198.A Pomatum to remove Redness, or Pimples in the Face.
Steep in clear Water a pound of a Boar's Cheek till it becomes tolerably white, drain it quite dry, and put it into a new-glazed earthen pan with two or three pared Pippins quartered, an ounce and a half of the four Cold Seeds bruised, and a slice of Veal about the size of the palm of one's hand. Boil the whole together in a vapour-bath for four hours, then with a strong cloth squeeze out your pomatum into an earthen dish placed upon hot ashes; adding to it an ounce of White Wax, and an ounce of Oil of Sweet Almonds. Stir the pomatum well with a spatula till it become cold.
199.A Pomatum for Wrinkles.
Take Juice of White Lily Roots and fine Honey, of each two ounces; melted White Wax, an ounce; incorporate the whole together, and make a pomatum. It should be applied every night, and not be wiped off till the next morning.
200.Another for the same Intention.
Take six new-laid Eggs, boil them hard, take out the Yolks, and fill the cavities with Myrrh, and powdered Sugar Candy, of each equal parts. Join the Whites together neatly, and set them on a plate before the fire; mixing the Liquor that exsudes from them with an ounce of Hog's Lard. This pomatum must be applied in the morning, and be suffered to dry upon the skin, which is afterwards to be wiped with a clean fine napkin.
201.Or,
Take half an ounce of Sallad Oil, an ounce of Oil of Tartar, half an ounce of Mucilage of Quince Seeds, three quarters of an ounce of Ceruss, thirty grains of Borax, and the same quantity of Sal Gem. Stir the whole together for some time in a little earthen dish, with a wooden spatula, and apply it in the same manner as the former composition.
202.Pomatum for a red or pimpled Face.
Take two pared Apples, Celery, and Fennel, of each a handful; and Barley Meal, a quarter of an ounce. Simmer the whole together a quarter of an hour in a gill of Rose-water; then add an ounce of fine Barley Meal, the Whites of four new-laid Eggs, and an ounce of Deer's Suet.Strain through a canvas bag into a dish that contains a little Rose-water; wash the pomatum well in the Rose-water, and afterwards beat it in a mortar perfectly smooth. This pomatum is to be applied frequently through the day, to remove the redness of the face, pimples, and even freckles; but to answer the last mentioned purpose, it must be continued till they are entirely effaced. To prevent their return, the person must avoid the intense heat of the sun, and hot drying winds for some time.
203.A Pomatum for the Skin.
Take Oil of White Poppy Seeds, and of the four Cold Seeds, of each a gill; Spermaceti, three quarters of an ounce; White Wax, an ounce: mix them into a pomatum according to the rules of art.
A great quantity of a substance resembling Butter is extracted from the Cocoa Tree, which is excellent to mollify and nourish the skin, and has long been used for this purpose amongst the Spanish Creolian women.
204.Pomatum to make the Hair grow in a bald Part, and thicken the Hair.
Take Hen's Fat, Oil of Hempseed, and Honey, of each a quarter of a pound; melt them together in an earthen pipkin, and keep the mixture stirring with a wooden spatula, till cold. This pomatum, to obtain the desired effect, must be rubbed on the part eight days successively.
205.Another Pomatum for the Hair.
Cut into small pieces a sufficient quantity of Hog's Cheek, steep it eight or ten days in clean Water, which be careful to change three times a day, and every time the Water is changed, stir it well with a spatula to make the flesh white. Drain the flesh dry, and putting it into a new earthen pipkin, with a pint of Rose-water, and a Lemon stuck with Cloves, simmer them over the fire till the skum looks reddish. Skim this off, and removing the pipkin from the fire, strain the Liquor. When it has cooled, take off the fat; beat it well with cold Water, which change two or three times as occasion may require; the last time using Rose-water instead of common Water. Drain the Pomatum dry, and scent it withViolets, Tuberoses, Orange Flowers, Jasmine, Jonquils a la Reine, &c. in the following manner.
206.Manner of Scenting Pomatums for the Hair.
Spread your Pomatum about an inch thick upon several dishes or plates, strewing the flowers you make choice of on one dish, and covering them with another. Change the Flowers for fresh ones every twelve hours, and continue to pursue this method for ten or twelve days; mixing the pomatum well, and spreading it out every time that fresh Flowers are added. It will soon acquire a fragrant scent, and may be used in what manner you think proper. It is good for almost every cosmetic purpose, but more particularly for the hair, which it nourishes, strengthens, preserves, and thickens.
207.Orange-Flower Pomatum.
Take two pounds and a half of Hog's Lard, and three pounds of Orange Flowers; mix them together in a marble mortar; then put the mixture into an earthen vessel with some Water, and place it in a vapour-bath, where let it stand till the Lard is melted, and floats above the Flowers. When it has stood till cold, pour away the Water, and simmer in the usual manner, with three pounds of fresh Orange Flowers. Repeat the same operation twice more with two pounds of Orange Flowers each time; and the last time, while the mixture stands in infusion, add a gill of Orange-flower Water. Strain through a hair sieve held over an earthen dish; drain off the Water thoroughly when cold, and keep the Pomatum in a dryplace, in a gallypot close tied over with a bladder.
In the same manner are prepared Jasmine, Jonquil, Tuberose, Lavender Pomatums, and all pomatums scented with Flowers.
208.Sultana Pomatum.
This pomatum is made of Balsam of Mecca, Spermaceti, and Oil of Sweet Almonds cold drawn. It clears and preserves the complexion, and is of use for red pimpled faces.
209.A sweet smelling Perfume.
Take a pound of fresh-gathered Orange Flowers, of common Roses, Lavender Seeds, and Musk Roses, each half apound; of Sweet Marjoram Leaves, and Clove-july-flowers picked, each a quarter of a pound; of Thyme, three ounces; of Myrtle Leaves, and Melilot Stalks stripped of their Leaves, each two ounces; of Rosemary Leaves, and Cloves bruised, each an ounce; of Bay Leaves, half an ounce.
