The treasurie of commodious conceits, and hidden secretes Commonlie called The good huswiues closet of prouision, for the health of her houshold. Meete and necessarie for the profitable vse of all estates. Gathered out of sundry experiments, lately practised by men of great knowledge: and now newly corrected, and inlarged, with diuers necessary phisicke helpes, not impertinent to euery good huswife to vse in her house amongst her own famelie.

A perfect way to cure the loathsome disease of the French Pockes, paines in the ioints, lamenesse of limmes, palenesse of collour, lothsome scabbes, or any other filthy dis∣ease proceeding of superfluous or euil hu∣mours, as also to asswage ouer grosse and foggie fat bellies, and that without danger Chap. 95.

FIrst, it is needfull to prouide for the sicke bodie a close and cleane chamber, out of all grose aire, and cleane warme garmentes, both for body and legges, and at rising and going to bed, a fire of Charecoales, for wood is not wholsome, for smoking: also they must not be troubled with any thing to bring them out of patience, for that corrupteth the blood, which must be new altered: also the sicke bodie muste eate but litle meate, and that kind of meate as shall hereafter be prescribed, and at such times as shall be appointed, and let the sicke body vse plaieng on some Instrumentes, or heare some plaieng, or tell merie tales, and haue no compa∣nie of women, for that is a most dangerous poi∣son for the health of any person in that case.

Secondly, you must prepare two brasse pots or els yron, one being foure gallons, the other sixe gallons, one for strong drink, the other for small drinke: also, ye must haue close couers to them of b••asse or yron, you must also prepare good earthen vessels, with close couers to keepe your drinke in, of both sortes by themselues: al∣so, you must haue a Strainer of a searce cloath, to straine your drinke after it is decoct, Instru∣mēts to take out dead flesh, and to search a sore, and a syring to cleanse any sore being deep, with the same drinke. Also, you must haue a wood∣den vessell to bathe the sicke body in, at such times as hereafter shall be appointed. Also, you must prepare cleane cloathes to drie the sicke body after a sweat, being warmed well first: o∣ther Instruments you shall need none, but only your wood raped small, or turned, and the bark of the wood pounded in a Morter, and the drugs also small, and your water which you shall de∣coct, the same must be of a good Conduit or run∣nin brook, verie clean without any kind of filth, Chalk water is good.

Thirdly, for your strong drink, ye must take your pot of foure gallons, and set it on a fire of coales, with foure gallons of the faire run∣ning water, then put into the same one pound and a halfe of your wood, small raped, or turned at the Turners, but when you doo buy your wood, see it be not olde, and lacke moisture, this

triall is best, take a litle cole burning, and lay it on the blocke before it be raped, and if it be good it will boyle vp on euery side of the coale, like Myrthe: Then put thereto one ounce or a litle more of the barke of the same wood, made in small powder, then take a quarter of a pound of Cummin seeded put whole into the same, and one half quarter of an ounce of Radix and Ru∣barbe, and then stop your pot fast, and lay paste about the couer, and so fast that no aire come out, then seeth it on a soft fire, but euer keepe it boyling, & let it boyle at the least eight houres, then set it by, and vnstop it not vntill it be cold, then take your Searce, and strain it into a fair carthen potte, and couer it close: The sicke bodie muste drinke of this but one draughte luke warme in the morning, and one other at night.

Fourthlie, you must take your pot of sixe Gallons, and put in it sixe Gallons of running water, and one pound of the wood raped, and a quarter of Cummin seedes, and decoct it in all kinde of thing euen as the other, being close stopped, and when it is colde, straine it into an earthen vessell or vessels: and that must the par∣tie drinke at meale, and at all other times when he list to drinke, and spare not, but draw it by.

Fiftly, the sick body must be kept very warm and not rise out of bed before eight of the clocke,

and then eate a dozen or twenty Reisins of the Sun. & no bread, but a draught of strong drinke warm, and about eleuen of the clock, let the sick bodie eate a litle meat, as may suffise nature, & what meat, it shal be here after shewed: then let the sicke body walke somewhiles in his chāber, or read some booke, or play on instrumentes, to keep him from sleeping: then at six of the clocke at night a dozen Reisins of the Sun, & nothing els but a draught of strong drink warmed.

Sixtly, giue to the Patient to eate, these meats following, Chicken, Partridge, Fesant, Hen, Capon, Rabbet, Conie, Veale, Mutton, & none other, nor any salt, nor leauened breade, nor Rie bread, and very seldom roasted, but boyled in water, & no broth nor porredge, nor any kind of sauce: if the sick body haue roste, let it be but euery third meale, and no kinde of fish, milke, or fruites, Reisins excepted.

Seuenthly, once in three daies, for the first 9. daies in the morning let the sick body drinke a good draught of the strong drinke somewhat warme, & then lay very many cloathes on him, till he sweat, for the space of two howres: then ease some of the cloathes, and haue warmed lin∣nen cloathes, & rub al the body drie ere he rise, if hee haue any sores that bee deepe, wash the sore with strong drinke, and with a searce, and dip a litle cloath in the strong drink, and lay it to the sore, whether it be sore or knobs.

Eightlie, after nine or ten daies be past, once in three daies let the sicke body bee bathed on this sort. Set faire running water on the fire, and put thereto a great deale of ground Juie leaues, and redde Sage and Fennell also, and by a good fire, when the sicke bodie is going to bed, put the water and hearbes in a vessell of wood, and let the sicke body stand upright in it, by the fire, and take up the hearbes, and rush the body of the sicke. Patient downwards, and then drie him with warme cloathes: vse this three weekes, and by the grace of God the sicke bodie shall be made whole, whatsoeuer hee bee: then if the partie be verie weake, after nine or ten of the first daies, let him eat euerie day at foure of the clocke in the after noone, a new layd Egge, potched in faire water, and as much new bread as will suffice nature, and a litle cleane wine. Use this diet with good regard, as before is pre∣scribed, and (by the grace of God) they shall bee perfectly cured of the diseases aboue mentioned.