62

60 CHAPMAN'S HANDY-BOOK

vessel by itself, which, when settled, strain into the boiler,
and the dregs of all cast into your garden for the use of
your bees.

When your liquor is set over a gentle fire, and a thick
scum is gathered all over, and the bubbles by the sides
begin to break the scum, having damped your fire to cease
the boiling, skim it clean, and then presently blow up
your fire ; and when you see the second scum ready, having
again damped the fire, take off the scum as before ; and
then, having again stirred the fire, let it boil handsomely
for the space of an hour, or thereabouts ; but be sure you
always keep scumming it as there is occasion.

After all this is done, put in your spices according to
the former receipt, and let it boil a quarter of an hour
more. The boiling is to cleanse the mead, which once
done, any further boiling does but rather diminish than
increase the goodness and strength of the mead.

As soon as it hath done boiling, take it from the fire
and set it to cool ; the next day when it is settled, strain
it through a hair sieve or linen bag into the vat or tub,
reserving still the dregs for bees, and let it stand
covered three or four days till it work, and let it work two
days; and turn it into a barrel scalded with bay leaves,
making the spice bag fast at the top. If you make no
great quantity of mead, you may turn it the next day, and
let it work in the barrel ; your ordinary mead which turns
sour will make excellent vinegar.

Metheglin is the more generous and stronger sort of
hydromel, for it beareth an egg to the breadth of a six-
pence, and is usually made of finer honey with a less pro-
portion of water, namely, four to one. To every barrel of
sixteen gallons of skimmed liquor, add thyme one ounce ;
eglantine, sweet marjoram, rosemary, of each half an
ounce ; ginger, two ounces ; cinnamon, one ounce ; cloves
and pepper, of each half an ounce ; all gross beaten, the
one half boiled loose in the liquor, and the other half put
into a bag before, in mead ; so that after this manner being
made, as ordinary mead will not keep above half a year,
this, the longer it is kept, the stronger it is, and hath the
more delicate flavour and taste.