declined conscientiously to deal in abrunes, or images carved 

 out of mandrake roots which were consulted as oracles, in 

 order not to countenance such impious superstitions. 



A profitable class of substances commonly sold in phar- 

 macies of the sixteenth century remains to be mentioned ; 

 these were cane sugar (generally kept in cones and cut off as 

 wanted), treacle, honey and varieties of syrups, conserves, 

 lohocks, confections and robs, of which the basis was sugar 

 or honey. The apothecary also dealt in spices, cordials, dis- 

 tilled waters and fumigating pastilles, as well as sealing-wax, 

 paper, ink and pens. 



Jacob's knowledge of botany was of great assistance to 

 Christian Horcicky in the collection and identification of 

 medicinal plants, both indigenous and exotic; together they 

 had invented a toilet-water that was in great demand as a 

 medicine and perfume in court circles and among the wealthy 

 aristocrats of all Bohemia. , This prototype of the modern 

 Eau de Cologne was made by distilling essential oils of plants 

 cultivated for the purpose, and was sold under the name 

 Aqua Smapu, Sinapius being the Latinized form of the Bohe- 

 mian name Horcicky, which by the way signifies mustard 

 (Sinapis). 



Aqua Sinapii was manufactured at the laboratory in the 

 court-yard, where also all operations requiring intense heat, 

 such as fusion and sublimation, were carried on; there too, 

 distillations were conducted and secret arcana, were prepared 

 by the hardworked apprentice Carlo Malombra, a Venetian, 

 assisted by Ferdinand Horcicky, Christian's younger son. 

 The laboratory was a stone building so placed on sloping 

 ground as to have two stories on the front and but one at 

 the back; in the lower room, almost as dark as a cellar, 

 were several furnaces, some furnished with artificial blasts 

 and some built for gentler fires, besides water-baths, filtering 



150 



