Of ‘Beautifying Women

Chap. XII. I

How to make the fmet clear axdfhwiw like filver. !

T Hc face is not onely made clear, but white as filter, by those things chit I skidswere white as silver ; yet not exactly as silver, but they (bine as clear as silver;There is an herb commonly called Argentaria,or Argentina, or wildeTanl'ey, whoseleaves are green above, but on the backside they thine of a silver colour : the distil-iled water of it is drank by women against spots in their faces, and tomtkethenrwhite as silver. The snails that are found in moist places, and leave behind them,asthey creep, a silver cord (Dtoscondes t aitb, will cure the spots in the face) women'much desire them: fir they put them in a still and draw out water from them, thatpolifheth the skin exceedingly, and makes it contract a silver gloss. And the sea-fheM-fidi, like an ear, whose (hell » of a silver colour within, or pearl colotr, and ma-ny kinds of (hells - that being steeped in vinegar, will grow pure, casting off the out-ward crust; as the Oysterfhel doth that brings forth pearl. There are also (hells,we call the Mothers of pearl, that inwardly are shining, and of a silver colour,like pearls: all which women use for their art of beautifying themselves; for theymake the face smooth, and to thine as white as silver. But pearls do it best of allrnings, when they are dissolved in (harp juyccs , andloakcdin rotten dung, till theyfend forth a clear oy I, that is the best thing to bcauttsie the face, as I (hall (hew else-where. r the same use,is a glass-stone used,that shines like silver. But no better wa-

ter is prepared,then from Talk,or Qjuick-silver,as I (hall (hew in that which follows.

Chap. XIII.

How to dijs Ivt 1 Alk_for to beamific women.

^jTHough I (hall speak in a work, on purpose, more at large, how Talk may be dis-solved into water or oyl; We (ball here onely set down, how it may be fittedfor women? use. Of all such ways as are used, I (hall set fOrth such as I have tried tobe good. Beat Talk in a mortar of metal; then put it into a pot of the strongest clay,and cover it, add bind it in with ftrobg iron wyer z lute it well ill over, and stop thejcynts that Nothing breathe out; and set it in the fun to dry. Then put this stonein an oven, that flam es strongly, of in some other place, where the fire is most vehe-ment. When the fire of the oven is out, take it forth and break the vessel; andif it be well calcined, it is enough : Otherwise do the fame again, until the calx ofit be as white as it oUsiht to be. When the Calcined body of it, is white, as it must be,grind it on a porphyry-stone, and put it into a little bag, of upon a marble in a verymoist place, or deep well, or cistern; and let it lie there long , and with much moi-sture it will drop forth at last: It Will more easily and perfectly dissolve into water,if it were burnt long enough, and turned into a calx. For the parts being turn d tolime, and made exceeding dry by force of fire, they attract moisture. It is alsodone

Another way

that is good. Ca'cine the Ta'k, and put it in an earthen pot, and set it in the hot-test part ot a potters oven, rostaythere six days. When theTalk is thus turtfd toa calx , pu\ it into a gourd-glass, which you ftiall first make clean, and make a holeat the bottom of it: and setting a vessel under it, you shall have the moisture of icdrop forth, and the calx will resolve into water : put this into a glass vial, and letthe water evaporate in Balneo: take the sediment out for your use. I use alib

Another way:

£ut snails in in earthen vessel, in the open air , that thev rfiav be kept hungry threedays, and pine for want of meat, and he purged; then take a silver l-oad’one, orTalk, most finely powdred, mingle it with the white of an egge, and make an oint-ment; anoint the earthen vessel with it, and put the snails into it, for they will eacspall the Talk: When they have eaten all j and voided their excrements, bruise

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