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. 113. Of the Fistula.

AFstula is a deepe, hollow, crooked, mattering vlcer, and for the most parte commonly a great

deale straiter at the mouth then at the bottome, being ingendred in some wound, soare, bruise, or canker not throughly healed. The signes to know it are, the hollownesse of the soare, descending downewarde from the orifice, and the thinnesse of the matter which issueth from the same; besides, the crookednes which you shall finde in the vlcer when you search it. Now for the cure, according to the opinion of the ancient Farriers it is thus: first search the bottome thereof with a goose or swannes quill, or with a small rodde, well couered with fine linnen cloth; and ha∣uing found the bottome thereof, cut it so large with a razor that the matter may haue free passage downe∣wards; but take heed in launcing it, that you cut not any master sinew or maine tendant: then hauing stan∣ched the blood either with swines dung or such like, take of good hony a pint, of verdigease one ounce, & boyle them well together vpon a soft fire three quar∣ters of an howre; then hauing cleansed the soare by tying a taint of flaxe or fine linnen cloth to the point of your quill, with a threed draw it softly into the wound: then cut off your quill, or feather so long that you may take good hold in the neather end of the tent, which then shall come out at the bottome of your soare: then dip another tent in the aforesaid salue, and then with a needle & a thred, make fast your tent to your first clout at the vpper end thereof; then draw out your first tent downeward, so shal you draw your tent with the medicine easily into the wound, and your first tent will haue cleansed the soare very cleane; & if the matter do abound much, then it shall be good to dresse him twice a day, but you must not dresse him with this medicine, no more but one day,

and afterward you shal dresse him with this medicine following: Take of turpentine, of swine grease, of hony, and sheeps suet, of each a like quantity, & melt them together, and make a salue thereof, wherewith you shal dresse your horse foure daies for one day that you dresse him with your former medicine made of hony and verdigrease; and take heede that you make your tent of very soft linnen cloath, or fine flaxe, and let not your tent be too big after the first and second time dressing, but presently after the first dressing, you must couer the soare place, & round about the same, with this Pultus here following: First, take two gal∣lons of faire water, and hauing boyled and scummed it so long till you haue perfectly cleansed it of all cor∣ruption, then take two or three handfuls of mallowes, and as much of violet leaues, and two or three hand∣fuls of oat-meale, and hauing boyled all these 3. things well in your former prepared water, you shall adde thereto of hogges mort, and fresh butter, of each a pound: then shall you let it boyle so long till it be∣come thicke, like paste, or pap, and then apply it hot to the soare; and take heed that in opening this soare you let not any aire strike into it: and on the other side, that you keep it not too hot. And if this fistula be in the horses withers, you must take heede that you ty his head to the racke so as he may neitherly down, nor put his head lower then his manger: for if you suffer him to feede on the ground when he hath a∣ny grieuous soare in his withers, it shal hardly be pos∣sible euer to cure him; but if you perceiue the wound to heale apace, and that it matter but a little, then shall it be enough to dresse him once a day: and also it shall be good to take great heed that you make not

your tent too big, and see that you vse your Pultus till it be perfectly cured. Now there be others of the an∣cient Farriers which vse for this cure, first to search the depth of the fistula either with a quill, or with some other instrument of lead, which may be bowed euery way: for vnlesse you finde the bottome of it, it will bee very hard to cure: and hauing found the bottome, if it be in such a place as you may boldly cut and make the way open with a launcet or razor, then make a slit right against the bottome, so wide, that you may thrust in your fingar to feele whether there be any bone or else gristle perished, or spungy or loose flesh, which must bee gotten out; and then taint it with a taint of flaxe dipped in this oynt∣ment: Take of Mirre, of Aloes, and of Sarcocolla, of each one ounce, of good hony sixe ounces, and of verdigrease two ounces, and melt all these on a gentle fire, and make them into a salue; then being luke warme, dresse the taint therewith, and bolster the tent with a bolster of flaxe, and if it be in such a place as the tent cannot conueniently be kept in with a band, then fasten on each side the hole, two ends of a shooe-ma∣kers threed right ouer the bolster to keepe in the tent, which ends may hang there as two laces to ty and vn∣ty at your pleasure, renewing the tent euery day once vntill the soare leaue mattering, and then make the tent euery day lesser and lesser vntill it bee whole: for you shall vnderstand that this salue doth purge this fistula of putrifaction; incarnateth & breedeth flesh; conglutinateth, and eateth away all naughty flesh. Now when you haue done as afore∣said, then you shal close it vp by sprinckling thereon a little sleckt lime: but if the fistula bee in such a place

