But the most charming entry of all is: "A note of Mistress Barbara her lessons on ye virginalle which she hath learned and can play them," followed by a list of songs, the majority of which have the entry "Mr. Bird" beside them. William Bird was organist to Queen Elizabeth, and he presumably was "Mistress Barbara's" music-master. She apparently also had lessons from Dr. Bull, then at the height of his fame, for his name appears in connection with some of the items. Amongst the songs we find "My trew Love is to ye grene Wood gon," and there are quite a number of dances--pavanes and courantes--which she played. One feels very sure that "Mistress Barbara" was a fascinating person, but she could not have been more lovable than her sister Mary, who married Henry Fairfax. A love-letter, written in Charles I.'s reign, is doubtless quite out of place in a book on old herbals, but I cannot refrain from quoting the following, written by Mary to her husband about six years after their marriage, because it very clearly reveals the character of one of the many types of women who wrote these still-room books.
"I received a letter and horse from Long on Thursday (Jan. 31) and will use meine [endeavour] to send Procter's horse to Denton. I did nott so much rejoys att thy safe passage as at that Bleised and al suficiente gide whoss thou art, and whom I know thou truely sarves yt hath for a small time parted us, and I fearmly hope will give us a joyfull meeting. Dear heart, take eassy jernays and preferr thy owne heilth before all other worldly respects whatsoever.... I pray y{ u} beg a blessing for us all, for I must needs comitt y{ u} to his gracious protection yt will never fail us nor forsake us. Thine ever,
"MARY FAIRFAX. "_Ashton, February 2, 1632._"
I quote only three recipes from this attractive MS.: "A Bath for Melancholy," "Balles for the face" and "For them theyr speech faileth."
"To make a bath for Melancholy. Take Mallowes, pellitory of the wall, of each three handfulls; Camomell flowers, Mellilot flowers, of each one handfull; hollyhocks, two handfulls; Isop one greate handfull, senerick seede one ounce, and boil them in nine gallons of Water untill they come to three, then put in a quart of new milke and go into it bloud warme or somthing warmer."