For Fear instead of Rest it brings you Madness, or at best to Folly.

 

Electuarium de Ovo - Maximilian the Emperor.

Take a Hen's Egg new laid, and a small hole being made in the top, take out the white, leaving the yolk still in. Then, fill up the void place with Saffron not beaten into powder, then cover over the hole with another cover (a little wax will serve, if you make not the hole too large), then roast it with a gentle fire (there is nothing like to hot embers) till all the shell begin to look black, attending it diligently lest the Saffron burn, for then is all the medicine spoiled. Then, take the matter out and dry it, that so it may be beaten into fine powder, and to it, its weight in White Mustard seed, in powder. 

Then, take the roots of White or Bastard Dittany, Tormentil, of each two drams; Myrrh, Hart's Horn, Petasitis roots (Butterbur? It grows commonly by ditches' sides, and bears no stalks at all, but broad leaves, and the flower appears before the leaf), of each one drachm; the roots of Angelica and Burnet, Juniper Berries, Zedoary, Camphire, of each half an ounce. 

Let all these, being beaten into powder, be diligently mixed with the other in a mortar, and add to them their weight of the best treacle, mixed together with a pestle for three hours, pouring in Syrup of Lemons so much as is sufficient, till it be made into an electuary according to art. 

A drachm of it given at a time is as great a help in a pestilential fever as a man shall usually read of in a Galenist. It provokes sweat, and then you know how to use yourself; if years do not permit, give not so much. 

Requies - Nicholaus.

Take of Red Rose leaves, the whites being cut off, Blue Violets, of each three drams; Opium of Thebes dissolved in Wine, the seeds of White Henbane, Poppies White and Black, the roots of Mandrakes, the seeds of Endive, Purslain, Garden Lettuce, Psyllium (I take it to be Flea Wort, not Flea Bane; the seeds look just like fleas), Spodium, Gum Tragacanth, of each two scruples and five grains; Nutmegs, Cinnamon, Ginger, of each a drachm and a half; Sanders Yellow, White and Red, of each a dram and a half; Sugar, three times their weight, dissolved in Rosewater. 

Mix them together, and make them an electuary according to art.

Requies; the title of this prescript signifies rest. But I would not advise you to take too much of it inwardly, for fear instead of rest it brings you madness, or at best to folly. Outwardly, I confess being applied to the temples, as also to the inside of the wrists, it may mitigate the heat in fevers, and provoke the rest, as also mitigate the violent heat and raging in frenzies.

I like not the receipt taken inwardly.

Andromacus, his Treacle.

(This is that which commonly is called Venice Treacle.)

Take of Troches of Squils, eight-and-forty drams; Troches of Vipers, Long Pepper, Opium of Thebes, Magma Hedycroi, of each twenty-four drachms; dried Rose leaves (take it always for Red Roses when the other are not mentioned), the whites being cut off, Illyrick, Orris, juice of Liquoris, the seeds of Sweet Navew, Scordium, Opobalsamum, Cinnamon, Agrick, of each twelve drams; Myrrh, Sweet Costus or Zedoary, Saffron, Cassia, Lignea, Indian Spikenard, Schoenanth, Pepper White and Black, male Frankincense (Olibanum), Dittany of Crete, Rhubarb, Stoechas, Horehound, the seeds of Macedonian Parsley, dried Calaminth, Turpentine, the roots of Cinquefoil and Ginger, of each six drachms; the branches of Polly Mountain, Camaepitys, Celtic Spikenard, Amomus, Styrax, Calamitis, the roots of Spignel, the tops of Germander, the roots of Rhapontick, Earth of Lemnos, Indian Leaf, Chalcitis or instead thereof Roman Vitriol, burnt Gentian roots, Gum Arabic, juice of Hypocistis, Carpobalsamum or Nutmegs or Cubebs, the seeds of Annis, Fennel, Seseli or Hartwort, Cardamoms, Acacia or in lieu thereof the juice of Sloes made thick, the seeds of Treacle Mustard, the tops of St John's Wort, the seeds of Bishop's Weed, Sagapenum, of each four drams; Castorium, the roots of Long Birthwort, Bitumen Judaicum, the seeds of Carrots, Opopanax, Centaury the Less, Galbanum, of each two drachms; old Canary Wine sufficient to dissolve the things that can be dissolved; pure Honey, three times the weight of the dry Simples.