Let these ingredients be mixed in a large pan covered with parchment, and be exposed to the heat of the sun during the whole summer; for the first month stirring them every other day with a stick, and taking them within doors in rainy weather. Towards the end of the season, they will afford an excellent composition for a perfume; which may be rendered yet more fragrant, by adding a little scented Cypress-powder, mixed with coarse Violet-powder.
210.Another for the same Purpose.
Take Orange Flowers, a pound; common Roses picked without the Yellow Pedicles, a pound; Clove-july-flowers picked with the White End of their Leaves cut off, half a pound; Marjoram, and Myrtle Leaves picked, of each half a pound; Musk Roses, Thyme, Lavender, Rosemary, Sage, Chamomile, Melilot, Hyssop, Sweet Basil, and Balm, of each two ounces; fifteen or twenty Bay Leaves, two or three handfuls of Jasmine, as many little Green Oranges, and half a pound of Salt. Put them in a proper vessel, and leave them together a whole month, carefully observing tostir the mixture well twice a day with a wooden spatula or spoon.
At the month's end, add twelve ounces of Florentine Orrice-root in fine powder, and the same quantity of powdered Benjamin; of Cloves, and Cinnamon finely powdered, each two ounces; Mace, Storax, Calamus Aromaticus, all in fine powder, and Cypress-powder, of each an ounce; Yellow Sanders and Cyprus or Sweet Flag, of each three quarters of an ounce. Mix the whole thoroughly, by stirring, and you will have a very fragrant perfume.
211.Orange-Flower Powder.
Put half a pound of Orange Flowers into a box that contains twelve pounds and a half of powdered Starch; mix them well with the Starch, and stir the mixture at intervals, to prevent the Flowersfrom heating. At the expiration of twenty-four hours, remove the old flowers, and mix with the Starch the same quantity of fresh Orange Flowers. Continue acting in this manner for three days together, and if you think the perfume not sufficiently strong, add fresh Flowers once or twice more. The box must be kept close shut, as well after as during the operation.
212.Jonquil Powder.
Take of Starch Powder and Jonquil Flowers, in the same proportion as in the preceding article; strew the Flowers among the Powder, and at the expiration of twenty hours, sift it through a coarse sieve. Then throw away the Flowers, and add to the Powder the same quantity of fresh Flowers. Continue this method four or five days, observing never totouch the Powder while the Flowers lie mixed with it; and the former will hence acquire a very agreeable perfume.
In the same manner are prepared, Hyacinth, Musk Rose, and Damask Rose Powders, &c.
213.Coarse Violet Powder.
Beat separately into coarse Powder the following ingredients, viz. half a pound of dried Orange Flowers; of Lemon-peel dried, Yellow Sanders, Musk Roses, and Gum Benjamin, each a quarter of a pound; Lavender Tops dried, three ounces; of Rose Wood, Calamus Aromaticus, and Storax, each two ounces; an ounce of Sweet Marjoram, half an ounce of Cloves, two pounds of Florentine Orrice-root, and a pound of dried Provence Roses; mix the whole together. When you want to fillbags with this powder, mix a drachm of Musk and half a drachm of Civet, with a little Mucilage of Gum Tragacanth made with Angelic Water, and a little Sweet-scented Water, and rub the inside of the bag over with the composition, before you fill it with the Violet Powder.
214.Another coarse Violet Powder.
Mix together a pound of Florentine Orrice-roots, half a pound of dried Orange Flowers, a quarter of a pound of Yellow Sanders; of Coriander Seeds, Sweet Flag, and of the Marc or Residuum left after making Angelic Water, each two ounces; an ounce and a half of Calamus Aromaticus, and an ounce of Cloves; bruise the whole into a coarse Powder, and keep it for use in a jar, close stopped.
215.Jasmine Powder.
Powder French Chalk, sift it through a fine sieve, put it in a box, and strew on it a quantity of Jasmine Flowers; shut down the lid close, and add fresh Flowers every four and twenty hours. When the Powder is well impregnated with the scent of Jasmine, rub together a few grains of Civet, Ambergrise, and a little white Sugar Candy, and mix them with the Powder.
216.Ambrette Powder.
Take six ounces of Bean Flour, and the same quantity of worm-eaten Wood, four ounces of Cyprus Wood, two ounces of Yellow Sanders, two ounces of Gum Benjamin, an ounce and a half of Storax, a quarter of anounce of Calamus.
Aromaticus, and as much Labdanum; beat the whole into a very fine powder, and sift it through a lawn sieve. Add four grains of Ambergrise, and half an ounce of Mahaleb or Musk Seeds; mix them with the rest of the powder, and keep the whole in a bottle close stopped for use. You may put any quantity you please of this Perfume into common powder, to give it an agreeable flavour.
217.Cyprus Powder.
Fill a linen bag with Oak Moss, steep it in water, which change frequently, and afterwards dry the Moss in the sun. Beat it to powder, and sprinkle it with Rose-water; then dry it again, sift it through a fine sieve, and mix with it a small quantity of any of the preceding powders.
218.Another Cyprus Powder more fragrant.
Wash Oak Moss several times in pure water and dry it thoroughly; then sprinkle over it Orange Flower and Rose-water, and spread it thin upon a hurdle to dry. Afterwards place under it a chafing-dish, in which burn some Storax and Benjamin. Repeat this operation till the Moss becomes well perfumed; then beat it to fine powder, and to every pound add a quarter of an ounce of Musk, and as much Civet.
219.Perfumed Powder.
Take a pound of Florentine Orrice-root, two ounces of Gum Benjamin, a pound of dried Roses, an ounce of Storax, an ounce and a half of Yellow Sanders, a quarter of an ounce of Cloves, and asmall quantity of Lemon-peel; beat the whole together into fine powder, and then add twenty pounds of Starch-powder. Sift through a lawn sieve; and colour the powder according to your fancy.
220.The White Powder that enters into the Composition of the Delightful Perfume.
