_Treateth of Corn: Shewing what means it is to be Concentred, and
Condensated by, so as to be Exported in great Quantities into
other Countries, whereby both Gain and Moneys may be thereof
made._
I have instructed you in the foregoing Chapter, after what manner such
Wines as are of a mean price, may by the help of Concentration be
conveniently transported out of one Country into others more remote,
where no Wines grow, and produce good profit. The which Artifice may be
of most great benefit to the Inhabitants of such Countries as abound in
Wine, and want sometimes Chapmen or Merchants for the same.
’Tis very well known to every one, that in most places of _Germany_
(but especially in _Franconia_, and in the other Countries adjoining)
Corn is so exceedingly plenty, and of so vile a price, that the
inhabitants know not what to do therewith; and for that reason it lies
and rots in their Barns and Granaries, the exceeding abundance thereof
either hindring the sale of the same, or the great costs and charges of
Carriage hinder the Transportation of it into the lower Countries of
_Germany_, where ’tis dear enough.
Hence comes it to pass, that the miserable Inhabitants have indeed
Wine and Corn enough, but want Moneys to pay the Tributes due to the
Magistrate; so that tho’ they have such plenty of the Divine Gifts, and
so much Riches, yet for all that they are in great penury and want, in
that they cannot sell off so much as to pay their Family’s expence,
_viz._ Men-servants and Maid-servants wages, or so much as to sustain
them. Verily, this is a punishment from the hand of God, and a singular
one too, by which he corrects us ungrateful men. In time of the Wars,
when a huge Scarcity pinched the Inhabitants of _Germany_, then the
common outcry went up to Heaven, and promised largely an amendment of
life; but when the War was over, and all quiet, and a most wisht-for
Peace returning, then all men generally became worser, and more wicked,
tho’ the goodness and bounty of God had bestowed on them such a great
plenty of things so exceeding necessary: And now such great Fulness
being enjoyed, they now gape after Money too, and murmur against
God, as the _Israelites_ did, who loathing, as ’twere, the plentiful
abundance of things necessary, murmured at _Moses_.
The reason why Corn is so exceeding plenty, is this:
After the making of Peace, and sending away the Souldiers, many
Commanders being weary of warfare, and abounding with Money and Horses,
bought (or rather squeez’d out) of the poor Inhabitants, every where
destitute of Money, most notable Farms, for a very mean price, and did
set themselves with the utmost of their Industry to till the Earth,
which had lain fallow a long time; which Lands became so fruitful
that it even amazed all men. The poor Inhabitants too, who now had
gotten a little Money, they also set their hands to the Plough, and
used even the utmost of their endeavours in the tillage of the Earth:
From hence it came to pass, that they were so furnished with such a
vast deal of Corn in a few years space, that they knew not at all
what to do therewith. As for carrying it into far distant Countries,
the troublesomeness and charges of the Carriage were too great an
hindrance: To lay it up in the Granaries, that the Air will not suffer
them to do, tho’ in the time of _Joseph_ such a thing was done in
_Egypt_, where the Air being Nitrous, dry, and not so easily subject to
corrupting, as ours is, preserved the Corn from Corruption.
What I have here written, hath proceeded forth from a good mind and
sincere intention, and I hope ’twill do more good than hurt. I know
that the eyes of many will be opened to see what a _Babylonish_
Confusion the present World is in; I pray God to be an helper to the
Good, and to be a reducer of the Wicked from the course of their
Impiety, into the Right way.
_The Process of Concentrating Corn is this_:
In the first place, you are to make a Malt of your Barly, Wheat, Oats,
Spelt, or any other kind of Grain or Corn, the which dry either in the
Sun or in the Air, or else in an Oven heated a little, and not to be
scorched and parched as it were after the Brewers custom; for so the
sharp fume of the wood would stick thereunto, and make it black and
bitter, and it may easily be conjectured, that there would be no good
come of it, for by this means the smoak of the wood would stick on to
the Corn and the Sprouts it has thrust forth, and are moistened, and
so would make the Ale that is boil’d thereoutof unwholsome, and of an
ungrateful bitter flavour: But now such Malt as is dried in the Air,
Sun, or in a warm Stove or Oven, has no such ungrateful taste as comes
from the smoak of the wood, but remains sweet and pleasant.
