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A Table Containing the General Heads of Natural Magick
Home Page || "Natural Magick" || The Author And His Work ||Editor/Producer || Glossary/Index
A Table Containing the General Heads of Natural Magick
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
or (Botanical.com, A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve)
Cabbage - A genus of plants, called in botany Brassica, of several species; some of which are cultivated for food. The leaves are large and fleshy, the pods long and slender, and the seeds globular. The kinds most cultivated are the common cabbage, called with us the drum-head, the Savoy, the broccoli, the cauliflower, the sugar-loaf, and the cole-wort.
"...He puts Beet roots bruised into Wine, it will be Vinegar when three hours are over. But if he would restore it again as it was, he puts in Cabbage roots..."
"...Then wash it with Lye made of Cabbage stalks, ashes, and Barley straw..."
"...Alisander or Parsley may be made greater ...you must dig the Alisander around the root, and cover it with Cachryl, and then heap earth upon it..."
Cackrels /
Cackerel
Cackerel - A fish which is said to void excrements when pursued. Others say, a fish which eaten produces lax bowels.
"...There is a kind of these fishes, called Mullet-Groundlings, which is generated of mud and sand, as has been tried in many marsh places, among the rest in Hindus, where in the Dog-days, the lakes, being dried up, so that the mud was hard, as soon as ever they began to be full of rain water again, were generated little fishes, a kind of Mullet, about the bigness of little Cackrels, which had neither seed nor egg in them..."
"...And as the Mullet-Groundlings comes of mud, or a sandy loam, as Aristotle writes, so it is to be thought, that the Cackrel-groundling comes thereof also..."
"...Beer in Egypt, called Zythum, in Spain , Caelia and Ceria, Beer in France and other provinces..."
Calamite - A fossil plant of the coal formation, having the general form of plants of the modern Equiseta (the Horsetail or Scouring Rush family) but sometimes attaining the height of trees, and having the stem more or less woody within.
"...Is to be made by putting Benjamin into a glass retort, and fitting it to the furnace. Then increase the fire without any fear of combustion, and you will obtain a fragent oil, to be used in precious ointments. So Oil of Storax, Calamite, and Labdanum, and other Gums..."
The generic name of the Indian cane, called also rotang. It is without branches, has a crown at the top, and is beset with spines. A sort of reed, or sweet-scented cane, used by the Jews as a perfume. It is a knotty root, reddish without and white within, and filled with a spungy substance. It has an aromatic smell.
"...Then add roots of Iris, Cypress, Sanders, Cinnamon, Storax, Labdanum, Cloves, Nutmegs, Calamus Aromaticus, with a little Musk, Amber and Civit..."
"... Juice of Cherry, added to Calamus, will make a green, so also Sow-bread, a red..."
"How a dead carcass may be kept long...Then make a mixture of unquenched Lime five pounds, of burnt Alome one pound, good Salt two pound, of Aloes and Myrrh half a pound. Of Aloes wood half a pound, of the oil of Spicknard three ounces, of the powder of Rosemary flowers five, of burnt green Brass and Calcanthum two..."
Calcine /
Calcined /
Calcination
Calcine: Heated to temperature of dissociation; for example, heat gypsum to the temperature where the water of crystallization is driven off.
"... Calcine the Talk, and put it in an earthen pot, and set it in the hottest part of a Potters Oven, to stay there six days..."
"...Do the same three or four times, that it may be more perfectly Calcined, always having a care that it be as hot as may be, but that it melts not..."
Caldron - A large kettle or boiler of copper, brass, or iron.
See: Cauldron
"...Take the flesh of them and bruise it in a Mortar diligently, then put it into a Caldron glazed with tin that is full of water..."
Calends - Among the Romans, the fist day of each month. The origin of this name is differently related. Varro supposes it to have originated in the practice of notifying the time of the new moon, by a priest who called out or proclaimed the fact, to the people, and the number of the calends, or the day of the nones. Others alledge that the people be convened, the pontifex proclaimed the several feasts or holidays in the month; a custom which was discontinued in the year of Rom 450, when the fasti or calendar was set up in public places, to give notice of the festivals.
"...This if you practise before the Calends of March, or between the Nones and the Ides of March, you shall have your purpose..."
Calf - The young of the cow, or of the bovine genus of quadrupeds.
"...Boil two Calf's feet in water. First make them clean. Then boil the water until half be consumed. Put in it Rice, one pound, and boil it well. .."
"...We feed them at home with Wine of Surrentum, or else we put Calfs to two Cows, and thus being fed with abundance of Milk, that can scarce go for fat..."
"...Before we leave of to speak of hair, I shall show how to make the eyebrows black. Because women are desirous of this as the rest. The Greeks call them Calliblephara, that is, fair eyebrows..."
"...The Kernels of Dates burned in a new earthen pot, and the ashes washed, serve instead of Spodium. And they are mingled with eye salves. And they make Calliblephara adding Spikenard thereunto...."
Callimachus - fl. c.265 B.C., Greek poet and critic. At ALEXANDRIA he drew up a catalogue constituting a full literary history. Among his over 800 hymns, epigrams, and poems is Aetia, a collection of legends.
"...Callimachus, the Architect, flying from Heliopolis, taught the Romans that thing first, and many of their Emperors did use that against their enemies afterwards..."
"...In times past, women were wont to esteem little dogs in great price, especially such as came from Malta the island situated in the Adriatic Sea, near to Ragusius. Calimacus terms them with Melitean dogs..."
Calx - the oxide or ashy residue that is left after metals or minerals have been thoroughly roasted or burned.the oxide or ashy residue that is left after metals or minerals have been thoroughly roasted or burned. 2. another term for lime (calcium oxide, CaO).another term for lime (calcium oxide, CaO).