Take a pound of Florentine Orrice-root, twelve Cuttle-fish Bones, eight pounds of Starch, and a handful of Sheep or Bullock's Bones calcined to whiteness; beat the whole into a powder, and sift it through a fine hair sieve.
221.Prepared Powder.
Pour a quart of Brandy, or an ounce of highly rectified Spirit of Wine, on a pound or a pound and a half of Starch, mix them together; then dry the Starch,beat it to powder, and sift it through a fine lawn sieve. If you please you may add a little powder of Florentine Orrice-root.
222.A Powder to nourish the Hair.
Take Roots of the Sweet Flag, Calamus Aromaticus, and Red Roses dried, of each an ounce and a half; Gum Benjamin, an ounce; Aloes Wood, three quarters of an ounce; Red Coral prepared, and Amber prepared, of each half an ounce; Bean Flour, a quarter of a pound, Florentine Orrice-roots, half a pound; mix the whole together, then beat into a fine powder, and add to it five grains of Musk, and the same quantity of Civet. This powder greatly promotes the regeneration of the hair, and strengthens and nourishes its roots. The property of enlivening the imagination, and helping the memory is also attributed to it.
223.Common Powder.
The best Starch dried is generally the basis of all Hair-powders: as are, sometimes, worm-eaten or rotten Wood, dried Bones, or Bones calcined to whiteness, which are sifted through a fine hair sieve after they have been beaten to powder. This kind of Powder readily takes any scent, particularly that of Florentine Orrice, a root which naturally possesses a violet smell. Of these Roots, the whitest and soundest are made choice of; they are to be powdered as fine as possible, and this can only be done during the summer.
224.White Powder.
Take four pounds of Starch, half a pound of Florentine Orrice-root, six Cuttle-fish Bones; Ox Bones and SheepsBones calcined to whiteness, of each half a handful; beat the whole together, and sift the Powder through a very fine sieve.
225.Grey Powder.
To the Residuum of the preceding add a little Starch and Wood-ashes in fine powder; rub them together in a mortar some time, and then sift through a fine hair sieve.
226.Another.
Take the Marc or Residuum of the White Powder, mix with it a little Starch, Yellow Ochre, and Wood-ashes or Baker's Coals to colour it. Beat the whole well in a mortar, then sift it through a hair sieve. Beat the coarser parts over again, and sift a second time; repeating these operations till all the composition has passed through the sieve.
227.Flaxen coloured Powder.
Add to the White Powder a very little Yellow Ochre. The White Powder may be tinged of any colour, by adding ingredients of the colour you fancy.
228.Bean Flour.
Grind any quantity of Beans, and sift the Meal through a very fine lawn sieve. It will take no other scent than that of Florentine Orrice.
229.To sweeten the Breath.
Roll up a little ball of Gum Tragacanth, scent it with some odoriferous Essence or Oil, and hold it in the mouth. A little Musk may be added to the ball while rolling up, where that perfume is not disagreeable.
230.Or,
After having eat Garlic or Onions, chew a little raw Parsley. It will infallibly take away their offensive smell.
231.A Remedy for scorbutic Gums.
Bruise Cinquefoil in a marble mortar, squeeze out the juice, warm it over the fire, and rub the Gums with it every night and morning.
232.A Remedy for Moist Feet.
Take twenty pounds of Lee made of the Ashes of the Bay Tree, three handfuls of Bay Leaves, a handful of Sweet Flag, with the same quantity of Calamus Aromaticus, and Dittany of Crete; boil the whole together for some time, then strain off the liquor, and add two quarts ofWine. Steep your feet in this bath an hour every day, and in a short time they will no longer exhale a disagreeable smell.
233.A certain Method of destroying Fleas.
Sprinkle the room with a decoction of Arsmart, Bitter Apple, Briar Leaves, or Cabbage Leaves; or smoke it with burnt Thyme or Pennyroyal.
234.Or,
Put Tansy Leaves about different parts of the bed, viz. under thematrass, or between the blankets.
235.Or,
Rub the bed-posts well with a strong decoction of Elder Leaves.
236.Or,
Mercurial Ointment, or a fumigation of Pennyroyal Leaves, or of Brimstone, infallibly destroys Fleas; as likewise do the fresh Leaves of Pennyroyal, tied up in a bag, and laid upon the bed.
237.A Secret to take away Wrinkles.
Heat an Iron Shovel red hot, throw on it some Powder of Myrrh, and receive the smoke on your face, covering the head with a napkin to prevent its being dissipated. Repeat this operation threetimes, then heat the Shovel again, and when fiery hot pour on it a mouthful of White Wine. Receive the vapour of the Wine also on your face, and repeat it three times. Continue this method every night and morning as long as you find occasion.
238.A Rouge for the Face.
Alkanet Root strikes a beautiful red when mixed with Oils or Pomatums. A Scarlet or Rose-coloured Ribband wetted with Water or Brandy, gives the Cheeks, if rubbed with it, a beautiful bloom that can hardly be distinguished from the natural colour. Others only use a Red Sponge, which tinges the cheeks of a fine carnation colour.
239.Another.
Alum, beat them together into a coarse powder, and boil in a sufficient quantity of Red Wine, till two thirds of the Liquor are consumed. When this decoction has stood till cold, rub a little on the cheeks with a bit of cotton.
240.The Turkish Method of preparing Carmine.
Infuse, during three or four days, in a large jar filled with White Wine Vinegar, a pound of Brazil Wood Shavings of Fernambuca, having first beaten them to a coarse powder; afterwards boil them together half an hour; then strain off the Liquor through a coarse linen cloth, set itagain upon the fire, and having dissolved half a pound of Alum in White Wine Vinegar, mix both Liquors together, and stir the mixture well with a spatula. The scum that rises is the Carmine; skim it off carefully, and dry it for use.
Carmine may also be made with Cochineal, or Red Sanders, instead Brazil Wood.
241.A Liquid Rouge that exactly imitates Nature.
