Two treatises concerning the preseruation of eie-sight. The first written by Doctor Baily sometimes of Oxford: the other collected out of those two famous phisicions Fernelius and Riolanus

To preserue the sight by Medicines.

THE order to preserue the sight by medicines, doth consist of things outwardly applied, & inwardly taken. Amongest outward medi∣cines to preserue the sight, it is accounted a great secret, to smel much to marierum. So these things following, are sound very much to comfort the sight in staying the visible spirits from wasting: vi∣delicet, corall, pearle, the stone called Lapis Armenius, spectacles of Christalline or clear and pure glasse, greene & sky colours, to dip the eies in cold water, to which purpose, many haue cups made in the forme of an eie, called eie-cups: & to wash the eies with the waters or decoctions of eiebright, ro∣ses, and veruaine. Some other things are put into the eies to clear the sight, & to remoue impediments which do often grow there: to which purpose as approued very good & without hurt, the iuices & waters of eie-bright, of fenell, of veruaine, of marigolds, of pearlwort are greatly commended. And

Montagnana doeth mention a certaine kinde of preparation of the iuice of fenell, singular good to preserue the sight from dimnesse, to take the iuce of fenell in the month of Aprill, and to put it in a vessell of glasse, with a long and narrow necke, and let it stand fifteene daies in the sunne, that it may be well dryed, then remoue the glasse softly, that you doe not trouble the residue, or grounds, and so powre it into another vessell: and to euery halfe pound of the iuice, put an ounce of chosen lignum aloes, beaten into fine powder, and let it stand other fifteene daies in the Sun. Then straine it twise through a thick cloth, and keepe the clearest in a vessell of glasse to your vse: you may drop a little hereof into your eies to cleare the sight. And some do distill this wood in a stillatory of glasse, and put the water thereof into the eies, and hold this for a great secret as mira∣culous to preserue the sight. And the same Montagnana doeth compound another medicine more abstersiue to remedie the dimnes of the sight, dissoluing in an ounce of the water of Rosemarie flowers, two scruples of Sal gemma very finely powde∣red, and filtered, and counselleth to drop

the same often into the eies; affirming by his experience, that it doeth so mightily cleare the sight, that suffusions are thereby wonderfully remoued, and especially moi∣stures of the eies.

I am heere also in this place for the clen∣sing and strenghtning of the eies especial∣ly to commend vnto you the frequent vse of old and cleere white wine, in which the Calaminar stone hath beene oftentimes extinguished: and likewise the pure liquor of good sugar-candy dissolued in the white of an egge, being hard rosted and the yolke taken out.

Also our authors do commend the wash∣ing of the eies with the vrin of a childe, and sometimes to drop the same into the eies. And for this purpose also they do commend lie made of the ashes of fenell stalkes. Wee doe read in all our writers great commen∣dations, of a liquor of the liuer of a goate, prepared in manner following. Take the li∣uer of a male goat, not diseased, nor newly killed: and after it is well washed, pricke it in many places, and fill the same with graines of pepper, and infarce the liuer with the leaues of fennell and of eiebright, then rost it with a soft fire cleare, not smoa∣kie,

vntill it bee reasonably rosted: and in the time of roasting, receiue the liquor which doth distill, in a conuenient vessell, and apply the same to your vse.

Auicenna in his third fen. third booke and fourth treatise, cap. de debilitate visus, aboue all other things doth commend the medicine called collyrium de fellibus, for that it cleanseth the pores of the eies, cleareth and conserueth the spirits, mundifieth the moystures or waters of the sight: as you may reade in Auicenna in the foresaide place.

Notes

• Outward Medicines.
• The smell of marierū.
• Things com∣fortable to the sight.
• Eie cups.
• Things put into the eies.
• A prepara∣tion of the iuice of fe∣nell.
• Lignum aloes. good for the sight.
• Sal gemma doth cleare the sight.
• The vrine of a childe.
• A lie of fe∣nel stalkes.
• A preparati∣on of the li∣uer of a Goate for the sight.
• Collyrium de fellibus