Section 34

Tom may increase the weight of bread with LMillet.,
This is eafily done, for it is dry,ctumbles, and will not hang together, and is weak i let it be bruited with a wooden peftle,and fitted through a fieve till the hulls be pat- ted, as we fee it done at Rome and at Florence; by this we hold it, that it flic not away by its hungry drin-fs ; then we mingle it with Wheat ^nd the air refle&s back, and it will be converted into the fubftance of Alica, that you will think nothing taken from the tatte, colour or goodnefs, nor yet added to it. Nor will it be un- plcalant to fee
Bread weigh more by adding milk^to it.
This is an experiment of great profit and praife-worthy ; for it adds weight and
Y Whitcncts
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wbitcneffe to bread, aadmakesit fhort, being put in infteadof water wh ilft it is hoc. I never tafted any thing more plcalant or tender. I thought fit to addethi* for the (insular vertaeof it, adding alfo fuch things as we knew to beneceflary for this art. Buc truly that is admirable ; by the fame
Wheat to increase the weight of Wheat,
This is done without any addition, for if we would, we Could do this with many and almoft infinite things, with any fmall addition . but in this a leaven is drawn forth of the very fubftance of the Wheat, which being (trained, cleani'ed and added to the fame again, either by increafing the fubftance of it, or by retracing the air into its fubftance, it will be much augmented : giving you this warning before-hand, that the augmenting heat muft not be diminifJhed , but preferred and increafed, that all may depend on this. But an admirable work of Nature, and full of wonder it is, how it may be that
Wheat may increase out of it felf.
I cannot difcover this, how it came into my mind, left it fhouldbemade publike to every common fellow, and ignorant Animal. Yet not to conceal it from in- genious men, I fhall hide it from thefe, and open it to thofe. That onr fore-fa- thers knew it not is clear, becaufe there is no fuch thing mentioned in all their works of making bread. The whole bufineiTe confifts in this , that the Wheat- meal may be managed with the life of its heat, which is the off-fpring of celeftial fire. By nature it is of fuch tenuity, that being railed with its heat, it will make the lump (well fo much, that it will come up to the top of the vtffel; the next day calt it into a Hutch, and adde more meal to it, which again being raifed by i and coming back again by the fame, and meeting with the lump, as flowing bark again , ic jo'ids into, the refracted Elements, and fo int» doners cf meal. D.-i t^is thrice or four times, and fo you may increafe it continually, and this muft be doneinaftove, that the dewy fpirit may be.toftered. I thought good to tell you alfo before, that you mult not prick the lump, left the generative blatt fhould breath forth, and flie into the air, for fo you will lofe your labour ; and there muft not want prefently a dewy vapour, which being carried into the air, and made to drop, may moiften the lump, fo you will rejoice at the wonderful increafe: but you muft be cunning in the manual application. Pray do not deftroy by your negligence, what was invented by the careful ingenuity of thofe that tried ir.
Chap. XX. How we may long endure hunger and thirfi,
THe Antients had fome cotnpofitions to drive away hunger and thirft, and they were very neceflary bothin times of Famine, and in wars. Plmy faith, feme things being but tafted, will abate hunger and thirft , and preferve cur forces, as Butter, Licoris, Hippace ; and elfewhere, Scythia firft produced that root which is called Scythia, and about Baeotia it grows very fweet. And another, that is ex- cellent againft Convuifions, alfo it is a high commendation o\ it, that fuch as have it in their mouths feel nor hunger nor thirft ; Hippace amongftthem doth rhe f-me, which effefts the fame in horfes alfo. And they report that with thefe two herbs the Scythians will faft twelve dayes, and iive without drink alfo ; all which he tran- flated out of Thcophraftus firft book. The Scythian Hippace is i'weet alfo, and fome call it Dulcis ; it grows by Maeotis. Amongft other properties, it quencheth thirft alfo, if it be held in the mouth. For which caufe both with
Of increafing of Hou/hold- fluff e. 14.7
both with that,*nd with the ottnr called eqacftris,meD fay,the Scythians will endure hunger and third twelve dayes, Hence it appears that TUny trar.flated all this out of Iheophrajlttt. But I think he erred , for Hippace fi-nifies Cheefe made of Mares milk, atid 1 no herb. Theoiorm traefhtedit Equcftrem, as itwrre a roor like Li- cori«jfit to drive awav hum.erand third. For Hippocrates faith, the -cvrhian fhep- herd- eat Hippace, but that i« Mares cheefe : and elfewbere. The Scythians pont M-:cs mi;k into hollow vcffels of wood and (hake it, and that frorh? wu.ichurm- ing, and the f t of it they call butter, which.fwims on the top, that w^ich is hea- vy fink- to the bottom, they feparate this and dry it, when it isdry,they call it Hip- pace : thereafonL, becaufc Mares milk noo ifheth exceedingly, and is as good as Cows milk. DiofcortdesyThe weft Indians ufc another compofition alfo
To endure hanger andthirfl.