NB. Else you may do thus; The Corn, after it hath sprouted and hath
been thrown abroad on some Floor, open to the air, and thereby been a
little freed of some of its moisture, may be dried purely and quickly
too in the Brewers great Coppers, in which they are wont to boil their
Ale or Beer, provided it be continually stirred about with some wooden
stick without ceasing, that it may be all over hot, and so become dry.
But yet you must have a care that your fire be not too strong under
your Copper wherein you dry your Malt, and so burn the Corn, and make
it taste untowardly; this done, the dried Malt is to be ground as other
Malt which is used to make Ale withal is wont to be, but yet so, that
it be not too finely ground nor too grosly; for if it be too gross,
and the Grains be unbroken, the water cannot sufficiently get out the
Virtues and Juice in the boiling, but that the best part will remain
in the boiled Grains, and so be thrown away on the Beasts in their
nutriment; but if it be ground too small, it will run into heaps,
and hinder the straining out of the Ale; therefore a mean is to be
observed, and care taken that no errour be committed, by either excess
or defect. The Malt being on this wise prepared, every one may boil
his Ale according to his custom, and so much thereof as his Vessels,
Coppers, and Coolers will admit of: Some do pour boiling water on their
Malt, and mix them both by stirring them well together, and then let
them settle for some time that the water may take into it self the
strength of the same; then they draw out that water by a Tap, and pour
on more, and repeat the Infusions so often, until the water can get out
no more sweetness, and there remain nothing but the insipid Husks, the
which are nourishment for Cattel.
NB. Othersome that have no Vessels to extract the Virtue out of the
Malt in, by boiling water, do put the prepared Malt in wooden Vessels
or Tubs, and pour thereon warm water or cold, and stir it very well
about, and leave it so for some hours, that the Malt may be macerated;
then do they put it in a Copper, and pour thereunto so much water as
may keep the Malt from burning to in the boiling; and having boiled
it for half an hour, they pour it out upon a bed of straw, fitted for
that purpose, and placed over a Cooler, and so strain the Ale: This
Labour of pouring on, boiling, and straining, is so oft repeated, till
the water sucks no more sweetness out of the malt. This manner of
boiling Ale is used by those only who want store of Vessels, and pretty
large ones: The former way is not only better and more commodious, but
likewise more fit for the boiling of a greater quantity of Ale.
NB. This is to be observed in this place, when the best and first Juice
or Extraction is drawn out of the Vessel by a Tap, and fresh boiling
water poured a second time on the malt in the Copper, and again drawn
off by the Tap, those two waters in which the chiefest Virtue of the
malt is, may be boiled and thickened by little and little in a plain or
flat Copper. The third and fourth pouring on are indeed as yet good,
but yet not fat enough, and seeing they are not very strong, are not
worth the boiling away, for they won’t quit the costs of the Fire,
and therefore are to be applied to some other uses. Now when a man is
about this work, he may so order his boilings, as to have several of
them one after another; and then those pourings on, _viz._ the second
and third, remaining of the first course of boiling may be poured on
the second course of boiling, in the stead of bare water: And so is it
to be handled, that alwaies the first and second pouring on (and which
contain in them the chiefest Virtues of the malt) may be boiled to the
consistency of Honey in a Copper made for that purpose, of Evaporation;
and the third and fourth pouring on may be alwaies kept for the next
following course of boiling, and be poured on the malt in the room of
bare water, and so are to be condensed by evaporation in a Copper, as
the first and second pouring on were done withal in the first course
of the boiling; and so always the _3d._ and _4th._ pouring on of the
former course of boiling, is to be the first and second in the next
following course of boiling; and this way of proceeding draws out of
the malt its best and chiefest Virtues, and lessens the charge of the
boiling: For the Costs would be far greater, if the third and fourth
pouring on were to be boiled off _per se_.
