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The
Book of Quinte Essence
or
The Fifth Being;
That is to say,
Man's Heaven.
A tretice in englisch breuely drawe out of [th]e book of quintis
e{ess}encijs in latyn, [th]{a}t hermys [th]e p{ro}phete and
kyng of Egipt, aft{er} [th]e flood of Noe
fadir of philosophris, hadde by
reuelaciou{n} of an aungil
of god to him
sende.
Edited from
British Museum MS. Sloane 73
about 1460-70 A.D.
by
FREDERICK J. FURNIVALL
_Published for_
THE EARLY ENGLISH TEXT SOCIETY
_by the_
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
LONDON . NEW YORK . TORONTO
FIRST PUBLISHED 1866
REVISED EDITION 1889
REPRINTED 1965
Original Series, No. 16
Reprinted in Great Britain by Richard Clay
(The Chaucer Press) Ltd., Bungay, Suffolk
* * * * *
The odd account of the origin of this Treatise--in its first
lines--caught my eye as I was turning over the leaves of the Sloane
Manuscript which contains it. I resolved to print it as a specimen of
the curious fancies our forefathers believed in (as I suppose) in
Natural Science, to go alongside of the equally curious notions they
put faith in in matters religious. And this I determined on with no idea
of scoffing, or pride in modern wisdom; for I believe that as great
fallacies now prevail in both the great branches of knowledge and
feeling mentioned, as ever were held by man. Because once held by other
men, and specially by older Englishmen, these fancies and notions have,
or should have, an interest for all of us; and in this belief, one of
them is presented here.
The loss of my sweet, bright, only child, Eena, and other distress, have
prevented my getting up any cram on the subject of Quintessence to form
a regular Preface. The (translated?) original of the text is attributed
to Hermes--Trismegistus, "or the thrice great Interpreter," so called as
"having three parts of the Philosophy of the whole world"[1]--to whom
were credited more works than he wrote. The tract appears to be a great
fuss about Alcohol or Spirits of Wine; how to make it, and get more or
less tipsy on it, and what wonders it will work, from making old men
young, and dying men well, to killing lice.
The reading of the proof with the MS. was done by Mr. Edmund Brock, the
Society's most careful and able helper. To Mr. Cockayne I am indebted
for the identification of some names of plants, &c.; and to Mr. Gill
of University College, London, for some Notes on the Chemistry of the
treatise, made at the request of my friend Mr. Moreshwar Atmaram.[2] The
Sloane MS. I judge to be about, but after, 1460 A.D.[3] The later copy
(Harleian MS. 853, fol. 66) seems late 16th century or early 17th,[3]
and has been only collated for a few passages which require elucidation.
The pause marks of the MS. and text require to be disregarded
occasionally in reading.
EGHAM, _16th May, 1866_.
P.S. The short side-notes in inverted commas on and after p. 16 (save
'5 M^e' and the like) are by a later hand in the MS. The 'Spheres' on
p. 26, and the 'Contents,' p. vii-viii, are now added.--F. 1889.
[Footnote 1: _The Mirror of Alchimy_, composed by the thrice-famous
and learned Fryer, Roger Bachon, 1597.]
[Footnote 2: Mr. M.A. Tarkhad has been for many years Vice-Principal
of the Rajkumar College, for the sons of the native Chiefs of
Rajkote.--1889.]
[Footnote 3: Mr. E.A. Bond of the British Museum has kindly looked
at the MSS., and puts the Sloane at 1460-70 A.D., and the Harleian
at about 1600.]
* * * * *
CONTENTS.
BOOK I.
PROLOG: GOD'S GREATEST SECRET 1
QUINTE ESSENCE DEFINED: ITS QUALITIES 2
HOW TO MAKE QUINTE ESSENCE 4
1ST WAY 4
2ND WAY 5
3RD WAY 5
4TH WAY 5
5TH WAY 6
HOW POOR EVANGELIC MEN MAY GET THE GRACIOUS INFLUENCE OF GOLD 6
HOW TO GILD BURNING WATER OR WINE MORE THOROUGHLY 7
HOW TO MAKE FIRE WITHOUT COALS, LIME, LIGHT, ETC. 8
HOW TO CALCINE GOLD 8
HOW TO SEPARATE GOLD FROM SILVER 9
HOW TO GET ITS QUINTE ESSENCE OUT OF GOLD 9
HOW TO GET ITS QUINTE ESSENCE OUT OF ANTIMONY 10
HOW TO GET ITS QUINTE ESSENCE OUT OF MAN'S BLOOD 11
HOW TO GET ITS QUINTE ESSENCE OUT OF THE 4 ELEMENTS 12
HOW TO FIX ALL EARTHLY THINGS IN OUR QUINTE ESSENCE 13
BOOK II.
HOW TO MAKE AN OLD EVANGELIC MAN YOUNG 15
HOW TO CURE A MAN GIVEN UP BY DOCTORS 15
HOW TO CURE THE LEPROSY 16
HOW TO CURE THE PALSY 16
HOW TO FATTEN LEAN AND CONSUMPTIVE MEN 17
HOW TO CURE FRENSY, GOUT, AND TROUBLES FROM DEVILS,
WICKED THOUGHTS, ETC. 17
AND HOW OUR QUINTE ESSENCE IS HEAVEN 19
HOW TO CURE THE GOUT 19
HOW TO CURE THE ITCH, AND KILL LICE 19
HOW TO CURE QUARTAN FEVER 20
HOW TO CURE CONTINUAL (CHRONIC) FEVER 21
HOW TO CURE TERTIAN FEVER 21
HOW TO CURE DAILY OR QUOTIDIAN FEVER 21
HOW TO CURE AGUE, FEVER, AND LUNACY 22
HOW TO CURE FRENZY AND MADNESS 22
HOW TO CURE CRAMP 22
HOW TO CAST POISON OUT OF A MAN'S BODY 23
HOW TO MAKE A COWARD BOLD AND STRONG 23
HOW TO CURE PESTILENTIAL FEVER 23
HOW THIS QUINTE ESSENCE IS FOR HOLY MEN ONLY 25
THE SPHERES AND THE PLANETS 26
MR. GILL'S NOTES ON THE CHEMISTRY OF THE TEXT 27
GLOSSARY 29
* * * * *
THE BOOK OF QUINTE ESSENCE
OR THE FIFTH BEING;
THAT IS TO SAY,
MAN'S HEAVEN.
[[Sloane MS. 73, fol. 10. Brit. Mus.]]
BOOK I.
[[Fol. 10.]]
[By the grace of God I translate you this Treatise revealed to
Hermes by an angel after Noah's flood, that the knowledge of
this book may be preserved to the end of the world.]
With [th]e my[gh]t, wisdom, & grace of [th]e holy trynite, I write
to [gh]ou a tretice in englisch breuely drawe out of [th]e
book of quintis
e{ss}encijs in latyn, [th]{a}t hermys [th]e p{ro}phete and
kyng of Egipt, aft{er} the flood of Noe, fadir of philosophris, 4
hadde by reuelaciou{n} of an aungil of god to him sende, [th]{a}t
[th]e wijsdom and [th]e science of [th]is book schulde not p{er}ische,
but be kept and p{re}serued vnto [th]e eende of [th]e world, of alle
holy men from al wickid peple and tyrauntis, for greet p{er}ilis 8
[th]at my[gh]te falle [th]erof.
For wi[th]i{n}ne [th]is breue tretis, wi[th] [th]e
g{ra}ce of god, I wole more determine of practif[*] [th]an of theorik.
[[* practise, MS. Harl.]]
[God's greatest secret for man's need is how to restore old
feeble men to the strength of their youth, except in case of
thunder-blast, and too much fasting, and the term set for all
men.]
[gh]itt ben bo[th]e nedeful /
The firste and souereyneste p{ri}uyte [th]at
god, maker of kynde, ordeyned for mannys nede, how [th]at olde 12
euangelik men, and feble in kynde, my[gh]te be restorid, and haue
a[gh]en her firste
strenk[th]is of [gh]ong[th]e in [th]e same degree [th]at is in
al kynde, & be m{a}d hool p{ar}fi[gh]tly, except [th]e strok of [th]e
[th]undir blast, & violent brusuris, and oppressynge of to myche 16
betynge / Also p{er}ilous
fallyngis of hi[gh] placis, to myche abstynence,
& o[th]{er}e yuel gou{er}naunce a[gh]ens kynde, And also [th]e
teerme [th]{a}t is sett
of god, [th]{a}t noman may a-schape, as Iob sei[th] in
latyn / "Breues dies ho{min}is s{un}t &c." Forso[th]e philosophoris 20
['N{ot}a.']
[Page 2: THE NAMES AND QUALITIES OF QUINTE ESSENCE.]
[The purest substance of corruptible things is Quinte Essence
or man's heaven.]
clepen [th]e purest substau{n}ce
of manye corruptible [th]i{n}gis elementid,
'qui{n}ta e{ss}encia,' [th]at is to seie, 'ma{n}nys heuene,' drawe out
by craft of mani;[1] for whi,
as quinta e{ss}encia sup{er}ior, [th]{a}t is,
[Footnote 1: ? MS. meant for 'man.']
[[* Fol. 10b.]]
heuene of oure lord god, in reward of [th]e .iiij elementis, is 4
yncorruptible & vnchau{n}geable /
ri[gh]t so [*]q{ui}nta e{ss}encia sup{er}ior
[Quinte Essence is incorruptible as to the four qualities of
man's body, but not as the heaven of God.]
inferior, [th]at is to seie, ma{n}nys heuene, is incorruptible,
in reward of [th]e .4. q{ua}litees of mannys body; and so it is
p{re}ued naturaly [th]at
oure quinta e{ss}encia, [th]at is, mannes heuene, 8
in it-silf[2] is incorruptible; and so it is not hoot and drie wi[th]
[Footnote 2: MS. 'siff.']
fier / ne coold and moist wi[th] watir / ne hoot & moist w{i}t{h} eyr,
ne coold and drie
wi[th] er[th]e; but oure q{ui}nta e{ss}e{nci}a avayli[th] to
[th]e cont{ra}rie,
as heuene incorruptible / But vndirstonde [th]{a}t oure 12
q{ui}[n]ta e{ss}e{nci}a
is nou[gh]t so incorruptible as is heuene of oure
lord god; but it is incorruptible in reward of composiciou{n}
[It is called, 1. Burning Water; 2. the Soul in the spirit of
Wine; 3. Water of Life; and if you wish to conceal it, Quinte
Essence.]
maad of [th]e .4. elementis; & it hath .iij. names by the philosophoris,
[th]{a}t is to seie /
bre{n}nynge watir / [th]e soule in [th]e spirit of 16
wyn, & watir of lijf / But whanne [gh]e wole concelle it, [th]a{n}ne
schal [gh]e clepe it
'oure q{ui}nta e{ss}e{nci}a'; for [th]is name, & [th]e
nature [th]{er}of, ri[gh]t fewe philosophoris wolde schewe / but sikurly
[th]ei biriede
[th]e tru[th]e with hem. and witi[th] weel that it is clepid 20
[It is neither moist and cold like water, nor hot and moist
like air, nor cold and dry like earth, nor hot and dry like
fire.]
brennynge watir; and it is no bre{n}ny{n}g watir: forwhi, it is not
moist ne coold as comou{n} watir; for it bre{n}ne[th], & so doi[th] not
comyn watir; ne it is nat hoot and moist as eir, for eir corru{m}pi[th]
a [th]i{n}g a-noon,
as it schewi[th] weel by gen{er}ac{i}ou{n} of flies, 24
& areins, and siche
o[th]{er}e; but sikirly [th]is is alwey incorruptible,
if it be kept cloos fro fli[gh]t /
Also it is n{o}t coold and drie as er[th]e.
for souereynly it worchi[th] & chaungi[th]. And it is not hoot and
drie as fier, as it schewi[th] by exp{er}ience;
for hoot [th]ingis it keli[th], 28
[It gives incorruptibility, for it prevents dead flesh from
rotting, and much more the living flesh of man.]
[[* Fol. 11.]]
& hoot sijknessis it doi[th] awey /
Also [th]{a}t it [gh]eue[th] incorruptibilite,
and kepi[th] a [th]i{n}g
fro corruptibilite [*]and rotynge, it is p{re}ued
[th]{us} / Forwhi. what pece of fleisch, fisch, or deed brid, be putt
[th]{er}i{n}ne,
it schal not corru[m]pe ne rote whilis it is [th]{er}i{n}ne / 32
miche more [th]anne it wole kepe quyk fleisch of mannys body
[It is Man's Heaven, preserving his body as Heaven does the
world.]
from al man{er}e corruptibilite and rotynge / This is oure q{ui}nta
e{ss}encia,
[th]{a}t is to seie, mannys heuene, [th]{a}t god made to [th]e
[Page 3: THE NATURE AND WORKING OF QUINTE ESSENCE.]
conseruac{i}ou{n}
of [th]e .4. q{ua}litees of mannys body, ri[gh]t as he made
his heuene to
[th]e conseruac{i}ou{n} of al [th]e world / And wite [gh]e for
[Many know it not now for their covetousness and vice.]
certeyn [th]at manye philosophoris and lechis [th]at ben now, knowe
nou[gh]t [th]is q{ui}nta
e{ss}encia, ne [th]e tru[th]e [th]{er}of / Forwhi; god wole 4
not [th]{a}t [th]ei knowe it; for her greet bre{n}nynge coueitise &
[But as God's Heaven is aided by sun and stars, so our Heaven,
or Quinte Essence, is made fair by the sun mineral, or pure
gold of the mine, not of alchemy.]
vicious lyuynge /
Forso[th]e q{ui}nta e{ss}encia sup{er}ior, [th]{a}t is to seie,
heuene of oure lord god
bi hi{m} silf / Aloone / [gh]eue[th] not conseruacioun
in [th]e world, and wondirful influence, but by [th]e v{er}tue 8
of [th]e su{n}ne, planetis,
and o[th]{er}e sterris; ri[gh]t so oure q{ui}nta
e{ss}encia, [th]at is,
mannys heuene, wole be maad fair wi[th] [th]e su{n}ne
min{er}alle, fynyd, schynynge, incorruptibile; and euene in qualite
[th]at fier may not appeire,
corru{m}pe, ne distroie. and [th]is is v{er}ry 12
['N{ot}a.']
gold of [th]e myn,
of [th]e er[th]e, or of [th]e floodis gaderid / for gold of
alkamy maad w{i}t{h} corosyues distroie[th] kynde, as aristotle and
[Good natural gold is called _Sol_, because Sol the planet
gives gold its power, colour, &c.]
manye o[th]ere
philosophoris p{ro}uen / and [th]{er}fore good gold naturel,
& of [th]e myn of [th]e erbe, is clepid of ph{ilosophor}is 'sol' in 16
latyn; for he is
[th]e son{ne} of oure heuene, lich as sol [th]e planet is
in [th]e heuene aboue;
for [th]is planete [gh]eue[th] to gold his influence,
[Our Quinte Essence is the colour of heaven; gold makes it
fair; and the two work in us (so far as is possible) renewal
of youth, and give health plenteously.]
