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. 51. Of the Itch, Scab, or Manginesse in the taile, or generall falling of the haire.

Horses through the corruption of bloud or the ful∣nesse of rancke feeding, or through ouer heating and labouring, or by the infection of other horses, do many times get the generall scab, itch, or manginesse in the taile; and sometimes in the spring time horses

are troubled with the truncheon wormes in their fundament, which will make them rub their tailes, & fret the haire, yet are free both from mange and scurfe; wherfore if then you only rake the horse with your hand annointed with sope, and pull out the wormes, you shall cause the horse to leaue his rubbing; but if you perceiue the haire to shed and fall from the taile, through some small wormes that growes at the rootes of the haire, or through some little fretting scurfe, then you shall annoint all the taile with sope euen to the ground, and then wash it with very strong lye af∣ter, and that will both kill the wormes, and scoure out the scurfe; but if much of the taile be fallen away, then you shall keepe the taile continually wet, with a sponge dipt in faire water, and that wil make the haire to grow very fast. Now if in the horses taile shall grow any canker, which will consume both the flesh and bone, and make the ioints to fall away one by one, then you shall wash all his taile with Aqua fortis or strong water made in this sort. Take of greene copporas and of allome, of each one pound, of white copporas a quarterne, boile all these together in three quarts of running water, in a very strong earthen pot vntill the one halfe be consumed; and then with a little of this water being made luke warme, wash his taile with a little clout, or flaxe bound to the end of a sticke, continuing so to do euery day once, vntill it be whole. But if as I said before, through the corrup∣tion of bloud, foode, or labour, this scabbe, itch, or manginesse, spread vniuersally into many parts of the taile, you shall then likewise wash it with the same strong water, vntill it be whole.