A most excellent and perfecte homish apothecarye or homely physik booke, for all the grefes and diseases of the bodye. Translated out the Almaine speche into English by Ihon Hollybush

¶Of disease in the eyen.

IF one haue disease in y^e eyen / the same cōmeth of y^e foure cōplexiōs:* 1.1 as namely / if they be moyst / y^t cōmeth of y^e blood / thesame his eyē ar heuy / & the filthinesse y^t cometh out of thē / is very vnclene / y^e veynes of y^e tēples greue him. If it be of read colera / then do his eyes smart him so sore / as though one dyd pricke hym into thesame wyth nedles / & they are very rede and hote.* 1.2 Fyrst loke the patient haue good sieges / and let him beware of thinges that are hote / and be quiet. Purge him his head with pil¦les de hiera picra: the first night let him take v. pilles / the second night vij. y^e thyrd night ix. thesame do purge his head. Pilles cochie do lykewyse / but of them must he take nomore / saue iij. at ones. Lette him eschue fleshe / but eate fishes without skales.

Thys collyrium folowynge is a medicine for the eyen:* 1.3 Take the whyte of egges / and beat them so long tyll they waxe so thyck / that if ye put a litle strawe there in / it standeth vpryght: than holde the dishe wherein thou do∣est beat it vpon the one syde / and lett the thynne runne out into some other vessell: to the same put as muche woman milke that sucketh a boye / and as muche water of roses / beate all these together / and wet a fyne linnen cloth therein / presse it oute a litle / and laye it vpon the eyes •• til it waxeth drye the / same slaketh the euell heate / and draweth it oute / and alayeth strayght∣waye the payne and smarte of the eyen. Do this euerye houre ones / and whan he will go to bed / then laye them cloth vpon hys eyen / and strake of thys confection wyth a fedder into hys eyen / thesame taketh awaye the smarte also. But it were verye good to laye firste the whyte of an egge and rose water to his nape of the necke.

Also if the head and eyes do ake / then make a foote bath / * 1.4 and lette hym sitte there in vntill aboue the calfe of the legge / couer hym well / that the vapor maye stryke vp to hys body / and chafe him / also rubbe him his legges

whyle he sitteth in the bath. After that take the whyte of egges / water of Roses and vinegre / of eche a lyke / and beat them together / then take a fyne linnen cloth / a span long / and a hand brode / dippe the same into it / and laye that vpon his necke: when the same waxeth drye / then lette him washe his fete in cold water / so that they be wet no farther / then the ankles / then lette him drawe them out agayne strayght waye / and let him lye doune vpon a bedde / and let the fete be vncouered / and then lay the collyrium vpon y^e eye / and this must he do in the morning / at none and at euen: thesame draweth out the euill heate / and alayeth te payne / and is oft tymes proued.

* 1.5The rote of Pilletory taken in the mouth in the morninge and at euen knawed / but not eaten / and then the mouth washed wyth halfe vinegre & halfe water: thesame draweth doune the heate through the mouth / and mi∣nisheth the heat in the head and eyes.

* 1.6But if the eyes remayne read / then take of that water that standeth in the leaues of wilde Tasill / and put that into the eyes: or els the water that droppeth out of the veynes in marche / when they be most communlye cutte and bound vp / put thereto the thyrde parte as muche whyte of an egge bea¦ten. Also if a read spott or a bloody marke dyd remayne in the eyes / thē take the whyte bladder / hauing at the yolke of an egge / called the chycken / put that in the eye in the morning and euen.

* 1.7If a pore body hath weake eyen or sight / wilt thou kepe them that they waxe no worse / take the tounge of a foxe / & hange the same about his neck / and so longe it hangeth there / shall not the sight waxe feable nor weake / as sayth Pliny. Lykewyse doth it also to him / that eateth or knaweth euerye morninge fastinge fyue or sixe sedes of Iuniper / and holdeth the nethermost lippe aboue the vpper / and holdinge his hande before his mouth / bloweth / and receyueth the breth into his eyen.

* 1.8For spottes in the eyen / take the herbe Veruayne wyth his rote & hole the substance / tye the same about thy throte / and weare it / vntill the spottes perishe and fayde: the herbe maye be sowed with a linnen cloth aboute the necke.

* 1.9If one were spurre blinde / which also is caused by superfluous humidi∣tye of the head / when the veynes of the syght are stopped wyth payne / & yet are the eyes fayre and clere / so that a mā can not perceyue he is spurr blind / wythout one do take good hede. At the last getteth he many syckely & we∣ke veynes or spottes about the forhead. The appel or ball of the eye of some men doth breake / so that the innermost of them doth rotte / and the sighte of the eye perisheth: the same also haue oft payne in the heade. But this disease do lightely gret women whose floures fayle before it be tyme / and specially women that haue colde heades. If thys were loked to otherwhyles / a man might well be holpen / wyth geuing a quarter of an vnce of Iera pirra that he were purged: he muste beware also of thynges that cause euell humores and of inordinate meatinge or drinkinge.

* 1.10If a mans eyen do runne of superfluous humiditye / then laye Walnut leaues in colde water / and to bedwarde shake the leaues that the water a∣uoyde from the leaues / and laye one of them vpon the one eye: and when it waxeth drye / laye an other vpon it / the same draweth the euill moysture

and heate out of it / and clenseth the eyen.

He that hath a dymme syght / let hym take the water of Dandelion or of Cicory / and put thesame into his eyen / and they shall waxe clere.* 1.11

He that hath read or running eyen / let him take the water that stādeth in the wilde Tasill leaues / or els water of the vynestock / the weyght of half an vnce / & the weight of ten cornes or greynes of whyte Amber:* 1.12 put y^e same into a glasse / and let it stande viij. dayes before ye occupy it / shake or stere it euery daye thre or foure tymes in the daye: the elder it is / the better is it.

The rote of Veruin or cut Malow / called in Latin Alcea / hāged about the neck / driueth awaye spottes and blemishes of the eyen / whether it be in a man / or horse / as I Ierome of Brunsweig / autor of this treatise / haue sen my selfe.* 1.13 I haue also myself done it to a blind horse / y^t was first bought for x. crounes / & was sold agayn for xl. crounes / the which was hanged the roote about the neck / & gaue him the herbe chapped wyth his meat or prouander.

He that hath gotten dust or such other thynge into hys eyen / let him lye vpon his back / & let him put into his eyē iij. or iiij. sedes of Clary / let him cle∣se his eyen / & than do they rolle about into the eyen / and drawe y^e dust with them.* 1.14 This is proued by the wild clary / called communly Oculus Christies sede / that it doth so. The stones also founde in the mawe of swalowes / and specially yonge ones / do lykewyse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Disease of the eyen.
• * 1.2

  The cure
• * 1.3

  Collyri∣um that is a medi¦cin for so¦re eyes.
• * 1.4

  A bath for sore eyes.
• * 1.5

  Experi∣ence.
• * 1.6

  Reed ey∣es.
• * 1.7

  VVeke eyen or syght.
• * 1.8

  Spottes ī the eyē.
• * 1.9

  Spurre blinde.
• * 1.10

  Runnige eyen.
• * 1.11

  Dymme syghte.
• * 1.12

  Read or running eyen.
• * 1.13

  Spottes or blemi¦shes ī the eyen.
• * 1.14

  Duste in the eyen