"... It will more easily and perfectly dissolve into water, and if it were burned long enough, and turned into a Calx..."
"...You shall bring Silver to powder, either with Aquafortis, or Calx. The Calx is afterwards washed in water..."
Camel - A large quadruped used in Asia and Africa for carrying burdens, and for riders. As genus, the camel belongs to the order of Pecora. The characteristics are; it has no horns; it has six fore teeth in the under jaw; the canine teeth are wide set, three in the upper and two in the lower jaw; and there is a fissure in the upper lip. The dromedary of Arabian camel, has one bunch on the back, four callous protuberances on the fore legs and two on the hind legs. The Bactrian camel has two bunches on the back.
"... Camel's froth, drunk with water by a drunken man, will make him mad, as possessed with a devil..."
"...Horses are frightened in battle by Elephants, and a Camel naturally hates a Horse, as Aristotle and Pliny say..."
"...Some say that Camel's Dung will curl the hair..."
"...then, the Stag, the Ostrich, the Camel Panther, gentle creatures, and of thin spirits, have slender bodies and long necks, to show that thin, subtle spirits, have slender bodies and long narrower passage, and be elevated higher to purify them..."
"...Oil is made of the seed of Cameline...it is made for lights, but those of Lomardy make great plenty of a golden colored oil of a seed like to this, called Dradella. It has plaited leaves as wild Rochet, which they sow among Pulse..."
Camphire
(Camphor)
Camphire - An old spelling of Camphor.
Camphor - A tough, white, aromatic resin, or gum, obtained from different species of the Laurus family, esp. from Cinnamomum camphara (the Laurus camphara of Linnæus.). Camphor, C10H16O, is volatile and fragrant, and is used in medicine as a diaphoretic, a stimulant, or sedative.
"...Take two bottles of Greek wine, half a pint of white Rose Water, of Celendine, two ounces, of Fennel, Rue, Eye-Bright, as much, of Tutty, half an ounce, of Cloves as much, Sugar-Candy of Roses, one Drachm, Camphire, half a Drachm, and as much Aloes..."
"...take Allome de Plume, Salt Gemma, one Drachm, Frankincense, one and a half, Camphire, two Drachms, Oil of Tartar, six ounces, Rosewater, one pound..." (To make your face white)
"... What I said of a long Needle, I say also of an Iron bar. For if you touch it in the middle, the beams of it are spread like the beams of the Sun, or light of a Candle, from the center to the Circumference, and extreme parts..."
"...Some never bruise the flowers, but cut them very small with scissors, and Candy them with Sugar..."
Cancer - In astronomy, one of the twelve signs of the zodiac, represented by the form of a crab, and limiting the suns course northward in summer; hence, the sign of the summer solstice.
"...But the body of a Crab-fish is strangely turned into a Scorpion. Pliny says, that while the sun is in the sign Cancer, if the bodies of those fishes lie dead upon the land, they will be turned into Scorpions..."
Cane - . In botany, this term is applied to several species of plants belonging to several species of plants belonging to different genera, such as Arundo, Calamus, Saccharum, &c. Among these is the bamboo of the East Indies, with a strong stem, which serves for pipes, poles, and walking sticks. The sugar cane, a native of Asia, Africa and America, furnishes the juice from which are made, sugar, melasses and spirit.
"... There is likewise a wonderful enmity between Cane and Fern. So that one destroys the other. Hence it is that a Fern root pounded, does loose and shake out the Darts from a wounded body, that were shot or cast out of Canes..."
"...And there let them grow for a while, and afterward when you take away the Cane or Reed, the Sperage will be whiter then ordinary..."
"...The star Arcturus, at his rising causes rain. Dogs are well acquainted with the rising of the Canicular star; for at that time they are commonly mad..."
"...some out of putrified earth and plants, as those creatures that are divided between the head and the belly, some out of the dew that lies upon leaves, as Canker-worms, some out of mud..."
Cannon - A large military engine for throwing balls, and other instruments of death, by the force of gun powder. Guns of this kind are made of iron or brass and of different sizes, carrying balls from three or four pounds, to forty eight pounds weight.
"...Then bind them about with cords, and dip them in Tar three or four times, that they may be well fenced about, lest being discharged by the violence of a Brass Cannon, they should break in pieces..."
Cantharides
Can"tha*ris (?), n.; pl. Cantharides (#). [L., a kind of beetle, esp. the Spanish fly, Gr. .] (Zoöl.) A beetle (Lytta, ? Cantharis, vesicatoria), having an elongated cylindrical body of a brilliant green color, and a nauseous odor; the blister fly or blister beetle, of the apothecary; -- also called Spanish fly. Many other species of Lytta, used for the same purpose, take the same name. Also, Blister beetle.
"...Water of Cantharides smeared on, does presently cause bladders and humours..."
"...Cantharides beaten with strong water, do also raise watery blisters, and cause ruptures..."
Canvas - . A strong cloth made of hemp, flax, or cotton.
"... Which from the Greek word for Pears is called Apyres, and from the Latin Piery, Palladius says it was thus. They are Bruised and put in a very course bag of Canvas, and pressed with weights, or in a press..."
"...And I made a Lye of Quicklime and oak ashes, that they commonly call the Capitel. In that I boiled Lytharge of Silver..."
"...With this write what you will on an Egg, and when the writing is dried in the Sun, put it into sharp Pickle. Dry it, boil it, and take off the shell, and you shall read the writing. I put it into Vinegar, and could do nothing of it. Perhaps, he means by Pickle, Capital Lees..."
