last very well half a year drawing. But if you stay broaching it a year, and then draw it into bottles, it will keep admirable good three or four years, grow- ing to be much better, then when broached at six months end. It will be purer, if you first boil the water by it self, then let it settle 24 hours ; and pour the clear from the earthy sediment, which will be great, and dissolve your honey in that. You may Aromatise it with Ambergreece or Musk, or both (if you like them) by dissolving a very few Pastils in a Runlet of this Liquor, when you draw it into little vessels, (as He useth to do after five or six moneths) or with a few drops of the Extract of them. This Metheglin is a great Balsom and strengthener of the Viscera; is excellent in colds and coughs and consumptions. For which last they use to burn it (like wine) or rather onely heat it. Then dissolve the yolk of an Egge or two in a Pint of it, and some fresh Butter, and drink it warm in the morning fasting. As it comes from the Barrel or Bottle, it is used to be drunk a large draught (without any alteration or admixtion, with a toste early in the morning (eating the toste) when they intend to dine late. Consider of making Metheg- lin thus with purified rain water (of the ^quinoxe) or Dew. The handfuls of Herbs, are natural large hand- fuls (as much as you can take up in your hand) not Apothecaries handfuls, which are much less. If a pottleof Barm do not make itwork enough to your mind, you may put in a little more. Discretion and Experience must regulate that. THE CLOSET 0PE3XED 51 You may make small Meathe the same way, put- ting but half the proportion of honey or less. But then after three weeks or a months barrelling, you must bottle it. AN EXCELLENT WAY TO MAKE ME- THEGLIN, CALLED THE LIQUOR OF LIFE, WITH THESE FOLLOWING IN- GREDIENTS Take Bugloss, Borage, Hyssop, Organ, Sweet- marjoram, Rosemary, French-cowslip, Coltsfoot, Thyme, Burnet, Self-heal, Sanicle a little, Betony, Blew-buttons, Harts-tongue, Meadssweet, Liver- wort, Coriander two ounces, Bistort, Saint John's wort. Liquorish, Two ounces of Carraways, Two ounces of Yellow-saunders, Balm, Bugle, Half a pound of Ginger, and one ounce of Cloves, Agri- mony, Tormentil-roots, Cumfrey, Fennel-root's, Clowns-all-heal, Maiden-hair, Wall-rew, Spleen- wort, Sweet-oak, Pauls-betony, Mouse ear. For two Hogsheads of Methcglin, you take two handfuls a piece of each herb, Excepting Sanicle ; of which you take but half a handful. You make it in all things as the white Meathe of Mr. Pierce's is made, excepting as followeth. For in that you boil the herbs but a quarter of an hour, that thecolour may be pale : But in this, where the deepness of the colour is not regarded, you boil them a good hour, that you may get all the vertue out of them. Next for the strength of it ; whereas in that, an Egge isto emerge out of theLiquorbut thebreadth of a three pence ; in This it is to emerge a large Groats-breadth. Then in this you take but half a 52 SIR KENELMS DIGBIE

AI-modernized reading of the original text

last very well half a year drawing. But if you stay broaching it a year, and then draw it into bottles, it will keep admirable good three or four years, growing to be much better, then when broached at six months end. It will be purer, if you first boil the water by it self, then let it settle 24 hours ; and pour the clear from the earthy sediment, which will be great, and dissolve your honey in that. You may Aromatise it with Ambergreece or Musk, or both (if you like them) by dissolving a very few Pastils in a Runlet of this Liquor, when you draw it into little vessels, (as He useth to do after five or six moneths) or with a few drops of the Extract of them. This Metheglin is a great Balsom and strengthener of the Viscera; is excellent in colds and coughs and consumptions. For which last they use to burn it (like wine) or rather onely heat it. Then dissolve the yolk of an Egge or two in a Pint of it, and some fresh Butter, and drink it warm in the morning fasting. As it comes from the Barrel or Bottle, it is used to be drunk a large draught (without any alteration or admixtion, with a toste early in the morning (eating the toste) when they intend to dine late. Consider of making Metheglin thus with purified rain water (of the ^quinoxe) or Dew. The handfuls of Herbs, are natural large handfuls (as much as you can take up in your hand) not Apothecaries handfuls, which are much less. If a pottleof Barm do not make itwork enough to your mind, you may put in a little more. Discretion and Experience must regulate that. [illustration: THE CLOSET OPENED 51] You may make small Meathe the same way, putting but half the proportion of honey or less. But then after three weeks or a months barrelling, you must bottle it. AN EXCELLENT WAY TO MAKE ME- THEGLIN, CALLED THE LIQUOR OF LIFE, WITH THESE FOLLOWING IN- GREDIENTS Take Bugloss, Borage, Hyssop, Organ, Sweetmarjoram, Rosemary, French-cowslip, Coltsfoot, Thyme, Burnet, Self-heal, Sanicle a little, Betony, Blew-buttons, Harts-tongue, Meadssweet, Liverwort, Coriander two ounces, Bistort, Saint John's wort. Liquorish, Two ounces of Carraways, Two ounces of Yellow-saunders, Balm, Bugle, Half a pound of Ginger, and one ounce of Cloves, Agrimony, Tormentil-roots, Cumfrey, Fennel-root's, Clowns-all-heal, Maiden-hair, Wall-rew, Spleenwort, Sweet-oak, Pauls-betony, Mouse ear. For two Hogsheads of Methcglin, you take two handfuls a piece of each herb, Excepting Sanicle ; of which you take but half a handful. You make it in all things as the white Meathe of Mr. Pierce's is made, excepting as followeth. For in that you boil the herbs but a quarter of an hour, that thecolour may be pale : But in this, where the deepness of the colour is not regarded, you boil them a good hour, that you may get all the vertue out of them. Next for the strength of it ; whereas in that, an Egge isto emerge out of theLiquorbut thebreadth of a three pence ; in This it is to emerge a large Groats-breadth. Then in this you take but half a

The closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight opened