May dew
Dew gathered on May mornings, which many believed would make the face beautiful. Pepys's wife went out at four in the morning to collect it in 1669.
A diary for every day of the year
Samuel Pepys, from his diary (London, 1660–1669), in the edition of Henry B. Wheatley (London, 1893–99) · January 1660 to June 1669, written day by day (modern calendar)
My wife again up by four o’clock, to go to gather May-dew; and so back home by seven, to bed, and by and by I up and to the office, where all the morning, and dined at noon at home with my people, and so all the afternoon. In the evening my wife and I all alone, with the boy, by water, up as high as Putney almost, with the tide, and back again, neither staying going nor coming; but talking, and singing, and reading a foolish copy of verses upon my Lord Mayor’s entertaining of all the bachelors, designed in praise to my Lord Mayor, and so home and to the office a little, and then home to bed, my eyes being bad.
My wife [was] up again by four o’clock, to go to gather May dew, and so back home by seven, to bed. And by and by I [got] up and [went] to the office, where [I was] all the morning, and dined at noon at home with my household, and so all the afternoon. In the evening my wife and I, all alone with the boy, [went] by water almost as far up as Putney with the tide, and back again, not stopping going or coming, but talking and singing, and reading a foolish set of verses on my Lord Mayor’s entertaining all the bachelors, written in praise of my Lord Mayor. And so home and to the office a little, and then home to bed, my eyes being bad.