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Author: Markham, Gervase, 1568?-1637.
Title: The English house-vvife Containing the inward and outward vertues which ought to be in a compleate woman. As her skill in physicke, surgery, cookery, extraction of oyles, banqueting-stuffe, ordering of great feasts, preseruing of all sorts of wines, conceited secrets, distillations, perfumes, ordering of wooll, hempe, flax, making cloth, and dying, the knowledge of dayries, office of malting, of oates, their excellent vses in a family, of brewing, baking, and all other things belonging to an houshold. A worke generally approued, and now the fourth time much augmented, purged and made most profitable and necessary for all men, and the generall good of this kingdome. By G.M.
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Print source: The English house-vvife Containing the inward and outward vertues which ought to be in a compleate woman. As her skill in physicke, surgery, cookery, extraction of oyles, banqueting-stuffe, ordering of great feasts, preseruing of all sorts of wines, conceited secrets, distillations, perfumes, ordering of wooll, hempe, flax, making cloth, and dying, the knowledge of dayries, office of malting, of oates, their excellent vses in a family, of brewing, baking, and all other things belonging to an houshold. A worke generally approued, and now the fourth time much augmented, purged and made most profitable and necessary for all men, and the generall good of this kingdome. By G.M.
Markham, Gervase, 1568?-1637.
London: Printed by Nicholas Okes for Iohn Harison, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the golden Vnicorne in Pater-noster-row, 1631.
Alternate titles: Country contentments, or the English huswife
Subject terms:
Home economics -- England -- Early works to 1800.
URL: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A06924.0001.001
How to cite: For suggestions on citing this text, please see Citing the TCP on the Text Creation Partnership website.

Table of Contents
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title page
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND MOST EXCELLENT Ladie, FRANCES. Countesse Dowager of Exceter.
The Table.
CHAP. 1. Of the inward vertues of the minde, which ought to be in euery House-wife. And first of her general Knowledges both in Phisicke and Surgery, with plaine appro∣ued medicines for health of the House-hold, also the extraction of excellent Oyles fit for those purposes.
Of Feuers in Generall.
Of he quoti∣dian.
Of the single Tertian▪
Of the acciden∣tall Feuer.
Of the Feuer hetticke.
For the quar∣tan or for any Feuer.
Of thirst in Fe∣uers.
For any ague sore.
For the quar∣taine Feuer.
Of the pesti∣lent Feuer.
A preseratiue against the plague.
Fr infection of the plagu.
For the Pesti∣le.
Another.
A preseruation g first the e∣ce.
How to draw a plague botch to any place you will.
A Cordiall for any infection at the heart. ☜
Against too vi∣olnt sweating.
For the Head-ache. ☜
For th Frenzy.
F the lethar∣gy.
To prouoke sleepe.
For the swim∣ming of the head.
For the palsie.
For a new cough.
For an old cough.
For the falling sicknesse.
For the falling euill.
OF An Oyle to helpe hearing.
For the Rhum.
For a stinking breath.
A vomit for an ill breath.
For the Tooth∣ache.
Another.
A drie for a le in the eye.
Fr pe in .
Fo sore eyes.
For waterie eyes.
For a .
A swelled mouth.
For the Quin∣sie.
Against drun∣kennes.
To quicken the wit.
For the Kings euill.
Addition to the particular sicknesses and first of the head and the parts thereof & the lungs.
Another.
For the head ke and to slay bleeding at the nose.
To draw out bones broken in the head.
For the falling of the mould of the head.
For the Squy∣nancy.
For the tooth¦ake.
To make teeth white.
To draw teeth wit yro.
For teeth tht are yellow.
For teeth that are loose.
For any venom in the eare.
For a stinking breath which commeth from the stomacke.
for stinking .
For a canker in the nose.
A red water for any canker.
To cleare the eyes.
Another for the sight.
For sore eyes.
For sicke eyes.
Fr eyes.
For the pin and webb in the eye.
A poudr for the pin and webb in the eye.
A pretious water for the eyes.
To make haire to grow
Another.
For a pimpled or red saucy face.
For the rhume
For hoarsenes in the throate.
For a dange∣rous cough.
For the dry cough.
For the tisicke.
For griefes in the stomacke.
