114. Another Water for the Gums.
Take of the best Cinnamon, an ounce; Cloves, three drachms; the Peel of two Lemons; half an ounce of Red Rose Leaves; half a pound of Water Cresses, four ounces of Scurvy Grass, and three gallons of rectified Spirit of Wine. Bruise the Spices, and let the whole stand in digestion in a glass vessel twenty-four hours; then distil in a vapour-bath.
Oil of Walnuts frequently rubbed on a child's forehead, will prevent the hair from growing on that part.
116. Prepared Sponges for the Face.
Steep in Water some time the finest and thinnest Sponges you can pick out; wash them well, dry them, and soak them in Brandy a whole day; then squeeze the Brandy out, and dry them again. Lastly, dip them in Orange-flower Water, and let them remain in it eleven or twelve hours. When squeezed, and thoroughly dried, they are fit for use.
To make the inflammable Spirit of Roses, take twenty pounds of Damask Roses, beat them to a Paste, in a marble mortar; put this Paste, layer by layer, with sea salt, into a large stone jar, or two jars, if one is not large enough to contain the whole quantity; that is to say, sprinkle every layer of the Paste about half an inch thick with Salt; and press the layers of Roses as close together as possible. Cork the jar with a waxed cork, cover the upper-most end of the cork, and the edges of the mouth of the jar, with wax also, and place it six weeks, or two months, in a vault, or some other cool place. At the expiration of this period, open the jar; if it exhales a strong vinous smell, the fermentation has arrived at its proper height; but if you do not perceive such an odour, throw into the jar a little Yeast, and stop it close in the same manner as before. A strong fermentation having been excited, take five or six pounds of your fermented Rose Paste, put it into a common cucurbit, and distil it with a very gentle fire in a vapour-bath. When you have drawn off as much water as you can, unlute the alembic; throw away what remains in the cucurbit, take five or six pounds more of the fermented Paste of Roses, and put it into the cucurbit, with the Water already drawn; distil in a vapour-bath with such a degree of fire, as will cause the distilled Water to run off in a middling sized stream. When you can draw off no more, empty the cucurbit, fill it again with fresh fermented Paste of Roses, and pour on it all the distilled Water that the preceding distillations have produced. Distil as before; and repeat these operations, till you have used all your fermented Paste of Roses. Every time you open the jar, be careful to cork it close, otherwise the most spirituous particles will evaporate. After the last distillation, you will have obtained a very fine scented Water, but not very spirituous, because loaded with a considerable quantity of phlegm; and it must therefore be rectified.
For this purpose make choice of a very long necked glass matrass of a reasonable size, fill it about three parts full with your unrectified Spirit of Roses; fit on a bolt-head, and receiver; lute the joints carefully, and distil in a vapour-bath with a very slow fire. When you have drawn off about a tenth part of what was put into the matrass, let the vessel cool, and set apart the Spirit that is found in the receiver. What remains in the matrass must not be thrown away as useless, for it is a Rose-water far superior to what is prepared according to the usual method.
After the first rectification of a part of the Spirit, repeat the same operation with another part, till the whole is rectified, and then rectify them all together once more. After this last operation, you will obtain a highly penetrating and inflammable Spirit of Roses. The phlegmatic part that remains in the matrass may be added to that procured from the preceding rectifications, and the whole kept for use in a cellar or other cool place in a bottle, well corked.