Every woman her own midwife, or, A Compleat cabinet opened for child-bearing women furnished with directions to prevent miscarriages during the time of breeding, and other casualties which usually attend women in child-bed : to which is annexed cures for all sorts of diseases incident to the bodies of men, women and children.

CHAP. V.

NOw having received the fume as aforesaid, before you go forth of your chamber, eat some Cordial electuary or pre∣servative, as hereafter you shall find choise, which I have alwais used with good and happy success, after taking of the Cordial wash your face and hands with clean water, wherein you must put a little Vinegar, and then if you list, you may break your fast wirh some good bread and butter, and in winter season a potch'd Egg is good eaten with some Vinegar, and for pletho∣rick

and melanchole bodies, it were good to drink a draught of wormewood wine, in the morning fasting, because it resist∣eth putrefaction in the plethorick, and purgeth bilous matter in the melancholie.

An excellent good preservative which I have alwaies used with good successe.

℞. Conserve of Roses and Borrage floures, of either two ounces: Minardus Mithridate, Andromachus triacle, of either half an ounce: Dioscordium, two drachms, Dialkermes one drachme, Powder of the seed of Citrons pilled, one drachme, Sirrup of Lemons and sower Citrons, of either halfe an ounce.

Compound all these together in the form of an opiat, you may eat hereof every morning the quantity of three beanes, and drink a draught of Rennish wine, Beer, or Ale after it: but for Children and such as are of tender years, so much as a bean thereof is sufficient, and give them onely Beer or Ale af∣ter it: the taking hereof every second or third day will suffice, if you go not into any suspected company.

Another excellent good preservative.

℞. Kernils of Wallnuts and Figs, of either four ounces: Leaves of Rue, one ounce and half, Tormentill roots, four drachms, Rind of sowr Citrons, one drachme, right Bolar∣moniak, six drachms, fine Myrrh, two scruples, Saffron, one scruple, Salt, half a drachm: Sirrup of Citrons and Lemons, four ounces.

The hearbs, roots, and rinds must be dried, the nuts must be blanched, and the bolarmoniack must be made in fine powder, and then wash'd in the water of Scabios, and dried againe, you must pound the figgs and wallnuts in a stone morter severally by themselves very small, and the rest must be made in fine pow∣der, and so mix them altogether in the morter, and then add thereto sirrup by little and little, and so incorporate them al∣together: you may give this in the same quantity, and in like sort as the other before.

Another very good.

℞. Of the confection aforesaid made with Nutts ℥. iiii. Minardus mithridate, four drachms, Andromachus Triacle, ʒ ii. fine terra Sigillata, four scruples, Sirrup of Limons, ℥. i.

Compound all these together in the morter, as the other be∣fore, you may give hereof the weight of a groat or six pence, every second or third day, and drink a draught of Rennish or white wine after it in Winter season, but in the heat of the yeer, Sorrel water is best, and in the Spring Scabios or Car∣duus Benedictus water.

Also, so much Triacle of Andromachus description eaten every morning as a bean, with a little conserve of Roses, is a very excellent good preservative.

Valetius doth greatly commend the taking of three or four grains of the Bezar stone every morning, in a spoonfull of Sca∣bios water.

I cannot here sufficiently commend the Electuarie called Dioscordium, which is not onely good to resist the infection, but doth also expell the venemous matter of those which are infected, being taken every morning and evening the quan∣tity of a bean, and drinke a draught of Rennish or White wine after it in winter season, but in Summer a draught of Beer or Ale is best.

In strong and rusticall bodies, and such as are dayly labou∣rers, Garlick onely eaten in the morning with some Butter and Salt at breakfast, drinking a cup of beer or ale after it, hath been found to be very good, which is greatly commen∣ded by Galen, who calleth it the poor mans Triacle, but in the sanguine, daintie, and idle bodies it may not be used, because it over-heateth the bloud, causeth head-ach, and uni∣versally inflameth the whole body.