The closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight opened

A RECEIPT FOR METHEGLIN OF MY LADY WINDEBANKE Take four Gallons of water ; add to it, these Herbs and Spices following. Pellitory of the Wall, Sage, Thyme, of each a quarter of a handful, as much Clove gilly-flowers, with half as much Borage and Bugloss flowers, a little Hyssop, Five or six Eringoroots, three or four Parsley-roots : one Fennel-root, the pith taken out, a few Red-nettle-roots, and a little Harts-tongue. Boil these Roots and Herbs half an hour ; Then take out the Roots and Herbs, and put in the Spices grosly beaten in a Canvas bag, viz. Cloves, Mace, of each half an Ounce, and as muchCinnamon, of Nutmeg an Ounce, with two Ounces of Ginger, and a Gallon of Honey : boil all these together half an hour longer, but do not skim it at all : let it boil in, and set it a cooling after you have taken it off the fire. When it is cold, put six spoonfuls of barm to it, and let it work twelve hours at least ; then Tun it, and put a little Limonpeel into it : and then you may bottle it, ifyou please. ANOTHER OF THE SAME LADY To four Gallons of water put one Gallon of honey ; warm the water Luke- warm before you put in your honey ; when it is dissolved, set it over the fire, and let it boil half an hour with these Spices grosly beaten and put in a Canvass-bag : namely, half an Ounce of Ginger, two Nutmegs, a few Cloves and a little Mace ; and in the boiling put in a quart of cold water to raise the scum, which you must take clean off in the boiling. If you love herbs, put in a little bundle of Rosemary, Bays, Sweet-marjoram and Eglantine. Let it stand till it is cold, then put into it half a pint of Ale-barm, and let it work twelve hours ; then Tun it, but take out the bundle of herbs first. Take to every Gallon of Honey, three Gallons of water, and put them together and set them over so gentle a fire, as you might endure to break it in the water with your hand. When the Honey is all melted, put in an Egg, and let it fall gently to the bottom ; and if your Egg rise up again to the top of the Liquor, then it is strong enough of the Honey. But if it lie at the bottom, you must put in more honey, and stir it, till it doth rise. If your honey be very good, it will bear half a Gallon of water more to a Gallon of Honey. Then take Sweet-bryar, Bays, Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram, Savoury, of each a good handfull, which you must tye up all together in a bundle. This Proportion of Herbs will be sufficient for twelve Gallons of Metheglin ; and according to the quantity of Metheglin you make, you must add or diminish your Herbs. When you have put these things together, set it over a quick fire, and let it boil as fast as you can for half an hour or better, skiming of it very clean and clarifying it with the whites of two or three Eggs. Then take it from the fire, and put it into some clean vessel