The Secrets of the Reverend Maister Alexis of Piemont:

Containing Excellent Remedies Against Diverse Diseases, Wounds, and Other Accidents,

With the Manner To Make Distillations, Parfumes, Confitures, Dying, Colours, Fusions, and MeltingsFusions, and Meltings

Translated into English by William Ward 1595

A modern adaptation of the original text written byKendal Brooks, Jacob French, Mary Horton,

John Knodel, and Maria Mann

Take oil of violets with the yolk of an egg and woman’s milk, as much of the one as of the other. Having mingled all together, make thereof a plaster and lay it either upon his forehead, or upon his eyes, and the pain shall cease and desire of sleep shall come upon him.

Take ore gall and the piss of a He-Goat; mix all together, and put of it into the deaf ear and incontinent he shall be healed.

Gonorrhea, signifieth the flux of natural seed of man or woman going away unwittingly.

Take of Fenugreek seeds and boil them in water unto the consummation of the third part. Give unto the patient for the space of three or four days, four ounces thereof to drink every morning and he shall be cured.

Take of Maudlin worts, and boil them in tart wine, and make fomentation from beneath. It helpeth also to stop the blood of the hemorrhoids.

Take white paper and chew it well with your teeth and make thereof a plaster, as great as will cover all the Broke. Bind it in a swaddle band with a linen cloth: then lay it to his Coddes, and make fast the swathing band. You must renew every day the paper chewed, and he shall be whole.

Take wild poppy, the juice of Mandragora, and lees of wine, as much of the one as the other, and a little civet. Of all this make a round ball and hold it in your hand, smell it, and it will make you sleep wonderfully.

Take of the hooves of a boar or tame hog, and give the patient to drink thereof in red wine, or in broth. It helpeth also to take the tongues of three geese, and being roasted, to eat them. And also to give to drink being made in powder of snails found out of their shells in wine, and you shall find that they will work a marvelous experience.

Take a tooth or the left leg of a badger or Brocke, as some call it, and as other some name it a Gray, and bind it about your right arm next unto the flesh. Take also the gall of a partridge, and rub your temples with it that it may soak into the skin and flesh once a month. It will make you have a good memory.

Take of the juice of pimpernel and wash therein pieces of linen cloth. Put them oftentimes upon the hurt and it will be quickly healed.

Take the juice taken out of the roots of common Incensaria and mix it with Turpentine and wax. Having made an ointment, lay it upon the wounds, and you shall see the success.

Take dried lees of white wine called tartar, burn them in the fire, and temper them with rosin and grease of a hen, or duck, meddled with a little honey, and so use it.

Take the heart of an ape and lay it under your head when you go to bed so that it touch your head, and you shall see marvelous things, and all kinds of beasts, as lions, bears, wolves, apes, tigers, and other such like.

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Take a black dog and pluck out one of his eyes. Hold it in your left hand, and by reason of the savor and smell thereof, the dogs will not bark at you.

For to be assured and safe from wild beasts as wolves, bears, and such other like, take the grease of a lion, and anoint yourself therewith over and over. Go hardly where you will and no beast shall hurt you, but as soon as they smell the savor of the grease, they will run away. And if by chance you meet with a wolf or other wild beast, run not away, but with good courage go even to him, that he may smell but with good courage go even to him, that he may smell the grease that you are anointed withal and he will flee.

You must take heed that you eat not things of strong savor, or of a very sweet taste, because that the bitterness and stench of poisons in this manner is wont to be covered, for the over sweet, sour, or salty thing mixed with the poison doth hide the bitterness of it. At what time therefore you shall have any suspect to have drunk poison, drink presently after it of the seeds of turnips, or of the roots in presently after it of the seeds of turnips, or of the roots in wine, or of neppe and you shall be safe.

Take a piece of linen cloth and wash it in distilled Borage water, and lay thereof often upon the stinging and it will take away the pain.

Ye shall take a hedgehog and burn it all to coals and put the powder or ashes made fine and small with bear’s grease. Lay this ointment over all the head of a bald man and it will make his hair grow as fair as ever it was.

Take the ashes of sheep’s horn burned and mix it with oil. Rub your head often times with it, but you must be first polled.

