The Toilet of Flora

247. White Soap

This soap is made with one part of the Lees of Spanish Pot-ash and Quick-lime, to two parts of Oil of Olives or Oil of Almonds.

248. Honey Soap

Take four ounces of White Soap, and as much Honey, half an ounce of Salt of Tartar, and two or three drachms of the distilled Water of Fumitory; mix the whole together. This Soap cleanses the skin well, and renders it delicately white and smooth. It is also used advantageously, to efface the marks of burns and scalds.

249. A perfumed Soap

Take four ounces of Marsh-mallow Roots skinned and dried in the shade, powder them, and add an ounce of Starch, the same quantity of Wheaten Flour, six drachms of fresh Pine-nut Kernels, two ounces of blanched Almonds, an ounce and a half of Orange Kernels husked, two ounces of Oil of Tartar, the same quantity of Oil of Sweet Almonds, and thirty grains of Musk: thoroughly incorporate the whole, and add to every ounce, half an ounce of Florentine Orrice-root in fine powder. Then steep half a pound of fresh Marsh-mallow Roots bruised in the distilled Water of Mallows, or Orange Flowers, for twelve hours, and forcibly squeezing out the liquor, make, with this mucilage, and the preceding Powders and Oils, a stiff Paste, which is to be dried in the shade, and formed into round balls. Nothing exceeds this Soap for smoothing the skin, or rendering the hands delicately white.

250. Fine scented Wash-ball

Take of the best White Soap, half a pound, and shave it into thin slices with a knife; then take two ounces and a half of Florentine Orrice, three quarters of an ounce of Calamus Aromaticus, and the same quantity of Elder Flowers; of Cloves, and dried Rose Leaves, each half an ounce; Coriander-seeds, Lavender, and Bay Leaves, of each a drachm, with three drachms of Storax. Reduce the whole to fine powder, which knead into a Paste with the Soap; adding a few grains of Musk or Ambergrise. When you make this Paste into Wash-balls, soften it with a little Oil of Almonds to render the composition more lenient. Too much cannot be said in favour of this Wash-ball, with regard to its cleansing and cosmetic property.

251. A Wash-ball, an excellent Cosmetic for the Face and Hands

Take a pound of Florentine Orrice, a quarter of a pound of Storax, two ounces of Yellow Sanders, half an ounce of Cloves, as much fine Cinnamon, a Nutmeg, and twelve grains of Ambergrise; beat the whole into very fine powder and sift them through a lawn sieve, all except the Ambergrise, which is to be added afterwards. Then take two pounds of the finest White Soap, shaved small, and infuse it in three pints of Brandy, four or five days. When it is dissolved, add a little Orange Flower-water, and knead the whole into a very stiff Paste with the best Starch finely powdered. Then mix the Ambergrise, with a little Gum Tragacanth liquefied in sweet-scented Water. Of this Paste make Wash-balls; dry them in the shade, and polish them with a Paste-board or Lignum Vitæ cup.

252. Bologna Wash-balls

Take a pound of Italian Soap cut in small bits, and a quarter of a pound of Lime; pour on them two quarts of Brandy, let them ferment together twenty-four hours, then spread the mass on a sheet of filtring paper to dry. When quite dry, beat it in a marble mortar, with half an ounce of St. Lucia Wood, an ounce and a half of Yellow Sanders, half an ounce of Orrice-root, and as much Calamus Aromaticus, all finely powdered. Knead the whole into a Paste with Whites of Eggs, and a quarter of a pound of Gum Tragacanth dissolved in Rose-water, and then form it into Wash-balls according to the usual method.

253. An excellent Wash-ball for the Complexion

Take two ounces of Venetian Soap; dissolve it in two ounces of Lemon Juice, an ounce of Oil of Bitter Almonds, and the same quantity of Oil of Tartar. Mix the whole together, and stir the mixture till it acquires the consistence of a thick Paste.