Take a pint of good Brandy, and infuse in it half an ounce of Gum Benjamin, an ounce of Red Sanders, and half an ounce of Brazil Wood, both in coarse powder; with half an ounce of Roch Alum. Cork the bottle tight, shake it well every day, and at the expiration of twelve daysthe Liquor will be fit for use. Touch the cheeks lightly with this Tincture, and it will scarcely be possible to perceive that rouge has been laid on, it will so nearly resemble the natural bloom.
242.An Oil that possesses the same Property.
Take ten pounds of Sweet Almonds, an ounce of Red Sanders in powder, and an ounce of bruised Cloves; pour on them a gill of White Wine, and three quarters of a gill of Rose-water; stir them well every day. At the end of eight or nine days, squeeze the paste in a press in the same manner as when you mean to extract Oil of Almonds.
243.A Sweet-Scented Bag to wear in the Pocket.
Take thin Persian, and make it into little bags about four inches wide, in the form of an oblong square. Rub the inside lightly with a little Civet, then fill them with coarse powder a la Marechale, or any other odoriferous Powder you choose; to which add a few Cloves, with a little Yellow Sanders beaten small, and sew up the mouths of the bags.
244.Bags to Scent Linen.
Take Rose Leaves dried in the shade, Cloves beat to a gross powder, and Mace, scraped; mix them together, and put the composition into little bags.
245.An agreeable Sweet-Scented Composition.
Take Florentine Orrice, a pound and a half; Rose Wood, six ounces; Calamus Aromaticus, half a pound; Yellow Sanders, a quarter of a pound; Gum Benjamin, five ounces; Cloves, half an ounce; and Cinnamon, an ounce: beat the whole into powder, and fill your bags with it.
246.Ingredients for various Sorts of these little Bags or Satchels.
For this purpose may be used different parts of the Aromatic Plants; as Leaves of Southernwood, Dragon-wort, Balm, Mint both garden and wild, Dittany, Ground-ivy, Bay, Hyssop, Lovage, Sweet Marjoram, Origanum, Pennyroyal, Thyme,Rosemary, Savory, Scordium, and Wild Thyme. The Flowers of the Orange, Lemon, Lime, and Citron Tree, Saffron, Lavender, Roses, Lily of the Valley, Clove-july-flower, Wall-flower, Jonquil, and Mace. Fruits, as Aniseeds, &c. The Rinds of Lemons, Oranges, &c. Small green Oranges, Juniper-berries, Nutmegs, and Cloves. Roots of Acorus, Bohemian Angelica, Oriental Costus, Sweet Flag, Orrice, Zedoary, &c. The Woods of Rhodium, Juniper, Cassia, St. Lucia, Sanders, &c. Gums, as Frankincense, Myrrh, Storax, Benjamin, Labdanum, Ambergrise, and Amber. Barks, as Canella Alba, Cinnamon, &c.
Care must be taken that all these ingredients are perfectly dry, and kept in a dry place. To prevent their turning black, add a little common Salt. When youchoose to have any particular Flower predominant, a greater quantity of that plant must be used in proportion to the other ingredients.
247.White Soap.
This soap is made with one part of the Lees of Spanish Pot-ash and Quick-lime, to two parts of Oil of Olives or Oil of Almonds.
248.Honey Soap.
Take four ounces of White Soap, and as much Honey, half an ounce of Salt of Tartar, and two or three drachms of the distilled Water of Fumitory; mix the whole together. This Soap cleanses theskin well, and renders it delicately white and smooth. It is also used advantageously, to efface the marks of burns and scalds.
249.A perfumed Soap.
Take four ounces of Marsh-mallow Roots skinned and dried in the shade, powder them, and add an ounce of Starch, the same quantity of Wheaten Flour, six drachms of fresh Pine-nut Kernels, two ounces of blanched Almonds, an ounce and a half of Orange Kernels husked, two ounces of Oil of Tartar, the same quantity of Oil of Sweet Almonds, and thirty grains of Musk: thoroughly incorporate the whole, and add to every ounce, half an ounce of Florentine Orrice-root in fine powder. Then steep half a pound of fresh Marsh-mallow Rootsbruised in the distilled Water of Mallows, or Orange Flowers, for twelve hours, and forcibly squeezing out the liquor, make, with this mucilage, and the preceding Powders and Oils, a stiff Paste, which is to be dried in the shade, and formed into round balls. Nothing exceeds this Soap for smoothing the skin, or rendering the hands delicately white.
250.Fine scented Wash-ball.
Take of the best White Soap, half a pound, and shave it into thin slices with a knife; then take two ounces and a half of Florentine Orrice, three quarters of an ounce of Calamus Aromaticus, and the same quantity of Elder Flowers; of Cloves, and dried Rose Leaves, each half an ounce; Coriander-seeds, Lavender, and Bay Leaves, of each a drachm, with threedrachms of Storax. Reduce the whole to fine powder, which knead into a Paste with the Soap; adding a few grains of Musk or Ambergrise. When you make this Paste into Wash-balls, soften it with a little Oil of Almonds to render the composition more lenient. Too much cannot be said in favour of this Wash-ball, with regard to its cleansing and cosmetic property.
251.A Wash-ball, an excellent Cosmetic for the Face and Hands.
Take a pound of Florentine Orrice, a quarter of a pound of Storax, two ounces of Yellow Sanders, half an ounce of Cloves, as much fine Cinnamon, a Nutmeg, and twelve grains of Ambergrise; beat the whole into very fine powder and sift them through a lawn sieve, all except the Ambergrise, which is to be added afterwards. Then take two pounds of the finest White Soap, shaved small, and infuse it in three pints of Brandy, four or five days. When it is dissolved, add a little Orange Flower-water, and knead the whole into a very stiff Paste with the best Starch finely powdered. Then mix the Ambergrise, with a little Gum Tragacanth liquefied in sweet-scented Water. Of this Paste make Wash-balls; dry them in the shade, and polish them with a Paste-board or Lignum Vitæ cup.
