Nine books of physick and chirurgery written by that great and learned physitian, Dr Sennertus. The first five being his Institutions of the whole body of physick: the other four of fevers and agues: with their differences, signs, and cures.

CHAP. VI. Of Emollients, Relaxing, Rarfying. &c.

EMollients are those things which power our that which is concreate, * 1.1 such are those things which neither are very hot nor exceeding dry; many hot in the second degree, and something moist, and moreover having a clammy or em∣plastick force, such as are the Leaves and Roots of Mallowes, and Marsh Mallowes, the Roots of white Lillies, Orach, English Mercury, the Seed of Mallowes Sesami, (a white graine growing in India) Flax, Fenugreeke, Marsh mal∣lowes, Fat Figs, Simple Oiles, the Fat of Hens, Sowes Fat, Calves, Kidds, Sheeps Fat, and such like, almost all Mar∣rowes, fresh Butter, Wax, Pitch, Rosin, Bdellium, Amoni∣ack, Storax melted, Ladanum, Galbanum.

To these are opposed hardning and binding things, * 1.2 which are cold and moist, Sengreen or life everlasting, purslan, Fleawort, Ducks-meat Night-shade.

Things loosening are compared to those things which bind, which joyning together humors contrary to nature, become hard, and are especially those which when certaine matter, or a vapour or Wind fills the space of the parts, and extends them, rarifies them, and attenuates and discusses an unsavory spirit and matter, such are those things that are mo∣derately hot, moisten more largely, and are of a thinner substance, that they easily penetrate and are not hindred by thicknesse, as Lillies, Oile of Camomil, Flaxseed, Fenu∣greek, Fats, Butter, Greazy wool and such like.

Condensing things, * 1.3 are of a more watry nature and con∣tract more weakly, and moreover they close the thin and ex∣ternall Pores, they contract and condense, but they cannot contract the whole part on every side, and powerfully, such are cold water, Purslan, Sengreen, Fleawort, Mouse-eare,

Ducks meate, Thistles, green Houseleek, the greater and the lesser.

Stiptick things are cold and astringent, * 1.4 and of a thick sub∣stance, for being applyed externally, by their thicknesse they stop the pores, and by their frigidity and siccity they contract the part and close them into one another, of that kind are those which are otherwise called binding (or astringent) the Barks of Pomegranates, Frankinsence, Mirobolanes, the Roots of Tormentill, Rhubarbe Torrified, Plantine, Horse∣taile, little double Dazies Blood-wort, or Wall-wort, the Floures of Pomegranates, Flowers of Roses, Sorrell; seeds; as of Plantine, Roses, Purslan, Ciprus-nuts, Mirtles, Quin∣ces, Pares, Medlars, Mulberries not ripe, Ceruises, or (swal∣low Pares,) the fruit of a Cornell or Dogg Tree, Oake Ap∣ples, Kernels of Grapes, Cups of Acorns, the red juice of Wax or Hony in the Hony-Combs; also such juice of Wild Hony, Acacia, Mastick, Vermillion, Spode, which is soot arising in the rising of Brasse, Pearles, Coral, Bolearmenack, Irish flat, Allum, Lapis Haematites or Bloodstone, Iron.

To condensing things are opposed rarifying things, * 1.5 and to astringent things, opening things; rarifying things are those which open the Pores of the Skin, and render the pas∣sages wider, that Vapours may be blowne or breathed out the better; such medicines are hot, but moderately, of thin parts and not drying, as Marsh-mallowes, English Mercury, Dill, Flowers of Camomill, of Melilot, of Elders, seed of Fe∣nugreek, Flax, dry Figs, old Oile, Butter.