Capon: A castrated cock.
"...Out of three Capons, I have often Extracted an Essence in a small quantity, but of great strength and nutriment..."
"... Put a Capon well pulled, and his Guts taken out, into a Silver dish, and fill the one half of him with Broth, and put him into an oven..."
"...Bruise Hemlock, and lay a Caraplasm thereof with Vinegar to women's breasts, and it will stay them that they shall not increase, especially in Virgins..."
Carat - . The weight by which precious stones and pearls are weighed. &hand; The carat equals three and one fifth grains Troy, and is divided into four grains, sometimes called carat grains. Diamonds and other precious stones are estimated by carats and fractions of carats, and pearls, usually, by carat grains.
"... Brass in the air weighs 65 Carats, and one Grain, in the waters 50 Carats and two Grains...."
Carbuncle - .) A very painful acute local inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue, esp. of the trunk or back of the neck, characterized by brawny hardness of the affected parts, sloughing of the skin and deeper tissues, and marked constitutional depression. It differs from a boil in size, tendency to spread, and the absence of a central core, and is frequently fatal. It is also called anthrax.
"...With this, morning and evening, anoint the red Carbuncles of your face, and by degrees they will vanish and be gone..."
"...For in some membranes, where the Testes are bound together, under which there are some soft Carbuncles, and tender, that are called Lions Fat..."
"... Carchedonius was the first that taught men to cover engines and rams with green hides..."
---Synonyms---Amomum Cardamomum. Alpinia Cardamomum. Matonia Cardamomum. Cardamomum minus. Amomum repens. Cardamomi Semina. Cardamom Seeds. Malabar Cardamums. Ebil. Kakelah seghar. Capalaga. Gujatatti elachi. Ilachi. Ailum. ---Description---The large perennial herb. yielding Cardamom seeds is known in its own country as 'Elattari' or 'Ilachi,' while 'Cardamomum' was the name by which some Indian spice was known in classical times.
See: Grains of Paradise
"...You shall draw out a water from the seeds of Cardamom, (whichApothecaries call Grains of Paradise) Cubebs, Indian Cloves, raspings of Brasil and Spirit of Wine Distilled..."
"...Take the flowers of Sage, ... Spikenard, Mace, Cubebs, Parsley seed, Cardamoms..."
Cardan (Jerômo) of Pavia (1501–1576), a great mathematician and astrologer. He professed to have a demon or familiar spirit, who revealed to him the secrets of nature.
"... Cardan says, that such stones have a thin moisture in them which by the force of the Vinegar, is turned into a vapor..."
Cardano, Girolamo Italian astrologer and mathematician; published Tartaglia's solution of cubic equation and Ferrari's solution of quartic equation 1545 _1501-1576
"...Wherefore Cardanus said false, that the Loadstone draws where it has but a thin cover, and more in one part then another. For it attracts only from one certain point, as it had its position before in the mines..."
"...Wherefore it is false that Cardanus says, that the Needle in the Compass declines from the Meridian line, because it inclines to the Pole Star in the Little Bears tail..."
"...Nor were the labors, diligence, and wealth, of most famous nobles, potentates, great and learned men, wanting to assist me; especially whom I name for his honor the illustrious and most reverend Cardinal of Estings: All which did afford there voluntary and bountiful help to this work..."
Note: In 1579 della Porta moved to Rome and entered the service of Luigi, cardinal d'Este, and frequented the court of Duke Alfonso II d'Este at Ferrara. He also lived in Venice while working for the Cardinal. In fact he was one of a number of dramatists who worked for the Cardinal, like Torquato Tasso, the greatest Italian poet of the late Renaissance. Della Porta, however, also undertook scientific work for the Cardinal, making optical instruments for him while in Venice.
"...Wine of figs...It is made, says Dioscorides, of ripe Figs, and it is called Catorchites or Sycites, Chelidonian or Phaenician Figs called Caricae, are steeped in a pot with a hole in the bottom with a Pitched Reed, and the hole stopped with Flax...
"...were excellent Magicians: as, amongst the Persians, Zoroastres the son of Orimafius, whom we spoke of before, amongst the Romans, Numa Pompilius; Thespion, amongst the Gymnosophists; Zamolxis, amongst the Thracians: Abbarais, amongst the Hyperboreans; Hermes, amongst the Egyptians and Budda among the Babylonians. Besides these, Apuleius reckons up Carinondas, Damigeron, Hifmoses, Apollonius, and Dardanus, who all followed Zoroastres and Osthanes. .."
"...Pliny says that in the East they make wine of dates, and he reckons up fifty kinds of dates, and as many different wines from them. Cariotae are the chief, full of juice, of which are made the principal wines of the East, they are naught for the head, and thence they have their name..."
Carline - In botany, without a stem, having flowers resting on the ground; as the Carline thistle.
See: Colewort
"...In the month of July, take three ounces of the seed, stamp it gently, and steep it in two glasses of the best white Wine, with Gentian, Tormentil, white Dittany, Zedoary, and Carline gathered in August..."
Carp - A fish, a species of cyprinus, an excellent fish for ponds. These fishes breed rapidly, grow to a large size, and live to a great age.
"...A Carp is generated of Putrefaction..."
