if it be in
summer, but in the winter it will be longer a ripening, and therefore must
be the warmer covered in a close place, and when you go to bottle it, take
with a feather all the barm off, and put it into your bottles, and stop it
up close. In ten days you may drink it.

If you think six quarts of water be too much, and would have it stronger,
then put in a greater quantity of honey.

METHEGLIN OR SWEET DRINK OF MY LADY STUART

Take as much water as will fill your Firkin: of Rosemary, Bays,
Sweet-bryar, Broad-thyme, Sweet-majoram, of each a handful; set it over the
fire, until the herbs have a little coloured the water; then take it off,
and when it is cold, put in as much honey, till it will bear an Egg; Then
lave it three days morning and evening. After that boil it again, and skim
it very clean, and in the boiling clarifie it with the whites of six Eggs,
shells and all, well beaten together. Then take it off, and put it to cool;
and when it is cold, put it into your vessel, and put to it three spoonfuls
of yest; stop it close, and keep it, till it be old at least three months.

A METHEGLIN FOR THE COLICK AND STONE OF THE SAME LADY

Take one Gallon of Honey to seven Gallons of water; boil it together, and
skim it well; then take Pelitory of the Wall, Saxifrage, Betony, Parsley,
Groundsel, of each a handful, of the seeds of Parsley, of Nettles, Fennel
and Carraway-seeds, Anisseeds and Grumelseeds, of each two Ounces. The
roots of Parsley, of Alexander, of Fennel and Mallows of each two Ounces,
being small cut; let all boil, till near three Gallons of the Liquor is
wasted: Then take it off the fire, and let it stand till it be cold; then
cleanse it from the drugs, and let it be put into a clean vessel well
stopped, taking four Nutmegs, one Ounce and half of Ginger, half an Ounce
of Cinnamon, twelve Cloves; cut all these small, and hang them in a bag
into the vessel, when you stop it up. When it is a fortnight old, you may
begin to drink of it; every morning a good draught.

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 Eringo-roots, three or four Parsley-roots: one
Fennel-root, the pith taken out, a few Red-nettle-roots, and a little
Harts-tongue. Boil these R