The closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight opened

Note, when any Meath or Metheglin grows hard or sower with keeping too long, dissolve in it a good quantity of fresh honey, to make it pleasantly Sweet ; (but boil it no more, after it hath once fermented, as it did at the firstTunning) and with that it will ferment again, and become very good and pleasant and quick. Take of Rosemary three handfuls,of Winter-savory a Peck by measure, Organ and Thyme, as much, White- wort two handfuls. Blood-wort half a peck, Hyssop two handfuls, Marygolds, Borage, Fennil, of each two handfuls ; Straw-berries and Violetleaves, of each one handful ; Of Harts-tongue, Liverwort a peck ; Ribwort half a peck, of Eglantine with the Roots, a good quantity ; Wormwood as much as you can gripe in two hands ; and of Sorrel, Mead-swat Bettony with the Roots, Blew-bottles with the Roots, the like quantity ; of Eyebright two handfuls. Wood-bind one handful. Take all these herbs, and order them so, as that the hot herbs may be mastered with the cool. Then take the small herbs,andputtheminto the Furnace, and lay the long herbs upon them. Then take a weight or stone of Lead, having a Ring, whereunto fasten a stick to keep down the Herbs into the furnace ; then boil your water and herbs three or four hours, and as the water doth boil away, adde more. Then take the water out of the Furnace seething hot, and strain it through a Range-sieve ; then put [illustration: page number] in the honey, and Mash it well together: then take your Sweet-wort, and strain it through a Range. Then try it with a New-laid-egg. It must be so strong astobearan Egg the breadth of a groat's breadth above the Liquor: and if it doth not, then put in more honey, till it will bear the Egg. Then take the Liquor, and boil it again ; and assoon as it doth boil, skim the froth very clean from it : Then set it a cooling, and when it is cold, then put it into a Kive, and put barm thereto, and let it work the Space of a Week ; Then Tun it up : But be careful when it is Tunned, that the vessels be not stopp'd up, till it hath done hissing. ANOTHER SORT OF METHEGLIN Take to one part of honey, three parts of water : and put them into clean vessels, mixing them very well together,and breaking the honey with stripped arms, till it be well dissolved. Then pour out your Liquor into a large Kettle, and let it boil for two hours and a half, over a good fire, skiming it all the while very carefully as long as any scum riseth. When it is boiled enough, pour out your Liquor into clean vessels, and set it to cool for 24 hours. Afterwards put it into some Runlets, and cover the bung with a piece of Lead : have a care to fill it up always with the same boiled Liquor for three or four months and during the timeof working. This Meath the older it is, the better it is. But if you will have your Meath red, then take twenty pound of black Currants, and put them into a vessel, and pour your Liquor on them. Of this honey Liquor you cannot drink till after nine months, or a year. MY LORD HERBERT'S MEATH