The Carrot was well known to the ancients, and is mentioned by Greek and Latin writers under various names, being, however, not always distinguished from the Parsnip and Skirret, closely allied to it. The Greeks - Professor Henslow tells us - had three words: Sisaron, first occurring in the writings of Epicharmus, a comic poet (500 B.C.); Staphylinos, used by Hippocrates (430 B.C.) and Elaphoboscum, used by Dioscorides (first century A.D.), whose description of the plant applies accurately to the modern Carrot. Pliny says: 'There is one kind of wild pastinaca which grows spontaneously; by the Greeks it is known as staphylinos. Another kind is grown either from the root transplanted or else from seed, the ground being dug to a very considerable depth for the purpose. It begins to be fit for eating at the end of the year, but it is still better at the end of two; even then, however, it preserves its strong pungent flavour, which it is found impossible to get rid of.'
"...And to be short, in the same manner are extracted the oils out of the seeds of Carrot, Angelica, Marjoram, Rue, Rosemary, Parsley, Smallage and Dill, and suchlike..."
"...The Doves, for a preservative against enchantments, first gather some little Bay tree boughs, and then lay them upon their nests, to preserve their young, so do the Kites use White Brambles, the turtles Swordgrass, the Crows Withy, the Lapwings Venus-hair, the Ravens Ivy, the hens Carrot, the Partridges Reed-leaves, the Blackbirds Myrtle, the larks grass, the Swans Park-leaves, the Eagle uses Maidenhair, or the stone Etites for the same purpose..."
Cartel - a formal or informal arrangement (sometimes unlawful) among independent commercial enterprises organized for the purpose of common gain, as by limiting competition or fixing prices
"...Whence it is that this Benjamin is not for many years to be found in Cyrene, because the farmers, that hire the grounds, finding more gain by it, devour them by their Cartel. .."
Cartridge - A case of pasteboard or parchment, holding the charge of powder or powder and balls, for a cannon, mortar, musket or pistol. The cartridges for small arms, prepared for battle, contain the powder and ball; those for cannon and mortars are made of paste-board, or tin. Cartridges, without balls, are called blank cartridges.
"...Presently thrust in a sharp instrument at the vent hole, and make a hole in the Cartridge, and feed it with powder, and put fire to it again. And in a short time it will discharge twice..."
Carvel - A light, round, old-fashioned ship.
"... Leo the Emperor, burnt with this kind of fire those of the East, that sailed against Constantinople with 1800 Carvels..."
"... Also there is a kind of root, found by them that were with Valerius, which is called Chara, which mingled with milk relieved a soldier that was hungry, and it was made up like to Bread..."
Casia /
Cassia
---Synonyms---Bastard Cinnamon. Chinese Cinnamon. Cassia lignea. Cassia Bark. Cassia aromaticum. Canton Cassia.
---Description---As its name of Bastard Cinnamon implies, the product of this tree is usually regarded as a substitute for that of the Cinnarmomum zeylanicum of Ceylon, which it closely resembles. The cultivated trees are kept as coppices, and numerous shoots, which are not allowed to rise higher than 10 feet, spring from the roots. Their appearance when the flame-coloured leaves and delicate blossoms first appear is very beautiful. The fruit is about the size of a small olive. The leaves are evergreen, ovaloblong blades from 5 to 9 inches long.
"...And it will not only degenerate into Betony, but into Ballamint also. Likewise the boughs of the shrub Casia, as Galen reports, will degenerate into Cinnamon..."
"...We may learn to do it out of Cassianus, who following the authority of Varro, says, that Artichokes always bring forth fruit about the same season that they are set in, and therefore it is easy to have them all year long..."
"... Cassianus makes it thus; Put into a vessel old Figs, Torrefied Barley, and the internal parts of Citrons. .."
See: Geoponic.Grac
"...But because (say some) Goat blood will break the Diamond, if the Loadstone is anointed with Goat blood, it will recover. Castianus in Geoponic.Grac..."
Cat - A name applied to certain species of carnivorous quadrupeds, of the genus Felis. The domestic cat needs no description. It is a deceitful animal, and when enraged, extremely spiteful. It is kept in houses, chiefly for the purpose of catching rats and mice.
"...Some cannot away to look upon a Cat, a Mouse and such like, but presently they swoon..."
"...The eyes of Cats are also acquainted with the alterations of the Moon, so that they are sometimes broader as the light is less, and narrower when the light of the Moon is greater..."
Cathetus - In geometry, a line or radius, falling perpendicularly on another line or surface; as the two sides of a right-angled triangle.
"...For where the Cathetus shall cut the line of reflection, there the species reflected will seem almost parted from the glass..."
Catling - The down or moss growing about walnut trees, resembling the hair of a cat. Cat-gut.
"...Others cast in the dust that is on the
Catlings of small
Nuts, and the Spaniards cast in
Gyp, to make it clear and all these
we may use in waters..."
Cato, Marcus Porcius (Cato the Elder)
Marcus Porcius Cato, or Cato the Elder, was a famous censor of ancient Rome, also known as Cato the Censor. Born at Tusculum in 234 BC, he was probably a local aristocrat, though tradition has given him peasant origins. Although opposed to Greek influences, Cato contributed much to Roman culture. He patronized the poet Quintus Ennius and stimulated Roman rhetoric by publishing his own speeches. Cato's Origins, the first history of Rome in Latin, set the pattern for Latin prose. Only his On Farming survives.
"... Cato says, that the boughs of the Fig tree whereon the Figs grow, are to be preserved together with the fruit, and those Figs that you would keep, must be gathered somewhat green and sour..."
"...Great Cato, the chief man for all commodity, and the master of all good arts, as Pliny says, in his books of husbandry, he used some charms agaist the pains of Sciatica, saying, that if anything be dislocated, you may charm it whole again by this means..."
"...Now I am come to mathematical sciences, and this place requires that I show some experiments concerning Catoptrick glasses..."
