Markhams maister-peece, or, What doth a horse-man lacke containing all possible knowledge whatsoeuer which doth belong to any smith, farrier or horse-leech, touching the curing of all maner of diseases or sorrances in horses : drawne with great paine and most approued experience from the publique practise of all the forraine horse-marshals of Christendome and from the priuate practise of all the best farriers of this kingdome : being deuided into two bookes, the first containing all cures physicall, the second whatsoeuer belongeth to chirurgerie, with an addition of 130 most principall chapters and 340 most excellent medicines, receits and secrets worthy euery mans knowledge, neuer written of nor mentioned in any author before whatsoeuer : together with the true nature, vse, and qualitie of euerie simple spoken of through the whole worke : reade me, practise me, and admire me / written by Geruase Markham gentleman.

CHAP. 15. Of Feuers in generall, and the diuers kindes thereof.

THat horses haue feuers, and those feuers of diuers and sundry natures, there is nothing more cer∣taine, as by strict obseruation may daily be perceiued, especially when either we vse much trauell, or disor∣derly diet: for questionlesse from these two and none other heads do spring most feuers whatsoeuer. But first, that I may giue you an account what a horses fe∣uer is, you shall know that it is an vnnaturall and

immoderate heate, which proceeding first from the heart, disperseth it selfe not onely through all the ar∣teries, but euen the veines of a horses body, & there∣by hindereth all the actions and wholesome mouings of the same. Now of feuers, some Farriers make three forts: the first those which breede in the spirits, being inflamed and set on fire beyond the ordinary course of nature: the second those which breede in the humours, being likewise distempered by heate: and the third those which breed in the firme parts of the body, and are continually hot. Now I for your better memory, will diuide them onely into two parts, that is to say: Ordinary and extraordinary. The ordinary feuers are all those which are bred either in the spirits or in the humours, as namely: Quotidians, Tertians, Quartans, Feuers continuall, Feuers Hectique, Feuers in Autumne, Sommer, or Winter. And the feuers extraordinary are all those which are bred in the firme parts of the body, and are euer hot, as Pestilent Feuers, and the Plague, which euer are accompanied with vl∣cers; and the feuer accidentall, which proceedeth from the anguish and paine of some mortall wound.

Now for the causes from whence these feuers do proceede: you shall vnderstand that all these which I call ordinary feuers, do generally spring either from surfaite by extreme labour, or from surfaite by naugh∣ty meate, as raw pease, rawfitches, raw oates, mouldy and vnwholesome bread, and such like: sometimes they do proceede from the extreme violence and heate of the Sunnes beames, when trauelling with disorderly haste in the extremest heate of the day, those two heates mixing together, labor & the Sunne, there cannot chuse but be bredde in the horse some

mortall inflammation: and for mine owne part I haue seene horses fall downe dead in the high way: for whose deaths I could find no reason more then their labour and the heate of the Sunne. Feuers sometimes spring from a contrary cause, as from extreme cold in this maner: when a horse in the Winter time hath bene trauelled sore all the day, and is brought into the house hot, if after his bloud and inward powers are setled and cooled, you then presently or the same night, giue him cold water as much as he will drinke, you shall see him out of hand fall into an extreme quaking, and from that quaking, into a violent burning, with all other distemperatures of a Fe∣uer.

Now for extraordinary feuers, they euer proceede either from corruption of bloud, or from infection of the aire; and albeit these feuers are not vsually knowne vnto our Farriers, yet they are as common as the for∣mer; onely the violence of them is so great, and the poison so strong, that they euer carry with them some other mortall sicknes, as namely, Staggers, Yellowes, Anticor, and such like, which neuer are, but a pesti∣lent feuer euer goeth before them. And they, like the markes of the plague, are seldome seene till the cure be desperate; and then the vnskilfull Farrier, neither noting, nor knowing if he did note, the effects of the feuer, doth euer mis-baptise the name of the hor∣ses infirmity, and taking the lesser for the greater, failes many times to do the good office & cure which he intendeth.

Now the signes to know a feuer be these: first he will euer hold downe his head, he will quake and tremble; but when his trembling is past, then will

his body burne, and his breath be hot, he wil breathe fast, and his flanke will beate; he will reele, he will forsake his meate, his eyes will be swolne and closed vp, yet therewithall much watring; his flesh will, as it were, fall from his bones, and his stones will hang downe low, he will oft lye downe, and oft rise vp a∣gaine; all his desire will be to drinke, yet at no time drinke much; neither will he at any time sleep. Now for the generall cure of these generall feuers, you shall vnderstand, that some Farriers vse to let the horse bloud in the face, temples and palate of the mouth, and the first day to giue him no meate, but warme drinke onely, by a little at a time, and after, the finest grasse or finest hay wet in water, keeping him warme, and often walking him vp and downe in a temperate aire, and giuing him good store of litter; then when he begins to mend, to feede him with barley sodden, huskt and beaten as you do wheate before you make furmity. And this cure is not amisse, for it agreeth with the ancient experience of the Italians; but in our English horses (through the clyme as I suppose) it often faileth.

The best cure therfore that I haue found is, as soone as you perceiue him to begin to shake, to giue him the yolkes of three or foure egges, beaten with seuen or eight spoonefull of aqua-vitae to drinke; and then chase him vp and downe till his shaking be past, and then set him vp close and warme, and with many clothes make him sweate an howre: let his foode be oates very well dryed and sifted, and one day some washt in ale. If his shaking fit be past before you per∣ceiue his sicknesse, you shall onely giue him a pint of Muskadine, and an ounce of sugar-candy beaten to

powder, and brewd together, to drinke, and so let him rest, feeding him by little and little as aforesaid, and giuing him no water but such as is warme; and this order you shall obserue at the beginning of euery fit if you can note them, or else euery morning if his sicknesse haue no ceassing.