[[* Fol. 11b.]]
nature, colo{ur}, & a substaunce i{n}corruptible. And oure q{ui}nta
e{ss}encia, mannys heuene,
is of [th]e nature [*]& [th]e colour of heuene / 20
And oure sol, [th]{a}t is,
fyn gold of [th]e myne, schal make it fair, ri[gh]t
as sol [th]e planete maki[th] heuene fair / and so [th]ese two togidere
ioyned schal [gh]eue influence in us, and [th]e condiciou{n}s of heuene
and of heuenly so{n}ne / in as miche as it is possible in deedly 24
nature, conseruac{i}ou{n} and restorynge of nature lost, & renewynge
[As Aries, Taurus, and Gemini draw humours from the head and
breast, and not the limbs beneath, so those spices that do
draw from these limbs get their power from Capricorn, &c.]
of [gh]ong[th]e / And it schal [gh]eue plenteuously heel[th]e: and so it
is p{re}ued
by astronomy aboue, [th]at sterris [th]at ha[th] influence vpon
[th]e heed and [th]e necke of ma{n} /
as be{n} [th]e sterris of aries, taurus, 28
['N{ot}a.']
and gemini, [gh]eue{n} influence syngulerly vpo[-n] Gerapigra galieni /
And [th]{er}fore it ha[th]
a synguler strenk[th]e, by [th]e ordynau{n}ce of
god, to drawe awey
[th]e sup{er}flue humouris fro [th]e heed, [th]e necke,
and [th]e brest, and not fro [th]e membris byne[th]e / And so I seie of 32
spicis [th]at drawi[th]
humouris fro [th]e knees, [th]e leggis, and [th]e feet,
[th]at resseyuen a synguler influence of [th]e sterris of Cap{ri}corn,
[Tell not these Divine secrets to wicked men.]
Aquarie and pisces,
& ri[gh]t so of o[th]{er}e, {et} c{etera} / Comou{n}ne
[gh]e not [th]is book of deuyne secretes to wickid me{n} and auerous; 36
[Page 4: THE 1st WAY TO MAKE QUINTE ESSENCE.]
['aq{u}a vite']
[--To make Quinte Essence.--]
[Take the best wine, or any not sour; distil it, and the 4
Elements shall be left like dregs.]
but kepe [gh]e it in p{ri}uytee / Take [th]e beste wiyn [th]at [gh]e may
fynde, if [gh]e be of power; & if [gh]e be ri[gh]t pore, [th]anne take
corrupt wiyn, [th]{a}t is, rotyn, of a wat{er}y humour, but not egre,
[th]{a}t is, sour, for [th]e
q{ui}nt e{ss}encia [th]{er}of is naturaly incorruptible 4
[th]e which [gh]e schal drawe out by sublymac{i}ou{n} / And [th]a{n}ne
schal [th]{er} leue in [th]e grou{n}d
of [th]e vessel [th]e .4. eleme{n}tis, as it
[Distil 7 times to get Burning Water; put this in a Distiller
in a furnace, and let the vapour rise, condense, and be
distilled till it is turned into Quinte Essence, and parted
from the 4 elements.]
were, rotu{n} fecis
of wiyn / But firste [gh]e muste distille [th]is wiyn
.7. tymes; & [th]a{n}ne haue [gh]e good bre{n}nynge watir / Forso[th]e, 8
[[* Fol. 12.]]
[th]is is [th]e watri mat{er}
[*]fro which is drawe oure q{ui}nta e{ss}encia /
Thanne muste [gh]e do make in [th]e furneis of aischin, a distillatorie
['vas']
of glas al hool of oo. pece, wi[th] an hoole a-boue in [th]e heed, where
[th]e watir schal be putt yn, and be take out / And [th]is is a 12
wondirful instrument [th]{a}t
[th]{a}t [th]ing [th]{a}t by v{er}tues of fier ascendith
and distillith wi[th]i{n}ne [th]e vessel,
p{er} canales brachiales, [th]{a}t is, by
pipis lich to armys, be bore a[gh]en, and eftsoones ascendith, &
eft desce{n}di[th]
contynuely day and ny[gh]t, til [th]e bre{n}nynge wat{er} 16
heuenly be turned into
q{ui}nta{m} e{ss}encia{m} / And so bi continuell{e}
ascenciou{n}s & discenciou{n}s, [th]e q{ui}nta e{ss}encia is
dep{ar}tid fro
[th]e corruptible composiciou{n} of [th]e .4. eleme{n}tis.
For bifore [th]{a}t [th]ing
[th]{a}t is twies sublymed is more glorified, and 20
is more sotil, and fer
fro{m} [th]e corru{m}pciou{n} of [th]e .4. eleme{n}tis
more sep{ar}at [th]a{n} wha{n}ne it ascendith but oonys; and so vnto
['N{ot}a.']
[Distil it 1000 times, and it shall be glorified and become a
medicine incorruptible as heaven.]
a [th]ousand tymes, so [th]at by coutynuel ascendynge and descendynge,
by the which it is sublymed to so myche hi[gh]nes of glorificaciou{n}, 24
it schal come [th]{a}t it schal be a medicyn incorruptible
almoost as heuene aboue, and of [th]e nature of heuene / And
[th]{er}fore oure q{ui}nta
e{ss}encia wor[th]ily is clepid 'mannys heuene' /
[After many days unstop your distiller, and if there issues
out a heaven-sweet savour, you have our Quinte Essence. If
not, distil again till you have.]
And aftir manye daies [th]at it hath be in [th]is sotil vessel of glas 28
distillid / [gh]e schulen
opene [th]e hoole of [th]e vessel in [th]e heed [th]at
['lute']
w{a}s selid with [th]e seel of lute of wijsdom, maad of [th]e sotillest
flour, and of white of eyren, and of moist pap{er}e, ymeyngid so
[th]at no [th]ing respire out /
And wh{a}ne [gh]e opene [th]e hoole. if [th]{er} 32
come out a passynge heuenly swete flauour [th]at alle me{n} [th]{a}t
[[* Fol. 12b.]]
come yn naturely [*]drawe [th]{er}to. [th]anne [gh]e haue oure q{ui}nta
e{ss}encia / and ellis
sele [th]e vessel, and putte it to [th]e fier a[gh]en
til [gh]e haue it. 36
[Page 5: THE 2nd, 3rd, AND 4th WAYS OF MAKING QUINTE ESSENCE.]
[--The second way to make Quinte Essence.--]
[Put the strongest Burning Water into an 'amphora;' seal it
up; bury it neck downwards in horse-dung, and the Quinte
Essence will rise into the globe and the impurities settle in
the neck.]
And ano[th]{er} maner worchinge of oure q{ui}nta e{ss}encia is
[th]is / Take [th]e noblest
and [th]e strengest bre{n}nynge watir [th]{a}t [gh]e
may haue distillid out of pure my[gh]ty wiyn, and putte it into
a glas clepid ampho{ra}, w{i}t{h} a long necke / and close [th]e mou[th] 4
strongly wi[th] wex;
And loke [th]at half or [th]e [th]ridde p{ar}t be fulle;
and birie it al in hors dou{n}ge,
p{re}p{ar}ate as it is seid hereaft{er} /
so [th]{a}t [th]e necke
of [th]e glas be turned dou{n}ward, & [th]e botu{m}
be turned vpward,
[th]{a}t by v{er}tu of [th]e hors dou{n}ge [th]e q{ui}nta 8
e{ss}encia ascende
vp to [th]e botu{m}. And [th]e grost['e] of [th]e mater
[Take the glass out of the dung; make a hole in the wax seal,
let out the impure earthy water, and when the Quinte Essence
would begin to run, turn the glass up, and keep your Quinte
Essence.]
of [th]e watir descende dou{n}ward to [th]e necke / And aftir manye
daies, whanne [gh]e
take it out, softly lift vp [th]e glas as it stondith,
and [gh]e schal se in [th]ickenes and cleernesse a difference bitwene 12
[th]e q{ui}nta{m} e{ss}encia{m} sublymed,
and [th]e grose mat{er} [th]{a}t is in [th]e
necke / [th]e wondirful
maistry of dep{ar}tynge of [th]{a}t oon fro [th]{a}t
o[th]{er} is [th]is / Take a scharp poyntel, or a pricke of yren, &
peerse into [th]e wex [th]at
hongi[th] i{n} [th]e mou[th] of [th]e glas a[gh]ens [th]e 16
er[th]e / and wha{n}ne
[gh]e haue peersid al fully to [th]e watir, take out
[th]e poyntel or [th]e pricke /
And [th]{a}t er[th]ely watir wole first come
out [th]{a}t is in [th]e necke / and so til it be come out vnto [th]e
dep{ar}ti{n}ge bitwixe it /
and [th]e q{ui}nte e{ss}ence, [th]{a}t is, mannys 20
heuene sublymed.
and wh{a}ne [gh]e se [th]{a}t [th]is q{ui}nt e{ss}ence wole
re{n}ne & melte aftir [th]{a}t
[th]is er[th]ely watir be voydid, putte [th]anne
swiftly [gh]oure fyngir
to [th]e hoole, & t{ur}ne vp [th]e glas, and [th]anne
[[* Fol. 13.]]
[gh]e haue [th]{er}i{n}ne oure
q{ui}nte e{ss}ence, [*]and [th]e er[th]ely watir wi[th]oute 24
aside. And [th]is is a passy{n}g souereyn p{ri}uytee.
[--The third way.--]
[Put your amphora into a horse's belly instead of the dung,
and proceed as above.]
The [th]ridde man{er} is,
[th]{a}t [gh]e take a greet glas clepid ampho{ra},
and seele it weel, and birie it weel in [th]e wombe of an hors al
togidere. and [th]e puret['e]
of [th]e q{ui}nte e{ss}encie schal be sublymed 28
aboue, & [th]e grost['e] schal abide byne[th]e in [th]e botme / take out
softli [th]{a}t [th]{a}t fleti[th]
a-boue; and [th]at [th]at leeue[th] bihynde, putte it
to [th]e fier.
[--The fourth way.--]
[Substitute for the amphora a vessel of glass or earth, with a
tube running from the top and hanging in the air, into which
the vapour may fall and condense.]
The .iiij. maner is [th]is.
take wh{a}t vessel of glas [th]{a}t [gh]e wole, 32
or of er[th]e strongly glasid, and [th]{er}-vpon a round foot of glas
wi[th] a leg. and seele
[th]e vessel w{i}t{h} his couerto{ur}, [th]{a}t [th]e rod
of [th]e foot of [th]e glas
wi[th]i{n}ne [th]e vessel honge in [th]e eyr, [th]{a}t [th]{a}t
[th]i{n}g [th]{at} asce{n}dith
to [th]e couertour in [th]e maner of a pott boilynge 36
[Page 6: THE 5th WAY TO MAKE QUINTE ESSENCE, &C.]
[--The fifth way.--]
[Distil your Burning Water ten times.]
descende doun a[gh]en by [th]e foot of [th]e glas. and this instrument
may [gh]e do make
wi[th]oute greet cost / The fif[th]e maner is, [th]at [th]e
brennynge wat{er} be .10 tymes distillid in hors dou{n}ge contynuely
digest. 4
[--To make fire without fire, and Quinte Essence without cost
or trouble.--]
The sci{en}ce of makynge of fier wi[th]oute fier / wherby [gh]e
may make oure q{ui}nte e{ss}ence wi[th]oute cost or traueile, and
[Put horse-dung into a vessel or pit lined with ashes, and
place your vessel in it up to the middle. The cold top part
will condense the vapour caused by the heat of the dung.]
w{i}t{h}oute occupac{i}ou{n}
and lesynge of tyme / Take [th]e beste horse
dou{n}ge [th]at may be had
[th]{a}t is weel digest, and putte it wi[th]ine 8
a uessel, or ellis a pitt maad wi[th]
[th]e er[th]e anoy{n}tid [th]oru[gh]out w{i}t{h}
past maad of aischin. And in [th]is vessel or pitt, bete weel togidere
[th]e dou{n}ge;
And i{n} [th]e myddil of [th]is dou{n}g, sette [th]e vessel of
distillac{i}ou{n} v{n}to
[th]e myddis or more / For it is nede [th]{a}t al [th]e 12
heed of [th]e vessel be in [th]e
coold eir / [th]{a}t, [th]{a}t [th]{in}g [th]{a}t bi v{er}tu
of [th]e fier of [th]e dou{n}g
[th]{a}t ascendith [th]{er}by be turned into watir
[[* Fol. 13b.]]
[*]by v{er}tu of cooldnes
of [th]e eir and falle dou{n} a[gh]en and ascende
vp a[gh]en. and [th]us
[gh]e haue fier wi[th]oute fier, and but wi[th] litil 16
traueile.
[Or, place your vessel in the sun's rays.]
Also ano[th]{er} maner of fier. sette [gh]oure vessel forseid to [th]e
strong reuerberaciou{n} of [th]e su{n}ne in somer tyme, and lete it
stonde [th]{er}e ny[gh]t and day. 20
[--How poor evangelic men may get the gracious influence of
gold.--]
Here I wole teche [gh]ou how pore eua{n}gelik me{n} may haue
wi[th]oute cost, and almoost for nou[gh]t, [th]e g{ra}cious influence of
gold, and [th]e maner of [th]e fixynge of it in oure heuene, [th]at is,
[Borrow a Florence florin of a rich friend, anneal [?heat]
it on a plate of iron, and throw it into some Burning Water,
taking care to quench the fire quickly to prevent the Water
wasting.]
oure q{ui}nta e{ss}encia.
if [gh]e be pore, [gh]e schal p{re}ie a riche man 24
[th]at is [gh]o{ur}e free{n}d
to leene [gh]ou a good floreyn of florence / and
anele it vpon a plate of yren as yren is anelid. and haue biside
[gh]ou a uessel
of er[th]e glasid, fillid ful of the beste brennynge watir
[th]at [gh]e may fynde.
