a hole at the bottom of it and setting a vessel under it you shall have the moisture of it drop forth and the calx will resolve into water put this into a glass vial and let the water evaporate in Balâ—eo take the sediment out for your use I use also Another way Put snails in an earthen vessel in the open air that they may be kept hungry three days and pine for want of meat and be purged then take a silver Loadstone or Talk most finely powdred mingle it with the white of an egge and make an ointment anoint the earthen vessel with it and put the snails into it for they will eat up all the Talk When they have eaten all and voided their excrements bruise the snails with their shells and putting them into a retott draw out their moisture with a gentle fire the humour that drops forth will exceedingly adorn the face CHAP. XIV The preparation of Sublimate I Said that there was nothing better than quick-silver for womens paints and to cleanse their faces and make them shine Wherefore I shall set down many ways to Prepare it that you may have the use of it to your desire Take one ounce and half of pure quick-silver not falsified with lead for if there be lead mingled with it all your labour is lost How it must be purged and known I taught elsewhere Mingle this with half a pound of Mercury sublimate and put it into a marble mortar and with a new wooden pestle stir it well turning it round about First it will be black in six hours it will grow white if you cease not to beat it Then adde one ounce and half of white salt always turning it about with the pâ—stle for the more you grind it the perfecter it will be When it is very well ground it must be washt Sprinkle boiling clear water into the mortar and stir it and then stay a while until the muddy part may sink down and the filth that was lighter and swims on the top laying the vessel on one side pour out the water gently and pour in fresh do this five or six times in the same manner until the pure and onely powder remain without dregs make little cakes of it and dry it in the sun Some whilst they bruise it sprinkle water on lest the powder by grinding should be made so small that it should fly away into the air The chief business is to purge it and grind it well that it be not troubled when it is strain'd forth that which is gone to the bottom and so part of it be lost some open a hole in the belly of a pot that when it is settled the hole being opened the water with the dregs may run forth Others to sublimate adde a third part of quick-silver and grind it in a wooden mortar and in the â—â—an while they chew four grains of mastick in their mouths and they spit the clammy spittle
Retort or Alembick First a Milky water will flow out with Oyl next cleer Water cast the Water in over the Oyl and separate them as we shall teach you Of a pound of Cinnamon you will scarce receive a drachm of Oyl How to draw a greater quantity of Oyl out of Cinnamon I do use to do it in this manner to the wonder of the best and subtillest Artists Provide a Descendatory out of the Bath the making of which I will shew hereafter and put your Cinnamon being grossly beaten into a Glass-Retort set it in its proper place and put water into the Bath the heat of the fire by degrees will draw a little water in many days receive it careful and pour it again into the Cinnamon that it may re-imbibe its own water so let it remain a while afterwards kindle the fire and you shall receive a little Water and Oyl Do this third and fourth time and you will gain an incredible quanity You may try the same in other things Oyl of Cloves may be extracted in the same manner To every pound of Cloves you must add ten of Water distil them as before so shall you have both Water and Oyl It will yield a twelfth part The Oyl is good for Medicines and the VVater for Sawces So also is made Liquid Oyl of Nutmegs If you bruise them and put them with the VVater into a Vessel and distil them as before they will yield a sixth part Oyl of Mace and Pepper is drawn in the same manner much stronger but in less quantity Oyl of Aniseed may be thus extracted an ounce out of a pound It congealeth in VVinter like Camphire or Snow in the Summer it dissolveth Let the Seeds be macerated in the VVater for ten days at least for the longer they lie there the more Oyl they will yield Oyl of Fennel is extracted in the same quantity when the Seeds are ripe and fresh they have most Oyl for they yield as much more Oyl of Coriander yieldeth but a small quantity and is of very hard extraction there is scarce one drachm drawn out of a pound new Seeds yield most And to be short in the same manner are extracted the Oyls out of the Seeds of Carrot Angelica Marjoram Rue Rosemary Parsely Smallage and Dill and such-like Oyl of Rosemary and Lavender-flowers and such-others which being dried afford no Oyl may be thus extracted Put the Flowers into a Receiver and set it close stopt in the hot Sun for a month there will they dissolve into Liquor and flie up to the sides of the Glass then being condensed again fall down and macerate in themselves at a fit time add VVater to them and distil them as the former so shall you draw forth with the VVater a most excellent sweet Oyl Oyl of Juniper and Cypress-Wood may de drawn out by the same Art if you macerate the dust of them in their own or in Fountain-water for a month and distil them in the same manner the Oyl will come out by drops with the water of a strong sent and excellent vertue These I have tried the rest I leave to thee CHAP. VII How to separate Oyl from Water VVHen we extract Oyls they run down into the Receiver together with the VVater wherefore they must be separated left the flegm being mixed with the Oyl do weaken the vertue of it that it may obtain its full vigour it must be purified by Distillation and Separation for being put into a Retort or broad Still over a gentle fire the VVater will run out the remaining Liquor will be clear Oyl This work of Separation is very laborious yet there are very artificial Vessels invented by the help of which all the VVater may be drawn off and the flegm onely pure Oyl will remain Prepare a Glass-Vessel let it be broad and grow narrower by degrees downwards until it come to a point like unto a Tunnel Put the distilled VVater which consisteth of the flegmatick VVater and Oyl into this Vessel let it stand a while the Oyl will swim on the top and the VVater will sink down to the bottom But stop the mouth of it with your finger so that removing it away the VVater may first run out and the Oyl sink down by degrees VVhen it is descended into the narrow part so that the Oyl becometh next to your finger stop the hole and let the Orifice be but half open for the VVater to pass out when it is all run out empty the Oyl into another small Vessel There is another very ingenious Instrument found out for to separate Oyl with a great belly and a narrow neck which a little nose in the middle Pour the Oyl mixed with Water into the Vessel the Water will possess the bottom the Oyl the neck Drop Water gently into it until the Oyl ascend up unto the nose then encline the Vessel downward and the Oyl will run out pure and unmix'd When you have emptied out some drop in more Water until the Oyl be raised again unto the nose then stop it down and pour out the rest of the Oyl But if the Oyl settle to the bottom and the Water swim on the top as it often hapneth filtrate it into a broad dish or any other Vessel with a cotten-cloth the Water will run out and the Oyl will remain in the bottom very pure CHAP. VIII How to make an Instrument to extract Oyl in a greater quantity and without danger of burning VVE may with several sorts of Instruments use several kindes of Extractions among the rest I found out one whereby you may draw Oyl with any the most vehement fire without any danger of burning and a greater quantity then by any other and it is fit for many other uses also Prepare a Vessel in the form of an Egg of the capacity of half an ordinary Barrel let the mouth of it be of a convenient bigness to receive in your arm when there shall occasion to wash it or to fill it with several sorts and degrees of things to be distilled Let it be tinned within then set a brass head upon it of a foot high with a hole in the bottom fit to receive the neck of the lower Vessel and stop the mouth of it exactly Out of the top of the head there must arise a pipe of Brass fifteen or twenty foot long bended into several angles that it may take up less room and be more convenient to be carried The other end of this Pipe must be fastened into the belly of another Vessel which must be of less capacity then the former but of the same figure Fix a head upon this also with a Pipe of the same length and bended like the former whose lower end shall be received into another straight Pipe which passing through the middle of a Barrel at last falls into the Receiver The manner of using it is this Put your Leaves Stalks or Seeds being beaten small into the Brass-pot and
the whole work depended on it let it circulate in Balneo a whole month take off the yellow Oyl or Quintessence of all with a Silver-Spoon and add to it a drachm of Musk and Amber and set it by for your use in a Glass-bottle close stopt Distil the remainder and it will afford a yellow cleer water but you cannot extract the Oyl without a stink of burning I have very exactly extracted Oyl of Gums Roots and Seeds of the forementioned and mixing them together have effected strange things with them Most of their operations are against Poysons and Pestilential Contagions especially those that are apt to seize on the Spirits for a drop of it being anoynted on the Lips or Nostrils reviveth the Soul and keepeth it in perfect Senses at least six hours CHAP. XVIII Of a Clyssus and how it is made THat there may nothing be omitted I will now shew what a Clyssus is and how it may be made A Clyssus is the Extraction of the Spirits of every part of a Plant united in one common entity There are in a Plant the Root Leaf Flower Fruit and Seed and in every one of these parts there is a peculiar Nature The Operation is thus Dig the Roots when they are full of juice the Leaves when they are fresh and green the Flowers when they are blown the Fruit and Seeds in their due time Extract the Spirits or Essences out of all these by Distillation Maceration or Calcination or any other of the former wayes But when they are all extracted severally one in the form of Oyl another of Salt or Liquor then mix them all together so that the may be conjoyned and united in one body which is called a Clyssus Some mix them in Distillation in Vessels made for the purpose in this manner They put the Water Salt and Oyl in three several Curbicles of equal height and bigness and tying their three necks together and put them into one common Head which may be fit to receive them all close them lute them and kindle the fire under The heat will elevate the thinnest substance in all of them which will meet and mix in the Head and run down by the Nose or Spout into the Receiver so set them by for use This Congregation of Essences doth penetrate and search all the remote passages of the Body and is very useful in Physick CHAP. XIX How to get Oyl out of Salts I Have declared many ways of extracting Oyl now I will shew how to draw it out of Salts that they may be more penetrative and work more powerfully which can be done no other way They seem to have some kinde of fat in them yet will not burn so that it cannot be called a perfect Oyl How to extract Oyl of Tartar Burn the Tartar and reduce it into a Salt as I shewed before then lay it on a Marble in a moyst place and in a few days it will turn to Oyl and run down into a dish which you must set underneath to receive it Thus you may easily make it into Salt Beat the Tartar into Powder and mix an equal quantity of Salt-Peter with it when they are mixt in Iron Mortar set them in the fire until they be quite burned grind the remaining Foeces and dissolve them in a Lye strain it and let the Lye evaporate away and the Salt will settle to the bottom then boyl some Eggs hard take ouâ— the yelks and fill up their place with Salt and in a little time it will dissolve into Oyl Oyl of Sal Sodae Dissolve the Salt in Water and strain it through a cloth then dry it lay it on a Marble and set it in a moyst place and it will run down in an Oyl So The famous Oyl of Talk is extracted onely by the vehement heat of fire yet I knew not at first what it was useful for But I perceive it is much accounted of by women in their Fâ—cus Beat it into fine Powder in an Iron-Morter and put it into a very strong thick Pot fasten the cover on with wire plaiâ—â—er it with Potters Clay and set it in the Sun for three days then thrust it into a Potters Furnace where the flames are most violent After three or four days take it out break open the Pot and if you finde it not sufficiently calcined make it up and set it in again When it is burned perfectly white lay it on a Marble and place it in a moyst room or in a hole dug in the earth and there let it stand for a good while until it dissolve into Oyl then reserve it in a Glass-bottle So also is made Red Oyl of Sulphur Grinde live Sulphur into a small Powder and mix it with an equal quantity of the former Oyl of Tartar boyl it three hours in a Glass-bottle and when it is dissolved strain it through a Linnen-cloth into another Glass and set it over a Gentle fire till it thicken like clotted blood and so dry Then powder it and lay it on a Marble in a moist Cellar there it will dissolve and run down into the under-placed dish Set this Liquor being first strained thorow a cloth in a Glass-bottle over warm Ashes until the moysture be consumed and there will remain a red Oyl of Sulphur Oyl of Myrrh Boyl some Eggs hard cut them in the middle take out the yelks and fill their places with Myrrh powdered and seirced lay them in an earthen Pan upon long cross-sticks that the Eggs may not imbibe the Oyl again and shut them in a moist Cellar so the Oyl will drop down into the Pan. CHAP. XX. Of Aqua Fortis NOw I will recite those Distillations which draw out neither Water nor Oyl but a middle between both for the terrene parts are forced up turned into Water by the vehemency of the fire from whence they do acquire so great a heat that corrode and burn most violently They are extracted onely in igne reverberationis and with great care and labour How to draw Aqua Fortis or Oyl out of Salt It is a piece of Art discovered to very few Take Pit-Salt put into a Glass-Retort treble luted over and dried set it in igne reverberationis where the flames do struggle most violently the first time you will get but little moysture Break the Retort and remove the Foeces into another and pour the extracted Water into them and distill them again the second time thou wilt get more Do the same a third time and so to the tenth until the Salt be all turned into Liquor which is a most precious Jewel and worth thy labor Some quench hot Bricks in the liquified Salt and then distil them with a most intense fire as in Oyl of Bricks A Water for the Separation of Silver Take Salt-Peter and Alom in equal quantity beat them in a Morter and put them into a Glass-Retort luted over three double when it is well dried set it in the circulating-fire that is which
remaining Powders make a mass which you may form into cakes which being burnt on hot Ashes smell very sweetly I take out the Cinnamon and the Woods because in burning they cast forth a stink of smoak Another way Take one pound and a half of the Coals of Willow ground into dust and seirced four ounces of Labdanum three drachms of Storax two of Benjamin one of Lignum Aloes mix the Storax Benjamin and Labdanum in a Brass Morter with an Iron Pestle heated and put to them the Coal and Lignum Aloes powdered Add to these half an ounce of liquid Storax then dissolve Gum Tragacantha in rose-Rose-water and drop it by degrees into the Morter When the powders are mixed into the form of an Unguent you may make it up into the shape of Birds or any other things and dry them in the shade You may wash them over with a little Musk and Amber upon a Pencil and when you burn them you will receive a most sweet fume from them Another Perfume Anoynt the Pill of Citron or Lemmon with a little Civet stick it with Cloves and Races of Cinnamon boyl it in Rose-water and it will fill your chamber with an odorifeous fume CHAP. IX How to adulterate Musk. THese Perfumes are often counterfeited by Impostors wherefore I will declare how you may discern and beware of these Cheats for you must not trust whole Musk-Cods of it there being cunning Impostors who fill them with other things and onely mix Musk enough to give its sent to them Black Musk inclining to a dark red is counterfeited with Goats blood a little rosted or toasted bread so that three or four parts of them beaten with one of Musk will hardly be discovered The Imposture may be discerned onely thus The Bread is easie to be crumb'd and the Goats blood looketh clear and bright within when it is broken It is counterfeited by others in this manner Beat Nutmegs Mace Cinnamon Cloves Spikenard of each one handful and seirce them carefully then mix them with the warm blood of Pigeons and dry them in the Sun Afterward beat them again and wet them with Musk-water and Rose-water dry them beat them and moysten them very many times at length add a fourth part of pure Musk and mix them well and wet them again with rose-Rose-water and Musk-water divide the Mass into several parts and rowl them in the hair of a Goat which groweth under his Tail Others do it Another way and mingle Storax Labdanum and Powder of Lignum Aloes add to the Composition Musk and Civet and mingle all together with rose-Rose-water The Imposture is discovered by the easie dissolving of it in water and it differeth in colour and sent Others augment Musk by adding Roots of Angelica which doth in some sort imitate the sent of Musk. So also they endeavour To adulterate Civet with the Gall of an Ox and Storax liquified and washed or Cretan Honey But if your Musk or Amber have lost their sent thus you must do To make Musk recover its sent hang it in a Jakes and among stinks for by striving against those ill savours it exciteth its own vertue reviveth and recovereth its lost sent THE TWELFTH BOOK OF Natural Magick Of Artificial Fires THE PROEME BEfore I leave off to write of Fire I shall treat of that dangerous Fire that works wonderful things which the vulgar call Artificial Fire which the Commanders of Armies and Generals use lamentably in divers Artifices and monstrous Designs to break open Walls and Cities and totally to subvert them and in Sea-fights to the infinite ruine of mâ—rtal men and whereby they oft-times frustrate the malicious enterprizes of their Enemies The matter is very useful and wonderful and there is nothing in the world that more frights and terrifies the mindes of men God is coming to judge the world by Fire I shall describe the mighty hot Fires of our Ancestors which they used to besiege places with and I shall add those that are of later Invention that far exceed them and lastly I shall speak of those of our days You have here the Compositions of terrible Gun-powder that makes a noise and then of that which makes no noise of Pipes that vomit forth deadly Fires and of Fires that cannot be quenched and that will rage under Water at the very bottom of it Whereby the Seas rend asunder as if they were undermined by the great violence of the flames striving against them and are lifted up into the Air that Ships are drawn by the monstrous Gulphs Of Fireâ—Balls that flie with glittering Fire and terrifie Troops of Horse-men and overthrow them So that we are come almost to eternal Fires CHAP. I. How divers ways to procure Fire may be prepared VItruvius saith That it fell out by accident that sundry Trees frequently moved with Windes and Tempests the Bows of them rubbing one against another and the parts smiting each other and so being ratified caused heat and took fire and flamed exceedingly Wilde people that saw this ran away When the Fire was out and they durst come neerer and found it to be a great commodity for the Body of man they preserved the Fire and so they perceived that it afforded causes of civility of conversing and talking together Pliny saith It was found out by Souldiers and Shepherds In the Camp those that keep watch found this out for necessity and so did Shepherds because there is not always a Flint ready Theophrastus teacheth what kindes of Wood are good for this purpose and though the Anger and the handle are sometimes both made of one sort of Wood yet it is so that one part acts and the other suffers so that he thinks the one part should be of hard Wood and the other of soft Example Wood that by rubbing together will take Fire They are such as are very hot as the Bay-Tree the Buck-thorn the Holm the Piel-Tree But Mâ—estor adds the Mulberry-Tree and men conjecture so because they will presently blunt the Ax. Oâ— all these they make the Auger that by rubbing they may resist the more and do the business more firmly but the handle to receive them is to be made of soft Wood as the Ivy the wilde Vine and the like being dried and all moisture taken from them The Olive is not fit because it is full of fat matter and too much moysture But those are worst of all to make Fires that grow in shady places Pliny from him One Wood is rub'd against another and by rubbing takes Fire some dry fuel as Mushroomes or Leaves easily receiving the Fire from them But there is nothing better then the Ivy that may be rubbed with the Bay-Tree or this with that Also the wilde Vine is good which is another kinde of wilde Vine and runs upon Trees as the Ivy doth But I do it more conveniently thus Rub one Bay-Tree against another and rub lustily for it will presently smoak adding a little Brimstone put your fuel
the Crown than for the Gold lump he reasoned that there must be a mixture in the Crown This was the Greeks invention that is worthy of praise but the operation is difficult for in things of small quantity the theft cannot be discerned nor can this reason appear so clear to the eye where the obsolute fashion of the vessel was wanting Now a way is invented how for all money be it never so small we can tell presently and we want not many instruments that we may cry We have overfounded Vpereureka Vpereureka we have gone beyond Archimedes his Eureka The way is this To know any part of Silver mingled with Gold Take a perfect ballance and put in one scale any Metal in the other as much of the same Metal but the purest of its kind and when the scales hang even in the Air put them into a vessel full of water and let them down under water about half a foot Then will it be a strange wonder for the ballances that hang equal in the Air will change their nature in the water and will be unequal for the impure Metal will be uppermost and the pure will sink to the bottom The reason is because pure Gold compared with that kind is heavior than all impure Gold because pure Gold taketh less place wherefore it will way heavior by the former reason If then we would know how much Silver is in that Gold put as much pure Gold in the other scale as will make the ballances equal under the waters when they are equal take them up and the weight you added under water will be the weight of the mixture If you would know how much Gold is upon a vessel Gilded put the Cup in one scale and as much pure Silver in the other that the scales may hang equal in the Air then put them into the water and the vessel will sink down put into the other scale as much pure Gold as will make them equal under water draw them forth and that is the weight of the Gilt of the plate You shall do the same for Silver Brass Iron white or black Lead But would you know whether in Money Brass be mingled with Silver or Coin be adulterated with Copper put the Money into one scale and as much of the finest Silver into the other ballance them equal then put them under the water the Money will go down adde as much Brass as will make the scales equal then take them forth and it will be the weight of the mixture Now will I set the weighâ—s of Metals how much they weigh more in the waters than in the Air whereby without any other experiment we may know mixtures An Iron-ball that weighed nighteen ounces in the Air will weigh fifteen in the waters whence it is that a Ball of the same magnitude must owe three ounces to the water wherefore the proportion of Iron in the Air to the same in the waters is as fifteen to nineteen A Leaden Bullet of the same magnitude weighs 31 ounces in the Air in the water but 27 A Marble Bullet little less for bulk weighs 7 in the Air and 5 in the water Copper weighs 16 in the Air and 12 in the waters Silver weighs in the Air 125 in the waters 113 Brass in the Air weighs 65 Karats and one grain in the waters 50 Karats and two grains Crown Gold in the Air weighs 66 grains in the waters 6â— Gold called Zechini in the Air weighs 17 Karats under water 16 Karats Tâ—rkish Ducat Gold weighs in the Air 34 under waters 32 Common French Crown Gold weighs in the Air 67 under waters 60 Common Crown Gold of Hungary that is old in the Air weighs 17 in the water 16 Crown Gold of Tartary weighs 16 in the Air and 14 under water THE NINETEENTH BOOK OF Natural Magick Concerning VVind-Instruments THE PROEME I Have spoken concerning light and heavy now follow experiments by wind for these seem to follow the reasons of Mathematicks and of the Air and water and a Philosopher who seeks to find things profitable and admirable for mans use must insist on these things contemplate and search them out in no thing doth the Majesty of Nature shine forth more There are extant the famous Monuments of the most learned Heron of Alexandria concerning wind Instruments I will adde some that are new to give an occasion to search out greater matters CHAP. I. Whether material Statues may speak by any Artificial way I Have read that in some Cities there was a Colassus of Brass placed on a mighty high Pillar which in violent tempests of wind from the nether parts received a great blast that was carried from the mouth to a Trumpet that it blew strongly or else sounded some other Instrument which I believe to have been easie because I have seen the like Also I read in many men of great Authority that Albertus Magnus made a head that speak Yet to speak the truth I give little credit to that man because all I made trial of from him I found to be false but what he took from other men I will see whether an Image can be made that will speak Some say that Albertus by Astrological elections of times did perform this wonderful thing but I wonder how learned men could be so guld for they know the Stars have no such forces Some think he did it by Magick Arts. And this I credit least of all since there is no man that professeth himself to know those Arts but Impostors and Mountebanks whilst they cheit ignorant men and simple women nor do I think that the Godly man would profess ungodly Arts. But I suppose it may be done by wind We see that the voice or a sound will be conveighed entire through the Air and that not in an instant but by degrees in time We see that Brass-guns which by the force of Gun-powder make a mighty noise if they be a mile off yet we see the flame much before we hear the sound So hand-Guns make a report that comes at a great distance to us but some minutes of time are required for it for that is the nature of sounds Wherefore sounds go with time and are entire without interruption unless they break upon some place The Eccho proves this for it strikes whole against a wall and so rebounds back and is reflected as a beam of the Sun Moreover as I said in this work words and voices go united together and are carried very far entire as they are spoken at first These therefore being laid down for true grounds if any man shall make leaden Pipes exceeding long two or three hundred paces long as I have tried and shall speak in them some or many words they will be carried true through those Pipes and be heard at the other end as they came from the speakers mouth wherefore if that voice goes with time hold entire if any man as the words are spoken shall stop the
must be as well seen also in the nature of Metals Minerals Gems and Stones Furthermore what cunning he must have in the art of Distillation which follows and resembles the showers and dew of heaven as the daughter the mother I think no man will doubt of it for it yeelds daily very strange inventions and most witty devices and shews how to finde out many things profitable for the use of man As for example to draw out of things dewy vapours unsavoury and gross sents or spirits clots and gummy or slimy humours and that intimate essence which lurks in the inmost bowels of things to fetch it forth and sublimate it that it may be of the greater strength And this he must learn to do not after a rude and homely manner but with knowledge of the causes and reasons thereof He must also know the Mathematical Sciences and especially Astrologie for that shews how the Stars are moved in the heavens and what is the cause of the darkning of the Moon and how the Sun that golden planet measures out the parts of the world and governs it by twelve Signes for by the sundry motions and aspects of the heavens the celestial bodies are very beneficial to the earth and from thence many things receive both active and passive powers and their manifold properties the difficulty of which point long troubled the Platonicks mindes how these inferiour things should receive influence from heaven Moreover he must be skilful in the Opticks that he may know how the sight may be deceived and how the likeness of a vision that is seen in the water may be seen hanging without in the air by the help of certain Glasses of divers fashions and how to make one see that plainly which is a great way off and how to throw fire very far from us upon which sleights the greatest part of the secrecies of Magick doth depend These are the Sciences which Magick takes to her self for servants and helpers and he that knows not these is unworthy to be named a Magician He must be a skilful workman both by natural gifts and also by the practise of his own hands for knowledge without practice and workmanship and practice without knowledge are nothing worth these are so linked together that the one without the other is but vain and to no purpose Some there are so apt for these enterprises even by the gifts of Nature that God may seem to have made them hereunto Neither yet do I speak this as if Art could not perfect any thing for I know that good things may be made better and there are means to remedy and help foward that which lacks perfection First let a man consider and prepare things providently and skilfully and then let him fall to work and do nothing unadvisedly This I thought good to speak of that if at any time the ignorant be deceived herein he may not lay the fault upon us but upon his own unskilfulness for this is the infirmity of the scholar and not of the teacher for if rude and ignorant men shall deal in these matters this Science will be much discredited and those strange effects will be accounted hap-hazard which are most certain and follow their necessary cause If you would have your works appear more wonderful you must not let the cause be known for that is a wonder to us which we see to be done and yet know not the cause of it for he that knows the causes of a thing done doth not so admire the doing of it and nothing is counted unusual and rare but onely so far forth as the causes thereof are not known Aristotle in his books of Handy-trades saith that master-builders frame and make their tools to work with but the principles thereof which move admiration those they conceal A certain man put out a candle and putting it to a stone or a wall lighted it again and this seemed to be a great wonder but when once they perceived that he touched it with brimstone then saith Galen it ceased to seem a wonder A miracle saith Ephesius is dissolved by that wherein it seemed to be a miracle Lastly the professor of this Science must also be rich for if we lack money we shall hardly work in these cases for it is not Philosophy that can make us rich we must first be rich that we may play the Philosophers He must spare for no charges but be prodigal in seeking things out and while he is busie and careful in seeking he must be patient also and think it not much to recal many things neither must he spare for any pains for the secrets of Nature are not revealed to lazie and idle persons Wherefore Epicharmus said very well that men purchase all things at Gods hands by the price of their labour And if the effect of thy work be not answerable to my description thou must know that thy self hast failed in some one point or another for I have set down these things briefly as being made for wrtty and skilful workmen and not for rude and young beginners CHAP. IV. The opinions of the antient Philosophers touching the causes of strange operations and first of the Elements THose effects of Nature which oft-times we behold have so imployed the antient Philosophers minds in the searching forth of their causes that they have taken great pains and yet were much deceived therein insomuch that divers of them have held divers opinions which it shall not be amiss to relate before we proceed any farther The first sort held that all things proceed from the Elements and that these are the first beginnings of things the fire according to Hippasus Metapontinus and Heraclides Ponticus the air according to Diogenes Apolloniates and Anaximenes and the water according to Thales Milesius These therefore they held to be the very original and first seeds of Nature even the Elements simple and pure bodies whereas the Elements that now are be but counterfeits and bastards to them for they are all changed every one of them being more or less medled with one another those say they are the material principles of a natural body and they are moved and altered by continual succession of change and they are so wrapt up together within the huge cope of heaven that they fill up this whole space of the world which is situate beneath the Moon for the fire being the lightest and purest Element hath gotten up aloft and chose it self the highest room which they call the element of fire The next Element to this is the Air which is somwhat more weighty then the fire and it is spread abroad in a large and huge compass and passing through all places doth make mens bodies framable to her temperature and is gathered together sometimes thick into dark clouds sometimes thinner into mists and so is resolved The next to these is the water and then the last and lowest of all which is scraped and compacted together out of the
