Part 5
Having pounded the white unripe grape in a mortar of red bronze, and
passed it through the strainer, expose it to the
sun during the day,
but remove it during the night, that it may not suffer from the dew;
rub it constantly during the day, so that it may dry equally, and
may contract as much virtue as possible from the bronze: let it be
exposed to the
sun for as great a length of time as till it acquire
the thickness of honey; then put it into a bronze pot with the fresh
honey and sweet wine, in which turpentine resin has been previously
boiled, boil the resin in the wine until it become hard like boiled
honey; then take out the resin and pour off the wine: there should
be the greatest proportion of the juice of unripe grape, next of the
wine, and third of the honey and myrrh, either the liquid (
stacte）
or otherwise. The finest kind is to be levigated and moistened by
having a small quantity of the same wine poured on it; and then the
myrrh is to be boiled by itself, stirring it in the wine; and when
it appears to have attained the proper degree of thickness, it is
to be poured into the juice of the unripe grape; and the finest natron
is to be toasted, and gently added to the medicine, along with a smaller
quantity of the flowers of copper (
flos aeris) than of the natron.
When you have mixed these things, boil for not less than three days,
on a gentle fire made with fuel of the fig-tree or with coals, lest
it catch fire. The applications should all be free from moisture,
and the sores should not be wetted when this medicine is applied in
the form of liniment. This medicine is to be used for old ulcers,
and also for recent wounds of the glans penis, and ulcers on the head
and ears. Another medicine for the same ulcers:-The dried gall of
an ox, the finest honey, white wine, in which the shavings of the
lotus have been boiled, frankincense, of myrrh an equal part, of saffron
an equal part, the flowers of copper, in like manner of liquids, the
greatest proportion of wine, next of honey, and least of the gall.
Another:-Wine, a little cedar honey, of dried things,
[p. 338]the flowers
of copper, myrrh, dried pomegranate rind. Another:-Of the roasted
flower of copper half a drachm, of myrrh two half-drachms, of saffron
three drachms, of honey a small quantity, to be boiled with wine.
Another:-Of frankincense a drachm, of gall a drachm, of saffron three
drachms; let each of these be dried and finely levigated, then, having
mixed, triturate in a very strong
sun, pouring in the juice of an
unripe grape, until it become of a gelatinous consistence, for three
days; then let them be allowed to macerate in an austere, dark-colored,
fragrant wine, which is gradually poured upon them. Another:-Boil
the roots of the holmoak in sweet white wine; and when it appears
to be properly done, having poured off two parts of the wine, and
of the lees of wine as free of water as possible one part; then boil,
stirring it, so that it may not be burnt, at a gentle fire, until
it appear to have attained the proper consistence. Another:-The other
things are to be the same; but, not withstanding, instead of the wine,
use the strongest white vinegar, and dip into it wool as greasy as
can be procured, and then, moistening it with the lees of oil, boil,
and pour in the juice of the wild fig-tree, and add Melian alum, and
natron, and the flowers of copper, both toasted. This cleanses the
ulcers better than the former, but the other is no less desiccant.
Another:-Dip the wool in a very little water; and then, having added
a third part of wine, boil until it attain the proper consistence.
By these, recent ulcers are most speedily prevented from getting into
a state of suppuration.
