244 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Crown of the Head, and once in twelve hours lay new till it be 

 drawn up." 



"Dr. Adrian Gilbert 's most Soveraign Cordial Water" con- 

 tains, among other things too numerous to mention, from one to 

 two pounds each of thirty-nine different plants, " two pounds of 

 shaved Hartshorn, twelve ounces of Ivory, a goodly quantity of 

 Clarret wine and best Malaga Sack/' all distilled. 



When small-pox, plague, spotted fevers, and ordinary fevers 

 are abroad in the land, "if one take, in time of infection, two 

 spoonfuls of this Cordial water in good Beer or white Wine he 

 may safely walk from danger by the leave of God." 



Another " Soveraign Water " of Dr. Stephens's, " which he a 

 long time used, wherewith he did many cures ; he kept it secretly 

 till a little before his death, and then he gave it to the Lord Arch- 

 Bishop of Canterbury, in writing." It does not differ greatly from 

 the preceding, but oh the virtues of \t ! 



" The Virtues of this Water. It comforts the Vital Spirits, and 

 helps all inward Diseases that come of cold ; it is good against the 

 shaking of the Palsie ; it cures the contraction of the Sinews ; it 

 kills the Worms in the Belly and Stomach; it cures the cold 

 Dropsie, and helps the Stone in the Bladder, and in Reins of the 

 Back ; it helps shortly the stinking breath, and whosoever useth 

 this Water morning and evening (and not too often) it preserveth 

 him in good liking and will make him seem young very long, and 

 comforteth Nature marvelously; with this water did Mr. Ste- 

 phens preserve his life till extreme age would not let him go 

 or stand; and he continued five years when all the Physicians 

 judged he would not live a year longer, nor did he use any other 

 Medicine but this." 



Another "Aqua Miraoilis, Sir Kenelm Digby's way," is more 

 simple in build but as wonderful in effect. "This water pre- 

 serveth the Lungs without grievances, and helpeth them ; being 

 wounded, it suffereth not the blood to putrifie, but multiply eth 

 the same ; this water suffereth not the heart to burn, nor Melan- 

 choly, nor the Spleen to be lifted up above nature ; it expelleth 

 the Rhume, preserveth the Stomach, Conserveth youth, and pro- 

 cureth a good colour ; it preserveth memory ; it destroyeth the 

 palsie ; if this be given to one a dying, a spoonful of it reviveth 

 him ; in the Summer use one spoonful a week fasting, in the Win- 

 ter two spoonfuls." 



If one can judge by the number of prescriptions given, small- 

 pox was more common two hundred years ago than measles now. 

 " Megrims," " melancholy fumes," " fainting of the heart," " pas- 

 sion " of the same, were as well known as the " nervous prostra- 

 tion " of these later days. 



We fail to see the true meaning in the title of the receipt next 