purer Elements and is called the Earth a thick and grosse substance very solid and by no means to be pierced through so that there is no solid and firm body but hath earth in it as also there is no vacant space but hath air in it This Element of earth is situate in the middle and centre of all and is round beset with all the rest and this only stands still and unmoveable whereas all the rest are carried with a circular motion round about it But Hippon and Critias held that the vapours of the Elements were the first beginnings Parmenides held that their qualities were the principles for all things saith he consist of cold and heat The Physitians hold that all things consist of four qualities hear cold moisture drouth and of their predominancy when they meet together for every Element doth embrace as it were with certain armes his neighbour-Element which is next situate to him and yet they have also contrary and sundry qualities whereby they differ for the wisdom of nature hath framed this workmanship of the world by due and set measure and by a wonderful fitnesse and conveniency of one thing with another for whereas every Element had two qualities wherein it agreed with some and disagreed with other Elements nature hath bestowed such a double quality upon every one as finds in other two her like which she cleaves unto as for example the air and the fire this is hot and dry that is hot and moist now dry and moist are contraries and thereby fire and air disagree but because either of them is hot thereby they are reconciled So the Earth is cold and dry and the water cold and moist so that they disagree in that the one is moist the other dry but yet are reconciled in as much as they are both cold otherwise they could hardly agree Thus the fire by little and little is changed into air because either of them is hot the air into the water because either of them is moist the water into the earth because either of them is cold and the earth into fire because either of them is dry and so they succeed each other after a most provident order From thence also they are turned back again into themselves the order being inverted and so they are made mutually of one another for the change is easie in those that agree in any one common quality as fire and air be easily changed into each other by reason of heat but where either of the qualities are opposite in both as in fire and water there this change is not so easie So then heat cold moisture and drouth are the first and principal qualities in as much as they proceed immediately from the Elements and produce certain secondary effects Now two of them namely heat and cold are active qualities fitter to be doing themselves then to suffer of others the other two namely moisture and drouth are passive not because they are altogether idle but because they follow and are preserved by the other There are certain secondary qualities which attend as it were upon the first and these are said to work in a second sort as to soften to ripen to resolve to make lesse or thinner as when heat works into any mixt body it brings out that which is unpure and so whilst it strives to make it fit for his purpose that it may be more simple the body becometh thereby smaller and thinner so cold doth preserve binde and congeal drouth doth thicken or harden and makes uneven for when there is great store of moisture in the utter parts that which the drouth is not able to consume it hardens and so the utter parts become rugged for that part where the moisture is gone sinking down and the other where it is hardened rising up there must needs be great roughnesse and ruggednesse so moisture doth augment corrupt and for the most part works one thing by it self and another by some accident as by ripening binding expelling and such like it brings forth milk urine monethly flowers and sweat which the Physitians call the third qualities that do so wait upon the second as the second upon the first and sometime they have their operations in some certain parts as to strengthen the head to succour the reins and these some call fourth qualities So then these are the foundations as they call them of all mixt bodies and of all wonderful operations and whatsoever experiments they proved the causes hereof rested as they supposed and were to be found in the Elements and their qualities But Empedocles Agrigentinus not thinking that the Elements were sufficient for this purpose added unto them moreover concord and discord as the causes of generation and corruption There be four principal seeds or beginnings of all things Jupiter that is to say fire Pluto that is to say earth Juno that is to say air and Nestis that is to say water all these sometimes love and concord knits together in one and sometimes discord doth sunder them and make them flie apart This concord and discord said he are found in the Elements by reason of their sundry qualities wherein they agree and disagree yea even in heaven it self as Jupiter and Venus love all Planets save Mars and Saturn Venus agrees with Mars whereas no Planet else agrees with him There is also another disagreement amongst them which ariseth from the oppositions and elevations of their houses for even the twelve signs are both at concord and at discord among themselves as Manilius the Poet hath shewed CHAP. V. That divers operations of Nature proceed from the essential forms of things ALl the Peripatericks and most of the latter Philosophers could not see how all operations should proceed from those causes which the Antients have set down for they find that many things work quite contrary to their qualities and therefore they have imagined that there is some other matter in it and that it is the power and properties of essential formes But now that all things may be made more plain we must consider that it will be a great help unto us for the making and finding out of strange things to know what that is from whence the vertues of any thing do proceed that so we may be able to discern and distinguish one thing from another without confounding all order of truth Whereas one and the same compound yeelds many effects of different kinds as we shall find in the processe of this Book yet every man confesseth that there is but one only original cause therein that produceth all these effects And seeing we are about to open plainly this original cause we must begin a little higher Every natural substance I mean a compound body is composed of matter and form as of her principles neither yet do I exclude the principal qualities of the Elements from doing their part herein for they also concur and make up the number of three principles for when
do they ever breed without rain though they have never so much water otherwise for it is the rain both that begets and nourishes them as Aristotle writes They are also generated of putrified things Experience hath proved that a dead horse thrown into a standing pool hath brought forth great store of Eeles and the like hath been done by the carcases of other creatures Aristotle saith they are generated of the garbage of the earth which he saith ariseth in the Sea in Rivers and in pools by reason chiefly of putrefaction but it arises in the Sea by reason of reeds in Pools and Rivers it arises by the banks-side for there the heat is more forcible to cause putrefaction And a friend of mine filled certain wooden vessels with water and Reeds and some other water-herbs and set them in the open Air having first covered them with a weighty stone and so in short time generated Eeles Such is the generation of Groundlings out of some and froth which fish the Greeks call Aphya because rain breeds it Many of them breed of the fome that rises out of the sandy chanel that still goes and comes at all times till at last it is dissolved so that this kind of fish breeds all times of the year in shadowy and warm places when the soyl is heated as in Attica neer to Salamnia and in Marathon where Themistocles got his famous victory In some places this fish breeds of fome by the help of the rain and swims on the top of the water in the fome as you see little wormes creep on the top of mud Athenaeus saith This fish is consecrated to Venus because she also comes of the froth of the Sea whence she is called Aphrodites Aelianus saith These fishes neither do beget nor are begotten but only come of mud for when dirt is clotted together in the Sea it waxes very black and slimy and then receives heat and life after a wonderful manner and so is changed into very many living Creatures and namely into Groundlings When the waves are too boistrous for him he hides himself in the clift of some rock neither doth he need any food And Oppianus makes the very same description of them and of their generation There is a kind of these fishes called a Mullet-Groundling which is generated of mud and of sand as hath been tried in many marish places amongst the rest in Gindus where in the Dog-daies the Lakes being dried up so that the mud was hard as soon as ever they began to be full of rain-rain-water again were generated little fishes a kind of Mullets about the bigness of little Cackrels which had neither seed nor egge in them And in some parts of Asia at the mouth of the Rivers into the Sea some of a bigger size are generated And as the Mullet-groundling comes of mud or of a sandy lome as Aristotle writes so it is to be thought that the Cackrel-groundling comes thereof also It seems too that A Carpe is generated of putrefaction Especially of the putrified mud of sweet water for it is experienced that in certain Lakes compassed about with Hills where there is no Well nor River to moisten it but only the rain after some few showers there hath been great store of fish especially Carps but there are some of this kind generated by copulation There are also in certain particular Lakes particular kinds of fishes as in the Lemane and the Benacian Lakes there be divers kind of Carpes and other such fishes Likewise there are certain Earthly fishes generated of putrefaction Pliny reports that in Paphlagonia they dig out of deep ditches certain earthly fishes very good to be eaten and it is so in places where there is no standing water and he wonders that they should be generated without copulation but surely it is by vertue of some moisture which he ascribes to the Wells because in some of them fishes are found Likewise Shel-fish are generated of the forthy mud or else meerly of the salt-salt-water for they have neither seed nor male nor female the hardnesse and closenesse of their shels hindering all things from touching or rubbing their inward parts which might be fit for generation Aristotle saith they breed all of themselves which appears by this that oft-times they breed in Ships of a forthy mud putrified and in many places where no such thing was before many shel-fishes have bred when once the place waxed muddy for lack of moisture And that these fishes emit no seed or generative matter it appears because that when the men of Chios had brought out of Lesbos many Oysters and cast them into Lakes neer the Sea there were found no more then were cast in onely they were somewhat greater So then Oysters are generated in the Sea in Rivers and in Lakes and therefore are called Limnostrea because they breed in muddy places Oppianus writes also that they have neither male nor female but are generated of themselves and their own accord without the help of any copulation So the fish called Ortica and the Purple and Muscles and Scallops and Perwinkles and Limpins and all Shel-fish are generated of mud for they cannot couple together but live only as plants live And look how the mud differs so doth it bring forth different kinds of fishes durty mud genders Oysters sandy mud Perwinkles the mud in the Rocks breedeth Holoturia Lepades and such-like Limpins as experience hath shewed have bred of rotten hedges made to fish by and as soon as the hedges were gone there have been found no more Limpins CHAP. V. That new kinds of living Creatures may be generated of divers beasts by carnal copulation WE have shewed that living Creatures are generated of putrefaction now we will shew that sundry kinds of beasts coupling together may bring forth new kinds of Creatures and these also may bring forth others so that infinite monsters may be daily gendred for whereas Aristotle saith that Africk alwayes brings forth some new thing the reason thereof is this because the Country being in most places dry divers kinds of beasts come out of sundry quarters thither where the Rivers were and there partly for lust and partly by constraint coupled together and so gendred divers monstrous Creatures The Antients have set down many such generations and some are lately devised or found out by chance and what may be hereafter let men of learning judge Neither let the opinions of some Philosophers stay us which hold that of two kinds divers in nature a third cannot be made unlike to either of the parents and that some Creatures do not gender at all as Mules do not for we see that contrary to the first of these their positions many Creatures are generated of kinds divers in nature and of these are generated others to the perpetual conservation of this new kind as hath been tried in many Villages that divers kinds coupling together have brought forth other new kinds differing from their progenitors every
not out of the low and hollow parts but out of the highest And there are four seeds required because so many will easily and fitly close together A matter which if it were true it might be a very ready means which would produce exceeding many and wonderful experiments By such a means Berries that are party-coloured may be produced If you take a great many berries white and black and red one amongst another and sow them in the earth together and when they are shot up bind all their stalks into one they will grow together and yeeld party coloured berries Pliny writes that this way was devised from the birds Nature saith he hath taught how to graffe with a seed for hungry birds have devoured seeds and having moistened and warmed them in their bellies a little after have dunged in the forky twistes of Trees and together with their dung excluded the seed whole which erst they had swallowed and sometimes it brings forth there where they dung it and sometimes the wind carries it away into some chinks of the barks of Trees and there it brings forth This is the reason why many times we see a Cherry-tree growing in a Wilow a Plane-tree in a Bay-tree and a Bay in a Cherry-tree and withal that the berries of them have been party-coloured They write also that the Jack-daw hiding certain seeds in some secret chinks or holes did give occasion of this Invention By this self-same means we may produce A Fig that is partly white and partly red Leontius attempts the doing of this by taking the kernels or stones that are in a Fig somewhat inclinable to this variety and wrapping them up together in a linnen cloth and then sowing them and when need requires removing them into another place If we would have An Orenge or Citron-tree bear divers Apples of divers relishes Pontanus our Country-man in his work of Gardening hath elegantly taught us how to do it We must take sundry seeds of them and put them into a pitcher and there let them grow up and when they come forth bind the sprigs together and by this means they will grow up into one stock and shrowd themselves all under one bark but you must take heed that the wind come not at them to blow them asunder but cover them over with some wax that they may stick fast together and let them be well plaistered with morter about the bark and so shall you gather from them in time very strange Apples of sundry relishes Likewise we may procure A Damosin and an Orenge or Limon to be mixt together In our books of Husbandry we shewed at large by many reasons alledged to and fro that sundry seeds could not possibly grow into one but all that is written in favour of this practice is utterly false and altogether unpossible But this experiment we our selves have proved whereby divers kinds of Damosins are mixt together While the Damosin-trees were very tender and dainty we fastened two of them together which were planted neer to each other as Sailers plat and tie their Cables but first we pared off the bark to the inmost skin in that place where they should touch together that so one living thing might the more easily grow to the other then we bound them up gently with thin lists made of the inner bark of Elm or such like stuff that is soft and pliable for such a purpose lest they should be parted and grow asunder and if any part of them were so limber that it would not stick fast we wedged it in with splents yet not too hard for fear of spoiling it Then we rid away the earth from the upper roots and covered them with muck and watered them often that by this cherishing and tilling on they might grow up the better and thus after a few years that they were grown together into one tree we cut off the tops of them about that place where they most seemed to be knit together and about those tops there sprung up many buds whereof those which we perceived had grown out of both Trees we suffered to grow still and the rest we cut away and by this means we produced such kind of fruit as we speak of very goodly and much commended And concerning Limons I have seen some in the Noble-mens Gardens of Naples which partly by continual watering at seasonable times and partly by reason of the tendernesse and the ranknesse of the boughs did so cling and grow together that they became one tree and this one Tree brought forth fruit compounded of either kind We may also effect this featly by earthen vessels for the plants that are set therein we may very conveniently cherish up with continual watering and perform other services towards them which are necessary for their growth And as it may be done by Limons so we have seen the same experiment practised upon Mulberry-trees which growing in moist and shadowed places as soon as their boughs closed one with another presently they grew into one and brought forth berries of sundry colours If we would procure that A Lettice should grow having in it Parsley and Rotchet and Basil-gentle or any such like commixtion we must take the dung of a Sheep or a Goat and though it be but a small substance yet you must make a shift to bore the Truttle through the middle and as well as you can get out the inmost pith and in stead thereof put into it those seeds which you desire to have mingled together packing them in as hard as the Truttle will bear it and when you have so done lay it in the ground about two handful deep with dung and hollow geer both under it and round about it then cover it with a little thin earth and water it a little and a little and when the seeds also are sprung forth you must still apply them with water and dung and after they are grown up into a stalk you must be more diligent about them and by this means at length there will arise a Lettice mixed and compounded with all those seeds Palladius prescribes the same more precisely If you take saith he a Truttle of Goats dung and bore it through and make it hollow cunningly with a bodkin and then fill it up with the seed of Lettice Cresses Basil Rotchet and Radish and when you have so done lap them up in more of the same dung and bury them in a little trench of such ground as is fruitful and well manured for such a purpose the Radish will grow downward into a Root the other seeds will grow upward into a stalk and the Lettice will contain them all yeelding the several relish of every one of them Others effect this experiment on this manner They pluck off the Lettice leaves that grow next to the root and make holes in the thickest substance and veins thereof one hole being a reasonable distance from the other wherein they put the forenamed seeds all but
shall be as it were their step mother then bore a passage into the broom-stalk and when you have cleansed the passage prune the rose-stalk and plant it into the broom and there cover them with â—oam where the engraffing was made and so bind it up Afterward when the set is grown into the stock you must cut off all the head somewhat above the engraffing place so shall you have a Rose or a Jasmine there growing of a lovely yellowish colour Which kind of flowers are very usual with us and this their borrowed colour is so orient and bright that the eye is scarce able to endure the brightness thereof There is another means also whereby we may colour flowers and that is by pouring some colouring into the roots If you would have Lillies to be red we will shew how to do it as Florentinus hath shewed us Take a Lillie-clove or head and when you have opened it well pour into it some Sinoper or any other colouring and the Lillie-flower that grows out of the clove so dressed will be of the same colour But you must be very careful that you hurt not the clove or head when you so open it and besides you must be sure to cover it with fat and well-soiled earth By the like means you may procure Lilly-flowers of a purple colour The manner whereof Anatolius sheweth to be this You must take ten or twelve Lilly-stalks about such time as they be ready to yeeld flowers bind them all together and hang them up in the smoak then will there spring out of them some small roots like unto a Scallion Therefore when the time of the year serves to set them you must steep the stalks in the Lees of red Wine till you see they be throughly stained with that colour then you must take them asunder and set every one of them by it self watering them still with the same Lees and so you shall have Lillies that bear a purple flower Cassianus attempted by the very like means To produce white Ivy He steeped it in white Marle and covered the roots of it with the same morter for eight dayes together and it brought forth white berries We may effect the like matters by careful manuring and dressing of fruits for if we apply them with fat and fertile muck the flowers will be a great deal the better coloured and may be made blackish as we have often proved in Clove-gilliflowers which we have procured to be so deep coloured that they have been even black And on the contrary Roses Clove-gilliflowers and Violets will wax of a whiterish colour if they be not carefully lookt unto that either you do not water them well nor transplant them nor dig about them nor feed them with muck for by this means Theophrastus writeth not only these kinds of flowers but almost all other that grow in Woods and Forrests unregarded do become whiterish But Didymus hath devised another kind of sleight divers from these whereby to make Roses and Clove-gilliflowers to become white very suddenly and this is by smoaking and perfuming them with brimstone about the time that they begin to open CHAP. XVI How fruits and Flowers may be made to yeeld a better savour then ordinary AS it is pretty and delightsome to see fruits and flowers wear a counterfeit colour so it is worth our labour to procure in them a more fragrant smell then their ordinary kind is wont to afford which thing we may effect by divers wayes by planting by watering and by other devices And for example sake we will first shew how to make Limons to become very odoriferous If we take that least kind of Limons which is called Limoncellum piccioluâ— and engraff into a Citron-tree the stock will inspire the fruit with a very goodly smell and the oftner that you so engraffe it the sweeter smell it will afford as by daily experience we have tried in our Naples Gardens So also we may procure Very odoriferous Pears by engraffing them upon a Quince-tree for the â—tock thereof will lend the fruit a grateful savour Diophanes avoucheth that Apples may be made more odoriferous if they be engraffed into a Quince-tree and that hereby are procured those goodly Apples which the Athenians call Melimela And I suppose that the Apple called Appium malum was produced by the often engraffing of an Apple into a Quince-tree for the smell of it is somewhat like a Quince and it is not unlike that Appius Claudius found it out and first procured it by the same means Likewise we have with us great red Apples and some of them of a mâ—rry colour which yield the same smell and questionless could never be produced but by the same means So we have procured The Centifole Rose to be more odoriferous If you would do so too you must engraffe it into that kind of Rose which by reason of the sweet smell of Musk that it carries with it is called Moschatula but you must oftentimes reiterate the engraffing of it again and again so shall it be more beautiful and fuller of leaves and smell sweeter But it is best to engraffe it by Inoculation by clapping the bud of the one upon the bud of the other for so it will take soonest and prove best By a sleight not much unlike to this we may procure Vines to smell of sweet ointments as Paxamus sheweth If you would have the Vine to smell sweetly and the place where it groweth you must take the branches and cleave them and pour in sweet ointments into them when you are about to plant them But your labour will take the better effect if you first steep the branches in sweet oyle and then plant or engraffe them I have practised an easier and slighter way besmearing the branches that are to be engraffed with Musk or else steeping them in Rose-water if the Musk did not stay upon them So also we could make Limons to be as odoriferous as Cinnamon by taking the sprigs that are to be planted and besmearing them with oyle or the water of Cinnamon and dressing them with much industry and diligence And this kind of Limons is usual amongst us and is termed by the common-people Limoncellum incancellatum There is also another device whereby fruits may be made odoriferous and to smell of Spices and this is by taking the seeds of them and steeping them in sweet water before they be sowed As for example If we would procure Odoriferous Artichocks Cassianus hath declared out of Varro the manner how to effect it You must take artichock-Artichock-seeds and steep them for the space of three dayes in the juice of Roses or Lillies or Bayes or some other like and so to set them in the ground Also you may make Artichocks smell like Bayes if you take a Bay-berry and make a hole in it and put therein your Artichock-seed and so plant it Palladius records out of the same Author that if you steep Artichock-seeds for three dayes
together in the oyle of Bayes or Spikenard or Balme-gum or the juice of Roses or of Mastick and afterward set them when they are dry that then the Artichocks that grow out of those seeds will yeeld the smell and savour of that which the seeds were before steeped in Florentinus makes Mellons of the fragrant smell of Roses after this manner by taking Mellon-seeds and laying them up amongst dry Roses and so planting them one amongst another I have procured Mellons to smell like Musk by opening that part whereby the seed sprouts out and steeping them in rose-Rose-water wherein some Musk was distilled also and so planting them after two dayes steeping So we have procured Odoriferous Lettice by taking the seed of Lettice and putting it into the seed of a Citron and so planting it After the same manner you may learn to make Flowers grow that shall smell of Cloves if you take the seeds of those flowers and lay them in Clove-powder or the oyle of Cloves or Clove-water distilled and so set them for by this means the flowers will entertain the smell and savour of the Cloves And this I take it was the cun-ning the cunning sleight whereby our ordinary Clove-gilliflowers were first produced for questionlesse Gilliflowers do grow everywhere of themselves without any such pleasant smell and besides they are of a smaller assize and of their own kinde somewhat wilde But it should seem that Gardeners did by their industry and trimming bestow the smell of Cloves upon them by steeping their seeds in Clove-water or by suppling them with the oyle of Cloves or else by sticking Cloves in the roots of them and so planting them We may adde to these sleights another device How to make Garlick grow that shall not smell rankly and unsavourily Sotion hath taught us the way If saith he you do set Garlick and pluck it up again both when the Moon is underneath the earth it will not have any bad savour And Theophrastus hath taught us a means How we may procure Roses to yield a more odoriferous smell namely if you take Garlick and plant it neer your Roses CHAP. XVII How to procure fruits to be sweeter and pleasanter for taste THere are some trees which cannot away with any scar but if you cut their stock never so little or make any other scar in them presently the Air and the extrinsecal heat get in and so the Trees perish for the corruption will fall downward to the root and so make the Trees presently to wither and fade away Now there are other Trees which will abide not only a scar but also to have their stock cleft and to be bored into yea and by this means too they will bear fruit more plentifully as doth the Pomegranate-tree the Almond-tree and the Apple-tree of all which there is very great use The reason hereof is this Their nature and kinde is to receive so much nourishment as is sufficient for them and to void away hurtful and superfluous humours for as those living creatures which sweat most or have some other issue in their bodies are most healthful and wont to live longest so when these Trees have a cut or a scar in them whereby they sweat out as it were their hurtful and superfluous moisture they do more easily digest that moisture which is left behind within them and the better that the moisture is digested the sweeter and pleasanter is their juice And besides they will live if the parts have any continuation at all though it be never so little only if they may but hang together and therefore they will easily defend themselves from any harm that may happen unto them by the cutting or mangling of any of their parts We will shew how to procure fruits that shall be sweter in taste then ordinarily their kind is wont to afford first by engraffing secondly by boring or cutting and last of all by other means And first by engraffing we may procure Cherries that shall have in them the relish of Bayes For as we have shewed before engraffing may amend those defects that are in plants and endue them with better qualities so that if you have any fruit that is loathsome because it is too sweet do but engraffe it into a bitter Tree and there will be such a medley that your fruit shall have a very savoury relish Pliny saith that if you engraffe a Cherry upon a Bay-tree you shall have Cherries thence growing that will have the smatch of the Bay Palladius saith the same engraffe a Cherry upon a Bay-tree and the fruit that grows thence will have the relish of the Bay In my time there have been seen certain Cherries in Naples which they called Bay-cherries somewhat bitter but yet pleasant withal a most excellent kinde of fruit far better then any other cherries of a very large assize full of juice of a very sanguine colour that have a bitter-sweet taste so that they are neither loathsome for their overmuch sweetnesse nor yet to be refused for their overmuch bitterness So likewise may be procured Sweeter Apples by engraffing them into a Quince For if you do engraffe an Apple into a Quince the Apple will have a relish like honey which kinde of fruit the Athenians do therefore call Melimela because they taste like honey as Diophanes sheweth Now we will shew also how by husbandry and skilful dressing fruits may be made sweeter in taste namely by piercing or boring the stock or scarrifying it round about or by some other chastisements as the Husband-men are wont to call them for by these means the trees may purge themselves of their superfluous moisture and so they will bear the sweeter fruit As for example If you would learn How to procure the Almond-tree to yield fruit without any bitterness Aristotle hath taught you the way You must knock a great nail into the body of the Almond-tree that the gum of the Tree which causeth the bitternesse of the fruit may drop out by that passage And this is such a sleight that hereby you may tame as it were wilde Trees and alter their nature into a milder kind Theophrastus saith that if you dig round about the stock of the Almond-tree and bore thorough it about nine inches above the ground the gum will thereby drop out and so the fruit will become the sweeter by that chastisement If you cut off a bough or an arm of it so that the gum may have egresse that way and if you wipe away the gum still as it cometh forth and observe this for two or three years together you may by this means alter a bitter Almond-tree into a sweet one For the bitternesse proceeds from no other cause but onely from the superfluity of nourishment and moisture which is abated by boring into the stock and when once that which is superfluous is evacuated then that which is left is more easily concocted and so the tree becomes fertile in bringing forth a sweeter and a better
