A profitable instruction of the perfect ordering of Bees/First Treatise/Chapter 27
Of the miraculous worthineſſe of Honny. Cap. xxvij.
MOst men in Italy prepare and make their medicines whiche they purpoſe to keepe long, with honny, ſo that honny preſerueth euery thing from putrifying, which you would haue in ſafety, and to continue for a ſeaſō, through his clammineſſe. And of this, auntient men did embalme bodyes of the deade, which they would haue preſerued, and to continue ſound without corrupting many yeres, with hony only, and the ſame they alſo ſmeared within the tombes or ſepulchres of the deade, for the longer keeping of bodyes. The ſelfe ſame writeth the learned Papinius of ye body of Alexander, {{bl|which was likewiſe embaulmed with Hony. And vnlike to this writeth}} Plinie, in the xxij. booke, and xxiiij. Chapter of his Hiſtories, or ſundrye dead bodyes alſo embaulmed w hony. Which in another place alſo of his Hiſtories writeth by Claudius Cæſar, that brought a monſter out of Egipt into his countrey, whiche was alſo embaulmed with Honny. Ahanæus alſo writeth, that bodies ſubiect to ſickeneſſes, may both be kept free from ſickneſſes, and from corrupting a long time, through the often ſmearing and annoynting of Honny ouer all the bodie. As the like wryters report, that the Iſle of Corſice, or Corſe do, whiche liue a long time.
The Macrobians being a people in Affricke, named alſo Mœrein, doe liue a long time, as certaine authours write, bycauſe with the meate of Honny, whyche is plentie with them, they dayly be fed, and vſe continually. Some affirme that Democritus which recreated by Honny, with the only breath and ſauour of the Honnye made hote, liued (as they write) vnto a hundred nine yeares. Ariſtoxenus writeth, that the table of Pythagoras was dayly furniſhed with only breade and honny, and yet liued vnto ye foureſcore and ten yeres of the Philoſopher Heraclides. The Honnye alſo is founde to auayle againſt ſurfettes, and of this accompted amongſt the medicines putting awaye drunkenneſſe. And of this is no maruel, that ſuche throughlye ſkilfull in Phiſicke, when anye be ouercloyed or filled with Wine, do counſell firſte to emptie their ſtomackes by vomityng, and after againſt the force of the fume euaporating of the remnaunt of the Wine yet remayning, they giue to them Honny ſpreade on breade, as it were by putting backe the euill, that it maye ſo remedie and putte awaye the groſſe fume.