HERB DRINKS AND HOME-MADE WINES 167 



or Orange pills, etc., in spirit of wine a day or two, and then 

 distil it over again, unless you had rather have it in his 

 proper colour, for so you shall have it upon the first infusion 

 without any further distillation, and some young Alchymists 

 doe hold these for the true spirits of vegetables. Ibid. 



How to make a SOUVERAIGNE WATER that Master Doctor 

 Stevens, Physitian, a man of great knowledge and cunning 

 did practice and used of long experience and therewith did 

 very many cures, and kept it always secret, till of late, a 

 little before his death, a special friend of his did get it in 

 writing of him. 



Take a gallon of good Gascoine Wine, then take ginger, 

 camomile, cinnamon, nutmegs, cloves, mace, annis seeds, 

 fennell seeds, carroway seeds, of every of them a dramme, 

 then take sage, minte, red Roses, Tyme, Pellitory of the 

 Wall, wild margerum, Rosemary, wild Tyme, Camomile, and 

 lavender of every one of them one handfull, then beat the 

 spices small, and bruise the hearbes, and put all into the 

 wine, and let it stand twelve hours, stirring it divers times ; 

 then still it in a Limbeck, and keepe the first pinte of the 

 water, for it is the best, then will come a seconde water, 

 which is not so good as the first. 



The vertues of these waters be these it comforteth the 

 spirites, and preserveth one greatly, and whoso useth this 

 water ever and anon and not too ofte it preserveth him in 

 good liking and shall make one seeme young very long. You 

 must take one spoonfull of this water fasting. John 

 Partridge, The Treasurie of Commodius Conceits and Hidden 

 Secrets, 1586. 



TO MAKE A HORDEAT OR MUNDIFIED BARLEY. Take two 



ounces of French Barly, boyle it upon a cleare fire in three 

 quarters of a pint of water three or four houres, until that 

 there bee but a porringer of liquor left, then straine it without 

 pressing the Barly ; then peele and beate in the morter two 

 ounces of sweet Almonds, pouring this liquor upon them as 

 aforesaid, then straine and presse them very hard, and boyle 