254. Seraglio Wash-balls

Take a pound of Florentine Orrice-roots, a quarter of a pound of Gum Benjamin, two ounces of Storax, two ounces of Yellow Sanders, half an ounce of Cloves, a drachm of Cinnamon, a little Lemon-peel, an ounce of St. Lucia Wood, and one Nutmeg. Reduce the whole to fine powder; then take about two pounds or White Soap shaved thin, steep it with the above Powder in three pints of Brandy, four or five days. Afterwards kneading the mass with a sufficient quantity of Starch, and adding to it the Whites of Eggs, with Gum Tragacanth dissolved in some odoriferous Water, form the Paste into Wash-balls of what size you please. A few grains of Musk or Civet, or a little Essential Oil of Lavender, Bergamot, Roses, Cloves, Clove-july-flowers, Jasmine, Cinnamon, in short, any that best pleases the fancy of the person who prepares these Wash-balls, may be incorporated with the Paste while forming into a mass.

255. A Hepatic Salt, to preserve the Complexion

Take Roots of Agrimony, two pounds; Roots of Succory and Scorzonera, of each a pound; Bitter Costus and Turmeric, of each half a pound; Calamus Aromaticus and Rhapontic, of each a quarter of a pound; Wormwood, Southernwood, Sweet Maudlin, Harts-tongue, Fluellin, Liverwort, Fumitory, and Dodder of Thyme, of each three ounces; calcine the whole in a reverberatory furnace, and add Ashes of Rhubarb and Cassia Lignea of each an ounce and a half. Make a lee with these Ashes in a decoction of the Flowers of Liverwort, and extract the Salt according to art. This Salt causes the bile to flow freely, removes obstructions, cures the jaundice, takes away a sallow complexion, and imparts to the skin the ruddy vermillion bloom of health. Its dose is from twenty-four to thirty-six grains, in any convenient vehicle.

256. To change the Eye-brows black

Rub them frequently with ripe Elder-berries. Some use burnt Cork, or Cloves burnt in the candle; others prefer the Black of Frankincense, Rosin, and Mastic. This Black will not melt nor come off by sweating.

257. To efface Spots or Marks of the Mother, on any Part of the Body

Steep in Vinegar of Roses, or strong White Wine Vinegar, Borrage Roots stripped of their small adhering fibres, and let them stand to infuse twelve or fourteen hours. Bathe the part affected frequently with this Infusion, and in time the marks will totally disappear.

258. Or,

Take, towards the end of the month of May, the Roots and Leaves of the herb Bennet; distil them with a sufficient quantity of Water in an alembic, and frequently foment the marks with the distilled Water.

259. To take away Marks, and fill up the Cavities left after the Small-Pox

Take Oil of the four larger Cold Seeds, Oil of Eggs, and Oil of Sweet Almonds, of each half an ounce; Plantain and Nightshade Water, of each three quarters of an ounce; Litharge and Ceruss finely powdered and washed in Rose-water, of each a drachm. Put the Litharge and Ceruss into a brass pot, and incorporate them over a fire, with the Oils, adding the latter gradually, and stirring the mixture all the while. Then add by degrees also the Nightshade and Plantain Water, and thus form a Liniment, with which anoint the face of the patient as soon as the scabs of the Small-pox begin to scale off; and repeat the application as occasion may require.

260. Certain Methods to improve the Complexion

Brown ladies should frequently bathe themselves, and wash their faces with a few drops of Spirit of Wine, sometimes with Virgin's Milk, and the distilled Waters of Pimpernel, White Tansy, Bean Flowers, &c. These detersive penetrating applications, by degrees remove the kind of varnish that covers the skin, and thus render more free the perspiration, which is the only real cosmetic.

261. The Montpellier Toilet

For this purpose a new light-woven linen cloth must be procured, and cut of a proper size to make a toilet. The first step you take must be to wash the cloth perfectly clean in several different Waters, then spread it out to dry, and afterwards steep it twenty-four hours in Sweet-scented Water, viz. half Angelic, and half Rose-water. On removing the cloth out of the water, gently squeeze it, and hang it up to dry in the open air. Then lay on it the following composition.