"...Wine of Figs...It is made, says Dioscorides, of ripe figs, and it is called Catorchites or Sycites, Chelidonian or Phaenician figs called Caricae, are steeped in a pot with a hole in the bottom with a Pitched Reed, and the hole stopped with Flax..."
"...For as a Lion does with great rage and furiously kill Cattle and Sheep, so does Chokefitch all Pulse..."
Cauldron - A large kettle or boiler of copper, brass, or iron.
See: Caldron
"...now you must put in your Cauldron more Mastick in drops and bake it also rather more over the fire..."
"...The cap after the fashion of the Limbeck, must have its pipe at the bottom running round, and let it drop forth at the nose of it. Set this upon a Brass Cauldron, that will hold much water..."
See: Nero
"...Ceasar sent his servant, being a milesian, named Epicrates, to those of the town, desiring them to lend him some money, which they presently sent to him..."
"...When Ceasar commanded the citizens about the Alps, to bring him in provision, those that were secure in a castle of wood, refused to obey his commands. Ceasar bade, make bundles of wood, and to light torches, and lay these to the castle..."
Cedar - This name is given to different species of the juniper, and to a species of Pinus. The latter is that which is mentioned in scripture. It is an evergreen, grows to a great size, and is remarkable for its durability.
"...Oranges may be kept in Cedar dust...."
Celandine - A plant, swallow-wort, horned or prickly poppy, growing on old walls, among rubbish, and in waste places. The lesser celandine is called pile-wort, a species of Ranunculus. The name is also given to the Bocconia, a plant of the West Indies, called the greater tree-celandine
"...Take two bottles of Greek wine, half a pint of white Rose Water, of Celendine, two ounces, of Fennel, Rue, Eye-Bright, as much, of Tutty, half an ounce, of Cloves as much, Sugar-Candy of Roses, one Drachm, Camphire, half a Drachm, and as much Aloes..."
"... Then bruise the roots of Celandine, and of the greater clivers Madder, of each a like qulity. Mingle them, being bruised, very well with oil, wherein Cummin seed, shavings of Box, and a little Saffron, are mingled, annoint your head, and let it abide so for twenty hours..."
Celestial - Heavenly; belonging or relating to heaven; dwelling in heaven; as celestial spirits; celestial joys. Hence the word conveys the idea of superior excellence, delight, purity, &c. Belonging to the upper regions, or visible heaven. Descending from heaven.
"...That the Wheatmeal may be managed with the life of its heat, which is the offspring of Celestial fire. By nature it is of such Tenuity, that being raised with its heat, it will make the lump swell so much, that it will come up to the top of the vessel..."
"...He knows that fruits, and flowers, and all other growing things that the world affords, are produced by the circuit and motion of Celestial bodies..."
Aulus Cornelius Celsus, 1st century AD, was a Roman encyclopedist whose most important surviving works are concerned with medicine. De medicina draws on the works of earlier writers, gives some of the history of Greek and Hellenistic medicine, and discusses such areas of medicine as surgery, nutrition, pharmacology, and mental illness, frequently citing the opinions of Hippocrates.
"...And left the divers names of weights should hinder thy working, we have used those weights and names which Cornelius Celsus used before us..."
"...The Centifole Roses to be more odoriferous..."
Ceres was the Roman name of Mother-Earth, the protectress of agriculture and of all the fruits of the earth.
"... For the women in the feasts of Ceres, among the Athenians, put Willow park leaves under them, to keep them chaste when they lay in bed, for so they extinguished the desire of venery..."
Cerate - A thick kind of ointment, composed of wax and oil, with other ingredients; applied externally in various diseases.
"...Also Walnuts bruised or smeared on, will take away black and blue spots. Vinegar or Honey anointed will take away the same. So does Garlic rubbed on. And brings black and blue to the right color. Or the ashes of it burnt, smeared on the same. Or it is anointed on with Honey, or Suet, or a Cerate..."
"...Beer in Egypt, called Zythum, in Spain , Caelia and Ceria, Beer in France and other provinces..."
Ceruse /
Ceruss /
Ceruse of Vanice
White-lead; a carbonate of lead, produced by exposing the metal in thin plates to the vapor of vinegar. Lead is sometimes found native in the form of ceruse. Ceruse of antimony is a white oxyd of antimony, which separates from the water in which diaphoretic antimony has been washed.
"...It is so profitable to preserve iron from Rust, that many have labored how to do it with ease. Pliny says, that Iron is preserved from rust, by Ceruss, Gip, and liquid Pitch..."
"...Then you take the bulk of a handfull of white wax, matt it and then add to it the size of a musket ball of Ceruse of Vanice..."
"...Make the Lye of two parts of the ashes of the Ceruse tree, one of Lime, and half a Porringer of Alom..."
"... If you write with a sour Grape that would be black, or with Cervises, when you hold them to the fire, they are concocted, and will give the same color they would in due time give upon the tree, when they were ripe..."
"... Pliny reports the like out of Cato. That Cervises are put into earthen vessels well pitched. The covering being plastered over with Morter..."
See: Quince
"...Quinces are of many kinds, some called Mariana from Marius, Manliana from Manlius, Appiana Claudiana from Appius Claudius, Cestiana from Cestius..."
See: Quince
"...Quinces are of many kinds, some called Mariana from Marius, Manliana from Manlius, Appiana Claudiana from Appius Claudius, Cestiana from Cestius..."
Ceterach - A trivial name of a species of Asplenium, or spleen-wort.
"...Take Saxifrage, Maidenhair, Pellitory of the wall, Parsley, Pimpernel and Ceterach. Distill them in Balneo Mariae, and let the patient drink of it every other day. For it corrodes and eats away the Stone, though never so great..."
