Also you must know how potable things are to be preserved, by which wee understand Wine, Beer, Meade, Vineger, and Milke. Now if we would preserve these from harm, and in their full vertue, it is very necessary that you know well what is an Enemie to them, and that is menstruous women: for if they doe handle the foresaid things, or have any thing to doe about them, or looke, or breath upon them, they corrupt them. For Wine is thereby changed, and become thick, Beer, and Mead grow sowre, Vineger grows dead, and loseth its sharpnesse; and Milke grows sowre, and curded. This therefore you must well know, before you come to preserve each of these in particular. [Sidenote: How Wine is preserved by Sulphur.] Wine is preserved chiefly by Sulphur, and the Oyle of Sulphur, by which all Wine may bee preserved a long time, so that it be neither thick, nor any other way changed. [Sidenote: Beere is preserved with oyle of Cloves.] Beere is preserved with Oyle of Cloves, if some drops thereof bee put into it, to every Gallon two or three drops, or, which is better, with the Oyl of the root of _Avens_, which doth preserve Beer from sowring. [Sidenote: Mead is preserved with oyle of Sugar.] Meade is preserved with Oyl of Sugar, which must bee used as the Oyle of Cloves abovesaid. [Sidenote: How Vineger is preserved.] Vineger is preserved with Oyle of Ginger, which must be used as the Oyle of Cloves abovesaid. [Sidenote: How Milke is preserved.] Milke is preserved with Oyle of Almonds made by expression, which must bee used as the Oyle of Cloves abovesaid. [Sidenote: Cheese is preserved with St. Johns wort.] Cheese is preserved with St. _Iohns_ wort from worms, for if it doth but touch it, no worme will breed in it: and if there bee any in before, it will kill them, and make them fall out of the Cheese. [Sidenote: How Honey is to be preserved.] [Sidenote: What its chief enemie is.] Honey hath no peculiar preservative, onely that it may bee kept from its Enemie. Now its chief Enemie is bread: for if a little bread made of Corne bee but put, or faln into it, all the Honey is turned into Emmots, and spoiled. [Illustration: *decorative divider*] OF THE NATVRE Of Things. _THE FOURTH BOOK._ _Of the life of Naturall things._ [Sidenote: What use the Aire is for as to the life of things.] [Sidenote: What the life of things is.] [Sidenote: What things have life.]