But if she feels not the fumes in her mouth and
nostrils, it argues barrenness one of these ways--that the spirit of the
seed is either extinguished through cold, or dissipated through heat. If
any woman be suspected to be unfruitful, cast natural brimstone, such as
is digged out of mines, into her urine, and if worms breed therein, she
is not barren.
PROGNOSTICS.
Barrenness makes women look young, because they are free from those
pains and sorrows which other women are accustomed to. Yet they have not
the full perfection of health which other women enjoy, because they are
not rightly purged of the menstruous blood and superfluous seed, which
are the principal cause of most uterine diseases.
First, the cause must be removed, the womb strengthened, and the spirits
of the seed enlivened. If the womb be over hot, take syrup of succory,
with rhubarb, syrup of violets, roses, cassia, purslain. Take of endive,
water-lilies, borage flowers, of each a handful; rhubarb, mirobalans, of
each three drachms; make a decoction with water, and to the straining of
the syrup add electuary violets one ounce, syrup of cassia half an
ounce, manna three drachms; make a potion. Take of syrup of mugwort one
ounce, syrup of maiden-hair two ounces, pulv-elect triasand one drachm;
make a julep.
Pages:
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58