The next thing to be done, is to bring away the after-birth, or secundine, else it will be very dangerous for the woman. But this must be done by gentle means, and without delay, for in this case especially delays are dangerous; and also in what I have set down before, as good to cause speedy delivery, and bring away the after-birth. And after the birth and after-birth are brought away, if the woman’s body be very weak, keep her not too warm; for extremity of heat doth weaken nature and dissolve the strength; but whether she be weak or strong, let no cold air come near her at first; for cold is an enemy to the spermatic parts. If cold goes into the womb, it increases the after-pains, causes swelling in the womb, and does great hurt to the nerves. If what I have written be carefully observed by midwives, and such nurses as keep women in their lying-in, by God’s blessing, the child-bed woman may do very well, and both midwife and nurse gain credit and reputation. For though these directions may in some things thwart the common practice, yet they are grounded upon experience, and will infallibly answer the end. But there are several accidents that lying-in women are subject unto which must be provided against; and these I will speak of next. The first I shall mention are after-pains, about the cause of which, authors very much differ; some think they are caused by the thinness, some by the sliminess, and others by the sharpness of the blood; but my own opinion is, they proceed from cold and water. But whatever the cause may be, this I know, that if my foregoing directions be observed, they will be very much abated, if not quite taken away. But in case they do happen, boil an egg, and pour out the yoke of it, with which mix a spoonful of cinnamon-water, and let her drink of it; and if you mix it with two grains of ambergris, it will better. The second accident lying-in women are subject to is excoriation in the lower part of the womb. To help this, use oil of sweet almonds, or rather oil of St. John’s wort, to anoint the part with. Another accident is, that sometimes, through very hard labour, and the great straining to bring the child into the world, the lying-in woman comes to be troubled with the hemorrhoids or piles. To cure this, let her use polypodium bruised, and boiled in her meat and drink. A fourth thing that often follows is, the retention of the menses; this is very dangerous, and, if not remedied, proves mortal. But for this, let her take such medicines as strongly provoke the terms; and such are peony roots, dittany, juniper-berries, betony, centaury, sage, savory, pennyroyal, feverfew. The last thing I shall mention is, the overflowing of the menses. This happens not so often as the foregoing, but yet sometimes it does; and in such cases take shepherd’s purse, either boiled in any convenient liquor, or dried and beaten to powder, and you will find it very good to stop them.