Food and Physic, FOR EVERY Housholder, & his Family, During the Time of the PLAGVE. Very Useful, both for the Free and the infected. And Necessary for all Persons, in what Condition or Quality soever. Together with several Prayers and Meditations, before, in, and after Infection. Very needful in all Infectious and Contagious Times. And fit as well for the Country, as the City. Published by T. D. for the Public Good. LONDON, Printed by T. Leach, for F. Coles, at the Lamb in the Old-Baily, 1665. An Excellent Medicine, to Prevent the PLAGVE. TAKE Sage of Virtue, Rue (otherwise called Hearb-Grace) Elder Leaves, Red Bramble Leaves, and Wormwood, of each of them a good handful; stamp them altogether, and then strain them through a fine Linen Cloth; and put to the Juice a Quart of perfect good White-wine, and a good quantity of White-wine Vinegar: Mingle them all together, and put thereto a quarter of an Ounce of White Ginger, beaten to small Powder. Use to drink this Medicine every Morning fasting, for the space of Nine Days together, the quantity of a spoonful at a time, and this will (by God's help) preserve you, for the space of a whole Year. An approved Medicine after Infection. IF it fortune, that one be stricken with the Plague, before he hath taken the former Medicine; then take the things rehearsed, and put thereto a spoonful of Bettony Water, and as much Scabios Water, and a pretty quantity of fine Treacle, and temper them well together, and let the Patient use to drink it often, and it will expel the Venom or Poison forthwith. But if the Botch do happen to appear, then take a good quantity of Elder Leaves, Red Bramble leaves, and Mustard Seed; stamp them well together, and make a Plaster thereof; apply it to the Sore, and it will draw forth all the Venom and Corruption. Those that fear the Plague, and are not Infected, let them take of this Drink hereafter following, which is twice in every Week, half a spoonful at a time: It hath been observed, that never any one died of the Sickness, that did take it in time. TAke three Pints of Malmsey, a handful of Rue, as much of Sage; boil these to a Quart, then strain out the Herbs, and then take an Ounce of Long-Pepper, Vinegar and Nutmegs, all beaten small in a Mortar, and put into the Wine, and boil it a little; then take it off, and put into it one Ounce of Mithridate, two Ounces of the best Treacle, and a quarter of a Pint of Aquavitae, and put all into the Wine, and so keep it. The Use of it. If any be Infected, take one spoonful of it, as soon as the Party doth presume himself Infected, lukewarm; and so go to Bed, and sweat two or three hours; and then dry the Body well, and keep warm, and drink no cold Drink, but warm Drink and Caudles, and Posset-Drink, with Marigold Leaves and Flowers: When the Party hath sweat, and is well dried with warm Clothes; and so long as the Party is ill, take a spoonful Morning and Evening. IF you fear you are Infected, or feel any Kernel rising, or any Apostumation burning or pricking, abstain from Sleep, for Sleep leadeth the Venom to the Heart. That Day that you are Infected, eat but little, or no Food; for evil Humours so fill you, that they take away your Stomach: Or if you do eat, then do you covet to sleep, and feel a great burning, with a kind of shuddering, as it were, through Cold: You have also a great Pain in the fore part of the Head: You cannot endure to ride, or to walk, or any motion of the Body; but are dull, lumpish, and given wholly over to-sadness and drowsiness. To prove, that these are Arguments, that you are Infected; let any Man, finding his Body in this Distemper, not stir or walk (which I counsel him to do; for to go into the Air, and to use motion, keepeth the Poison longer from the Heart) and he shall find within one half Day, some Impostume rising under his Arm-hole, in his Groin, or behind his Ear. The first thing therefore (after you feel yourself thus) is, with all speed, to be let blood; when you are let blood, sleep not all that Day; you must be let blood on the same side the Swelling appears, if so be the Impostume arise before you sleep: but if it prick after you have slept, then be let blood on the contrary side: As if there be a swelling under the left Arm, then be let blood on the right Arm, If thou art saint or weak after letting blood, then sleep a little, yet every half hour stir thy Body too and fro. If the Impostume wax bigger and bigger, it is a good sign that the Venom is driven from the Heart, and will come forth. To ripen it, do thus; Stamp Leaves of Elder, and mix that Juice with Mustardseed; of this make a Plaster, and lay it on the Swelling. 