& caste into [th]e watir [th]e floreyn anelid. and 28
loke [th]at [gh]e haue a sotilte
and a slei[gh][th]e to quenche sodeynly [th]e
fier, [th]at [th]e
watir waaste not; and be weel war [th]at no{n} yren touche
[Repeat this 50 times in fresh Water, and then mix all the
Waters together.]
[th]e watir.
but af[t]er caste into [th]e watir [th]e floreyn, and do so .l.
tymes or more, for [th]e oftere
[th]e bettere it is / And if [gh]e se [th]{a}t [th]e 32
watir waaste to myche, chaunge it [th]anne, and take newe, & do
so ofte tymes. and whanne [gh]e haue do [gh]oure quenchour, putte
[The Water draws out all the properties of the gold.]
all [th]e wat{ri}s togidere /
And [gh]e schulen vndirstonde [th]at [th]e
v{er}tu of bre{n}nynge watir
is sich [th]at naturely it drawi[th] out of 36
[Page 7: HOW TO GILD BURNING WATER OR WINE.]
[Mix the gilt Burning Water with Quinte Essence.]
[[* Fol. 14.]]
gold alle [th]e v{er}tues & p{ro}pirtees of it, & it holdi[th]
incorru{m}ptibilitee
& an euene heete. [*][th]anne meynge [th]is brennynge
watir [th]us giltid
wi[th] oure q{ui}nte e{ss}ence, and vse it. but be war
[th]{a}t [gh]e quenche not
[th]e floreyn in oure q{ui}nte e{ss}ence; for [th]anne 4
[You may substitute for Burning Water best white wine, which
also retains the powers of gold.]
it were lost /
And if it so be [th]at [gh]e haue not [th]is brennynge watir
redy, [th]anne que{n}che
[gh]oure floreyn in [th]e beste whi[gh]t wiyn [th]at
may be had / For sikirly [th]e philosophore sei[th], [th]at wiyn hath
also [th]e p{ro}pirtee
to restreyne in it [th]e influence and v{er}tues of 8
gold / And whanne [gh]e
haue do [gh]o{ur}e werk, [gh]e schal wite [th]at [th]e
floreyn is als good, & almoost of [th]e same wei[gh]te, as it was
afore / [th]erfore
vse wiyn or bre{n}nynge watir giltid, so [th]{a}t [gh]e may
[This gilt Water will make you well and young again.
In it you have the Sun fixed in our Heaven.]
be hool, and wexe glad, and be [gh]ong. And [th]us [gh]e haue oure 12
heuene, and [th]e
su{n}ne in him fixid, to [th]e conseruac{i}ou{n} of mannys
nature and fixaciou{n} of o{ur}e heuene, [th]{a}t is, oure q{ui}nte
e{ss}ence.
['science.']
[--How to gild Burning Water or Wine more thoroughly.--]
The sci{enc}e how [gh]e schule gilde more my[gh]tily by brennynge 16
watir or wiyn [th]an I tau[gh]te you tofore, wherby [th]e wat{er} or
[th]e wiyn schal take to it my[gh]tily [th]e influence & [th]e v{er}tues
of fyne gold.
[Heat calcined gold in a silver spoon and put it in Burning
Water or wine 50 times, as with the florin before.]
Take [th]e calx of fy{n} gold as it is declarid here-aftir in [th]is 20
book, and putte it in a siluer spone, and anele it at [th]e fier.
& [th]a{n}ne caste [th]e cals of the gold in [th]e brennynge watir
or i{n} wiyn .l. times,
as I tau[gh]te [gh]ou tofore wi[th] [th]e floreyn. and
[Your liquor will be better gilt, as the fire and Water or
wine work more powerfully on the grains of gold than on a
plate.]
[gh]e schule haue [gh]oure lico{ur}
by an hu{n}drid p{ar}t bettir gilt [th]an [gh]e 24
had tofore wi[th] [th]e floreyn / Forwhi. fier worchi[th] more strongly
[[* Fol. 14b.]]
and bett{er}e
[*]in sotil p{ar}ties [th]an it doi[th] in an hool plate / And
also bre{n}nynge watir or wiyn drawi[th] out more my[gh]tily bi a
[th]ousand p{ar}t
[th]e p{ro}pirtees of gold fro smale p{ar}ties anelid, [th]an 28
[Wine retains the properties of all liquibles quenched in it.]
it doi[th] fro a
[th]icke plate / And [gh]e schal vndirstonde [th]{a}t wiyn
not aloonly holdi[th] in it [th]e p{ro}pirtees of gold, but myche more
[th]e p{ro}pirtees of alle
liquibles if [th]ei be quenchid [th]{er}i{n}ne. and [th]at
[If Saturn (lead) liquefied be quenched in wine, and then Mars
(iron) be quenched in it, Mars acquires the softness of Saturn.]
is a souereyn p{ri}uite: Forwhi, if [gh]e quenche saturne liquified 32
in wiyn or in comou{n} watir .7. tymes, and aftirward in [th]at wiyn
or watir [gh]e quenche mars manye tymes, [th]a{n}ne mars schal take
algate [th]e neischede and [th]e softnes of saturne / And [th]e same
schal venus do, & alle o[th]{er}e liquibles / or ellis, And [gh]e 36
[Page 8: TO MAKE FIRE WITH NO FIRE. TO CALCINE GOLD.]
[Again, if you quench Mars in wine and put in it Saturn
liquefied, this will be made hard.]
quenche mars in whi[gh]t wiyn or in comou{n} watir manye tymes,
and aftirward
in [th]e same wiyn or watir [gh]e caste saturne liq{ui}fied
ofte tymes, [th]anne
wi[th]oute doute [gh]e schal fynde [th]at [th]e saturne
is m{aad} ri[gh]t hard /
Therfore [th]e p{ro}pirtees of alle liquibles may 4
be brou[gh]t into wiyn or watir; but myche more my[gh]tily into
brennynge watir good and p{re}cious.
[--To make fire without coals, lime, light, &c.--]
The sci{enc}e to make a fier, [th]at is, wi[th]oute cole, w{i}t{h}oute
lyme, wi[th]oute li[gh]t, worchinge a[gh]ens al maner scharpnes or 8
acc{i}ou{n} of visible fier,
ri[gh]t as worchi[th] [th]e fier of helle / And
[th]is p{ri}uytee is so v{er}tuous,
[th]{a}t [th]e v{er}tu [th]{er}of may not al be
declarid. And [th]us it is maad. Take Mercurie [th]{a}t is sublymed
[Mix equal parts of sublimated Mercury, Salt, and Sal
Ammoniac, grind them small, expose them to the air, and
they'll turn into water, a drop of which will eat thro' your
hand, and make Venus (copper) or Jupiter (tin) like pearl.]
[[* Fol. 15]]
w{i}t{h} vit{ri}ol,
[*]& co{m}e{n} salt, & sa[l-] armoniac .7. or .10. tymes 12
sublymed / and meynge hem togidere by euene porc{i}ou{n}. and
grynde it smal, and leye it abrood vpon a marbil stoon; and by
ny[gh]te sette it
i{n} a soft cleer eir, or ellis in a coold seler; and [th]{er}e
it wole turne into watir / And [th]anne gadere it togidere i{n} to 16
a strong vessel of glas, and kepe it / This wat{er} forso[th]e is so
strong, [th]at if a litil drope
[th]{er}of falle vpon [gh]oure hond, anoon it
wole p{er}ce it [th]oru[gh]-out;
and i{n} [th]e same maner it wole do, if it
falle vpon a plate
of venus or Iubiter, into [th]is watir, it turne[th] 20
[If it could be moderated it would cure the disease Hell fire,
and every corrosive sickness.]
hem into lijknes of peerl. who so coude rep{ar}ale & p{re}p{ar}ate
kyndely [th]is fier,
wi[th]oute doute it wolde que{n}che anoon a brennynge
sijknes clepid [th]e fier of helle. And also it wolde heele
eu{er}y cor[os]if sijknesse. And manye philosophoris clepi[th] [th]is 24
['sal amarus.']
[It is also called 'Sal Amarus.']
[th]i{n}g in her bookis
'sal amarus,' al [th]ou[gh] [th]ei teche not [th]e maistrie
[th]{er}of / If it be so
[th]{a}t [th]is firy watir breke [th]e glas, and re{n}ne out
into [th]e aischen,
[th]anne gadere alle togidere [th]{a}t [gh]e fynde pastid in
[th]e aischen /
and leye it vpon a marbil stoon as afore, and it wole 28
t{ur}ne into watir. And [th]is is a greet p{ri}uytee.
['Scie{n}ce.']
[--To calcine gold.--]
[Cut gold into shavings; put it into a crucible with Mercury;
heat it, and it will crumble into dust like flour. Heat it
more till the mercury goes his way; or distil it, and the gold
powder will be in the crucible.]
The sci{enc}e to brynge gold into calx / Take fyn gold, and
make it into smal lymayl: take a crusible wi[th] a good q{ua}ntitee
of Mercur{ie}, and sette it to a litil fier so [th]{a}t it vapoure 32
not, and putte [th]{er}i{n}ne
[th]i lymail of gold, and stire it weel togidere /
[[* Fol. 15b.]]
& aftirward [*]wi[th]i{n}ne a litil tyme [gh]e schal se al [th]e gold
wi[th]i{n}ne [th]e
M{er}cur{ie} turned into er[th]e as sotil as flour. [th]a{n}ne
[gh]eue it a good fier,
[th]at [th]e M{er}cur{ie} arise and go his wey; or ellis, 36
[Page 9: TO GET THE QUINTE ESSENCE OUT OF GOLD.]
and [gh]e wole,
[gh]e may distille and gadere it, puttynge [th]{er}-vpon a
lembike / and in
[th]e corusible [gh]e schal fynde [th]e gold calcyned and
[A thin plate of gold will do instead of shavings, and Silver
may be treated like gold.]
reducid into er[th]e / And if [gh]e wole not make lymayl of gold,
[th]anne make [th]{er}of a sotil
[th]i{n}ne plate, as [gh]e kan, and putte wi[th]i{n}ne 4
[th]e M{er}cur{i}e al warm; and [gh]e schal haue [gh]oure desier / And
in [th]is same maner [gh]e may worche wi[th] siluir / Thanne take [th]e
calx of [th]ese two bodies,
and bere hem openly wi[th] [gh]ou; and [th]{er}
[To carry these powders about, mix them with pitch, wax, or
gum, melting the mass when you want the metal.]
schal noman knowe what [th]ei ben /
And if [gh]e wole bere hem 8
more p{ri}uyly wi[th]oute ony knowynge, [th]anne meynge hem wi[th]
pich melt, or wex, or ellis gu{m}me, for [th]anne noman schal knowe
it what it is. And whanne [gh]e wole dissolue ony of [th]ese calces
by hem silf, putte ei[th]ir
by hi{m} silf in a test, or ellis [th]e pich or 12
[th]e wex in which [th]ei be{n} y{n}ne; and anoon schal come out verry
gold & silu{er} as [th]ei were tofore.
[--How to separate gold from silver when mixed with it.--]
Now I wole teche [gh]ou [th]e maistrie of departynge of gold
fro siluir wha{n}ne
[th]ei be meyngid togidere / Forso[th]e [gh]e woot 16
weel [th]at [th]er be manye werkis in [th]e whiche gold and siluir
be meyngid, as in giltynge of vessel & Iewellis / [th]{er}fore
[Put the mixture into a solution of vitriol and saltpetre, and
the silver will be dissolved.]
whanne [gh]e wole drawe
[th]e toon fro [th]at o[th]ir, putte al [th]at mixture
into a strong watir
maad of vitriol and of sa[l-] pet{re}. and [th]e 20
[[* Fol. 16.]]
[Corrosive water and sal ammoniac will dissolve the gold.]
[*]siluyr wole be dissolued,
and not [th]e gold: [th]a{n}ne [gh]e haue [th]at
oon departid fro [th]e to[th]ir /
And if [gh]e wole dissolue [th]e gold to
watir, putte [th]a{n}ne
yn [th]e watir corosyue, Sa[l-] ar{moni}ac; and [th]at
watir wi[th]oute doute wole dissolue gold into watir. 24
['science.']
['N{ota}.']
[--How to get out of gold its Quinte Essence.--]
[Put calcined gold into distilled vinegar or purified urine;
set it in a hot sun; a film will soon rise; skim it off,
collect all such in a glass vessel till no more rise.]
The sci{enc}e to drawe out of fyn gold vta e{ss}encia is [th]is /
First [gh]e schal reduce gold into calx, as I tolde [gh]ou tofore /
[th]anne take vynegre distillid, or ellis oold vryne depurid fro [th]e
fecis, and putte it in a uessel glasid; and [th]e liquor schal be in 28
[th]e hei[gh][th]e of 4. ynchis;
and [th]{er}i{n}ne caste [th]e calx of gold, &
sette it to the strong su{n}ne in somer tyme, [th]{er}e to abide / and
soone aftir [gh]e schal se as it were a liquor of oyle ascende vp,
fletynge aboue in man{er} of a skyn or of a reme. gadere [th]at awey 32
wi[th] a sotil spone
or ellis a fe[th]{er}e, and putte it into a uessel of
glas in [th]e which be putt watir tofore. and [th]us gadere it manye
tymes in [th]e day,
into [th]e tyme [th]{a}t [th]er ascende nomore / and aftir
do vapoure awey [th]e watir
at [th]e fier. And [th]e vta e{s}sencia of [th]e 36
[Evaporate the water left; the residuum is the Quinte Essence
of Gold.]
[Page 10: TO GET THE QUINTE ESSENCE OUT OF ANTIMONY, &C.]
gold wole abyde byne[th]e. And manye philosophoris clepi[th] [th]is
q{ui}nta e{ss}encia an oile
incombustible, [th]{a}t is a greet p{ri}uytee /
And if [gh]e wole fixe
[th]is q{ui}nta e{ss}encia i{n} o{ur}e heuene, [th]{a}t[1] it
[And if you fix this Quinte Essence in our heaven, it will
restore man to the strength of his youth.]
[[1 then, MS. Harl.]]
may wi[th]oute doute
restore a[gh]e{n} to man [th]{a}t nature [th]at is lost, 4
and reduce hi{m} a[gh]e{n}
i{n}to [th]e v{er}tu of [th]e strenk[th]e of [gh]ong[th]e, and
also lenk[th]i[th]
his lijf into [th]e laste terme of lijf set of god // Now
[Now I have told this most sovereign secret, which should not
be shewed. The Quinte Essence of gold is best to heal wounds.]
[[* Fol. 16b.]]