For spitting of blood.
For vomiting:
To force one to vomite.
For the Iliaca passio.
Additions, to the diseases of the stomack. For the sto∣macke.
For the Illica passio.
For paine in the breast.
For the Mo∣ther.
Obstructions of the liuer.
Against the heat of the Liuer.
For the Plurisy.
A playster for a stitch.
Heate in the Liuer.
For the Con∣sumption.
To staunch bod.
For the yellow iundis.
For the yellow .
For a desperate yelow iaunisse
For the blacke Iaundisse.
Additions, To the dieases of the liuer For wasting of the Liuer.
A restoratiue for the Liuer.
To heale a ring worme cōming of the heate from the liuer.
To staunch blood.
For geat dan∣ger in bleeding
For a stitch.
A bath for the Dropsie.
For the dropsy.
Paine in the Spleene.
For paine in the side.
For fatnes and short breath
Additions, To the diseases of the Spleene.
For the Spleen, For the stopping of the Spleene.
For the hardne of the Spleene.
Diseases of the heart.
For the passion of the heart. heart sicke∣nesse.
For fatnes a about the hart.
For the wind Collicke.
The Wind Col∣licke
For the Laske.
For the bloody fluxe.
To stay a laske.
For the Fluxe.
For the worst Fluxe.
For costiuents.
For wormes.
Additions, the diseases
asie .
two .
Against .
the winde .
For the .
For the Rup∣ture.
For the stone.
The collicke and stone.
A pouder for the collicke and stone.
Another.
For the stone in the reynes.
For the stone in the bladder.
A pouder fo the stone in the bladder.
A bath for the stone.
A water for the stone.
Difficulty of Vrine.
For hot vrine.
For the stran∣gullion.
For pissing in bed.
For the rup∣ture.
Additions, To the diseases of the reines & bladder.
For he that can not hold his water.
For the Gono∣rea or seding of seed.
For weakenesse in the backe.
For heat in the Rines. For comforting and strength∣ning of the backe.
For the Heme∣roides.
For the piles or Hemeroids.
For the falling of the funda∣ment▪
For the Heme∣roids.
For the greene sicknesse.
To increase a womans milke.
To dry vp milke.
A pultus for sore breasts in women.
For ease in child bearing.
Child dead in the wobe.
Apursle to conceie.
Additions, To .
To wo∣men owers. Against the flowers.
For the matrix.
A generaling for a in .
To dluer the ded .
To increase milke.
For a woman that is n brought in bed, and oundeth much.
To prouoke sleepe.
For sre brests.
For Morphew of both kinds.
To breed haire.
For the Gout.
For the Ciatica
For any payne o swelling, or the stinging of Venemous beasts.
For swellings in the leg or feete.
A water to wash a sore with.
A pultis for a sore.
For any olde sore.
For any scabs or itch.
For the Lepro∣sie.
To take away pimples.
Priuy parts burnt.
For any bur∣ning.
For any scal∣ding.
A pultis to dry a sore.
To eate away dead flesh.
A water to heale wounds.
To heale any wound.
For sinewes▪ cut or shrunke.
To breake any .
Additions, ☞ To generall of Sur¦gey, . For buning, or , with .
For burnings o scaldings on the ce.
An oyntment for burning.
Vlcers & Sores. A salue for any old sore
To take away dead flesh.
A water for a .
A blacke plai¦ste to heale old sres and kil inflamati∣on.
An oyntment to .
For the sting∣ing o any ∣der or vene∣mous thing.
For any veno∣ming.
For a ring∣worme.
For the itch.
For the dryed Sabbe.
To kill the Itch .
To take away the of the mal Poxe.
For the French or Spanish pox.
To put out the French or Spa∣nish Poxe.
To make the scabs of the French Pox to fall away.
A deffensitiue for a greene wound.
A salue for a greene wound.
A water to heal an greene wound, cut, or ore.
T staunch bd, & draw toge∣ther
A oyle for shinking of sinewes.
For a wound in the gus.
For pricking with a thorn.
To gather flesh in wounds.
Additions, for ach or swel∣lings. For the Cyaty∣ca.
A yellow cloth for a paine or sl∣ling.
For bruises swelled.
For swelled leg.