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 Puddles, Dunghills, and corrupt Moistures, which engender stinking Savours, that may be noisome, or breed Infection. Nor suffer no Dogs to come running into your Houses; neither keep any, except it be backward, in some Place of open Air; for they are very dangerous, and not sufferable in time of Sickness, by reason they run 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. Ayr your several Rooms with Charcole-fires, made in Stone Panns or Chaffingdishes, and not in Chimneys; set your Panns 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. To Smell to. The Root of Enula-Campana, steeped in Vinegar, and lapped in a Handkerchief, is a special thing to smell unto, if you come where the Sickness is. 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 Sorrel, steeped in Vinegar, in the Morning fasting, with a little Bread and Butter. Sorrel Sauce is also very wholesome against the same. To Drink. Take Rue, Wormwood and Scabios, steeped in Ale a whole Night, and drink it fasting every Morning. Another. The Root of Enula-Campana, beaten to Powder, is a special Remedy against the Plague, being drank fasting. Another. If any feel themselves already infected, take Angelica, mixed with Mithridatum; drink it off, then go to Bed, and sweat thereon. 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 Charcoal, until the shell wax yellow; then beat shell and all together in a Mortar, with half a spoonful of Mustardseed: Now so soon as any suspicion is had of Infection, dissolve the weight of a French Crown, in ten spoonfuls of Posset-Ale, drink it lukewarm, and sweat upon it in your naked Bed. 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 Estrabecca, stamp it, & drink it in Rhenish Wine, Ale, or Posset-Ale. For Purging. If the Party be full of gross Humours, let him blood immediately upon the right Arm, on the Liver Vein, or in the Median Vein, in the same Arm; so as no Sore appear the first Day. A very wholesome Water, to be Distilled. Steep Sorrel in Vinegar four and twenty hours; then take it out, and dry it with a Linen Cloth; then Still it in a Limbeck; drink four spoonfuls, with a little Sugar; 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, 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 Sorrel; stamp it, and apply it thereto very hot, let it lie four and twenty hours, and it will break the Sore. Another. Take a small quantity of Leaven, a handful of Mallows, a little quantity of Scabios, cut a white Onion into pieces, with half a Dozen Heads of Garlic; boil these together in running Water, make a Poultess of it, and then lay 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. For Airing Apparel. Let the Apparel of the Diseased Persons be well and often washed, be it Linen or Woollen: or let it be ayred in the Sun, or over Panns of Fire, or over a Chaffingdish of Coals; and fume the same with Frankincense, Juniper, or dried Rosemary. To Preserve from the Infection of the Plague. Take Garlick, and peel it, and mince it small, put it into new Milk, and eat it fasting. To take the Infection from a House Infected. Take large Onions, peel them, and lay three or four of them upon the Ground; let them lie ten Days, and those peeled Onions will gather all the Infection into them, that is in one of those Rooms: But bury those Onions afterward deep in the Ground. Against the new Burning Fever. If the Parient be in great heat, as most commonly they will; take of fair running Water, a pretty quantity; put it on a Chaffingdish of Coals; then 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, as hot as you can suffer it, to your Belly. To procure Sleep to the Sick Persons, that are Diseased, either with the Plague, or the hot Fever. Take of Woman's Breast-Milk, a good quantity; put thereunto the like quantity of Aquavitae; stir them well together, and moisten therewith the Temples of the Patient, and his Nostrils; lay it on with some Feather, or some fine thin Rag. Buttermilk, in this Contagious Time, is generally wholesome to be eaten; and is a good Preservative, against either the Plague, or the Pestilent Fever. A PRAYER Against the PLAGVE. OMnipotent God, and most merciful Father, bow down thine Ear to our Requests, and let thy gracious Eye look upon the Miseries of thy People. A long time have the Vials of thy Wrath been held open, and have poured thy Divine Vengeance on our sinful heads. O Lord, we confess, that Sodom and Gomorrah, were never so wicked, as we have been, and are still: The Jews were never so hardhearted towards thee (our God) as we are; who hourly Crucify thy Son Jesus Christ, in our vile Bodies. Yet