Physical DIRECTIONS IN TIME OF PLAGVE.  
Printed by Command from the Lords of the council.  
OXFORD, Printed by LEONARD LICHFIELD, Printer to the university. 1644.   

Physical DIRECTIONS in time of Plague.  
DWelling-houses are to be kept clean, 
Preservation.  free from filth, and ill smells, the Windows near infected houses kept close with glass, or oiled, waxed paper, that light, but no infected air, may come in. In houses farther from infection, windows open sometimes, toward wholesome air and wind.  
Fires to be made in houses infected, and the neighbouting houses, and in Churches, at times of public Prayers and Preaching, and at all public meetings, not in chimneys only, but in movable pans; the fires made with dry wood, oak, Ashe, Beech, dry Vine-branches, Willow, Baytree, Rosemary sticks, &c. Juniper, Rosemary dried, Bayleaves, Angelica, Lavender, Sage, hyssop, marjoram, Thyme, Mints, balm, Pitch, tar, Rosin, Turpentine, frankincense; some of these cast on the coals, to perfume the house.  
Richer persons may have fuming candles or cakes, made with Benzoin, Storax, musk, &c. For which order shall be given by the physicians, if any please to have them, and be not otherways provided. Oak boughs, Ashe, Willow, Bayleaves, hyssop, marjoram, Thyme, lavender, Mints, Rosemary, Fennell, Sage, Wormwood, Meadsweet &c. may be laid in the chimneys and windows.  
Sometimes the fume of vinegar, Rose-water, and Rosemary, and Cloves, over the fire.  
Wearing clothes perfumed with iuniper, red Sanders, or Rosemary burned.  
Going abroad, or talking with any, it is good to hold in the Mouth, a clove or two, a piece of Nutmeg, Zedoary, Angelica, Gentian, Tormentill, or Enulacampana root; in the hand a Sponge dipped in vinegar and Rose water, wherein Rosemary, Sage, Angelica, or Rue have been infused, or a toast of brown bread dipped therein, tied up in a linen cloth, or the Sponge in a Juniper or Ivory box with holes. For persons of better rank, Pomanders made of laudanum, Benzoin, red and white Sanders, Storax, myrrh, Saffron, Amber, Camphyre, musk, &c.  
Go not forth early in the Morning, nor fasting; eat not much, Sage and butter, a Potched egg with vinegar, or such like will suffice, be not late abroad at night. In the Morning wash the Mouth with water wherein Sage hath been boiled or infused, and rub the teeth with the leaves.  
Take a spoon full of quick wine vinegar, 
cordials.  wherein wormwood chopped hath been infused. Take figs good and clean thirty, walnut kernels peeled twenty, (if to be had) green Rue picked a good handful, Salt one spoonful, stamp them, & incorporate them together, take the quantity of a Prune a child as much as a Hasell nut. More pleasing; conserve of wood-sorrel, Borage, Sage, of each one ounce, hartshorn a dram, Bole-Armeniake two drams, yellow Sanders half a dram, Saffron the weight of 3d, syrup of wood-sorrel, as much as will make it into a moist electuary; take as much as a good Nutmeg, twice or thrice a day. London treacle the weight of 8d, first in the morning with conserve of Roses, fasting one hour after it; treacle-water two spoonfuls, with one dram of Mithridate, Confectio liberans, or Electuary de Ovo. diet meats of easy digestion, 
Diet.  sauce sour, sharp, sorrel, Lemon, vinegar, verjuice, &c. Forbear Milky meats, Custard, &c. Fish slimy as eels, &c. raw fruits, and strong Wines; excess in meat or drink is dangerous. Fasting, or much emptiness is bad.  
If there be fullness of blood, 
Bleeding.  letting blood is fit, but not much, rather repeated.  
If the body be bound, 
Purging.  a Suppository with honey & salt. If fullness of putrid humours, Aloes the weight of 6d in the pap of a roasted apple; or pills of Ruffus a dram once a Week. For persons of quality, other proper purges, as the present condition shall require, 
Issue.  potion, &c. and an ●ssue or fontanelle, in arm or leg, if there be cause; and vomits proper if need be. Vomits easy to be had; salad-oil three spoonfuls, juice of radish-root one spoonful, or oxymel of squills too spoonfuls, oil and posset drink. Exercise moderate.  
Signs of infection appearing, 
Infection.  viz. fainting, swooning, vomiting, or proneness thereto, heaviness, weariness without cause, loss of appetite, much thirst, diverse of these concurring, let blood or purge, or both, as cause requireth the first or second day, no botch or sore appearing. Then defend the heart with cordials formerly prescribed. Let the party sweat with Carduus, or Marigold posset-drink, London treacle two drams, or with wood sorrel water five spoonfuls, treacle water one spoonful, and London treacle a dram and half.  
If a tumour, 
botch.  botch or sore appear, let the inside of the arm, thigh, or calf of the leg be blistered with Cantharides powder two drams, with vinegar and leaven. Take a great onion, hollow it, put into it Venice-treacle one dram, a fig and a little Rue cut small, roast it soft, close stopped, in a wet paper under the Embers, apply it hot to the Tumour, let one lie three hours. Or a poultice of mallows two handfuls, two lily roots cut and bruised, twelve figs sliced, boil all well in water, stamp them, put to it three spoonfuls of oil of lilies, apply it, and shift it thrice a day. When it is broken, take the yolk of an egg, honey of Roses one ounce, Turpentine half an ounce, London-treacle, or Venice, and mithridate, and St John's wort oil, each one dram, a little meal flower, mix all together, lay it to the sore, upon leather, changing it twice a day. Or a hot loaf out of the Oven. Or three lily roots roasted, beaten and applied; burn the plasters, &c. taken off the body.  
Those that escape, are to be purged before they go abroad; those that die, are to be buried in remote places, and deep in the ground.  
FINIS.