Opening things are those as dilate the Orifices of the Vessels, whence they may be called in generall aperient, * 1.6 yet those are principally called aperient, which penetrate deeper and attenuate the thick humors, and are hot in the second degree, endued with somewhat a thicker substance, and are not easily dissipated untill they have performed their operation, * 1.7 to this purpose bitter things are very usefull next to these are attenuating and cutting, which divide, dissolve, and make lesse, those attenuate the thick, these the viscide, and glutinous humours, and are moreover of a thinner substance, and hot for the most part in the third degree; also sharpe, and such as appeare biting and

hot, to the smell, or taste, or to them both, and have a ni∣trous and salt savour, or they are sharpe and bitter, such are the five opening Rootes, * 1.8 so called, that is, of smallage, Fennell, Sparagus, Parsley, and Butchers broome, Grasse, Cichory, Eringo Rootes, Gentian, Ferne, wild or Garden madder, Century the greater, Asarabecca, Capers, of Tama∣risk, of Ashes, Fumetary Wormewood, Agrimony, Venus haire, Liver-wort Ceterash, Ground-pine, common Ger∣mander, Bind-weed, Hore-hound, Calamints, Penny-royall, Scurvygrasse, Brooklime, Water-Cresses, Anniseed, Fennell, seed, seed of Ammi, of Agnus Castus, red Parsnibs, Lupines, bitter Almonds, Capers, Kernells of Peaches and Apricocks, Cinnamon, Cubebs, Sorrell, Ammoniack, the juice of Ly∣mons.

To these are opposed, * 1.9 Incrassating things, which make the thinner, and more liquid juices thicker, such are cold or temperate, without sharpnesse, of a thick and terrene substance, whereby, whilst they mingle themselves with thinner humours, they make them become of a thicker consistence, as Bolearmenack, Poppy, Sorrell, Rice, Len∣tills, Quinces, wild Pares, Amylums, tis a food made of Corne without grinding, Chalybeate milke, the juice of Pom∣granets.

Emplasticks, * 1.10 and those which have a clammy and Plaister-like force, are such as adhere close to the passages of the body, and Plaister up the pores, as it were, fills them, and stops them, and they are certaine dry, and earthy things, yet without mordication, and acrimony, and if they are be∣daubed over the passages of the body, they are hardly taken away, but some are also mixt with an aqueous, and acrious humour, yet are tenacious, as sweet oyle, such are Amylum, Pompholix, which is the soile that runs off Brasse, Cerusse, Chalke, Bole armenack, Irish slat, Parget Litharge; burnt lead, the Rootes of Marsh Mallowes, Lillies, seed of Fene∣greek, all mucilages, and bran of wheate, Kernells of Pine nuts bruised in water, Gume Arabeck, Sarcocolla, Traga∣canth, fresh Grease, and Marrowes, fresh butter, new cheese, whites of an egg, wax.

To these are opposed detergent things, * 1.11 and such as open obstructions, whereof these cleanse filth in the superficies of the body, or skin, but those are of a more subtil substance, & penetrate into the pores also, and open obstructions, and moreover have a drying faculty, with

tenuity of substance whether they be hot, or cold, for there are both hot and cold abstergent things, such as are all salt things, bitter things, nitrous things, as Hore-hound, Centu∣ry the lesse, smallage, Wormewood, Southernwood, Hyssop, Cresses, the bread of Lupines, and of a kind of Pulse called Orabus, Agrimony, Beets, Germander, Tansey, Bitter Al∣monds, Roots of Birthwort, Orice, Gentian, Solomons Seale, Barley, Bran, Iuice of Lymons, Nettle-seed, Rootes of Ta∣mariske, Bark of Capers, Spleen-wort, Squils, Nitre, Hony, Sugar, all Lixuviums, or Lee, Whey, the Galls of living Creatures, Verdy-grease.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Emolli∣ents.
• * 1.2

  Things hardning. Loosening.
• * 1.3

  Condense∣ing.
• * 1.4

  Binding and Stop∣ping con∣densing.
• * 1.5

  Rarifying.
• * 1.6

  Opening the mouths of Vessels.
• * 1.7

  A hema∣ting and
• * 1.8

  Opening.
• * 1.9

  Iucrassa∣ting.
• * 1.10

  Playster-like things.
• * 1.11

  Detergent things and such as o∣pen ob∣structions.