Part 11

To make hair grow black, though any colour.

Take a little Aqua Fortis, put therein a groat or sixpence, as to the quantity of the aforesaid water, then set both to dissolve before the fire, then dip a small spunge in the said water, and wet your beard or hair therewith; but touch not the skin.

King Edwards perfume.

Take twelve spoonfuls of right red Rose-water, the weight of six pence in fine powder of Sugar, and boil it on hot Embers and Coles softly, and the house will smell as though it were full of Roses; but you must burn the sweet Cypress wood before, to take away the gross air.

Queen Elizabeths Perfume.

Take eight spoonfuls of Compound water, the weight of two pence in fine powder of Sugar, and boil it on hot Embers and Coals, softly, and half an ounce of sweet Marjoram dried in the Sun, the weight of two pence of the powder of Benjamin. This Perfume is very sweet, and good for the time.

Mr. Ferene of the New Exchange, Perfumer to the Queen, his rare Dentifrice, so much approved of at Court.

First take eight ounces of Ireos roots, also four ounces of Pomistone, and eight ounces of Cutle-bone, also eight ounces of Corral, and a pound of Brick if you desire to make them red; but he did oftener make them white, and then instead of the Brick did take a pound of fine Alabaster; all this being throughly beaten, and sifted through a fine searse, the powder is then ready prepared to make up in a paste, which must be done as follows.

To make the said Powder into Paste.

Take a little Gum Dragant, and lay it in steep twelve hours, in Orange flower water, or Damask Rose-water, and when it is dissolved, take the sweet Gum, and grind it on a Marble stone with the aforesaid powder, and mixing some crums of white bread, it will come into a Paste, the which you may make Dentifrices, of what shape or fashion you please, but rolls is the most commodious for your use.

The Receipt of the Lady Kents powder, presented by her Ladyship to the Queen.

Take white Amber, Crabs eyes, red Corral, Harts-horn and Pearl, all prepared several, of each a like proportion, tear and mingle them, then take Harts-horn gelly, that hath some Saffron put into a bag, dissolve into it while the gelly is warm, then let the gelly cool, and therewith make a paste of the powders, which being made up into little balls, you must dry gently by the fire side. Pearl is prepared by dissolving it with the juyce of Lemons, Amber prepared by beating it to powder; so also Crabs-eyes and Coral, Harts-horn prepared by burning it in the fire, and taking the shires of it especially, the pith wholly rejected.

A Cordial Water of Sir Walter Raleigh.

Take a gallon of Strawberries, and put them into a pint of Aqua vitæ, let them stand for four or five days, strain them gently out, and sweeten the water as you please with fine Sugar; or else with perfume.

The Lady Malets Cordial Water.

Take a pound of fine Sugar beaten and put to it a quart of running water, pour it three or four times through a bag; then put a pint of Damask Rose-water, which you must always pour still through the bag, then four penniworth of Angelica water, four pence in Clove-water, four pence of Rosa Solis, one pint of Cinnamon-water, or three pints and a half Aqua vitæ, as you find it in taste; put all these together three or four times through the bag or strainer, and then take half an ounce of good Muskallis and cut them grosly, & put them into a glass, and fill them with the water, &c.

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A Sovereign Water of Dr. Stephens, which he long times used, wherewith he did many Cures; he kept secretly till a little before his death, and then he gave it to the Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury in writing, being as followeth, viz.

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Take a Gallon of good Gascoine Wine, and take Ginger, Gallingale, Cinamon, Nutmegs, Cloves, Grains, Anniseeds, Fennil-seed, of every of them a dram, then take Caraway-seed, of red Mints, Roses, Thime, Pellitory of the Wall, Rosemary, wild Thime, Camomil, the leaves if you cannot get the flowers, of small Lavander, of each a handful, then bray the Spices small, and bray the Herbs, and put all into the Wine, and let it stand for twelve hours, stirring divers times, then still it in a Limbeck, and keep the first water, for it is best, then put the second water by it self, for it is good, but not of such vertues, &c.

The Vertues of this water.

It comforts the Spirits Vital, and helps all inward Diseases that come of cold, it is good against the shaking of the Palsie; it cures the contraction of the Sinews, helps the conception of Women if they be Barren, it kills the Worms in the Belly and Stomach; it cures the cold Dropsie, and helps the Stone in the Bladder, and in the Reins of the back; it helps shortly the stinking breath, and whosoever useth this Water morning and evening, (and not too often) it preserveth him in good liking, and will make him seem young very long, and Comforteth nature marvellously; with this water did Dr. Stephens preserve his life, till extream age would not let him go or stand and he continued five years, when all the Physicians judged he would not live a year longer, nor did he use any other Medicine but this, &c.

A Plague Water to be taken one spoonful every four hours with one sweat every time.

Take Scabious; Betony, Pimpernel, and Turmentine-roots, of each a pound, steep these all night in three gallons of strong Beer, and distil them all in a Limbeck, and when you use it, take a spoonful thereof every four hours, and sweat well after it, draw two quarts of water, if your Beer be strong, and mingle them both together.

Poppy water.

Take four pound of the flower of Poppies well pickt and sifted, steep them all night in three Gallons of Ale that is strong, and still it in a Limbeck; you may draw two quarts, the one will be strong and the other will be small, &c.

A Water for a Consumption, or for a Brain that is weak.

Take Cream (or new milk) and Claret-wine, of each three pints of Violet-flowers, Bugloss and Borage-flowers, of each a spoonful, Comfrey, Knot-grass, and Plantane of these half a handful, three or four Pome-waters sliced, a stick of Liquorish, some Pompion seeds and strings; put to this a Cock that hath been chased and beaten before he was killed, dress it as to boil, and parboil it until there be no blood in it; then put them in a pot, and set them over your Limbeck, and the soft fire; draw out a pottle of water, then put your water in a Pipkin over a Charcoal fire, and boil it a while, dissolve therein six ounces of white Sugar-candy, & two penny weight of Saffron: when it is cold strain it into a glass, & let the Patient drink three or four spoonfuls three or four times a day blood-warm; your Cock must be cut into small pieces, & the bones broken, and in case the flowers and herbs are hard to come by, a spoonful of their stilled waters are to be used.