[[N{ota}.]]
forso[th]e I haue toold
[gh]ou [th]e souereynest [*]pr{i}uytee and restorynge
of mannys kynde, and i{n} p{ar}t greet [th]ing [th]at schulde not be 8
schewid / Forwhi.
[th]is oyle, [th]at is to seie, q{ui}nta e{ss}encia of gold,
hath [th]e mooste swetnes and v{er}tu to a-swage and putte awei [th]e
ache of woundis, and for to heele woundis, oolde sooris, and
manye wondirful yuelis / Also i{n} [th]e same maner [gh]e may drawe 12
out of siluir, q{ui}nte e{ss}encie //
[--How to get its Quinte Essence out of Antimony.--]
The science to drawe out of antymony, [th]at is, m{er}casite
of leed, [th]e v^te
e{ss}encie, is a souereyn maistrie, and a p{ri}uytee
[Put powdered antimony into distilled vinegar; heat it till
the vinegar is red; take away the red vinegar, and put fresh;
take that away when red. Put the red vinegar into a distiller,
and 1000 drops of blessed wine shall come down the pipe;
collect this; it is an incomparable treasure.]
of alle p{ri}uytees / Take [th]e myn of antymony aforeseid, 16
and make [th]{er}of al so sotil a poudre as [gh]e kan / [th]anne
take [th]e beste vynegre distillid, and putte [th]{er}inne [th]e poudre
of antymonye, and lete it stonde in a glas vpon a litil fier
into [th]e tyme [th]at
[th]e vynegre be colourid reed. [th]anne take [th]{a}t 20
vynegre awey,
and kepe it clene, and putte a[gh]en [th]er-to of o[th]{er}e
vynegre distillid, and lete it stonde vpon a soft fier til it be
colourid reed. & so do ofte tymes. and whanne [gh]e haue gaderid
al [gh]o{ur}e vynegre colourid,
putte it [th]anne in a distillatorie. and 24
first [th]e vynegre wole ascende;
[th]anne aft{er} [gh]e schal se merueilis:
for [gh]e schal se as it were a [th]ousand dropis of blessid wiyn
discende doun in maner of reed dropis, as it were blood, by
[th]e pipe of [th]e lymbike /
[th]e which lico{ur}, gadere togidere in a 28
rotu{m}be / and [th]anne
[gh]e haue a [th]ing [th]{a}t al [th]e tresour of [th]e world
[[No{ta}.]]
may not be in comp{ar}isou{n}
of wor[th]ines [th]{er}to / aristo{t}le sei[th] [th]{a}t
it is his lede in [th]e book
of secretis, al [th]ou[gh] he [*]telle not [th]e name
[[* Fol. 17.]]
[It cures the pain of all wounds, and when fermented it works
great secrets.]
of [th]e antymonye aforeseid /
Forso[th]e [th]is doi[th] awey ache of alle 32
woundis, and wondirfully
heeli[th]. [th]e v{er}tu [th]{er}of is incorruptible
& merueilo{u}s p{ro}fitable / it nedit to be putrified in a rotombe
and seelid i{n} fyme,
and [th]anne it worchi[th] greet p{ri}uytees / Forso[th]e
[th]e vta e{ss}encia of
[th]is antymony [th]at is reed, i{n} [th]e which is 36
[Page 11: TO EXTRACT THE QUINTE ESSENCE FROM MAN'S BLOOD.]
[th]e secreet
of alle secretis, is swettere [th]an ony hony, or sugre, or
ony o[th]ir [th]ing.
['Science.']
[--How to get its Quinte Essence from Man's Blood.--]
The science in the extraccioun of [th]e .5[3] e{ss}encie from blood,
[Footnote 3: 5 for _fifth_, or _quinte_.]
and fleisch, & eggis / To [gh]ou I seie, [th]at in eu{er}y elementid 4
[th]ing, [th]e
.5. e{ss}encie remayne[th] incorrupte: it schal be [th]anne
[th]e moost [th]i{n}g of merueyle if I teche [gh]ou to drawe out [th]at
fro mannys blood reserued of Barbouris whanne [th]ei lete blood;
also fro fleisch
of alle brute beestis, and fro alle eggis, and o[th]{er}e 8
[Man's blood is the perfectest work of nature in us, and its
Quinte Essence converts blood into flesh, and works divine
miracles of healing.]
suche [th]ingis.
for als myche as mannes blood is [th]e p{er}fitist werk
of kynde in us,
as to [th]e encrees of [th]{a}t [th]at is lost, it is certeyn
[th]at nature [th]at .5. e{ss}ence
maad so p{er}fi[gh]t [th]{a}t, wi[th]oute ony o[th]ir
greet p{re}p{ar}acioun
wi[th]oute [th]e veynes, it beri[th] for[th] [th]at blood 12
anoon aftir into fleisch.
and [th]is 5 e{ss}ence is so ny[gh] kynde [th]at
[it] is moost to haue[4] / Forwhy. in it is merueylous v{er}tu of oure
[Footnote 4: MS. Harl. reads 'and this fifte beinge so
nighe kinde it is most to haue.']
[Get from Barbers the blood of young sanguine men; let it
stand; pour off the serum; mix the blood with a tenth of
prepared salt; put it in an amphora; seal that up; put it in
a horse's belly, renewing the dung weekly till all the blood
turns into water; distil that; put the outcome on the pounded
faeces, and distil over again.]
heuene sterrid, and to [th]e cure of nature of man worchi[th] moost
deuyn myraclis,
as wi[th]i{n}ne I schal teche [gh]ou / [th]erfore resceyue 16
of Barbouris, of [gh]ong sangueyn men, or colerik men, wha{n}ne [th]ei
be late blood, [th]e which
vse good wynes. take [th]at blood aftir [th]{a}t
it ha[th] reste,
and cast awey [th]e watir fro it, and braie it wi[th] [th]e
.10. p{ar}t of co{men} salt
p{re}p{ar}ate to medicyns of me{n}; and putte 20
it into a uessel of glas clepid ampho{ra}, [th]e which, sotely seele,
[[* Fol. 17b.]]
and putte it wi[th]i{n}ne
[th]e [*]wombe of an hors, p{re}p{ar}ate as tofore,
and renewe [th]e fyme oonys in [th]e wike, or more, and lete it
putrifie til
al [th]e blood be turned into watir / and it schal be doon 24
at [th]e mooste
in xxx. or xl dayes, or aftir, more or lasse / [th]anne
putte it in a lembike, and distille it at a good fier / what so euere
may ascende, putte [th]at watir vpon [th]e fecis brayed, mey{n}gynge
vpon a marbil stoon; putte it a[gh]en, and aftir distille it a[gh]en 28
manye tymes rehersynge / And whanne [gh]e haue [th]is noble [th]ing
[Heat the water in the distiller till it comes to a heavenly
savour. This Fifth Being works miracles hardly credible unless
seen.]
of blood, [th]erof
[th]e .5. beynge d{ra}we out / putte a[gh]en [th]e watir in
[th]e stillatorie
of circulaciou{n} til [gh]e brynge it to so myche swetnes
& an heuenly sauour,
as [gh]e dide [th]e brennynge watir. and [th]is is 32
[th]e 5 beynge of blood deuyn, and miraclis more [th]an man mai
bileue but if he se it.
[Page 12: TO GET THE QUINTE ESSENCE OUT OF BEASTS AND THE 4 ELEMENTS.]
[--To get the Quinte Essence out of capons, beasts, eggs, &c.--]
Now wole I teche [gh]ou to drawe out [th]e .5 beynge from
capou{n}s, he{n}nes, and al man{er} fleisch of Brut beestis, and
from al maner eggis of foulis [th]at ben holsum and medicynable
[Grind some of them with a tenth part of prepared salt; put
'em into a horse's belly till they become water, and distil
that till it's heaven-sweet.]
to ete for m[-a]n kynde / Grynde summe of [th]ese [th]ingis 4
forseid, which [th]at
[gh]e wil, as strongly as [gh]e can in a morter, wi[th]
[th]e 10 p{ar}t of hi{m}
of sal co{m}e{n} p{re}p{ar}ate to [th]e medicyne of
me{n}, as I seide tofore. putte it in [th]e wombe of an hors til it be
turned into water.
distille as it is aforeseid, and in [th]e stillatorie 8
of circulac{i}ou{n}
[th]e watir [th]at is distillid, putte it in a[gh]en til it be
brou[gh]t to [th]e swete heuenly sauour and smel aforeseid /
['science.']
[--To draw the Fifth Being out of each of the Four Elements,
and to separate them.--]
The science to drawe out [th]e 5 beynge of eu{er}ych of [th]e .4
elementis, and to schewe eu{er}ych of [th]e forseid [th]ing bi he{m} 12
silf; & [th]{a}t is ri[gh]t merueylous / I wole not leue for a litil to
schewe a greet secreet, how [gh]e may drawe out [th]e 5 beynge of
ech of [th]e 4 elementis
of al [th]e [th]ing rehersid afore, and p{ro}fitably
[Take any thing rotted and turned into water, as man's blood;
put it in a glass distiller, and distil it over into an
amphora.]
[[* Fol. 18.]]
schewe hem / And [th]e man{er}
ys [*][th]is / take [th]{a}t [th]ing putrified 16
and brou[gh]t into watir,
what so eu{er}e [gh]e wole, as I tau[gh]te [gh]ou
tofore; and [th]at
[th]ing be mannes blood brou[gh]t into watir, of [th]e
which [gh]e wole
drawe out [th]e 4 elementis / putte [th]{er}fore [th]at
wat{er}, or [th]at
blood putrified, in a stillatorie of glas, and sette 20
it wi[th]i{n}ne a pott
of watir, and [gh]eue vndirne[th]e a fier til [th]e watir
of blood be distillid
by [th]e pipe of [th]e lembike into a glas clepid
[When no more vapour rises, you have drawn out the water.]
ampho{ra}, ri[gh]t clene /
And whanne no [th]ing may more by [th]at fier
ascende, for certeyn [gh]e haue of blood drawen out al oonly [th]e 24
element of watir / Forwhi. fier of [th]at bath hath no strenk[th]e to
[Put the other 3 elements for 7 days into the same bath, then
into a coal fire, and the water shall rise as oil shining like
gold, the air remaining at the bottom like oil of gold. Put
these aside.]
sublyme eyr, or fier,
or er[th]e. and so [take] [th]o [th]re elementis, and
sette in [th]e same bath
by .vij. dayes [th]at [th]ei be weel meyngid, &
so cloos [th]{a}t
no [th]ing be distillid / aftir [th]e .vij. dayes take [th]e 28
stillatorie, and putte it
to [th]e fier of aischen, [th]{a}t is strongere [th]a{n}
fier of bath clepid marien; and [th]e watir schal ascende in foorme
of oyle schynynge as gold /
and aftirward [th]{a}t no [th]ing more schal
ascende, [gh]e haue [th]anne
in [th]e ampulle .ij. elementis, [th]at is to seie, 32
watir and eyr. & oon
from ano[th]ir [gh]e schal dep{ar}te in [th]e bath,
puttynge yn a[gh]en wher al-oonly [th]e cleer watir schal ascende /
and [th]e eyr schal
al-oonly remayne i[-n] [th]e botu{m} of [th]e vessel in
lijknesse of oyle of gold.
[th]e which oyle [th]at is gold, [th]e which oyle 36
[Page 13: HOW TO FIX OTHER THINGS IN OUR QUINTE ESSENCE.]
[To separate fire from the earth, put 4 lbs. of water on 1 lb.
of earth; place it in the Marian bath for 7 days; then in hot
flames; red water shall ascend and black earth fall.]
[th]at is ayr / putte it aside.
[th]anne [th]{er} leeue[th] [gh]itt fier wi[th] er[th]e.
to dep{ar}te fier from er[th]e,
putte [th]e element of watir, [th]at is to
seye .iiij [lb] of watir,
vpon j [lb] of mat{er} / and putte by .vij. daies
[Put the red water into the distiller; pure water shall rise;
red water, or fire, shall remain; so you have the 4 Elements
separate.]
to encorp{er}e wel as tofore in [th]e bath of marie[-n] / Aftirward 4
putte it to [th]e fier of flawme
ri[gh]t strong, and [th]e reed wat{er} schal
[[* Fol. 18b.]]
ascende. [th]e which gadere
togidere as longe as ony [*][th]ing ascendi[th].
and to [gh]ou schal remayne
an er[th]e ri[gh]t blak in [th]e botum. [th]e which
gadere togidere aside /
[th]anne [th]e redeste watir [gh]e schal take. forwhy. 8
[th]er be .ij. eleme{n}tis,
[th]at is to seie, [th]e element of watir and fier.
[th]a{n}ne yn [th]e stillatorie,
to [th]e fier of ba[th], cleer watir schal asende.
and in [th]e botu{m}
schal remayne [th]e reed watir, [th]at is, [th]e element
of fier. and so [gh]e haue
now first oon oyle, [th]at is, ayer o side, and 12
watir, and fier, and er[th]e.
and note [gh]e weel [th]{a}t [th]{er}fore [th]e element
of watir is putt a[gh]e{n}
to drawe out from er[th]e fier and eyr, for [th]ei
[Distil each into its Quinte Essence, or rectify it, and thank
our glorious God for this bit of knowledge.]
wole not ascende,
but [th]oru[gh] [th]e help of element of watir. brynge
a[gh]e{n} eu{er}ych into
5 beynge wi[th] [th]e vessel of circulacioun as tofore 16
/ or ellis rectifie, makynge oon ascende .7 tymes bi an o[th]ir /
but first [gh]e moste
[th]e ri[gh]t blak er[th]e of oon hide[5] nature, in [th]e
furneys of glas mon[6],
or ellis reu{er}berac{i}ou{n}, xxj. dayes calcyne /
[Footnote 5: of vnkinde natuer. Harl. 853.]
[Footnote 6: of glasse made. Harl. 853.]
And for a cause I speke to [gh]ou nomore of this science. but 20
ioie [gh]e, and thanke
oure glorio{us} lord god of [th]ese [th]ingis [th]at
[gh]e haue had.
[--To fix all earthly things in our Quinte Essence.--]
The science to fixe alle er[th]ely [th]ingis in n{ost}ra 5ta e{ss}encia,
[th]at is to seie, o{ur}e heuene,
[th]at by her influence [th]ei may [gh]eue 24
[th]erto [th]er p{ro}p{er}tees and her hid vertues / oure glorious god
[God has given it the power of drawing all the virtues out of
every thing in 3 hours.]
ha[th] [gh]eue sich a uertu
to oure q{ui}nta e{ss}ence, [th]at it may drawe
out of euery matier of fruy[gh]t /
tree / rote / flour, herbe / fleisch,
seed & spice /
And eu{er}y medicynable [th]ing, alle [th]e v{er}tues, 28
p{ro}pirtees, and naturis, [th]e whiche god made in he{m}; and [th]at
wi[th]i{n}ne .iij. houris.
