Present Remedies against the Plague. Showing sundry preservatives for the same, by wholesome Fumes, drinks, vomits, and other inward Receipts: as also the perfect cure (by implaisture) of any that are therewith infected. Now necessary to be observed of every Housholder, to avoid the infection, lately begun in some places of this City. Written by a learned Physician, for the health of his Country: And now newly enlarged by the same Author, with Remedies for the new pestilent Fever. I D printer's or publisher's device Printed at London for William Barley, and are to be sold at his shop in Gracious street over against Leaden Hall, 1594. To the Reader. FOR as much as the force and infection of the ordinary disease called the Plague or Pestilence, hath heretofore been too well known, and felt, in sundry places of this Realm: and considering that it hath of late begun to increase in many chief Cities and populous places; I thought it good to publish to you in time, sundry pro … ve against the said disease, the better to defend t●●●● that are in health, from the infection of the diseased: And also to cure those that are any way infected, grieved, or troubled with the same. And to this I was emboldened, the rather for that it was written by a very learned and approved Physician of our time, who desireth more the health of his Country, than by discovering his name seem vain glorious to the world. Accept the same I pray you in good part, and thank God for the physicians pains, who hath his desire if it may do but that which he wisheth: namely to expel sickness, and increase health to this Land, which God for his mercy sake, prosper and preserve from all plagues and dangers for evermore, Amen. These things ought duly to be looked unto. Viz. IT is very convenient that you keep your houses, streets, yards, backsides, sinks, and kennels sweet and clean from all standing puddeles, dunghills, and corrupt moistures which engender stinking savours that may bè noisome, or breed● infection: nor suffer no doges to come running into your houses, neither keep any (except it be backward, in some place of open air▪ for then are very dangerous, and not sufferable in time of sickness, by reason they tun from place to place, and from one house to another, feeding upon the uncleanest things that are cast forth in the streets, and are a most apt cattle to take infection of any sickness, and then to bring it into the house. For airing your Rooms. air your several rooms with Charcoal fires, made in stone pans or Chaftingdishes, and not in attorneys: set your pans in the middle of the▪ rooms: air every room once a week (at the least) and put into your fire a little quantity of Frankincense, juniper, dried Rosemary, or of Bay-leaves. A Fume of great experience. Take Rosemary, and put it into strong Vinegar, steep it in a Basin or Bowl, heat four or five Flintstones red hot, and cast them into the Vinegar, and so let the Fume ascend into the middle of every room. Another. air your apparel in the same sort and with the same fume and bear in your hand some handkerchief▪ Sp●m●e● or both, wetted in the 〈…〉 … ood, H●arbegrace, and Red Rose-vinegar, mixed together. To smell too. The root of Enula Campna, steeped in vinegar, and lapped in a handkerchief, is a special thing to smell unto, if you come where the sickness is. Another. Hearbegrace and worm wood steeped in vinegar, in some pewter piece close stopped, is to be used in like sort. To taste or chew in the mouth. The root of Angelica, Setwall, Gencian, Valerian, or Cinnamon, is a special preservative against the plague, being chewed in the mouth. To eat. Eat Sorrell steeped in Vinegar, in the morning fasting, with a little bread and butter, Sorrel sauce is also very wholesome against the same. Another. Take the keenell of a Walnut, mince it with three or four leaves of Hearbegrace, and a corn or two of Salt: then put it into a Fig, warm it and eat it fasting: fast three hours after, and take it twice a week. A speacial thing to eat, found very comfortable. Take strong red Rose-vinegar, sprinkle it upon a toast of white bread, spread butter thereon, and then cast the powder of cinnamon upon it, and eat it fasting: or eat bread and butter with Hearbgrace. Another. Give to the diseased for their ordinary food, some broth made with a neck of mutton: boiled with a good quantity of Burridge, Sorrell, and bugloss. To comfort the stomach. Aleberries are very comfortable made with Cloves, Maces, Nutmegs, Saunders, Ginuey grains, an● such like. To drink. Take Rue, Wormwood, and Scabias, steep it in Ale a whole night, and drink it fasting every morning. Another. Take the water of Carduus Benedictus, or Angelica, and mix it with Mithridate, Another. The root of Enula Campana, beaten to powder, is a speciall-remedie against the Plague, being drunk fasting. Another. Drink the powder of Turmentill, in Sorrell or Scabias water. Another. If any feel themselves already infected, take Angelica-water mixed with Mithridate, drink it off, then go to bed and sweat thereon. Another to drink. Take a spoonful of Bay erries, and busk them before they be dry, beat them to powder, and drink it in good stolen Ale or Beer, or in white wine: then sweat upon it then forbear to sleep. To procure Sweat. Take posset Ale sodden with Sorrel, and Burridge mixed with treacle of Diatesserom, and get you to your naked bed. A special preservative against the Plague. Take of the root of great Valerian, a quarter of an dunce: of Sorrell a handful: an ounce of the root of Butter-burr: boil them in running water, from a quart to a pint, put two spoonfuls of Vinegar to it, and let the Patient drink it so hot as he may, and then sweat upon it. Another special preservative. Take an egg, make a hole in the top of it, take out the white and the yolk, and fill the shell only with Saffron, roast the shell and Saffron together, in embers of Charcoals, until the shell ware yellow: then beat shell and altogether in a Mortar, with half a spoonful of mustardseed: Now so soon as any suspitian in had of infection, dissolve the weight of a French-crown in ten spoonfuls of posset Ale, drink it