Mix them together according to art. 

It is confessed many physicians have commented upon this receipt, as Bartholomeus, Maranta, Galen, Medici Romani and Medici Bononienses, cum multis aliis, but with little difference. 

The virtues of it are it resists poison and the bitings of venomous beasts, inveterate headaches, vertigo, deafness, the falling sickness, astonishment, apoplexies, dullness of sight, want of voice, asthmas, old and new coughs, such as spit or vomit blood, such as can hardly spit or breathe, coldness of the stomach, wind, the cholic and illiac passion, the yellow jaundice, hardness of the spleen, stone in the reins and bladder, difficulty of urine, ulcers in the bladder, fevers, dropsies, leprosies; it provokes the terms, brings forth both birth and afterbirth, helps pains in the joints. 

It helps not only the body, but also the mind, as vain fears, melancholy, etc., and is a good remeday in pestilential fevers. 

Thus Galen. 

You may take half a dram and go about your business, and it will do you good if you have occasion to go to ill airs or in pestilential times; if you shall sweat upon it, as your best way is if your body be not in health, then take one drachm, or between one and two, or less than one, according to age or strength is. If you cannot take this or any other sweating medicine by itself, mix it with a little Carduus or Dragon's Water, or Angelica Water, which in my opinion is the best of the three. 

London Treacle.

Take of Hart's Horn, two ounces; the seeds of Citron, Sorrel, Peony, Basil, of each one ounce; the roots of Angelica, Tormentil, Peony, the leaves of Dictamni, the berries of Juniper and Bay, of each half an ounce; the flowers of Marigolds, Clove Gillyflowers, Rosemary flowers, the tops of St John's Wort, Nutmegs, Saffron, of each three drachms; the roots of Gentian, Zedoary, Ginger, Mace, Myrrh, the leaves of Scabious, Devil's Bit, Carduus Benedictus, of each two drams; Cloves, Opium, of each one drachm; Canary Wine, so much as is sufficient (viz. dissolve the Opium); Honey, three times the weight of the rest.

Mix them together according to art.

The receipt is a pretty cordial, resists the pestilence, and is a good antidote in pestilential times; it resists poison, strengthens cold stomachs, helps digestion and crudities of the stomach. 

A man may safely take two drachms of it in a morning, and let him fear no harm. 

Benedicta Laxativa - Nich.

Take of choice Turbith, ten drams; Diagridium, the bark of the roots of Spurge prepared, Hermodactils, Red Roses, of each five drachms; Cloves, Spikenard, Ginger, Saffron, Saxifrage, Long Pepper, Amomus or for the want of it Calamus, Aromaticus, Cardamoms the Less, the seeds of Smallage, Parsley, Caraway, Fennel, Sparagus, Bruscus, Gromwell, Sal. Gem., Galanga, Mace, of each one drachm; clarified Honey, three times their weight.

Make them into an electuary according to art. Also, you may conveniently keep the species by itself.

It purges phlegm, chiefly from the joints; also, it purges the reins and bladder.

I willingly omit the quantity of these purges, because I would not have foolish women and dunces do themselves and others harm. 

Carycostimum - Bayr. e Gal.

Take of Cloves, White Costus or Zedoary, Ginger, Cumin, of each two drachms; Hermodactils, Diagrydium, of each half an ounce.

With their double weight of Honey clarified in White Wine, mix them together and make them into an electuary.

Authors say it purges hot rheums, and take away inflammations in wounds. 

I assure you the electuary works violently, and may safest be given in clysters, and so you may give two or three drachms at a time, if the patient be strong. 

Cassia extracted for Clysters - Augustiani.

Take of the leaves of Violets, Mercury, Mallows, Beets, Pellitory of the Wall, the flowers of Violet, of each a handful.

Boil them in a sufficient quantity of water, by the benefit of which let the Cassia be drawn with this decoction, and the canes washed and boiled again to a height, a pound; boil it to perfection according to art.

It is no more than breaking the canes of the Cassia, and pick out the pulp (casting away the seeds), boil the pulp in a little of this decoction, then press it through a pulping sieve; the title shows the use of it, or if you will take an ounce of it inwardly, you shall find it work with great gentleness. You may take it in White Wine. 

It is good for gentle bodies, for if your body be hard to work upon, perhaps it will not work at all; it purges the reins gallantly, and cools them, thereby preventing the stone and other diseases caused by their heat.