[Put therefore every thing necessary for any syrup into our
Quinte Essence, and in 3 hours it shall be 100 times better
than before.]
Now I haue schewid [gh]ou a souereyn p{ri}uytee, how [th]{a}t [gh]e
may wi[th] oure heuene drawe out eu{er}y 5 e{ss}encia from alle 32
[th]ingis aforeseid /
[th]{er}fore alle necessarie [th]ingis to eu{er}y syrup
putte yn oure
5 e{ss}encie, & wi[th]i{n}ne .iij. houris [th]{a}t watir schal
be sich a sirup, vndirstonde wel, bettir by an hundrid p{ar}t, by
[Page 14: OUR QUINTE ESSENCE IMPROVES EVERYTHING 100 FOLD.]
[[* Fol. 19.]]
[Whatever medicines are put into our Quinte Essence, it
increases their power a hundred fold.]
cause of oure 5 e{ss}encie, [th]an it [*]schulde be wi[th]oute it / And
so I seie of medicyns
comfortatyues, digestyues, laxatyues, rest{ri}ktyues,
and alle o[th]{er}e; forwhy. if [gh]e putte seedis or flouris,
fruy[gh]tis, leeues, spicis, coold, hoot, sweet, sour, moist, do [th]ei 4
good or yuel, i{n}to o{ur}e
5 e{ss}enci{e}, forso[th]e sich 5 e{ss}enc{e} [gh]e
schulen haue [th]erfore. oure 5 e{ss}encie is [th]e instrument of alle
v{er}tues of [th]i{n}g
t{ra}nsmutable if [th]ei be putt in it, encreessynge
an hu{n}drid foold her worchingis // 8
[End of Part I.]
Explicit p{ar}s p{ri}ma tractatus q{ui}nte e{ss}encie:
[Page 15: TO MAKE OLD MEN YOUNG, AND DYING ONES WELL.]
BOOK II.
[--To restore an old evangelic man to the strength of his
youth.--]
Here bigynneth the secunde book of medicyns / The first
medicyn is to reduce an oold feble euangelik man to [th]e firste
strenk[th]e of [gh]ong[th]e /
Also to restore a[gh]en his nat{ur}e [th]{a}t is
lost, and to
lenk[th]e his lijf in greet gladnesse and p{er}fi[gh]te heele 4
[Give him our Quinte Essence with some of that '1^a. M^e.' of
Gold and Pearl, a walnut-shell full at morn and eve. In a few
days he shall feel only 40 years old. Then let him take little
of our Quinte Essence, only that of Gold in good wine at
dinner and supper.]
vnto [th]e laste
teerme of his lijf [th]at is sett of god / [gh]e schal take
oure 5ta e{ss}enc{ie} aforeseid, [th]at is to seye, mannys heuene, and
[th]{er}i{n}ne putte
a litil q{ua}ntite of 5 e{ss}encia of gold and of peerl.
and [th]e oolde feble man schal vse [th]is deuyn drynk at morn and 8
at euen, ech tyme a walnote-schelle fulle / and wi[th]i{n}ne a fewe
dayes he schal so hool[7]
[th]at he schal fele him silf of [th]e statt and
[Footnote 7: ? 'be so hool.' Or is _hool_ a verb, become
whole, recover?]
[th]e strenk[th]e of xl [gh]eer;
and he schal haue greet ioie [th]at he is
come to [th]e statt
of [gh]ong[th]e. And whanne his [gh]ong[th]e is recouerid, 12
and his nature restorid,
and heel[th]e had, it is nedeful [th]at litil and
seelde he vse 5 essence / Also it is nedeful [th]at he vse ofte good
wiyn at his mete and at [th]e soper, in [th]e which be fixid [th]e 5.
essence of gold, as I tau[gh]te [gh]ou tofore. 16
['2^a. M^e.']
[[* Fol. 19b.]]
[--To cure a man given up by his doctors.--]
The secu{n}de [*]medicyn is to heele a man, and make hym
lyue, [th]{a}t is almoost consumed in nature, and so ny[gh] deed [th]at
he is forsake of lechis. but if it be [th]e laste teerme of his lijf
[Give him Quinte Essence of Gold with celandine water, and he
shall rise up and speak.]
sett of god, [gh]e schal
[gh]eue hi{m} oure q{ui}nte e{ss}ence of gold wi[th] a 20
litil quantite of watir of celendoyn [gh]drawe, and meynge it wi[th]
['Aq{u}a celidoyn.']
[th]e o[th]{er}e [th]ingis aforeseid /
and anoon as [th]e sike hath resceyued
it into his stomak,
it [gh]eue[th] to [th]e herte influence of naturel heete
and of lijf. and [th]anne [gh]e schal se hi{m} rise vp and speke, and 24
[Then comfort him with our Quinte Essence, and he shall be
cured, unless God wills he shall die.]
wondirfully be comfortid
and strenk[th]id [th]{er}by // [th]anne comforte
him wi[th] minist{ra}ciou{n}
of our{e} q{ui}nte e{ss}encie afore seid, and he
schal be al hool /
but if it be so [th]at god wole algatis [th]at he schal
die / And I seie to [gh]ou truly,
[th]at [th]is is [th]e hi[gh]este maist{ri}e [th]{a}t 28
[Few doctors now know this highest secret.]
may be in transmutaciou{n} of kynde; for ri[gh]t fewe lechis now
lyuynge knowe [th]is p{ri}uytee.
[Page 16: HOW TO CURE LEPROSY AND PALSY.]
['3^a. M^e.']
[--To cure the Leprosy that is caused by rotten humours.--]
The [th]ridde medicyn is to cure [th]e lepre [th]at is causid of
corrupcioun and putrifaccioun of ony of [th]e p{ri}ncipal humouris
of man; but not [th]e lepre [th]{a}t come[th] to man of kynde of
[th]e fadir and of [th]e modir leprous,--for it is callid morbus 4
heredit{us},--ne
[th]e lepre [th]at is sent of god by his plage, but [th]at
[Use our Quinte Essence, with those of Gold and Pearl; (or
Burning Water, if you have no Quinte Essence.)]
[th]{a}t is causid oonly of rotu{n} humo{ur}is / take oure 5 e{ss}enc{e}
aforeseid, wi[th] [th]e
q{ui}nte e{ss}enc{e} of goold and peerl, a litil quantite
at oonys, and vse it in maner as I seide afore / and wi[th]i{n}ne a 8
fewe daies he schal be
p{ar}tily hool [th]{er}of. and if [gh]e haue n{o}n
p{re}p{ar}ate redy
oure 5 e{ss}enc{e}, [th]anne take in [th]e stide [th]{er}of fyn
bre{n}ny{n}ge watir / but [th]at o[th]{er} is bettere.
[Wash the leper with strawberry or mulberry water; this is of
great virtue, but is much encreased by our Quinte Essence.]
Also, drawe a wat{er} of [th]e fruy[gh]t of strawbery or mulbery 12
tree, whanne it is ripe,
and waische [th]e lepre [th]{er}wi[th]. [th]is watir
is of so greet vertu; for a souereyn maistir took it a leprous
[[* Fol. 20.]]
[*]womman, [th]at wi[th]
[th]e waischinge oonly of [th]is watir, w{i}t{h}ynne
schort tyme was maad al hool / but sikirly [th]e vertu [th]erof is 16
myche worth if it be meyngid w{i}t{h} oure 5 e{ss}enc{e}, or ellis
brennyng watir; and [th]anne it schal be no nede to vse in [th]is
p{er}ilous cure, venemys, as su{m}me lechis doon.
[4^a. M^e.]
[--To cure Palsy, which comes from viscous humours closing the
passages of motive power.--]
The 4 medicyn is to cure palsie vniuersel. Forso[th]e alle 20
philosophoris seyn [th]at
[th]e palesye vniuersel come[th] of habou{n}dau{n}ce
of visco{us} humouris closynge [th]e metis of vertu a{n}i{m}ale,
sensityue, and motyue. And [th]erfore it is necessarie [th]at [th]o
[th]ingis [th]at schal
cure [th]is sijknes be temp{er}ate, hoot, and moist, 24
[Blessed be God, our Quinte Essence will restore the paralitic.]
and a litil att{ra}ctyue, and to [th]e syno{us} confortatyue / Therfore,
blessid be god, makere of kynde, [th]at ordeynede for [th]e ma{n}
p{ar}alitike oure 5 e{ss}enc{e}
aforseid, [th]{a}t souereynly to hi{m} comfortynge,
[Fix in it the Quinte Essence of euphorbium and the like; and,
if God will, the palsied man shall be whole, if you make him a
stew of ivy and sage.]
restorynge, and temp{er}atly worchynge / [th]{er}fore fixe 28
[th]{er}i{n}ne [th]e
5 e{ss}enc{e} of [th]o laxatyues [th]{a}t purgen flewme &
['sawe']
viscous humouris, as a litil of euforbie, or turbit, or sambucy.
& [th]anne wi[th]oute doute,
if god wole, [th]e p{ar}alitik man schal be
hool wi[th] comfortynge and restorynge of kynde, if [gh]e make him 32
['No{t}a
yue
sauge.']
a stewe hoot and moist with herbis, [th]at is to seye, eerbe yue,
& sauge, [th]at haue an heuenly strenk[th]e to comforte [th]e joynctis,
[Failing Quinte Essence, let him drink Burning Water in fine
wine, and wash all over with burning water.]
& [th]e senewis, and [th]e vertu motyue. and if [gh]e haue not redi
p{re}p{ar}ate oure 5 e{ss}enc{e},
[th]anne take fyn brennynge watir til it 36
[Page 17: TO CURE CONSUMPTION AND DRIVE AWAY DEVILS.]
be redy, and lete [th]e pacient drynke [th]erof a litil i{n} fyn wiyn.
and also he schal waische al his body and his extremytees wi[th]
brennynge watir ofte tymes. and lete him vse [th]is a good while,
& he schal be hool. / 4
['5. M^e.']
[[* Fol. 20b.]]
[--To fatten lean and consumptive men.--]
[*]The .5 medicyn for a man [th]at is almoost al co{n}sumed,
& waastid in al his body, and ri[gh]t leene, as [th]{a}t man [th]{a}t
hath [th]e tisik & [th]e etik /
Forso[th]e [th]e v{er}ry cure to heele him
is oure 5 e{ss}enc{e} /
Forwhi. it comforti[th] [th]e feble nature; and 8
[Mix with our Quinte Essence a little celandine water; give it
the patient, and he shall soon be wonderfully fat.]
[th]e nature [th]at
is lost it restori[th], & so restorid it p{re}serue[th] /
And [th]{er}fore
if [gh]e wol restore [th]e fleisch of a leene mannys body
['Celidoyne.']
almoost consumed awey, drawe [th]anne a watir of celidoyne, and
take [th]{er}of a litil q{ua}ntite,
and meynge wi[th] oure 5 e{ss}enc{e} if [gh]e 12
haue it redy,
or brennynge watir in stide [th]{er}of, and [gh]eue it hi{m}
to dri{n}ke; and wi[th]i{n}ne fewe dayes he schal be wondirfully
restorid and fat.
['.6. M^e.']
[--To cure Frensy, Gout, and troubles from Devils.--]
The .6. medicyn for passiou{n}s of frenesie, foly, ymagynac{i}ou{n}s 16
and noyous vexac{i}ou{n}s of deuelis, and also for [th]e
goute als weel hoot as coold. certeyn exp{er}ience techi[th] [th]at
['colerike.'
'Sangueyn.'
'Fleumatyke.'
'blake coler.'
'malencoly.']
[Dark melancholy men are troubled more with anxieties than any
others, being born under 'Saturne, a wykyd planete.']
colerik me{n} [gh]eue[th] to su{m}me ymagynac{i}ou{n}s; and sangueyn
me{n} be{n} ocupied
aboute su{m}me o[th]{er}e ymagynaciou{n}s; & [gh]itt 20
flewmatik men
aboute o[th]{er}e / but [th]o me{n} [th]at habounde in blak
coler, [th]at is,
malencoly, ben occupied a [th]{o}usa{n}d p{ar}t wi[th] mo
[th]ou[gh]tis [th]an
ben men of ony o[th]{er} complexiou{n} / Forwhi. [th]{a}t
humour of blak coler is so noyous, [th]{a}t if it a-bounde and a-sende 24
vp to [th]e heed, it troubli[th]
alle [th]e my[gh]tis of [th]e brayn, engendrynge
['Nota sequentia.']
noyous ymagynaciou{n}s, bryngynge yn horrible [th]ou[gh]tis bo[th]e
wakynge and slepinge; and siche man{er} of men ben born vndir
[th]e constillacioun of saturne, the wickide planete / Forso[th]e, to 28
siche me{n} deuelis wole gladly appere, & mi{ni}st{er} to hem[*] her
[[* MS. hom]]
[Devils gladly appear to them and tempt them, so that they
often fall into despair and kill themselves.]
[[* Fol. 21.]]
p{ri}uy te{m}ptaciou{n}s
wi[th]i{n}ne [th]e cours of her [th]ou[gh]tis; and [th]ese
men [th]us [*]turmentid
wi[th] [th]e passiou{n}s of malencoly comou{n}ly
speke wi[th] hem, stryue and dispute wi[th] hem silf whanne [th]ei be 32
a-loone, [th]{a}t ofte tymes o[th]{er}e folk may heere it / These maner
of me{n} [th]at ben [th]{us} turmentid, as weel by passioun of malencoly
as of deuelis, ofte tymes falle in dispeir, and at [th]e laste sle hem
silf / [th]e p{er}fi[gh]t
cure of alle [th]ese is oure 5 e{ss}encie auri {et} 36
[The cure is our Quinte Essence of Gold and Pearls, with a
little senna or lapis lazuli.]
