Page:Leechdoms wortcunning and starcraft of early England volume 3.djvu/61

 17. For diarrhoea, take a hens egg, lay it for two days in vinegar, if it doth not show a chink, give it a slight blow, lay it again in the vinegar for a nights space, then beat it up in butter, lay in oil, put it then for a time over a fire; give to the man to eat.

18. Again for that; honey and wheaten smede and unsalted fat and wax; boil all together; give to the man to eat frequently, boil with it the great earth navel and cinqfoil and githrife, and yarrow and referth, and everfern and dust corn, and the nether part of meadwort, drink frequently, shave up some ivy with it; then boil in milk and partake warily, and seethe all the ivorts in milk, and at whiles turn the milk with rennet and eat the curds. Work a purgative draught thus; take eighty five libcorns, nine pepper corns, fifteen granules of saxifrage, well stript of rind, pound them small, add salt, and marjoram, mingle together, rub it thoroughly that it may be the smallest possible, wrought to dust, take a full skink bowl of light beer or some clear ale well sweetened, or sweetened wine, mingle the worts therewith carefully, let it stand for a nights space, shake it up very thoroughly again in the morning, when the man is to drink it, and mingle earnestly the worts with the drink, then let him drink.

19. If this be too ineffectual, boil marche in water, give the man this to drink; if it be too strong, boil centaury. Another purgative potion; take a w moderate" root of gladden, a fathom long, and as big as thy thumb, and also home wort and celandine root, and root of oleasder, and the netherward part of elder rind, and wash all the roots very well, and shave the roots very clean on the outside, and pound all the rinds thoroughly, and put the worts into clear ale, and shell and rub