252.Bologna Wash-balls.
Take a pound of Italian Soap cut in small bits, and a quarter of a pound of Lime; pour on them two quarts of Brandy, let them ferment together twenty-four hours, then spread the mass on a sheet offiltring paper to dry. When quite dry, beat it in a marble mortar, with half an ounce of St. Lucia Wood, an ounce and a half of Yellow Sanders, half an ounce of Orrice-root, and as much Calamus Aromaticus, all finely powdered. Knead the whole into a Paste with Whites of Eggs, and a quarter of a pound of Gum Tragacanth dissolved in Rose-water, and then form it into Wash-balls according to the usual method.
253.An excellent Wash-ball for the Complexion.
Take two ounces of Venetian Soap; dissolve it in two ounces of Lemon Juice, an ounce of Oil of Bitter Almonds, and the same quantity of Oil of Tartar. Mix the whole together, and stir the mixture till it acquires the consistence of a thick Paste.
254.Seraglio Wash-balls.
Take a pound of Florentine Orrice-roots, a quarter of a pound of Gum Benjamin, two ounces of Storax, two ounces of Yellow Sanders, half an ounce of Cloves, a drachm of Cinnamon, a little Lemon-peel, an ounce of St. Lucia Wood, and one Nutmeg. Reduce the whole to fine powder; then take about two pounds or White Soap shaved thin, steep it with the above Powder in three pints of Brandy, four or five days. Afterwards kneading the mass with a sufficient quantity of Starch, and adding to it the Whites of Eggs, with Gum Tragacanth dissolved in some odoriferous Water, form the Paste into Wash-balls of what size you please. A few grains of Musk or Civet, or a little Essential Oil of Lavender, Bergamot, Roses, Cloves, Clove-july-flowers, Jasmine, Cinnamon, in short, any that best pleases the fancy of the person who prepares these Wash-balls, may be incorporated with the Paste while forming into a mass.
255.A Hepatic Salt, to preserve the Complexion.
Take Roots of Agrimony, two pounds; Roots of Succory and Scorzonera, of each a pound; Bitter Costus and Turmeric, of each half a pound; Calamus Aromaticus and Rhapontic, of each a quarter of a pound; Wormwood, Southernwood, Sweet Maudlin, Harts-tongue, Fluellin, Liverwort, Fumitory, and Dodder of Thyme, of each three ounces; calcine the whole in a reverberatory furnace, and add Ashes of Rhubarb and Cassia Lignea of each an ounce and a half. Make a lee with these Ashes in a decoction of the Flowers ofLiverwort, and extract the Salt according to art. This Salt causes the bile to flow freely, removes obstructions, cures the jaundice, takes away a sallow complexion, and imparts to the skin the ruddy vermillion bloom of health. Its dose is from twenty-four to thirty-six grains, in any convenient vehicle.
256.To change the Eye-brows black.
Rub them frequently with ripe Elder-berries. Some use burnt Cork, or Cloves burnt in the candle; others prefer the Black of Frankincense, Rosin, and Mastic. This Black will not melt nor come off by sweating.
257.To efface Spots or Marks of the Mother, on any Part of the Body.
Steep in Vinegar of Roses, or strong White Wine Vinegar, Borrage Roots stripped of their small adhering fibres, and let them stand to infuse twelve or fourteen hours. Bathe the part affected frequently with this Infusion, and in time the marks will totally disappear.
258.Or,
Take, towards the end of the month of May, the Roots and Leaves of the herb Bennet; distil them with a sufficient quantity of Water in an alembic, and frequently foment the marks with the distilled Water.
259.To take away Marks, and fill up the Cavities left after the Small-Pox.
Take Oil of the four larger Cold Seeds, Oil of Eggs, and Oil of Sweet Almonds, of each half an ounce; Plantain and Nightshade Water, of each three quarters of an ounce; Litharge and Ceruss finely powdered and washed in Rose-water, of each a drachm. Put the Litharge and Ceruss into a brass pot, and incorporate them over a fire, with the Oils, adding the latter gradually, and stirring the mixture all the while. Then add by degrees also the Nightshade and Plantain Water, and thus form a Liniment, with which anoint the face of the patient as soon as the scabs of the Small-pox begin to scale off; and repeat the application as occasion may require.
260.Certain Methods to improve the Complexion.
Brown ladies should frequently bathe themselves, and wash their faces with a few drops of Spirit of Wine, sometimes with Virgin's Milk, and the distilled Waters of Pimpernel, White Tansy, Bean Flowers, &c. These detersive penetrating applications, by degrees remove the kind of varnish that covers the skin, and thus render more free the perspiration, which is the only real cosmetic.
261.The Montpellier Toilet.
For this purpose a new light-woven linen cloth must be procured, and cut of a proper size to make a toilet. The firststep you take must be to wash the cloth perfectly clean in several different Waters, then spread it out to dry, and afterwards steep it twenty-four hours in Sweet-scented Water, viz. half Angelic, and half Rose-water. On removing the cloth out of the water, gently squeeze it, and hang it up to dry in the open air. Then lay on it the following composition.
Take dried Orange Flowers, Roots of Elecampane, and Florentine Orrice, of each half a pound; of Yellow Sanders, four ounces; of the Marc or Residuum of Angelic Water, two ounces; of Rose-wood and Sweet Flag, each an ounce; of Gum Labdanum, Calamus Aromaticus, and Cloves, each half an ounce; of Cinnamon, two drachms; beat all these ingredients into powder, and make them into a Paste with Mucilage of Gum Tragacanthdissolved in Angelic Water. Rub this Paste hard on both sides of your cloth, leaving on it the little bits that may adhere, because they render the surface more smooth. Afterwards hang up the cloth, and when half dry, again rub both sides, with a sponge wetted with Angelic Water, to render the cloth yet more smooth; after which dry it thoroughly, and fold it up. This cloth is generally lined with taffety, and covered with sattin, and is never enclosed within more than two pieces of some kind of thin silk, as Taffety, &c.