NB. The Coppers and Pans necessary for the thus reducing these
extracted Juices to the consistency of Honey, are already described,
where mention is made of the Concentration of Wines. He that can’t well
enough understand me, may take the pains to come and see my Furnaces,
Coppers, and other Instruments appertaining to this work; as likewise
the manual Operation, for I cannot help him any other way. And as for a
larger description of these things, my time will not permit me at this
instant to make it. The Juices being condensate, are to be drawn out of
the Copper by a Tap fastened therein, or laved out, and being cool, put
them up in Barrels, and shut them up tight, that the external air may
not get thereinto; for thus may you keep them uncorrupt, even as long
as you please.
NB. In your boiling them you must be very diligent that the Juices be
not burnt to, by the overmuchness of your Fire, or that by being heat
too hot, they boil not over; all which may be prevented by Registers
(as the _Chymists_ call them) destinated for the regulating of the
Fire. This is a most compendious way of extracting the Virtues out of
Corn, and of reducing them into a narrow room, the which if you order
according to Art, that nothing of your Juices be spilt or lost, 8
Barrels of Malt will yield you one full of Juice, and which contains
all the Virtues that were in those eight Barrels; the residue serves to
fatten Beasts withal.
NB. He who knows how to convert those remains to his use, in another
kind of way will do better, and extract thereoutof so much as he is
constrained to lay out in buying his Corn, insomuch that he can have
his Juices as it were even _gratis_. But of these things more hereafter.
As touching these Juices, they comprehend in them the whole Virtue of
the Corn, out of which you may when you please boil Ale, make Adust or
Brandy-wine or bake spiced Cakes; for if it be used to them instead of
Honey, it makes them much the sweeter. These Juices therefore are to be
prepared in those places in which Corn is sold at a very mean rate, and
which cannot be exported to foreign parts, and is there in such great
plenty, as that the Country-men know not what to do therewith, but
there it lies in great Stacks and rots. Farther, they are yet prepared
with greater benefit and more gain where the plenty and cheapness of
wood is, the which yields no small encrease and addition to the Gains.
But that the nature and condition of this Labour may be the better
understood, the following Computation will shew. Suppose I take 8
Barrels full of Corn and bring them into Malt, then boil it into Ale
after the aforesaid way, and condense it into a Juice, wherewithal
I fill one Barrel: This one Barrel now is far more commodious to be
carried into foreign places either by Waggon or by Ship, than those 8
barrels, and will bring me double or treble the profit that 8 _Medimni_
(a Measure containing some six bushels, or the eight barrels) of Corn.
Why? because the greatest labour is already over, and there remains but
very little to boil the Ale out of the Juice, as the following Example
will demonstrate.
I buy me eight barrels in that place where Corn and Wood are to be had
at a mean rate, and there passeth some River or other by the place,
as the _Mhene_ in _Franconia_, _Nicer_ in _Suevia_, _Visurgis_ in
_Hassia_, and the Dukedome of _Brunswick_, _Albis_ in _Saxony_ and
_Misnia_; for in all these places there is abundance of Corn, and
store of Wood, and the price of each, mean enough in conscience. If
now one _Medimnus_ (or six bushels) of Corn be esteemed at the price
of one Imperial, eight _Medimni_ will yield eight Imperials; the Wood
will cost one Imperial, the Labour one Florin: The juice out of the 8
barrels of Corn may be put in a Fir-Cask, as they use to do with Honey,
that so in paying the carriage, it may not be accompted for Wine or
Ale, but some dry Goods, and so valued by the hundred, as other dry
Wares are priced; so then the Barrel will cost the Carriage by Water to
some of the Maritine or Sea-coast Cities, two Florins. Now if we sum
up all these Expences upon the Corn, Carriage, Fire, and Labour, they
come to 12 Florins or 8 Imperials. But now, out of that one Barrel of
Juice there may be made eight Barrels of the best Ale, and if you will
have it somewhat smaller, then ’twill make 10 or 12, according as you
boil your Ale to a stronger or weaker degree. However, this is certain,
that one Barrel of Corn will yield more than a Barrel of good Ale; so
that out of one Barrel of Corn may be made one and an half of strong
Ale. Now then, if one of those Barrels of Ale yield three Imperials,
the eight Barrels, which cost the buying, and reducing into one Barrel,
and the transporting it, eight Imperials, may there be sold for 24
Imperials; from which the eight being subtracted, the remainder of the
Gains is 16 Imperials, which verily is enough upon those 8 Barrels.