luke wamne, & sweat upon it in your naked bed. Another preservative to be distilled. Take half a hundredth green Walnuts being new taken off as they hang green on the tree, and a pound of the inner bark of an Ash-tree: then take Petimorrel, Housseeke, Scabias, and Verum, of each a handful Saffron half an ounce, and mince all these small together: then put a pottle of the strongest Vinegar on them boil them over a soft fire in a close pot, and after distill them in a Limbeck: keep the distilled water, and give the Patient two ounces to drink thereof, four times in four & twenty hours, when he is in his naked bed, & let him be provoked to sweat, and he shall find great ease thereby. If the Patient be bound in the body. Take a suppository made with a little boiled Hunuy, & a little powder of Salt: let this be put up at the fundament with a little butter, until it move him to the stool. Drink for ordinary Diet. So near as you can, let the Patients ordinary drink be good small Ale of eight days old. For Vomiting. Vomiting is better than bleeding in this case, and therefore provoke to vomit so near as you can. To provoke Vomit. Take three leaves of Eastrabecca, stamp it, and drink it in Rhenish wine, Ale, or posset Ale. Another. A little quantity of white Helivor: grater and drunk in the like sort procureth vomit. A special Vomet. Take two ounces of Oil of Walnuts, a spoonful of the ivyte of Celandine, and half a spoonful of the juice of Reddish raots: Let not the party sleep for two hours after, and in so doing it is better than any purging. For Purging. If the party be full of gross humours, let ●im blood immediateley upon the right arm, on the Liver veyve, or on the median vain, in the sane arm: so as no sort appears the first day. A very wholesome purge. Put into the pap of an Apple a sixpenny weight of Aloes, and so take it: or the piss of Rutus. A very halsome water to be distilled. Steep Sorrel in Vinegar four & twenty hours, then take it out and dry it with a linneu cloth, than still it in a Limbeck, drink four spoonfuls with a little Sugar, then walk upon it till you sweat, if you may: if not, keep your bed and sweat upon it. Use this before supper on any evening. If the Patient happen to be troubled with any swellings, botches, carbuncles, or God's tokens: let him sweat moderately now and then. Outward Medicines to ripen the Sore. Take the root of a white Lily, roast it in a good handful of Sorrell, stamp it and apply it thereto very hot, let it lie four and twenty hours, and it will break the sore. Another. Take of old Swines-grease salted, two ounces, with the yolk of an egg, and two handfuls of Scabias stamp them together, and lay it warm to the Sore. Another. Take a small quantity of Leaven, a handful of Mallows, a little quantity of Scabias, cut a white Onion into pieces, with half a dozen heads of Garlic, boil these together in running water, make a Poultus of it and then lay it hot to the sore. Another. The like may by made of two handfuls of Valerian, three roots of Danwort, and a handful of Smallidge, seethe them in sheep's Suet and Rose water, with a few crumbs of bread, and apply it hot to the sore. Another. Take a hot Loaf, new taken forth of the Oven, apply it to the sore, and it will doubtless break the same: but afterward bury the same Loaf deep enough in the ground, for fear of any infection: for if either dog or any other thing do feed thereon, it will infect a great many. Other Observations, Let the sick and infected persons be separated and kept from the whole, until the sore behealed: but generally let them be kept within the space of a month. For a Fume. Take a new Brick, and heat it red hot, then put it into a Basin of Vinegar, and set the Fume thereof ascend into your houses. For Airing Apparel. Let the Apparel of the diseased persons, be well and often washed, be it Linen or woollen: or let it be aired in the Sun, or over pans of fire, or over a Chasing-dish of Coals, and fume the same with Frankincense, juniper, or dried Rosemary A perfect good Plaster for the Cure of the sore after it is broken. Take unwrought Wax, white Turpentine, the yolk of an Egg a little fresh but●●r, and a quantity of English honey, boil all these together 〈◊〉 a salve, and apply it to the sore, being th●● spread upon a cloth, in manner of an ordinary Plaster. Additions. To preserve from the Infection of the Plague. Take Garlic and peel it and mince it small, put is into new milk and eat it fasting, To take the infection from a house infected. Take large onions, peel them, and lay three o● four of them upon the ground, let them lie ten days, & those peeled onions will gather all the infection into them that is in one of those Roams: but bury these onions afterward keep in the ground. Another. Take new milk and set it in a Basin in the middle of the infected Ro●●e, and the milk will draw the Infectious veno●●●to it, letting it stand two days i● the said Room. Against the new burning Fever. If the Patient be in a great heat as most commonly they will, take of fa●●e running water a pretty quantity, put it on 〈◊〉 Chafti●● dish of Coals, than put thereinto a good quantity of Saunders beaten to powder and let it boil half an hour between two dishes: that done, put a couple of soft linen clothes into a dish, wet the clothes well in water and Saunders, and apply the same so hot as y●● can suffer it to your belly. To drink for the hot Fever. Take two handful of Sorrell, and a handful of Violet leaves with a bunch of sour Gr●pes, beat them together stalks and all: then 〈◊〉 it into Buttermilk, then make a posset of the same Buttermilk, and let the Patient drink thereof so much as he will. To procuresleepe to the sick Persons that are diseased either with the Pague or the hot Fever. Take of woman's breastmilk a good quantity, put thereunto of the like quantity of 〈◊〉 vite, stir them well together, and moisten the●●●●ith the Temples of the Patient and his Nostrils, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on with some fe●ther, or some fine thin rag, Buttermilk in this c … 〈…〉 is g … 〈…〉 to be 〈◊〉, and i … 〈…〉 either the Plague or the 〈…〉 … o. FINIS.