"... There is another composition of the same, that has of Athenian Sesamum half a sextarius, of honey a half part, of oil a Cotyle, and a Chaenice of sweet almonds mundified..."
"...Then take a new earthen Vat, and fill it with dry Chaff well sifted, so that it will be without dust..."
"...Some preserve fruit in Chaff, which by its innate frigidity, either keeps the frosty rigor unmelted, or by its genuine dryness keeps all things from putritude. Or by being void of all qualities keeps fruit in proper quality..."
Chamaelion /
Chamaeleon /
Chameleon
Chameleon - An animal of the genus Lacerta, or lizard, with a naked body, a tail and four feet. The body is six or seven inches long, and the tail five inches; with this it clings to the branches of trees. The skin is cold to the touch, and contains small grains or eminences, of a bluish gray color, in the shade, but in the light of the sun, all parts of the body become of a grayish brown, or tawny color. It is a native of Africa and Asia.
"...The gall of a Stellio beaten with water, will make weasels come together, says Pliny. Also, the wise Plinianists write, that with the gall of a Chamaelion cast into water, weasels will be called together..."
"...Avicenna says, that the Decoction of Chamaelion put into a bath, will make him green colored that stays long in that bath. And then by degrees he will recover his former color..."
"...The Egyptians, who first proved and found out the effects of the heavens, because they dwelt in the open Champion-fields..."
Chamomil
(Chamomile)
Chamomile - ---Synonyms---Manzanilla (Spanish). Maythen (Saxon). Chamomile is one of the oldest favourites amongst garden herbs and its reputation as a medicinal plant shows little signs of abatement. The Egyptians reverenced it for its virtues, and from their belief in its power to cure ague, dedicated it to their gods
See: Oil of Hispanus
"...Take two pounds of new Wax, four ounces of Wax, as many of Linseed, two ounces of Rosemary flowers, and Bay berries, as many of Betony. Of Chamomil flowers or the Oil of it, three ounces..."
Chap - The upper and lower part of the mouth; the jaw. It is applied to beasts, and vulgarly to men; generally in the plural, the chaps or mouth.
"...For the morsel he takes in his mouth, he can by no means swallow down, but he must hurt his Chaps, and be in great pain, so that he can hardly drink..."
"...When he takes a bite of it, it will so burn his Chaps, and bite his mouth and tongue, and so fetch off the skin of his tongue, that he will so Mump, and draw his Chaps in and out, and gape, and make such sport, that will make people laugh..."
"...The Babylonians and Assyrians call them Chaldeans, of Chaldaea, a country in Asia..."
"...But in her last quarter (the moon), when she loses all her light, then she is merely hot; and the wives of Chaldea hold that this state of heaven is best of all other..."
Chalk - A well known calcarious earth, of an opake white color, soft and admitting no polish. It contains a large portion of carbonic acid, and is a subspecies of carbonate of lime.
"...Therefore, when it has gained the color of Chalk, it must be taken out..."
"...therefore we will try to ripen fruit and flowers before their time, by laying warm cherishers, as Lime, or Chalk, and Nitre, and warm water, to the roots of trees and herbs..."
"...Powder them, and make them all up with hot water. Put some of this confection into the hole that goes into the Matrix. Or, Galls, Sumach, Plantain, great Comfrey, Allome, Chamaelaea. Take equal parts of them all, and boil them in rainwater, and foment the privities..."
"...Coelius called these dogs Chanides, being gendred of a kind of wolf called Chaos, as some suppose, whence they have that name..."
"...Thoes gendred of a wolf and a female hyaena, Pliny says, that this Chaos, which by the French is called Raphium, was first set forth for a show, in the games of Pompey the Great. And that it had spots like a leopard, but is fashioned like a wolf...."
"...Coelius called these dogs Chanides, being gendred of a kind of wolf called Chaos, as some suppose, whence they have that name..."
Chap - To crack; to open in long slits; as, the earth chaps; the hands chap.
"...The time serves well to gather them, when their wrinkles be filled out with moisture, and they Chap because they have so much juice, as if they were about to break in pieces..."
"...Mago, when he would preserve any kind of fruit close, he covers them all over very carefully with Potters Chalk, and then dries it in the Sun. And if there happens to be any Chap in the Mould, he closes it up with Loam..."
Chaplet - A string of beads used by the Roman Catholics, by which they count the number of their prayers. They are made sometimes of coral, of wood, of diamonds, &c., and are called parternosters. The invention is ascribed to Peter the hermit, who probably learnt it in the East, as the Orientals use a kind of chaplet, called a chain, rehearsing one of the perfections of God on each link, or head. The Great Mogul is said to have eighteen of these chains, all precious tones. The Turks also use a kind of chaplet in reciting their prayers.
"...They call them water chestnuts vulgarly, and the inhabitants use them in meats, as they do chestnuts. Pilgrims make Chapelets of them..."
Chara - A genus of flowerless plants, having articulated stems and whorled branches. They flourish in wet places.
See Wakerobin, Cuckow-pint, Arum
"... Casar de bello civili, Also there is a kind of root, found by them that were with Valerius, which is called Chara, which mingled with milk releived a soldier that was hungry, and it was made up like to bread..."
"...And in Dioscorides in the false names of simples, Cuckow-pint was of old called Chara. .."
"...Of Charabes...I will deliver to you the way that I use. For the Paracelsians do either conceal it, or not know it..."
"...And when all is dissolved, mix the waters all together, and let it evaporate over a fire. So in the bottom will remain the Magistery of Charabe. It will take away scars in the face and cure the Vertigo..."
"... The Charadrius with Brimstone..".
