BOOK II.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Frederick James Furnivall
TO MAKE OLD MEN YOUNG, AND DYING ONES WELL.
Here bigynneth the secunde book of medicyns / The first medicyn is to reduce an oold feble euangelik man to þe firste strenkþe of ȝongþe / Also to restore aȝen his nature þat is lost, and to lenkþe his lijf in greet gladnesse and perfiȝte heele vnto þe laste teerme of his lijf þat is sett of god /
To restore an old evangelic man to the strength of his youth.
ȝe schal take oure 5ta essencie aforeseid, þat is to seye, mannys heuene, and þerinne putte a litil quantite of 5 essencia of gold and of peerl. and þe oolde feble man schal vse þis deuyn drynk at morn and at euen, ech tyme a walnote-schelle fulle /
Give him our Quinte Essence with some of that ‘1a. Me.’ of Gold and Pearl, a walnut-shell full at morn and eve.
and wiþinne a fewe dayes he schal so hool9 þat he schal fele him silf of þe statt and þe strenkþe of xl ȝeer; and he schal haue greet ioie þat he is come to þe statt of ȝongþe. And whanne his ȝongþe is recouerid, and his nature restorid, and heelþe had, it is nedeful þat litil and seelde he vse 5 essence / Also it is nedeful þat he vse ofte good wiyn at his mete and at þe soper, in þe which be fixid þe 5. essence of gold, as I tauȝte ȝou tofore.
In a few days he shall feel only 40 years old. Then let him take little of our Quinte Essence, only that of Gold in good wine at dinner and supper.
[* Fol. 19b.]
The secunde *medicyn is to heele a man, and make hym lyue, þat is almoost consumed in nature, and so nyȝ deed þat he is forsake of lechis. but if it be þe laste teerme of his lijf sett of god, ȝe schal ȝeue him oure quinte essence of gold wiþ a litil quantite of watir of celendoyn ȝdrawe, and meynge it wiþ þe oþere þingis aforeseid / and anoon as þe sike hath resceyued it into his stomak, it ȝeueþ to þe herte influence of naturel heete and of lijf. and þanne ȝe schal se him rise vp and speke, and wondirfully be comfortid and strenkþid þerby //
‘2a. Me.’ To cure a man given up by his doctors. Give him Quinte Essence of Gold with celandine water, ‘Aqua celidoyn.’ and he shall rise up and speak.
þanne comforte him wiþ ministracioun of oure quinte essencie afore seid, and he schal be al hool / but if it be so þat god wole algatis þat he schal die / And I seie to ȝou truly, þat þis is þe hiȝeste maistrie þat may be in transmutacioun of kynde; for riȝt fewe lechis now lyuynge knowe þis priuytee.
Then comfort him with our Quinte Essence, and he shall be cured, unless God wills he shall die. Few doctors now know this highest secret.
HOW TO CURE LEPROSY AND PALSY.
The þridde medicyn is to cure þe lepre þat is causid of corrupcioun and putrifaccioun of ony of þe principal humouris of man; but not þe lepre þat comeþ to man of kynde of þe fadir and of þe modir leprous,—for it is callid morbus hereditus,—ne þe lepre þat is sent of god by his plage, but þat þat is causid oonly of rotun humouris /
‘3a. Me.’
To cure the Leprosy that is caused by rotten humours.
take oure 5 essence aforeseid, wiþ þe quinte essence of goold and peerl, a litil quantite at oonys, and vse it in maner as I seide afore / and wiþinne a fewe daies he schal be partily hool þerof. and if ȝe haue non preparate redy oure 5 essence, þanne take in þe stide þerof fyn brennynge watir / but þat oþer is bettere.
Use our Quinte Essence, with those of Gold and Pearl; (or Burning Water, if you have no Quinte Essence.)
[* Fol. 20.]
Also, drawe a water of þe fruyȝt of strawbery or mulbery tree, whanne it is ripe, and waische þe lepre þerwiþ. þis watir is of so greet vertu; for a souereyn maistir took it a leprous *womman, þat wiþ þe waischinge oonly of þis watir, withynne schort tyme was maad al hool / but sikirly þe vertu þerof is myche worth if it be meyngid with oure 5 essence, or ellis brennyng watir; and þanne it schal be no nede to vse in þis perilous cure, venemys, as summe lechis doon.