Take four ounces of warm vinegar, and put therein a quantity of the powder of pepper. Give it unto the party to drink many mornings fasting, and he will become lean, or else give him to drink every morning him to drink every morning of the wine of sour pomegranates, two scruples with oxymel, or water.

Take the flowers of pomegranates, and seethe them in wine. Take this wine in your mouth, for it has the virtue of restraining and fastening the gums swollen, and to make the flesh fine.

Take lemons and make distilled water of them. Wash your teeth with it, for it is a sovereign thing, or if you will not make the water, take the liquor of them, which is also good for the same which is also good for the same purpose, but the water is much better,because it is finer, so that in distilling it lose not its force.

In the end of May take of the herb called Balme, and distill it through a limbeck and of the water that shall be distilled drink twice a day two ounces at a time, likewise wash the hair and you shall see the effect.

Take half an ounce of ambergris, which men use to perfume withal, and cut it as small as you can, Styrax calamita fat and gummy eight ounces, the which also you shall cut very small and put in a vial or glass, with two pound of rose water, two pound oil of Damask roses, six cloves tenderly or lightly beaten, half a quarter of an ounce of fine cinnamon, then having well stopped the said vessel with a little wax you shall having well stopped the said vessel with a little wax you shall wrap it in a fine linen cloth, and so lay it under hot dung leaving it there the space of eight days. Then after you shall pour it into a vessel leaded within making it seethe with a small fire the space of two hours, and then taking it off, let it cool. This done, you shall gather and take up with a golden or silver spoon, or with some piece of glass, all the oil that shall swim above, and having put onto the same as much shall swim above, and having put onto the same as much musk civet as you will, you must keep it in some vial, and set it so in the sun certain days, having first well-stopped the vial with wax and parchment. Then shall you have a precious liquor to smell onto, and to comfort the brain, to withstand the corruption of the air, and therefore very good in time of pestilence. And the amber, Styrax, and other things that remain in the bottom of the said vessel that you boiled all in, remain in the bottom of the said vessel that you boiled all in, will be exceeding good make musk or sweet balls, to lay among clothes or linen, to carry in men’s hands, to make beads of, or to burn in a chamber instead of perfume. Now he that would make the said oil with less cost may make it without musk or ambergris, or else put in less in it than we have spoken.

Take four ounces of kernels of peaches, two ounces of gourds’ seeds, and make thereof an oil, wherewith you shall anoint his face morning and evening. This will kill and destroy the redness. A thing found true by experience!

Take of a hare new killed, and with the blood thereof while it is warm anoint and it will help. Or else, anoint them with cinnamon beaten, mixed with honey. Also take the grease of a duck, in the which is mixed washed litharge, and anoint the place, and it worketh the like effect.the like effect.

You must go into the stooves or hot houses which be very hot, and when you are in a sweat, write upon your body with what ink you will, then cut the skin with a sharp razor, and fill the cuts with earth, of what colour you will, and leave them so, and incontinent be reason of the great heat the skin will close and reason of the great heat the skin will close and shut up together, and the letters or figures that you have made upon your flesh will remain for ever.

Take a little green basil and when men bring the dishes to the table, put it underneath them, that the woman perceive it not: for men say that she will eat of none of that which is in the dish where under the basil lieth.

Take a toad and bind him with a little band and hang it about the woman’s neck that hath the infirmity and in few days she shall be cleared of it.

Take the nature of a female hare made into powder after it is dried. Give it to the woman to drink in good wine, and presently after let her company with her husband, for she will be apt to be conceived with child.

Know you that is a hard thing for a barren woman to bear children, and a great gift and grace of God to obtain it, because the causes of sterility and barrenness be diverse and without number: but to make a woman that beareth always daughters, to bear also sons, it is a thing very easy, and hath good success, and hath been diverse times proved. Wherefore if you will that your wife shall have male Wherefore if you will that your wife shall have male children, eat an herb called in English Mercurie, in Italian Mercorelle, in French Mercuriale or Ferolle, which hath only two seeds like unto the genitals of a man, and make her also eat of it before you company with her, and eat both of you the right stones of some beasts, and of the scraping of an elephant’s tooth.

Take the roots of white Dptamus, of Gentian, of Aristologia rotunda, of each like quantities: bray them into powder and mix therewith the juice of Dptamus, and put thereunto of Artemisia powder, and making thereof suppositories, apply them unto the neck of the matrix.