To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
IN curing and preserving from the Plague, great is the use of the El∣der. A little sponge being wet in Vinegar of the Elder, and carried in a hollow globe made of Juniper-wood, and smell it, it mightily strengthen∣eth the spirits against the impression of the infectious contagion.
Red hot bricks, being besprinkled
with this Vinegar, and a vapor raised, it doth dissipate the contagious viru∣lency, so that it cannot insinuate it self in mens houses and cloths. By what means it may be indued with an Antilemick force more efficacious, shall appear by what I will now say.
Rob of the Elder and the extract prepared of it, here are excellent: The first whereof is named by many. The Country-mans Theriack, of which each week to swallow the bigness of a Walnut, and drink above it its proper Vinegar, and so to sweat in bed, is a commonly received preservative. This may be fitly used by those who are in∣fected with the Plague, especially if you mix with it some of the anti-pe∣stilential powders; or at least drink above it three or four spoonfuls of Antilemick Vinegar of the Elder.
The same Rob chiefly it that is most recent, being spread more thickly on a shive of bread, and eaten an hour or two before your meat, loosneth the belly; in whose place you may give a
spoonful or two of the syrup of the juice of the berries.
It is enough to swallow sometimes in a morning before you go out the greatness of a pease of the extract.
Macerate the roots 24 hours in Elder vinegar, afterwards dry them at lea∣sure, and being powdered by them∣selves, add the leaves of Scordium, and berries of Juniper, likewise in powder; mix them all together, and with the Vinegar that remained be∣sprinkle them, and work them most exactly with a pound of Rob Sambu∣ci, in form of an opiat: Of which give
to the infected person two drachms in a convenient liquor, to provoke sweat, and thrust out the poyson from his heart. Of which also besprinkled with the spirit of Elder, you may pre∣pare the extract that is set down in the second Section and first Chapter of this Book. The dose given to the infected is one scruple or drachm in convenient liquor.
The spirit of the Elder by it self is here very powerful, both in preser∣ving, a few drops thereof being taken with a little white bread in a morn∣ing, and likewise in the beginning of the disease, a spoonful or two being taken thereof before the feverish heat be powerful.
But that spirit is far more noble, which is drawn off by an Alimbeck in the preparation of the Antilemick extract; seeing from the volatile es∣sence of those Bezoartick simples it hath carried much with it. Or at least infufe those simples in the spirit of the Elder; & being macerated therein
for a few days, let it be strained, for the Antilimbeck spirit of the Elder, whose vertues in curing and preser∣ving cannot be praised enough.
By the same Alexitaries, and chief∣ly by the roots of Angelica and Juni∣per-berries, if the red Elder-vinegar of my description be impregnat with them, it becomes Antilemick Elder-vinegar; which is not only a vehicle to other Alexipharmacal Me∣dicaments, but moreover it may be taken by it self, when the intense heat and fever will not admit of the spirit, or other more hot medicines.
Some drops of the spirit of Elder∣salt given in the broth of flesh is a preservative.
Neither is it unwholsom, if once or twice a week in the morning, an hour or two before dinner, a cup full of the wine prepar'd of the berries be taken but remember to take before it a lit∣tle broth; for it loosneth the belly, hindreth putrefaction, and by reason of the Bezoartick vertue of the ber∣ries,
it preserveth the body from con∣tagion.
At supper drink a cup full of the wine prepared of the dried berries, which strengtheneth the stomach.
Some greatly commend in the Pleague this oyl.
Take the flowers of the Elder, fill therewith a Cucurbit, or a more am∣ple Glass, to the middle; strew upon them Marsh Mallows, and tops of Hy∣pericon, of each so much as only the fourth part of the Glass shall remain empty; powre thereon so much sweet clear Oyl-Olive as will cover the flowers; close exactly the mouth of the Glass sigillo hermetico, or lute it; and through all Summer or for three months set it in the Sun, that the heat of the Sun may draw the vertues out of the flowers into the oyl; then having strongly pressed the flowers, strain the oyl, and being purified by
setling, reserve it in a well closed ves∣sel; unto each ounce of which, before you use it, add a scruple of Sal Ni∣tre.