fruit Africanus likewise affirmeth that if you dig about the stock of a bitter Almond-tree and make a hole into it some four inches above the root whereby it may sweat out the hurtful moisture it will become sweet Pliny saith the same If you dig round about the stock saith he and bore thorough the lower part of it and wipe away the humour which there issueth forth a bitter Almond-tree will become sweet Some there are who after they have made that hole do presently put honey into it that it may not be quite empty for they are of opinion that the relish of the honey is conveyed up into the fruit through the pith as thorough a Conduit-pipe As for example sake If we would procure Sweet Citrons for that kind of fruit was not wont to be eaten in Theophrastus time nor in Athenaeus time as himself reports nor yet in Plinies time Palladius hath shewed how to alter the bitter pith of a Citron-tree into sweet His words are these It is reported that the bitter pithes of Citrons may be made sweet if you take the Citron-seeds and steep them in honey-water or else in Ewes milk for this is better for the space of three dayes before you set them Some do bore a hole sloaping into the body of a Tree but not quite thorough it by which passage the bitter humour drops away This hole they make in it the about February and leave it so till the fruit is fashioned but after the fruit is fashioned then they fill up the hole with morter and by this device the pith is made sweet This hath Pontanuâ— set down in his book called The Gardens of Hesperides What is it saith he that Art will not search into Cut a thick Vine and make it hollow on the the top about thy hand breadth but so that the brims of the hole be brought round and something close together so that the sides be about an inch thick and no more Pour into it and fill it up with liquefied honey and cover it with a broad stone that the Sun may not come at it And when the Vine hath drunk in all that then fill it up again with the like and when that is soaked in too then open the concavity wider and let the Vine grow but you must continually water the tender roots thereof with mans water and you must be sure that you leave no buds or leaves upon the stock that so there may be no other moisture let into it but the whole Vine may grow up as it were in a spring of honey Palladius shews also How to make sweet Almonds of bitter ones even by boring a hole in the middle of the stock and putting into it a woodden wedge besmeared over with honey Sweet Cucumbers may be procured by steeping Cucumber seeds in sweet waters till they have drunk them up for they being planted will produce sweet Cucumbers Theophrastus shews how to make sweet Cucumbers even by the same sleight by steeping their seed in milk or else in water and honey sodden together and so planting them Columella saith that a Cucumber will eat very tender and sweet if you steep the seed thereof in milk before you set it Others because they would have the Cucumber to be the sweeter do steep the seed thereof in honey-honey-water Pliny and Palladius do write the same things of the same fruit out of the same Authors Cassianus hath declared out of Varro how to procure Sweet Artichocks growing You must take the artichock-Artichock-seeds and steep them in milk and honey and after you have dryed them again then set them and the fruit will relish of honey So you may procure Sweet Fennel growing For if you steep Fennel-seeds in sweet wine and milk then will the fruit that grows of those seeds be much sweeter Or else if you put the seeds thereof in dry figs and so plant them the like effect will follow So you may procure Sweet Melons as Palladius shews even by steeping the seeds thereof in milk and sweet wine for three dayes together for then if you dry them and set them being so dryed there will grow up a very sweet fruit Likewise you may procure Sweet Lettice for if you water them in the evening with new sweet wine and let them drink for three evenings together as much of that liquor as they will soak up it will cause sweet Lettice as Aristoxenus the Cyrenian hath taught out of Athenaeus So A sweet Radish may be procured by steeping the Radish-seeds for a day and a night in honey or in sodden wine as both Palladius and Florentinus have recorded So you may procure the same by steeping the seeds in new sweet wine or else in the juice of Raisons There is also another device whereby to make sharp or bitter fruits to become sweet and this is by art and cunning in dressing them as by pouring hot water or the Lees of oile or casting soil and such like about their roots As for example when we would make A bitter Almond to become sweet we cast some sharp piercing matter upon the root that by vertue of their heat the Tree may the more easily concoct her moisture and so yield a sweeter fruit Theophrastus saith that if we apply hot and strong soil as Swines-dung or such like to the root of the bitter Almond-tree it will become sweet but it will be three years before the Tree be so changed and for all that time you must use the same husbanding of it Africanus saith If you uncover the roots and apply them still with Urine or with Swines dung then will the fruit be the sweeter The Quintils report of Aristotle that by covering the Almond-tree root with Swines-dung in March of a bitter one it becometh sweet And Palladius useth the very same practise By the same device Sharp and sowre Pomgranate-trees may be made to bring forth a sweet Pomegranate for these also may be changed from sharp and sowre into sweet Aristotle shews in his book of plants that Pomegranate-trees if their roots be applyed with Swins-dung and watered with soom cool sweet liquor the fruit will be the better and the sweeter Theophrastus saith that the roots of a Pomegranate-tree must be applyed with Urine or with the offals and refuse of hides yet not in too great a quantity for the roots of this kind of Tree have need of some sharp matter to knaw upon them and most of all every third year as we said before of the Almond-tree but indeed the Pomegranate-roots are more durable The reason is because of a kind of softnesse in the roots which is peculiar unto them alone Now Swines-dung saith he or somewhat that is of the like operation being cast upon the roots doth sweeten the juice of the Tree as also if you pour on good store of cold water it will work some kind of change thereof Paxamus prescribes this course to dig round about the root of the Tree and to lay
iron tool and still as the leaves begin to buâ— forth you must take red chalk and blend it with Lees of oyle and mans dungâ— and therewithal cover the roots of the Tree and by this means the Tree wilâ— bear more store of fruit and besides the fruit will be a fuller and better fruit Pliny and Palladius record the same experiment out of the same Author When the Fig-tree begins to shew her leaves if you would have it yeeld you more and better fruit you must cut off the very tops of them when the bud begins to shew it self or if not so yet you must besure at the least to cutoff that top which groweth out of the midst of the Tree Palladius writes that some have reported that the Mulberry-tree will bear more and better fruit if you bore thorough the stock of the Tree in divers places and into every hole beat in a wedge into some of the holes wedges made of the Turpentine-tree and into some of them wedges made of the Mastick-tree Didymus saith that The Palm or Date-tree and the Damosin tree will grow to be of a larger and good-lier assize if you take the Lees of old Wine and after you have strained them water the roots therewith And he saith that it will take the better effect if you cast upon it a little salt ever now and then So The Myrtle-tree will have a goodlier leaf and also yield a better fruit if you plant it among Roses for the Myrtle-tree delighteth to be consorted with the Rose and thereby becomes more fruitful as Didymus reporteth So Rue will grow tenderer and more flourishing if it be engraffed into a Fig-tree you must only set it into the bark somewhat neer the root that you may cover it with the earth and so you shall have excellent good Rue Plutark in his Sympoâ—iakes commends no Rue but that only which grows very neer the Fig-tree Aristotle in his Problems demanding the cause of this at length concludes that there is such a sympathy and agreement betwixt the Fig-tree and the herb Rue that Rue never grows so fast nor flourishes so well as when it grows under the Fig-tree If you would have Artichocks grow without sharp prickles Varro saith that you must take the Artichock-seed and rub it upon a stone till you have worn it blunt at the top You may cause also Lettice to grow tenderer and more spreading as Palladius shews and Columella Palladius saith that if your Lettice be somewhat hard by reason of some fault either in the seed or place or season you must pluck it out of the earth and set it again and thereby it will wax more tender Columella shews how you may make it spread broader Take a little tile-sheard and lay it upon the middle of the Lettice when it is a little grown up and the burden or weight of the tile-sheard will make it spread very broad Pliny saith that it is meet also to besmear the roots with dung when they set them and as they grow up to rid away their earth from them and to fill up the place with muck Florentinus saith when you have a Lettice growing that hath been transplanted you must rid away the earth from the root after it is grown to be a handful long and then besmear it with some fresh Oxe-dung and then having cast in earth upon it again water it and still as the bud or leafe appears out of the earth cut it off till it grow up stronger and then lay upon it a tile-sheard that hath never been seasoned with any pitch and so you shall have your purpose By the like device you may procure Endive to be tenderer and broader When it is grown up to a pretty bignesse then lay a small tile-sheard on the middle of it and the weight of that will cause the Endive to spread broader So also you procure Coleworts to be more tender if you bedew them with salt water as Theophrastus writes The Aegyptians to make their Coleworts tender do water them with Nitre and Water mixt together So Cucumbers will be tenderer if you steep the seeds in milk before you set them as Columella reporteth If you would have Leeks to grow Cloven the Antients have taught you that first you must sow them very thick and so let them alone for a while but afterward when they are grown then cut them and they will grow cloven Or else you must cut it about some two moneths after it was set and never remove it from the own bed but help it still with water and muck and you shall have your purpose as Palladius saith Now we will speak of some monstrous generations as of the generation of the herb Dragon and of a cloven Onion And first How to produce the herb Dragon It is a received opinion amongst Gardeners that if you take Hemp-seed or Line-seed and engraffe it into an ordinary Onion or else into a Sea-onion as it grows neer the Sea or else into the Radish root thence will grow the herb Dragon which is a notable and famous Sallet-herb But surely howsoever they boast of it that this hath been of entimes done yet I have made sundry trials hereof and still failed of my purpose By the like setting of seeds they shew How to produce cloven Onions by making a hole into an Onion and putting into it a clove of Garlick and so planting it for that will grow to be an Ascalonian or a cloven Onion Now let us see how to make Parsley to grow frizled or curled Theophrastus writes that Parsley will grow frizled if you pave the ground where you have sowed it and ram it in with a roller for then the ground will keep it in so hard that it it must needs grow double Columella saith If you would have Parsley to bear curled leaves you must put your Parsley-seed into a morter and pown it with a Willow pestle and when you have so bruised it wrap it up in linen clouts and so plant it You may effect the same also without any such labour even by rolling a cylinder or roller over it after it is a little grown up wheresoever or howsoever it is sowed Palladius and Pliny record the same experiment out of the same Author I have often-times seen Basil growing with a kind of brush like hairs upon it The seed of withy-winde being planted neer to Basil as soon as it shoots up will presently winde it self round about the stalks of the Basil and by often winding about them will wrap them all into one The like will be effected also if the withy-winde grow elsewhere and a twig of it be brought and planted neer to Basil for by either of these means the Basil will grow so bushy and so thick of hair and that in a very short time that it will be most pleasant to be lookt upon So you may make the Ivy to bear very sightly berries if you burn three shell-fish especially of that kind
and the water may run away through the cloth and the meal may dry the better upon the cloth In the mean time boil two pound of Rice and being boil'd mingle them with the Lupins divide the whole into two parts and mingle one with the leaven and a hundred pound of wheat-meal and make bread of it let the other be set by with the leven till the next day which being mingled again with wheat-meal will make excellent bread and will not taste of Lupins But you must use all diligence in the making of it for if you make it not of the best meal the bread will be naught wherefore the work lies in the right preparation of it For the worse Corn or Pulse you make it of the more Corn must be taken to prepare it After this manner it may be made of Tares and Vetches and the favour of them is dulcified with water and mingling meal with them Bread is made also of Peason Chiches Tarses Lentils Beans and chiefly of Acorns But it is not unprofitable to make Bread of Herbs If a man cut the Herb Clot-bur small and grind it in a mill to very fine powder and adde as much or a third part of wheat-meal to it it will make good bread that may be eaten when there is a famine and I have heard that the poor eat it in some places and it hurts them not and that some in a siege have lived a moneth with such bread CHAP. XIX How bread may be increased in weight NOw I shall shew how bread may be augmented a thing very strange and profitable not onely to help in time of need but it is good for the Housholder for with little meal he may nourish many and fill their bellies and that three wayes For there be things that added to Corn will increase the substance of the bread other things are dry and of a clammy nature that will thicken the Element by refraction into the substance of bread The last way is the life of the heat of it whereby it waxes and grows as if it were alive As much as is lost by the bran taken from it is added to it by casting water on it when it is ground and in the other workmanship Moreover the baking of bread takes away a tenth part and a half of the weight Let us see how our Ancestors did by some Earth or Chalk make their bread more weighty and white Pliny teacheth that Spelt will grow white by a kind of chalk thus Let this Spelt be of Beer-corn which he called a seed the corns of it are bruised in a wooden morter for it will be spoiled and consumed by the hardness of a stone the best as it is well known is made by those that are condemned to bray in morters for their punishment For the best there is an iron box the hulls being then beaten off again with the same instruments the marrow of it being made bare is broken so are there made three kinds of this Spelt-meal the finest the second sort and the third that is the coursest But yet they are not white which makes them excellent yet now are these preserved at Alexandria after this it is very strange chalk is mingled with them that passes both into the body and the colour of them and makes them tender You shall find this between Puteoli and Naples on the Hill called Leucogaeum And there is extant a decree of Divus Augustus wherein he commanded to pay them at Naples yearly 20000 Sestertia out of his Treasury drawing his Colony to Capua and he assigns the cause by reason that they of Campania affirmed that Spelt-meal could not be made without that stone Rice makes bread weigh It neither corrupts the taste or goodness of the bread but increaseth both and it brings it closer by one eighth part for by a continual turning it it will retaineth volatil meal and from hence you shall see it coagulate and when it is coagulated put leaven to it but it must first grow cold lest the force of the coagulation should be hindred To binde this fugitive servant fast adde so much Wheat-meal as may fasten it well together till you see there is enough and you shall find it increased to the weight desired By this example You may increase the weight of bread with Millet This is easily done for it is dry ctumbles and will not hang together and is weak let it be bruised with a wooden pestle and sifted through a sieve till the hulls be parted as we see it done at Rome and at Florence by this we hold it that it flie not away by its hungry driness then we mingle it with Wheat and the air reflects back and it will be converted into the substance of Alica that you will think nothing taken from the taste colour or goodness nor yet added to it Nor will it be unpleasant to see Bread weigh more by adding milk to it This is an experiment of great profit and praise-worthy for it adds weight and whitenesse to bread and makes it short being put in instead of water whilst it is hot I never tasted any thing more pleasant or tender I thought fit to adde this for the singular vertue of it adding also such things as we knew to be necessary for this art But truly that is admirable by the same Wheat to increase the weight of Wheat This is done without any addition for if we would we could do this with many and almost infinite things with any small addition but in this a leaven is drawn forth of the very substance of the Wheat which being strained cleansed and added to the same again either by increasing the substance of it or by retracting the air into its substance it will be much augmented giving you this warning before-hand that the augmenting heat must not be diminished but preserved and increased that all may depend on this But an admirable work of Nature and full of wonder it is how it may be that Wheat may increase out of it self I cannot discover this how it came into my mind lest it should be made publike to every common fellow and ignorant Animal Yet not to conceal it from ingenious men I shall hide it from these and open it to those That our fore-fathers knew it not is clear because there is no such thing mentioned in all their works of making bread The whole businesse consists in this that the Wheat-meal may be managed with the life of its heat which is the off-spring of celestial fire By nature it is of such renuity that being raised with its heat it will make the lump swell so much that it will come up to the top of the vessel the next day cast it into a Hutch and adde more meal to it which again being raised by its heat and coming back again by the same and meeting with the lump as flowing back again it joins into the refracted Elements and so into clotters of
a pound of Raisins two Amphoras of Vineger let them boil in a pot adde wine also to them and it will be for drink I shall adde the Northern drink Wine called Metheglin The drink in Pannonia Poland and England is more pleasant and wholesome then many wines are it is made of twenty pound of good honey and of water one hundred and twenty pound skimming it till all comes to eighty pound which being cold and tunned up into a wine vessel put in leaven of bread six ounces or as much as will serve to make it work and purifie it self and withal put into a bag that hangs and may be put into the liquor and not touch the bottom of Cinnamon granes of Paradise Pepper Ginger Cloves two drams one hand full of Elder flowers let them stand in a wine Cellar all the Winter in Summer set them fourty dayes in the Sun till they taste like wine and the unpleasant taste of the honey be gone But it will be more pleasant if you add a third part of wine CHAP. XXII How vineger may be made divers wayes and of what AFter wine it follows to speak of vineger First how our forefathers made it then how of late years that it may be made extream sowre which is not only good for a family but is necessary for many Arts. Also there are some Countries where wine and so vineger is scarce Therefore in those places divers men have used their wits to make it wherefore to begin we say that Vineger may be made of the Fig-tree Out of Columella A green fig must be taken very betimes and also if it have rained and the figs fall to the earth beaten down with showres gather those figs and put them up in Hogs-heads or Amphora and let them ferment there then when it grows sharp and hath sent out some liquor what vineger there is strain it out diligently and pour it into a sweet pitched vessel This yields the best sharp vineger and it will never grow musty or hoary if it be not set in too moist a place Some to make more quantity mingle water with the figs and then they adde to them the ripest new figs and they â—et them consume in that liquor until it tast sharp enough like vineger then they strain all through rushy baskets or withie bags and they boil this vineger till they have taken off all the froth and filth from it Then they adde some terrefied salt and that hinders worms and other vermine to breed in it Cassianus makes it thus Put into a vessel old figs terresied Barley and the internal parts of Citrons Stir it often and diligently and when they are putrified and soaked strain them out and use them Apuleius They make vineger of figs wet upon the Trees and cast into water to putrifie Dioscorides The liquor of figs steeped grows sharp as vineger and is used for it There is made also Vineger of Dates To Date wine we speak of some adde water and receive it again and they do this three four five or six times and at last it grows sowre From the same Pliny teacheth to make Vineger of honey You must wash your honey vessels or hives in water with this decoction is made the most wholesome vineger Palladius teacheth the way to make Vineger of Pears wild Pears are such as are sharp and ripe are kept three dayes in a heap then they are put into a vessel and fountain or river water is put to them the vessel is left covered thirty dayes then as much vineger as is taken out for use so much water is put in to repair it Cassianus makes Vineger of Peaches Put soft delicate Peaches into a vessel and adde parched Barley to them let them putrifie for one day then strain them out and use it We may from Cassianus make Vineger without wine If you boil Gypsum and sea-sea-water and then mingle it with River water and use it being strained But if you will Turn wine into vineger and contrarily vineger into wine Cassianus hath it He puts Beet roots bruised into wine it will be vineger when three hours are over But if he would restore it again as it was he puts in Cabbage roots So also To make the same We may do it another way and quickly Cast into wine Salt Pepper and sowre leaven mingle them and they will soon make it vineger But to do it more quickly quench in it often a red hot brick or piece of steel also provide for that unripe Medlars Cornels Mulberries and Plums But Sotion shews to make Sharp vineger of new wine Dry the mother of wine of grapes at the Sun and put them into new wine adding a few sowre grapes thereto and it will make sharp vineger that will be for use after seven dayes or put in pellitory of Spain and it will be sharp Moreover if you boil a fourth or fifth part of vineger at the fire put that to the rest and set all eight days in the Sun you shall have most sharp and pleasant wine The roots of old grass and Raisins and the leaves of a wild Pear-tree bruised and the root of the bramble and whey of milk burnt Acorns Prunes rosted and the decoctions of Chiches and pot-sheards red hot all of these put severally into vineger will make it tart Apuleius teacheth To double the quantity of vineger Take a good measure of Vineger about a Metreta and to that adde one Metreta of sea-Sea-water boiled to half mingle them and set them aside in a vessel Some steep Barley and strain it and of that juice they mingle one Metreta and they stir them together and they cast in torrefied salt when it is yet hot a good quantity then they cover the vessel and let it stand eight dayes But I use to make it thus Vineger of clusters of grapes pressed forth After the Vintage we cast in the clusters when the wine is pressed forth into a wooden vessel and we pour upon them a quantity of water and it will be vineger when a week is over Moreover we cut the tendrels from Vines and bruise them and put water to them and it will be vineger Also thus Ill wine is turned to vineger When the bunches of grapes are pressed forth lay them between two wooden bowls not very thick together let them grow hot for four days then pour on them so much naughty wine as may cover them let them alone 24 hours then strain them into another wooden bowl and after so many hours put them into another bowl and do so til it be turned into most sharp white vineger and if you would make more of the same clusters pour on upon them some sharp vineger and let them alone till they be extream sharp and sowre then take that out and pour on ill wine and do as you did Lastly press those clusters out in a press and you shall recover as great quantity as of the wine that was spent CHAP. XXIII
the Plane-Tree Pliny For want sometimes they are forced to make Oyl for candles of the Plane-tree berries soaked in water and salt but it is very little as I proved Pliny saith the Indians make Oyl of Ches-nuts which I think very difficult for but a little will come from them as you shall find if you try He said also That Gallia Cisalpina made Oyl of Acorns of the Oak to serve for lights but we can make very little Also the Ancients used to make Oyl of Wallnuts that they pressed from the Wallnuts unsavoury and of a heavy taste for if there be any rottenness in the kernel the whole manner is spoil'd Now Gallia Cisalpina makes it for to eat and for lights also For lights by parting the naughty Nuts from the sound but the best serves for to eat at second courses These therefore are to eat and those for lights they burn cleer and there is nothing that yields more Oyl For it turns almost all to Oyl for one pound of cleansed Nuts will yield almost ten ounces of Oyl Now follows Oyl of sweet Almonds Oyl of sweet Almonds is best for food and of bitter for Physick and of old it was made with great diligence Dioscorides shews the way how half a bushel of bitter Nuts cleansed and dried are pounded in a morter with a wooden pestle into lumpâ— then a sextarius of seething water is poured on and when for half an hour the moisture is drunk in they are beaten more violently then before then is it pressed between boards and what sticks to the fingers is collected with shells The Nuts being pressed again a Hemina of water is sprinkled on them and when they have drank that up they do as before every bushel yields an Hemina With us it is commonly drawn out the same way These are the Oyls of the Antients Now we shall proceed with our Oyls Next follows Oyl of small Nuts They yield abundance of sweet sented excellent Oyl which all may use also for meats one pound of the cleansed Nuts will yield eight ounces of Oyl which former times were ignorant of Oyl of Pistaches serve for Meat and Physicks Out of Pine kirnels Oyl is made They are cull'd and the naughty ones serve for lights but the Oyl that comes from the best is for to eat and for Physick very much is extracted I saw it at Ravenna But Oyl of Beech The best of all is pressed out in abundance for meats and for lights It burns very cleer and tastes as sweet Almonds and the whole Nut almost goes into Oyl as the Wallnut doth The elder the Mast is the more Oyl it yields and the Lees of the Oyl is excellent to far Oxen and Hogs They are soon gathered cleansed bruised and pressed We pressed also Oyl from the bastard Sycomore as they call it for it is abundant in seed and in winter the boughs of it are seen loaded with seed onely In February we collected it and crumbled it the shell is broken into six or seven parts the kernels are like a Pear they are bruised and heated in a pan then put into a press and they yield their Oyl They make clear light in lamps and the seed yields a fourth part of Oyl There is drawn Oyl out of the Sanguine-Tree for lights About the middle of September the ripe berries are taken forth of the clusters let them dry a few days bruise them and let them boyl in water in a brass kettle for one hour then put them into the press you shall have green coloured Oyl about a seventh part of the seed The Mountainous people use it There is pressed Oyl out of the Grapes or Raisins The Greeks call'd these Gigarta Cisalpina Gallia makes oyl of them bruised heat and pressed in a press but it is very little fit for lights because it burns exceeding cleer There is much in Egypt Oyl of Radish-seed made they use it to season their meats and boil it with them But Cisalpina Gallia presseth Oyl out of Radish-seed and Rape-seed Rapes are pulled up onely in Novembâ—r but they are covered with sand together with their leaves They are planten in March that they may seed in May. For unless they be pulled up they freeze with winter cold But there is another kind of Rape that is sowed in July it is weeded it comes forth in the spring in May it yields seed out of a quarter of a bushel of it eighteen pounds of Oyl are drawn it is good for lights and for common people to eat If you sow a whole Acre with this seed you shall have five load of seed and of every load you may make two hundred pounds of Oyl it is onely plow'd and weeded Also Oyl is made of the seed of Cameline It is made for lights but those of Lombardy make great plenty of a golden-coloured Oyl of a seed like to this called Dradella It hath plaited leaves as wild Rochet which they sowe amongst Pulse The same may be said of the seeds of Nettles Mustard Flax Rice CHAP. XXV How a Housholder may provide himself with many sorts of Thread NOw shall I speak of many sorts of Yarn because this may much help the Household for the Houswife hath always need thereof Our Ancestors used Hemp and Flax for thus they made Yarn of Flax yet there needs no example the Thread is so common I will speak of those that follow and of other inventions Pliny Flax is known to be ripe two ways when the seed smells or looks yellow then it is pulled up and bound in handfuls and dried in the Sun letting it hang with the roots upwards for one day Then five of these bundles standing with their tops one against another that the seed may fall in the middle Then after Wheat-harvest the branches are laid in the water that is warm with the Sun they are kept down by some weight and soaked there and again as before turn'd up-side down they are dried in the Sun Then being dried they are bruised on with a flax-hammer that which was next the rind is call'd hard or the worst flax and it is fit for to make weiks for Candles yet that is kemmed with hackes till all the membrans be pilled clean The art of kembing and making of it is out of fifty pound of Flax-bundles to make fifteen pound of Flax. Then again it is polished in Thread it is often beat upon a hard stone with water and when it is woven it is bruised again with Beetles and the more you beat it the better it is Also there is made Thread of Hemp Hemp is excellent for ropes Hemp is plucked up after the Vintage but it is cleansed and pill'd with great labour There are three sorts of it that next the rind is the worst and that next the pith the middlemost is the best which is called Mesa Another To make Thread of Broom It is broken and pull'd from the Ides of May until the Ides in June
of brass you may make Iron to become white If you put amongst it some silver though it be not much it will soon resemble the colour of silver for Iron doth easily suffer it self to be medled with gold or silver and they may be so thoroughly incorporated into each other that by all the rules of separation that can be used you cannot without great labour and very much ado separate the one of them from the other CHAP. V. Of Quick-silver and of the effects and operations thereof IN the next place it is meet that we speak something concerning Quick-silver and the manifold operations thereof wherein we will first set down certain vulgar and common congelations that it makes with other things because many men do desire to know them and secondly we will shew how it may be dissolved into water that they which are desirous of such experiments may be satisfied herein First therefore we will shew How Quick-silver may be congealed and curdled as it were with Iron Put the quick-silver into a casting vessel and put together with it that water which the Blacksmith hath used to quench his hot Iron in and put in also among them Ammoniack Salt and Vitriol and Verdegrease twice so much of every one of these as there was quick-silver let all these boil together in an exceeding great fire and still turn them up and down with an Iron slice or ladle and if at any time the water boil away you must be sure that you have in a readiness some of the same water through hot to cast into it that it may supply the waste which the fire hath made and yet not hinder the boiling thus will they be congealed all together within the space of six hours After this you must take the congealed stuff when it is cold and binde it up hard with your hands in leather thongs or linnen cloth or osiers that all the juice and moisture that is in it may be squeesed out of it then let that which is squeesed and drained out settle it self and be congealed once again till the whole confection be made then put it into an earthen vessel well washed and amongst it some spring-water and take off as neer as you can all the filth and scum that is upon it and is gone to waste and in that vessel you must temper and diligently mix together your congealed matter with spring-water till the whole matter be pure and clear then lay it abroad in the open air three days and three nights and the subject which you have wrought upon will wax thick and hard like a shell or a tile-sheard There is also another congelation to be made with quick-silver Congeailng of Quick-silver with balls of Brass thus make two Brass half circles that that may fasten one within the other that nothing may exhale put into them quick-silver with an equal part of white Arsenick and Tartar well powdred and searced lute the joynts well without that nothing may breathe forth so let them dry and cover them with coles all over for six hours then make all red hot then take it out and open it and you shall see it all coagulated and to stick in the hollow of the Brass ball strike it with a hammer and it will fall off melt it and project it and it will give an excellent colour like to Silver and it is hard to discern it from Silver If you will you may mingle it with three parts of melted Brass and without Silver it will be exceeding white soft and malleable It is also made another way Make a great Cup of Silver red Arsenick and Latin with a cover that sits close that nothing may exhale fill this with quick-silver and lute the joynts with the white of an Egg or some Pine-tree-rosin as it is commonly done hang this into a pot full of Linseed Oyl and let it boil twelve hours take it out and strain it through a skin or straw and if any part be not coagulated do the work again and make it coagulate If the vessel do coagulate it slowly so much as you find it hath lost of its weight of the silver Arsenick and Alchymy make that good again for we cannot know by the weight use it it is wonderful that the quick-silver will draw to it self out of the vessel and quick-silver will enter in Now I shall shew what may be sometimes useful To draw water out of Quick-silver Make a vessel of potters earth that will endure the fire of which crucibles are made six foot long and of a foot Diameter glassed within with glass about a foot broad at the bottom a finger thick narrower at the top bigger at bottom About the neck let there be a hole as big as ones finger and a little pipe coming forth by which you may fitly put in the quick-silver on the top of the mouth let there be a glass cap fitted with the pipe and let it be smeered with clammy clay and bind it above that it breathe not forth For this work make a furnace let it be so large at the top that it may be fit to receive the bottom of the vessel a foot broad and deep You must make the grate the fire is made upon with that art that when need is you may draw it back on one side and the fire may fall beneath Set therefore the empty vessel into the furnace and by degrees kindle the fire Lastly make the bottom red hot when you see it to be so which you may know by the top you must look through the glass cap presently by the hole prepared pour in ten or fifteen pounds of quick-silver and presently with clay cast upon it stop that hole and take away the grate that the fire may fall to the lower parts and forthwith quench it with water Then you shall see that the water of quick-silver will run forth at the nose of the cap into the receiver under it about an ounce in quantity take the vessel from the fire and pour forth the quick-silver and do as before and always one ounce of water will distil forth keep this for Chymical operation I found this the best for to smug up women with This artifice was found to purifie quick-silver I shall not pass over another art no less wonderful than profitable for use To make quick-silver grow to be a Tree Dissolve silver in aqua fortis what is dissolved evaporate into thin air at the fire that there may remain at the bottom a thick unctious substance Then distil fountain-water twice or thrice and pour it on that thick matter shaking it well then let it stand a little and pour into another glass vessel the most pure water in which the silver is adde to the water a pound of quick-silver in a most transparent crystalline glass that will attract to it that silver and in the space of a day will there spring up a most beautiful tree from the bottom and hairy as