For any ache.
☞ A playster for any paine in the ioynts.
Additions, To in the Bones. For bones out o ioynt, or sin∣newes sprung or strained.
A bath for bro∣ken ioynts.
☜ A general bath for clearing the skin, and com∣forting the bo∣dy.
A soueraine help for broken bone.
For any Feuer.
To expel heate in a Feuer.
The royall me∣dicine for Fe∣uers.
Another.
OF Oyle of Swal∣lowes.
To make oyle of Camomile.
To make oyle of Lauender.
To make smooth hands.
To make Dr. Steuens water.
A restoratiue of Rosasolis.
Additions, to the Oyles. To make oyle of Roes or Vi∣olts.
To make oyle of Nutmegges.
To make per¦fect oyle of Spike.
To make oyle of Masticke.
The English Houswifes Skill in Cookery. CHAP. 2. Of the outward and actiue Knowledge of the Housewife; and of her skill in Cookery; as Sallets of all sorts, with Flesh, Fish, Sauces, Pastry, Banquetting-stuffe and ordering of great feasts.
She must know all Hearbes.
Her skill in the Garden.
Tranplanting of Hearbes.
Choise of seeds
Prosperity of .
Gathering of
OF Cookery and the prts thereof.
Of Sallats. Simple Sallats.
Of compound Sallts.
☞ An the com∣pound Sallet.
An excellent boiled Sallet.
Of preseruing of Sallets.
he making of ange Sallats
Sallats for shew onely.
OF Fricase, and Quelque ch∣ses.
Of simple Fri∣cases.
Best Collops and Egges.
Of the com∣pound ricases.
To make the best Tansey.
The best Frit∣ters.
The best Pan∣cakes.
Veale toasts.
To make the best panperdy.
To make any quelquechose.
Additions, To the House-wifes Cookery.
To make Frit∣ters.
To make the best white Pud∣dings. ☞
Puddings of a Hogs Liuer.
To make bread puding▪
Rice Puddings
Aher of Lie.
Puddings of a Ces Mug∣get.
A Blood Pud∣ding.
Linkes.
OF Boyl meates ordinary.
Pottage with∣out sight of hearbs.
Pottage with∣out hearbs.
Pottage with∣whole hearbs.
T make ordi∣nary stewd brh.
boyld . ☞
To boyle a Malad.
To make an excellent Ole∣potrige.
To mak the be white both.
To boile any wilde Fowle.
To boile a lgg of Mutton.
An excellent way to boyle Chickens.
A broth for any fresh Fish.
Additions, To boyle meates. A Mallard sar, or a Hae, or olde Cony. ☜
To stew a pike.
To stew a Lambeshed & Purtenance.
A Brest of Mutton stewd.
To stew a Neates foote▪
OF Roast-meates.
Temperature of fire.
The best ba∣sings of meats.
The best dred∣ging·
To know when meate is e∣nough.
Roasting Mut∣ton with Oy∣sters.
To roast a legg of Mutton o∣therwise.
To roast a Gigget of mut∣n.
o ost Oliues of Veale.
To rost a pig.
To roast a pound of ut∣ter wll ☜
To roast a pud∣ding on a spit.
T roast a chine of
To roast Veni∣son.
How rost fresh Surgeon
Ordering of meates to be roasted.
To roast a Cowes Vdder.
To ast a of Veale.
OF , and .
Sauce for a hen . ☞
Suce for Chickins.
Sauce for a pheasant or partridge.
Sauce for a Quaile▪ Raile, or big bird.
Sauce for ∣geons.
A generall sauce for wild Fowle.
Sauce for greene gse.
Sauce for a stuble goose.
A Gallatine, or Sauce for a Swan, Bitter,
Sauce for a pig.
Sauce for Veale.
Additions, vnto Saucs Sops for Chic∣kens.
Sauce for a Turkie.
The best Gal∣lntine.
Sauce for a Malad.
OF Carbonados.
What is to be Carbonadoed.
The manner of Carbonadoi
Of the toa∣sting of Mut∣ton.
Additions, ☞ Vnto Carbo∣nados. A rashr of mutton or lambe.
How to carbo∣nado tongues.
Additions ☞ For dressing of . How to sauce any fresh-fish.
