The Toilet of Flora

Take some Snuff, and rub it in your hands with a little Civet, opening the body of the Civet still more by rubbing it in your hands with fresh Snuff; and when you have mixed it perfectly with the Snuff, put them into a canister. Snuff is flavoured with other perfumes in the same way.

317. Or,

Perfume your Snuff by mixing it well with the hands, in a heated iron or brass mortar, besmeared with a few grains of Ambergrise.

318. Snuff after the Maltese Fashion

Perfume with Ambergrise, in the manner already described, some Snuff previously scented with Orange Flowers. Then grind in a mortar a little Sugar with about ten grains of Civet, and mix by little and little with about a pound of the foregoing Snuff.

319. The Genuine Maltese Snuff

Take Roots of Liquorice, and Roots of the Rose-bush, peel off their outer skin, dry them, powder them, and sift the powder through a fine sieve, then scent them according to your fancy, or in the same manner as French Snuff, adding a little White Wine, Brandy, or a very little Spirit of Wine, and rubbing the Snuff well between your hands.

320. Italian Snuff

Put into a mortar, or other convenient vessel, a quantity of Snuff already scented with some Flower, pour on it a little White Wine, and add, if agreeable, some Essence of Ambergrise, Musk, or any other Perfume you like best; stir the Snuff and rub it well between your hands. Scent Snuff in this manner with any particular flavour, and put the different scented Snuffs in separate boxes, which are to be marked, to prevent mistakes.

321. Snuff scented after the Spanish Manner

Take a lump of double-refined Sugar, rub it in a mortar with twenty grains of Musk; add by little and little a pound of Snuff, and grind the whole with ten grains of Civet, rubbing it afterwards well between your hands.

Seville Snuff is scented with twenty grains of Vanilloes only. Keep your Snuff in canisters closely stopped, to prevent the scent from exhaling.

As Spanish Snuff is very fine and of a reddish colour, to imitate it nicely, take the best Dutch Snuff, well cleansed, granulated, and coloured red; beat it fine, and sift it through a very fine lawn sieve. After it has been cleansed according to the foregoing directions, it is fit to take any scent whatever.

There is no risk in using a sieve that retains the scent of any Flower, to perfume your Snuff with the flavour of Musk, Ambergrise, or any other Perfume. On the contrary, the Snuff receives the Perfume the more readily, and preserves its flavour the longer on that account.

322. Method of dying Snuff Red or Yellow

Take the size of a nut or two of Yellow or Red Ochre, and to temper the colour mix with it a little White Chalk. Grind these colours on a marble, with a little less than half an ounce of Oil of Sweet Almonds, and moisten with as much Water as the colour will take up, till it becomes a smooth Paste. Then mix it with a thin Mucilage of Gum Tragacanth to a proper consistence, and put it into an earthen dish, stirring into it about a pint more of Water. Afterwards take any quantity of cleansed Snuff you please, throw it upon the colour, and rub it well between your hands. When the Paste is thoroughly tinged with the colour, leave it till next morning to settle, then spread it thin on a cloth to dry, and place it in the sun, stirring it about every now and then that it may dry equally. When dry, gum it with a very thin Mucilage of Gum Tragacanth made with some sweet-scented Water. To gum the Snuff as equally as possible, wet the palms of your hands with this Gum Water, and rub the Snuff well between them. Afterwards dry it in the sun, and sift the colour that does not adhere to it through a very fine sieve. The Snuff is then properly prepared to receive any flavour you choose.

323. Herb Snuff

Take Sweet Marjoram, Marum Syriacum Leaves, and Lavender Flowers dried, of each half an ounce, Asarabacca Leaves, a drachm. Rub them all into a powder.

324. Or,

Take Betony Leaves and Marjoram, of each half an ounce; Asarabacca Leaves, a drachm. Beat them together into a powder.

325. Or,

Take Marjoram, Rosemary Flowers, Betony, and Flowers of Lilies of the Valley, of each a quarter of an ounce; Nutmegs, a drachm and a half; Volatile Salt, forty drops. Powder, and keep the mixture in a phial, close stopped.

326. Or,

Take Flowers of Lavender, and Clove-july-flowers, of each a quarter of an ounce; Lilies of the Valley, Tiel-tree Flowers, Flowers of Sage, Betony, Rosemary, and Tops of Marjoram, of each half a drachm; Cinnamon, Aloes-wood, Yellow Sanders, and White Helebore-root, of each a drachm; Oil of Nutmegs and Oil of Lemons, of each three drops; mix them into a powder.

A pinch or two of any of these Snuffs may be taken night and morning medicinally, or at any time for pleasure. Used externally, they are serviceable for weak eyes and many disorders of the organs of sight and hearing. They also relieve headaches, giddiness, palsies, lethargies, besides a variety of other complaints; and are, though agreeable and simple, far superior to what is sold under the name of Herb Snuff.

FINIS