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Chap. 6. Of Electuaries.
PHysitians make more a quoil than needs behalf about Electuaries: I shall pre∣scribe but one general way of making them up, as for the Ingredients you may vary them as you please, and according as you find occasi∣on by the last Chapter.
- 1. That you may make Electuaries when you need them, it is requisite that you keep alwaies Herbs, Roots, Seeds, Flowers &c. ready dried in your House, that so you may be in readiness to beat them into pouder when you need them.
- 2. Your better way is to keep them whol than beaten, for being beaten they are the more subject to lose their strength, because the Air soon penetrates them.
- 3. If they be not dry enough to beat into pouder when you need them, dry them by a gentle fire till they are so.
- 4. Having beaten them, sift them through a fine Tiffany Searce, that so there may be no great picces found in your Electuary.
- 5. To on ounce of your Pouder, ad three ounces of clarified Honey, this quantity I hold to be sufficient; I confess Authors dif∣fer about it: If you would make more or less Electuary, vary your proportions accordingly.
- 6. Mix them well together in a Mortar, and take this for a truth, you cannot mix them too much.
- 7. The way to clarifie Honey is to set it o∣ver the fire in a convenient vessel till the scum arise, and when the scum is taken off it is cla∣rified.
- 8. The usual Dose of Cordial Electuaries is from half a dram to two drams, of purging Electuaries from half an ounce to an ounce.
- 9. The manner of keeping them is in a pot.
- 10. The time of taking them, is either in the morning fasting, and fasting an hour after them, or at night going to bed three or four hours after supper.