The workes of that famous chirurgion Ambrose Parey translated out of Latine and compared with the French. by Th: Johnson

CHAP. XLIV. Of Fuci, that is, washes, and such things for the smoothing and beautifying of the skinne.

THis following discourse is not intended for those women which ad∣dicted to filthy lust, seek to beautifie their faces, as baits and allurements to filthy pleasures: but it is intended for those onely, which the better to restraine the wandring lusts of their husbands, may endevour by art to take away those spots and deformities which have happened to fall on their faces either by accident or age.

The colour that appeares in the face, either laudible or illaudible, abundantly * 1.1 shewes the temper both of the body, as also of those humours that have the chiefe dominion therein: for every humour dyes the skinne of the whole body, but chief∣ly of the face, with the colour thereof: for choler bearing sway in the body, the face lookes yellowish; phlegme ruling, it lookes whitish or pale; if melancholy exceed, then blackish or swart; but if blood have the dominion, the colour is fresh and red. Yet there are other things happening externally which change the native colour of

the face, as sun burning, cold, pleasure, sorrow, feare, watching, fasting, paine, old diseases, the corruption of meats and drinks: for the flourishing colour of the cheeks is not onely extinguished by the too immoderate use of vinegar, but by the drinking of corrupt waters the face becomes swolne and pale.

On the contrary, laudible meats and drinks make the body to bee well coloured and comely, for that they yeeld good juice, and consequently a good habite. There∣fore if the spots of the face proceed from the plenitude and ill disposition of hu∣mours, the body shall bee evacuated by blood-letting: if from the infirmity of any principall bowell, that must first of all bee strengthened; but the care of all these things belongs to the Physitian: we here onely seek after particular remedies which may smooth the face, and take away the spots, and other defects thereof, and give it a laudible colour.

First the face shall be washed with the water of lilly flowers, of bean flowers, wa∣ter * 1.2 lillies, of distilled milke, or else with the water wherein some barly or starch hath bin steeped. The dryed face shall be anointed with the ointments presently to be described; for such washing cleanseth and prepareth the face to receive the force of the ointments, no otherwise than an alumed lye prepares the haires to drinke up and retaine the colour that wee desire. Therefore the face being thus cleansed and prepared, you may use the following medicines, as those that have a faculty to beautifie, extend, and smooth the skinne: as,

℞. gum. tragacanth. conquass. ʒ ii. distemperentur in vase vitrio cum lb ii. aquae com∣munis, * 1.3 sic gummi dissolventur, inde albescet aqua. Or else, ℞. lithargyri auri, ℥ ii. cerus. & salis com. an. ℥ ss. aceti, aquae plantag. an. ℥ ii. caphur. ʒ ss. macerentur lithargyros & cerusa in aceto seor sim per tres aut quatuor hor as, sal vero & camphora in aqua qua•• insti∣tuto tuo aptam delegeris: then filter them both severall, and mixe them together be∣ing so filtred, when as you would use them.

℞. lactis vaccini, lb ii. aranciorum & limon. an. nu. iv. sacchari albissimi, & alum. roch. an. ℥ i. distillentur omnia simul: let the lemmons and oranges bee cut into slices, and then be infused in milk, adding thereto the sugar and alome; then let the mall be distilled together in balneo Mariae; the water that comes thereof will make the face smooth and lovely. Therefore about bed time it will be good to cover the face with linnen cloaths dipped therein. A water also distilled of snailes gathered in a vine-yard, juice of lemmons, the flowres of white mullaine, mixed together in equall pro∣portion, with a like quantity of the liquor contained in the bladders of elme leaves, is very good for the same purpose. Also this,

℞. mica panis albi, lb iv. flor. fabar. rosar. alb. flor. naenuph. lilior. & ireos, an. lb ii. lactis vaccini, lb vi. ova. nu. viii. aceti opt. lb i. distillentur omnia simul in alembico vi∣treo, & fiat aqua ad faciei & manuum lotionem. Or, ℞. olci de tartaro, ℥ iii. mucag. sem. psilii, ℥ i. cerus. in oleo ros. dissolut. ℥ i ss. borac. sal. gem. an. ʒ i. fiat lintmentum pro fa∣cie. Or. ℞. caponem vivum, & caseum ex lacte caprino recenter confectum, limon. nu. iv. ovor. nu. vi. cerus. lot. in aq. rosar. ℥ ii. boracis, ℥ i ss. camph. ʒ ii. aq. flor. fabar. lb iv. fi∣at omnium infusio per xxiv. horas, postea distillentur in alembico vitreo.

There is a most excellent fucus made of the marrow of sheepes bones, which * 1.4 smooths the roughnesse of the skinne, beautifies the face; now it must be thus extra∣cted. Take the bones, severed from the flesh by boyling, beat them, and so boyle them in water, when they are well boyled, take them from the fire, and when the water is cold, gather the fat that swimmes upon it, and therewith anoint your face when as you goe to bed, and wash it in the morning with the formerly prescribed water.

℞. salis ceruss. ʒ ii. ung. citrin. vel spermat. ceti, ℥ i. malaxentur simul, & fiat lini∣mentum, * 1.5 addendo olci ovor. ʒ ii. The Sal cerussae is thus made, grinde Cerusse into ve∣ry fine powder, and infuse lb i. thereof in a pottle of distilled vinegar for foure or five dayes, then filter it, then set that you have filtred in a glased earthen vessell over a gentle fire untill it concrete into salt, just as you doe the capitellum in making of Cauteries.

℞. excrementi lacert. ossis saepiae, tartari, vini albi, rasur. corn. cerv. farin. oriz. an. partes aequales, fiat pulvis, infundatur in aqua distillata amygdalarum dulcium, limacum

vinealium, flor. nenuph. huic addito mellis albi par pondus: let them be all incorpora∣ted in a marble mortar, and kept in a glasse or silver vessell, and at night anoint the face herewith; it wonderfully prevailes against the rednesse of the face, if after the a••ointing it you shall cover the face with a linnen cloath moistened in the formerly described water.

℞. sublim. ʒ i. argent. viv. saliv. extinct. ʒ ii. margarit. non perforat. ʒ i. caph. ʒ i ss. incorporentur simul in mortario marmoreo, cum pistillo ligneo, per tres horas ducantur & fricentur, reducanturque in tenuissimum pulverem, confectus pulvis abluatur aqua myrti & desiccetur, servetur{que} ad usum, adde foliorum auri & argenti, nu. x. When as you would use this powder, put into the palme of your hand a little oile of mastick, or of sweet almonds, then presently in that oyle dissolve a little of the described pow∣der, and so work it into an ointment, wherewith let the face be anointed at bed-time: but it is fit first to wash the face with the formerly described waters, and againe in the morning when you rise.

When the sace is freed from wrinkles and spots, then may you paint the cheekes * 1.6 with a rosie and flourishing colour; for of the commixture of white and red ariseth a native and beautifull colour: for this purpose take as much as you shall thinke fit of brasill, and alchunet; steep them in alume water, and there with touch the cheeks and lips, and so suffer it to dry in: there is also spanish red made for this purpose; others rub the mentioned parts with a sheeps skinne died red: moreover the friction that is made by the hand onely, a pleasing rednesse in the face, by drawing thither the blood and spirits.

Notes

• * 1.1

  As the colour of the skin is, such is the humour that is thereun∣der.
• * 1.2

  Waters where∣with to wash the face.
• * 1.3

  Compound li∣quors where∣with to wash the face. Virgins 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.4

  The marrow of sheeps bones good to smooth the face.
• * 1.5

  How to mak•• Salcerussae.
• * 1.6

  How to paint the face.