How to byle small Fish.
To boyle a Guinet or Ro∣chet.
How to bake a Carpe.
How to bake a Tench.
How to stw a Trout.
How to bake Eeles.
OF The pastery and baked meaes
Of the mix∣ture of pasts.
Of puff past.
baking Red Deere, oal∣low, or any thing to keepe .
☜ To bake a u∣stard or Dow∣set.
To bake an Oliue-pye.
To make a Marow bne pye.
To bake a chic∣ken-pie.
☜ Additions to the Pastery▪ Venison of Hares.
To bake a Hare pye.
A Gammon of Bacon-pie.
A Herring-pie. ☞
A Ling pi.
☞ A Noole ool.
A Trifle.
A Calues f-pye.
Oysterpye.
To recouer Ve∣nisn ha is tainted. ☜
A Cheet py
A minc't pie.
A Pippen pe.
A Warden-pie, or quince-pie. ☜
To preserue quinces to bake all the yeare.
A pippen Tart.
A codlin Tart.
☞ A codling pie·
A Cherry Tart.
A Rice Tart.
A Florentine.
A pruen tart.
Aple-tart.
A Spinage tart.
A yellow tart.
A white tart.
An hearb tart.
To bake a pud¦ding pye.
A White pot.
OF banqueting stuffe and con∣ceited dishes.
To make paste of Quinces. ☞
To make thin quince cakes.
To preserue quinces. ☜
To make Ipo∣cras.
To make ielly.
Gin∣ger bread.
Marmalad of quinces red.
Marmalad wines.
To make Ium∣bals.
To make Bis∣ket bread.
To make fin Iumbals.
To make drye sugar leach
To make leach Lumbard.
To make fresh cheese.
How to make course Ginger bread.
How to make quince cakes ordinary. ☜
How to make Cinamon stickes. ☜
How to make Cinamon wa∣ter.
How to make Wrme-wood water.
To make swete water
Another way
To make date Leach▪
To make su∣gar plate.
To make spice Cakes.
To make a Banbury Cake. ☜
☞ To mke the best March-pane.
To make paste of Gen, o any other past
To mke any Conserue.
To make Con∣serue of Flow∣ers.
To make Wa∣fers.
☜ To make Mar∣malae of Oranges.
Additions to banqutig stuff· To make fine Cakes.
Fine bread.
To preseue Qunce.
To make spo∣ca.
To preserue quinces.
Conserue of Quinces.
☞ To keepe Quinces all the yeere.
Fine Ginger Cakes.
To make Suckets.
Course Gin∣ger-bread.
To candy any roote, fruite or flower.
Ordering of banquets.
Ordering of greaasts, and proporton o expence.
CHAP. 3. Of Distillations, and their veriues, and of perfuming.
OF The nature of waters.
Additions, to distillations. To distill waer of the colour of of the hearbe o flower you desire.
To make Aq∣vitae. ☜
To make aqu comp.
☞ A very princi∣pall aq com∣.
To make the emperiall wa∣ter.
To make Cina∣mon water.
Sixe most pre∣tious waters, whch Hepocra∣tes made, and sent to a Queene some∣times liuing in England.
The vertues of seuerall waters.
☜ An excellent water for per∣fume.
To perfume Gloues.
To perfume a Ierkin.
☞ To mak wash∣ing Balls.
To make a mske Ball.
☜ A perfume to burne.
To make Po∣manders.
To make Vine∣gar.
To make dry vinegar.
To make ver∣iuyce.
☞ Additions to conceited secrets. To make sweet powder for baggs.
To make bags.
How to make sweet water. ☜
☜ A very rare and plesan Da∣mask water.
T mke the .
perfume Gloues.
CHAP. 4. The ordering, Preseruing and helping of all sorts of Wines, and first of the choyce of sweete Wines.
To make Mus¦kadine, and giue i a slauer.
How to luer Muskdine.
To aparell Muskadine when it comes new into be fi∣ned in twenty foure houres.
To make white Bastard.
How to helpe Bastard being eager.
To make Ba∣stard white, and to away Lagges.
A remedy for Bastard if it picke.
To make Malmsey.
To shift Malm∣sey, and to rid away ill Wines.