262.Sweet-scented Troches to correct a bad Breath.
Take Frankincense, a scruple; Ambergrise, fifteen grains; Musk, seven grains: Oil of Lemons, six drops; double refinedSugar, an ounce. Form these ingredients into little Troches with Mucilage of Gum Arabic, made with Cinnamon Water. Hold one or two in the mouth as often occasion requires.
263.A curious Varnish for the Face.
Fill into a bottle three quarters of a pint of good Brandy, infusing in it an ounce of Gum Sandarach, and half an ounce of Gum Benjamin. Frequently shake the bottle till the Gums are wholly dissolved, and then let it stand to settle.
Apply this varnish after having washed the face clean, and it will give the skin the finest lustre imaginable.
264.A Medicine to cure Warts.
Take the Leaves of Campanula, bruise them, and rub them upon the warts. Repeat this operation three or four times, if they prove obstinate; and they will afterwards soon waste away without leaving the least mark behind. This plant perhaps is not to be met with every where, but Botanists have described it by the following marks. Its leaves, say they, resemble those of the Blue Bell Flower, or Ivy, are stringy, composed of five lobes, without down, are small at the end, and have a loose flabby stalk.
265.Another.
Take the inner Rind of a Lemon, steep it four and twenty hours in distilled Vinegar, and apply it to the warts. It must not be left on the part above three hours at a time, and is to be applied afresh every day.
266.Or,
Divide a Red Onion, and rub the warts well with it.
267.Or,
Anoint the warts with the milky Juice of the herb Mercury several times, and they will gradually waste away.
268.Another safe and experienced Method.
Rub the warts with a pared Pippin, and a few days afterwards they will be found to disappear.
269.Distilled Vinegar.
Fill a stone cucurbit about three parts and a half full of White Wine Vinegar; place the vessel in a furnace so contrived as to contain three parts of the height of the cucurbit; mould the openings that remain between the sides and the upper part of the vessel with clay tempered with water; lute the vessel, fix on a receiver, and begin your distillation with a moderate fire, which is to be increased by degrees till about five sixths of the Vinegar are drawn off, which is called Distilled Vinegar. A small quantity of acid Liquor still remains in the cucurbit of the consistence of Honey, which if you think proper may be dried hard by the assistance of a vapour-bath. The Vinegar distilledfrom this substance is infinitely more acid, than that which was drawn off by the first process.
To rectify distilled Vinegar, put it into a clean vessel, setting it in the same degree of fire as at first to separate more phlegm, and in every thing proceed as before, till the bottom is almost dry. Neither the fire nor distillation however must be urged too far, for fear of giving an empyreumatic flavour to that which is already distilled.
Distilled Vinegar is used externally, mixed with Water, to wash the face: it is cooling, and takes away the troublesome little pimples that sometimes affect this part.
270.Distilled Lavender Vinegar.
Put into a stone cucurbit any quantity of fresh-gathered Lavender Flowers pickedclean from the Stalks; pour on them as much distilled Vinegar as is requisite to make the Flowers float; distil in a vapour-bath, and draw off about three fourths of the Vinegar.
In the same manner are prepared the Vinegars from all other vegetable substances. Compound Vinegars are made by mixing several aromatic substances together; observing only to bruise all hard woody ingredients, and to let them infuse a sufficient time in the Vinegar before you proceed to distillation.
Lavender Vinegar is of use for the Toilet; it is cooling, and when applied to the face, braces up the relaxed fibres of the skin.
271.Vinegar of the Four Thieves.
Take of the tops of Sea and Roman Wormwood, Rosemary, Sage, Mint and Rue, of each an ounce and a half; Lavender Flowers two ounces, Calamus Aromaticus, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, and Garlic, of each a quarter of an ounce; Camphire, half an ounce; Red Wine Vinegar, a gallon. Choose all the foregoing ingredients dry, except the Garlic and Camphire; beat them into gross powder, and cut the Garlic into thin slices; put the whole into a matrass; pour the Vinegar on them, and digest the mixture in the sun, or in a gentle sand-heat, for three weeks or a month. Then strain off the Vinegar by expression, filter it through paper, and add the Camphire dissolved in a little rectified Spirit of Wine. Keep it for use in a bottle, tightly corked.
The Vinegar of the Four Thieves is antipestilential, and is used successfully as a preservative against contagious disorders. The hands and face are washed with it every day; the room fumigated with it, as are also the clothes, in order to secure the person from infection.
272.To cure watery Eyes.
Prepare a decoction with the Leaves of Betony, Fennel Roots, and a little fine Frankincense, which use as an Eye-water.
273.Or,
Frequently bathe the Eyes with a decoction of Chervil.
274.Or,
Drop into the Eyes now and then a little Juice of Rue, mixed with clarified Honey.
275.An excellent Ophthalmic Lotion.
Take White Vitriol and Bay Salt, of each an ounce; decrepitate them together, and when the detonation is over, pour on them, in an earthen pan, a pint of boiling Water or Rose-water. Stir them together, and let them stand some hours. A variously coloured skin will be formed on the surface, which carefully skim off, and put the clear liquor into a bottle for use.
This was communicated to the author as a great secret; and indeed he has found it by experience very safely to cooland repel those sharp humours that sometimes fall upon the Eyes, and to clear the latter of beginning films and specks. If too sharp, it may be diluted with a little Rose-water.
276.An Ophthalmic Poultice.
Take half a pint of Alum Curd, and mix with it a sufficient quantity of Red Rose Leaves powdered, to give it a proper consistence. This is an excellent application for sore moist eyes, and admirably cools and represses defluxions.
277.A Poultice for inflamed Eyes.
Take half a pint of a decoction of Linseed in Water, and as much Flour of Linseed as is sufficient to make it of a proper consistence. This Poultice is preferable to a Bread and Milk Poultice for inflamed Eyes, as it will not grow sour and acrid.