to which glass is very subject put into the crucible some white lead which presently groweth red then melts with the glass and becomes clear and perspicuous Make your tryal then with an iron hook for if it be clear of those bubbles it is perfected and so will be a perfect mass of Gems Now we will teach the several Colours Yellow Green or Blue wherein we will cast our Gems CHAP. IV. To make Colours WHile the Crystal is preparing in the fornace by the same fire the Colours may be also made And first How to make Crocus of Iron Take three or four pounds of the limature of Iron wash it well in a broad vessel for by putting it into water the weight of the iron will carry that to the bottom but the straws and chips and such kind of filth will swim on the top so you will have your filings clean and wash'd Then dry it well and put it into an earthen glazed pot with a large mouth and pour into it three or four gallons of the best and sharpest vinegar there let it macerate three or four weeks stirring it every day seven or eight times with an iron rod then giving it time to settle pour out the vinegar into another pot and put fresh vinegar into the iron and do this till the vinegar have consumed all the filings Then put all the vinegar into an earthen vessel and set it on the fire and let it boil quite away In the bottom there will remain a slimy durty mattter mixt with a kind of fatness of the iron which the fire by continuance will catch hold of let it burn and the remaining dust will be Crocus Others file your rusty nails and heating them red hot quench them in vinegar then strain them and dry the rust and set it again to the fire till it be red hot then quench it again with vinegar this they do three or four times at length they boil the vinegar away and take the remaining Crocus from the bottom Next remains to shew How to reduce Zaphara into Powder A litâ—le window is to be made out of the side of the fornace nigh to which must be built a little cell or oven so joyned to the mouth of the oven that the flame may be brought in through a little hole Let this cell have a little door without to admit the workmans hand upon occasion Let this cell be a foot in length and breadth Set the Saffron upon a Potters tile into the cell and shut the door let it be red hot and after six hours take it out and put it into water so will it cleave into pieces let it be dryed stamped and so finely seirced that it may scarce be felt But if it cannot be effected with a pestle and morter pour water upon the powder and stir it with your hands and let it settle for a while then strain it into another vessel and pour fresh water into the powder and reiterate this so often till that which setleth being beat and brayed do pass through with water then dry it and it will become very fine powder How to burn Copper Set the filings of Copper with an equal quantity of salt mixt in an earthen pot over the fire and turn it about three or four hours with an iron book that it may be burned on all sides There let it burn a whole natural day then take it out and divide it into two parts lay the one part aside and set the other with salt on the fire again for an artificial day do the same three or four times that it may be more perfectly calciâ—ed always having a care that it be as hot as may be but that it melt not Waen it is burnt it is black CHAP. V. How Gems are coloured ALl things being thus prepared there is nothing more I think remaineth to make an end of this work but to know how to colour them And we will begin with the way How to dye a Saphire Artificers begin with a Saphire for when it is coloured unless it be presently removed from the fire it loseth the tincture and the longer it remains in the fire the brighter it groweth Put a little Zaphara as they call it into a pot of glass two drachms to a pound of glass then stir it continually from top to bottom with an iron hook when it is very well mixed make tryal whether the colour please you or no by taking a little out of the pot If it be too faint adde some more Zaphara if too deep put in more glass and let it boil six hours Thus you may Colour Cyanus or sea-sea-water another kind of Saphire Beat your calcined brass into very fine powder that you may scarce feel it for otherwise it will mix with the Crystal and make it courser the quantity cannot be defined for there are lighter and deeper of that kind for the most part for one pound one drachm will be sufficient How to counterfeit the colour of the Amethist To a pound of Crystal put a dram of that they call Manganess and so the colour is made If the Gem be great make it the paler if small make it deeper for they use such for rings and other uses To counterfeit the Topaze To every pound of glass adde a quarter of an ounce of crocus of Iron and three ounces of red-lead to make it of a brighter red First put in the lead then the crocus The Chrysolite When you have made a Topaze and would have a Chrysolite adde a little more Copper that it may have a little verdure for the Chrysolite differeth from the Topaze in nothing but that it hath a greater lustre So we are wont To counterfeit an Emerald This shall be the last for we must let our work be as quick as possible because the copper being heavy when it is mixed with the Crystal doth presently sink down to the bottom of the pots and so the Gems well be of too pale a colour Therefore thus you must do when you give the tincture to a Cianus you may easily turn it into Smaragde by adding crocus of iron in half the quantity of the copper or brass viz. if at first you put in a fourth part of copper Now you must adde an eighth part of crocus and as much copper After the colours are cast in let it boil six hours that the material may grow clear again for the casting in the colours will make them contract a cloudiness Afterwards let the fire decrease by degrees until the fornace be cold then take out the pots and break them wherein you shall find your counterfeit precious Stones CHAP. VI. How Gems may otherwise be made THe manner which I have set down is peculiar and usual to our Artificers and by them is also accounted a secret But I will set down another way which I had determined always to keep secret to my self for by it are made with less charge less time and less
the west-Indies is excellent against them for when I anointed their mouth and jaws with it they died in half an hour Balsame of the east is a present remedy against poyson by oyntments or the biting of a serpent saith Aetius In Arabia where it groweth there is no fear of poyson neither doth any one dye of their bitings for the fury of this deadly poyson is allayed by the feeding of the serpents upon this pretious Balsame But I have found nothing more excellent than the earth which is brought from the Isle of Malta for the least dust of it put into their mouths kills them presently I have tried the same vertue in Lithoxylon which Physitians use for the worms in children There is a stone called Chelonites the French name it Crapodina which they report to be found in the head of a great old Toad and if it can be gotten from him while he is alive it is soveraign against poyson they say it is taken from living Toads in a red cloth in which colour they are much delighted for whilst they sport and open themselves upon the scarlet the stone droppeth out of their head and falleth through a hole made in the middle into a box set under for the purpose else they will suck it up again But I never met with a faithful person who said that he found it nor could I ever find one though I have cut up many Nevertheless I will affirm this for truth that those stones which are pretended to be taken out of Toads are minerals for I remember at Rome I saw a broken piece of stone which was compacted of many of those stones some bigger some less which stuck on the back of it like limps on a rock But the vertue is certain if any swallow it down with poyson it will preserve him from the malignity of it for it runneth about with the poyson and assawageth the power of it that it becometh vain and of no force A most perfect oyl against poyson often tryed in repressing the violence of it Take three pound of old oyl put into it two handfulls of the flower of St Johns wort and let them macerate in it for two months in the sun Then strain out the flowers and put into the oyl two ounces of the flowers of the same herb and set it to boil in Balneo Mariae a quarter of a day Stop the bottle close that it may have no vent and set it a sunning for fifteen days In the moneth of July take three ounces of the seed stamp it gently and steep it in two glasses of the best white-wine with gentian tormentil white dittany zedoary and carline gathered in August red sanders long aristolochie of each two drams Let all these mecerate in the wine for three days then take them out and put them in the oyl and boil them gently in Balneo for six hours then strain them in a press Adde to the expression an ounce of saffron myrrhe aloes spikenard and rubarb all bruised and let them boil in it for a day in B. M. at last treacle and mithridate of each two ounces and let them also boil in it six hours as before then set it forty days in the sun It must be used thus In the plague-time or upon suspition of poyson anoint the stomach and wrists and the place about the heart and drink three drops of it in wine It will work wonders CHAP. X. Antidotes and preservatives against the Plague I Have spoken of poysons now I will of the plague being of the same nature and cured almost by the same Medicines I will set down onely them which in our time have been experimented by the Neapolitanes Sicilians and Venetians whilst the plague was spread amongst them to resist the contagion of that epidemical plague and preserve their bodies from infection A confection of Gillyflowers against the plague of wonderful operation Gather some clove-gilliflowers in the moneth of May of a red and lively colour because they are of the greater vertue pull them out of their husks and clip off the green â—nd then beat them in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle until they become so fine as they may hardly be felt In the mean while take three pound of sugar for one of the flowers melt it in a brass skillet and boil it with a little orange-flower water that may quickly be consumed When it is boiled sufficiently put in some whites of egges beaten enough to froth and clarifie it still stirring it and skimming off the froth with a spoon until all the dregs be taken out Then put in the due weight of flowers and stir it with a wooden slice till iâ— turn red when it is almost boiled adde thereunto two drachms of cloves beaten with a little musk the mixture of which will both add excite a sweet sent and plâ—asantness in the flowers Then put it into earthen pots and set it up if you add a little juyce of lemon it will make it of a more lively blood-colour We may also make Lozenges and round Cakes of it by pouring it on a cold marble If any would do iâ— after the best manner they must extract the colour of the flowers and boil their sugar in that infusion for so it will smell sweeter Some never bruise the flowers but cut them very small with sizers and candy them with sugar but they are not very pleasant to eat This confection is most grateful to the taste and by reason of the sent of the cloves very pleasant The vertues of it are these as I have found by experience it iâ— good for all diseases of the heart as fainting and trembling thereof for the megrum and poyson and the bitings of venimous creatures and especially against the infection of the plague There may be made a vinegar or infusion of it which being rub'd about the nostrils is good against contagious air and night-dews and all effects of melancholy Against the Plague Gather Ivy-berries in May and wilde Poppies before the sun rise lest they open In April gather goats rue dry them in the shade and make them into powder One drachm of it being drank in wine is excellent against infectious diseases The Bezoar stone brought from the west-Indies being hung about the neck nigh to the heart or four grains of it in powder being taken in wine is good against the plague and the infection of all pestilential feavors as I can testifie And taketh away soundings and exhilarateth the heart The water or oyl extracted from the seeds of Citron is a very strong Antidote against the plague Apparitius Hispanus his oyl is also approved against the same CHAP. XI Remedies for wounds and blows THere are some remedies for wounds and blows which shall not be omitted for I have found some of them to be of wonderful vertue The oyl of Hispanus for wounds and other things Take two pound of new wax four ounces of wax as many of linseed
two ounces of rosemary-flowers and bay-berries as many of betony of chamomil-flowers or the oyl of it three ounces of cinnamon an ounce and a half as much of St Johns wort or the oyl of it two ounces of old oyl Dry the flowers and herbs in the shade and when they are withered beat them and seirce them through a sieve Melt the wax on the fire then pour in the oyls next the powders still stirring them with a stick At length pour it on a marble and cut it into small slices and put it into a glass retort stop it close with straw-mortar and set it on the fire with his receiver stop the joynts and give the inclosed no vent lest the virtue flye out and vanish away First by a gentle fire draw out a water then encreasing it and changing the glass draw a red oyl stop them close and keep them for use the qualities of it are heating by anointing the neck it cureth all creeks that are bred by cold it healeth wounds helpeth the contraction of the nerves caused by cold it moâ—lifieth cold gouts and taketh away the trembling of the hands It may be drank for the Sciatica taken in wine it helpeth the quinsie by anointing the reins of the back and the belly or by drinking the water or oyl in wine it will break the stone and bring it down and asswageth poyson For deafness you must steep some wool in it and stop the ears with it anoint the belly and back in any pain there Being drunk in vinegar it cureth the falling sickness and restoreth lost memory it provoketh the menstrues in women by anointing their privities with it or by drinking some drops of it in wine taken in the same manner it provoketh appetite being taken early in the morning and is good against the bitings of Scorpions Drink it going to bed or when you arise in the morning and it will cure a â—â—inking breath For cold aches Oyl of Herns is excellent to allay and remove all cold aches the gout sciatica griefs of the sinews convulsions pain in the joynts cold defluctions and other diseases of moisture and cold In the Diomedian Isles now called Tremiâ—y in the Adriatique Sea there are birds commonly called Hearns who breed there and continue there and are to be found nowhere else they are a kind of Duck feeding on fish which they catch in the night they are not to be eaten though they be very fat because they savour of the rankness of fish Kill these birds and pluck off their feathers draw them and hang them up by the feet there will drop from them a certain black yellowish oyl very offensive to the nose being of a noisome fishy smell This oyl being applied to any place as much as you can endure will do the effects before mentioned and more but it is very hurtful for any hot maladies There is a water also For old Sores Take lime unkilled and dissolve it in water stir it three or four times in a day then when it is settled and cleared strain it and keep it wet a linnen cloth in it and apply it to a wound or sore and it cureth them I will not omit The vertues of Tobacco Out of the seeds of it is expressed an oyl three ounces out of a pound which allays the cruel tortures of the gout the juyce clarified and boiled into a syrup and taken in the morning maketh the voyce tunable clear and loud very convenient for singing Masters If you bruise the leaves and extract the juyce it killeth lice in childrens heads being rubbed thereon The leaves cure rotten Sores and Ulcers running on the legs being applied unto them The juyce of this herb doth also presently take away and asswage the pain in the codds which happeneth to them who swimming do chance to touch their codds CHAP. XII Of a secret Medicine for wounds THere are certain Potions called Vulnerary Potions because being drunk they cure wounds and it seemeth an admirable thing how those Potions should penetrate to the wounds These are Vulnerary Potions Take Pirole Comfrey Aristolochy Featherfew of each a handful of Agrimony two boil them in the best new Wine digest them in horse-dung Or take two handfuls of Pirole of Sanicle and Sowe-bread one of Ladies Mantel half one Boil them in two measures of Wine and drink it morning and evening Binde the herbs which you have boiled upon the wound having mixt a little salt with them and in the mean while use no other Medicine The Weapon-Salve Given heretofore to Maximilian the Emperor by Paracelsus experimented by him and always very much accounted of by him while he lived It was given to me by a noble man of his Court If the Weapon that wounded him or any stick dipt in his blood be brought it will cure the wound though the Patient be never so far off Take of the moss growing upon a dead man his scull which hath laid unburied two ounces as much of the fat of a man half an ounce of Mummy and man his blood of linseed oyl turpentine and bole-armenick an ounce bray them all together in a mortar and keep them in a long streight glass Dip the Weapon into the oyntment and so leave it Let the Patient in the morning wash the wound with his own water and without adding any thing else tye it up close and he shall be cured without any pain CHAP. XIII How to counterfeit infirmities IT hath been no small advantage to some to have counterfeited sicknesses that they might escape the hands of their enemies or redeem themselves for a small ransom or avoid tortures invented by former ages and used by these latter I will first teach you How to counterfeit a bloody Flux Amphiretus Acantius being taken by Pirates and carried to Lemnos was kept in chains in hope that his ransom would bring them a great sum of money He abstained from meat and drank Minium mixt with salt water Therefore when he went to stool the Pirates thought he was fallen into a bloody Flux and took off his irons lest he should dye and with him their hopes of his ransom He being loose escaped in the night got into a Fisher-boat and arrived safe at Acantum so saith Poliaenus Indian Figs which stain the hands like ripe Mulberries if they be eaten cause the urine to be like blood which hath put many into a fright fearing they should dye presently The fruit of the Mulberry or Hoggs blood boiled and eaten maketh the excrements seem bloody Red Madder maketh the urine red saith Dioscorides We may read also that if you hold it long in your hand it will colour your urine I will teach you also To make any one look pale Cumine taken in drink causeth paleness so it is reported That the Followers of Portius Latro that famous Master of Rhetorick endeavored to imitate that colour which he had contracted by study And Julius Vindex that assertor of liberty from Nero made
Ancients used the decoction of the Lote-Tree raspt which we call Melo Fiocco and so they made their Hair Red. Or else by burning me Foeces of the old Wine as I said they added Oyl of mastick thereto which they provided thus to the purpose They heaped up the ripe Berries of the Mastick-Tree for some dayes till they might wither the they poured on water and boyled them so long in Brazen Kettles until they brake they put them in Bags and pressed out the Oyl with a press With this Oyntment they kept their Head anoynted all the night and so made them Red. But how we may Dye the Hair Red I shall teach you There is a Powder brought to us from Africa they commonly call Alchena if we boyl it in a Lye till it be coloured and anoynt our Hair with it it will dye them red for many days that is indelible but whilst you handle it take heed you wet no your Nails therewith for they will be so died you cannot easily make them clean So also we dye the Tails and Mains of white Horses red But I can easily do it with Oyl of Honey for when the clear and Saffron-coloured waters are drawn off increase the fire and the Oyl will come forth the red This is exellent to make the Hairs red and it will dye white Hairs red for many dayes and when that tincture is worn off the Hairs will shine of a golden colour But when we anoynt our Heads with a Lye we take a wet sponge with nippers that we may not stain our Hands or skin of our Heads With Herbs a woman dy'd her hoary Head Arts Colours better'd Natures as 't is said CHAP. III. How the Hairs are dyed Black IT is worth the while to shew such as are ashamed to seem old how to dye their hoary Hairs black as if they might grow young again by it And if we provide for young women we must do as much for aged Matrons especially if it fall out that they grow hoary too soon Of old they made a decoction of Sage-Leaves the green Husks of Walnuts Sumacts Myrtle-berries Black-berries Cypress-nuts Rindes of the Roots of Halm-Tree and such-like for the Rinde of the Root of Halm-Tree boyled till it be sort and consumed and then smeered on all night blacks the Hair first made clean with Fullers Earth Learn therefore How Gray Hairs and dyed Black Anoynt your Hair in the Sun with Leeches that have lain to corrupt in the blackest Wine sixty daies and they will become very black Or else Let a sextary of Leeches stand in two sextaries of Vinegar in a Leaden Vessel to corrupt for sixty daies and as I said anoynt your Hair Pliny saith It will dye so strongly that unless they hold Ovl in their mouths when they dye the Hair it will make their Teeth black also But if you would have Long and Black Hair Take a green Lizard and cutting off the Head and Tail boyl it in common Oyl and anoynt your Head with it You shall have also Another Yet you may thus dye your Hair and Beard handsomely if they be grown Gray Froth of Silver burnt Brass must be mingled with four times the quantity of strong Lye and when it bubbles on an easie fire wash your Hair with it and when they are dry wash them with hot water I used this as the Ancients taught it and I made a Lye of Quick-Lime and Oak-Ashes that they commonly call the Capitel in that I boyled Litharge of Silver then I tried it on white Wool for if it be dyed black as I would have it then I took it from the fire or else I boyled it longer If it burnt the Wool I put water to it or else dyed with it Add Lytharge Wash your Hair or Beard with this and it will dye them with a shining black colour and it will not be discerned for the more you wash it the better it will shine CHAP. IV. To make Hairs part smooth BEcause sometimes a part is deformed with abundance of Hair or for lack of Hair I shall shew how to make a smooth part thick with Hair and a hairy part smooth by depilatories A common Depilatory which men use commonly in Baths It consists of Quick-Lime four parts made into Powder Orpiment one part boyl them Try with a Hens Feather when that is made bare with it it is boyl'd take heed you boyl it not too much or that it stay not too long upon your skin for it will burn but if it chance to burn your skin take Populeum and Oyl of Roses or Violets and anoynt the place and the pain will be gone This must be done in a Bath but if you cannot have one let the Woman be covered with cloths very well and let it be cast on burning Stones or Tiles that she may receive the fume of it and swear After she hath sweat let her wash her self with her water and wipe it off then let her anoynt her self all over for the parts anoynted thus will presently grow smooth And thus may all parts be kept free from Hair The Ancients used these as Saserna as Varro reports teacheth in his Book of Husbandry If saith he you would make any one smooth from Hair cast a pale Frog into water and boyl it to a third part and with that anoynt the Body But by pale Frog we must understand a Toad for a Frog hath no such faculty A Salamander soaked in Oyl will pull out the Hair Dioscorides But it will be stronger if you steep it long in Oyl and dissolve it The filthy matter that is white as Milk and is vomited up at the mouth by the Salamander if it touch any part of the Body all the Hair will fall off Dioscorides saith That the Sea-Scolopendra boyled in Oyl and smeered on the part will pluck off the Hair by the Roots But To make Hair grow slowly If you press Oyl out of Henbane-Seed with a Press or do often anoynt the places with the juice of it they will grow again very slowly The same is done with the juice of Hemlock Or to take off the Hairs men added to Ants Eggs red Orpiment and Ivy-Gum with Vinegar and they rubbed the place where the Hair was taken away In former times they rubbed the down-parts of children with the Roots of Hyacinthus and the Hair would never grow there And therefore it is well known in trimming Medicaments sold here and there that being smeered on with sweet Wine keeps back the Bread and will not let it break forth But if you would That Hair should never grow again In which business I have taken great pains and tried many things that I found to be false First foment the part with hot water and pull out the Hairs one by one with womens nippers then dissolve Salt-Peter in water and anonynt the holes where the Hairs grew It will be better done with Oyl of Brimstone or of Vitriol and so they will never
grow again or if they do after one yeer they will be very soft do then the same again and the parts will be bare alwayes So I have made womens Fore-heads longer and have taken off Hair from parts hotter then the rest CHAP. V. How Hair may grow again BUt for those that would have Hair grow where it should these Remedies will do it sometimes womens temples use to be deformed for want of Hair I shall teach you how Hair falling off before old age may be held fast And if any Hair hath fallen off to make it grow again torrifie Gith upon the Coals when it is torrified powder it sift it and mingle it with water and anoynt your Head The Ancients made their Hair grow again with these Remedies with the Ashes of a Land Hedge-hog or of burnt Bees or Flies or the Powder of them deied also with Man's Dung burnt and anoynted on with Honey to which they added well the Ashes of Small-nuts Wall-nuts Ches-nuts and other Bean-like substances for by all these mingled together or by them single Hair will be made to grow But if you will That Hair shall grow quickly I know that by often washing the place with that water that first distils from Honey by the fire much Hair will soon grow or if you do but moysten the place with wet cloths and not wipe it but let it alwayes continue wet Also Noble Matrons may use this To make the Hairs grow softer Augustus was wont to burn his Legs with a burning Nut that the Hair might grow softer But That Hair may grow longer and quickly Bruise Marsh-Mallow Roots with Hogs-grease and let them boyl long in Wine then add Cummin-Seed well bruised Mastick and yelks of Eggs well boyled first mingle them a little and then boyl them strain all through a Linen-clout and let it stand and settle then take the fat that swims on the top and anoynt the Head first wash But to make them grow quickly take Barley-Bread with Salt and Bears Grease burn the Bread and with such a mixture anoynt the place Some besmeer a glazed Pot with the fat of a Horse Neck and they boyl a River-Eel that is fat and cut into pieces in it till it dissolve into Oyl and they anoynt the part with it CHAP. VI. To take away Sores and Worms that spoil the Hair THere is a certain plague of the Hair that befals them and breaks cuts and takes the Hair quite off from the Head I will add the Remedies presently whereby to take them away It is healthful in these Diseases to apply bitter things to kill these Worms called Tiners or Syrens take the Flowers of Myrtle-Trees Broom-clary boyl them in Vinegar till the Vinegar be consumed and then rub the ends of the Hair continually with it Also grinde bitter Lupines into fine Meal boyl them in Vinegar and then rub the Hairs between your hands for this will kill these Sirens and drive them away But I used very hot Bread newly taken forth of the Oven cut in the middle and putting the Hair between them till they grow â—old CHAP. VII How to make Hair Curl CUrl'd Hair seems to be no small Grace and Ornament to the Head and women that use painting do all they can to curl the Hair If you will know how To Curl the Hair Boyl Maidenhair with Smallage-Seed in Wine adding a good quantity of Oyl for this wil make the Hair curl'd and thick Pliny Moreover if you put the Roots of Daffidils into Wine and pour this often on the Head being shaved it will make the Hair curl the more as the same Author saith or else bruise the Root of Dwraf-elder with Oyl and anoynt the Head therewith and binde the Leaves of the same upon the Head Some say that Camels Dung will curl the Hair or else poun the Ashes of a Rams Horn with Oyl and with that anoynt the Head often being first shaved So also will the Ashes of Chef-nuts or Hedge-hogs do if you with Honey smeer the Head with it CHAP. VIII Remedies to make the Eye brows black BEfore we leave off to speak of Hair I shall shew how to make the Eye-brows black because women are as desirous of this as of the rest The Greeks call them Calliblephara that is Fair Eye-brows wherefore the Antients used To dye the Eye-brows with black Earth like Bitume or Sea-Cole being burnt it is a very fine black and it is added to those Remedies that serve to dye the Eye-brows and the Hair black or else the Marrow of an Ox bone taken out of the Right-Leg before and beaten with Soot is good to dye the Hair and faulty Eye-brows and the corners of the Eyes Also Soot is tempered for this purpose with the smoak of Paper and Oyl of Sesama the smoot being wiped off of a new Vessel with a Feather The Kernels of Dates burnt in a new earthen Pot and the Ashes washed serve instead of Spodium and they are mingled with Eye-salves and they make Calliblephara adding Spikenard thereunto And if they be not well burnt burn them again Also Rose-Leaves are fit burn for the same use Also you may amend your Eye-brows thus Take Labdanum and beat it with Wine and mingle Oyl of Myrtles with it and make a very thick Oyntment or infuse in Oyl the black Leaves of the Myrtle-Tree with a double quantity of Galls bruised and use that I use this Galls are fried in Oyl and they are ground with a little Salt-Ammoniac and then mingled with Vinegar wherein the Pills of the Mulberry and Bramble have been boyled with these anoynt the Eyebrows and let it abide on all night then wash it off with water But if you would Change the colour of childrens Eyes you shall do it thus anoynt the fore part of their Heads with the Ashes of the shells of Hazel-nuts and Oyl it will make the white eyes of children black if you do it twice There are many Experiments to make white and gray Eyes black and to alter the colours But I shall let them pass because those that want them will not so lightly endanger their Eyes nor do they answer the expectation as some have tried them CHAP. IX How to make the Face white I Taught formerly in my Book of Plants That with white cleer Silver-coloured Herbs Shel-Fish and Stones the Face might be made white polished and Silver-coloured I shall now set down some examples by which you may invent many more I shall first speak of Simples then of Compounds Simples that are white make the face white The Lilly is a complete white colour the bulbous tops of it like Onyons boyled in water or the distilled water of them will make the Faces of Maides white if they wash them therewith morning and evening Withwind bears a Flower like to the Lilly without any smell but within like Saffron it is onely white and is as it were the Rudiments of Nature when she goes about to frame a Lilly The
