60 
chapman’s handy-book. 
vessel by itself, which, when settled, strain into the boiler 
and the dregs of all cast into your garden for the use of 
When your liquor is set over a gentle fire, and a thick 
scum is gathered all over, and the bubbles by the sides 
begin to break the scum, having damped your fire to cease 
the boiling, skim it clean, and then presently blow up 
your fire ; and when you see the second scum ready, having 
again damped the fire, take off the scum as before : and 
then, having again stirred the fire, let it boil handsomely 
for the space of an hour, or thereabouts; but be sure you 
always keep scumming it as there is occasion. . 
After all this is done, put in your spices according to 
the former receipt, and let it boil a quarter of an hour 
more. The boiling is to cleanse the mead which once 
done, any farther boiling does but rather dimmish than 
increase the goodness and strength of the mead. 
As soon as it hath done boiling, take it from the fire 
and set it to cool; the next day, when it is settled, strain 
it through a hair sieve or linen bag into the vat or tub, 
reserving still the dregs for the bees, and let it stand 
covered three or four days till it work, and let it work two 
days • and turn it into a barrel scalded with bay leaves, 
making the spice bag fast at the top. If you make no 
great quantity of mead, you may turn it the next day, and 
let it work in the barrel; your ordinary mead which turns 
sour will make excellent vinegar. 
Metheglin is the more generous and stronger sort of 
hydromel, for it beareth an egg to the breadth of a six¬ 
pence, and is usually made of finer honey with a less pro¬ 
portion of water, namely, four to one. To every barrel of 
sixteen gallons of skimmed liquor, add thyme one ounce ; 
eglantine, sweet marjoram, rosemary, of each half an 
ounce ; ginger, two ounces ; cinnamon, one ounce ; cloves 
and pepper, of each half an ounce; all gross beaten, the 
one half boiled loose in the liquor, and the other half put 
into a bag before, in mead; so that after this manner being 
made, as ordinary mead will not keep above half a year, 
this, the longer it is kept, the stronger it is, and hath the 
more delicate flavour and taste. 