But put case the Corn were dearer, and the Carriage of the Juices to
those places did cost more, and that those 8 Barrels of Corn, or one
Barrel of Juice, did yield (besides all the costs) only 8 Imperials
profit, yet would this be profit enough, and may well content a Man.
I forbear to mention the other benefits and profits arising over and
above besides this Gains; for by this kind of way is saved and made
vendible that Corn which would else be spoiled: Besides in a plentiful
time the mean-prized Corn may be bought up, concentrated and kept
till a scarcity come. Nor is there any cause of fear that it will be
devoured by the Mice and Rats, or be spoiled with lying, or wax mouldy,
or be any other way corrupted.
Nay more, it occupies less room than the Corn would; for where one
Barrel of Juice lies, there should have lain eight Barrels of Corn.
Besides, the Magistrates and Subjects may by this means reap much
profit and help. The Magistrate may be satisfied by taking Corn of
the Inhabitants instead of tribute. The Subjects may by the benefit
of this Medium satisfie the Magistrate, and there will not need the
selling his Cattle, or Sheep in the Fold, or to borrow Money upon use,
and to give his Wife and Children for pledges. For there is requisite
no other labour than that the Magistrate appoint a place to boil his
Ale, in which the Corn may be malted, boiled and thickned into Juices.
As for Wood, that he has himself and needs not lay out a farthing upon
that. So now, by this means may a Country be brought to that degree of
happiness as never to want Money, Corn, or any other necessary things.
For where the Juices can be but brought to the Sea-towns many thousand
Barrels full may be sold to those Magistrates and Merchants which send
their Ships into the _East_ and _West-Indies_; in which Countries may
be made good Ale at any time of the Year, even in the midst of Summer,
or in the Dog-daies themselves, if you have but Hops and Water at hand;
the which is far better and more profitable.
For in the room of this one Barrel of Juice, there must have been
stowed 8 Barrels, and yet that sometimes turns sour too, and is
spoiled, the which never betides these Juices. Now such Ale prepared
of the Juices by means of Hops and Water are much wholsomer than the
common Ales are, because that the Fire hath consumed all the Crudities;
in the boiling of the Juices or hath corrected them, and this every one
will readily believe or assent unto.
Nay more, these Juices may (and that with very great profit too)
be sent into those places wherein (by reason of the abundance of
People there) Corn and Ale is much esteemed, as in _Holland_, and
the bordering Countries. If the Ale-brewers could but once get such
Juices, without doubt they would not be at the costs to brew it out of
the Corn, for they would not need so much time to brew in, nor such
Coppers, nor so many Mens help, all which they must necessarily have
in the common way of brewing. In these Juices, there is much sparing
of Fuel, (the which makes the common way of brewing Ale, more costly,)
and of Men’s labour which doth likewise prove chargable. Nor are we
silently to pass over that great benefit which they have hereby, for
that good Ale and such as will not sour may be made without any danger
even in the midst of the Dog-days. Every one knows what it is to
brew Ale (then,) and that the brewing is at other times sufficiently
troublesome, _viz._ so to order it as to prevent the danger of souring.
But now this brewing (that I mention) is void of all this kind of fear
of souring; whereas the usual kind of brewings do for the most part (in
the Summer season) become sour either in the straining it through the
Grains, or by standing in the Coolers: but these labours are in our
brewing already dispatched, and that in those places where the charges
of Labourers, Wood, and Room fit for boiling it in, are not so great.