out of their mouths into the mortar until it be white as I said then they boil it in one pound of the distilled water of Bryony-root till it be consumed then they put a linnen cloth to receive it at the mouth of the vessel and so they strain it forth and set it in the sun they make â—roches of it with gum Traganth others to sublimate add a sixth part of quick-silver bruising it round about then they adde camphir borax and ceruss half as much and mingle all together The principal matter is it is the best way to sprinkle it with water whilst you grind it lest by grinding it the powder become so light that it fly away also when the water is poured on all the filth will come on the top and more easily be poured off then when the sublimate is washed it is left to settle down then again pouring off the former water they pour on fresh and they wash it oft till they see it is enough and no black swims on the top But there is no better as we said than Water of quick-silver But some will not away with quick-silver by reason of the hurt it commonly doth to the teeth but they use other water Yet there is no better water then that which is extracted from quick-silver it is so clear and transparent and the face anointed with it shines like silver it draws the skin handsome and makes it soft by and by and I never saw a better the manner was shewed before CHAP. XV. How white-lead is prepared for the face BEcause sublimate is so dangerous there is a private way to do it with ceruss but not the usual way that women may have their desire without hurting their skin or their teeth I am now come to the business of ceruss Take of swines grease well washed and cleansed in common water at least ten times put it in to a lye of sweet water and after fifteen days into a pot or earthen vessel with a broad mouth pouring in the sharpest vinegar put in your swines grease that the vinegar may swim three fingers above it then fasten a plate of lead on the mouth of the pot well luting the joynts with linnen cloths that the vinegar may not evaporate Every fifteen days take off the cover and see how it is if the lead be dissolved and scrape the cover of all that hangs upon it and put in the cover anoint it all about and let it stand so long till all the rest be performed as I said before and the whole lead be turned to ceruss Ceruss must be washt thus Pour water into a vessel put the ceruss into it stir it up and down that what dregs there is may swim on the top the ceruss is heavy and will sink to the bottom Pour forth what swims above in the vessel and pour on fresh water and do this so often until the pure ceruss be found without dregs dry it and lay it up If you will do it Another way Take two handfuls of cleansed barley let it steep all night in fair water then dry it on a linnen cloth spread abroad in the sun When it is dried poun it in a marble mortar when it is bruised put it into a glazed vessel which is full of vinegar and cast upon this four whole eggs with their shells then stop the vessel with a plate of lead that is arched or not very even and let there be no place that gives vent Set it half in the sand and let it stand in the open sun after ten days take off the covering of the vessel that you stopt it with strike down the ceruss that is in it with a feather and scrape it off then take the eggs out and put in new and do as you did and after so many days scrape it off until the whole plate be consumed Let down the ceruss you have stricken off into a vessel full of water bound up in a linnen cloth that is clean and moderately fine and stir it in the water carrying it about here and there until the muddy part of it run forth and the sediment remain in the cloth let the water settle and strain it and pour it forth changing the water so long until no dregs remain Lastly strain forth the water and lay up the powder when it is dry This alone with fountain water will make the face white mingled with the white of an egge and will make it shine Some Another way wash ceruss and make it pure Mingle hards of hemp with whites of eggs well stirr'd role up the ceruss in the middle of it and wrapping a cloth about it boil it one hour in a new earthen pot putting water to it as it boils take off the skum then take it from the fire and if any Lead be sunk down cast it forth afterwards make Troches of it with Gum-Traganth that it may keep the better Some bid boyl in water of white Lillies Ceruss very finely powdered tied up in a skin and fastned in a Linen-cloth over it to the handle of the Vessel The manner of boyling is the same as I first shewed Then pour it forth into an earthen dish and strain it gently from all its moysture dry it fifteen days in the Sun and keep it CHAP. XVI The best Sopes for women I Shewed in particulars how you might procure whiteness lustre and softness to the Face now shall I speak of waters made of these that will at the same time make if it be first rub'd clean The Face white clear ruddy and soft These I speak of can do it being composed together and distilled Take Ceruss ready washed one ounce half as much Mercury sublimate Gum-Traganth as much Tartar one ounce powder all these and put them into a young Pigeon washed and unbowelled and sow them in put it into a new Earthen Pot full of water distilled by a Retort boyl it till the flesh part from the bones then distil it when you go to bed wash you Face and in the morning wash it with Fountain-water so you shall have it white clear soft and well-coloured Also you may do it Another way Bruise three pound of Bean-Cods the shells add two pounds of Honey and one of Rosin of Turpentine put them into a Vessel and close it that nothing vent forth and let it ferment eight days in dung then add four pound of Asses milk and in the Vessel draw forth Oyl at the fire use this water morning and evening If you will have Another way do it thus Distil all these severally Elder-flowers and Flowers of wilde Roses Broom Honey-snâ—kles Solomons-seal and Briony-Roots sowre Grapes and Sarcocolla mingle equal parts of each or distil them again and set them in the Sun This will be the best I shall shew Another for the same Pull of a Hens Feathers without water take out her Entrals cut her in pieces let infuse one night in white-Wine in the morning wash her in
Traganth Mastick and Champhire it is good also for flagging Brests For a wrinkled Face When Eggs are boyled hard in water cut them in the middle fill the holes where the yelks were with Powder of Myrrh then cover one with the other half and binde them with a Thread that they come not asunder then take a glazed earthen Vessel with a broad mouth and lay sticks across it that the Eggs may lie upon them hanging neer the bottom let the cleft of the Eggs hang toward the bottom put the earthen Vessel into a chest of Osiers and set it in a Well let it hang one foot from the water by the moysture whereof the Myrrh will dissolve into Oyl of water anoynt your Face with it The juice of the green Canes of the Pine-Tree but it is weaker then the distilled water being applied to the Face with a Linnen-cloth wet therein will take away all wrinkles from the Face excellently well You have Another Steep Kidney-Beans in Malmsey one day then take away the black whence they sprout and distil them with Lemmons and Honey Take a quantity of old Cow-Beef and distil that also mingle the waters and set them in the open Air in a Glass-Vessel in the Sun for fifteen days and wash your Face morning and evening therewith Another Crop in the morning the Flowers of Mullens and steep them in Greek-Wine with the Roots of Solomons-Seal then receive the water distilled in Glass-stills and if a woman when she riseth out of her bed wash her face with this she will be very fair and if you would take off the wrinkles with the same water add distilled water of Lemmons thereunto and it will make you glad to see the effect But this is the best Water to whiten plain and beautifie the Face Take equal parts of the Root of Solomons Seal greater Dragons and lesser Sparagrass Bryony and white Lillies as much as you please bruise them a little and cast them into an earthen pot with a large mouth let it be glazed pour on Greek Wine that may cover all add to these juice of Lemmons a fourth part ten new Eggs bruised with their shells and Land-Snails without shells let them infuse a while then distil them at a gentle fire and keep the first water a part then augment the fire and keep the second that will be stronger for this wipes all spots and red pimples from the Face Some mingle with this water of Bean-Flowers Elder Poppy Honey-Suckles and the like so do they take away all wrinkles and spots coming from the Sun and all the rest But you may thus take off The wrinkles of the Belly after child-birth Untipe Services are long boyled in water with these mingle whites of Eggs and water wherein Gum-Arabick is dissolved wet a Linen-cloth in such water and lay on the Belly or mingle the Powders of Harts Horn burnt the Stone Amiantus Salt-Ammoniac Myrrh Frankincense Mastick with Honey and it takes away all wrinkles CHAP. XXV Of Dentifrices DEntifrices are used amongst things to beautifie women for there is nothing held more ugly then for a woman to laugh or speak and thereby to shew their rugged rusty and spotted Teeth for they all almost by using Mercury sublimate have their Teeth black or yellow and because they stand in the Sun when they would make their Hair yellow their Teeth are hurt thereby and grow loose ready to fall out and do oft-times I shall shew first how to make black Teeth white as Pearls then how to make flesh grow about such as are weak and bare of Gums and to make them strong But of old were made Dentifrices of the shells of Purples and others like trumpets burnt The Arabian-stone it is like the spotted Ivory burned it is good for Dentifrices Also of Pumex-Stone very profitable Dentifrices were made Pliny So with the Powder of Ivory rubbed on the Teeth were made as white as Ivory Ovid. That Teeth may not grow black forborn With Fountain-water wash them every morn I shall add Another that I use The Crums of Barley-Bread burnt with Salt sprinkled on and Honey will not onely make the Teeth white but makes the Breath sweet Also with red Coral Cuttle bone Harts Horn and such-like whereof every one will well polish and wipe the Teeth clean so doth also the Grains of Cochinele Also there is made a water of Allom and Salt distilled that whiteneth the Teeth exceedingly and confirms them but the Oyl of Sulphur doth it best for it smooths them and wipes away all spots and if any one think it is too strong it may be qualified with the water of Myrtle flowers Make a Tooth-scraper after the fashion of a Tooth and pour on Oyl and rub the spots therewith but he careful it touch not the Gums for it will whiten and burn them rub so long till the spots be gone and they be very white I have now described the most perfect Remedy CHAP. XXVI To hinder the brests from augmenting AMongst the Ornaments of women this is the chief to have after Child-bearing round small solid and not flagging or wrinkled Brests So we may Hinder the augmenting of the Brests if we will Bruise Hemlock and lay a Cataplasm thereof with Vinegar to womens Brests and it will stay them that they shall not increase especially in Virgins yet this will hinder milk when it should be seasonable But if you will Curb soft and loose Brests Powder white Earth the white of an Egg sowre Galls Mastick Frankincense and mingle them in hot Vinegar and smeer the Brests therewith let it stay on all night If it do not effect it do the same again The Stones of Medlars are good for this also unripe Services Sloes Acacia Pomegranate Pills Balanstia unripe Pine-nuts Wilde Pears and Plantain if they all boil in Vinegar and be laid to the Brests or some of them The Antients commended for this purpose a Whetstone of Cypress that we sharpen Iron upon to restrain Virgins Brests and not let them grow big Dioscorides But Galen saith That it not onely stops the encrease of the Brests but will hinder childrens Testicles from growing but I use the juice of Ladies Mantle from the Leaves of it and I wet Linen in it and lay it on the Brests and renew it for it will not onely hinder Virgins Brests from increasing but will fallen the loose Brests of Matrons and make them firm It is more effectual to use the decoction of the Herb and if you joyn any of the forementioned thingâ— therewith as Hypocistis Pills of Pomegranates and the like So water distilled from green Pine-Apples will draw in loose Brests and make them like the round hard solid Brests of Virgins CHAP. XXVII How the Hand may be made white THe Hands must not be forgotten but we must make them white also smooth and soft that are Ornaments of the Hands to be desired But how whiteness and smoothness may be obtained I have shewed already
it self straitned in the narrow cavities it will seek some other vent and so tear the Vessels in pieces which will flie about with a great bounce and crack not without endamaging the standers by and being at liberty will save it self from further harm But if the things be hot and thin you must have Vessels with a long and small neck Things of a middle temper require Vessels of a middle size All which the industrious Artificer may easily learn by the imitation of Nature who hath given angry and furious Creatures as the Lion and Bear thick bodies but short necks to shew that flatulent humours would pass out of Vessels of a larger bulk and the thicker part settle to the bottom but then the Stag the Estrich the Camil-Panther gentle Creatures and of thin Spirits have slender bodies and long necks to shew that thin subtile Spirits must be drawn through a much longer and narrower passage and be elevated higher to purifie them There is one thing which I must especially inform you of which is that there may be a threefold moysture extracted out of Plants The Nutritive whereby they live and all dried Herbs want it differeth little from Fountain or Ditch-water The Substantial whereby the parts are joyned together and this is of a more solid Nature And the third is the Radical humor fat and oyly wherein the strength and vertue lieth There is another thing which I cannot pass over in silence it being one of the Principles of the Art which I have observed in divers Experiments which is that some mixt bodies do exhale thin and hot vapors first and afterwards moyst and thick on the contrary others exhale earthy and phlegmatick parts first and then the hot and fiery which being fixed in the inmost parts are expelled at last by the force of the fire But because there can be no constant and certain Rule given for them some I will mark unto you others your own more quick ingenuity must take the pains to observe CHAP. II. Of the Extraction of Waters THe Extraction of Waters because it is common I will dispatch in a few words If you would extract sweet Waters out of hot Plants and such as are earthy and retain a sweet savour in their very substance these being cast into a Stillatory without any Art and a fire made under them yield their odors as you may draw sweet Waters out of Roses Orange-flowers Myrtle and Lavender and such-like either with Cinders or in Balneo Mariae but onely observe to kindle the fire by degrees lest they burn There are also in some Plants sweet Leaves as in Myrtle Lavender Citron and such-like which if you mix with the Flowers will no way hinder the savour of them but add a pleasantness to the Waters and in places where Flowers cannot be gotten I have seen very sweet Waters extracted out of the Tendrils of them especially when they have been set abroad a sunning in a close Vessel for some dayes before There is a Water of no contemptible sent drawn out of the Leaves of Basil gentle especially being aromatized with Citron or Cloves by the heat of a gentle Bath heightened by degrees and then exposing it to the Sun for some time There is an odoriserous Water extracted out of the Flowers of Azadaret or bastard Sicamore very thin and full of savor The way to finde out whether the odor be settled in the substance of a Plant or else in the superficies or outward parts is this Rub the Leaves of Flowers with your fingers if they retain the same sent or cast a more fragrant breath then the odour lieth in the whole substance But on the contrary if after your rubbing they do not onely lose their natural sent but begin to stink it sheweth that their odour resideth onely in their superficies which being mixed with other ill savoured parts are not onely abated but become imperceptible In distilling of these we must use another Art As for example To extract sweet Water out of Gillâ—flowers Musk Roses Violets and Jasmine and Lillies First draw the juice out of some wilde Musk Roses with a gentle heat in Balneo then remove them and add others for if you let them stand too long the sent which residâ—th in the superficies is not onely consumed but the dull stinking vapour which lieth in the inward parts is drawn forth In this water let other Roses be infused for some hours and then taken out and fresh put in which the oftner you do the sweeter it will smell but stop the Vessel close lest the thin sent flie out and be dispersed in the Air and so you will have a most odoriferous Water of Musk-Roses The same I advise to be done with Jasmine Gilliflowers Lillies and Violets and Crows-toes and the like But if you are not willing to macerate them in their own waters the same may be done in Rose-water By this Art I have made Waters out of Flowers of a most fragrant smell to the admiration of Artists of no small account But because it happeneth sometimes by the negligence of the Operator that it is infected with a stink of burning I will teach you How to correct the stink of burning Because that part which lieth at the bottom fâ—eleth more heat then the top whence it cometh to pass that before the one be warm the other is burnt and oftentimes stinketh of the fire and offendeth the nose Therefore distil your Waters in Balneo with a gentle fire that the pure clear Water may ascend and the dregs settle in the bottom with the Oyl a great cause of the ill savour How to draw a great quantity of Water by Distillation Fasten some Plates of Iron or Tin round the top of the Stillatory set them upright and let them be of the same height with it and in the bottom fasten a Spigget When the Stillatory waxeth hot and the elevated vapors are gathered into the Cap if that be hot they fall down again into the bottom and are hardly condensed into drops but if it be cold it presently turneth them into Water Therefore pour cold Water between those plates which by condensing the vapours may drive down larger currents into the Receiver When the Cap and the Water upon it begin to be hot pull out the Spigget that the hot Water may run out and fresh cold Water be put in Thus the Water being often changed that it may always be cold and the warm drawn out by the Spigget you will much augment the quantity of your Water CHAP. III. Of extracting Aqua Vitae IT is thus done Take strong rich Wine growing in dry places as on Viseuvius commonly called Greek-wine or the tears or first running of the Grape Distil this in a Glass-Retort with Cinders or in Balneo or else in a long necked Still Draw out the third part of it and reserve the rest for it is turned into a perfect sharp Vinegar there remaining onely the carcase of
untwine themselves again put one of these into the mouth of each Glass to binder the Herbs from falling out when the Glasses are turned downwards Then thurst the necks through the holes of the Form into the Receivers which are placed underneath and admit them into their bellies fasten them together with linen bands that there may be noâ—vent and place the Receivers in dishes of water that the vapor may the sooner be condensed All things being thus provided expose them to most violent heat of Sun-beams they will presently dissolve them into vapors and slide down into the Receivers In the evening after Sun-set remove them and fill them with fresh Herbs The Herb Polygonum or Sparrows-tongue bruised and thus distilled is excellent for the inflammation of the eyes and other diseases Out of S. Johns-wort is drawn a water good against cramps if you wash the part affected with it and others also there are too long to rehearse The manner of Distilling this Figure expresseth CHAP. V. How to draw Oyl by Expression VVE have treated of Waters now we will speak of Oyls and next of Essences These require the industry of a most ingenious Artificer for many the most excellent Essences of things do remain in the Oyl as in the radical moysture so close that without the greatest Art wit cunning and pains they cannot be brought to light so that the whole Art of Distillation dependeth on this The cheifest means is by Expression which though it be different from the Art of Distillation yet because it is very necessary to it it will not be unnecessary to mention here The general way of it is this Take the Seeds out of which you would draw Oyl blanch them and strip them of their upper Coats either by rubbing them with your hands or picking them off with your nails When they are cleansed cast them into a Marble-Morter and beat them with a wodden Pestle then sprinkle them with Wine and change them into a Leaden-Morter set them on the fire and stir them with a wooden-Spoon When they begin to yield forth a little Oyliness take them from the fire and prepare in readiness two plates of Iron of a fingers thickness and a foot-square let them be smooth and plain on one side and heated so that you can scarce lay your finger on them or if you had rather that they may hiss a little when water is cast upon them wrap the Almonds in a linen-cloth being wetted squeeze them between these plates in a press save the Expression and then sprinkle more Wine on the pressed Almonds or Seeds allow them some time to inbibe it then set them on the fire stir them and squeeze them again as before until all their Oyl be drawn out Others put the Seeds when they are bruised and warmed into a bag that will not let the Oyl strain thorow and by twining two sticks about press them very hard and close then they draw the Oyl out of them when they are a little settled To draw Oyl out of Nutmegs Beat the Nutmegs very carefully in a Morter put them into a Skillet and warm them and then press out the Oyl which will presently congeal Wherefore to make it fluide and apter to penetrate distil it five or six times in a Retort and it will be as you desire or else cast some burning Sand into it and mix it and make it into Rolls which being put into the neck of a Retort and a fire kindled will the first time remain liquid To extract Oyl out of Citron-seed we must use the same means Blanch and cleanse them an Oyl of a Gold-colour will flow out they yield a fourth part and it is powerful Antidote against Poyson and Witchcraft and it is the best Menstruum to extract the sent out of Musk Civet and Amber and to make sweet Oyntments of because it not quickly grow rank Oyl of Poppy-Seed is extracted the same way and yields a third part of a Golden-colour and useful in dormitive Medicines Also thus is made Oyl of Coloquintida-Seeds The fairest yield a sixth part of a Golden-colour it killeth Worms and expelleth them from Children being rubbed on the mouth of their Stomach Also Oyl of Nattle-Seed An ounce and a half may be extracted out of a pound and a half of Seeds being picked and blanched it is very good to dye womens Hair of a Gold-colour Oyl of Eggs is made by another Art Take fifty or sixty Eggs boyl them till they be hard then peal them and take out the yelk and set them over warm Coals in a tinned Posnet till all their moysture be consumod still stirring them with a wooden-spattle then encrease the fire but stir them uncessantly lest they burn You will see the Oyl swet out when it is all come forth take away the fire and skim off the Oyl Or when the Oyl beginneth to swet out as I said put the Eggs into a press and squeeze then very hard they will yield more Oyl but not so good CHAP. VI. How to extract Oyl with Water NOw I will declare how to extract Oyl without Expression and first out of Spices Seeds Leaves Sticks or any thing else Oyl being to be drawn out onely by the violence of fire and very unapt to ascend because it is dense considering also That Aromatick Seeds are very subtile and delicate so that if they be used too roughly in the fire they will stink of smoak and burning therefore that they may endure a stronger fire and be secure from burning we must take the assistance of water Those kinde of Seeds as I said are endued with an Airy thin volatile Essence and by the propriety of their Nature elevated on high so that in Distillation they are easily carried upward accompanied with water and being condensed in the Cap of the Stillatory the oyly and the waterish vapours run down together into the Receiver Chuse your Seeds of a full ripeness neither too new not too old but of a mature age beat them and macerate them in four times their weight of water or so that the water may arise the breadth of four fingers above them then put them into a Brass-pot that they may endure the greater fire and kindle your Coals unto a vehement heat that the Water and Oyl may promiscuously ascend and flow down separate the Oyl from the Water as you may easily do As for example How to draw Oyl out of Cinnamon If you first distil Fountain-water twice or thrice you may extract a greater quantity of Oyl with it for being made more subtile and apt to penetrate it pierceth the Cinnamon and draweth the Oyl more forcibly out of its Retirements Therefore take CXXXV pound of Fountain-water distil it in a Glass-Alembick when forty pound is drawn distil that until fifteen flow out then cast away the rest and draw five out of those fiftteen This being done macerate one pound of Cinnamon in five of Water and distil them in a
let it evaporate it will leave behinde it a Tincture enriched with the sent and vertues of the Flowers Tincture of Coral Beat the Coral to Powder and with a vehement fire turn it into Salt add an equal quantity of Salt-Peter to it then extract the Salt with Aqua Vitae and it will bring out with it the Tincture of a wonderful vertue CHAP. XVI How to extract Salts SAlts do retain the greatest part of the Vertue of those things from whence they are extracted and therefore are used to season the sick persons meat and otherways because they have a penetrative quality It was a great Question among the Ancients Whether Salts retained the vertue of the things or whether they lost some in the fire and acquired others but it is row manifested by a thousand Experiments that the vertues do not onely remain in them but are made quicker and more efficacious Salt of Lemmons Distill the Lemmons with their Peels and Juice reserve the Water and dry the rest in the Sun if the season permit it or in an Oven Put them in a Pot close luted and calcine it in igne reverberationis Then dissolve the Powder in the Water and boyl them in a perfect Lye cleanse it with a Feather that the Dregs may settle to the bottom purifie it and let the Liquor evaporate so the Salt will remain in the bottom which is most excellent to break the Stone in the Bladder Salt of Pellitory of Spain Dry the Roots and burn it in a close luted pot for three dayes until it be reduced into white Ashes pour on its own Menstruum distil it and calcine iâ— again so the third time then cleanse it with a Feather boyl it in an earthen vernished Pipkin with the white of an Egg to clarifie the Salt at length a white grained Salt will appear Salt of Cumine Put the Roots Leave and Flowers in a close luted Vessel and dry them and put them into a Potters Furnace till they be burned to Ashes In the mean while distil the Roots Leaves and Flowers or if you please make a decoction of them and of that decoction a sharp Lye which being strained very clean through a Linen-cloth three or four times must be boyled to a Salt in a Glass-Vessel If you desire it very fine and white strow the Salt upon a Marble and set it in a moist place with a pan underneath to receive it as it dissolveth cleanse the filth still away and do this three times until it become of a Chrystal colour so reserve In this manner Sal Alchali is made Of Saxifrage It is made like the former if you season your meat with it it protecteth from all danger of poysoned bread or meat conserveth from the contagion of pestilential and infections Air. The same may be extracted out of other Alexiphatmacal Bodies which Princes may use at meals instead of ordinary Salt for they scarce differ in taste A Salt may be made of Thapsia very good to remove the Stone in the Bladder or Kidneys and to dissolve the Tartar or viscous Concrescency to kill the Worms and purge the Blood to provoke sweat by being often taken and is admirable in Venereal Diseases The Salt of Pimpernel being taken three days and the third month for a mans whole life-time secureth him from the Dropsie Pâ—hisick and Apoplexy It also preserveth from infection and pestiferous Air and helpeth digestion in a weak Stomack But it is to be observed That these Salts must not be eaten every day left they become too familiar to the Stomack and be taken for food There may be a Salt also extracted out of the filings of Lignum Guaiacum which is excellent in the French Pox being taken as the former By these you may learn to make other Salts CHAP. XVII Of Elixirs ELixirs are the Conservators of Bodies in the same condition wherein they finde them for their Vertue is to preserve from corruption not by meliorating their state but by continuing it and if by accident they cure any Diseases it is by reason of their tenuity They have a double Vertue to preserve from sickness and continue health not onely in Men but to preserve Plants also They imitate the qualities of Balsam and resort chiefly to the Heart Brain and principal Parts where the Spirits reside There are three kinds of Elixirs of Metals of Gems and of Plants as of Roots Herbs Flowers Seeds Woods Gums and such-like An Elixir differeth from Essences Tinctures and the rest because it is compounded of many things void of fatness therefore it cannot be an Oyl because it wanteth perspicuity and clearness not an Essence because it is a Compound not a Tincture but a mean between all and of a consistence most like to Water whence it had its name ab eliquesco to be dissolved or liquified To make Elixir of Pimpernel Dig up the Roots in a convenient time and macerate them in their Water putting some weight on them to depress them under Water when the Flowers are blown gather them and macerate them in the same manner in a peculiar Vessel the same must be done with the Seeds Then put them in an Alimbeck and draw out the Water and Oyl until the Foeces remain dry then separate the Oyl from the Water and circulate it in a Pelican for two months then take it out and reserve it for your use An Elixir of many things Many Compositions of Elixir are carried about which are erroneous and false to my knowledge and of so hard a work to extract the Oyl and Water that you will more probably lose your time and cost then gain any good by them for they are made for pomp and magnificence rather then for the benefit of man Besides I have found them often fail in the performance of what was promised from them and cannot be made according to those descriptions But here I will deliver one to you which will perform far more then is promised Take the Flowers of Sage Origanum Mugwort Savory Elder Sage-Leaves white Mint Rosemary Basil Marjoram Peniroyal Rose-buds the Roots of Betony Pellitory Snake-weed white Thistle Aristolochy Elder Cretan-Ditany Currants Pine-Apples Dates Citron-Pill of each an ounce and a half Ginger Cloves Nutmegs Zedoary Galangal white and long Pepper Juniper-berries Spikenard Mace Cubebs Parsley-seed Cardomoms Cinnamon Staechados Germander Granes Rose of Jerusalem Doronicum Ammoniac Opoponax Spodium Schaeinanthus Bdellium Mummy Sagapenum Champhire Mastick Frankincense Aloes Powder of Ebony Bole-Armenick Treacle Musk Galls Mithridate Lignum Aloes and Saffron of each three drachms of clarified Sugar thirteen pounds of Honey two I exclude Pearl Rubies Jacinths Saphires Emeraulds and Leaf-Gold from the Composition because as I have proved before they have no operation especially thus exhibited and therefore are used in Medicines by none but ignorant Physitians Reduce all these into Powder and put them into a Pelican or blinde Alimbeck with twelve pound of Aqua Vitae very well clarified as though
Sanders and Lignum Aloes an ounce of Spikenard let these all be grossly beaten and boyled in a vernished earthen Pipkin over a gentle fire for the space of an hour then let them cool Strain them through a Linen-cloth and set it up in a Glass close stopt But tye up the Cinnamon Cloves Lignum Aloes and Sanders in a thin Linen-cloth and so put them into the pot and boyl them as I said before and afterwards take out the bundle for after the boyling of the water the remaining dust may be formed into Pills and made into Cakes which may be used in perfuming as I shall teach hereafter This Water is made divers ways but I have set down the best yet in the boyling it will turn coloured and become red so that Hankerchiefs or white Linen if they be wetted in it are stained although they are made wonderfully sweet which maketh many forbear the use of it Wherefore if we would have Aqua Nansa clarified Take the former Water and put it into a Glass-Retort and set it in Balneo over a gentle fire the VVater will become clear and almost of the same sent onely a little weaker keep the Water and lay aside the rest of the Foeces for sweet Cakes CHAP. II. To make sweet Water by Infusion NOw I will teach how to make perfumed Liquors and what Liquors they are which will receive odors best for VVater is unapt to keep sent Oyl is better and VVine we may assign the reason out of Theophrastus for VVater is thin â—oid of taste or sent and so fine that it can gather no sent and those Liquors which are thick savory and have a strong sent VVine although it be not sweet of it self yet being placed nigh any odour it will draw it because it is full of heat which doth attract VVater being cold by Nature can neither attract nor receive nor keep any sent for it is so fine slender and thin that the odour flieth out again and vanisheth away as if there were no foundation whereon it could fix and settle as there is in VVine and Oyl who are more tenacious of sent because they are of a denser and callous Body Oyl is the best preserver and keeper of sent because it is not changeable wherefore Perfumers steep their perfumes in Oyl that it may suck out their sweetness We use Wine to extract the sent of Flowers and especially Aqua Vitae for Wine unless distilled infecteth the Water too much with his own senâ— Musk Water This VVater setteth off all others and maketh them richer wherefore it is first to be made Take the best Aqua Vitae and put into it some Grains of Musk Amber and Civet and set them in the hot Sun for some dayes but stop the Vessel very close and lute it for that will very much add to the frangrancy of it A drop of this put into any other water will presently make it smell most pleasantly of Musk. You may do the same with Rose-water and Fountain-water often distilled that it may obtain a thinness and heat which is very necessary for the extraction of Essences Water of Jasmine Musk-Roses Gilliflowers Violets and Lillies is extracted the same way for these Flowers send forth but a thin odour which dwelleth not in the substance of them but onely lieth scattered on the superficies so that if they remain too long on the fire or in their Menstruum their sweetness degenerateth from its former pleasantness and is washed off by the mixture of the stinking ill-savoured part of their substance VVherefore we must lay their Leaves onely in the best Aqua Vitae that is the Leaves of Lillies Jasmine Musk-Roses and the rest hanging them on a threed that when the VVater hath sucked out their odour we may pluck them out because their odour lieth onely on their superficies so that if they should remain long in the Aqua Vitae it would penetrate too deep into them and draw out a sent which would not onely destroy their former sweetness but taint them with an ill savour which accompanieth those inward parts After these Leaves are taken out supply them with fresh until you perceive their sent is also extracted But take out the Violets and the Gilliflowers sooner then the rest lest they colour the VVater This VVater being mixt with others taketh away the scurvy sent of the VVine A sweet compounded Water Take a great Glass-Receiver and fill the third part almost of it with Aqua Vitae put into it Lavender-Flowers Jasmine Roses Orange and Lemmon-Flowers Then add Roots of Iris Cypress Sanders Cinnamon Storax Labdanum Cloves Nutmegs Calamus Aromaticus with a little Musk Amber and Civet Fill the Glass and stop it well But after you have filled the Glass with the Flowers they will wither and sink down wherefore fill it up with more Set it in a very hot Sun or in Balneo until their sweetness be all extracted Then strain out the Water and one drop of it in Rose-water or of Myrtle-Flowers will perfume it all with a most fragrant smell CHAP. III. How to make sweet Oyls HOw to extract Oyl out of Spices and sweet things is declared before now I will shew how to draw sents out of other things with Oyl or as I said before to make Oyl the ground in which odours may be kept and preserved a long time which is done either by imbibing the Oyl with odors or the Almonds out of which we afterwards express the Oyl How to make Oyl of Ben which is the sweetest Oyl of all used by the Genois take an ounce of Ben a drachm of Amber as much Musk half a drachm of Civet put them in a Glass-bottle well stopt and set it in the Sun for twenty days then you may use it But be sure that it be close stopt for the Nature of odors being volatile and fugitive it quickly decayeth loseth his fragrancy and smelleth dully A way to make odoriferous Oyl of Flowers it is a common thing but very commodious for Perfumers and may be used for other things he that knoweth how to use it rightly and properly will finde it an Oyl very profitable to him Blanch your Almonds and bruise them and lay them between two rows of Flowers When the Flowers have lost their sent and fade remove them and add fresh ones Do this so long as the Flowers are in season when they are past squeeze out the Oyl with a press and it will be most odoriferous You may draw a sent with this way out of those Flowers from whom you cannot draw sweet Water Oyl of Jasmine Violets Musk-Roses Lillies Crows-foot Gilliflowers Roses and Orange-Flowers and of others being made this way smelleth most fragrantly Oyl of Amber Musk and Civet may be thus made also Cut the Almonds being blanched from the top to the bottom into seven or eight slices and enclose them in a Leaden Box with these perfumes for six days until they have imbibed the sent then press