Some prepare it suddenly thus, They take the oyl of infused Elder-flowers, as much as is necessary, in it they im∣merge the flowers of the Marsh Mal∣lows and Hypericon, and boil them together in Bal. Mar. for some hours; afterwards they express strongly the flowers, and strain it; in the strained oyl they immerge recent flowers, boil them, press them, and strain them; and afterward add Nitre.
The way of using it is this; The whole body of the infected person within 24 hours is to be anointed with this oyl warm, and being wrapt in warm sheets, he is to be laid in a warmed bed to sweat; for they af∣firm that it is proved, that by this on∣ly remedy many have safely escaped the fierceness of this poison: which unction, as it is not disapproved, seeing it openeth the pores of the skin, and
by them draws out and dissipates the pestilential infection and malignity, and by consequence is used commodi∣ously, not only in the plague and pesti∣lential fevers, but also in other malig∣nant and chiefly spotted fevers: So we are to be very wary, lest in this sharp and dangerous disease, we ne∣glect to use the internal Bezoarticks & Alexiterix already mentioned; but rather ought to join them with these, that with united forces both ways, in∣ternally and externally, they may vanquish the malignity.
It seems this hath come from the Egyptians, of whom Alpinus in his 4 Book and 15 Chapter relates, that they use this medicine in pestilential fevers, in which the spots are either begun to appear, with great profit, at least once a day using this hot lina∣ment, after which, without delay, they cover the feverish with many cloths, endeavouring to draw the poi∣sonous humor from the bowels to the skin.
Lest the diseased in sweating alto∣gether faints, we ought to hold of∣ten to his nose a sponge dipt in the Antilemick Vinegar of the Elder; for this Vinegar doth powerfully dis∣sipate these narcotick vapours, and recreate the strength. It is likewise to be applyed to the temples with linnen cloths.
To ease the heat and thirst you are oft times to give to the diseased, in and after his sweat, some spoonfuls of the Julap which is set down in the Cure of burning fevers; or prepare this acetous syrup of the Elder, which in provoking sweat, in resisting putre∣faction and contagion, in strengthen∣ing the heart and other intrails, is far more excellent than the common ace∣tous syrup, by reason of the Alexite∣rous vertue of the Elder.
The syrup being cold, let it be kept in a galli-pot; of which give oft some spoonfuls by it self, or dissolve it in the distilled water of Burrage, sweet Ro∣ses, Elder, Scabious, or such like.
Apply to Buboes pestilential, and Carbuncles, a Plaster made of the meal of Elder-flowers and Hony, which is excellent in ripening these tumors.
Or take of the oyl more special,
which just now was set down, Of crude Hony, of each half an ounce; of Salt Ammoniac drach. 1. of the Meal of the flowers and leaves of the Elder, of each as much as sufficeth, let them all be exactly wrought, till they become like a plaster.
Some apply the feces of the flowers macerated in oyl, and press it out, which they call Stymma.
Some rost Onions under the ashes, and pound them, and mix them with the Rob of the Elder, and apply them as a Cataplasm to the risings of the skin.
Amongst other vesiccatories, which is applied happily to these contuma∣cious lumps, the famous Sennert. re∣cites these following.
Take of Mustard-seed, of middle Elder-bark, equal parts, pound them with Vinegar in form of a Cataplasm which is to be spread on a white lin∣nen cloath.
Or,
Let them be pounded and applied, having first anointed the place round about with Theriack.
The Apostume being open, and be∣come an ulcer, a linament made of hony and the juice of Elder-leaves is to be applied; which every day, twice a day, being put in with lint tents, it dighteth away the quittous, and mun∣difies the ulcer: the oyl pressed out of the berries kernels, and mixt with the third and fourth part of Turpen∣tine oyl, is much praised. See the rest in the Cure of Ulcers.