BOOK II.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Frederick James Furnivall
And siþ þat feuere agu regneþ in þe regioun of þe heed / þe philosophoris counceilis þat þe pacient schal not resceyue it in þis sijknes /
Burning Water should not be taken,
but it is nedeful þat he take oure 5 essence of gold and of peerl, meynging þe 6 part of 5 essence of watir of rose, violet, borage, and letuse15 / and þanne ȝe schulen haue an heuenly medicyn to cure perfiȝtly þis sijknesse.
but Quinte Essence of Gold and Pearl should, with that of Rose water, Violet, &c.
For to cure þe frenesye and woodnes, or ellis at þe leeste to swage it / take a greet quantite of popilion, and þe beste vynegre þat ȝe may haue, and a good quantite of rewe domestik, weel brayed, and meyngid wiþ þese forseid þingis;
‘for ye frenesye & wodnesse.’
To cure or assuage Frenzy and Madness.
and biclippe þe heed and þe feet of þe pacient with þis medicyn; and sum þerof putte to his nose-þrillis. þis medicyn anoon puttiþ awey þe frenesye & þe schewynge of fantasies / it curiþ also wode men & lunatike men. and it restoriþ aȝen witt and discrecioun, & makiþ al hool and weel at eese.
Wrap the head and feet in, and smell at, Popilion (with Vinegar mixed), and Rue.
[* Fol. 24b.]
The .13. medicyn is to put a-wey þe craumpe fro a man. for as myche as wise men seyn þat þe craumpe cometh of þe hurtynge & þe febilnes of þe senewis, as it schewiþ sumtyme yn medicyns maad of elebore, þer is no þing þat puttiþ awey þe craumpe as doiþ oure 5 essence aforeseid, or ellis *brennynge watir in stede of it.
‘13a. Me.’ To cure Cramp. Use our Quinte Essence or Burning Water.
TO CURE POISON AND COWARDICE.
The .14. medicyn, to caste out venym fro mannys body / take oure 5 essence, and putte þerine fleisch of a cok, neysch soden & sotilly brayed, note kirnelis, fyn triacle, radisch, & garleek smal brayed, and oþere þingis þat ben goode to caste out venym, as comoun bookis of fisik declariþ / And also, to comforte þe herte, putte yn oure foreseid 5. essence, þe 5. essence of gold and of peerl. and he schal be delyuerid þerof & be hool.
‘14a. Me.’ To cast poison out of a man’s body. Take our Quinte Essence, with cock’s flesh, nut-kernels, &c., and Quinte Essence of Gold and Pearls.
The .15. medicyn, to make a man þat is a coward, hardy and strong, and putte a-wey almaner of cowardise and drede / I seye ȝou forsoþe þat no þing may telle alle þe myraclis vertues þat god haþ maad in oure 5 essence, and not al oonly in him, but also in to his modir, þat is to seye, fyn brennynge watir.
‘15a. Me.’
To make a Coward bold and strong.
for to cure þis sijknesse, take a litil quantite of oure 5 essence, & putte þerto double so myche of brennynge watir, and a litil quantite of þe iuys of eerbe pione and of saffron distillid togidere, and a litil of 5 essence of gold and of peerl; and ȝeue it him to drinke. and aftir sodeynly, as it were by myracle, þe coward man schal lese al maner drede and feyntnes of herte, and he schal recouere strenkþe þat ys lost by drede, and take to him hardynesse, and he schal dispise deeþ; he schal drede no perelis, and passyngly he schal be maad hardy. þis is trewe, for it haþ ofte tymes by oolde philosophoris [bene] preued /
Give him our Quinte Essence with twice as much Burning Water, and a little Peony juice and saffron, and Quinte Essence of Gold and Pearl. The coward shall lose all faintness of heart, despise death, and dread no perils.
[* Fol. 25.]