them and they will yield a most sweet Oyl and yet perhaps not make the Musk much worse CHAP. IV. How to extract Water and Oyl out of sweet Gums by Infusion VVE may extract sweet VVaters by another Art that we spoke of before out of Gums by Infusion and Expression as for example A sweet Water of Storax Benjamin and Labdanum which affordeth a most sweet savour and is thus extracted Infuse Storax or Benjamin being bruised in as much Rose-water as will cover them two fingers over set them in Balneo or a warm place for a week then distil them in Balneo and you will have a very pleasant Water from them which you must expose to the hot Sun that if there should remain any stink of the smoak in it it may be taken away We may also put Gums into Glass-Vessels and make a slow fire under it there will sweet out a very little water but of sweet savour and the Gum will settle to the bottom which will be useful for other things To extract Oyl of Benjamin Storax and other things We may do this by beating and mixing these Gums with Oyl of Almonds or of Ben and macerating them in Balneo for a month then draw out the Oyl either by a Retort or by Expression which is better it will yield a most fragrant odour that you can hardly perceive whether it were drawn out of the Gums themselves by a Retort Ben called in Latine Glans Unguentaria is used in precious Oyntments in stead of Oyl Pliny calleth it Morobolane So also Martial What not in Virgil nor in Homer's found Is of sweet Oyl and Acorn the compound It is without any sent and therefore fitter to receive them and when it doth receive them to reserve them for it never groweth rank CHAP. V. How to perfume Skins NOw we will discourse of the perfuming of Skins which is performed several ways either by sweet Waters or rubbing them with Oyls or laying them in Flowers so that they may attract their odor And first How to wash Skins that they may lose the sent of the Beasts and of Flesh. The manner is this First wash them in Greek-Wine and let them lie wet for some hours then dry them and if the sent continueth in them still wash them again that being taken away wash them in sweet Waters Take four parts of Rose-water three of Myrtle or Orange-Flowers two of sweet Trifoli one of Lavender half one mix them and put them into a wide mouthed earthen Vessel and steep the Skins in them for a day Then take them out and hang them up in the shade to dry but when they are almost dry stretch and smooth them with your hands that they may not be wrinkled Do this thrice over till they savour of the sweet Waters and lose their own stink Next How to perfume Skins with Flowers They must first be rub'd over with Oyl for as I have told you that is the foundation of all sents both to attract them and retain them in a greasie body It may be done with common Oyl but better with Oyl of Ben because it is without any sent of his own best of all with the Oyl of Eggs which I have taught before how to make The manner is thus Anoynt your Gloves or Skins with a Spunge on the inward side and especially in the Seams when that is done you may thus make them attract the sent of any Flowers Violets and Gilliflowers blow first in the Spring gather them in the morning and lay them on both sides of your Skins for a day When they grow dry sooner or later fling them away and lay on new stirring or moving them thrice or four times in a day lest they make the Skins damp and grow musty When these Flowers are past lay on Orange-flowers and Roses in the same manner and last of all Jasmine which will continue until Winter I mean Garden-Jasmine for it flourisheth two or three months Thus your Skins or Gloves will become very sweet in a yeers space The odour will quickly fade and die but if you do the same the second time it will continue much longer and preserve their pleasantness It very much preserveth their fragrancy to keep them in a close place in either a Wooden or Leaden Box but if you lay them among Linen it will suck out their odour and dull their sent How to perfume Skins If you add Musk Amber and Civet to the aforesaid Skins they will smell much more sweet and gratefully Or take four parts of Western Balsam one of Musk as much Amber and rub it on your Gloves with a Spunge and they will smell very sweet I will add one more excellent Composition Take eight parts of Iris one of Sander two of Benjamin four of Rose-Powder one and a half of Lignum Aloes half a one of Cinnamon or rather less soften them all with rose-Rose-water and Gum-Tragacanth and grinde them on a Porphyretick Marble then anoynt your Gloves with it in a Spunge and take three Grains of Musk two of Amber one of Civet mingle them and rub them also on How to take the sent out of Gloves If you repent your self of perfuming them or would make sport with any one boyl a little Rose-water or â—qua Vitae and while they be hot put the Gloves in and let them remain there awhile This will take away their sent and if you steep other Gloves in it and dry them they will imbibe it CHAP. VI. How to make sweet Powders NOw we come to making sweet Powders which are either Simple or Compound they are used in stuffing sweet Bags in perfuming Skins and Compositions Learn therefore How to make Cyprian Powder Take Moss of the Oak which smelleth like Musk gather it clean in December January or February wash it five or six times in sweet Water that it may be very clean then lay it in the Sun and dry it Afterwards Steep it in Rose-water for two dayes and dry it in the Sun again This you must iterate oftentimes for the more you wash it the sweeter it will smell When it is dried grinde it into Powder in a Brass-Morter and seirce it then put it into the ceive and cover it make a fire and set some sweet waters to boyl over it or cast on some perfumed Cakes and let the fume arise up into the ceive The more often you do this the stronger and more lasting sent will be imbibed by the Powder When you perceive it to have attained a sufficient odour take one pound of the Powder a little Musk and Civet powdered and a sufficient quantity of Sanders and Roses beat them in a Brass-Morter first putting in the Musk and then by degrees casting in the Powder so mingle them well At last put the Powders into a Glass close stopt that the sent may not transpire and grow dull There are several Compositions of this Powder which would be too tedioâ— to recount It may be made
either white or black or brown The white is made of Crude Parâ—er washed in Rose-water or other sweet Water and adding Musk Amber Civet and such-like it will smell at a good distance CHAP. VII How to make sweet Compounds THere may be made divers kindes of sweet Compounds of which are made Beads which some use to reckon their Prayers by and others to trim their clothes with also wash-Balls to cleanse and sweeten the hands And first How to make sweet Balls with small charge which yet shall seem to be very costly and sweet Take one ounce of Cyprian Powder and Benjamin of the best mixture which is brought out of Turky half an ounce of Cloves a sufficient quantity of Illyrian Iris. First melt some Gum Tragacantha in Rose-water then with the former powder make it into a Mass and rowl it up in little Balls bore them thorow and fix every one on a several tent upon the Table then take four Grains of Musk dissolve it in Rose-water and wash the outside of the Balls with it then let them dry afterwards wet them again for three or four times so will they cast forth a most pleasant sent round about which they will not quickly lose But if you would bestow more cost and have a greater sent I will shew How to make them another way Take one ounce of Storax of Amber half one a fourth part of Labdanum cleansed one drachm of Lignum aloes and Cinnamon an eighth part of Musk. Beat the Gum Storax and Amber in a Brass Morter with an Iron Pestle being both hot when these are well mixed cast in the other powders and mix them all together at last add the Musk and before they grow cold from what you please of them I will add also Another Compound very necessary in a time of Plague which will not onely refresh the Brains with its sweet odour but will preserve it against infection Take three ounces of Labdanum as much Storax one of Bejamin an ounce and a half of Cloves an ounce of Sanders three of Champhire one of Lignum Aloes Calamus Aromaticus and juice of Valerian a drachm of Amber mix all these in the juice of Balm Rose-water and Storax dissolved But to wash the Face and Hands I will set down a most Noble Composition Of washing Balls or Musk-Balls Take the fat of a Goat and purifie it in this manner Boyl a Lye with the Pills of Citron in a Brass Kettle let the fat remain in it for an hour then strain it thorow a Linen-cloth into cold water and it will be purified Make the Lye of two parts of the Ashes of the Ceruss-Tree one of Lime and half a Porringer of Alom mingle them and put them in a wooden Bowl with two holes in the bottom stopt with Straw then pour in water that it may cover them three fingers over and strain it out thorow the holes when the first is run out add another quantity of water and so the third time whilst the water doth receive any saltness Keep these several runnings asunder and add some of the second third unto the first while a new Egg will swim in it for if it sink and go to the bottom it will be too weak therefore add some of the first running If it swim on the top and lie upon the surface of the Water put in some of the second and third running until it descend so that scarce any part of it be seen above the Water Heat twenty pound of this Water in a Brass Kettle and put into it two of the fat then strain it out into broad Platters and expose it to the hot Sun mixing it often every day When it is grown hard make Pomanders of it and reserve them You may thus perfume them Put two pound of the Pomanders into a Bowl and with a VVooden Spoon mix it with Rose-water till it be very soft when it hath stood still a while and is grown hard add more water and set it in the Sun do this for ten days Then take half a drachm of Musk somewhat less Civet and as much of Cinnamon well beaten mix them and if you add a little Rose-powder it will smell much sweeter then judge of it by your nose If the sent be too weak add more of the Perfumes if too strong more of the Soap How to make Soap and multiply it Since we are fallen upon the discourse of Soap we will not pass it over this Take Soap Geta and reduce it into a small Powder set it on the fire in a Brass Kettle full of Lye of a moderate strength so that in three hundred pound of Lye you may put fourscore of Soap When the Water beginneth to boyl up in bubbles stir it with a wooden Ladle and if the Lye do fail in the boyling add new When the Water is evaporated take the Kettle from the fire and cast in six pound of ordinary Salt well beaten and with an Iron Ladle empty it out and let it cool all night In the mean time prepare a brine so sharp that it will bear an Egg. In the morning cut the Soap into slices and put it into a broad Vessel and pour the brine on it there let it stand one quarter of a day and it will become very hard If you put some Sal Alchali into the brine it will make it much harder CHAP. VIII How to make sweet Perfumes IT remaineth that we speak of Perfumes for they are very necessary for the senting of Skins Clothes and Powders and to enrich Noble mens Chambers with sweet odors in Winter they are made either of Waters or Powders How to make Perfumes of Waters Take four parts of Storax three of Benjamin of Labdanum Lignum Aloes and Cinnamon one an eighth part of Cloves a little Musk and Amber Beat them all grossly and put them in a Brass Pot with an ounce and a half of Rose-water Set the Pot over the fire or hot Ashes that it may be hot but not boyl it will cast forth a pleasant odor when the Water is consumed put in more You may also add what you have reserved in the making Aqua Nanfa for it will send out a very sweet fume Another way Take three parts of Cloves two of Benjamin one of Lignum Aloes as much Cinnamon Orange-Pill and Sanders an eight part of Nutmeg Beat them and put them into a pot and pour into them some Orange-flower-water Lavender and Myrtle-water and so heat it Another way Express and strain the juice of Lemmon into which put Storax Camphire Lignum Aloes and empty Musk-Cods macerate them all in Balneo for a week in a Glass-Bottle close stopt When you would perfume your Chamber cast a drop of this Liquor into a Brass Pot full of Rose-water and let it heat over warm Ashes it will smell most pleasantly Excellent Pomanders for perfuming Take out of the Decoction for Aqua Nanfa Lignum Aloes Sanders Cinnamon and Cloves and of the
When it is all soft that it is transparent as Crystal they fry them with butter and milk and bring them to the Table So Squils grow tender We must do as we did to Crabs for they cast their shells as Crabs do and Nature did this for some end for when their shells are grown too thick and weighty they can scarce crawl wherefore by the excrements that go into it that are consumed to make a new shell within the former that was made is broken and falls off CHAP. V. That living Creatures may be made more fat and well tasted I Shall endeavour to shew how living Creatures may be made more fat and well tasted that we may set more favory meats before our guests The Antients were not negligent in this matter Wherefore you shall find many ways not onely amongst Cooks but such as write concerning Husbandry Liccorish Gluttons found out the ways to fat Cattle that they might feed on them more plentifully and daintily Hence they called them cram'd because they were full fed and had gross bellies Those were called Bird pens where they fatted all sorts of Birds M. Lelius Strabo was the first that appointed this and he appointed Crammers to take care of them and ordered how much every crammed bird should eat They will fat better in winter than in summer because Birds at that time of the year are best being not so much wasted with yong and Cocks will fat better then Hens and such as never trod nor made eggs In summer when it is at an end and the sowre Grapes hang yet upon the Vines they are at the best I shall therefore teach How Hens and other Birds must be crammed Choose a place that is hot and obscure shut them all up apart and so close in their pens that they cannot come together nor turn and make two holes one for their heads to put forth and the other for their tails that they may both at their meat and shite it out again when it is digested Lay soft hay under them for if they lye hard they will never fat Pull off all the feathers from their heads thighs and 〈◊〉 under their wings there that it may breed no lice here that the dung corrupt it not For meat give them gobbets of Barley-Meal made up with water at the first for some time more sparingly then after give them as much as they can digest and you must give them no new meat till you feel their câ—ops that all the old is digested When the Bird is full let him go a while not to wander abroad but if there be any thing that urgeth him he may pick it off with his bill Let him not be set to fatting before five or after twenty Moneths old Yong Pigeons or Chickens will fat better with their dams if you pull off a few of their feathers and bruise their legs that they may stay in their places and if you give meat plentifully to their dams that they may feed themselves and their yong ones sufficiently Turtles are best fatted in summer give them nothing but meat especially Millet-seed for they much delight to eat that but Geese in winter They must be put up to fat four Moneths you need give them nothing else but Barley-Meal and Wheat-meal three times a day so that you give them water enough to drink and no liberty to walk about thus they will fat in two Moneths But tender Pullers will not be made fat in forty days Ducks will grow fat with all nutriment if it be abundance especially with Wheat millet-Millet-seed Barley and with Water-squils Locusts and Creatures found in Lakes Columella Pheasants Partidges Heath-cocks and Turky-hens will fat being shut up and the first day they eat meat the next set them water or good strong wine to drink Let their meat be raw Barley-Meal made up with water giving them it by degrees or else broken and ground Beans and Barley sod with water and whole millet-Millet-seed Linseed boil'd and dry mingled with Barley-meal to these you may add Oyl and make gobbets of them and give them to eat to the full and they will grow fat at longest in sixty days Now I shall shew how Four-footed Beasts are fatted The Sow will soonest fat for in sixty days she will be far First kept hungry three days as all the rest must be She grows fat with Barley Millet Acorns Figs Pears Cucumbers rest and not wandring But Sows will grow fatter by wallowing in the mire Figs and Chick-peason will fat them soonest and they desire change of meats Varro The Sow is fed with Beans Barley and other Grain for these will not onely fat them but give them a good rellish The Olive wilde Olive Tares Corn in straw Grass and they are all the better sprinkled with brine but the more effectual will they be if she fast three days before Aristotle Bean-husks and Coleworts are pleasant meat for them Salt put to them will make them have a stomack which in summer put into their troughs will season their meat and make them eat it up and by that seasoning of it they will drink and eat the more Colunmella Oxen will grow faâ— with Corn and Grass Tares ground Beans and Beanflalks Also with Barley whole or broken and parted from the hulls also by sweet things as pressed Figs Wine Elm-boughs and with a Lotion of hot water Aristotle We feed them at home with Wine of Surrentum or else we put Calfs to two Cows and thus being fed with abundance of Milk they can scarce go for fat Also in their craâ—ches we strew Salt stones that they may lick them and so drink and they will grow exceeding fat and tender CHAP. VI. How the flesh of Animals is made sweeter NOw shall I shew with some Meats and Arts How not onely the parts of Animals but their whole bodies are made fat tender and more delicate And first How to fat the Livers of Geese Out wise Ancestours saith Pliny who knew the goodness of a Goose liver taught how by cramming to make it grow great also taken forth it is augmented by sweet Milk And it is not without cause demanded who was the first man that found out so profitable a thing Whether it were Scipio Metellus that was Consul or Mar Sejus that in the same age was a Gentleman of Rome Palladius taught the way how when Geese have been fatting thirty days if you desire to have their livers tender you shall bruise old Figs and steep them in water and make gobbets of them and feed the Geese with them twenty days together But Quintilius way is when they grow fat you shall break dry wilde Radish in small pieces and tempering them with water give them this to drink for twenty days Some that the liver may be made great and the Geese fat feed them thus They shut up the Goose and cast to him Wheat sleeped in water or Barley the same way Wheat makes him fat quickly but Barley makes
Oyl and the thick Oyl sticks to her and so she is catched without snares or nets How Quails are taken with a Locking-Glass Clearchus saith that Quails spend their seed not only when they see the Females but when they hear their cry also The cause is the impression in their mindes which you shall know when they couple if you set a Looking Glass against them and before that a Gin for running foolishly to their picture in the Glass they see they are catcht Athenaeus and Eustathius CHAP. VII How Animals are congregated by sweet smells THere are many odours or other hidden qualities that gather Animals together from the particular Nature of things or of living Creatures I shall speak of the smelling odours and other aliments that they much desire As The Unicorn is allured by sent Tretres writes that the Unicorn so hunts after young Virgins that he will grow tame with them and sometimes he will fall asleep by them and be taken and bound The Hunters clothe some young lusty Fellow in Maids clothes and strewing sweet odours on him they set him right against the place where the Unicorn is that the winde may carry away the smell to the wilde Beast the Hunters lie hid in the mean time The Beast enticed with the sweet smell comes to the young man he wraps the Beast's Head in long and large sleeves the Hunters come running and cut off his Horn. To make Wheezles come together The Gall of a Stellio beaten with water will make Wheezles come together saith Pliny Also the wise Plinianists write that with the Gall of a Chamaelion cast into water Wheezles will be called together To make Mice come together If you pour thick lees of Oyl into a Dish and set it right in the house they will stick to it Palladius But Anatolins saith if you pour Oyl-Lees into a Brazen Bason and set it in the middle of the house all the Mice at night will meet together To make Fleas come together The fat of a Hedge-hog boyl'd in water and taken off as it swims on the top if you anoynt a staff with it and set it in the house or under your bed all the Fleas will come to it Rhasis To bring Frogs together The Gall of a Goat set into the earth in some Vessel is said to bring all the Frogs together if they can finde any delight therein CHAP. VIII How Creatures made drunk may be catch'd with the hand I Have said what draws them now I shall say what will make them drunk There are many simples that will do it that you may take them with your hands whilst they sleep and because there are divers Animals that are made drunk with divers things I shall speak of them in order And first How Dogs are made drunk Athenaeus saith that Dogs and Crows are made drunk with an Herb called Aenutra but Theophrastus from whom he had it saith that the Root Aenothera given with Wine will make them more tame and gentle Whence Aenutra comes by corruption of the word Theophrastus his Aenothera is Rhododaphni as I said So Asses are made drunk And when they sleep they are not onely taken but if you pull off their skins they will scarce feel you nor awake which comes by Hemlock for when they have eaten that they fall so fast asleep that they seem stupid and sensless So Horses are made stupid by Henbane seed if you give it them with Barley and they will be so fast asleep that they will be half dead half a day A certain Cheat who wanted money on his way cast this seed to some of his company and when they lay almost dead asleep and they were all much troubled for them for a reward he promised to help them which received he put Vinegar to their Nostrils and so revived them Whereupon they went on their journey So Libards are made drunk Opian teacheth the way and how they are taken when they are drunk In Africa so soon as they come to a Fountain where the Libards use to drink every morning there the Hunters in the night bring many vessels of Wine and not far from thence they sit covered in blankets The Libards very thirsty come to the Fountain and so soon as they have drunk Wine that they delight in first they leap then they fall fast asleep on the ground and so they are easily taken If you desire to know how Apes are taken being drunk Athenaeus writes that Apes will drink Wine also and being drunk are catch'd And Pliny saith that four-footed Beasts with Toes will not encrease if they use to drink Wine So Sows run mad eating Henbane-seed Aelian saith that Boars eating this Herb fall sick of a lingring disease and are troubled it is of the Nature of Wine that disquiets the minde and head So Elephants are made drunk Athenaeus reports out of Aristotle's Book de Ebrietate that Elephants will be drunk with Wine Aelian writes that they give the Elephant that must go to war Wine of the Grapes and made Wine of Rice to make them bold Now I will shew bow Birds laid asleep may be catch'd with your hands If then you would know how Birds may be catch'd with hands Pliny writes A certain Garlick grows in the Fields they call it Alum which being boyled and cast to them is a remedy against the villany of Birds that eat up the Corn that it cannot grow again the Birds that eat it are presently stupid and are catch'd with ones hand if they have staid a little as if they were asleep But if you will Hunt Partridge that are drunk Boetius teacheth you thus You shall easily hunt such Partridge if you cast unto them meal wet in wine for every Bird is soon taken with it If you make it with water and wine mingled and put that which is stronger into the vessels so soon as they have but sipt a little they grow drowsie and stupid He sheweth How to take Ducks with your hand If any one observe the place where Ducks use to drink and putting away the water place black wine in the place when they have drunk they fall down and may be easily taken Also wine-lees is best Ducks and other Birds being drunk are soon taken With some meats as are the Bur Dock seed strewed here and there in places where Birds frequent they are so light-headed when they have eaten them that you may take them with your hands Another bait Tormentil boy'ld in good wine and boyl Wheat or Barley in the same cast to Birds is good to catch them for they will eat pieces of Tormentil with the seeds and be drunk that they cannot flie and so are they catc'd with your hands This is best when the weather is cold and the Snow deep Or else strew Barley-corns in places where many Birds come then make a composition like a pultis of Barley-meal Ox-gall and Henbane-seed set this on a plank for them when they have tasted it
the Birds will be so stupid that they cannot flie but are catch'd with ones hand Or mingle Barley and mushrooms that are so called from flies with the seeds of Henbane and make the pap of it and lay on a board as before To catch Rooks with your hands Powder Nux vomica and mingle it with flesh So also you may make Fish drunk Opian teacheth some ways If you will Make Fish drunk Sow-bread will do it for I said that Sow-bread will make men more drunk His words are Of Sow-bread-Root they make a paste that 's white And fat with which the rocks and holes they smeer The water 's poyson'd by it and the might And force thereof doth spread both far and neer The Fishes fall the Fishes are made blinde And tremble at it for the stinking smell This Root thus ordered alwayes leaves behinde Doth make them drunk as Fishers know full well CHAP. IX The peculiar poysons of Animals are declared DO not think I mean that one poyson can kill all living Creatures but every one hath his several poyson for what is venome to one may serve to preserve another which comes not by reason of the quality but of the distinct nature Would we mention The venoms that kill Dogs Dioscâ—rides saith that white Chamaeleon made up with Barley-Flour will kill Dogs Sows and Mice being wet with water or Oyl Theophrastus saith Dogs and Sows kneaded with water and Oyl but with Coleworts Sows Nux vomica which from the effect is called Dogs Nut if it be filed and the thin filings thereof be given with Butter or some fat thing to a Dog to swallow it will kill him in three hours space he will be astonished and fall suddenly and dies without any noise but it must be fresh that Nature seems to have produced this Nut alone to kill Dogs They will not eat the Fruit of the Ash because it makes pain in their back-bone and hips yet Sows are fatted by it So there is one Plant called Dogs bane Chrysippus saith that Dogs are killed with it if the shoots of it are given to them with water Dogs cole or wilde cole if it be given with Flesh so the fumes of Lead Aristotle in his wonders concerning the Country of the Scythians and Medes saith that there is Barley that men feed on but Dogs and Sows will not endure the Excrements of those that eat it as being poyson to them I say nothing of Aconitum called by Dioscorides Dogs bane I shall say the same Of Wolfs bane Wolfs bane kills Wolfs and many other wild Beasts and it 's so called from the effect Mountebanks make venome thus Take black Hellebore two ounces Yew-leaves one ounce Beech-rinde Glass quick Lime yellow Arsenick of each one ounce and half of sweet Almonds three ounces Honey what may suffice Make pellets as big as a small Nut. Others take Wolfs bane yellow Arsenick and Yew-leaves of each alike and mingle them There are other Herbs that kill Wolfs but I pass them to avoid tediousness Aelian saith By Nilus grows an Herb called Wolfs bane if a Wolf tread on it he dies of convulsions Wherefore the Egyptians forbid any such Herb to be imported into their Country because they adore this Creature There are also Herbs that kill Mice That Aconitum which is called Myoctonon kills Mice a great way off Dioscorides and Nicandor Staves-acre hath almost the same forces whose Root or Seed in powder mingled with Meal and fried with Butter kills Mice if they eat it They are driven away with the Root of Daffodils and if their holes be stopt with it they die The wilde Cucumber and Coloquintida kill Mice If Mice eat Tithymal cut into small slices and mingled with Flour and Metheglin they will be blinde So Chamaeleon Myacanthus Realgar namely of live Brimstone quick Lime and Orpiment will do the same But amongst Wolfs banes is reckoned Libards bane by whose Root powdered and given with flesh they are killed Flesh is strewed with Aconite and Panthers are killed if they taste thereof Their jaws and throat are presently in pain therefore it is called Pardalianches They are killed also by Dogs bane which also they call Pardalianches Lious bane is called Leontophonon it is a little Creature that breeds nowhere but where the Lion is Being taken it is burnt and with the Ashes thereof flesh is strewed and being cast in the high-ways where they meet Lions are killed so Pardalianches kills Lions as well as Panthers Ox bane The juice of black Chamaeleon kills Heifers by a Quinsey wherefore some call it Ulophonon Oxen fear black Hellebore yet they will eat the white Goats bane There is an Herb that from killing Beasts but especially Goats is called Aegolethros The Flowers of it in a watry Spring-time are venome when they wither so that this mischief is not found every yeer Harts bane Some 〈◊〉 First are found in Armenia with the powder of them they scatter Figs strewed with it in the places where wilde Beasts come Beasts no sooner taste of them but they diâ—â— And by this Art are Harts and Bores killed Aelian Horse banes are Aconite Hellebore and red Arsenick Wheezles bane are Sal Ammoniacâ— and Corn moystened with some Liquor scatter this about such places as Wheeâ—les haunt when they eat it they die or flie away Sheeps bane Nardum kills Sheep Dioscorides Cattel and Goats if they drink the water where Rhododendron is steeped will die Pliny and Ononyâ—â—ius an Author nameless Flea-bane kills Goats and Sheep so doth Savin Pigeons bane Sâ—r apio writes that Pigeons are killed when they eat Corn or Beans steept in water wherein white Hellebore hath been infused Hens bane Hens die by eating the Seeds of Broom called Spartum Bats bane 〈◊〉 in Geopon saith they die by the fume of Ivy. Vultures Some Animals are killed by â—ings that smell very sweet to us Vultures by Unguents and black Beetâ—â—â— by Roses The same happens if a man do but anoynt them or give them meat that is smeered with sweet Oyntment Aristotle lib. Mirabil Scorâ—ions bane Aconite called Theliphonum from killing Scorpions Scorpions are stupified by touching it and they wax pale shewing thâ—â— they are conquered The Eagle is killed with Comfrey the 〈◊〉 with the Gall of the Hiaenaâ— the Stare with Garlick-seed the 〈◊〉 with Brimstone the Urcâ—in with Pondweed the Faulcon the Sea-gill the Turtlâ— the black-Bird the Vulture the night-Bird called Scopes perish with Pomegranate Kâ—rneâ— The â—â—â—ling by the Flower of Willows the Grow with Rocket-seed the Bâ—â—tle with sweâ—t Oyntment the Rook with the reliques of flesh the Wolf hath fed on the â—ark by Mustard-seed the Crane by the Vine-juice CHAP. X. Of the venomes for Fishes THe Sea and Rivers use to be infected with some Herbs and other simples whereby the Fishes 〈…〉 those waters are 〈…〉 and die But because they are several foâ— several Fish 〈…〉 the Particulars and the Genâ—â—als that the Fisherman taught by these may invâ—â—â— others