Wash the leper with strawberry or mulberry water; this is of great virtue, but is much encreased by our Quinte Essence.
The 4 medicyn is to cure palsie vniuersel. Forsoþe alle philosophoris seyn þat þe palesye vniuersel comeþ of haboundaunce of viscous humouris closynge þe metis of vertu animale, sensityue, and motyue. And þerfore it is necessarie þat þo þingis þat schal cure þis sijknes be temperate, hoot, and moist, and a litil attractyue, and to þe synous confortatyue /
4a. Me. To cure Palsy, which comes from viscous humours closing the passages of motive power.
Therfore, blessid be god, makere of kynde, þat ordeynede for þe man paralitike oure 5 essence aforseid, þat souereynly to him comfortynge, restorynge, and temperatly worchynge /
Blessed be God, our Quinte Essence will restore the paralitic.
þerfore fixe þerinne þe 5 essence of þo laxatyues þat purgen flewme & viscous humouris, as a litil of euforbie, or turbit, or sambucy. & þanne wiþoute doute, if god wole, þe paralitik man schal be hool wiþ comfortynge and restorynge of kynde, if ȝe make him a stewe hoot and moist with herbis, þat is to seye, eerbe yue, & sauge, þat haue an heuenly strenkþe to comforte þe joynctis, & þe senewis, and þe vertu motyue.
Fix in it the Quinte Essence of euphorbium and the like; and, if God will, the palsied man shall be whole, if you make him a stew of ivy and sage. ‘sawe’ ‘Nota / yue / sauge.’
and if ȝe haue not redi preparate oure 5 essence, þanne take fyn brennynge watir til it be redy, and lete þe pacient drynke þerof a litil in fyn wiyn. and also he schal waische al his body and his extremytees wiþ brennynge watir ofte tymes. and lete him vse þis a good while, & he schal be hool. /
Failing Quinte Essence, let him drink Burning Water in fine wine, and wash all over with burning water.
[* Fol. 20b.] TO CURE CONSUMPTION AND DRIVE AWAY DEVILS.
*The .5 medicyn for a man þat is almoost al consumed, & waastid in al his body, and riȝt leene, as þat man þat hath þe tisik & þe etik / Forsoþe þe verry cure to heele him is oure 5 essence / Forwhi. it comfortiþ þe feble nature; and þe nature þat is lost it restoriþ, & so restorid it preserueþ /
‘5. Me.’
To fatten lean and consumptive men.
And þerfore if ȝe wol restore þe fleisch of a leene mannys body almoost consumed awey, drawe þanne a watir of celidoyne, and take þerof a litil quantite, and meynge wiþ oure 5 essence if ȝe haue it redy, or brennynge watir in stide þerof, and ȝeue it him to drinke; and wiþinne fewe dayes he schal be wondirfully restorid and fat.
Mix with our Quinte Essence a little celandine water; ‘Celidoyne.’ give it the patient, and he shall soon be wonderfully fat.
The .6. medicyn for passiouns of frenesie, foly, ymagynaciouns and noyous vexaciouns of deuelis, and also for þe goute als weel hoot as coold. certeyn experience techiþ þat colerik men ȝeueþ to summe ymagynaciouns; and sangueyn men ben ocupied aboute summe oþere ymagynaciouns; & ȝitt flewmatik men aboute oþere / but þo men þat habounde in blak coler, þat is, malencoly, ben occupied a þousand part wiþ mo þouȝtis þan ben men of ony oþer complexioun /
‘.6. Me.’
To cure Frensy, Gout, and troubles from Devils.
‘colerike.’ ‘Sangueyn.’ ‘Fleumatyke.’ ‘blake coler.’ ‘malencoly.’
Forwhi. þat humour of blak coler is so noyous, þat if it a-bounde and a-sende vp to þe heed, it troubliþ alle þe myȝtis of þe brayn, engendrynge noyous ymagynaciouns, bryngynge yn horrible þouȝtis boþe wakynge and slepinge; and siche maner of men ben born vndir þe constillacioun of saturne, the wickide planete /