Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England: by Geruase Markham. The whole contents are in the page following

CHAP. LXIII.

How the matter must be prepared before the waters be distilled.

IT is not ynough, that the furnace and instruments for distillation be made readie in such sort as wee haue said; for the matter to be distilled must in like manner be prepared before that it be put into the Still. This preparation is of three sorts: that is to say, Infusion, Putri••action, and Fermentation. Infusion is nothing else but a mac••rating or s••eeping of the thing intended to be distilled i•• some liquor, not onely that it may be the more apt and ea∣sie to be distilled, but also to cause and procure greater store of iuice to be in it: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 else to helpe them to keepe their smell: or else to bestow vpon them some new quali∣tie: or to encrease their force and vertues; or else for some other ends, as we will han∣dle them in particular, and onely one. It is true, that this preparation is not neces∣sarie for euerie matter: for some there are that need not anie infusion or steeping, but rather to be dried before they be distilled, by reason of their too great and excessiue moisture: othersome content themselues with being watered or sprinkled ouer light∣ly with some liquor, as is done in the distilling of drie Roses and Ca••••••••••ll, which are wont to be sprinkled onely with common water. Some spread them all a Sum∣mers night in faire weather vpon a Linnen cloth to take the dew, and after they be moist, to distill them. Such as are steeped and infused, lye in the Sunne, or are held ouer the fire, the space of some halfe houre, or manie houres, a whole night, a whole day, two daies, three daies, one or moe ••oneths, according to the nature of the me∣dicine, the diuers intention and purpose of the Physician, and the present necessitie. Sometimes we presse and wring out things, which we infused before the distillation; and making our distillation afterward of the iuice onely that we pressed for••h; some∣times againe we distill the whole infusion, that is to say, both the infused ma••ter and the liquor wherein it was infused. Wherefore in this preparation, which is made by infusion, you must diligently obserue two things: the time of the infusion, and the liquor in which the infusion is made. The time of the infusion must be measured according to the diuersitie of the matter: for those things which are hard or solide, 〈…〉〈…〉, or entire and whole, deserue a longer time of infusion than those which ar•• tender, new, or bruised: whereupon it commeth to passe, that rootes and seedes r••∣quire double time to infuse: the leaues and flowers a single and lesser time, and so consequently of such other matter or things. The liquors wherein infusions are to be prepared, must not onely answere the qualities of such matter as is to be distilled, in such sort, as that hot matter and things be infused in hot liquors, and the cold in cold; but likewise the scope and dri••t intended in the thing distilled, which is the onely cause of the vsing of varietie of liquors in the making of infusions; and these

are for the most part Raine water, Fountaine, or Rose-water, and they either raw or distilled, crude or distilled iuices, distilled waters, Aqua vitae, raw or distilled Vine∣ger, Wine, raw or distilled Vrine, Whey raw or distilled, mans bloud, Swines bloud, and Goats bloud distilled or vndistilled. For this respect, things that haue small store of iuice, as Sage, Betonie, Balme, and Wormewood, or which are verie fra∣grant, as all sorts of Spices, all sorts of odoriferous Hearbes, all aromaticall Rindes or Woods, as Cinnamome, would be infused in Wine, to the begetting of some rea∣sonable store of iuice in them which haue but a little, and to keepe the aromaticall fragrantnesse in those which smell sweet, which might otherwise euaporate and spend, through the heat of the fire, their best and most precious parts, they being of so thinne and subtle a substance. It is true, that the best and surest course is not to in∣fuse Spices, or aromaticall things, neither in Wine, nor in Aqua vitae, but rather in common water: because in distilling of them, as proofe will make triall, the vapours will rise too soone, and leaue behind them the vertues of the aromaticall things, whereas water will not goe vp before it haue them with it. Such matter and things as are hard and mettallous, as Pearles, Corall, shells of egges, Crystall, Emeralds, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and other such, are infused commonly in raw or distilled vineger, or else in vrine distilled or vndistilled: but such waters are not to be taken inwardly, but onely to be applyed outwardly. In like manner, when it is intended that a water shall haue an opening qualitie, and pierce deepe or swiftly, the matter thereof may be in∣fused in raw and crude, or in distilled vineger: as for example, the waters distilled against the stone, or grauell, or to take away the great obstructions of the liuer, spleene, and matrix. When you desire that the water should retaine and keepe in good sort the vertues of the matter whereof it is distilled, it may, for the better infu∣sing of it, be distilled in his owne iuice, or in some iuice obtaining the like vertue. Things are likewise sometimes infused in bloud, either of Men, Swine, or Goats, for the encrease and strengthening of their vertues; as the water vsed to be distilled for to breake the s••one, whether it be in the reines, or in the bladder, may first haue receiued an infusion made in the bloud of Goats. As much, in like sort, is to be thought of the Whey of Goats milke, wherein things are wont to be infused to draw waters off, which are to serue in the cleansing of vlcers of the reines or bladder.

Generally, regard must be had, that all infusions be made in such liquor as will strengthen and encrease the vertue and force of the things intended to be distilled: as also, that such matter, before it be set to infuse, be shred, stamped small, or brui∣••ed, putting into it sometime the twelfth part of salt, as vnto those that are too moist, as flesh, bloud of men, or other beasts, as well to keepe them from cor∣rupting, as also to helpe forward the separation of the humour that must be di∣stilled.

Sometimes the things which are to be distilled, are suffered to putri••ie, and then afterward they are distilled: yea, and sometimes the verie putrifaction it selfe is the way and whole worke for the distilling of such things, as wee will declare hereafter.

Fermentation is accomplished and performed vpon the matter of infusion alone, or the whole infusion together, in the heat of the Sunne in the Dogge-daies, or else in some Furnace, or Horse-dung: it requireth manie daies continuance, as foure, or more: and by how much this fermenting and preparing of the thing is the more sub∣stantially performed, by so much the greater quantitie of water will be distilled and drawne ou••.

Notes

• Two things to be considered in 〈◊〉〈◊〉. The 〈…〉〈…〉.
• What kind of things are infu∣sed in wine.
• What mat••er or things are to be infused 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vine∣gar, or ••ine.
• Infusions in the bloud of Man, a Swine, or mal•• Goat.
• Infusion must he••p or increas•• the force of the things distilled▪
• The addition of salt.
• Putrifaction.