[Page 18: TO CURE MELANCHOLY AND DRIVE OUT TROUBLES FROM DEVILS.]
p{er}ela{rum},
or ellis brennynge watir in stide [th]{er}of, in [th]e whiche
[gh]e fixe gold as it is
aforeseid, wheri{n}ne be putt a litil of se[-n][-e] or
watir of f[u]mit{er}, or poudre of lapis lasuly, or ellis medulla{m}
ebuli, and vse it discreetly. forwhy. not al oonly oure q{ui}nte 4
[Burning Water, with a purge, will also cure these diseases.]
e{ss}enc{e} auri {et}
p{er}ela{rum} heelith [th]ese disesis. / but also brennynge
watir in [th]e which
gold is fixid, heeli[th] hem, wi[th] a litil of [th]o
[th]ingis [th]{a}t
purgen and casten out blak coler sup{er}flue, & heli[th]
[th]e splene. 8
[These medicines put away wicked thoughts, and bring in merry
ones; they dispel devils' temptations and despair, and bring a
man to reason.]
Forso[th]e [th]ese medicyns putti[th] awey wickid [th]ou[gh]tis and an
heuy herte malencolious; [th]ei gladith and clense [th]e brayn and
alle hise my[gh]tis, and brynge yn gladnes and merye [th]ou[gh]tis.
[th]ei putte awey
also [th]e craft of [th]e feendis temptac{i}ou{n}s, and 12
ymagynaciouns of dispeir. [th]ei distroie, & make a man to for[gh]ete
almaner of yueles, and naturaly bryngi[th] him a[gh]en to resonable
['Saturne. [gamma].']
[Saturn is an enemy to all creatures, and has power over foul
solitary places, as Vitas Patrum says.]
witt. and for as myche as saturne [th]e planete naturaly ys coold
and drye, and is enemye to al kynde / Forwhy, euery snow, 16
euery hayl, euery tempest, & also [th]e humour of malencoly
come[th] of hi{m}. & he ha[th] his influence vpon derk leed, &
vpon derk [*]placis
vnder [th]e erf[8], foul{e} and stynkynge, and derke
[[* Fol. 21b.]]
[Footnote 8: Erf = er[th]e.]
wodis, and vpon
foule, horrible, solitarie placis, as it is pr{e}ued in 20
vitas patru{m}, [th]at is to seye, in lyues & colac{i}ou{n}s of fadris /
[The Moon too is full of bane.]
And also [th]e moone, naturely coold and moist, ha[th] his influence
vpon [th]e ny[gh]t, and vpon myche moisture, and vpon [th]e placis
wha{n}ne 4. weyes
meti[th] togidere. forso[th]e in alle siche placis [th]ei 24
wole a-bide and schewe hem to her foloweris / but forso[th]e [th]o
['Jubiter and Sol | .B.']
[Jupiter and Sol, on the other hand, make devils flee, and
betoken the joy of heaven, as Saturn and the Moon do hell.]
[th]ingis [th]at ben
of [th]e nature of Iubiter and of sol, goode planetis,
arne displesynge to hi{m}, and contrarie, and naturaly deuelis fle
awei fro he{m},
for [th]ei haue greet abhominaciou{n} of [th]er v{er}tuous 28
influence / [th]{er}fore it
schewi[th] weel [th]{a}t [th]o [th]ingis [th]at ben in [th]is
world, su{m}me [th]er ben
[th]at bitokene [th]e glorious yoie of heuene,
and su{m}me [th]ing
[th]at figure [th]e derknesse of euerlastynge peynes
of helle / Forso[th]e [th]e su{n}ne and iubiter, goode planetis, & 32
gold, pure metal,
and alle pure [th]i{n}gis [th]at gladen a man, figurynge
by resou{n} [th]e ioie of heuene / and blak Saturne, and [th]e
spotty moone, figure & bitokene [th]e condicioun of helle / and
[Page 19: TO CURE THE GOUT AND ITCH, AND KILL LICE.]
[Devils hate the joys of God and the brightness of the sun;
they delight in stinking places, and melancholy and hell-like
things.]
si[th] [th]{a}t deuelis
be dampned, & ful of wreche of helle, [th]erfore
[th]ei hate [th]e clennesse & [th]e ioie of oure lord god & of hise
seyntis / also [th]ei haten [th]e su{n}ne and his cleernes, and pure
[th]i{n}gis
[th]{a}t maken a man glad. and naturaly it plesi[th] he{m} to 4
dwelle in derk, & in blak, orrible, stynkynge placis, in heuynesse,
[But our Quinte Essence is heavenly, like the joy of Paradise,
and drives away anger and all that devils love, so that it is
fitly called 'Man's Heaven.']
wreche, & malencoly, & i{n} [th]o [th]i{n}gis [th]{a}t p{re}tende [th]e
condiciou{n} of helle / And si[th] oure 5. e{ss}enc{e} aforeseid is so
[[* Fol. 22.]]
heuenly a [th]i{n}g,
& by sotil c{ra}ft [*]brou[gh]t to so myche swetnes, 8
it is so sou{er}eyn
a medicy{n} [th]{a}t it may weel be lijkned to [th]e ioie
of p{ar}adice. forwhi, it maki[th] a man li[gh]t, iocunde, glad, and
merie, & putti[th] awey heuynesse[9], angre, melencoly, & wra[th][th]e,
[Footnote 9: houynesse MS.]
[To deliver a man from a devil,--give him some of our Quinte
Essence with that of gold and pearl, and St. John's Wort
water: at once the devil will flee away.]
[th]e whiche [th]at deuelis loue /
+et ideo n{os}tra 5 e{ss}enc{ia} digne 12
vocat{ur} celu{m} humanu{m}+ / Also if a man be traueylid wi[th] a
feend, and may not be delyuerid fro hi{m}, lete hi{m} dri{n}ke a litil
quantite of
oure 5 e{ss}en{ce}, wi[th] 5 e{ss}en{ce} of gold & peerl, and
['fuga demonu{m}']
wi[th] an eerbe callid ypericon, i.[e.] fuga demonu{m}, and [th]e seed 16
[th]{er}of grounden
& aftirward distillid, & [th]e watir [th]{er}of a litil
quantite medlid wi[th]
[th]e o[th]ere 5tis e{ss}enc{iis}; {and} anoon [th]e deuel
wole fle awey fro him & fro his hous.
[--To cure the Gout.--]
Also for [th]e goute, hoot or cold, [th]e pacient schal drynke 20
oure 5. e{ss}enc{e}
wi[th] a litil q{ua}ntite at oonys of [th]e letuarie de
[Take a little Quinte Essence and Rose-juice electuary, and
use daily our Quinte Essence with that of Gold and Pearl.]
succo rosa{rum}.
and lete hi{m} vse [th]is letuarie a litil at oonys ech
o[th]{er}e day, til sup{er}flue humouris be purgid / but he schal vse
eu{er}y day a litil
of oure 5. e{ss}en{ce} w{i}t{h} 5 e{ss}en{ce} of gold & 24
peerle; & wi[th]i{n}ne a fewe dayes [th]e pacient schal be hool. //
['.7. M^e.']
[--To cure the Itch and destroy Lice.--]
The .7. medicyn, for to heele ycche, & for to dist{ri}e lies[10]
[th]at ben engendrid of corrupt humouris. take {o}ure 5 e{ss}enc{e}
bi hi{m} silf a-loone, and vse to drynke [th]{er}of a litil quantite 28
[Footnote 10: "A lous is a worme w{i}t{h} manye fete, &
it co{m}meth out of the filthi and onclene sky{n}ne, &
oftentymes for faute of atendau{n}ce they come out of the
flesshe through the skynne or swet holes.
To withdryue them / The best is for to wasshe the
ofte{n}times, and to chaunge oftentymes clene lynen."
--_The noble lyfe and nature of man, Of bestes, serpentys,
fowles, and fisshes y^t be moste knowen_. Capitulo. C. xix.]
[Drink Quinte Essence. Mix Mercury with spittle, Stavesacre
and Burning Water. Wash the body or head where the itch and
lice are.]
at oonys / and take also a litil q{ua}ntite of M{er}[{curie}?]. &
mortifie it wi[th] fastynge spotil, & medle it wi[th] a good quantite
[Page 20: TO CURE QUARTAN FEVER.]
of poudre of stafi-sagre, & [th]anne put it i{n} to a greet q{ua}ntite
of bre{n}nynge wat{er}, & [th]anne waische al his body, or ellis [th]e
heed where [th]e icche & [th]e lies ben. & vse [th]is medicyn .2. or
3. & [th]e sijk [*]man schal be hool. 4
[[* Fol. 22b.]]
['.8^ua. M^e.']
The .8. medicyn for to cure the quarteyn and alle [th]e
passiouns [th]{a}t come[th] of male{n}coly in mannys body; and [th]e
['feu{er} q{ua}rtene.']
[--To cure Quartan Fever.--]
maistrie to p{ur}ge malencoly. and [gh]e schal vndirstonde [th]at [th]e
q{ua}rteyn is gendrid of myche haboundau{n}ce of malencolye [th]{a}t 8
['ye q{ua}rten is ingendyrd of Malyncoly.']
[The Quartan arises from too much black choler, and lasts a
year or more. To cure it soon, drink our Quinte Essence; if
you have it not, put pith of white dwarf elder in Burning
Water, and take a walnut-shell full morning and evening.]
is corru{m}pid w{i}t{h}y{n}ne
[th]e body. and for [th]is humour is er[th]ely,
coold, & drie,
of [th]e nature of slowe saturne, [th]erfore [th]e accesse
of [th]is sijknes ben slowe,
and it duri[th] comou{n}ly yn a man a [gh]eer
or more, and it
putti[th] fro hi{m} gladnesse, & bryngi[th] yn heuynes 12
more [th]an o[th]{er}e feueris do /
If [gh]e wole heele [th]is sijknes in schort
[[* ? our]]
tyme, lete [th]e pacient
vse to drynke oon[*] 5 e{ss}enc{e}, and he schal
be al hool hastily / forwhi; it consume[th] [th]e corrupt sup{er}flue
humouris, & reducit nature to eq{ua}lite, and bryngi[th] yn gladnesse, 16
& chasi[th] a-wey heuynes & malencolie. and if it so be
[th]{a}t [gh]e haue nou[gh]t
oure 5 e{ss}enc{e} / [th]anne take j [lb] of [th]e beste
bre{n}nynge watir, and [th]{er}i{n}ne putte medullam ebuli, and namely
[th]e white, if [gh]e may may haue it /
of [th]is watir [gh]eue to [th]e pacient, 20
morowe and eue{n}, a walnot-schelle ful at oonys. and he schal
[Or, take whatever purges black choler, put it into Burning
Water; make small pellets of it, and take one, and then two,
gradually.]
be al hool / or ellis [th]us:
take what [th]i{n}g [gh]e wole [th]{a}t purgi[th]
malencolye, and putte a litil [th]{er}of into brennynge watir, &
vse [th]{a}t laxatif
maad into smale pelotis, wijsly resceyuy{n}g ri[gh]t a 24
litil at oonys,
as oon litil pelot, and p{re}ue [th]erby how it worchi[th],
[th]a{n}ne ano[th]{er} tyme
.ij. at oonys, if it be nede / so [th]at [th]e mater
be a litil digestid and a litil egestid. for bettere it is to worche
a litil & a litil at oonys,
[th]an sodeynly greue [th]e nature. forwhi, 28
[[* Fol. 23.]]
two litil pelotis laxatif meyngid wi[th] bre{n}ny{n}ge watir [*]wole
worche more my[gh]tily [th]an .8. pelotis wole do bi hem silf /
['Nota for y^e q{ua}rtene.']
[It is said that a tooth from a live beast heals the Quartan,
and the juice of Hen-bit or Chickweed put in a man's nostrils.]
Also philosophoris seyn [th]at a too[th] drawe out from a quyk
beest, born vpon a man, delyueri[th] fro [th]e quarteyn / Also 32
[th]ei seyn [th]at if
[th]e yuis of [th]e eerbe [th]at is callid morsus galli{n}e
rub{r}i be putt in hise nose-[th]rillis whanne he bigynneth to suffre
[th]e accesse of
[th]e q{ua}rteyn, he schal be hool, wi[th] [th]e g{ra}ce of
god. 36
[Page 21: TO CURE CONTINUAL, TERTIAN AND DAILY FEVERS.]
['9^a. M^e.']
[--To cure continual Fever.--]
[It arises from putrefaction of blood and corruptions of
humours.]
The medicyn to heele [th]e feu{er}e contynuel{e}. alle philosophoris
seyn [th]at [th]e feu{er}e contynuel{e} is ge{n}drid of putrifaccioun
of blood and of corrupcieu{n} of humouris in it /
[th]{er}fore [th]e cure
[th]{er}of is to p{ur}ge blood, and to putte awey [th]e 4
corrupcioun of it, & [th]e humoris vneuene to make euene,
[th]e nature lost to restore,
and so restorid to kepe / Forso[th]e alle
[th]ese [th]ingis worche[th]
o{ur}e q{ui}nte e{ss}enc{e}; and [th]erfore it curi[th]
[Our Quinte Essence cures this, (tho' Burning Water does not,)
if mixed with Quinte Essence of Gold and Pearl, and a little
Cassia or Herb Mercury.]
p{er}fi[gh]tly [th]e feu{er}e
co{n}tynuel{e} / and [th]ou[gh] bre{n}nynge watir caste 8
out fro blood watry humouris and corrupt, [gh]itt take it nou[gh]t in
[th]is cure /
forwhi; [th]ou[gh] bre{n}nynge watir be .7. tymes distillid,
[gh]itt it is [not] fully depurid fro his brennynge heete, & [th]e .4.
elementis /
but si[th] oure 5. e{ss}enc{e} is not hoot, ne moist, coold, 12
ne drie, as ben [th]e 4. eleme{n}tis /
[th]{er}fore it heeli[th] p{er}fi[gh]tly [th]e
contynuel feu{er}e;
namely wi[th] co{m}mixtioun of [th]e 5 e{ss}enc{e} of
gold & peerle /
and if [gh]e wole strenk[th]e [gh]oure medicyn, [th]a{n}ne
putte yn oure 5. e{ss}enc{e} a litil quantite of pulpa cassie fistule / 16
or ellis [th]e iuys
of [th]e eerbe m{er}curial{e}. & if it so be [th]at o[th]{er}e
humouris habounde
to myche w{i}t{h} blood, [th]anne take [th]o laxatyues
[[* Fol. 23b.]]
[th]at kyndely wole [*]purge hem, as comou{n} bookis of
fisik declare[th]. 20
['10. M^e.']
['feu{er} t{er}cyane.']
