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The Swarm: Take

Moffett declares the following recipes for hydromel to be those recommended by the famous physician Galen : - "Take sweet pure clean fountain water eight pounds, the best honey one pound, boyl them at a soft fire, in an earthen vessel, take off the skim a top oft times, and boyl it to its thickness. If it must be drunk presently, it must be made thin as water; if it must be set up to keep, boyl it longer, till it be thick as a julep. It is spiced at pleasure, with Ginger, Saffron, Gallia, Moschata, Lignum aloes, &c. It is made also another way: of honey one pound, water eight pounds, leaven three ounces; put all in a wooden vessel, leaving three or four fingers empty that it may work the better: when it hath done working, stop the vessel and let it be well hoopt, and after three months it will be fit to drink."

Really tempting is the following beverage, which Moffett calls the hydromel of Æginata. "Take the juice of bruised quinces five pounds, fountain water sexterii, boyl them till they grow soft, take them from the fire, let them cool, then strain them and crush out the Quinces and cast them away; add to this water half honey, boyl it, scum it, till an eighth part be consumed: Some make it of sweet apples or pears the same way."

The hydromel of the Muscovites was a malted liquor, and was thus made: - "Take of the decoction with hops twelve pounds, purified honey scummed, pound and half, toasted bread strowed with flour of malt, one piece, put all into a wooden vessel well covered, and place it near a stool, take away the froth that riseth, twice a day, with a wooden skimmer that hath holes in it; after ten daies set it up in your cellar, after fourteen daies drink it: They make it the same way in summer with fair water, and made this way they drink it in winter, and when they desire to be drunk. In Russ and English they call it Mede."