A Book of Simples

by Unknown

524. For the Scurvy.

Take one good handfull of pine tree tops & bruise them and infuse y^m in one quart of white wine or renish 3 or 4 hours then take one good handfull of dandilyon boyle it in one quart of new milk make it into a posset with the wine take off the curd pour the drink scaulding hot upon brooklimes, water cresses, sea scurvy grass garden scurvy grass of each a large handfull with the rine of a lemon cover it & drink every morning & afternoon a quarter of a pint sweeten in with Sirrop made of oringe juice & wormwood cold still’d water—drink this ale april and september.

525. To make the Convulsion Water.

Take 2 quarts of Spring water and put therein half a handfull of bittony and as much plantin and Spermint & whore hound a quarter of a handfull of centry and as much cardus half a handfull of single pioney roots green & half a handfull of burdock roots green & both sliced very thin half an ounce of hart’s horne & half an ounce of sweet fennell seed bruised a little a quarter of an ounce of bastorium and a quarter of an ounce Assifetita stop all these very close in a stone jugg and set it in a kettle of seething water up to the neck of the jugg & let it stand seething 8 hours then take it out and let it stand close stopt till next day then put it out into a brass pot and add to it a quart of cardus water and a quart of spermint water half a pint of red rose water & half a pint of old malligo Sack then put a small handfull of bittony & as much plantin and Spermin and whorehound and a quarter of a handfull of centry and as much cardus one handfull of single pioney roots and a handfull of burdock roots sliced 2 ounces & a half of harts horne an ounce and a half of sweet fennellseeds bruised 3 quarters of an ounce of bastorium and half an ounce of Assifetita and one nutmeg sliced stop this pot very close that no breath may come out and on the cover set a weight of 18 or 20 pounds keep this to a moderate heat 8 hours more then let it stand close stopt till the next day then open it & strain it out and put therein a pint and a half of malligo Sack & half a pint of annyseed water & a lb. or more of jeans treacle put it up into bottles & feed it w^th treacle when you see fit all the herbs must be very dry.

526. For the Yellow Jaundice or Collick in the Stomach or the Consumption, Obstructions in ye Liver Spleen & especially for ye Falling Sickness.

Take a peck of garden snails and wash them in a great bowle of beer & then make your chinney very clean and pour half a bushell of charcole & set y^m afire and when they are throughly kindled then with a shoule make a great hole in the midst of the fire and pour in your snails & scatter in some of your fire amongst them and so let them rest as long as you hear them make a noise then you must take them out of the fire and pick them out of their shells with a knife and with a coarse cloth pick and wipe all the green froth from them then in a stone morter bruise them shells and all next take a quart of earth wormes and slit them then scoure them with salt then wash them and break them in pieces in a stone morter then (the pot being very clean uppon which you set your limbeck) put them into it and about 2 handfulls of Angelico to put into the bottom & 2 handfulls of sallendine then put in a quart of rosemary flowers if you please you may put in Egremony of red dock roots, bear foot, the inner rine of barberry roots of woodsorrell & bittony of each 2 handfulls of rew half a handfull of Fenegrick & Turmerick of each an ounce of Saffron well Dry’d and beaten to powder the weight of 6 pence then pour into all these 3 gallons of the strongest Ale you can get cover your pot & let it stand all night in the place where you mean to put fire to it in the morning you must put to them 3 ounces of very good cloves beaten to powder and before you put your fire to it with 6 ounces of good Harts horne you must not stir it after you have put in the Harts horne lest it go down to ye bottom then set on the limbeck and make it fast and so receive the water by pints the first water is best and strongest & must be received by its Selfe ye last is smallest and may be mended by putting the strongest to it when it is used this water must be given to the patient in a morning who must fast 2 hours after it and not sleep upon it or it may be given 2 hours after each meale he or she must take 2 spoonfulls of the strongest w^th 4 spoonfulls of Ale or white wine and when you give ye smallest you must give as much water as drink. This has been aproved & is an excellent cordial.

527. An Oyle for any deep wound or wounds through the Body or wounds made w^th an envenomed Weapon, or Sinews Prickt.

Take white wine or rather so much brown bastard, one quart of oyle of olives 2 quarts, one quart of the oyle of turpentine put all these together in a great double glass and with them of ye leaves flowers Hieperig on andseeds of St Johnswort of each 2 great handfulls gently bruised set the glass in the sun close stopt 8 or 10 days then boyle them in a kettle with straw at the bottom for ye glass to stand upon and when it hath gently boyled a great while then take off the kettle and coole it by degrees and then take out the glass and strain out all the moisture from the herbs and put it into the glass again with 2 of the fresh leaves of St Johnswort and of the flowers & seeds of each two handfulls & then set them in the sun as before 8 or 10 days then boyle and strain them as before & so have you a oyle for all the purposes beforementioned & every year let it be again clarified in ye sun.

528. The Countess of Bristolls Black Salve.

Take one pound of white lead as much Lietheriegie of gold finely beaten & search’d into a quart of sallet oyle then take 4 ounces of yellow wax & 3 drams of camphire boyle them together on a good fire till they grow very black and 6 hours after this is an exceeding good skining Salve. Probatum Est.