[--To cure Tertian Fever.--]
The 10. medicyn to cure [th]e feuere tercian, [th]e which is
causid of putrifaccioun, or reed coler to myche haboundynge /
[Take Quinte Essence, with Rhubarb and Endive water, morn and
eve.]
to cure [th]ees sijknes, tak oure 5 e{ss}enc{e}, or ellis fyn brennynge
watir,--but [th]e firste is bettere,--and putte [th]{er}i{n}ne a litil 24
of rubarbe or of
su{m}me o[th]{er} laxatiue [th]at purgi[th] reed coler, and
['wat{er} of endyue.']
a greet q{ua}ntite of watir of endyue; and vse [th]is medicyn at
morowe & euen. and [th]e pacient schal be hool wi[th]oute doute.
['.11. M^e.']
['feu{er} cotydyan.']
[--To cure Daily Fever.--]
The 11. medicyn is for to heele [th]e feu{er}e cotidian, [th]e 28
which is causid of putrifaccioun of flewme to haboundynge /
and si[th] flewme is coold and moist. oure 5 e{ss}enc{e} (and in his
absence take good brennynge watir.) ha[th] stre{n}k[th]e and vertu to
consume [th]e rotu{n} wat{er}y inordinat, and to myche coold humidite / 32
[Take our Quinte Essence, and a little Euphorbium, &c.]
[th]erfore take oure 5 e{ss}enc{e} or brennynge watir, and putte
[th]{er}i{n}ne a litil
of euforbij, turbit, or sambuci, or sum o[th]ir [th]ing
[th]at purgi[th] flewme; and vse it morowe and eue, & [th]e pacient
schal be hool. 36
[Page 22: TO CURE AGUE FEVER, LUNACY, AND CRAMP.]
['.12. M^e.']
The .12. medicyn for to cure [th]e feuere agu, and [th]e lunatik
man and womman / discreet maist{ri}s seyn, [th]{a}t [th]e feu{er}e
['lunatyke p{er}sons.']
[--To cure Ague Fever and Lunacy.--]
agu comou{n}ly is causid of a uyolent reed coler adust, and of
blood adust, and of blak coler adust; and sumtyme of oon of 4
[This fever comes of choler inflamed, and is accompanied by
lightheadedness.]
[th]ese adust, and sumtyme of two togidere, and sumtyme of .3.
togidere / and [th]erfore
[th]e feu{er}e agu is [th]e posityue degree, and
in [th]e sup{er}latyue degree,
comp{ar}atif gree & sup{er}latif gree /
For [th]e feu{er}e agu
ha[th] comou{n}ly alienacioun of witt, & schewynge 8
['No{t}a b{e}n{e}.']
['Signa.']
[[* Fol. 24.]]
of [th]ingis of fantasy / And [gh]e schal knowe weel whiche
ben [th]e humouris
adust [th]at causen [th]e feu{er}e, be [th]ese [*]tokenes /
[As the patient sees black, gold, or red things, so the
different humours are inflamed.]
Forwhi, if [th]e pacient
sei[th] [th]{a}t he see[th] blak [th]i{n}gis, [th]anne blak
coler, [th]at is, malencolie,
is adust / & if he se [th]ingis of gold / 12
reed coler is adust / if reed [th]i{n}gis, and schewynge of bloodt
[th]anne blood is adust /
And if he sei[th] [th]at he see[th] alle [th]ese .iij,
[th]ingis, [th]anne alle [th]e humouris ben adust / For as myche as
brennynge watir ascendi[th] to [th]e heed, and gladly wole a man 16
[Burning Water should not be taken, but Quinte Essence of Gold
and Pearl should, with that of Rose water, Violet, &c.]
drynke / And si[th]
[th]{a}t feuere agu regne[th] in [th]e regiou{n} of [th]e
heed / [th]e philosophoris counceilis [th]at [th]e pacient schal not
resceyue it in [th]is sijknes / but it is nedeful [th]at he take
oure 5 e{ss}enc{e} of gold and of peerl, meyngi{n}g [th]e 6 p{ar}t of 20
['Rose
violett
Borage
lutuse']
5 e{ss}enc{e} of watir of rose, violet, borage, and letuse[1] / and
[th]anne [gh]e schulen haue
an heuenly medicyn to cure p{er}fi[gh]tly [th]is
sijknesse.
['for y^e frenesye & wodnesse.']
For to cure [th]e frenesye and woodnes, or ellis at [th]e leeste 24
to swage it / take a greet quantite of popilion, and [th]e beste
[--To cure or assuage Frenzy and Madness.--]
vynegre [th]at [gh]e may haue, and a good q{ua}ntite of rewe domestik,
weel brayed,
and meyngid wi[th] [th]ese forseid [th]i{n}gis; and biclippe
[Wrap the head and feet in, and smell at, Popilion (with
Vinegar mixed), and Rue.]
[th]e heed and [th]e feet
of [th]e pacient w{i}t{h} [th]is medicyn; and sum 28
[th]erof putte to his
nose-[th]rillis. [th]is medicyn anoon putti[th] awey [th]e
frenesye & [th]e schewy{n}ge of fantasies / it curi[th] also wode me{n}
& lunatike me{n}. and it restori[th] a[gh]en witt and discrecioun, &
maki[th] al hool and weel at eese. 32
['13^a. M^e.']
[--To cure Cramp.--]
The .13. medicy{n} is to put a-wey [th]e craumpe fro a man.
for as myche as wise me{n} seyn [th]{a}t [th]e craumpe cometh of [th]e
[Use our Quinte Essence or Burning Water.]
hurtynge & [th]e febilnes of [th]e senewis, as it schewi[th] sumtyme
yn medicyns maad of elebore,
[th]er is no [th]i{n}g [th]{a}t putti[th] awey [th]e 36
[Page 23: TO CURE POISON AND COWARDICE.]
[[* Fol. 24b.]]
craumpe as doi[th] oure 5 e{ss}enc{e} aforeseid, or ellis [*]brennynge
watir in stede of it.
['14^a. M^e.']
[--To cast poison out of a man's body.--]
The .14. medicyn, to caste out venym fro mannys body /
take o{ur}e 5 e{ss}enc{e},
and putte [th]{er}in{e} fleisch of a cok, neysch 4
soden & sotilly brayed, note kirnelis, fyn triacle, radisch,
[Take our Quinte Essence, with cock's flesh, nut-kernels, &c.,
and Quinte Essence of Gold and Pearls.]
& garleek smal brayed, and o[th]{er}e [th]ingis [th]{a}t ben goode
to caste out venym, as comou{n} bookis of fisik declari[th] /
And also, to comforte
[th]e herte, putte yn oure foreseid 5. e{ss}enc{e}, 8
[th]e 5. e{ss}enc{e} of gold and of peerl. and he schal be delyuerid
[th]erof & be hool.
['15^a. M^e.']
[--To make a Coward bold and strong.--]
The .15. medicyn, to make a man [th]at is a coward, hardy
and strong, and putte a-wey almaner of cowardise and drede / 12
I seye [gh]ou forso[th]e
[th]{a}t no [th]i{n}g m{a}y telle alle [th]e myraclis vertues
[th]at god h{a}[th] m{aa}d in o{ur}e 5 e{ss}enc{e}, and not al oonly in
him, but also in to his modir, [th]at is to seye, fyn brennynge
[Give him our Quinte Essence with twice as much Burning Water,
and a little Peony juice and saffron, and Quinte Essence of
Gold and Pearl. The coward shall lose all faintness of heart,
despise death, and dread no perils. Therefore Christian
Princes should have tuns of Burning Water, and give every
fighting man a cup before battle with the heathen.]
watir. for to cure [th]is sijknesse, take a litil quantite of oure 5 16
e{ss}enc{e}, & putte [th]erto double so myche of brennynge watir,
and a litil q{ua}ntite
of [th]e iuys of eerbe pione and of saffron distillid
togidere, and a litil of 5 e{ss}enc{e} of gold and of peerl; and
[gh]eue it him to drinke. and aftir sodeynly, as it were by myracle, 20
[th]e coward man schal lese al maner drede and feyntnes of herte,
and he schal recou{er}e
strenk[th]e [th]at ys lost by drede, and take to
him hardynesse, and he schal dispise dee[th]; he schal drede no
perelis, and passyngly he schal be maad hardy. [th]is is trewe, for 24
it ha[th] ofte tymes
by oolde philosophoris [bene] p{re}ued / [th]{er}fore
it were a greet wisdom [th]at cristen p{ri}ncis, in bateilis a[gh]en
he[th]ene me{n}, hadde wi[th] hem in tonnes brennynge watir, [th]{a}t
[th]ei my[gh]t take
to eu{er}y fi[gh]tynge man half a ri[gh]t litil cuppe ful 28
[th]{er}of to drynke
in [th]e bigynnynge of [th]e batel. & [th]is p{ri}uyte
owith to be hid from alle enemyes of [th]e chirche; and also
[[* Fol. 25.]]
[*]p{ri}ncis and lordis
ministri{n}ge [th]ese [th]ingis schulde n{o}t telle
what it is. 32
['16^a. M^e.']
[--To cure Pestilential Fever (when not sent as a punishment
by God).--]
The .16. medicyn a[gh]ens [th]e feu{er}e pestile{n}cial{e}, and [th]e
maistrie to cure it. forso[th]e holy scripture sei[th] [th]at su{m}me
tymes oure lord god sendi[th] pestilence to sle su{m}me maner
of peple, as it is seid deutrono{miu}m 28 in [th]is man{er} "Si 36
[Page 24: TO CURE PESTILENTIAL FEVER AND PLAGUES.]
[God says in Deuteronomy xxviii. that if men will not hear His
voice and obey His commandments, pestilences shall come on
them.]
audire nolu{er}is[11] vocem d{omi}ni dei tui, ut custodias {et} facias
[Footnote 11: MS. volu{er}is.]
om{n}ia mandata eius,
ve{n}iant sup{er} te om{n}es maledicc{i}ones; iste
maledictus eris
in ciuitate &c." {et} infra; "ad-iu{n}gat t{ib}i pestilenc{iam}
donec consumat te de t{er}ra, p{er}cuciat te d{omin}us egestate, 4
febre, {et} frigore, ardore {et} estu,
{et} aere corrupto ac rubigi{n}e, {et} p{er}seq{ua}tur
donec p{er}eas" hec ib{ide}m; {et} infra "p{er}cuciat te d{omin}us
vlc{er}e egipti, {et} p{ar}tem
corp{or}is p{er} q{uam} stercora eg{er}ant{ur}.
scabie q{uoque},
{et} p{ru}rigine, ita ut curari nequeas; p{er}cuciat te 8
d{omin}us necessitate ac furore mentis" // Therfore a gret fool
[These plagues a man would be a great fool to presume to cure,
but all other pestilences from evil planets may be cured by
our Quinte Essence with Aloes, Euphorbium, &c., and a laxative
Quinte Essence that will send the patient to stool once a day.]
were he [th]at wolde p{re}sume
to cure [th]ese plagis of pestilence [th]{a}t
ben vncurable, [th]at ben sent of god to ponysche synne // Also
[gh]e schal vndirstonde [th]{a}t me{n} may die in .iij. maners. in oon 12
maner by naturel dee[th], in [th]e teerme [th]{a}t is sett of god / In
ano[th]ir maner bi violent dee[th],
and also in [th]e .iij. maner occasionaly
wi[th]i{n}ne [th]e teerme
[th]{a}t is sett of god; as [th]o me{n} [th]{a}t to
myche replecioun, or to greet abstynence or by disp{er}aciou{n}, or 16
ellis by necligence, sle hi{m} silf / but sikirly alle o[th]{er}e maner
of feueris pestilence [th]at god suffri[th] to come to ma{n}kynde by
p{er}ilous influence of yuele planetis, by [th]e g{ra}ce of god & good
gou{er}nau{n}ce
may be curid p{ar}ti{a}ly wi[th] oure 5. e{ss}enc{e}. and 20
['N{ot}a b{e}n{e}.']
[th]{er}i{n}ne putte a litil of aloes epatik & euforbij, & a litil of
ierapigra galieni & of 5 e{ss}enc{e}, of [th]e rote of lilie and also
[[* Fol. 25b.]]
of gold & peerle,
capilli ven{er}is [*]and ysope; for [th]ese [th]i{n}g{is}
ben nedeful to siche feueris & apostemes / it is nedeful also 24
[th]{a}t wi[th] [th]ese
[th]ingis [th]er be sich a q{ui}nta e{ss}encia laxatyue [th]at
wole purge [th]e sup{er}flue humouris [th]at abounde; and [th]at [th]e
pacient so myche resceyue in a natural day [th]{er}of [th]at he may
go weel oonys to sege;
and so lete him vse [th]is laxatif .3. i{n} [th]e 28
['Caueas.']
woke; But be weel war [th]{a}t he take wi[th] oure q{ui}nta e{ss}encia
but ri[gh]t a litil q{ua}ntite
of [th]e laxatif at oonys, as I tolde [gh]ou
[He must also take every morning an egg-shell-full of Burning
Water, and 2 or 3 pestilence pills in our Quinte Essence, and
smoke his house with frankincense, &c.]
tofore, for peril
[th]{a}t mi[gh]te bifalle. & eu{er}y day take he by [th]e
morowe an eye-schelle ful
of good brennynge watir, and [th]e corrupt 32
eyr schal not noye hi{m}; & also vse in [th]e dayes, two or
[th]re smale pelotis
pestilenciales in oure 5 e{ss}encia, or in brennynge
watir; & al [th]e hous of [th]e pacient schal be encensid
[Page 25: MAY THIS BOOK {rest of line illegible} ]
strongly .iij in [th]e day wi[th] frank-encense, mirre, & rosyn,
terbe{n}tyn & rewe.
and [th]is is p{er}fi[gh]t cure for [th]e feu{er}e pestilence /
And [th]us [gh]e may,
wi[th] [th]is 5 e{ss}encijs, cure alle [th]ese sijkness{es}
aforeseid, and manye o[th]{er}e, as it were by myracle, if [gh]e 4
[Here is an end of this most sovereign of all secrets.]
worche disc[r]eetly as I haue toold [gh]ou tofore / Now here
I make an eende of [th]is tretis [th]at is clepid [th]e mooste & [th]e
sou{er}eyneste secrete of alle secretis, and a passynge tresour
[What ills will befall if it gets into tyrants' and
reprobates' hands and prolongs their life in evil. I will keep
it for holy men alone; and I commend it to Christ's keeping
now and ever.]
