BOOK II.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Frederick James Furnivall
The .8. medicyn for to cure the quarteyn and alle þe passiouns þat comeþ of malencoly in mannys body; and þe maistrie to purge malencoly.
‘.8ua. Me.’
‘feuer quartene.’
and ȝe schal vndirstonde þat þe quarteyn is gendrid of myche haboundaunce of malencolye þat is corrumpid withynne þe body. and for þis humour is erþely, coold, & drie, of þe nature of slowe saturne, þerfore þe accesse of þis sijknes ben slowe, and it duriþ comounly yn a man a ȝeer or more, and it puttiþ fro him gladnesse, & bryngiþ yn heuynes more þan oþere feueris do /
To cure Quartan Fever. ‘ye quarten is ingendyrd of Malyncoly.’ The Quartan arises from too much black choler, and lasts a year or more.
If ȝe wole heele þis sijknes in schort tyme, lete þe pacient vse to drynke oon14 5 essence, and he schal be al hool hastily / forwhi; it consumeþ þe corrupt superflue humouris, & reducit nature to equalite, and bryngiþ yn gladnesse, & chasiþ a-wey heuynes & malencolie.
To cure it soon, drink our Quinte Essence;
and if it so be þat ȝe haue nouȝt oure 5 essence / þanne take j ℔ of þe beste brennynge watir, and þerinne putte medullam ebuli, and namely þe white, if ȝe may may haue it / of þis watir ȝeue to þe pacient, morowe and euen, a walnot-schelle ful at oonys. and he schal be al hool /
if you have it not, put pith of white dwarf elder in Burning Water, and take a walnut-shell full morning and evening.
or ellis þus: take what þing ȝe wole þat purgiþ malencolye, and putte a litil þerof into brennynge watir, & vse þat laxatif maad into smale pelotis, wijsly resceyuyng riȝt a litil at oonys, as oon litil pelot, and preue þerby how it worchiþ, þanne anoþer tyme .ij. at oonys, if it be nede / so þat þe mater be a litil digestid and a litil egestid. for bettere it is to worche a litil & a litil at oonys, þan sodeynly greue þe nature.
Or, take whatever purges black choler, put it into Burning Water; make small pellets of it, and take one, and then two, gradually.
[* Fol. 23.]
forwhi, two litil pelotis laxatif meyngid wiþ brennynge watir *wole worche more myȝtily þan .8. pelotis wole do bi hem silf /
Also philosophoris seyn þat a tooþ drawe out from a quyk beest, born vpon a man, delyueriþ fro þe quarteyn / Also þei seyn þat if þe yuis of þe eerbe þat is callid morsus galline rubri be putt in hise nose-þrillis whanne he bigynneth to suffre þe accesse of þe quarteyn, he schal be hool, wiþ þe grace of god.
‘Nota for ye quartene.’ It is said that a tooth from a live beast heals the Quartan, and the juice of Hen-bit or Chickweed put in a man’s nostrils.
TO CURE CONTINUAL, TERTIAN AND DAILY FEVERS.
The medicyn to heele þe feuere contynuele. alle philosophoris seyn þat þe feuere contynuele is gendrid of putrifaccioun of blood and of corrupcieun of humouris in it / þerfore þe cure þerof is to purge blood, and to putte awey þe corrupcioun of it, & þe humoris vneuene to make euene, þe nature lost to restore, and so restorid to kepe /
‘9a. Me.’ To cure continual Fever. It arises from putrefaction of blood and corruptions of humours.
Forsoþe alle þese þingis worcheþ oure quinte essence; and þerfore it curiþ perfiȝtly þe feuere contynuele / and þouȝ brennynge watir caste out fro blood watry humouris and corrupt, ȝitt take it nouȝt in þis cure / forwhi; þouȝ brennynge watir be .7. tymes distillid, ȝitt it is [not] fully depurid fro his brennynge heete, & þe .4. elementis / but siþ oure 5. essence is not hoot, ne moist, coold, ne drie, as ben þe 4. elementis /
Our Quinte Essence cures this, (tho’ Burning Water does not,)
þerfore it heeliþ perfiȝtly þe contynuel feuere; namely wiþ commixtioun of þe 5 essence of gold & peerle / and if ȝe wole strenkþe ȝoure medicyn, þanne putte yn oure 5. essence a litil quantite of pulpa cassie fistule / or ellis þe iuys of þe eerbe mercuriale.
if mixed with Quinte Essence of Gold and Pearl, and a little Cassia or Herb Mercury.
[* Fol. 23b.]
& if it so be þat oþere humouris habounde to myche with blood, þanne take þo laxatyues þat kyndely wole *purge hem, as comoun bookis of fisik declareþ.
The 10. medicyn to cure þe feuere tercian, þe which is causid of putrifaccioun, or reed coler to myche haboundynge / to cure þees sijknes, tak oure 5 essence, or ellis fyn brennynge watir,—but þe firste is bettere,—and putte þerinne a litil of rubarbe or of summe oþer laxatiue þat purgiþ reed coler, and a greet quantite of watir of endyue; and vse þis medicyn at morowe & euen. and þe pacient schal be hool wiþoute doute.
‘10. Me.’ ‘feuer tercyane.’ To cure Tertian Fever. Take Quinte Essence, with Rhubarb and Endive water, morn and eve. ‘water of endyue.’
The 11. medicyn is for to heele þe feuere cotidian, þe which is causid of putrifaccioun of flewme to haboundynge / and siþ flewme is coold and moist. oure 5 essence (and in his absence take good brennynge watir.) haþ strenkþe and vertu to consume þe rotun watery inordinat, and to myche coold humidite /
‘.11. Me.’
‘feuer cotydyan.’
To cure Daily Fever.
þerfore take oure 5 essence or brennynge watir, and putte þerinne a litil of euforbij, turbit, or sambuci, or sum oþir þing þat purgiþ flewme; and vse it morowe and eue, & þe pacient schal be hool.
Take our Quinte Essence, and a little Euphorbium, &c.
TO CURE AGUE FEVER, LUNACY, AND CRAMP.
The .12. medicyn for to cure þe feuere agu, and þe lunatik man and womman / discreet maistris seyn, þat þe feuere agu comounly is causid of a uyolent reed coler adust, and of blood adust, and of blak coler adust; and sumtyme of oon of þese adust, and sumtyme of two togidere, and sumtyme of .3. togidere /
‘.12. Me.’ To cure Ague Fever and Lunacy. ‘lunatyke persons.’ This fever comes of choler inflamed,
and þerfore þe feuere agu is þe posityue degree, and in þe superlatyue degree, comparatif gree & superlatif gree / For þe feuere agu haþ comounly alienacioun of witt, & schewynge of þingis of fantasy /
and is accompanied by lightheadedness.
[* Fol. 24.]
And ȝe schal knowe weel whiche ben þe humouris adust þat causen þe feuere, be þese *tokenes / Forwhi, if þe pacient seiþ þat he seeþ blak þingis, þanne blak coler, þat is, malencolie, is adust / & if he se þingis of gold / reed coler is adust / if reed þingis, and schewynge of bloodt þanne blood is adust / And if he seiþ þat he seeþ alle þese .iij, þingis, þanne alle þe humouris ben adust / For as myche as brennynge watir ascendiþ to þe heed, and gladly wole a man drynke /
‘Nota bene.’ ‘Signa.’ As the patient sees black, gold, or red things, so the different humours are inflamed.