278.Sir Hans Sloane's Eye Salve.
Take prepared Tutty, one ounce; prepared Bloodstone, two scruples; Aloes in fine powder, twelve grains; mix them well together in a marble mortar, with as much Viper's Fat as is requisite to bring the whole to the consistence of a soft salve. It is to be applied with a hair pencil, the eyes winking or a little opened. It has cured many whose eyes were covered with opake films and scabs, left by preceding disorders of those parts.
279.An Ophthalmic Fomentation.
Take three quarters of an ounce of White Poppy Heads bruised with their Seeds, and boil them in Milk and Water, of each half a pint, till one half is wasted away; then dissolve in the strained Liquor a scruple of Sugar of Lead. This is an excellent application for moist, or inflamed Eyes.
280.A Simple Remedy to strengthen the Sight.
Snuff up the Juice of Eyebright, and drop a little into the eyes. It not only clears and strengthen the sight, but takes off all specks, films, mists, or suffusions.
Herb Snuffs are also excellent to strengthen and preserve the sight; various Receipts for making which will afterwards be given.
Manner of taking out all Kinds ofSpotsandStainsfromLinenandStuffs; and various other useful Receipts.
Manner of taking out all Kinds ofSpotsandStainsfromLinenandStuffs; and various other useful Receipts.
281.To take Iron Mould out of Linen.
Hold the Iron Mould over the Fume of Boiling Water for some time, then pour on the spot a little Juice of Sorrel and a little Salt, and when the cloth has thoroughly imbibed the Juice, wash it in Lee.
282.To take out Stains of Oil.
Take Windsor Soap shaved thin, put it into a bottle half full of Lee, throw in the size of a Nut of Sal Armoniac, a little Cabbage Juice, two Yolks of new-laid Eggs, and Ox-gall at discretion, and lastly an ounce of powdered Tartar: then corkthe bottle, and expose it to the heat of the noon-day sun four days, at the expiration of which time it becomes fit for use. Pour this Liquor on the stains, and rub it well on both sides of the cloth; then wash the stains with clear Water, or rather with the following soap, and when the cloth is dry, they will no longer appear.
283.Scowering Balls.
Take soft Soap, or Fuller's Earth; mix it with Vine Ashes sifted through a fine sieve, and with powdered Chalk, Alum, and Tartar, of each equal parts; form the mass into balls, which dry in the shade. Their use is to rub on spots and stains, washing the spotted part afterwards in clear Water.
284.To take out Stains of Coomb.
Put Butter on the stain, and rub it well with a piece of brown paper laid on a heated silver spoon; then wash thewhole in the same manner as directed for spots of Wax.
285.To take out Stains of Urine.
Wash the stained place well with boiled Urine, and afterwards wash it in clear Water.
286.To take out Stains on Cloth of whatever Colour.
Take half a pound of Honey, the size of a Nut of Sal Armoniac, and the Yolk of an Egg; mix them together, and put a little of this mixture on the stain, letting it remain till dry. Then wash the cloth with fair Water, and the stains will disappear. Water impregnated with mineral Alkaline Salt or Soda, Ox-gall, and Black Soap, is also very good to take out spots of grease.
287.To take out Spots of Ink.
As soon as the accident happens, wet the place with Juice of Sorrel, or Lemon,or with Vinegar, and the best hard White Soap.
288.To take out Spots of Pitch and Turpentine.
Pour a good deal of Sallad Oil on the stained place, and let it dry on it four and twenty hours; then rub the inside of the cloth with the Scowering Ball and warm Water.
289.To take out Spots of Oil on Sattin and other Stuffs, and on Paper.
If the spot be not of long standing, take the Ashes of Sheep's Trotters calcined, and apply them hot both under and upon the spot. Lay on it something heavy, letting it remain all night; and if in the morning the spot is not entirely effaced, renew the application repeatedly till it wholly disappear.
290.To take out Spots on Silk.
Rub the Spots with Spirit of Turpentine; this Spirit exhaling, carries off with it the Oil that causes the Spot.
291.Balls to take out Stains.
Take an ounce of Quick-lime, half a pound of Soap, and a quarter of a pound of White Clay; moisten the whole with Water, and make it into little balls, with which rub the stains, and afterwards wash them with fair water.
292.To clean Gold and Silver Lace.
Take the Gall of an Ox and of a Pike, mixed well together in fair Water, and rub the gold or silver with this composition.
293.To restore to Tapestry its original Lustre.
Shake well, and thoroughly clean the tapestry; then rub it twice over withChalk, which, after remaining seven or eight hours each time, is to be brushed off with a hard brush; the tapestry being likewise well beaten with a stick, and shaked.
294.To clean Turkey Carpets.
To revive the colour of a Turkey Carpet, beat it well with a stick, till the dust is all got out; then with Lemon or Sorrel Juice take out the spots of ink, if the carpet be stained with any; wash it in cold Water, and afterwards shake out all the Water from the threads of the carpet. When it is thoroughly dry, rub it all over with the Crumb of a hot Wheaten Loaf; and if the weather is very fine, hang it out in the open air a night or two.
295.To refresh Tapestry, Carpets, Hangings, or Chairs.
Beat the dust out of them on a dry day as clean as possible, and brush themwell with a dry brush. Afterwards rub them well over with a good lather of Castile Soap, laid on with a brush. Wash off the froth with common Water; then wash the tapestry, &c. with Alum Water. When the cloth is dry, you will find most of the colours restored. Those that are yet too faint, touch up with a pencil dipped in suitable colours, and indeed you may run over the whole piece in the same manner with water colours, mixed with weak gum water, and, if well done, it will cause the tapestry, &c. to look at a distance like new.
296.To take Wax out of Silk or Camblet.
Take Soft Soap, rub it well on the spots of wax, dry it in the sun till it grows very hot, then wash the spotted part with cold Water, and the wax will be entirely taken out.
297.To take Wax out of Velvet of all Colours except Crimson.