Take dried Orange Flowers, Roots of Elecampane, and Florentine Orrice, of each half a pound; of Yellow Sanders, four ounces; of the Marc or Residuum of Angelic Water, two ounces; of Rose-wood and Sweet Flag, each an ounce; of Gum Labdanum, Calamus Aromaticus, and Cloves, each half an ounce; of Cinnamon, two drachms; beat all these ingredients into powder, and make them into a Paste with Mucilage of Gum Tragacanth dissolved in Angelic Water. Rub this Paste hard on both sides of your cloth, leaving on it the little bits that may adhere, because they render the surface more smooth. Afterwards hang up the cloth, and when half dry, again rub both sides, with a sponge wetted with Angelic Water, to render the cloth yet more smooth; after which dry it thoroughly, and fold it up. This cloth is generally lined with taffety, and covered with sattin, and is never enclosed within more than two pieces of some kind of thin silk, as Taffety, &c.

262. Sweet-scented Troches to correct a bad Breath

Take Frankincense, a scruple; Ambergrise, fifteen grains; Musk, seven grains: Oil of Lemons, six drops; double refined Sugar, an ounce. Form these ingredients into little Troches with Mucilage of Gum Arabic, made with Cinnamon Water. Hold one or two in the mouth as often occasion requires.

263. A curious Varnish for the Face

Fill into a bottle three quarters of a pint of good Brandy, infusing in it an ounce of Gum Sandarach, and half an ounce of Gum Benjamin. Frequently shake the bottle till the Gums are wholly dissolved, and then let it stand to settle.

Apply this varnish after having washed the face clean, and it will give the skin the finest lustre imaginable.

264. A Medicine to cure Warts

Take the Leaves of Campanula, bruise them, and rub them upon the warts. Repeat this operation three or four times, if they prove obstinate; and they will afterwards soon waste away without leaving the least mark behind. This plant perhaps is not to be met with every where, but Botanists have described it by the following marks. Its leaves, say they, resemble those of the Blue Bell Flower, or Ivy, are stringy, composed of five lobes, without down, are small at the end, and have a loose flabby stalk.

265. Another

Take the inner Rind of a Lemon, steep it four and twenty hours in distilled Vinegar, and apply it to the warts. It must not be left on the part above three hours at a time, and is to be applied afresh every day.

266. Or,

Divide a Red Onion, and rub the warts well with it.

267. Or,

Anoint the warts with the milky Juice of the herb Mercury several times, and they will gradually waste away.

268. Another safe and experienced Method

Rub the warts with a pared Pippin, and a few days afterwards they will be found to disappear.

269. Distilled Vinegar

Fill a stone cucurbit about three parts and a half full of White Wine Vinegar; place the vessel in a furnace so contrived as to contain three parts of the height of the cucurbit; mould the openings that remain between the sides and the upper part of the vessel with clay tempered with water; lute the vessel, fix on a receiver, and begin your distillation with a moderate fire, which is to be increased by degrees till about five sixths of the Vinegar are drawn off, which is called Distilled Vinegar. A small quantity of acid Liquor still remains in the cucurbit of the consistence of Honey, which if you think proper may be dried hard by the assistance of a vapour-bath. The Vinegar distilled from this substance is infinitely more acid, than that which was drawn off by the first process.

To rectify distilled Vinegar, put it into a clean vessel, setting it in the same degree of fire as at first to separate more phlegm, and in every thing proceed as before, till the bottom is almost dry. Neither the fire nor distillation however must be urged too far, for fear of giving an empyreumatic flavour to that which is already distilled.

Distilled Vinegar is used externally, mixed with Water, to wash the face: it is cooling, and takes away the troublesome little pimples that sometimes affect this part.