as a man can neither cut against the bottome, nor nigh the same: then there is no remedy but euery time you dresse it, to powre into it either through some quill, or by some small squirt or serring, some strong white copporas water, or some allome water, so that it may goe downe to the bottome, and drye vp the filthy matter: and this you must doe twice a day at least vntill it bee whole. Now there bee of our later Farriers which vse this cure, after they haue searcht the Fistula to the bottome, to take a pottle of white wine vinegar, of cam∣phaire halfe an ounce, of mercurie precipitate halfe an ounce, of greene treacl•• three ounces, of redde sage an handfull, of yarrow and rib-wort, of each an handfull, of hony halfe a pint, of boares grease halfe a pint; boyle all these together till a quart hee consu∣med, and with this you shall wash and cleanse the wound: then to heale vp the same, you shall take oyle of roses, virgin waxe, and rosen, of each a like quantity, of turpentine fiue ounces, of the gumme of Iuy and Deeres suet as much, boyle these together vnto a salue, and then dresse the soare therewith vn∣till it be whole, obseruing euer, both in this cure, and all the rest, that as soone you haue put in your tent, to clap a plaister ouer it of pitch, rosen, masticke, tur∣pentine, and hogs grease, molten together, which will both comfort the wound by taking away euill hu∣mors, and also keep in the tent from falling out Now if the fistula be in or about the head of the horse, then you shall take the iuice of houslicke, and dippe therein a locke of wolle, and put it into the horses eares, and it will stay the inflammation; but if it be ex∣vlcerated and broken, then you shall cut away all the

rotten and false flesh, and then bathe it well with the grounds of ale made warme, and then wipe the bloud cleane away: then take butter, rosen, and frankinsence a little, and boyle them altogether, and boyling hote powre it into the wound, & then clap on the plaister; do thus once a day till the horse bee whole. Now if there be any inflammation behind the horses eares, or that it grow to any impostumation in that place, then you shall boyle the roots of mallows in water till they waxe tender, then bruise them and straine out the wa∣ter cleane, & being warme apply it to the soare, and it will heale it. There be other Farriers, which for this g••nerall fistula vse as a preuention thereof, to take ho∣ny, and sheepes suet, and making it scalding hot, to scald the soare extreamely therewith, vpon the first swelling, and it will keepe the fistula that it shall not breed; but if it be bred, then you shall launce it in the neathermost part, and put into it as much Mercurie Sublimatum as a pease, being first abated with sallet oyle, and laid on with a feather; after that take of ver∣digrease foure penyworth, of vitriolle a halfe peny∣worth, or redde lead three penyworth; beate these together, and euery day wash the wound with cop∣poras water, made with copporas and Elder leaues in Sommer, and with the inner greene barke in Win∣ter; after the washing, take the powder, & put it on the soare, and after it drop on a little oyle. Other Farriers take the outermost greene shels of walnuts, and put thē in a tub, strowing 3. or 4. handfuls of bay salt vpon them, some in the bottom, some in the midst, & some on the top, & so keep them all the yeare; & when you will vse them, take a pint of them, & a little bay salt, & halfe a quarter of a pound of blacke sope, with halfe a

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spoonefull of May butter (& for want thereof other butter) and mixe and incorporate them together; and then spread it on the soare, or taint the sore there∣with; but two howres before you lay it on, annoynt the soare with Venice turpentine, and do thus till the fistula bee whole. Other Farriers take Vnguentum E∣gyptiacum (which is made of hony) a pint, vinegar halfe a pint, allome a quarterne of a pound, and ver∣digrease one ounce and an halfe; and seeth them al∣together till they be thick, and of a tawny colour; this is called Egyptiacum, and to make it the strongest way, is to put in of Mercurie Sublimatum one ounce made in powder, and of arsnicke two scruples, and boyle it together: with either of these, especially the strongest, dresse any fistula, canker, or foule old vlcer whatsoeuer, and it will kill it; and the weaker of these which wanteth the Mercury and the arsnicke, may bee applied to a fistula in the mouth of a horse. Other Farriers take of Sublimatum made into powder one ounce, the midst of well leauened bread slacke baked three ounces, of Nenin ten drams; mingle them to∣gether with a little rose water, and make tents there∣of, and dry them vpon a tile; and at your pleasure tent your fistula therewith, and it will assuredly kill it. Others take strong lye, hony, roach allome, and Mercury, and seeth them together: and squirt it into a fistula, and it will kill it at the bottome; and when you meane to dry vp a fistula, take redde wine, goats dung, and beane flowre, and seeth them together, and apply it to the fistula, and it will dry it vp. Now if you intend to sinke downe the swelling of a fistu∣la, first of all seare it with a drawing yron in this pro∣portion

[illustration]

, and then take rosen, sheepes suet, & brim∣stone,

and boyle them together, and lay it vpon a fistula very hot with a cloth: and it will sinke downe the swelling. It is also most excellent to take away a windgall if it bee laid on after the windgall is prickt, but not too hote, but very reasonable, and it will keep it also very cleane. There bee other Farriers which for a fistula take verdigrease, butter, and salt, melted together, and poure it scalding hote into the soare, and vse this till all the flesh looke redde; then taint it with verdigrease, burnt allome, wheate flowre, and the yelks of egges well beaten and mingled together: last of all, skinne it with barme and soote mixt together. Other Farriers take of that Resagallo that is made of orpiment, vnsleckt lime, and brimston, and it will kill a fistula being applied vnto the bottome; yet it is a strong corrosiue, and desireth much descretion in the administration.