himself Fishes 〈…〉 saith Pliny by the Root the 〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 called round Birth-wort called also the venome of the Earth This Root they bruise and mingle it with Lime and cast itin to the Sea the Fishes come to it with great delight and are presently killed and float on the waters Dioscorides saith that broad leaved Tiâ—hymal bruised and strewed in the waters kills Fish We use now 〈…〉 Roots of it and with a weight let them down to the bottom of the waters that will be infected by them and kill the Fish presently But in the Sea 〈◊〉 shall sooner kill them thus Mingle Oriental Galls two drâ—chms 〈◊〉 Cheese one ounce Bean-meal three ounces with Aqua Vitae make pelleâ—s of these as big as Chick-peason Cast them into the Sea in the morning before Sun rise after three hours come to the place again and you shall finde all those that tasted of it 〈◊〉 drunk or dead and to appear either on the top or bottom of the Sea which you shall take up with a pole and a hook fastened to it or Fish speer The Aqua Vitae is added because it soon flies to the head The Oriental Galls are poyson that astonisheth them the Bean-meal is not of great concernment This bait invites them and the Cheese smells so that they sent it at a distance CHAP. XI Of other Experiments for hunting NOw I will add some Experiments that seem to be requisite that you may use for necessity when you please To change a Dogs colour Since white Dogs are seldom fit for hunting because they are seen afar off a way is found to change his colour that will be done if you boyl quick Iâ—me with Litharge and paint 〈◊〉 Dog with it 〈…〉 him black That a Dog may not go from you Democrites saith a Dog will never 〈◊〉 from you if you smeer him with Butter from head to tail and give him Butter to â—ick Also 〈…〉 you if you have the secondine of a Bitch close in a 〈…〉 â—mell to it If you â—ould not have Your Dog to bark If you have a Bitches second Membrane or Hares hairs or Dung or Vervain about you In Nilus there is a black stone found that a Dog will not bark 〈◊〉 he see it you must also carry a Dogs Tongue undâ—â— your great 〈◊〉 within your shooe or the dry heart of a dog about you Sextus Or the hair of 〈◊〉 or the Dung Pliny Or cut off the tail of a yong 〈◊〉 and put it under 〈…〉 or 〈◊〉 the Dog a Frog to eat in a piece of meat All these things are to â—â—ep Dogs from barking Nigidius saith that Dogs will all day 〈◊〉 from him who pulls off a tâ—â—k from a Sow and carrieth it a while about him Opâ—an If of 〈…〉 you takes And wâ—â—r it 〈…〉 dogs will 〈◊〉 for sake As frighted they will flie and 〈…〉 Bark at you though they barked much before That a Dog may not run If you anoynt him with Oyl under the shoulders he cannot run To make a Hawke 〈…〉 You shall animate your Hawk against 〈◊〉 prey thaâ— he may assail and flee at great Birds When you hawk wet the Hawks meat with Wine If it be a Buzzard add a little Vinegar to it when you would have him 〈◊〉 a give him three bits of flesh wet in wine or pour Wine in at his mouth with a yong Pidgeon so let him flie To make Partridge more bold to fight Give then 〈…〉 with their meat Pliny That dung-hill 〈◊〉 fight the better Give them Garlick to eat soon before theâ— fight whence in the old Comedy a Cock ready and earnest to fight is wittily called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fed with Garlick 〈◊〉 a Bird may not the high Take out the Feathers of 〈…〉 that make him flie upwards so he will whirl about and flie downward If you will have That a Bird shall not flie cut the upper and lower nerves of his Wings and it will not hurt him yet he cannot flie out of your Bird-cages or places you keep them in THE SIXTEENTH BOOK OF Natural Magick Wherein are handled secret and undiscovered Notes THE PROEME I Make two sorts of secret marks which they vulgarly call Syfers one of visible marks and is worthy of a treatise by it self another of secret marks whereof 〈…〉 tempted to say something in this present Volume 〈◊〉 what are the consequâ—â—â— thereof for the use of great Men and Princes that 〈…〉 than 〈…〉 man that knows the invention I shall set down plainly some examples 〈…〉 consequences of them must 〈◊〉 faithfully concealed lest by growing 〈◊〉 amongst ordinary people they be disrespecteâ—â— This is that I shall publish CHAP. I. How 〈…〉 in diver◠〈…〉 be reâ—â— THere are many anâ— almost infinit 〈◊〉 write things of necessity that the Charactâ—â— shall not 〈…〉 â—ou dip them into waters or put them neer the 〈…〉 them over 〈…〉 are read by dipping them into waters Therefore If you desire that letters not 〈…〉 are 〈◊〉 may be hiâ—â— Let Vitriol soak in boyling water when 〈…〉 strain it 〈◊〉 till the water grow clear with that liquor write 〈…〉 are dry they 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 Moreover grindâ— burnt straw 〈…〉 â—â—egar and 〈◊〉 will write 〈◊〉 the spaces between the foâ—â—er liâ—â—s describâ—â— large Then 〈…〉 Galls in white Wine wet a spunge in the liquor 〈◊〉 when you have need 〈…〉 and weâ— the letters so long until the native black 〈◊〉 disappear but the former colour that was not seen may 〈…〉 I will 〈◊〉 in what liquors paper must be soaked to make letters 〈◊〉 be see 〈…〉 said Dissolve Vitriol 〈…〉 then powder Galls finely and soak them inâ—â—ter let them stay there twenty four hours filtre them through 〈◊〉 cloth 〈…〉 that may make the water clear and make letters upon 〈…〉 to have concealed send it to your Friend absent when you would have 〈◊〉 appear dip them in the first liquor and the letters â—ill presenâ—â—y be seen That diâ—â—â—ng 〈◊〉 lineâ—â—â— water 〈◊〉 may appear Dissolve Alom in water and 〈…〉 linen 〈◊〉 napkins and the like for when they are dry they will 〈…〉 When you will have them visible 〈…〉 linen 〈…〉 to be darkned but only where the Alom 〈…〉 that you may read them 〈…〉 are dissolved those parts will admit water 〈◊〉 White 〈…〉 Litharge is first powdered and cast into an earthen pot that hath water and vinegar mix'd boyl it and strain it and keep it then write letters with Citron Lemons juce these are added to them when they begin to dry If you dip them in the liquor kept they will appear clearly and very white If womens brests or hands be wet in it and you sprinkle the said water upon them they will grow white as Milk Use it If at any time you want 〈◊〉 if you please A stone dipped in vinegar will shew the letters Make letters with Goats far upon a stone when they are dry they will not be seen If the stone be dipâ— into 〈◊〉 they presently
Aqua fortis that eats the paper or some decaying liquors that will vanish with any light touch and leave the place where they were without any spot I shall teach How letters are made that eat the paper If you mingle oyl of Vitriol with common ink or any other black colour in few days by corroding the paper or the ink it self the letters will vanish or in a moneth as you put in more or less of the oyl and this you may try before you send away your letter If you would have it work more slowly add but a little oyl if faster put in more you may when it is too strong put some water to it The same is performed if you mix a strong lye they call it the Capital with your ink for first they will be yellow and then they will vanish The same is done by oyl of Tartar or Salt Alkali or Soda and strong water of separation of Gold for these corrode the letters and the paper that nothing of the letters will appear If you desire to know How letters may be made that will soon vanish Make them with the strongest Aqua vitae or use Camphir and burnt straws for the letters in time will decay and vanish the tincture will fall off when the glutinous matter is gone Make a powder of a very fine touch-stone for the Sandy-stone will sooner decay that no letter shall be seen Also it is done Another way Infuse the small filings of steel in water of separation take a treble quantity of this and add thereto liquid Pitch or Soot of Turpentine to make it the blacker and cover the vessel grind this on a Porphyre-stone write and they will vanish and fall away This secret I thought not fit to overpass because it is the principal thing to be considered to make tryal oft-times for if it stay long on the paper add more strong water to it and if you be careful no mark of the writing will remain You shall do it like to this another way If it be good so to counterfeit Take Chrysocolla Salt Ammoniac and Alom all alike powder them all and put them into a Crucible and make a strong lye of quick-lime and laying a linnen cloth over the mouth of the vessel that must receive it strain it boil it a little mingle this with your ink they will remain a while but in short time the letters will vanish away Set it up for you use But contrarily if you will That invisible letters after some time shall become visible and shew themselves I will give you some examples that you may invent more thereby your self If you write with juice of Citrons or Oranges on Copper or Brass and leave this so for twenty days the letters will appear green upon the place the same may be done many other ways namely by dissolving salt Ammoniac in water and writing with it upon Brass the place will sooner appear of verdigreese-colour CHAP. X. How we may take off letters that are written upon the paper IF we would take letters from off the paper or that such as are blotted out might appear again we must use this art As if we would Take letters off the paper or from parchment Take Aqua fortis that is it that parts gold from silver with a pensil wipe some of this upon the letters it will presently wipe off letters written with Gall and Copras If you use Aqua fortis wherein salt Ammoniac is dissolved it will be sooner done But printed letters are harder taken out because that ink hath neither Galls nor Copras Or rub it with salt Alkali and Sulphur making little balls of them and that will eat them out that nothing shall be seen But if you desire to write any thing in the place you have made clean first wet the place with water wherein Alom is dissolved for the ink will not run about If you desire To renew letters decayed or to read such as are vanished Boil Galls in wine and with a spunge wipe over the letters the letters will presently be seen when they are once wet thus and be well coloured as they were at first CHAP. XI How to counterfeit a seal and writing IT may be of great use when places are besieged and in Armies and affairs of great men to know how to open letters that are sealed with the Generals Seal and signed with his Name to know what is contained within and to seal them again writing others that are contrary to them and the like I will shew how To counterfeit the Seal Melt Sulphur and cast it into powder of Ceruss while it is melted put this mixture upon the Seal but sence it about with paper or wax or chalk and press it down when it is cold take it off and in that shall you have the print of the Seal I will do it another way Fill an earthen pot with Vinegar cast Vitriol into it and a good deal of Verdigreese let it bubble on the fire put plates of iron into it after a short time take them out and from the out-side with your knife scrape off a kind of rust it hath contracted that is durty as it were and put this into a dish under it again put them into the earthen pot and scrape more off when you take them out do this so often till you have some quantity of this durty substance cast quick-silver into this and make a mixture and while it is soft and tender lay it on the Seal and press it down and let it remain in the open Air for it will grow so hard that you may almost seal with it for it will become even like to a Metal It may be also done another way Take the filings of steel and put them in an earthen Crucible at a strong fire put such things to it as will hasten the melting of it when it is melted cast it into some hollow place pownd it in a brass Mortar for it will be easily done do it so three or four times then powder it and mingle quick-silver with it and let it boil in a glazed vessel six hours till it be well mingled then press the seal upon it and let it cool and it will become exceeding hard It is possible To make a great Seal less if it should happen that we want a lesser seal we must do thus Take Isinglass and dissolve it in water anoynt the figure with oyl that it may not stick to the glew compass the seal about with wax that the matter run not about put the Isinglass to the fire and melt it pour it upon the seal after three hours when it is cold take it away and let it dry for the seal when it is dry will be drawn less equally If you will Imitate the form of a writing do thus Open the letter upon a looking-glass that wants the foyl upon the letter lay white paper and a light under the glass temper your ink as the writing is
vessel turned downwards touch the upper part of the lower liquor that no Air may enter for then the water will presently descend into the vessel underneath and the lighter part of the mingled liquor will ascend and the water will sink down and if it be all wine it will all ascend no wine will stay with the water if any thing stay behind you must know that so much water was mingled with the wine which may easily be known by the smell and taste if you do it as it should be done Then take a vessel that will hold more of the same liquor and put it into a vessel underneath till it takes it all in whence by the proportion of the wine ascended and of the water any man may know easily how much water is mingled with the wine But for convenience let the Vial that shall hold the water be of a round belly and the hole not very great and let the vessel under that contains the wine have a narrow mouth that the upper round mouth may the better joyn with the undermost and no Air come in But because it happeneth oft that the upper Ball when it hath drank in all the wine the wine will not fill it and we would part the water from the wine take therefore the round Glass in your hand and turn it about with the mouth upwards then will the wine presently turn about and come uppermost which may be a tongue laid in be all call'd forth Be careful to see when the wine is all drawn out remove the tongue and the water will remain pure CHAP. IV. How otherwise you may part water from wine I Can do this another way not by levity and gravity as I said but by thinness and thickness for water is the thinnest of all liquors because it is simple but wine being coloured and colour comes from the mixture of the Elements it is more corpulent Wherefore to part wine from water we must provide a matter that is full of holes and make a vessel thereof into which the wine poured with the water may drean forth for the water will drean forth through the pores of the matter that is opened by a minglâ—â— and corpulent body And though many kinds of wood be fit yet Ivy is the best because it is full of pores and chinks wherefore if you make a vessel of Ivy wood that is green and pour into it wine mingled with water the water will in a short time drean out Yet I see that all the Antients and modern Writers thought the contrary yet both reason and experience are against them For Gaeto saith If you would know whether there be water put to your wine make a vessel of Ivy put your wine you think is mixed with water into it if there be any water the wine will run forth and the water stay behind for an Ivy vessel will hold no wine And Pliny from him The Ivy is said to be wonderful for proof of wine If a vessel be made of Ivy-wood the wine will run forth and the water will stay behind if any were mingled with it Whereupon both of them are to be noted for a two sold error because they say it comes from the wonderful faculty of the Ivy whereas every porous wood can do the same Again he saith that the wine will run forth and the water stay behind whereas it is the contrary But Democritus thought what was truest and more probable who used not an Ivy vessel but one full of holes saith he they pour it into a new earthen pot not yet seasoned and hang it up for two days the pot saith he will leak if any water be mingled with it Democritas used another Art for the same purpose Some stop the mouth of the vessel with a new Spunge dipt in Oyl and incline it and let it run forth if there be water in it onely the water will run forth which experiment also he useth in Oyl For the Spunge is full of holes and open enough and being dipt in Oyl that hinders that the liquor cannot run forth so easily Africanus adds another reason Put liquid Alom into a vessel of wine then stop the mouth with a Spunge dipt in Oyl and incline it and let it run forth for nothing but the water will run out For the Alom binds the liquors that they drean forth very slowly CHAP. V. Another way to part a light body mingled with a heavy I Have another Art to seperate a light body from a heavy or wine from water or by another way Make a linnen tongue or of bombast and dip it into the vessel where wine is mingled with water and let the tongue swim above without the liquor and ascend above it and so hang pendulous out of the vessel for the lighter liquor will ascend by the tongue and drop on the outside but when the lighter ascends it attracts the heavy also wherefore when you see the colour change take the vessel away for the water runs forth It is evident that the wine being lighter will always ascend to the top of the vessel and run forth by the tongue though all Vintners say the contrary that the water will run forth by the tongue and that the wine will stay within CHAP. VI. How light is mingled in heavy or heavy in light VVE can easily know whether any light matter is mingled with heavy or any heavy matter with light And I will expound the manner out of Archimedes his Book concerning thingâ— that swim above water the cause whereof is that if Wood stone or any heavy Metal be equal in weight to the same quantity of water the utmost superficies oâ— the body will be equal with the superficies of the water if it weigh heavior it will sink to the bottom if it be lighter the lighter it is then the water so much of it will swim above the watâ—â— Since therefore this is true and wine is heavior then water one and the same thing will sink more in wine than in water and in thicker water the less Wherefore vessels are more drown'd in River than in the Sea for Sea-water is thicker and more heavy by reason of its salt mingled with it as also we have it in Alexander If therefore you would know Whether water be mingled with wine Put the wine you suspect to be mingled with water into some vessel and put an Apple or Pear into it if the Apple sink the wine is pure but if it floâ—e the wine hath water mingled with it because water is thicker than wine Which Democritus saith is contrary and false He saith it is necessary sometimes to commit the Care of the wine of new wine to Stewards and Servants also the Merchant hath the like reason to try whether his wine be pure They use to cast an Apple into the vessel but wilde Pears are the best others cast in a Locust others a Grashopper and if they swim it is pure wine but
if they sink it is mingled with water But if you seek to know If new wine have any water mingled with it it will be the contrary for the contrary reason For wine that is pure and sincere is thin but new wine at first is thick feculent gross clammy because the feces are not yet sunk down but in time it will grow clear and thin Wherefore if you put Apples or Pears into new wine and the new wine be most pure the Apples will flote above it but if there be water mingled with it â—he Apples will sink to the bottom for freeze-water is thinner than new wiâ—e and lighter iâ—â—â—useth the Apple to sink which is excellent well described by Sotion and very curiously He saith That we may know whether new wine be mingled with water cast wilde Pears that is green ones into new wine and if there be any water they will sink to the bottom For when you fill the vessel with new wine if you cast in Services or Pears they will swim the more water you put to it the more will the Apple sink But we shall adde this for an addition When new wine is mingled with water to know which part is the best the upper or lower part The Country people use after the pressing forth of the wine when the clusters are pressed forth to caâ—â— in a certain quantity of water and so they make drink for laborers in the Countrey This new wine they divide the Country man hath half and the Landlord the other half The question is which part is the best the first or last that runs forth of the press But if you well remember what I said before the wine being the lightest will come uppermost and the water being heaviest will always sink to the bottom Wherefore the first that comes forth is the wine that which remains and is pressed from the clusters is watry When water is cast on the clusters it goes into the inmost parts of the Grapes and draws forth the wine that is in them and so they mingle but being lighter it chooseth the upper place therefore the upper part is best because it contains most wine but if you turn the Cock beneath the water will first run forth and the wine last CHAP. VII Other ways how to part wine from water THere are other ways to do it as by distilling For in distilling the lightest will ascend first then the heaviest when the fire is not too strong and that is but reason wherefore that the liquor may ascend it must first be attenuated into thin vapours and become lighter therefore wine being thinner than water if it be put in a still in Balneo the lightest vapour of wine will ascend by degrees and fall into the receiver You shall observe the Aqua vitae that distills into the vessel and by the quantity of that you may judge of the proportion of water mingled with the wine Also note that when the lightest part of the wine is ascended the heavy feces remain as water or as part of the wine Oft-times in our distillations when Aqua vitae was distilled in Balneo by chance the vessel brake that contain'd the Aqua vitae and mingled with the water in the kettle I put the mingled liquor into a Glass vessel and putting a soft fire to it first came forth the pure Aqua vitae simple without any water the water stayed in the bottom and kept not so much as the smell of the Aqua vitae By the veins running in the cup I knew the water ascended I will not omit though it be for another reason for pleasure and ingenuity to shew The manner to part water from wine that by this means we may know how much water is mingled in the vessel Take the quantity of the wine and put it into a Glass Vial and put the Vial into very cold water that all that is in the Vial may freeze as I shew'd If the wine be sincere and pure it will be the harder to freeze and longer if it have much water it will freeze the sooner When the wine is frozen break the Vial upon a dish the ice must melt by degrees first the wine because that is hotter than the water will remain frozen Part the wine from it for it will be longer thawing by proportion of this you may know what part of water was put into the vessel CHAP. VIII How the levity in the water and the air is different and what cunning may be wrought thereby NOw I will speak of heavy and light otherwise than I spake before namely how it is in the air and how in the water and what speculation or profit may rise from thence And first how we may know whether a Metal be pure or mingled with other Metals as Gold and Silver as in Gilded cups or else in moneys where Silver or Gold is mingled with Brass and what is their several weights which speculation is useful not onely for Bankers but also for Chymists when they desire to try Metals in fixing of Silver or other operations which I will attempt to declare plainly But first I will see whether the Antients speak any thing hereof Vitruvius saith Archimedes did write of this For when Hiero purposed to offer a Golden Crown to the Gods in the Temple he put it to the Goldsmith by weight he made the work curiously and maintain'd it for good to the King and by weight it seemed to be just but afterwards it was said that he had stoln part of the Gold and made up the Crown with Silver to the full weight Hiero enraged at this this bad Archimedes to consider of it He then by chance coming into a Bath when he had descended into it he observed that as much of his body as went into the Bath so much water ran over the Bath when he considered the reason of it he leaped forth for joy running home and crying Eureka Eureka that is I have found it I have found it Then they say he made to lumps of equal weight with the Crown one of Gold the other of Silver then he filled a large vessel to the very brims with water and he put in the lump of Silver the bigness of that thrust into the water made the water run over wherefore taking out the lump what flowed over he put in again having measured a sixt part and he found what certain quantity of water answered to the quantity of the Silver then he put in the lump of Gold into the full vessel and taking that forth by the same reason he found that not so much water ran forth but so much less of the body of the Gold was less than the same weight in Silver Then he filled the vessel with water and put in the Crown and he found that more water ran forth by reason of the Crown than for the mass of Gold of the same weight and from thence because more water run over by reason of
brass Cauldron that will hold much water fill it with salt water after that the Urinals and putting on their caps when fire is put under both the Urinals will drop and the cap that contains others by its pipe will drop out water also for the vapors rising from the Cauldron of hot water will make the Urinals drop and the cap will drop withal But if at Sea the commodity of such a vessel cannot be had We may Distil salt water otherwise though but little Dioscorides shews the old way of distillation we may that way distil sea water in ships which Pliny shews also Fleeces of wool extended about the ship are made wet by the vapors rising from the Sea and sweet water is pressed out of them But let us see whiter Salt water may be made fresh another way Aristotle saith it and Solomon before him That all Rivers came from the Sea and return to the Sea for by the secret passages under ground the waters that are sent forth leave their earthly and dry parts mixed with the earth and they come forth pure and sweet He saith The cause why the salt water comes not forth is because it is ponderous and settles and therefore onely hot-waters of salt-waters can run forth for they have a lightness that oversways the weight of the salt for what is hot is lightest Adde that waters running through the earth are much strained and therefore the heavior and thicker they are the more do they continually sink down and are left behind and the lighter they are the more pure do they come forth and are severed For as Salt is heavy so sweet water is light and so it comes that they are sweet waters that run forth This is the very cause why salt-water when it moves and is changed is made the sweeter for motion makes it lighter and purer Let us see now if we can imitate Nature Fill then great vessels with earth and set them so one above another that one may drean into another and thus salt-water dreaning through many vessels may leave the salt behinde I tried it through ten vessels and it remain'd still salt My friend said that he made it sweet through twenty vessels Yet thus I thought to warn you of that all earth is not fit for this use Solinus saith That sea-water strain'd through clay will grow sweet and it is proved that the salt is taken away if you strain it often through thin sand of a River Earth that lies in covered places and under roots is naught for that is commonly salt as also where Cattle are sâ—alled which Columella saith is naught for Trees for that it makes salt-water what is strain'd from it Black earth is naught for it makes the waters sharp but clay grounds make sweet waters Paxamus Anaxagoras said That the saltness of the sea came from the Rivers running through salt places and communicating that quality to the sea Some approve River-gravel for this use and their reason is because always sweet waters are found by the shores and they say this happens because they are strain'd through the sand and so grow fresh coming from the salt-sea for the sweet water that is found neer the sea is not of the sea but such water as comes from the tops of hills through the secret channels of the earth thither For waters that drean forth sweet are sweet though they lye even with the sea and in plain places as Apuila where the waters drean not from the hills they are salt So on the shores of Africa But Aristotle brings an experiment from a vessel of wax for if one make a Ball of wax that is hollow and shall dip it into the sea it being of a sufficient thickness to contain he shall finde it full of fresh water because the corpulent saltness cannot get in through the pores of the wax And Pliny by letting down little nets into the sea and hollow balls of wax or empty vessels stopt saith they will draw in fresh water for sea-water strain'd through clay will grow fresh But I have found this to be false For I have made pots of clay as fine and well as I could and let them down into salt-water and after some days I found salt-water in them Also if it were true it is of no use when as to sweeten one pound of water a thousand Balls of wax a day were not sufficient But for this many vessels might be invented of porous wood and stones A vessel of Ivy that parts as I said wine from water will not part salt from water if it drean through it But stones are brought from Portingal made into vessels into which sea water put will drean forth sweet if not the first yet the second time they use it to break the stone also for that many pumex and porous stones may be tried Leo Baptista Albertus saith That an earthen pot well stopt and put into the sea will fill with potable water But I have tried all earthen vessels and I always found salt-water Aristotle in his Problems saith It may be done Another way If salt-water cannot be drank cold yet hot and cool again it is better to drink It is because a thing useth to change from contrary to contrary and salt-water is contrary to fresh and when it is boil'd the salt part is boil'd off and when it is cold stays at the bottom This I tried and found it false and more salt for by heat the thin vapors of the water that are sweet exhale and the salt stay behinde and in lesser water the same quantity of salt makes it salter as I said in my distillations I wonder such a wise man would relate such falsities Florentinus borrowing it from him saith If water be not good nor poâ—able but ill let it be boiled till a tenth part of it be consumed then purge it and it will be good For sea-water so boil'd will grow sweet Let me see whether it can be made so Another way and that in great quantity There is a thing that being cast into large vessels filled with sea-water by fastning the salt will make it fall to the bottom or by curdling it and so it frees the water from it Wherefore we must think on things that have a stiptick quality the Antients tried this the Moderns have effected it Pliny Nitrous of bitter waters if you put Barley-flower dried to them they are tempered that you may drink of them in two hours therefore is Barley-flower put into wine sacks and elswhere Those that go to the Red-sea through the Desarts make nitrous and salt and bitter waters fit to drink in two hours by putting in of Barley-meal and they eat Barley-meal The like force hath the Chalk of the Rhodes and our Clay Also Cooks with Catlings and Meal of Wheat will take salt out of very salt meaâ— I tried this oft but found it false yet some of the saltness was taken away Pliny If you must drink ill
waters strew in powder of Penniroyal Leo Baptista Albertus when they take up the water of Nilus muddy if they do but rub the edge of the vessel with an Almond it presently grows clear I tried this to and found it false when common salt is cast into Aqua fortis that parts Gold from Silver the Silver will presently descend We see also that in the making of that they call read Alac casting but Alom into Lye the salt and colour will presently precipitate to the bottom and nothing will remain but clear water We see that milk will curdle with many Herbs which we speak of elsewhere We shall use therefore for this purpose coagulaters and astringents Cooks say That a Spunge put into a pot of salt-water will draw the salt to it but pressed forth again and cast in once more will take it all out So wood wrapt about with fillets of linnen and put into the pot will draw the salt to it Others binde in a clout Wheat-meal and put it into the pot and draw forth the salt Palladius where he speaks of seasoning of wines saith The Greeks bid men keep sea-water that is clean and taken out of the calm sea the year before whose Nature is that in this time it will lose its saltness or bitterness and smell sweet by age It remains to shew How sweet waters may be mended Leo Baptista saith If you place a glazed vessel full of salt and well stopt with lime putting oyl under that no water may penetrate into it that it may hang in the middle of the waters of a Cistern these waters will in no time corrupt Others adde also Quick-silver If water begin to corrupt cast in salt to purge them and if salt be wanting put in some sea-water for so at Venice they draw water from St Nicolas Well for Marriners that go long voyages because it stands so neer the sea and salt lyes hid in it by communicating with those waters We read in Scripture that Elizeus did this who at Jericho or Palestina cast in salt into a Fountain and made it potable water which was before bitter and corrupt If water breeds worms cast in quick Lime and they will dye When we would make wine clear beat the white of an Egge and the troubled wine will descend if you put it in Others cast in the dust that is on the catlings of small nuts and the Spaniards cast in Gyp to make in clear and all these we may use in waters CHAP. II. How to make water of Air. IF all other means fail we may make water of air onely by changing it into air as Nature doth for she makes water of air or vapors Therefore when we want water we may make it of air and do as Nature doth We know when the Sun heats the earth it draws forth the thinnest vapors and carrieth them on high to that region of the air where the cold is those vapors are condensed into drops and fall down in Rain Also we see in summer that in Glass vessels well rinced and that are full of cold water the air by coming to the outermost superficies will presently clow'd the the Glass and make it lose its cleanness a little after it will be all in a dew and swell into bubbles and by degrees these will turn to drops and fall down which have no other reason for them but because the cold air sticking to the Glass grows thick and is changed into water We see also in Chambers at Venice where there windows are made of Glass when a gross and thick vapor sticks to the Glass within and a cold vapor prevails without that within will turn to dew and drop down Again in winter in Brass Guns which are always very cold and are kept in Cellars and vaulted places where men also use to be that the air will grow thick and lighting upon the cold superficies of them they will be all of a dew and drop with water But to say no more Make a large round vessel of Brass and put into it Salt-Peter unrefined what will fill it men call it Solazzo mingled with Ice for these two mixed as I said in this Book make a mighty cold and by shaking them with the wondeful force of the cold they gather air about the vessel and it will presently drop into a vessel underneath A deligent Artist will adde more that he may get a greater quantity of water It sufficeth that I have shewed the way CHAP. III. How one may so alter his face that not so much as his friends shall know him SUch as are taken prisoners or shut up close and desire to escape and such as do business for great men as spies and others that would not be known it is of great moment for them to know how to change their Countenances I will teach them to do it so exactly that their friends and wives shall not know them Great men do not a little enquire for such secrets because those that can dissemble theirown persons have done great matters and lovers have served their Mistresses and Parents have not suspected it Ulisses attempting to know what the Trojans did clothed in counterfeit garments and his face changed did all he would and was not discovered Homer With many scars he did transform his face In servants clothes as from a beggars race He went to Troy And when he desired to know what Penelope and her suters did he transformed himself again I shall shew how this may be done many ways by changing the Garments Hair Countenance Scars Swellings we may so change our Faces that in some places it may rise in bunches in other places it may sink down And first How to dye the Flesh. But to begin with the colouring of the Flesh. The Flesh may be dyed to last so long or to be soon washed out If you will have it soon wash'd off Steep the shells of Walnuts and of Pomegranates in Vinegar four or five days then press them forth by a Press and dye the face for it will make your face as black as an Ethiopian and this will last some days Oyl of honey makes a yellow colour and red and it will last fourteen days or more The fume of Brimstone will discolour the face that it will shew sickly as if one had long kept his bed but it will be soon gone But if you will have it last many days firm and very hardly to come off Use water of Depart that seperates Gold from Silver made of Salt-Peter and Vitriol and especially if it have first corroded any Silver this will last twenty days until the skin be changed But if you will Change the Hair I taught elsewhere how to do this yet I will take the pains to do it again Oyl of honey dyes the Hair of the head and beard of a yellow or red colour and this will hold a moneth But if they be hoary white or yellow we may dye them black with
