Good Councell
against the plague.

THESE THINGES OVGHT DUELIE TO be looked into. Viz.

o keepe your houses, streetes, yardes, backsides, sinckes, and kennels, sweete and cleane from all standing puddles, which engender stincking sauors, that may be noysome, or breede infection: nor suffer no dogges to come running into your houses, neither keepe any, except it bee backward, in some place of open ayre: for they are very daungerous, & not sufferable in time of sicknes, by reason they runne from place to place, & from one house to an other, feeding vppon the vncleanest things that are cast forth into the streetes and are a most apt cattell to take infection of any sicknes, and then to bring it into the house.

For ayring your Roomes.

Ayer your seuerall roomes with Charcole fiers, made in stone pans or Chafingdishes, and not in Chimneys: set your pans in the middle of the roomes: ayer euery roome once a weeke (at the least) and put into your fyre a little quantitie of Francomsence, Iuniper, dryed Rosemary, or of Bay-leaues.

A Fume of great experience.

Take Rosemary, and put it into stronge Vineger, steepe it in a Bason or bowle, heat foure or fiue Flint stones red hot, and cast them into the Vineger, and so let the fume assend into the middle of euery roome.

An other.

Ayer your apparel in the same sort, and with the same fume: and beare in your hands, some handkercher, Spunge, or Cloth, wetted in the iuyce of VVorme-wood, Hearbegrace, and red Rose-vineger, mixt together.

To smell to.

The roote of Enula Campna, steeped in Vineger, and lapped in a handkercher, is a speciall thing to smell vnto, if you come where the sicknes is.

An other.

Hearbegrace, & VVormewood steeped in Vineger, in some pewter peece, close stopt, is to be vsed in like sort.

To tast or chewe in the mouth.

The Roote of Angelica, Setwall, Gencian, Valerian, or Sinamond, is a speciall preseruatiue against the plague, being chewed in the mouth.

To eate.

Eate Sorrell, steeped in Vineger, in the morning fasting, with a little bread and butter, Sorrell sauce, is also very wholesome against the same.

An other.

Take the kernell of a VVallnut, mince it with three or foure leaues of Hearbe-grace, and a corne or two of Salt: then put it into a Figge, warme it and 5 eate it fasting: fast three howers after, and take it twice a weeke.

A speciall thing to eate, found very comfortable.

Take strong red Rose-vineger, sprinkle it vpon a toste of white breade, spreade Butter thereon, and then cast the powder Cinamond vpon it, and eate it fasting: or eate bread and butter with Hearbgrace.

An other.

Giue to the diseased for their ordinary foode, some broth made with a necke of Mutton: boyled with a good quantitie of Burridge, Sorrell, and Buglosse.

To comfort the stomacke.

Aleberryes are very comfortable, made with Cloues, Maces, Nutmegs, Saundrrs, Gynney graines, and such like.

To drinke.

Take Rue, VVorme-wood, and Scabias, steepe it in Ale a whole night, and drinke it fasting euery morning.

An other.

Take the water of Carduus benedictus, or Angelica, mixe it with Methridatum.

An other.

The roote of Enula Campana, beaten to powder, is a speciall remedy against the plague, being drunk fasting.

An other.

Drinke the powder of Turmentill, in Sorrell or Scabias water.

An other.

If any feele themselues already enfected, take Angelica-water, mixt with Methridatum, drink it off, then goe to bed and sweat thereon.

An other to drinke.

Take a spoonefull of Bay berries, and huske them before they be dry, beate them to powder, and drink it in good stale Ale or Beere, or in white wine: then sweat vpon it, and forbeare to sleepe.

To procure sweate.

Take Posset-ale sodden with Sorell, & Burridge, mixt with Triacle of Diatesserom, and get you to your naked bed.

A speciall preseruatiue against the Plague.

Take the roote of great Valerian, a quarter of an ounce: of Sorrell, a handfull: an ounce of the roote of Butter-bur: boyle them in running water, from a quart to a pint, put two spoonefulls of Vineger to it, and let the patient Drinke it so hot as he may, & then sweat vpon it.

An other speciall preseruatiue.

Take an Egge, make a hole in the top of it, take out the white & the yolke, and fill the shell only with Saffron, rost the shell and Saffron together, in embers 7 of Charcoales, vntill the shell waxe yellowe: then beat shell and all together in a Morter, with halfe a spoonefull of Mustard-seede: nowe so soone as any suspicion is had of infection, dissolue the weight of a french Crowne, in ten spoonfuls of posset-ale, drink it luke warme, & sweat vpon it in your naked bed.

