go THE BOOK OF FRUIT BOTTLING 
London, a.p. 1598. The author extols the virtues of a 
drink much in vogue and known as Aqua Composita. 
This most famous mixture was invented by Dr Stevens, 
and commonly called Dr S.’s Imperial Sovereign Water. 
Dr 5. is said to have preserved his own life with this 
water, ‘untill such extreame age, that he could neither 
goe nor ride, and he continued his life, being bed-rid for 
five years. Also the Archbishop of Canterbury used it, 
and found such goodnesse in it that he lived till he was 
not able to drink of a cup, but sucked his drink through 
a hollow pipe of silver.” To learn the ingredients of 
this notable drink we are referred to the ‘‘ Treasury of 
Commodious Conceits,” printed in London, 1586, where 
we find they are as follows :— 
‘A gallon of gascoign wine, with an infusion of 
ginger, galingale, camomile, cinnamon, nutmegs, grains, 
cloves, mace, anise seeds, fennel seeds, caraway seeds.” 
Unfortunately the proportion of each ingredient is not 
stated, but the effect of the mixture is represented as 
‘‘ almost miraculous.” The recipe seems to have been 
of enduring fame. It is copied in a book called the 
«« Accomplished Lady’s Delight,” which was published 
as late as 1684, and in an earlier edition of that work 
(1654) we learn that from this water may be made 
usquebah or Irish aquavite, by adding certain things 
to it. 
To revert to that valuable work, the ‘‘ Treasury of 
Commodious Conceits,” we will note therein a much- 
esteemed recipe for the making of a very efficacious 
specific called ‘‘ Manus Christi,” which seems usually 
to have been made up in the form of lozenges. In the 
Privy Purse expenses of the Princess Mary ‘Tudor 
there is an entry for payment of seven shillings (a large 
sum at that time) for a ‘‘ Boxe of Manus Christi.” Its 
use also is noticed by Carew in his ‘‘ Survey of Cornwall,” 
1603, showing to what a distance the fame of this 
