FOR LADIES’ COMPLEXIONS “_Wit._ They have Water of gourds, of radish, the white beans, Flowers of glass, of thistles, rose-marine, Raw honey, mustard seed, and bread dough baked, The crums of bread, goat’s-milk, and whites of eggs, Camphire, and lily-roots, the fat of swans, Marrow of veal, white pigeons, and pine-kernals, The seeds of nettles, purseline, and hare’s-gall: Lemons, thin-skinn’d—— _Lady E._ How her ladyship has studied All excellent things! _Wit._ But ordinary, madam: No, the true rarities are the alvagada And argentata of queen Isabella. _Lady T._ Ay, what are their ingredients, gentle madam? _Wit._ Your allum scagliola, or pol di pedra: And zuccarino: turpentine of Abezzo, Wash’d in nine waters: soda dilevants, Or your fern ashes: benjamin di gotta: Grasso di serpe: porceletto marino: Oils of lentisco: zucche mugia: make The admirable varnish for the face, Gives the right lustre: but two drops rubb’d on With a piece of scarlet, makes a lady of sixty Look as sixteen. But above all, the water Of the white hen, of the lady Estifania’s. _Lady T._ O, ay, that same, good madam, I have heard of: How is it done? _Wit._ Madam, you take your hen, Plume it, and skin it, cleanse it o’ the inwards: Then chop it bones and all: add to four ounces: Of carravicins, pipitas, soap of Cyprus, Make the decoction, strain it: then distil it, And keep it in your gallipot well gliddered: Three drops preserves from wrinkles, warts, spots, moles, Blemish, or sun-burnings: and keeps the skin In decimo sexto, ever bright and smooth, As any looking-glass: and indeed is call’d A ceruse, neither cold or heat, oglio reale: And mix’d with oil of myrrh and the red gilliflower, Call’d cataputia, and flowers of rovistico, Makes the best muta or dye of the whole world.” The stuffs worn by gentlemen were taffeta; mockado—an inferior velvet; grogram—a cheaper taffeta; quellio for the ruff; tamin; sendall; and many others which are now mere words. The poorer women, not to be outdone more than was necessary, bought the same clothes, made in the same style, of the fripperer, or broker, who dealt in second-hand clothes. Now the great danger of buying second-hand clothes was that you might at the same time buy the plague.