Royal College of Physicians: The Lady Sedley, her Receipt book, 1686 (MS534)

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A Seare Cloath for an Ache XXI

Take halfe a pint of the best Sallett oyle, one ounce and a halfe of white Ceres, a quarter of a pound of white Lead, beat them severally, put your oyle into a broad pan & set it on the coales till it begin to boyle, then put in your Ceres Stirringe it with a long Stick till it looke like faire water, then put in your leade & Stirr it till it looke blackish and dropp of it till you can rowle of it in your hand, you shall see it enough boyled by droppinge it in fair water & when it will rowle you may make your searcloath presently.

A Diett drink for the Dropsey Short windedness or the Tissicke XXII

Take one pound of Liquorish, Carroway seeds Sweet Corriander seeds, Annis Seeds, of each 2 ounces parsley one ounce vnless the patient can make noe stoole & then halfe an ounce will Serve, Allicompaine rootes Pollipodium of each 2 ounces Bay berries 3 ounces,

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Rosemary, sage, Thyme, Burrage, Hyssop Winter savory, Pennyroyall, Woodbinde, Weath wine, some call it weatherwine, others call it Seath wine of each one handfull, Take 3 gallons of Spring water & boyle all these together, till they come to halfe the quantity when that is cold, Straine it througe a clean cloath put it into earthen bottles & drinke it halfe an hour before you eat or drinke any thing else in a morninge, one quarter of a pint at a draught.

A receipt for a redd face XXIII

Take the Juice of Southernewood one large Spoonefull put it into a pint of strong Ale or halfe a pint of Sacke drinke this by Six of the Clock in the morninge fastinge, abstaine from eatinge or drinkinge vntill Tenn of the then take Southernwood & put a little vinegar to it & eat it with bread & butter as sage, & att Twelve you may goe to dinner, this is to be observed for Tenn dayes together

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A good preservative against the plague or pestillence XXIV

Take Sage of vertue Rue otherwise called herbe grace, Elder leaves & redd bramble leaves of each of them a good handfull stamp them together & then straine them through a fine Linen cloth and put to the juice a quart of ^perfect good white wine and a good quantity of white wine vinegar mingle them together & put hereto a quarter of an ounce of white Ginger beaten to Small powder use to drink this medecine every morneinge fastinge for the space of Nyne dayes together the quantity of a Spoonefull at a time and this will (by Gods help preserve them for the Space of a whole yeare

A drink for the Ricketts XXV

Take of Bettany Egrimony, Hartstongue, Liverworth, Colts foot Scavious shuggar of each halfe a handfull, the middle chine of Ash, fferne rootes of each a quarter of an ounce, Water crsses

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Brooke wine of each one handfull, ffiggs sliced 10, Raisins of the Sunn stoned 3 ounces, boyle all these in a pottle of faire water unto a quart & when it is almost boyled put in a quarter of an ounce of Liquorish straine it & lett her drink of it 3 or 4 times a day & alsoe in the night if she useth then to drinke you must put in hartshorne rasped halfe an ounce

A Medicine for ffreckles XXVI

Take a quart of white wine & a pottle of the flowers of Rosemary put them in a good glass bottle, then fill a great skillet with water Lapp the glass in hay & sett it in the skillett before you sett it on the fire & soe lett it grow very warm but not boyle at all, then take a pint of white wine vinegar put a new laid egge in it and lett it remaine in the vinegar till the egge be consumed or disolued, then straine the vinegar & white wine ... And put the Liquor in a clean glasse, then give it a warme over the fire & soe keep it for your vse. Take a pint of Plantin water & a pint of ffemittory water, drinke a quarter of a pint every morninge and fast an houre after it.

1686

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A Salve for sundry vses called the Leaden plaister XXVII

Take one pound of oyle olive of the best 1 pound of white Lead very well calcinated into dust, 12 ounces of Spanish sope incorporate all these well together in an earthen pott well glazed & when they be well incorporated that the sope comes upermost & put it upon a small fire of coales, continueinge the said fire an houre & a halfe still stirring it with a bolt of Iron fastned to a Stick of wood, then make your fire some what bigger, till the redness be turned into a grey collour but you must not leave stirringe till the matter be turned into the colour of oyle somewhat darker, then drop it on a wooden trenchar & if it neither cleave to your fingers nor the trenchar t'is boyled enough, then dipp your cloathes in that, the Searclothes therein dipped will last 20 yeares, & the older the better this plaister laid to the stomach provokes appetite and takes away the paine of the Stomach layd to the belly, t'is a remedy for the Collicke laid to the reines of the back it stops the bloudy flux

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Runinge of the reines heat of the kidney & weakness of the back, it heales all swellings, Aches & bruises, it breakes the ffellons, Impostumes, pushes & h^eales them being applyed to the fundaments it heales all diseases therein laid to the head, it is good for the vnnilla.