270. Distilled Lavender Vinegar

Put into a stone cucurbit any quantity of fresh-gathered Lavender Flowers picked clean from the Stalks; pour on them as much distilled Vinegar as is requisite to make the Flowers float; distil in a vapour-bath, and draw off about three fourths of the Vinegar.

In the same manner are prepared the Vinegars from all other vegetable substances. Compound Vinegars are made by mixing several aromatic substances together; observing only to bruise all hard woody ingredients, and to let them infuse a sufficient time in the Vinegar before you proceed to distillation.

Lavender Vinegar is of use for the Toilet; it is cooling, and when applied to the face, braces up the relaxed fibres of the skin.

271. Vinegar of the Four Thieves

Take of the tops of Sea and Roman Wormwood, Rosemary, Sage, Mint and Rue, of each an ounce and a half; Lavender Flowers two ounces, Calamus Aromaticus, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, and Garlic, of each a quarter of an ounce; Camphire, half an ounce; Red Wine Vinegar, a gallon. Choose all the foregoing ingredients dry, except the Garlic and Camphire; beat them into gross powder, and cut the Garlic into thin slices; put the whole into a matrass; pour the Vinegar on them, and digest the mixture in the sun, or in a gentle sand-heat, for three weeks or a month. Then strain off the Vinegar by expression, filter it through paper, and add the Camphire dissolved in a little rectified Spirit of Wine. Keep it for use in a bottle, tightly corked.

The Vinegar of the Four Thieves is antipestilential, and is used successfully as a preservative against contagious disorders. The hands and face are washed with it every day; the room fumigated with it, as are also the clothes, in order to secure the person from infection.

272. To cure watery Eyes

Prepare a decoction with the Leaves of Betony, Fennel Roots, and a little fine Frankincense, which use as an Eye-water.

273. Or,

Frequently bathe the Eyes with a decoction of Chervil.

274. Or,

Drop into the Eyes now and then a little Juice of Rue, mixed with clarified Honey.

275. An excellent Ophthalmic Lotion

Take White Vitriol and Bay Salt, of each an ounce; decrepitate them together, and when the detonation is over, pour on them, in an earthen pan, a pint of boiling Water or Rose-water. Stir them together, and let them stand some hours. A variously coloured skin will be formed on the surface, which carefully skim off, and put the clear liquor into a bottle for use.

This was communicated to the author as a great secret; and indeed he has found it by experience very safely to cool and repel those sharp humours that sometimes fall upon the Eyes, and to clear the latter of beginning films and specks. If too sharp, it may be diluted with a little Rose-water.

276. An Ophthalmic Poultice

Take half a pint of Alum Curd, and mix with it a sufficient quantity of Red Rose Leaves powdered, to give it a proper consistence. This is an excellent application for sore moist eyes, and admirably cools and represses defluxions.

277. A Poultice for inflamed Eyes

Take half a pint of a decoction of Linseed in Water, and as much Flour of Linseed as is sufficient to make it of a proper consistence. This Poultice is preferable to a Bread and Milk Poultice for inflamed Eyes, as it will not grow sour and acrid.

278. Sir Hans Sloane's Eye Salve

Take prepared Tutty, one ounce; prepared Bloodstone, two scruples; Aloes in fine powder, twelve grains; mix them well together in a marble mortar, with as much Viper's Fat as is requisite to bring the whole to the consistence of a soft salve. It is to be applied with a hair pencil, the eyes winking or a little opened. It has cured many whose eyes were covered with opake films and scabs, left by preceding disorders of those parts.

279. An Ophthalmic Fomentation

Take three quarters of an ounce of White Poppy Heads bruised with their Seeds, and boil them in Milk and Water, of each half a pint, till one half is wasted away; then dissolve in the strained Liquor a scruple of Sugar of Lead. This is an excellent application for moist, or inflamed Eyes.

280. A Simple Remedy to strengthen the Sight

Snuff up the Juice of Eyebright, and drop a little into the eyes. It not only clears and strengthen the sight, but takes off all specks, films, mists, or suffusions.