Charger - A large dish.
"...Put the Gilt plate of Silver into it, and when the Quicksilver sticks to the Gold, take it out and put it into a Charger, into which the Gold, when it is cold, will fall with the Quicksilver..."
"...Heliodorus begins that excellent history which he wrote, with the Queen of Ethiopia, who brought forth Chariclea a fair daughter, the cause was determined to be the fable of Andromeda pictured in that chamber, where she lay with the King..."
Chastity - The state of being chaste; purity of body; freedom from unlawful sexual intercourse.
"...And Agamemnon departing from his country to go to Troy, doubting of the Chastity of Clytemnestra, left a Harper, who with Music did so incite her to Continency and Chastity..."
"...He takes the blossoms of the tree when they begin to wither, and wraps in them every Pomegranate by itself, and then binds them about with bonds, thereby preventing their Putrefaction, and their Chawns and chops which otherwise would be in them..."
Cheese - The curd of milk, coagulated by rennet, separated from the serum or whey, and pressed in a vat, hoop or mold.
"... For Hippace signifies Cheese made of Mares Milk, and is no herb. Theodorus translated it Equestrem, as it were a root like Licorice, fit to drive away hunger and thirst..."
"...For Hippocrates says, the Scythian shepherds eat Hippace, but that is Mares Cheese..."
See: Crapodina
"...There is a stone called Chelonites, the French name it Crapodina, which they report to be found in the head of a great old Toad...."
"...Then let it stand a little at the fire, take it off and let it cool, and skim off the dregs on the top, and you shall find at the bottom what the Chemists call the Regulus..."
Cherish - To treat with tenderness and affection; to nurture with care; to protect and aid.
"...therefore we will try to ripen fruit and flowers before their time, by laying warm Cherishers, as Lime, or Chalk, and Nitre, and warm water, to the roots of trees and Herbs. .."
Cherry - . The fruit of a tree, a species of Prunus, of which there are many varieties, as the red or garden cherry, the red heart, the white heart, the black cherry, the black heart, and several others. The fruit is a pulp inclosing a kernel. It is related that this fruit was brought from Cerasus in Pontus to Italy, after the defeat of Mithridates by Lucullus, A R. 680., and introduced into England by the Romans, about 120 years afterwards, A.D. 55.
"...What shall I say of Laurel Cherries, found in Pliny his time..."
"...And you shall scarce ever have a good and a sweet Cherry, unless it be by Grafting upon some other tree, as Pamphilus reports..."
Chestnut - The fruit, seed or nut of a tree belonging to the genus Fagus. It is inclosed in a prickly pericarp, which contains two or more seeds.
"...As for example, that the Fig tree may be incorporated into the Plane tree, and the Mulberry tree, and likewise the Mulberry tree into the Chestnut tree, the Turpentine tree, and the White Poplar, whereby you my procure White Mulberries, and likewise the Chestnut tree into a Hazel, and an Oak, and likewise the Pomegranate tree into all trees, for that it is like to a common whore, ready and willing for all comers, and likewise the Cherry tree into a Turpentine tree.."
"...Corellius, a nobleman of Rome, born at the city of Areste, Grafted a Chestnut upon a Chestnut branch in the country of Naples, and so produced a Chestnut called Corelliana, after his name..."
Chiches - Dwarf peas.
"...After this manner it may be made of Tares and vetches, and the favour of them is dulcified with water and mingling meal with them. Bread is made also of Peas, Chiches, Tares, Lentils, Beans, and chiefly of Acorns..."
Chicken - The young of fowls, particularly of the domestic hen, or gallinaceous fowls.
"...When these are hatched, you must bring up the Chickens with Barley-flour, and some leaves of Smallage shred among it..."
"...It is nature's way, but Eggs are not only so hatched, but of their own accord in the earth, as in Egypt covered with Dung they will bring Chickens. Diodorus Siculus de Egyptiis..."
Chickpea - chickpea, garbanzo (bean) . A hard pale brown round bean which can be cooked and eaten. Chickpeas and lentils are pulses and are an important part of a vegetarian diet.
"...Make pellets of these as big as Chickpeas..."
"...But Sows will grow fatter by wallowing in the mire. Figs and Chickpeas, will fat them soonest, and they desire change of meats, Varro..."
Chinch - A genus of insects, resembling the feather-wing moths. These insects live in the flowers of plants, and wander from flower to flower, but prefer those which are sweetest.
"...Sharp Vinegar of new wine...and the decoctions of Chinches, and pot shards red hot, all of these put severally into vineger, will make it tart..."
"...The roots of old Grass, and Raisins, and the leaves of a wild Pear tree bruised, and the root of the Bramble, and Whey of Milk, burnt Acorns, Prunes roasted, and the decoctions of Chinches, and pot shards red hot, all of these put severally into Vinegar, will make it tart..."
"...Because I see that there is great antipathy between Pulse and Chokefitch, that destroys and strangles them. Some call this Lions Herb. For as a lion does with great rage and furiously kill cattle and sheep, so does Chokefitch all Pulse. .."
See: Strangle-tare
"... Strangle-tare or Choke-weed desires to grow among Pulse, especially among Beans and Fetches, but it chokes them all..."
Choler - The bile. By the superabundance of this fluid, anger was formerly supposed to be produced; or perhaps the opinion was that the bile caused the inflamed appearance of the face in anger.
"...For being a Distemper in the blood, it will cast him into a continual fever. Whereas, if it had been a Distemper of Choler or Flegm, it would have afflicted him by intervals..."
"...They strike them through as with a sword, set their entrails on fire, and make them waste into a leaness, especially if they are of a Cholerick or Sanguine complextion..."
