will not hurt, or exasperate the eye, to which it is applyed. Galen. cap. 4. lib. 4. comp. Medicam. local.
Butter is sometimes so rubbed and fretted in a leaden morter with a pestell of the same, till it acquire and obtaine the same colour, which is effectuall in curing the itch, and such distempers as require mitifi∣cation, and so the quality of the butter is not comunicated to the lead, but the quality of the lead to the butter, and so we way expect the like from other liquors and juices, fretted in the like matter and manner.
Confrication is a certaine remiss attrition,
by which such things as are easily pulverable, are levigated by the crumbling betwixt ones fingers, and such as are more solid by rubbing, as Ceruse, which assoone as it is rubbed, crumbles to powder, so that confrication and attrition, differ onely in more and lesse.
First, the roots, woods, and barks of trees,
are cut off with sawes and hatchets, and afterwards cut less to repose in shops, and after all reduced into fine powder, that they may serve to our use; bones, nailes, clawes, hornes, are also divided by the same instruments, that they may be sold by male piece, and now of late, rasped and shaved.
But this preparation made by Section may seeme remote from the Apothecaries purpose, since it rather hath respect to the seller, than the buyer: yet that more nimble Section, by which the unctious seeds of cucumbers, citrulls, mellons, pepons, pistakes, and such like, are excorticated by a knife, neerely concernes them.
Many roots stalkes and leaves of Plants are cut with a paire of sheeres before they be bruised. That they may be boyled for Medi∣camentall uses.
Tender hearbs are broken from their stalks by twineing and pul∣ling in the hand, but their dryer parts are not broken till they be ben∣ded together; Mineralls sometimes are fractured by a fall, oftner by tender knocks and percussions.
Many roots and stalks are cloven after the same manner that Coo∣pers cleave their twiggs,
but their thicker and harder parts are divided either with an axe, saw, or wedge and mallet.
Many roots are scraped, aswell to take away their barke,
as to purge them from their decayed parts, but wood and harder substances, as Box and Guaiacum, or those substances that are not so compa∣cted, as Lignum aloes, Sandalls, Boares-teeth, Harts-horne, Unicorne, and Rhenoceroes horne, Elkes clawes, and dryed yards and peezles, and many more are rasped, that they may transmit their force into humors by coction, and more easily be pulverated: Rhabarbe, Aga∣ricke, Ginger, Nutmeggs, and sugar are oftentimes abraded upon a grater, and sometimes Quinces (saith Sylvius) because by this means a greater quantity of juice is gotten out of them, than by bruising of them in a morter.
Metalls, especially are filed,
because otherwise they could