ben disposed to it and coulde
not. If he neither hath swette, nor coulde sweat disposed, knowe
that closenes of the skinne, and grosenes of the humour is the
cause. Therfore euery thing in his kynde muste be remedied,
Wekenes of nature, by drinkes prouokyng sweate: closenes, &
grosenes, by rubbynge, as I said. But be ware neither to rubbe
or geue drinkes, excepte you see cause as beforesayd. For other
wise, the one hindrethe nature, and thother letteth out the
spirites & wasteth y^e strength. Therefore accordyngly, if rubbe
you must, geue to the sicke in to their beddes a newe and
somewhat harde kerchefe, well warmed but not hote, and bydde
theim rubbe all their bodies ouer therewith vnder the clothes,
neither to moche neither to litle, nor to harde or to softe, but
meanely betwene, takyng you hede whiche be aboute them, that by
stirrynge their armes they raise not the clothes to let in the
ayer. This done, if case so require, geue them a good draught of
hote possette ale (35) made of swiete milke turned with vinegre,
in a quarte wherof percely, and sage, of eche haulfe one litle
handfull hath been sodden, wyth iii. sliftes of rosemary, ii.
fenel rootes cutte, and a fewe hole maces. Alwaies remembrynge
here, as in other places of this boke, to heate the herbes in a
peuter dishe before the fyre, or washe theim in hote water,
before you putte them in to the posset ale, and that you putte
their to no colde herbes at any tyme durynge the hole fitte. Or
geue theim posset ale hote with rosemary, dittane, & germander.
Or baie beries, anise seades, & calamintes with claret wine
sodden and dronke warme. Or white wine with hore and wilde tansy
growen in medes sodden therin, and ii. d. weight of good
triacle, dronke hote, or in y^e stede of that, wilde tanesy,
mogwort or feuerfue. These prouoke sweat, may easely be hadde,
& be metest for them which haue al y^e causes beforesayde of
lettyng thesame. But specially if for colde and grose humoures,
or for closenes of the skinne, the sweate commethe not furthe.
If with one draught they sweate not, geue theim one other, or
ij. successiuely, after halfe one houre betwene, and encrease
the clothes, first a litle aboue the meane, after, more or lesse
as the cause requireth, & make a litle fire in the chamber of
clene woode, as ashe & oke, with the perfume of bdellium: or
swiet woode, as Juniper, fyrre, or pine, by theimselues:
remembrynge to withdrawe the fire, when they sweat fully, an