Receipt book [manuscript].

England?, late 17th - early 18th century.

1 volume ; 34 cm

From dealer's description: "116 leaves paginated in a contemporary hand as follows: 3-[10], 15-188, 201-247 pp. An impressive collection of over 600 health remedies written in a single hand. Includes recipes for ailments as minor as “To take off superfluous hair” and “For wind in the stomach” to those as serious as consumption; “Scurvie;” “Jandise;” “Chollerick;” “Plurisie;” and the plague. We have been able to trace one recipe, “Doctor Burges his Receipt against the plague” (on page 202 of our manuscript) to Bradwell's Physick for the sicknesse, commonly called the plague (London: 1636; see OCLC); in Bradwell's Physick Burges' recipe is dated 1635 and appears bound at the end. Other names mentioned are Dr. Buttlor (p. 135), Dr. Minkly (p. 136), “Mr. Mid the apothecary,” and Mrs. Griffithe (p. 237). The manuscript also includes interesting recipes such as “Ane Oyle that will kill the worms,” “For unvoluntary pissing, or pissing in bed,” and “An excellent vomitt for spring or fall.” In addition, there are a number of recipes addressing women's health such as “To prevent Extream paine att the tyme of womens Courses;” “To know if a women be with child or not;” “To prevent Abortion two great secrets;” and “To Expel the dead child.” The pages are hand-numbered, beginning with p. 3. The first leaf has been torn away, as well as two later leaves (pp. 11-14). The jump in pagination from 188 to 201 is just an error in pagination (there are no leaves missing). The leaf that is lacking from the front of the manuscript appears to have been the index, which concludes at the top of p. 3. The manuscript is divided into sections based on type of ailment and the sections are numbered to correspond with the index. On p. “21” there is an interesting and a helpful key to the medical characters and abbreviations that appear throughout the book. On p. “22” there is a headline reading “A Collection of receipts phisicall and chirugicall most approved.” With a manuscript list of herbs laid-in at page 89 and a manuscript “Oyntment” recipe laid-in at page 207. We have been unable to identify the watermark. It appears to be a pair of facing griffins (or birds or dragons) with a crown overhead, all of which is inside a circle measuring 7.3cm. The counter watermark is 9.3cm long x 1cm high; it is text, made up of approximately 12 characters, with the last three possibly reading “OND” (perhaps for London?). The chain lines are 1.9-2.2cm apart and the laid lines appear to be roughly 15 per cm. Although the binding is worn and signatures are loose, the manuscript itself is in good condition and the hand is very legible."

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Great Britain -- England.

V.b.400

Purchased from Ben Kinmont, D 8950, 2016-01-02. Purchase made possible by The K. Frank and Joycelyn C. Austen Acquisitions Endowment. Purchase made possible by The Charles W. Engelhard Acquisitions Fund.

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