[Sca-cooks] Two Recipes from MS Wellcome 542 (long)

[Sam Wallace]

 I just got access to a research library through my work and have been
digging through it a bit. It is limited to mostly work-related things, but
there are a few food-related gems. One of the books in the electronic
collections I now have access to is Late Middle English Texts, Volume 5 :
Late Middle English Remedy-book by Javier Calle-Martín and Miguel Ángel
Castaño-Gil which has a transcription and analysis of MS Wellcome 542, ff.
1r-20v. This manuscript is primarily made up of medical recipes, but
there's a bit at the end that has some culinary value. The write-up
describes this as being an early 15th century work from the East Midlands
of England.

from 19V
Here is þe makyng of aqua uite in a lyghter maner and as god . Tak þe rote
of saxifrage and percyl and fenel ysop . tyme puliol . real rosemaryn . of
ilkon alf a quartroun and wasch hem and bray hem a lytil . and tak
galyngale . pepir . clowes gyngure notemuge maces quibibes spykenard
sapheren . of ilkon a quartroun of an vunce . and bet þi spices to pouder
and medel hem wyth þin erbys and do to þin erbes . and to þi spyces a
galoun of god red wyn for þei wol suffice for a galoun and medel hem wel
togydder and dystylle hem in a styllatorie of glaz for þer nys no þing so
kende þerfore as glaz .

from 20V
For to make gyngyrbred .
Tak a quart of fair hony and put it in brason panne and buile it wel ouer
þe fuir and algate stere it wel wyth a potstyke of tree þat it sit not to .
let it algate tyl it fare as wex for thykke . and þenne a dysful of fayr
water þat is cold and droppe þerinne wyth þe stykke of þin hony . and ȝif
it fare as wex . tak it doun and tak a gret dysch of tree and wet it wel
wyth cold water wythinne al aboute and þen pour in þin hony . and an vunce
of pouder of gyngure . and a quartron of an vunce of pouder of pepyr and
cast hem þerto and stere hem wel togydder tyl it be wel medelid and þan let
it kele . and when it is cold . tak a pyn of tree . or of an hertys horn
and styk it in an hole of tree . þat is iboryd with an auger and tak vp þin
hony and draw it aboute þe pyn . ten tymes or twelue . tyl it wax as hard
as it were temperid wax and do it in a box and straw aboue pouder of
gyngure . and þenne it is kyndelych mad . Nota . In prima die Iouis mensis
Maij . bibe stampinum vinum de puro succo betonice in ipo anno ab omni
gutta libabis .

This book hat ypocras ;
Oon of þe best surgien þat euere was .
And Galien his felaw and Socrates ;
To þis book þi beren witnesse .
For alle þei were felawes ifere ;
Whil þei leueden in erde here .
And þorw þe grace of heuene kyng ;
þey practiseden medicines to helpe mankynd .
Prey we alle to Ihesu heuene kyng ;
þat ȝif her sowles god wonnyng .

I have had trouble with non-ASCII characters coming through this list in
the past and this text uses thorn and yogh. Is there any way that this can
be corrected?

Guillaume