him but if he let his ears down he is easily slain Aristotle and Pliny from him When they raise their ears they hear quickly when they let them fall they are afraid and not to go over all Creatures that have large right up open ears I say those that have such ears they raise them and direct them forward when they would hear afar off and they are of most perfect hearing I shall shew now by the contrary that such Creatures which have short small ears and not so visible are of dull hearing Great part of Fishes want ears and such as have onely holes and no ears must needs hear more deafly for the outward ears are made by Nature that the sounds might be conveyed to the ears by them Adrianus Consul of Rome is a most clear witness of this who having this sense hurt made hollow catches to hear better by and these he fastned to his ears looking forward And Aristotle saith That Horses Asses Dogs and other Creatures that have great ears do always stir them about and turn them to hear noise Nature teaching them the use of those parts and we finde that they hear less that have their ears cut off wherefore it is fit that the Form of the Instrument for hearing be large hollow and open and with screws inwardly For the first if the sound should come in directly it would hurt the sence for the second the voice coming in by windings is beaten by the turnings in the ears and is thereby multiplied as we see in an Eccho The sea-Periwinkle is an argument to prove it which being held to the eare makes a light noise Now it remains to speak of what matter it must be made I think of porous Wood for the holes and pores are passable every way and being filled with air they sound with every small stroke and amongst the porous Wood is the Ivy and especially the tree called Smilax or Woodbind for a Dish made with Ivy will let out the water as I said Wherefore Pliny speaking of the Woodbind saith It is proper to this matter that being set to the ears it will make a small noise And in another place I said that the Woodbind-Ivy would sound if set to the ear Therefore fit your Instrument to put into your ear as Spectacles are fitted to the eyes CHAP. VI. How by some Impostures we may augment weight I Have set down some Impostures here that such as handle with wicked men may take heed that they be not deceived As To augment the weight of Oyl water is mingled with the Oyl that the fraud may not be known let it be done with troubled waters as with the decoction of Wood Rapes Asphodills that it may the harder be discerned from it Or else they put the choisest Gumtragant into water for two days then they bray it in a Mortar always putting water to it to melt the Gum adde these to the Oyl dropping forth and they will be turn'd to Oyl By the like fraud almost Silk is made to weigh more They put it upon the vapour that riseth from boiling water and this makes it swell with moisture and grow heavier Others bray one ounce of Gum Arabick and being well passed through a sieve they mingle it with the decoction of Honey they dissolve this mixture into water and wet the Silk with it and then let it dry Others keep it in the green leaves of Walnut-tree If you will Increase the quantity of Honey Adde to it the Meal of Chestnuts of Millet and that augments it and it cannot be known So you may Increase the weight of Wax Adde to the Wax Bean-meal excellent well beaten and this will burn in Candles without any excrement for it increaseth the weight and bigness and the fraâ—d is scarce discerned So you may Augment Sope. If you mingle the Ashes of Oxens shank-bones well burnt it Potters ovens or white Brimstone For you shall augment the weight and quantity without and distinction of it If you would Counterfeit Pepper You may gather green Juniper-berries and let them dry till they shrivel then mix them with grains of Pepper Others gather great black Vetches and first they boil them with wilde Pepper for swelling in the water when they come to be dried they become wrinkled I did sophisticate them so that I deceived in sport the best Apothecaries and afterwards I did in mirth discover the fraud Take the Berries of the ripe red Sanguinaria these when they are dried will be so shriveled and like to Pepper that any man almost may be deceived by it unless he tasts of it So we may Increase the weight of Wheat By setting a vessel of Wood within it full of water or vinegar For as Pliny saith It will drink it in CHAP. VII Of the Harp and many wonderful properties thereof THe Harp hath some properties in it and things worthy to be observed which I shall propound here First I shall mention some wonderful effects that the Antients speak of then how they may be done or how the Antients did then Since Musick is now more Adorned and Noble than it was amongst the Antients for then it was more rude and imperfect and yet in our days it doth not perform those operations It is certain that Musical Tunes can do much with men and there is no heart so hard and cruel but convenient and sweet harmony will make it yield and on the otherside harsh Musick will vex and harden a mans minde Musaeus discovers that Verse and Songs are a most delightful thing to Mortal man and the Platonists say That all things living are charmed by Musick and there are many effects observed of it Drums sound in the wars to provoke those that are slow to fight and we read that the Antients did such like things One Timotheus a Musician as oft he he pleased would play a Phrygian Tune and so enrage the mind of Alexander that he râ—n presently to the wars and when he would do otherwise he changed his tune and took off all his courage making him lasie and would then draw him being grown effeminate to Banquets and Feasts And Plutarch saith That when he heard Antigenida playing Melodies with a Pipe that they called Harmatii he was so inflamed that he rose in his Arms and laid hold of him that sat next to him Cicero reports That Pythagoras made a yong man more calm by a slower tune who was a Tancomonite and was whitled with wine and mad for a whore and spurred forward by a Phrygian tune for being a corrival he sought to set the house on fire where the whore was And the same Author saith If yong men are provoked by the sound of Flutes to commit any wickedness if the Piper play but a slower tune they are called off again for by the gravity of the Musick their petulant fury is alayed Empedocles when one set upon his Host that provoked him with reproaches and ill language turned the burden of his
Honey a Chrystal Liquor which you must strain out and stop the Pipkin again and bury it as before About a week after view it again and strain out the over-flowing water so the third and fourth time until all the Honey be converted into water which you may see by uncovering the Pipkin distil the Water according to Art and it will yield Water and Oyl easily enough Oyl of Camphire Beat Champhire very small and put it into common Aqua Fortis made of Salt-Peter and Coppress distilled and clarified set the Pot in a Bath or Stove for half a day and you will see a cleer bright Oyl swim on the top of the Water incline the Pot gently and pour it off and clarifie it in a Retort so shall you have a beautiful thin and sweet Oyl Oyl of Paper and Rags Rowl up your Paper like a Pyramide as Grocers do when they lap up any thing to lay by or send abroad clip the edges even and taking hold of the top of it with a pair of Pincers set it on fire with a Candle and while it flameth hold it downward over a broad dish half a finger distant from the bottom so that the smoak may hardly flie out and still as the fire consumes the Paper let your hand sink that may always keep the same distance from the Dish When it is quite burnt you will findâ— a yellow Oyl stinking of burning upon the bottom of the dish Gather it up and reserve it it is excellent to drive away freckles and pimples in womens faces being applied Almost in the same manner Oyl of Wheat Lay your Wheat plain upon a Marble-Morter being turned with the bottom upwards and cover it with a plate of Iron almost red hot and press it hard out of the sides there will be expressed an Oyl of a yellow colour and stinking of burning which is good for the same purposes that which is good to refresh decayed Spirits is prepared another way CHAP. XII How to extract Oyl by Descent THe way is common and vulgar to all for it is done by Ustulation but the Oyls are of a most offensive savor and can be used only in outward Medicines for they are not to be taken inwardly Prepare a Pipkin made of tough Clay and able to endure fire well vernished within that there may be no suspicion of running out let the bottom be full of holes set upon another earthen Pipkin whose mouth is large enough to receive the bottom of the upper Pipkin lute them close together Fill the Pipkin with slices of your VVood cover it and lute it Then dig a hole and set the Pipkins into it and fling in the Earth about it and tread it down close and throw Sand over it two inches thick make a gentle fire just over the Pipkin which you must encrease by degrees until the Pipkin have stood there a whole day After this remove the fire and when the heat is spent dig up the Pipkins and you will finde the Oyl strained down into the lower which you must distil again in a Retort to purifie it from filth To add something to the former invention I always do thus I make a Tressel with Legs of two foot in length There must a hole be bored in the Plank of it to receive the neck of the Limbeck Upon the Tressel fasten an Iron-plate to keep the VVod from burning Underneath about the middle of the Feet fasten a Board upon which the Receiver may stand and meet with the neck of the inversed Vessel which being filled with the materials to be stilled kindle a fire about it Therefore if you would extract Oyl out of Lignum Guaiacum fill it with the Dust of Lignum Guaiacum and lute it close with Straw-Mortar twice or thrice double when it is dried in the Sun put into the neck wire Strings and thrust it through the hole of the Tresse into the mouth of the Receiver and mortar them together Then kindle the fire on the Plate about the body of the Limbeck at some distance at first and by degrees nigher and hotter but let it not be red hot until you think it be all burned then remove the fire and let it rest a while until it be cold and you shall finde in the lower Vessel a black stinking burnt Oyl In this manner is Oyl drawn out of Juniper Cypress and Lignum Aloes but in this last you must use more Art and diligence and a gentle fire because it is mixed in Oyntments CHAP. XIII Of the Extraction of Essences VVE have delivered the several kindes of Extraction of Oyls now we are come to Quintessences the Extraction of which we will here declare The Paracelsians define a Quintessence to be the Form or Spirit or Vertue or Life separated from the dross and elementary impurities of the Body I call it the Life because it cannot be extracted out of the Bones Flesh Marrow Blood and other Members for wanting Life they want also the Quintessence I say Separated from elementary impurities because when the Quintessence is extracted there remaineth only a mass of Elements void of all power for the Power Vertue and Medicinable qualities are not the Elements but in their Essences which yet are Elements and contain the vertue of the Elements in them in the highest degree for being separated from the grosness of their bodies they become spiritual and put forth their power more effectually and strongly when they are freed from them then they could while they were clogged with the Elements They are small in bulk but great in operation The strength of Quintessences is not to be judged by the degrees of their qualities but of their operation for those which soonest and clearliest root out a disease are reckoned in the first degree So the essence of Juniper is reckoned the first degree of operation because it cureth the Leprosie by purging the Blood onely The essence of Ambar in the second because it expelleth poyson by purging the Heart Lungs and Members Antimony in the third because beside the former vertues it also purgeth the Body But Gold of it self alone hath all those vertues and reneweth the Body Wherefore the fourth degree and greatest power is attributed to it Bet how to extract these Essences is a very difficult work for they may be either Oyl or Salt or Water or of Extraction some by Sublimation others by Calcination others by Vinegar Wine Corrosive Waters and such like So that several kinde of menstruums are to be provided according to the nature and temper of things I will set down some Rules for the chusing of proper menstruums Let the menstrum be made of those things which are most agreeable to the things to be extracted and as simple as may but for Essences ought not to be compounded mixed or polluted with any thing be pure simple and immaculate But if there be a necessity of adding some thing let them be separated after extraction If the Essence
of any Metal be to be extracted by Corrosives separate the Salt from the Waters after the work is done and use those Salts only which will easily be taken out again Vitriol and Allom are very difficult to be separated by reason of their earthy substance Moreover use not a watry menstruum for a watry Essence nor an oyly menstruum for an oyly Essence because being of like natures they are not easily separated but watry Menstruums for oyly Essences and so on the contrary I will set before you some examples in Herb fat of Flesh and other things by which you may learn of your self how to perform it in the rest There are an infinite number of Essences and almost many ways of Extraction of them some I shall shew unto you whereof the first shall be How to extract the Essence out of Civet Musk Ambar and other Spices Take Oyl of Ben or of Almonds mix Musk Ambar Cinnamon and Zedoary well beaten in it put it in a Glass-bottle and set it in the Sun or in Balneo ten dayes then strain from it the Dregs and the Essence will be imbibed into the Oyl from which you may separate it in this manner Take Aqua Vitae and if it be an odoriferous Body Fountain-water three or four times distilled mix with the aforesaid Oyl and stir it about and so let it digest for six dayes then distil it over Cinders the hot Water and the Essence will ascend and the Oyl remain in the bottom without any sent Afterwards distil the Aqua Vitae and the Essence in Balneo until the VVater be evaporated and the Essence settle to the bottom in the form of an Oyl If you will do it with Aqua Vitae alone slice the Roots of Zedoary beat them and infuse them in so much Aqua Vitae as will cover them three fingers over in a Glass Bottle let them ferment for ten dayes according to Art then distil them over Cinders or in Sand until nothing but VVater run out yet have a care of burning it Take the distilled Liquor set it in Balneo and with a gentle fire let the Aqua Vitae evaporate and the Quintessence of Zedoaay will settle in the bottom in a liquid form Next To extract Essence out of Flesh. Out of three Capons I have oftentimes extracted an Essence in a small quantity but of great strength and nutriment wherewith I have recovered life and strength to sick persons whose Stomacks were quite decayed and they almost dead for want of nourishment having not been able to eat any things in three dayes Take Chickens or Hens or Capons pluck them and draw their Guts out beat them very well and let them boyl a whole day in a Glass-Vessel close stopt over warm Embers until the bones and flesh and all the substance be dissolved into Liquor then strain it into another Vessel through a Linen-cloth and fling away the Dregs for the remaining Bones are so herest of Flesh sent or any other quality that a Dog will not so much as smell to them which is an assured Argument that their goodness is boyled out Pour the strained Liquor into a Glass-bottle and dissolve it into vapor in a gentle Bath the Essence will remain in the bottom either hard or soft like an Oyntment as you please of a most admirable vertue and never sufficiently to be commended To extract Essences out of Salts Take Salt and calcine it according to Art if it be volatile burn it and grinde it very small lay the Powder upon a Marble in a moyst Cellar and set a Pan under it to receive it as it dissolveth let it ferment in that pan for a month then set it in Balneo and with a gentle fire let it distil cast away the sweet Water that comes from it and set that which remains in the bottom to ferment another month then distil out the sweet Water as before and do this while any sweet VVater will run from it keep it over the fire until the moysture be all consumed and then what remains settled in the bottom is the Quintessence of Salt which will scarcely arise to two ounces out of a pound To extract Essences out of Herbs Beat the Herbs and set them to ferment in dung for a month in a convenient Glass-Bottle then distil them in Balneo Again set them in dung for a week and distil them in Balneo again and thus macerate them so long as they will yield any Liquor then pour the distilled Water upon the Herbs again and distil them in this Circulation for six dayes which will make it of a more lively colour draw of the VVater by Balneum and the Essence must then be expressed out in a press ferment it in dung for five days and it will yield you the sent colour and vertues of the Herbs in perfection A way to extract The Essence of Aqua Vitae It is a thing bragged of by thousands but not effected by any I will not omit the description of it which I have found out together with a Friend of mine very knowing in Experiments by the assistance of Lulius Provide some rich generous old VVine bury it in dung for two months in large Bottles close stopt and luted that they may not have the least vent The whole business dependeth on this for if this be not carefully look to you will lose both your cost and your labour the month being past distil it in an ordinary Stillatory reserve the Spirits by themselves The Dregs and Faeces of the Wine must be buried again and the Spirits be distilled out as before and reserved by themselves Distil the Faeces until they settle like Honey or Pitch then pour on the phlegm upon them wash them and lay them to dry then put them into a Porters or Glass-makers Furnace and with a vehement fire burn them into white Ashes wet them with a little VVater and set them in the mouth of the Furnace that they may be converted into Salt There is no better mark to know the perfection of your work then by casting some of it on a red hot Plate of Iron if it melt and evaporate it is well done otherwise you must rectifie it Mix the Salt with water and put it into a Glass bottle with a long neck stop it with Cork and Parchment then set on the Head and kindle the fire the force of which will carry it up thorow all the stoppage into the Head and there it sticks to the sides like durt the VVater will remain quiet in the bottom in which you must again mingle the Salt and so by a continual Circulation draw it out of it self until it be divested of all its Grosness and obtain a more thin and subtile Essence CHAP. XIV What Magisteries are and the Extraction of them I Said That Quintessences do participate of the Nature of mixt Bodies on the contrary a Magistery taketh the temper of the Elements so that it neither extracteth the
be made softer now I will shew the tempering of it how it may be made to cut sharper For the temper of it is divers for divers uses For Iron requires several tempers if it be to cut Bread or Wood or Stone or Iron that is of divers liquors and divers ways of firing it and the time of quenching it in these Liquors for on these doth the business depend When the Iron is sparkling red hot that it can be no hotter that it twinkles they call it Silver and then it must not be quenched for it would be consumed But if it be of a yellow or red colour they call it Gold or Rose-colour and then quenched in Liquors it grows the harder this colour requires them to quench it But observe That if all the Iron be tempered the colour must be blew or Violet colour as the edge of a Sword Rasor or Lancet for in these the temper will be lost if they are made hot again Then you must observe the second colours namely when the Iron is quenched and so plunged in grows hard The last is Ash colour and after this if it be quenched it will be the least of all made hard For example The temper of a Knife to cut Bread I have seen many ingenious men that laboured for this temper who having Knives fit to cut all hard substances yet they could scarce fall upon a temper to cut Bread for the Table I fulfilled their desire with such a temper Wherefore to cut Bread let the Steel be softly tempered thus Heat gently Steel that when it s broken seems to be made of very small grains and let it be excellent well purged from Iron then strike it with a Hammer to make a Knife of it then work it with the File and frame it like a Knife and polish it with the Wheel then put it into the Fire till it appear Violet-colour Rub it over with Sope that it may have a better colour from the Fire then take it from the Fire and anoynt the edge of it with a Linen-cloth dipt in Oyl of Oâ—ives until it grow cold so you shall soften the hardness of the Steel by the gentleness of the Oyl and a moderate heat Not much differs from this The temper of Iron for Wood. Something harder temper is fit to cut wood but it must be gentle also therefore let your Iron come to the same Violet-colour and then plunge it into waters take it out and when it appears Ash-colour cast it into cold water Nor is there much difference in The temper for Instruments to let blood It is quenched in Oyl and grows hard because it is tender and subtile for should it be quenched in water it would be wrested and broken The temper of Iron for a Sythe After that the Iron is made into a Sythe let it grow hot to the colour of Gold and then quench it in Oyl or smeer it with Tallow because it is subtile Iron and should it be quenched in waters it would either crumble or be wrested CHAP. IV. How for all mixtures Iron may be tempered most hard NOw I will shew some ways whereby Iron may be made extream hard for that Iron that must be used for an Instrument to hammer and polish and fit other Iron must be much harder then that The temper of Iron for Files It must be made of the best Steel and excellently tempered that it may polish and fit other Iron as it should be Take Ox hoofs and put them into an Oven to dry that they may be powdered fine mingle well one part of this with as much common Salt bearen Glass and â—himney-foot and beat them together and lay them up for your use in a wooden Vessel hanging in the smoak for the Salt will melt with any moisture of the place or Air. The powder being prepared make your Iron like to a file then cut it chequerwise and crosswayes with a sharp edged tool having made the Iron tender and soft as I said then make an Iron chest fit to lay up your files in and put them into it strewing on the powders by course that they may be covered all over then put on the cover and lute well the chinks with clay and raw that the smoak of the powder may not breath out and then lay a heap of burning coals all over it that it may be red-hot about an hour when you think the powder to be burnt and consumed take the chest out from the coals with Iron pinchers and plunge the files into very cold water and so they will become extream hard This is the usual temper for files for we fear not if the files should be wrested by cold waters But I shall teach you to temper them excellently Another way Take the pith out of Goats horns and dry it and powder it then lay your files in a little Chest strewed over with this Powder and do as you did before Yet observe this That two files supernumerary must be laid in so that you may take them forth at pleasure and when you think the Chest covered with burning coals hath taken in the force of the Powder take out one of the supernumerary Files and temper it and break it and if you finde it to be very finely grain'd within and to be pure Steel according to your desire take the Chest from the fire and temper them all the same way or else if it be not to your minde let them stay in longer and resting a little while take out the out the other supernumerary File and try it till you have found it perfect So we may Temper Knives to be most hard Take a new Ox hoof heat it and strike it with a Hammer on the side for the pith will come forth dry it in an Oven and as I said put it into a pot alwayes putting in two supernumeraries that may be taken forth to try if they be come to be pure Steel and doing the same as before they will be most hard I will shew How an Habergeon or Coat of Arms is to be tempered Take soft Iron Armour of small price and put it into a pot strewing upon it the Powders abovesaid cover it and lute it over that it have no vent and make a good Fire about it then at the time fit take the Pot with iron pinchers and striking the Pot with a Hammer quench the whole Herness red hot in the foresaid water for so it becomes most hard that it will easily resist the strokes of Poniards The quantity of the Powder is that if the Harness be ten or twelve pounds weight lay on two pounds and a half of Powder that the Powder may stick all over wet the Armour in water and rowl it in the Powder and lay it in the pot by courses But because it is most hard lest the rings of a Coat of Male should be broken and flie in pieces there must be strength added to the hardness Workmen call it a
Return Taking it out of the Water shake it up and down in Vinegar that it may be polished and the colour be made perspicuous then make red hot a plate of Iron and lay part of the Coat of Male or all of it upon the same when it shews an Ash-colour workmen call it Berotinum cast it again into the water and that hardness abated and will it yield to the stroke more easily so of a base Coat of Male you shall have one that will resist all blows By the mixture of Sharp things iron is made hard and brittle but unless strengh be added it will flie in pieces with every blow therefore it is needful to learn perfectly how to add strength to it CHAP. V. Liquors that will temper Iron to be exceeding hard I Said that by Antipathy Iron is hardened and softened by Sympathy it delights in fat things and the pores are opened by it and it grows soft but on the contrary astringent things and cold that shut up the pores by a contrary quality make it extreme hard they seem therefore to do it yet we must not omit such things as do it by their property If you would have A Saw tempered to saw Iron Make your Saw of the best Steel and arm it well that it be not wrested by extinguishing it Then make a wooden Pipe as long as the Iron of the Saw that may contain a liquor made of Water Alon and Piss Plunge in the red hot Iron and take it out and observe the colours when it comes to be violet put all into the liquor till it grow cold Yet I will not conceal that it may be done by a Brass wire bent like a bow and with Powder of Emril and Oyl for you shall cut Iron like Wood. Also there are tempered Fish-hooks to become extream hard The Hook serves for a part to catch Fish for it must be small and strong if it be great the Fish will see it and will not swallow it if it be too small it will break with great weight and motion if it be soft it will be made straight and the Fish will get off Wherefore that they may be strâ—ng small and not to be bended in the mouth you shall thus temper them Of Mowers Sythes make wire or of the best Steel and make Hooks thereof small and fine heat them not red-hot in the Fire for that will devour them but lay them on a plate of red hot Iron When they grow red cast them into the water when they are cold take them out and dry them Then make the plate of Iron hot again and lay on the Hooks the second time and when an Ash colour or that they commonly call Berotinus appears plunge them into the water again that they may be strong for else they would be brittle So you may make Culters extream hard Albertus from whom others have it saith That Iron is made more strong if it be tempered with juice of Radish and Water of Earth-worms three or four times But I when I had often tempered it with juice of Radish and Horse-Radish and Worms I found it alwayes softer till it became like Lead and it was false as the rest of his Receits are But thus shall you make Steel extream hard that with that onely and no other mixture you may make Culters very hard Divide the Steel into very small pieces like Dice and let them touch one the other binding Iron wires over them fastning all with an Iron wire put them into the Fire till they grow red hot and sparkle at least fifteen times and wrap them in these powders that are made of black Borax one part Oyster-shells Cuttle-bones of each two parts then strike them with a Hammer that they may all unite together and make Culters or Knives or what you will for they will be extream hard For this is the most excellent sort of Steel that onely tempered with waters is made most hard There is another but not so good and unless it be well tempered it alwayes grows worse It is this To temper a Graver to cut Marble Make your Graver of the best Steel let it be red hot in the Fire till it be red or Rose coloured dip it into water then take it away and observe the second colour When it is yellow as Gold cast it into the water So almost is A Tool made to cut Iron When the same red Rose colour appears plunge it into the water or some sharp liquor that we shall shew and you must observe the second yellow colour or wheat colour and then cast it into the water These are the best Tempers for Swords Swords must be tough lest whilst we should make a thrust they should break also they must have a sharp edge that when we cut they may cut off what we cut The way is thus Temper the body of it with Oyl and Butter to make it tough and temper the edge with sharp things that they may be strong to cut and this is done either with wooden Pipes or woollen Cloths wet with Liquor use it wittily and cunningly CHAP. VI. Of the temper of a Tool shall cut a Porphyr Marble Stone OUr Ancestors knew well to temper their Tools wherewith they could easily cut a Porphyr Stone as infinite Works testifie that were left to us but the way was shewed by none and is wholly concealed which is a mighty disgrace to our times when we neglect such rare and useful Inventions and make no account of them That we might be freed from this dishonour with great care and pains and cost I made trial of all things came to my hand or I could think of by divers wayes and experiments that I might attain unto it at last by Gods great blessing I found a far greater passage for to come to these things and what exceeds this And I will not be grieved to relate what I found out by chance whilst I made trial of these things The business consiâ—ed in these difficulties If the temper of the Graver was too strong and stubborn with the vehement blow of the Hammer it flew in piece but if it was soft it bowed and would not touch the stone wherefore it was to be most strong and tough that it might neither yield to the stroke nor flie asunder Moreover the juice or water the Iron must be tempered in muâ— be cleer and pure for if it be troubled the colours coming from heat could not be discerned and so the time to plunge the Tools in would not be known on which the whole Art depends So then cleer and purified juices will shew the time of the temper The colours must be chiefly regarded for they shew the time to plunge it in and take it out and because that the Iron must be made most hard and tough therefore the colour must be a middle colour between silver and gold and when this colour is come plunge the whole edge of the Tool into the