behold, we cry to thee for Mercy; we repent what is past, and are contrite and sorry, that we have been stubborn Children, to a Father so mild, and ready to pardon. Stay therefore thine Arm, and let not the Arrow of Death, strike our Young Men into their Graves, nor our Old Men to the Earth. Call home thy Angels of Wrath, whom thou hast sent forth, and let no more of thy People perish, under the heavy Strokes of This Dreadful Plague, which is now a Dweller amongst us. Grant this our Request, and all other whatsoever, needful to Soul or Body, for his sake, in whose Name thou deniest nothing, Amen. A PRAYER, For those that are not Visited. OH most Mighty and Merciful Lord God, in whose hands are health and sickness, who at thy pleasure canst kill and comfort; I do confess, that my Sins call louder for Justice, than I can cry for Mercy; and I deserve all Plagues and Punishments, in this Life▪ and the Plague of Plagues, in the Life to come, Damnation both of Body and Soul: But, O Lord, be thou more merciful, than I can be sinful; and in Jesus Christ be reconciled unto me, and purge me, and cleanse me from all my sins. And I beseech thee, Oh heavenly Father, at whose Commandment the Angels passed over the Houses of the Israelites, when it struck the Egyptians (if it be thy blessed will) that this present Sickness may pass over me, and my Family. We do confess, O Lord, that I and others have deserved the Plagues of Egypt; but, O Lord, howsoever keep us from the greatest Plague, which is hardness of heart; and if it be thy pleasure, withhold thy heavy hand from us. Do not correct us in thine anger, nor yet chastise us in thy heavy displeasure; but in thy mercy release us. And if it be good unto thee, that I and others should taste of this birter Cup, strengthen our Faith, increase our Hope, augment our Patience; that so we may rest in thy Peace, rise in thy Power, and remain in thy Glory; and that for Christ Jesus sake, in whose Name we further call upon thee, saying, Our Father, which art in Heaven, etc. A PRAYER, For those that are Visited. OH Lord God, thou best Physician, both of our Souls and Bodies, who canst bring to the Grave, and pull back again, whom thou pleasest; which wert moved at the Prayers of Moses for others, of Ezekiah for himself; O Lord, hear me for others, others for me, and all of us for thy Son; and look with the Eye of mercy upon me, whom it hath pleased thee, at this time, to visit with the Plague and Sickness: O Lord, I am held in thy fetters; Oh thou which hast bound me, lose me; and, if it tend unto thy glory, and my good, restore my health unto me. O Lord, I have been an unprofitable Servant all my Life time: Oh then, let me not then be bereft of the Life of Nature, when I begin the Life of Grace; but if thou hast disposed of me otherwise, increase my Patience with my Pains; show thy strength in sustaining my weakness, and be my strong Fortress, in this hour of my Trial; give me grace to apprehend and apply all the merits and mercies of Christ unto my Soul; and, O Lord, let thy Comforter oppose the Tempter, in such a measure, that he may not prevail against me; but as thou makest me like Lazarus, full of Sores, so let also thy Angels carry me into Abraham's bosom. O Lord, I entreat, let me obtain, even for his sake, for whom thou hast promised, and bound thyself, to hear and help the afflicted, even thy Son, and my Saviour, Christ Jesus: To whom, with thee, and thy blessed Spirit, be all Praise, etc. Meditation 1. IT cannot choose but be a grief unto a Christian, to see how many murmur in this Visitation; some fearing the Plague in their Persons, others in their Purses; some being loath to lose their Goods, others to leave the World, not fearing to say with despairing Cain, their Punishment is greater than they can bear; and thus do they undervalue God's Mercy in his Justice, in whose Vial is not only Wine, but also Oil: Had he delivered us up to Famine, it would have been a Burden far more grievous; and had he delivered us up into the hands of our Enemies, as he hath done some Neighbouring Nations, it had been likely, that our should not only have been banished from our Country, but that all hope should have been banished from us: How much better is it then, as David chose, to fall into the hand of God, than into the hands of Men; and to be visited with this Plague, than to be Plagued with our Enemies: The Lord give us grace to repent and amend, that he may cease to afflict us; and grant, that being once cleansed, we may sin no more, lest a worse Evil happen unto us. Meditation 2. IT is true indeed, that Sin was the first Cause of this Sickness; but as God