This work therefore is of mighty profit both to the buyer and seller:
For the seller can afford his Corn at a reasonable rate. And the buyer
need not be at any other charges in brewing good and wholsome Ale at
any time of the Year save only the hire of one man that may prepare
or sit the Juices, and Hops, and Water for the boiling, and set it
a-working or fermenting and pour it into the Vessels. Whereas on the
contrary in the common brewing of Ale there needs many mens help, huge
Coppers, and wooden Flats and a great deal of room to brew in, and
store of Fire which is sufficiently dear in some Countries; all which
are avoided in the brewing with the Juices. Do but consider I pray
what a notable and profitable thing this would be in great Cities,
and especially in those places where Houses, Fuel, and Mens labour
are very dear, if such kinds of Juices were set to sale; that so
every Master of a Family might buy up some Barrels of this Juice, and
dissolve them at his own home with Water and Hops, in a small Copper
according to his pleasure, and make the said Juices into Ale, as fat
or as lean or small; and as bitter or as sweet as he listeth; and
then put it up in his own purified and well cleansed Vessels, and he
and his, drink thereof all the whole year; and if need be, might make
either Physick-drink or Spiced-ale. And would it not be much better
than the buying such Ales of the _Brewers_, which are sometimes either
too new or too stale, and oft-times acid, impure, not well boiled, and
stinking, and instead of Hops have Aloes, Xanthium or Burr, Henbane and
such like Herbs put in them. For in some places, the _Brewers_ use such
kinds of Herbs and the like hurtful things, instead of Hops, to make
their Ale bitter, and to save a few charges in the making their drink.
Therefore all such as use to drink of such kind of Beer are never wont
to be in compleat health; and especially in watery and moist places
they are for the most part afflicted with the Scurvy, Melancholly,
_&c._ which is the usual fruits of such kind of Drinks, for they
obstruct the internal parts of the body and the principal members, and
stir up such Diseases. But our Ales that are made of the Juices and
good Hops do not only not stir up such Distempers, but do even (by
their purity and clearness) resist them, and preserve men from them;
but especially if such Juices be made of such Malt as has not a smatch
of the smoke of Wood, but is dried in the Air, and which are so handled
in the fermentation or working of them as that all the defilements
settle to the bottom; for then will you have such Ale, as doth both in
wholesomness and sweetness exceed such Wines as are infected with, or
have a tang of, _Sulphur_, or that grow in a soil abounding with Chalk.
They dull not the head, they do not cause windiness, they puff not up
the body after the manner of other Ale; they do not stop the Urine but
provoke it, and keep the Belly soluble: They are Medicinal without the
addition of Physical Herbs, are sweet and wholsome, and of an excellent
tast, and such as the like of them cannot be made without this medium
or way.
Such Ales deserve a peculiar praise, and many would there be who would
drink of Ales often, could they but get such: and would leave off the
drinking troubled, unwholsome, and sulphured Wines. For my own part I
will make use of such kind of Ale, and Wine, in my own house for the
sustaining of mine own Family.
I could mention much more concerning such Ales if the time would
permit me, but I have spoken enough already. And as for what remains
unwritten here, may be gotten out of, (or understood by) the things
here described. I question not but that good (or provident) Masters of
Families will set about this business of preparing these Juices, and
of sending them into such places where they may be sold to Ships that
are bound for far Countries, and so mightily enrich those Countries
with store of Money that abound with Corn.
Besides, the _Brewers_ of Ale or Beer that are in great Cities will not
disdain such an excellent Art, but will themselves buy such Juices at a
considerable rate.
Princes, Nobles, and great Cities, will also provide (or buy up) great
quantities of such Juices, and lay them up in their Forts and Castles,
and in their Store houses as a good Treasure, that so they may have it
to use in time of necessity. Nor will good (or provident) Housholders
neglect to furnish themselves therewith, that so they may have
wherewithal to sustain them and theirs in a time of scarcity.
