A treatise of the plague containing the nature, signes, and accidents of the same, with the certaine and absolute cure of the feuers, botches and carbuncles that raigne in these times: and aboue all things most singular experiments and preseruatiues in the same, gathered by the obseruation of diuers worthy trauailers, and selected out of the writing of the best learned phisitians in this age. By Thomas Lodge, Doctor in Phisicke.

An Epitheme for the liuer.

TAKE of the distilled water, of endiue, succory, sorrel, rose, and wormewood water, of each thrée ounces: of good white rose, wine, vineger, thrée siluer spoonfuls, of the powlder of sanders, one drachme, of the séeds of sower grapes, two scruples, of spicknard a scruple, make an E∣pitheme hereof for the poore, and for the rich you may adde powlder of Diamargariton, pearles, corall, and Zedoary, of each halfe a drachme. Mathiolus of Siena a notable Phi∣sion of our age (principally in matter of simples) in his sixt booke of his Commentaries vpon Dioscorides writing vpon the preface, sets down an excellent ointment of great virtu to withstand the operation of venim in those that are

sicke of the plague: the description whereof is long and dif∣ficult to be made, and serueth but for Princes and great Lords, in that it is very chargeable: Therefore to auoyde prolixitie, we haue thought good to referre the Reader to that place, if he thinke good to cause it to be dispensed: The name thereof is the oile of scorpions, which in trueth is of maruelous vertue to expel poison and venime, as by the maruellous composition and art in making that oile may be séene. But instead thereof, we will set downe an other oyle of scorpions, of a more easie composition set downe by Alexander Benedictus in the xx. chapter of his booke of the plague: the description whereof hereafter ensueth: Take of oile oliue, the oldest that may be gotten one pound; then take thréescore liue scorpions, and put them in a violl of glasse, in the said oyle, and boyle them ouer a soft fire nine houres, or set the said oyle in our Ladies baine, and when they haue thus boyled in the oyle, thou shalt adde vnto them of treacle two ounces, and let it boyle in the said oyle a quarter of an houre, then straine all of it, and kéepe the said oyle in a violl well closed and stopped with waxe, and parchment, and with it annoynt the sicke vnder the arme∣pittes, behinde the eares, on the breast, the pulses of the armes, the temples, and nosthrilles twice or thrice a day. This is a most excellent remedy, and of great force, as the aforesaid Authors testifie, who writes, that if this vn∣ction be applied sodainly to him that is sicke of the plague, before 24. houres be past he shal be deliuered, vsing the re∣medies aforesaide. The same Author likewise reporteth that this oyntment is of great effect: Take a glasse that containeth a pint and a halfe and more, fil it with oile that is old, in which oile you shal infuse of elder floures six litle handfuls, of the floures of walworth two handfuls, of the leaues and floures of Hipericon, or S. Iohns wort a hand∣ful, (but let the oile couer the hearbs, and be more in quan∣titie:) set this vessel closely luted in the sunne for the space of fortie dayes, or a whole summer, and reserue it to the

abouenamed vses to annoynt the sicke, as hath béen saide. But after you haue annoynted him, you must couer him close, for the oyle procureth sweate, and by such euacuati∣on causeth the venime to vapor outwardly: and, if to the said oyle you shal annex twenty or thirty scorpions, it wil be farre more excellent, if besides you adde two or thrée ounces of good treacle, and boyle them in our Ladies bayne, it will haue more force Sée here the best outward remedies that you may vse in this strange sicknesse.