A Good Cordiall For A woman in Childbed XXVIII

Take a quarter of a pint of Cowslip water & 2 ounces of Syrrup of Clovegillyflowers & 2 pennyworth of Cinamon water & 2 Spoonefulls of Clarett wine & Alcemus one dramme mingle all these together and it is a soveraigne cordiall for any especially for one that lyes in Childbed

Pills for the head XXIX

Take one handfull of Alloes one dramme

ffor A Tetter

Take one handfull of Sallandine & as much bay salt as can take up betweene your finger & Thumbe & the juice of halfe a Lemon stamp them together in a Mortar & straine the juice out & wash the place and then put some of the hearbs upon it, vse this 3 or 4 dayes together dressinge it 3 or 4 times in a day together &c

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To Pickle Walnuts

Take your Walnuts at the biggness that you may run a pinn through & put them in a pott & cover them with a pickle made of salt & water, boyle the pickle up with vine leaves, lett them Lye a weeke or a forthnight in the pickle if you like it, if they mould put a peece of rock'd Allome in & cover them close, then take to a pint of white wine a quart of white wine vinegar & boyle them with salt & lett the pickle be cold, then take the nutts out of the pickle & cross them with a knife and scrape the innards out with a Skivre and fill them with mustard, pepper, Ginger, and garlick mixt all together, Lay them close together in the pott & powre the pickle to them, Cover them with a Slate or Tile

ffor the riseinge of the Lytes xxx

Take red rose water a quarter of a pint or else a penny worth of Saffron tyed up in a Lawne bagg or Tiffany steep it in ^the water a while then crush it between two spoons till you make the water an Amber Collour

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Then give two spoonfulls of it ^to the partie when the ffitts cometh, if it doth not Lay it give two spoonfulls more immediately for three or four sundry ffitts

A Receipt for the Worms or a very good Purge xxxi

Take 4 penny worth of Alloes & 2 penny worth of worme seed & 2 penny worth of hartshorne it must be powder of hartshorne & one penny worth of Curralline, bruise the Alloes & pownd the worme seed very small & pownd the Curralline to powder then mingle them together & give it 3 mornings together as much as will lye on a Six pence in a spoonfull of Beere & then wash your mouth with an other spoonfull of beere & fast 2 houres after it, & then take a little thinn broth & keep your selfe warme, be sure you doe not gett cold.

A very good medicine for any heate in the face or other where, although it be Saint Anthonys fire xxxii

Take a pottle of Smiths water a handfull of sage, 2 hand fulls of Elder leaves or the greene barkes of it & 2^d of Allome seeth all these from a pottle to a pint, put it in an earthen or gally pott & lett the patient anoynt his face with it when he goeth to bed, in the next morninge he shall find ease, but in 5 or 6 dayes (by Gods grace) help.

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To take away red rubies that grows in the face by reason of the heat of the Liver XXXIII

Take hoggs Sewit well purifyed & brimstone as much of the one as of the other with the water distilled of a peach tree & fferne & incorporate all together with a slow fire make thereof an oyntment in the meane time abstaine from wine & all hott things.

for him that hath naturaly A red face. XXXIV Take 4 ounces of kernells of Peaches 2 ounces Gourd Seed and make thereof an Oyle wherewith you may annoynt his face Morning & Evening, and this will destroy the redness.

A thing found true by Experience.

To dissolve knotts in the Neck. XXXV

Take clarify'd Wax iij ounces, Clear Turpentine one ounce, Rosin 2 ounces, Pitch one ounce, Mirtharmoniake Mastick, Olibanan, 2 penny worth of each, Galbanum Fennegreeke, and Cummin, in powder of each one peny worth dissolve the Gums in Wine Vinegar all night then put them to your other things and melt them

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with a gentle fire stirring them often, then strain them and in the Cooling put in the Turpentine, and work it into rowls, & when you vse it Spread it on Sheep's Leather, Apply it to the place and every Morning wipe it and lay it on again.

A Medicine for the Plague XXXVI.

Take a handfull of Sage a handfull of herb of grace a handfull of Elder Leaves, a handfull of red bramble's leavs and Stamp them together, Strayne them in a Clooath with a Quart of White Wine, take a quantity of Ginger and Mingle them together, drink thereof Ev'ning and Morning a full Spoonfull, every day ix dayes together, after the first Spoonfull they Shall be Safe for xxiiij dayes and after the ix^th they Shall be Safe for the whole year. by the Grace of God.

And if it fortune, one to be Stricken with the Plague, or he have drunken of the medicine afforesaid, then take water of Scabyon a Spoonfull, and so much water of Brittayne a quantity of fine Treacle, put all together and it will put out the venome; And if it fortune the Boyle to appear then take Bramble's leaves & Elder leaves, & Mustard Seeds Stamp them all together, then take of it and make thereof a plaister & lay it to the Sore, it will draw out the venome, and the Patient shall be whole by the Grace of God.