doth not the Works of Mercy, so he doth not the Works of Justice, without a means. Our Sins were the Parents of this Pestilence, but it is a question, how God brought it in, there is no Man can absolutely determine, but many may conjecture, And (I fear me) it was the want of Charity, and the neglect of the Poor, in this City, which partly caused this Infection; for how can it be otherwise, but that, where multitudes are pestered together in a little room, and in it have but little comfort; as no Rags, to cover their nakedness; no Linen to shift them from filthiness, it cannot choose but cause them noisomeness, and by consequence Infection: If then the rich Men desire to leave to be miserable, let them learn to be merciful, and free the City from the multitudes of Poor. Meditation 3. IT is a strange thing, to see the difference of Men; and to consider, how the Seed of Andam, being composed of the same Matter, should so differ in Manners: For here you may see one so timorous of Sickness, that he dares not go to Church, for fear of Infection; being so full of base Cowardice, that he is fearful to gather a Rose, lest he should prick his Fingers; neglecting his Soul's welfare, for fear of his Body's sickness; notwithstanding, he can trudge to Westminster, about Quarrels and Contentions. But on the contrary side, another so audacious and presumptuous, that he seemeth to challenge the Pestilence, and seeketh it at Plays, searcheth it from one Tavern to another, as if he dared God's Judgements to encounter with him; both of which are extreme Follies. We must part, viz. from our frail Life. I will therefore resolve, not so much to fear the Evil of Sickness, as to commit the Evil of sin; neither so much Sin, as to seek out Sickness: The one is a sin against my Soul, to deprive it of the Food which is offered; and Tantalus like, to starve, it under the means: The other is a sin against my Body, to seek to impair the health of it; but howsoever, both of them against God: The one being Timidity, the other Timerity; the one Fear, the other Folly; the one showing himself faint-hearted, the other foolhardy. A Remedy, sent to the Lord Mayor of London, by King Henry the Eighth, against the PLAGUE. TAKE a handful of Sage, a handful of Hearb-Grace, a handful of Elder Leaves, a handful of Red Bramble Leaves; stamp them all, and strain them through a fine Cloth, with a quart of White-wine; and then take a quantity of Ginger, and mingle them together, and take a spoonful of the same, and you shall be safe for twenty four Days; Nine times taking of it, is sufficient for a whole Year, by the Grace of God. And if it be so, that the Party be stricken with the Plague, before he hath drank this Medicine, then take the Water of Scabios a spoonful, of Water of Bettony a spoonful▪ and a quantity of fine treacle; and put them all together, and cause him to drink it, and it will expel all the Venom. If the Fotch appear, then take the Leaves of Brambles, Elder Leaves, Mustard Seed, and stamp them together, and make a Plaster thereof, and lay it to the Sore, and that shall draw out the Venom, and the Party shall be whole, by the Grace of God. M. H. Receipt against the Plague. TAke Setwel Root, to the quantity of half a Walnut, and gra●e it; of Triacle-Jean, one good spoonful; of Wine-Vinegar, three good spoonfuls; of fair Water, three spoonfuls: Make these more than lukewarm, and so drink them off warm in your Bed, and sweat six or seven hours after. Drink Posset-Ale, made with small Drink, as your thirst requireth; so that you expect an hour and a half, after the Potion taking, before your first drinking, and it will drive forth the Plague. Let the Posset-Ale be lukewarm, at the first draughr, but after as you like it, so it be not quite cold. These two Medicines have Cured above a thousand People, in this City, the last Plague time; And none hath took it in time, but scaped. FINIS. The Table. AN Excellent Medicine to prevent the Plague. Pag. 1 An approved Medicine after infection. p. 2 A Remedy for those that fear the Plague. p. 2 Things duly to be looked into. p. 2 For Airing Rooms. p. 5 Things good to Smell, Taste, Eat, Drink. p. 6 Drink for ordinary Diet. p. 7 Outward Medicines to ripen▪ the Sore. p. 8 To take the Infection from a House infected. p. 9 Against the new burning Fever and To procure Sleep to the Sick Persons. p. 10 A Prayer against the Plague. p. 11 A Prayer for those that are not Visited. p. 13 A Prayer for those that are Visited. p. 15 Meditations. p. 17, 18, 19 A Remedy sent to the Lord Mayor of London by King Henry the 8th against the Plague. p. 20 M. H. His Receipt against the Plague. p. 21 FINIS.