"...Galen says, that the Lark has a crested crown, of the fashion of the herb Fumitory, and that either of them is good against the Cholick..."
"...Chrisial is like unto water, if one is sick of an Ague keep-it, and roll it in his mouth, it quenches his thirst..."
"...Dioscorides accounts Christs Thorn, wild Hemp, and Valerian, hung up in the house, an Amulet against Witchcraft..."
"...Aristotle in his Politicks, do we not read that the Lacedaemonians rejected that kind of Music called Chromaticum, because it made those that heard it too effeminate..."
Chrysippus NisiChrysippus fuisset, Porticus non esset. Chrysippus of Soli was a disciple of Zeno the Stoic, and Cleanthes his successor. He did for the Stoics what St. Paul did for Christianity- that is, he explained the system, showed by plausible reasoning its truth, and how it was based on a solid foundation. Stoicism was founded by Zeno, it is true; but if Chrysippus had not advocated it, the system would never have taken root
"...Goats care not for basil-gentle, because it brings a lethargy, as Chryfippus writes..."
"...So there is one plant, called Dogs Bane. Chrysippus says, that dogs are killed with it, if the shoots of it are given to them with water..."
Chrysocolla - Carbonate of copper, of two subspecies, the blue and the green; formerly called blue and green chrysocolla, also mountain blue and mountain green. It occurs in crystals, stalactites and other forms.
"... Then take artificial Chrysocolla, such as Goldsmiths use to Soder with, and red Arsenic, and by degrees strew them in..."
"...Add to this, Mercury Sublimate, Verdigrease, artificial Chrysocolla, called Borax, and a good quantity of the powder of sea Cockle shells finely beaten..."
Chrysolite - A mineral, called by Hauy and Brongniart, peridote and by Jameson, prismatic chrysolite. Its prevailing color is some shade of green. It is harder than glass, but less hard than quartz; often transparent, sometimes only translucent. It occurs sometimes in crystals, sometimes in small amorphous masses or grains, and sometimes in rolled pieces.
"...When you have made a Topaz, and would have a Chrysolite, add a little more Copper, that it may have a little verdure. For the Chrysolite differs from the Topaz in nothing, but that it has a greater luster..."
"...Dioscorides teaches thus, Put ripe Dates called Chydeae, into a pitcher with a hole at bottom, and stopt with a pitched reed..."
"...So likewise that kind of Pulse which is called Cicer, is preserved by its own saltiness..."
See: Tully
Famed for his oratory, Marcus Tullius Cicero was a political leader in ancient Rome. He was born on Jan. 3, 106 BC, to a locally prominent family connected with Gaius Marius, at Arpinum. his works on ethics--notably De amicitia, De officiis, De finibus, De senectute, Tusculanae Disputationes, and De natura deorum.
"...Damon relates of a Poison in Ethiopia, whose sweat would bring a Consumption in all bodies it touched. And it is manifest, that all women which have two pupils in one eye, can Bewitch with it. Cicero writes of them..."
"... Cicero reports, that Pythagoras made a young man more calm by a flower tune, who was a Tancomonite, and was Whitled with Wine, and mad for a Whore, and spurred forward by a Phrygian tune..."
Consumption - . In medicine, a wasting of flesh; a gradual decay or diminution of the body; a word of extensive signification. But particularly, the disease called phthisis pulmonalis, pulmonic consumption, a disease seated in the lungs, attended with hectic fever, cough, &c.
"...Damon relates of a Poison in Ethiopia, whose sweat would bring a Consumption in all bodies it touched. And it is manifest, that all women which have two pupils in one eye, can Bewitch with it. Cicero writes of them..."
"...Oil may be made of Ricinus, called Cicinum.... Dioscorides makes it thus. Let ripe Ricini, as many as you please, wither in the hot sun, and be laid upon hurdles. Let them be so long in the sun, till the outward shell break and fall off..."
also, bedbug
Bedbugs, family Cimicidae, order Hemiptera, are flat, broadly oval, wingless bugs about 0.6 cm (0.24 in) in length that feed by sucking blood from birds and mammals. The common bedbug that attacks humans is Cimex lectularius, which is often a pest in houses, hotels, military barracks, and other living quarters; it also attacks animals. This insect is usually nocturnal, hiding in cracks and crevices during the day. The adults may live several months and can survive long periods without food. Bedbugs inflict irritating bites; they are not known to cause disease.
"...The little Worm Cimex is good against the biting of asps, as Pliny shows by hens, who, if they eat that Worm, are all day after, free from the hurt of Asps...."
Cinnabar - Red sulphuret of mercury. Native cinnabar is an ore of quicksilver, moderately compact, very heavy, and of an elegant striated red color. It is called native vermilion, and its chief use is in painting. The intensity of its color is reduced by bruising and dividing it into small parts. It is found amorphous, or under some imitative form, or crystalized. Factitious cinnabar is a mixture of mercury and sulphur sublimed, and thus reduced into a fine red glebe.
"...Also of vinegar and Gold Litharge, there is made a decoction very good to dye the hair yellow as gold. Some there are, that draw out a strong water with fire, out of Saltpeter, Vitriol, Salt Ammoniac, and Cinnaber, whereas the hairs dyed, will be presently yellow..."
"...To Fix Cinnaber. He that desires it, I think he must do thus. Break the Cinnaber into pieces as big as Walnuts..."
"...This is only for friends. Take nine parts of burnt Tin, seven of Lead, two of Cinnabaris. Of Spanish Soder and Tartar, one part and a half. Of the Blood stone one part, of Painters Red a fourth part..."