þerfore it were a greet wisdom þat cristen princis, in bateilis aȝen heþene men, hadde wiþ hem in tonnes brennynge watir, þat þei myȝt take to euery fiȝtynge man half a riȝt litil cuppe ful þerof to drynke in þe bigynnynge of þe batel. & þis priuyte owith to be hid from alle enemyes of þe chirche; and also *princis and lordis ministringe þese þingis schulde not telle what it is.
Therefore Christian Princes should have tuns of Burning Water, and give every fighting man a cup before battle with the heathen.
TO CURE PESTILENTIAL FEVER AND PLAGUES.
The .16. medicyn aȝens þe feuere pestilenciale, and þe maistrie to cure it. forsoþe holy scripture seiþ þat summe tymes oure lord god sendiþ pestilence to sle summe maner of peple, as it is seid deutronomium 28 in þis maner “Si audire nolueris16 vocem domini dei tui, ut custodias et facias omnia mandata eius, veniant super te omnes maledicciones; iste maledictus eris in ciuitate &c.” et infra; “ad-iungat tibi pestilenciam donec consumat te de terra, percuciat te dominus egestate, febre, et frigore, ardore et estu, et aere corrupto ac rubigine, et persequatur donec pereas” hec ibidem; et infra “percuciat te dominus vlcere egipti, et partem corporis per quam stercora egerantur. scabie quoque, et prurigine, ita ut curari nequeas; percuciat te dominus necessitate ac furore mentis” //
‘16a. Me.’ To cure Pestilential Fever (when not sent as a punishment by God). God says in Deuteronomy xxviii. that if men will not hear His voice and obey His commandments, pestilences shall come on them.
Therfore a gret fool were he þat wolde presume to cure þese plagis of pestilence þat ben vncurable, þat ben sent of god to ponysche synne // Also ȝe schal vndirstonde þat men may die in .iij. maners. in oon maner by naturel deeþ, in þe teerme þat is sett of god / In anoþir maner bi violent deeþ, and also in þe .iij. maner occasionaly wiþinne þe teerme þat is sett of god; as þo men þat to myche replecioun, or to greet abstynence or by disperacioun, or ellis by necligence, sle him silf /
These plagues a man would be a great fool to presume to cure,
but sikirly alle oþere maner of feueris pestilence þat god suffriþ to come to mankynde by perilous influence of yuele planetis, by þe grace of god & good gouernaunce may be curid partialy wiþ oure 5. essence.
but all other pestilences from evil planets may be cured by our Quinte Essence with Aloes, Euphorbium, &c.,
[* Fol. 25b.]
and þerinne putte a litil of aloes epatik & euforbij, & a litil of ierapigra galieni & of 5 essence, of þe rote of lilie and also of gold & peerle, capilli veneris *and ysope; for þese þingis ben nedeful to siche feueris & apostemes /
‘Nota bene.’
it is nedeful also þat wiþ þese þingis þer be sich a quinta essencia laxatyue þat wole purge þe superflue humouris þat abounde; and þat þe pacient so myche resceyue in a natural day þerof þat he may go weel oonys to sege; and so lete him vse þis laxatif .3. in þe woke;
and a laxative Quinte Essence that will send the patient to stool once a day.
But be weel war þat he take wiþ oure quinta essencia but riȝt a litil quantite of þe laxatif at oonys, as I tolde ȝou tofore, for peril þat miȝte bifalle.
‘Caueas.’
& euery day take he by þe morowe an eye-schelle ful of good brennynge watir, and þe corrupt eyr schal not noye him; & also vse in þe dayes, two or þre smale pelotis pestilenciales in oure 5 essencia, or in brennynge watir; & al þe hous of þe pacient schal be encensid strongly .iij in þe day wiþ frank-encense, mirre, & rosyn, terbentyn & rewe.
He must also take every morning an egg-shell-full of Burning Water, and 2 or 3 pestilence pills in our Quinte Essence, and smoke his house with frankincense, &c.
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