An other preseruatiue to be distilled.

Take halfe a hundreth greene VValnuts, as they hange greene on the tree, & a pound of þ inner barke of Ash tree: then take Petimorrell, Housleeke, Scabias, & Veruyn, of each a handfull, Saffron halfe an ounce, and mince all these smal together: then put a pottle of the strongest Vineger on them, boyle them ouer a soft fyer in a close pot, & after distill them in a Limbecke: keepe the distilled water, & giue the patient two ounces to drink therof, 4. times in xxiiii. howers, when he is in his naked bed, & let him bee prouoked to sweat, and he shall find great ease therby.

If the patient be bound in the body.

Take a suppository made with a little boyled Hunny, and a little powder of Salt: let this be put vp at the fundament with a little butter, vntill it moue him to the stoole.

Drinke for ordenary dyet.

So neere as you can, let the Patients ordenary drinke be good small Ale, of eyght dayes olde.

For vomitting.

Uomitting is better than bleeding in this case, and therfore prouoke to vomit so neere as you can.

To prouoke vomit.

Take three leaues of Eastrabecca, stampe it, and drinke it in Rennish Wine, Ale, or posset Ale.

An other.

A little quantitie of white Helibor, grated and drunke in the like sort, procureth vomyt.

A speciall vomit.

Take two ounces of Dyle of VValnuts, a spoonefull of the iuyce of Celandyne, and halfe a spoonefull of the iuyce of Reddith-rootes: Let not the partie sleepe for two howers after, and in so dooing it is better than any purging.

For Purging.

If the partie be full of grosse humours, let hym blood immediatly vpon the right arme, on the lyuer veyne, or on the median veyne, in the same arme: so as no sore appeare the first day.

A very wholsome purge.

Put into the pap of an Apple, a sixpenny weight of Alloes, and so take it: or the pyls of Rufus.

A very wholesome water to be distilled.

Steepe Sorrell in Vineger, xxiiij. howers, then take it out, & dry it with a linnen cloth, then still it in a Limbecke, drinke foure spoonefuls, with a little Sugar: then walke vppon it till you sweat, if you may: if not, keepe your bed and sweat vpon it. Use 9 this before supper on any euening.

If the pacient happen to bee troubled with any swellings, botches, Carbuncles, or Gods tokens: let him sweat moderatly now and then.

Outward Medicines to rypen the sore.

Take the roote of a white Lylly, rost it in a good handful of Sorrell, stampe it and apply it thereto very hot. Let it lye xxiiij. howers, and it will breake the sore.

An other.

Take olde Swynes grease salted, two ounces, with the yolke of an egge, and two handfuls of Scabias, stampe them together, and lay it warme to the sore.

An other.

Take a small quantitie of Leuen, a handfull of Mallowes, a little quantitie of Scabias, cut a white Oynion into peeces, with halfe a dozen heades of Garlicke: boyle these together in running Water, make a Poultus of it, and then lay it hot to the sore.

Another.

The like may be made of two handfuls of Valerian, three rootes of Danwoorte, and a handfull of Smallidge: seeth them in sheepes suet and water, with a fewe crums of bread: and applye it hotte to the sore.

An other.

Take a hot Loafe, new taken foorth of the Ouen, apply it to the sore, and it will doubtlesse breake the same: but afterward bury the same loafe deepe enough in the ground, for feare of any infection: for if either dog or any other thing doe feede thereon, it will infect a great many.

Other obseruations.

Let the sicke and enfected persons bee seperated and kept from the whole, vntill the sore bee healed: but generally let them be kept within the space of a moneth.

For ayring Apparell.

Let the Apparell of the diseased persons, be well and often washed, be it lynnen or woollen: or let it be ayred in the sonne, or ouer pans of fyer, or ouer a Chafingdish of Coales, & fume the same with Francomsence, Iuniper, or dryed Rose-mary.

A perfect good Playster for the cure of the sore, after it is broken.

Take vnwrought Waxe, white Turpentine, the yolke of an Egge, a little fresh butter, and a quantitie of English honney, boyle all these together to a salue, and apply it to the sore, being thin spread vppon a cloth in manner of an ordenary playster.