208 THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



\ mean, not the mortar,) cover it with a 



CHAPTER ] paper and set it either in ihe sun, or some 



Of Lohocks other warm place ; three, four, or five days, 



| that it may melt ; then take it out and boil 

 1. THAT which the Arabians call Lo- 1 it a little ; then whilst it is hot, strain it out, 



hocks, and the Greeks Eclegma, the Latins 

 caJl Linctus, and in plain English signifies 

 nothing else but a thing to be licked up. 

 2. They are in body thicker than a 



pressing it out very hard in a press : to this 

 grease add as many more herbs bruised as 

 before ; let them stand in like manner as 

 long, then boil them as you did the former; 



syrup, and not so thick as an electuary. \ If you think your ointment is not strong 



3. The manner of taking them is, often to : enough, you may do it the third and fourth 

 take a little with a liquorice stick, and let it j time, yet this I will tell you, the fuller of 

 go down at leisure. U ince t h e herbs are, the sooner will your 



4. They are easily thus made; Make $ ointment be strong; the last time you boil 

 a decoction of pectoral herbs, and thetrea-jit, boil it so long till your herbs be crisp, 

 tjse will furnish you with enough, and when land the juice consumed, then strain it 

 you have strained it, with twice its weight I pressing it hard in a press, and to every 

 of honey or sugar, boil it to a lohock ; if. j pound of ointment add two ounces of tur- 

 you are molested with much phlegm, honey { pentine, and as much wax, because grease 

 is better than sugar ; and if you add a little j is offensive to wounds, as well as oil. 

 vinegar to it, you will do well ; if not, I hold j 2. Ointments are vulgarly known to be 

 sugar to be better than honey. | kept in pots, and will last above a year, 



o. It is kept in pots, and may be kept a j some above two years, 

 year and longer. 



6. It is excellent for roughness of the j 



wind-pipe, inflammations and ulcers of ihej Qf Plaisters. 



lungs,difficultyofbreathing,asthmas,coughs, | 



and distillation of humours. 1- THE Greeks made their plaisters of 



5 divers simples, and put metals into the most 



CHAPTER x \ of them, if not all ; for having reduced their 



Of Ointments. I metals into powder, they mixed them with 



Vthat fatty substance whereof the rest of the 



1. VARIOUS are the ways of making! plaister consisted, whilst it was thus hot, 

 ointments, which authors have left to pos-j continually stirring it up and down, lest it 

 terity, which I shall omit, and quote one j should sink to the bottom; so they con- 

 which is easiest to be made, and therefore jtinually stirred it till it was stiff; then they 

 most beneficial to people that are ignorant | made it up in rolls, which when they needed 

 in physic, for whose sake I write this. It is \ for use, they could melt by the fire again, 

 thus done. J 2. The Arabians made up theirs with 



Bruise those herbs, flowers, or roots, you i 



oil and fat, which needed not so long 



will make an ointment of, and to two hand-* boiling. 



fuls of your bruised herbs add a pound of I 3. The Greeks em plaisters consisted of 

 hog's grease dried, or cleansed from the! these ingredients, metals, stones, divers 

 skins, beat them very well together in assorts of earth, feces, juices, liquors, seeds, 

 stone mortar with a wooden pestle, then put \ roots, herbs, excrements of creatures, wax, 

 it into a stone pot, (the herb and grease I \ rosin, gums. 