If Sacke want his colu.
For Sacke that is tawny.
For Sacke haorn ape and is brone.
To color sack, or any White-wine.
If Alligant be growne hard.
For Aligant that i lower.
How to order Renish wine.
Of what coun∣tries Wines are by their names.
Notes of pad∣ging of Wines, Oyles and Ly∣quors.
The markes of .
The Contents of all manner of Gascoyne wine, and o∣thers.
To chuse Gas∣coyne wine.
To remedy Clarret wine that hath lost hs clu.
A remedy for Gascoyne wine that ha lost his colour.
A remedy for white wine, that hah lost his colour.
For white wine that .
A remdy for white wine that drinkoule.
Fo red wine that dinks faint.
For red wine that ws co∣lour.
To make Tyre.
If Osey com∣pleae, a∣proch ha lst thei coour.
CHAP. 5. Of Wooll, Hempe, Flax and Cloth, and Dying of colours, of each seuerall substance, with all the know∣ledges belonging thereto.
Of making wollen cloth.
To dye woll blacke.
To dye wooll of haire clr.
To dye wooll red.
To dye wooll blew.
To dye a Puke.
To dye a sin∣der colour.
To dye greene or yellow.
wooll dy∣ing.
Of the dying of Wooll.
The quantiy of yle.
Of spinnng Woll.
The diuersiti in spinning
Of wauing cloth, wlkng and dressig it
Of linnen cloth.
The ground b.
The tillage of the ground.
Of weeding of Hempe and fax.
The pullng of hmpe or flax.
The ripening of hempe and flaxe.
The watering of hempe or flaxe.
Of washing out of Hempe or Flax.
Speciall orde∣ng of Flaxe.
The brking for hemp flax.
Dursity o baks.
Of swingling hempe nd flaxe.
The scond swinglig.
Of heating hm.
O hekling hempe.
Dressing of Hmpe moe fine,
Of heckling Flaxe.
The dressing of flaxe to finest vs
Of the the.
Of widing yarne.
Of wpg and wg.
The scowring and g of Clth.
CHAP. 6. Of Dairies, Butter, Cheese, and the necessary things belonging to that Office.
ignesse of Kine.
Shape of Kine.
The breed of Kine.
Depth of mlke in Kine.
O the genl∣nesse Kin.
Of kindlinesse in ine.
The best time to calue in, for the dairy or breed.
Roaring of Calues.
The generall ve of dairies.
Th hwers of milkig.
The ordring of Milk.
Sllng of Milke.
Profis arising from milke.
Of Butter.
Of fleting Creame.
Of ourming Butter and the daies.
Helpes in churning.
Seasoning of butter.
Of May butter.
Of powdering vp o potting of butter.
Of great dai∣ries and their customes.
When to pot Butter.
Vse of Butter milke.
Of Cheese.
Of the Chees∣le bagge or Runnet.
Seasoning of the runnet.
To make a new Mike heese compound.
A Cheese of two meales.
Of Nettle Cheese.
Of floaten-milk Cheese.
Of edd Cheese.
Of Whey and the profits.
Of Whey curds.
CHAP. 7. The Office of the Malster, and the seuerall secrets, and knowledges belonging to the making of Malt.
Election of o Crne for Malt.
Of th Malt-house, and the situation.
Of Malt-flowers.
Imperfect Flowers.
Of the Kilne and thul∣ding thereof.
The perfect Kilne.
Of fuell for the drying of alt.
The making of Cesternes.
The manner how to make Malt.
The dressing of Malt.
Obseruations in the making of Malt.
Of O-Ma.
CHAP. 6. Of the excellency of Oates, and the many singular ver∣tues and vses of them in a family.
Vertue of Oates for man.
The vertues of Oate-meale.
CHAP. 8. Of the Office of the Brew-house, and the Bake house, and the necessary things belonging to the same.
Strong Beere.
Of ordinary Beere.
Of brewing ordinary Beere.
Of brewing the bst March Beer.
Brewing of strong Ale.
Brewing of Bottle-Ale.
Of making perry or cider.
Ordering of Meale.
Baking Man∣chets.
Baking cheate Bread.
Baking of browne bread·
Generall ob∣seruations in the brew-house and bake-huse.