Of the herb called ToSacco, namely of the juice thereof, and t he afres of Cockle fheils they make little balls and dry them in the (hade, and as they travel for three or four dayesthey will hold one of them between their under lip and their teeth, and this they fuck continually, and I'walJow down what they fuck, and fo all the day they feel neither hunger, thirrt,nor wearinefs ; but we will teach another com- pofirion, which Heron memion?, and it was called
The Epimenidian compofition, to endure hunger and thirfi.
For it was a medicament that nourifhed much, and abated thirft, and this was the food the befiegcrs of Cities and the befieged alfo lived on. It was called the Epi- menidian compofition, from the Sea-onion called Epimenidium, that is one of the ingredients of that compofition ; it was made thus, The fquil was boiled and wafht with water, anddryed,and then cut into very frmll pieces, then mingle fefamum a fitt part, poppy a fifteenth part, make all thefe up with honey, as the beft to make up the mafs, to mitigate it : divide the whole, as into great Olives, and take one of theie about two of the clock, another about ten ; and tbey felt no hurt bv hun- ger, that ufed it. There is another compofition of the fame, that hath of Athenian fefamum half a Sextarim, of honey a half part, of oylea Cotyle, and a Chaenice of fwett Almonds mundified: the fefamum and Almonds nauft be dried, and ground, andwinowed, then the fquil muft have the outfides taken off , and the roots and leaves mult be cut into fmall pieces, and put into amorter and bruifed, till they be well mollified • then youmuli make up thefquils with the like quantity of honey and o; oyle, and put all [into a pot, and fet them in cold, and ftir them well with a wooden ladle, till they be well mingled, when the lump is firm, it is good to cut it into little morfels, and he that eats one in the morning, another at night, hath meat enough. Tbis medicament is good for an Army , for it is fweec, and fo fills a man and quencheth thirft : we had this m an old Scholiaft, a Manu- fcript upon the book of Heron, in the Vatican Library. I faw the fame compofition1 in PhiUy in his fifth book of wars, where he defcribes fuch like other things.
Chap. XXI. Of what fruits -wines may be made,
NOw we fiiall fpeak of fruits, of which wines may be made. And firft our An- ccftors did do thu?, but they had two wayes ; for ibme were for Phyficks,1 which are found plentifully in Phyfick books t others again were for ordinary ufe, and thev were divers, and almoft infinite, according as the differences of places and Nations arc : for what is granted to one is denyed to another. Firft
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Wine of Dates.
Pliny faith that in the Eaft they make wine of Date?, and he reckons up fifty kinds of Dates, and as many different wines from them; Cariota: are the chief, fall of juice of which are made the principal wines in the Eaft, they are naught for the head, and thence they have their name. The beft are found in Judaea, chiefly about Jericho yetthofeof Archelaiis are well efteemed, and of Phafelis, and of Libia?, valleyes of r he fame Country. The chiefeft property they have is this, they are full of a whkefat juice, and very fweet, tafling like wine with honey. The wine will make one drunk, and the fruit alfo eaten largely. Diojcorides teacheth thus; Put ripe Dates called Chydeae, into a pitcher with a hole at bottom, and ftopt with a pitched reed; (hut the hole with linnen, and to fourty Sextarii poui on three gallons of water. If you would not have it fo iweet, five gallons will be fufficient to pour on ; after ten dayes take away the reed with the linnen, take the thick fweet wine and fet it up. Alfo wine is made
. Of Figs.
Sothn relates it thus. Some make wine of green figs, filling half the veffel with them, and the other half to the brim ihey fill with fair water, and they try ft ill by tafting .for when it tafls like wine, they drain it and ufe ir. It is made faith Diofcorides^oi lipefigs, and it is called Catorchites or Sycites, Chelidonian or Phacnician figs called Caries, are fteeped in a pot with a hole in the bottom with a pitched reed, and the hole ftopt with flax.- tofouny Sextarii you n ull pour on three gallons of water, and if you will not have the wine fo fweet, pour on five gallons and it will do. After ten daves the liquor is taken, and again the third time alfo the fame meaiure of water wherein the figs were infuled, is poured on ; and in the like manner, after four or five dayes it is drawn tff. Some to fix Amphora? thereof adde ten Sextarii of fait, that it may not early corrupt : others put f ennel and Thyme in the bottom, and the Caricae on the top, andfo in order, till the vcflel be full: alfo men make
Wine oj Pears,
which from the Greek word for Pears is called tApjres, and from the Latin Pierj Palluditts faith it was thus. They are bruifed and put in a very courfe bag of Can- vas, and prefled with weights, or in a Prcfs. It lafts in the Winter, but in Sum- mer comes it fowrcr. Diofcorides will not have the Pears too ripe; the fame way is made
Wine of Pomegranates,
Sotion makes wine of the grains of the Pomegranate, taking away what is in the mid- dle of the grains. Palladia put the ripe grains well purged into a Date pail, and prefs them out with a fcrue prefs, then boil them gently to half ; when it is cold, put it into veffels that are pitched or plaiftered with Gipfum. Some do not boil the juice, but to every Sextarius they mingle one pound of honey, and put all in the faid veffels and keep it. There is made
Wine of the Lote- tree fruit. There is a kind of Lote without any inward kernel, which is as hard as a bone in the other kind : wine is prefled alfo out of it like Mead, that will not laft above ten dayes ; Nepos faith the fame from TUny, Athen&tu from Polybitu. Wine is made of the Lote fteeped in water and bruifed , very pleafant to the tafte as the beft Mead is ; it is drunk pure without water alfo, but it will not laft above ten dayes, where- fore they make but little for ufe to laft onely fo long. Vineger is made alfo of it, And yet not mien or good enough, yet there is made
Wine oj Myrtle terries and Cor nels>
Out
Of increaftng of Houfhold^flufe. 14.3?
