purpose: others standing upright on their feet, and leaning on the post or pillar of the bed. But you must take diligent heed that you do not exhort or perswade the woman in travail to strive or labour to expel the birth before the fore-named signs thereof do manifestly shew that it it at haue. For by such labour or pains she might be wearied or so weakned, that when she should strive or labour, she shall have no power or strength so to do. If all these things do fall out well in the childe-birth, the business is to be committed to nature, and to the Mid-wife. And the women with childe must only be admonished that when she feeleth very strong pain, that she presently therewith strive with most strong expression, shutting her mouth and nose if she please, and it the same time let the Midwife with her hands force the infant from above downwards. But if the birth be more difficult and painful, by reason that the waters wherein the infant lay are ••lown out long before, and the womb be dry, this ointment following is to be prepared. ℞, but ••ri recent••s sine sale in aquà artemes••ae l••ti, ℥ii. mueaginis ficuum, semin. lini. & altheae, cum aqua salinae extrati••, an. ℥ ss. olei ••ilierum, ℥i. make thereof an ointment, wherewith let the Midwife often annoint the se∣cret parts. Also this powder following may be prepared. ℞. Cinnamom. cort. cassiae fistul. dictam∣ni an, ʒ i ss. sacch. albi ad p••udus omnium: make thereof a most subtil and fine powder. Let the wo∣man that is in extremity by reason of difficult and painful travail in childe-birth, take half an ounce thereof at a time, with a decoction of line-seed, or in white wine, for it will cause more speedy and easie deliverance of the childe.
Moreover let the Midwife annoint her hands with this ointment, following, as often as she putteth them into the neck of the womb, and therewith also annoint the parts about it ℞, clei ex seminibus lini, ℥ i ss. ol••i de castoreo. ℥ ss. galliae meschatae, ʒiii. ladani ʒi. make thereof a liniment. Moreover, you may provoke sneesing, by putting a little pepper or white helebore in powder into the nostrils. Line-seed beaten, and given in potion, with the water of Mug-wort and Savine, is supposed to cause speedy deliverance. Also the medicine following is commended for the same purpose. ℞. certicis cassiae fistul. conquassatae ℥ ii. cicer. rub. m ss. bulliant cum vino albo & aquà sufficienti, sub finem ad∣dendo sabinae ʒii. in celaturâ prodosi adde cinam. ʒ ss. crcci gr. vi. make thereof a potion, which being taken, let sneesing be provoked, as it is above-said, and let her shut or close her mouth and nostrils.
Many times it happeneth that the infant cometh into the world out of the womb, having his head covered or wrapped about with a portion of the secundine or tunicle wherein it is inclo∣sed, especially, when by the much, strong, and happy striveing of the mother, he commeth forth together with the water wherein it lieth in the womb, and then the Midwives prophesie o•• fore∣tell that the childe shall be happy, because he is born as it were with a hood on his head. But I suppose that it doth betoken health of body both to the infant and also to his mother; for it is a to∣ken of easie deliverance. For when the birth is difficult and painful, the childe never bringeth that membrane out with him, but it remaineth behinde in the passages of the genitals or secret parts, because they are narrow. For even so the Snake or Adder when she should cast her skin thereby to renew her age creepeth through some narrow or strait passage. Presently after birth, the woman so delivered must take two or three spoonfuls of the oil of sweet almonds extracted with∣out fire and tempered with sugar. Some will rather use the yelks of eggs with sugar, some the wine called Hyppocras, others cullises or gelly: but alwayes divers things are to be used, according as the Patient or the woman in childe-bed shall be grieved, and as the Physician shall give counsel, both to case and asswage the furious torments and pain of the throwes, to recover her strength and nourish her.
Throws come presently after the birth of the childe, because that then the veines (nature be∣ing wholly converted to expulsion) cast out the reliques of the menstrual matter that hath been suppressed for the space of nine months, into the womb with great violence, which because they are gross, slimy and dreggish, cannot come forth without great pain both to the veines from whence they come, and also unto the womb whereunto they go: also then by the conversion of that portion thereof that remaineth into winde, and by the undiscreet admission of the air in the time of the childe-birth, the womb and all the secret parts wil swel, unless it be preven∣ted with some digesting, repelling or mollifying oil, or by artificial rowling of the parts about the belly.