Of Hidebound.
HIdebound, is when the skin cleaveth so fast to the Horses back, that a man cannot pull it from the flesh with his hand, which Ruellius calleth Coriago; it cometh for the most part of poverty, or else when the Horse after some great heat hath been suffered to stand long in the rain or wet weather, for that will cause the skin to shrink, and to cling to his ribs. It is known by the lean∣ness of the Horse, and gantness of his belly, and by fast sticking of the skin unto the ribs when you pul at it with your hand. The cure, according to Martin, is thus: Let him bloud on both sides the belly in the flank veins betwix the flank and the girding place: that done, give him this drink; Take a quart of white Wine, or else of good Ale, and put thereunto three ounces of good Sallet Oil, of Cumin one ounce, of Annis seeds two ounces, of Licoras two ounces, beaten all into fine powder, and give it him lukewarm with a horn. And when he hath drunk, let one standing at his huckle bone, rub him hard with his hand along the back, and overthwart the ribs, the space of half an hour: that done, set him in a warm stable, and let him stand in litter up to the belly, and cover all his back and ribs with a sack first, throughly soaked in a tub of cold water, and then well and hard wrung, and over that cast another cloth, and gird it fast with a surcingle, stuffing him well about the back with fresh straw, continuing thus to do every day once the space of a week, during which time give him no cold water, but lukewarm, and put therein a little ground Mault. The wet sack will cause the back to gather heat it self, and the skin to loosen from the flesh, and if you will bestow more cost, you may anoint all his body with Wine and oil mingled together, according to the opinion of the old writers, which no doubt is a very comfortable thing, and must needs supple the skin, and loosen it from the flesh.