In the time of Wars, eminent Captains and other Military chieftains
will take care to have them, and carry them into their strong holds,
and there loosen them (or put a proportionable quantity of Water to
them) and turn them into good Ale; as for Water, there’s to be found
(enough) of that every where, and so need not store up that, and as for
Hops that is easie enough to be bought.
So then, there will be a notable benefit by this Artifice to strong
Holds and Castles, and such fenced Places as fear a Siege. Briefly,
Words cannot express the benefit and profit which will redound to all
places, by these Juices, in times both of Peace and War.
Therefore every Magistrate who has a care of his Subjects health and
preservation, will worthily and with his utmost diligence carefully
provide for the having such prepared Juices, that so in times of
necessity they may be at hand for use.
But now, some may object and say; I perceive and well see that this
Artifice is good and profitable, but ’tis not so easie a matter for
every one to purchase himself Coppers requisite for this work? To such
I answer. ’Tis not so needful that every one should furnish himself
with such (utensils); if there be in every City but one man only that
is imployed thereabouts, who may buy off his Neighbours Corn and pay
them their Money for the same, ’tis sufficient. And if others also
betake themselves thereunto, there will be the more Money gotten, and
the Country made the richer; neither is any reason to fear or doubt,
but that, if he shall bring eight thousand Barrels of Corn condensed
into a thousand Barrels of Juice unto the Cities on the Sea coast, he
will sell it off for ready money. Will a thousand Barrels (think you)
be sufficient (or be a drug) in some populous City wherein are daily
drunk some thousands of barrels of Ale? Verily he that shall expose to
sale in such a like City many thousand Barrels, would not stay long
there, but would be loaden (or furnished) with ready Money for the
same, by those who knew the Art of making Ale with such Juices.
I do verily believe that it would be altogether much better to sell
Corn after such a manner, and so to have profit by it, than let it
perish with lying; which is a great sin before God, and a shameful
disgraceful thing before Men.
But further, It may be objected and said. If this Artifice of making
Ale were set up in those places, in which there is wont to be a certain
Tribute paid the Magistrates for every Barrel (of Ale,) it would not
be allowed of, because by this means the Tribute or Customs due to
the Magistrates would be diminished. This inconvenience is easily
prevented, if the Magistrate impose the same Tribute of Ale on the
Juices. For by this means the Tributes or Customs would not be at all
diminished, but be equally as profitable upon the Juices, as upon Ale.
The like may be done with the condensate Juices of Wine.
So then ’tis clearly evident, that there cannot possibly arise any
detriment from these Juices, but rather infinite profits and commodity.
And therefore every Magistrate should seriously cause his Subjects to
make these kind of Juices of such Corn as they cannot sell, and instead
of spoiling it get riches by it. Certainly this would be far better,
and far more profitable for such Subjects as are very poor and go
miserably tattered and naked, and have nothing to help themselves (of
which sort there are not a few.) Verily there would be no want of any
thing, but the Subjects as well as their Rulers would have enough: And
for this reason have I willingly undergone this trouble and this labour
in manifesting and laying open this Artifice.
And although I am not to expect any reward from any body for
manifesting a thing of so much concernment (for this is an unthankful
World) yet have I obeyed the will of God and have out of a Christian
love benefited my Neighbour, and in this well-doing do I rest, no
ways doubting but that God the rewarder of every good (action) will
recompense in another place, this my well-doing which I bestow upon the
World.
Farther, I can in a kind of a Prophetical manner predict, that if
regard be had of this my wholsome Doctrine and Admonition, many
Countries will in a very short time recover their former happiness,
and both the highest and lowest will live in a prosperous condition;
but especially those who first set upon this business afore it becomes
common, will get great riches. Now then, whosoever they be that by
the help and benefit of this way shall get the blessing of God, let
them not forget the poor, but bestow that blessing on the cherrishing
and comforting poor Orphans and Widows, to the Honour of God. For
the Treasures and Riches in this temporal Life cannot be better laid
out, and laid up, than in distributing them amongst the poor. For by
that means there’s no fear of being spoiled of them by Thieves and
Robbers; And more, in the Life to come, they shall be recompensed with
a ten-fold reward.