ant taste, but not of herbs, nor
spice, nor honey. And therefore you put more or less according to the time
you will drink it in. For a great deal will be mellowed away in a year,
that would be ungratefully strong in three months. And the honey that will
make it keep a year or two, will require a triple proportion of spice and
herbs. He commends Parsley roots to be in greatest quantity, boiled whole,
if young; but quarterred and pithed, if great and old.

MY OWN CONSIDERATIONS FOR MAKING OF MEATHE

Boil what quantity of Spring-water you please, three or four walms, and
then let it set the twenty four hours, and pour the clear from the
settling. Take sixteen Gallons of the clear, and boil in it ten handfuls of
Eglantine-leaves, five of Liverwort, five of Scabious, four of Baulm, four
of Rosemary; two of Bay-leaves; one of Thyme, and one of Sweet-marjoram,
and five Eringo-roots splitted. When the water hath drawn out the vertue of
the herbs (which it will do in half an hours boiling,) let it run through a
strainer or sieve, and let it settle so, that you may pour the clear from
the Dregs. To every three Gallons of the Clear, take one of Honey, and with
clean Arms stripped up, lade it for two or three hours, to dissolve the
honey in the water; lade it twice or thrice that day. The next day boil it
very gently to make the scum rise, and scum it all the while, and now and
then pour to it a ladle full of cold water, which will make the scum rise
more: when it is very clear from scum, you may boil it the more strongly,
till it bear an Egge very high, that the breadth of a groat be out of the
water, and that it boil high with great walms in the middle of the Kettle:
which boiling with great Bubbles in the middle is a sign it is boiled to
it's height. Then let it cool till it be Lukewarm, at which time put some
Ale yest into it, to make it work, as you would do Ale. And then put it up
into a fit Barrel first seasoned with some good sweet White-wine (as
Canary-sack) and keep the bung open, till it have done working, filling it
up with some such honey-drink warmed, as you find it sink down by working
over. When it hath almost done working, put into it a bag of thin stuff
(such as Bakers use to bolt in) fastened by a Cord at the bung, containing
two parts of Ginger-sliced, and one apiece of Cinamon, Cloves and Nutmegs,
with a Pebble-stone in it to make it sink; And stop it up close for six
Months or a year, and then you may draw i