Out of Sotion^ who of the berries of Myrtles and Cornels when they ice frefh, pounded and preffed out, made wine. Now I Hull foew how we rruy nuke
Wine of Corn.
Drink is made of Corn. Diofcorides teacheth to make Beer of Barley, alfo* drink is made of Barley called Curmi, they uf.that drink oft-times for wine; the like drinks arc wont to be made of Wheat. In Hiberia toward the weft and in Britanyj w .ence Pliny, of Corn drink is made : Beer in Egypt, called Zythum, in Spain Cae- lia and Ceria, Beer in France and other Provinces. In */irijtotles book of drun- kennefs, thofe that drink wine made of Barley till they be drunk fall upon their backs, they call that wine , but thofe that are drunk with any other kind of drinks fall any way, on the rii,ht,or left hand, forward or backward, but thofe that drink Pioum, fall onely upon their backs. Wine made of Barley they call Brytum. Sophocles in Tnptolemo,and ./Efchylus in Lycurgo. But Hellantcm faith, thai Bry- tum i ley to make drink, and that the Macedonians drink Brytum made of Barley, and Parabia made of Millet, and Rice, faith Athemm. Alfo wine is made of Rice; for faith oEHanm, when an Elephant fights in war, they give him notonely wine of grapes, but of Rice alio. Now the fame drink is made in the Northern Climates of Corn, and they call it Biera, but they put hops to it, for it cannot be made without j Barley and Wheat are infufed in the deco&ion of it. We fee that of Bar* ley and Wheat fteeped in water a drink is made that taftes like wine, and of them I have made the beft aqua vita. But thefe drinks of old were Phyfical, rather then to ufe as win;. But I fhall fhew how fome drinks that are fo like wine in ta&e, that you would think they were wine indeed. And firft
Wine of Honey.
To nine veffels of water put eighteen pounds of Honey, into brafs Caldrons co* vexed wi.h Tin, and let them boil a long time, ftirring all with wooden ladles, and wiping away the froth that riieth with little brufhes,pour it out>& put it into a wine veffei , then take two pounds of red wine Tartar, and boil them in water till they be diffolved, to which add an eighth pare of a veffei of vineger, that the loath- fomc and unpleafing tafte of the fweetnefs of Honey may be loft , let thefe be min- gled ; then pour on two veffels of the beft wine, then let it fettle ; aftet fome days ftrain it through a hair-cloth ftrainer, or one of cloth to cleanfe it from the filth and excrements. A liquor will run from this that will fervefor fparing, and to a- bate charge in a family , and it is good to drink in health and ficknefs : cover it clofe, and drink it. I fhall fhew you another way to make
Wine of Raifins.
Pour into a brafs Caldron feven veffels of water, put in two pounds of Raifin ?, let them boil till they be wafted in the water, and the water be fweet as Mead ; if your kettle betoofmall, do it at feveral times: then take your kettle from the fire, and when the liquor grows cold, ftrain it gently forth ; put up the ftrained li- quor in a wine veffei, and pour into ic a mcafure of theftiarpeft red wine vineger to abate the fweetnefs of the Raifins, then add nine pound of Tartar finely powder- ed unto ic, and pouring on a fourth part of the beft wine , ftop the veffei clofc when it is full, after one week ufe it. Another
Wine of Quinces.
Put into brafs Caldrons glazed with Tina veffei of new wine, and put thereto a- bout fifty wild Quinces, namely fuch as are full of ftreeks and wrinkled, take out their kernels, cut the Quinces in peices like as you do Rape Roots, boil all at a gentle fire ; when they have boild a while, take them off, and let them cool,pound the Quinces in a morter with a wooden peftle, prefs them out with a prefs, put the juice preffed forth of them the new wine, and fet it up in a glazed earthen veffei for a Whole year. When wine is fcarcc and yoti have occafion to ufe this, put
ilitO
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n:oa veffel four parts of water, two of new wine, and one fourth part of the aforefaid mixture, cover the veffel and let it boil, and when ic is clear ; uie it. Of all thefe an amphora o? vineger , a pound of honey, as much Tartar in powder, lec them boil a whilein a pot glazed with Nitre, and mingle them, and for every vef- fel of water pour on an Amphora of wine, and cover all, and after twenty dayes ufe it : or take honey one pound , as much red wine Tartar, half a pound of Rai- fins,two Amphoras of Vineger, let them boil in a por, adde wine alfo to them, and it will be for drink. I (hall adde the Northern drink