Take a Crummy Wheaten Loaf, cut it in two, toast it before the fire, and while very hot, apply it to the part spotted with wax. Then apply another piece of toasted Bread hot as before, and continue to repeat this application till the wax is entirely taken out.
298.To wash Gold or Silver Work on Linen, or any other Stuff, so as to look like new.
Take a pound of Ox-gall; Honey and Soap, of each three ounces; Florentine Orrice in fine powder, three ounces; mix the whole in a glass vessel into a Paste, and expose it to the sun during ten days; then make a decoction of Bran, and strain it clear. Plaster over with your bitter Paste, the places you want to clean, andafterwards wash off the Paste with the Bran-water, till the latter is no longer tinged. Then wipe with a clean linen cloth the places you have washed; cover them with a clean napkin, dry them in the sun, press and glaze, and the work will look as well as when new.
299.To take Spots out of Silken or Woollen Stuffs.
Take a sufficient quantity of the finest Starch, wet it in an earthen pipkin with Brandy, rub a little on the spots, let it dry on them, and then brush it off; repeat this operation till the spots are wholly taken out. You must be careful to beat and brush well the place on which the Starch was applied.
300.To take Stains of Oil out of Cloth.
Take Oil of Tartar, pour a little on the spot, immediately wash the place withwarm Water, and two or three times after with cold Water, and the spot will entirely disappear.
301.To take Stains out of White Cloth.
Boil an ounce of Alum in a gallon and a half of Water, for half an hour, then add a piece of White Soap, and half a ounce more of Alum, and after it has stood in cold infusion two days, wash with this mixture stains in any kind of white cloth.
302.To take Stains out of Crimson Velvet, and coloured Velvets.
Take a quart of strong Lee made with Vine Ashes, dissolve in it half an ounce of Alum; and when the mixture has settled, strain it through a linen cloth. Then take half a drachm of soft Soap, and the same quantity of Castile Soap, a drachm of Alum, half a drachm of Crude Sal Armoniac, a scruple of common Salt, a little Loaf Sugar, Juice of Celandine, and the Gall of a Calf; mix the whole well, and strain off the Liquor. When you want to use it, take a little Brazil Wood Shavings with some Scarlet Flocks, boil them in this Liquor, and when strained off, it will be very good to take spots or stains out of crimson velvet or cloth. For velvets or cloths of other colours, you dye your Liquor of the proper colour, by boiling in it some Flocks of the same colour as the cloth you intend to clean.
303.A Soap that takes out all manner of Spots and Stains.
Take the Yolks of six Eggs, half a table spoonful of bruised Salt, and a pound of Venetian Soap; mix the whole together with the Juice of Beet-roots, and form it into round balls, that are to be dried inthe shade. The method of using this Soap is to wet with fair Water the stained part of the cloth, and rub both sides of it well with this Soap; then wash the cloth in Water, and the stain will no longer appear.
304.Another Method to take Spots or Stains out of White Silk or Crimson Velvet.
First soak the place well with Brandy or Spirit of Wine, then rub it over with the White of a new-laid Egg, and dry it in the sun. Wash it briskly in cold Water, rubbing the place where the spot is, hard between the fingers; and repeat this operation a second and even a third time, if it has not previously succeeded.
305.A Receipt to clean Gloves without wetting.
Lay the Gloves upon a clean board; and mix together Fuller's Earth andPowder of Alum very dry, which lay over them on both sides with a moderately stiff brush. Then sweep off the Powder, sprinkle them well with Bran and Whiting, and dust them thoroughly. If not very greasy, this will render them as clean as when new; but if they are extremely greasy, rub them with stale Crumb of Bread, and Powder of burnt Bones, then pass them over with a woollen Cloth dipped in Fuller's Earth or Alum Powder.
306.To colour Gloves.
If you want to colour them of a dark colour, take Spanish Brown and Black Earth; if lighter, Yellow Ochre and Whiting, and so of the rest; mix the colour with Size of a moderate strength, then wet the Gloves over with the Colour, and hang them to dry gradually. Beat out the superfluous Colour, smooth them over with a sleeking stick, and reduce them to a proper size.
307.To wash Point Lace.
Draw the Lace pretty tight in a frame, then with a lather of Castile Soap a little warm, rub it over gently by means of a fine brush. When you perceive it clean on one side, turn it, and rub the other in the same manner; then throw over the Lace some Alum-water, taking off the Suds, and with some thin Starch go over the wrong side of the Lace; iron it on the same side when dry, and raise the flowers with a bodkin.
308.To clean Point Lace without washing.
Fix the lace in a frame, and rub it with Crumb of stale Bread, which afterwards dust out.
309.To wash black and white Sarcenet.
Lay the silk smooth upon a board, spread a little Soap over the dirty places,make a lather with Castile Soap, and with a fine brush dipped in it, pass over the silk the right way, viz. lengthways, and continue so to do till that side is sufficiently scowered. Then turn the silk, scower the other side in the same manner, and put the silk into boiling Water, where it must lie some time; afterwards rince it in thin Gum Water; if white silk, add a little Smalt. This being done, fold the silk, clapping or pressing out the water with your hands on a dry Carpet, till it become tolerably dry; if white, dry it over the Smoak of Brimstone till ready for smoothing, which is to be done on the right side with an Iron moderately hot.
310.A Soap to take out all Kinds of Stains.
Boil a handful of Strawberries or Strawberry Leaves in a quart of Water and a pint of Vinegar, adding two pounds ofCastile Soap; and half a pound of Chalk in fine powder; boil them together till the water has evaporated. When you use it, wet the place with the sharpest Vinegar or Verjuice, and rub it over with this Soap; dry it afterwards before the fire or in the sun.
311.An expeditious Method to take Stains out of Scarlet, or Velvet of any other Colour.
Take Soapwort, when bruised strain out its Juice, and add to it a small quantity of black Soap. Wash the Stain with this Liquor, suffering it to dry between whiles; and by this means, in a day or two the Spots will disappear.