Herb Snuffs are also excellent to strengthen and preserve the sight; various Receipts for making which will afterwards be given.

Manner of taking out all Kinds of Spots and Stains from Linen and Stuffs; and various other useful Receipts.

281. To take Iron Mould out of Linen

Hold the Iron Mould over the Fume of Boiling Water for some time, then pour on the spot a little Juice of Sorrel and a little Salt, and when the cloth has thoroughly imbibed the Juice, wash it in Lee.

282. To take out Stains of Oil

Take Windsor Soap shaved thin, put it into a bottle half full of Lee, throw in the size of a Nut of Sal Armoniac, a little Cabbage Juice, two Yolks of new-laid Eggs, and Ox-gall at discretion, and lastly an ounce of powdered Tartar: then cork the bottle, and expose it to the heat of the noon-day sun four days, at the expiration of which time it becomes fit for use. Pour this Liquor on the stains, and rub it well on both sides of the cloth; then wash the stains with clear Water, or rather with the following soap, and when the cloth is dry, they will no longer appear.

283. Scowering Balls

Take soft Soap, or Fuller's Earth; mix it with Vine Ashes sifted through a fine sieve, and with powdered Chalk, Alum, and Tartar, of each equal parts; form the mass into balls, which dry in the shade. Their use is to rub on spots and stains, washing the spotted part afterwards in clear Water.

284. To take out Stains of Coomb

Put Butter on the stain, and rub it well with a piece of brown paper laid on a heated silver spoon; then wash the whole in the same manner as directed for spots of Wax.

285. To take out Stains of Urine

Wash the stained place well with boiled Urine, and afterwards wash it in clear Water.

286. To take out Stains on Cloth of whatever Colour

Take half a pound of Honey, the size of a Nut of Sal Armoniac, and the Yolk of an Egg; mix them together, and put a little of this mixture on the stain, letting it remain till dry. Then wash the cloth with fair Water, and the stains will disappear. Water impregnated with mineral Alkaline Salt or Soda, Ox-gall, and Black Soap, is also very good to take out spots of grease.

287. To take out Spots of Ink

As soon as the accident happens, wet the place with Juice of Sorrel, or Lemon, or with Vinegar, and the best hard White Soap.

288. To take out Spots of Pitch and Turpentine

Pour a good deal of Sallad Oil on the stained place, and let it dry on it four and twenty hours; then rub the inside of the cloth with the Scowering Ball and warm Water.

289. To take out Spots of Oil on Sattin and other Stuffs, and on Paper

If the spot be not of long standing, take the Ashes of Sheep's Trotters calcined, and apply them hot both under and upon the spot. Lay on it something heavy, letting it remain all night; and if in the morning the spot is not entirely effaced, renew the application repeatedly till it wholly disappear.

290. To take out Spots on Silk

Rub the Spots with Spirit of Turpentine; this Spirit exhaling, carries off with it the Oil that causes the Spot.

291. Balls to take out Stains

Take an ounce of Quick-lime, half a pound of Soap, and a quarter of a pound of White Clay; moisten the whole with Water, and make it into little balls, with which rub the stains, and afterwards wash them with fair water.

292. To clean Gold and Silver Lace

Take the Gall of an Ox and of a Pike, mixed well together in fair Water, and rub the gold or silver with this composition.

293. To restore to Tapestry its original Lustre

Shake well, and thoroughly clean the tapestry; then rub it twice over with Chalk, which, after remaining seven or eight hours each time, is to be brushed off with a hard brush; the tapestry being likewise well beaten with a stick, and shaked.

294. To clean Turkey Carpets

To revive the colour of a Turkey Carpet, beat it well with a stick, till the dust is all got out; then with Lemon or Sorrel Juice take out the spots of ink, if the carpet be stained with any; wash it in cold Water, and afterwards shake out all the Water from the threads of the carpet. When it is thoroughly dry, rub it all over with the Crumb of a hot Wheaten Loaf; and if the weather is very fine, hang it out in the open air a night or two.