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THese Bees in their labour resemble much the common sort of honiebees, for they cease also from worke in the win∣ter time, & when it is foule weather. They intend not to labor, onles first the Beanes do bud, and hauing once begun, they cease
not so long as faire weather continueth, iust as Plinie doth write of the other bees. But herein they differ from the other, in that they cannot make anie freshe or newe honiecombes: but it must be made to their handes, by certeine other Apothecaries, which are skilfull in the same, & make the honiecombe after this sorte: They take two or three vnces of honiedeawe, whiche falleth from heauen vpon the Prophetical and Apostolicall beanes, & is commonlie called, Manna coeleste, or Drosomeli. It was wont to be found plentifullie in Cala∣bria, but nowe it is also in Germanie, En∣gland, and Fraunce: yea also verie rife in the Base countries. But this may they not by name put rawe in the hiue: for it would cause the Bees to haue a laske, and would all die of it. Therefore do they hate this excedinglie: insomuch that where they are conuersant, this heauenlie deawe is scarse and harde to bee founde. Therefore the Apothecaries must first temper this honnie deawe in this order: They let it be molten first by a whote fire of Sophi∣sticall seacoales, and after that they doe let it seethe more than the one halfe away, in a thicke and troubled muddie water,
which they haue drawen out of the Tiber at Rome, the Sene at Paris, or the Dilie at Louen: and beeing thus sodden, do still it in a clocke bell, or Doctors hood, so long and sufficient, till the naturall substance is cleane gonne, and that the Quinta es∣sentia by them bee drawen from it.
This Quinta essentia, they mingle with a plaster cake, which they make thus: Recipe halfe a pounde of blewe counsell, which let soke three dayes & three nightes in strong Romney or Bastard: or if you can not get Romney nor Bastard, then take of the best Vinum Theologicum, which is to bee got, or of that wine whiche the whore of Babylon was woont to giue kings and Princes to drinke. These coun∣cels thus soakte, and the stalkes and car∣nels pickt cleane away, you shall bruse or beate verie small in a Parisian morter, and ofter moysten them with strong Romishe durtie decres, straining it through a Spa∣nish cloute, or an Inquisition bowlter, and mixt with a little driuell of the olde Tea∣chers, and sturde together, you shall with waxe, wherewith the Bulles of Rome bee seald (so much as need requires) make it in a Plaister cake: which Plaister cake is
by the Apothecaries, named Pastillus, or Bolus fidei Romanae, and this cake a little besprinkeld and powred ouer with the forenamed Quinta essentia confected of the honnidewe, you shall set in the Bee∣hiue. For this is the honnicombe, and the foundation wheron the Bees labour. If so bee it, you can not make the same, you shall finde it to bee soulde at Trent, for there haue these bees Apothecaries for the space of two or three yeares ben gathered a long time together, to make so much of this hō∣ni combe, that it may suffice all the Bees in Europa, and is sould very good chepe. You may cause it to bee brought thence by the Pardoners, which commonly driue their Mules amongest the mountaines in Italie.
Tiber, Sene, and Dilie, are riuers so called