[th]at may nou[gh]t fayle // O quantu{m} malu{m} foret, si hic 8
liber p{er}ueniret ad manus ho{m}i{nu}m mundano{rum}, ad noticia{m}
tiranno{rum}, {et} ad
s{er}uiciu{m} rep{ro}bo{rum}! q{ui}a, si{c}ut s{anct}i p{er}
hunc libru{m} pot{er}unt continuare op{er}a vite {christian}i diuci{us}
{et} vehemenci{us}, ita {et}
rep{ro}bi possent p{er}u{er}so vsi diuci{us} 12
p{er}seu{er}are in malo.
ego aute{m}, q{ua}ntu{m} in me est, p{ro}pt{er}
solos s{an}c{t}os
libru{m} hunc co{n}stituo, {et} ip{su}m custod[iae] ih{es}u
{Christ}i c{om}mendo nunc et in eternu{m} // = //
Explicit librum de maximis secretis e{ss}encie quinte &c. 16
[Page 26: THE SPHERES AND PLANETS]
[[_leaf_ 26]]
[P] Philosofirs puttyn 9 sper{is} vndirewritten; but Diuinis puttin [th]e
ten[th]e sper{e}, where is heuyn empir{e}, in [th]e whiche, angel{is} &
sowl{is}[1] of seynt{is} seruen god; i{n} [th]e whiche is crist, in [th]e
same forme that he walkid i{n} er[th]e, and also owr{e} lady, & seynt{is}
that arosen w{i}t{h} criste.
[Footnote 1: l{is} is the MS. l with a line at right angles to it.]
[P] [Th]e first spere of [th]e 9 is clepid 'p{ri}mu{m} mobile,' [th]e
first mevabil thyng.
[P] [Th]e .ij. spere of sterr{is}: Arie{s} .1. [th]e rame. [P] the
secund hows of Mars, [th]e bool, [P] [th]e secund hows of Venus, Gemini,
[P] [th]e secund hows of Mercuri, Canc{er}. [P] [th]e hows of [th]e mone,
leo. [th]e hows of [th]e sonne, Virgo. // [th]e first hows of M{er}cury,
Libra // [th]e first hows of Venus, Scorpio // [th]e first hows of Mars,
Sagittari{us} // [th]e first hows of Iubit{er}, Cap{ri}cornus // [th]e
first hows of Saturne, Aquari{us} // [th]e secund hows of Saturne, Piscis.
/ [th]e secunde hows of Iubit{er}
[[_no more_]].
[P] Saturn is a planete evel-willid and ful of sekenes. Wherfore he is
peyntid w{i}t{h} an hooke, for he repe[th] dow{n)} grene thyng{is} / he
fulfilli[th] his course in xxx [gh]eere.
[P] Iubit{er} is a planete wele willyng to alle thi{n}g{is} to be gendrid,
plent[i]ful & plesyng; therfor he is y-seid Iubit{er} as helpyn. i{n}
xij [[gh]]eere he filli[th] his course.
[P] Mars is an enemy to alle thyng{is} to be gendrid; wherfor he is clepid
god of batel, for he is ful of tempest. he fulfilli[th] his course i{n}
.ij. [gh]eere.
[[leaf 26, back]]
[P] [Th]e sonne is [th]e worthiest planet, y-set i{n} myddis. he
fulfilli[th] his course in CCClxv dayes & vj. howr{is}, [th]e whiche
causen bisext.
[P] Venus is apte to alle thyng{is} to be gendrid. he fulfilli[th] his
course in CCCxxxvj daies.
[P] Mercuri swyft is y-seid a messeng{er} of daies [[? heuene]]. he
fulfilli[th] his course i{n} CCCxxxvj daies.
[P] [Th]e mone is a planete ny [th]e er[th]e. [[_ends._]]
* * * * *
NOTES
ON THE CHEMISTRY OF THE TEXT
By C. H. GILL, Esq., of University College, London
P. 4. Direction to submit any wine _that is not sour_ to distillation.
(_Sour_ wine is deficient in alcohol; that body having been changed into
acetic acid by oxidation.) In the language of the mystical ideas which
prevailed in the dawn of Chemistry, the colouring matters, sugar, &c. of
the wine are called 'the .4. elementis,' or as it were the 'rotten faeces
of wine'??
The direction to distill the wine seven times is a good practical
suggestion for the obtaining of strong alcohol which will burn well.
Then follows a description of the distilling apparatus, which seems to
have been arranged to ensure a very slow distillation, so as to obtain a
product as colourless and scentless as possible.
P. 5. The second way to make the Quinte essence depends on distillation
of alcohol by means of the heat of fermenting horse-dung; also the fifth
manner.
P. 6. The directions for gilding burning water are all nonsense; but as
the writer had no means of testing the truth of his statements, they may
have been made in good faith.
P. 7. The idea which he expresses, that this gilt burning water will
make you well and young, is difficult to explain, except on the
assumption that, it being the strongest of alcohol, a very little served
to produce that elevation of spirits which seemed to bring back the
spring of youth.
P. 7, l. 6 from the bottom. The word _liquibles_ in the text does not
mean liquids, for a liquid cannot be made hot enough to be _quenched_.
If the original _liquibles_ cannot be retained I should substitute the
word _liquiables_, meaning those things which can be liquefied by heat.
Indeed in the next passage we find stated that if Saturn (the
alchemists' mystical name for Lead) be quenched, &c., and that if then
Mars (Iron) be quenched in the same liquid, it will acquire the softness
of Saturn. Or if you quench lead in spirit which has had iron first
cooled in it, it becomes hard.
Of course there is no truth whatever in the above statements.
P. 8. The fire without coals, &c., is 'corrosive sublimate,' most
probably containing an excess of Sulphuric acid (vitriol) as an
impurity. If Copper (Venus) or Tin (Jupiter) be dipt into this solution
of mercury they will have a deposit of mercury formed on their surface,
which will give them a pearly appearance.
P. 8. To bring Gold into calx. When gold is treated in the way directed,
a fine powder of gold of a brown or yellow colour is left. This might
readily have been mistaken for a calx by those who had no clear ideas of
what calx really was.
P. 9. The departing of gold from silver is essentially the same as the
plan practised at the present day.
To get the Quintessence of Gold. I can make nothing of the directions,
that is, I cannot see that they (the directions) hide any real truth.
P. 10. How to get the Quintessence of Antimony. I can make nothing of
this part, and can only suggest that the vinegar used contained
hydrochloric acid, and when distilled with 'Myn Antimony' (native
sulphide of antimony) gave a distillate of Chloride of Antimony
containing some 'kermes' which is red.
From this point onward there is little or nothing that can be explained
by a Chemist.
GLOSSARY.
[Transcriber's Note:
A number of the listed words are spelled differently in the text than
in the glossary, or have italics that will affect text searching. The
searchable spelling is given in braces at the end of the entry. Line
references in braces were also added by the transcriber.]
Agu, p. 22, l. 1, 'Intermittent Feaver, commonly called an _Ague_, has
certain times of Intermission or ceasing; it begins for the most part
with Cold or Shivering, ends in Heat, and returns exactly at set
Periods.' _Phillips._
Aischin, p. 4, l. 10, ashes.
Amphora, p. 11, &c., 'a large vessel which derived its name from its
being made with a handle on each side of the neck, from +amphi+ _on
both sides_, and +phero:+ _I carry_.' _Dict. of Gr. and Rom. Ant._
Anele, p. 6, l. 26, &c., heat?
Apostemes, p. 24, l. 24, imposthumes, boils.
Appeire, p. 3, l. 12, impair, worsen.
Arreins, p. 2, l. 25, spiders. {areins}
'Cassia Fistula (Lat.), {p. 21, l. 16}, Cassia in the Pipe or Cane,
a kind of Reed or Shrub that grows in _India_ and _Africa_, bearing
black, round, and long Cods, in which is contain'd a soft black
Substance, sweet like Honey, and of a purging Quality.' _Phillips._
Colaciouns, p. 18, l. 21, ? comments, homilies. {colac{i}ou{n}s}
Comounne, p. 3, l. 35, communicate. {Comou{n}ne}
'Continual Feaver {p. 21} is that whose Fit is continu'd for many Days;
having its times of Abatement, and of more Fierceness; altho' it
never intermits, or leaves off.' _Phillips._ {feu{er}e contynuel{e}}
Deedly, p. 3, l. 24, liable to death, mortal.
Departynge, p. 5, l. 14, parting, separating.
Depurid, p. 9, l. 27, purified, purged.
Distillatorie, p. 10, l. 24, a still. Randle Holme, (_Academy_, p. 422,
col. 2,) speaks of 'a Still or Distillatory Instrument,' and further
on, iv., 'He beareth Sable, the Head of a _Distillatory_ with 3 pipes;
having as many Receivers or Bottles set to them.'
'Ebulum or Ebulus (Lat.), {p. 18, l. 3} the Herb _Wall-wort_,
_Dane-wort_, or _Dwarf-elder_.' _Phillips._ {appears in form _ebuli_}
Encorpere, p. 13, l. 4, mix, incorporate. {encorp{er}e}
Euforbii, p. 21, l. 3 bot., 'Euphorbia, the _Libyan Ferula_, a Tree or
Shrub first found by King _Juba_, and so call'd from the Name of his
Physician _Euphorbus_.' _Phillips._ {euforbij}
Euphorbium, 'the gummy Juice or Sap of that Tree much us'd in Physick
and Surgery.' _Phillips._
Extremities, p. 17, l. 2, ends of the limbs. {extremytees}
Fecis, p. 4, l. 7; p. 9, dregs.
Fire of hell, p. 8, l. 23, a disease. {fier of helle}
Fumiter, p. 18, l. 3, fumitory. {f[u]mit{er}}
Fyme, p. 10, l. 2 bot., mud, clay.
Gerapigra galieni, p. 3, l. 29, +iera pikra Gale:nou+.
Giltid, p. 7, l. 3, having the properties of gold communicated by it.
Groste, p. 5, ll. 9, 29, grossness, heavy particles, residuum.
{grost['e]}
Hide, p. 13, l. 18, ? for hide{us}; compare the Harleian reading
'unkinde.'
Hool, p. 15, l. 10, recover, improve.
Incombustible, p. 10, l. 2.
Incorruptibility, p. 7, l. 2. {incorru{m}ptibilitee}
Kynde, p. 1, l. 12, all creatures; l. 13, nature.
'Lapis Lazuli {p. 18, l. 3} a kind of Azure or Sky-colour'd Stone, of
which the Blew Colour call'd _Ultramarine_ is made .. much us'd in
Physick.' _Phillips._ {lapis lasuly}
Lembike, p. 9, l. 2, 'Alembick or Limbeck (Arab.), a Still, a Chymical
Vessel used in Distilling, shaped like a Helmet, and towards the
Bottom having a Beak or Nose, about a Foot and a half long, by which
the Vapours descend. They are commonly made of Copper tinn'd over on
the inside, and often of Glass.' _Phillips._
Liquibles, p. 7, l. 6 bot., meltable metals.
Lymayl, p. 8, l. 6 bot., Fr. '_limaille_: f. File-dust, pinne-dust.'
_Cotgrave._
Marien Bath, p. 12, l. 7 bot., Balneum Mariae, a Chemist's bath. '_Bain
de Marie._ Maries bath; a cauldron, or kettle full of hot water.'
_Cotgrave._ {bath clepid marien}
Medle, p. 19 last line, mix.
Medulla, p. 18, l. 3, pith.
Mercasite, p. 10, l. 14, 'a kind of Mineral Stone, hard and brittle,
partaking of the Nature and Colour of the Metal it is mixed with; some
call it a Fire-Stone.' _Phillips._ {m{er}casite}
Mercuriale, mercurie, p. 21, 19, &c., 'Mercury .. among Chymists ..
signifies Quick-silver; and is also taken for one of their active
Principles, commonly call'd _Spirit_ .. Also the Name of a purging
Herb, of which there are two sorts, _viz._ _Good Harry_ and _Dog's
Mercury_.'
Metis, p. 16, l. 22, _meatus_, passages.
Mon, p. 13, l. 19. ? {question mark in original: see footnote}
Morsus Gallinae, the Herb Henbit or Chick-weed. _Phillips._ {cited at
p. 20 l. 33}
Mortifie, p. 19 last line, 'Among Chymists to change the outward Form
or Shape of a Mixt Body; as when Quicksilver, or any other Metal, is
dissolved in an _acid Menstruum_.' _Phillips._
Neischede, p. 7, l. 2 bot., neshness, softness, pliancy.
Oo, p. 4, one. {cited at line 11 and later}
Popilion, p. 22, l. 24; 'Populeum, an Ointment made of Poplar buds, of a
cooling and allaying Quality.' _Phillips._ Fr. '_Populeon._ Popilion,
a Pompillion; an ointment made of blacke Poplar buds.' _Cot._ {word
appears on line 25, not 24}
Preparate, p. 8, l. 21, prepare. {p{re}p{ar}ate}
'Quartan Ague {p. 20} is that whose Fit returns every fourth Day.'
_Phillips._ {quarteyn}
Quenchour, p. 6 at foot, cooling the florin ?
Quintessence is defined by Phillips as 'the purest Substance drawn
out of any Natural Body; a Medicine made of the efficacious active
Particles of its Ingredients separated from all _Faeces_ or Dregs; the
Spirit, chief Force, or Virtue of any thing.'
Reme, p. 9, l. 5 bot., A.S. _reoma_, a strap, thong.
Reparale, p. 8, l. 21, make, compound. {rep{ar}ale}
Respire, p. 4, l. 5 from foot, exhale.
Restreyne, p. 7, l. 8, retain.
Reward, p. 2, l. 4, 7, regard.
Rotombe, p. 10, l. 3 bot., a retort.
Sambucy, p. 16, l. 7 bot., 'Sambucus, the Elder-Tree; a Shrub of very
great use in Physic.' _Phillips._
Stafisagre, p. 20, l. 1, 'Staphis agria, the Herb Staves-acre, or
Lice-bane.' _Phillips._ {stafi-sagre}
'Tertian Ague or Feaver {p. 21} is that which intermits entirely, and
returns again every third Day with its several Symptoms at a set
Time.' _Phillips._ {tercian}
To, p. 1, l. 16, too.
Triacle, p. 23, l. 5, cordial, 'Treacle, a Physical Composition, made of
Vipers and other Ingredients.' _Phillips._
Turbit, p. 16, l. 7 bot., 'Turbit, Tripoly, an Herb called Turbith, or
blew Camomel.'
'Turbith, an Herb so call'd by the Arabians, which grows in Cambaya,
Surat, and other parts of Asia; a dangerous Drug upon account of its
violent purging Quality.' _Phillips._
Vapoure, p. 8, l. 5 from foot; p. 9 at foot, evaporate.
Woodnes, p. 22, l. 23, wildness, madness.
Ypericon, p. 19, l. 16, 'Hypericon, St. _John's-Wort_, an excellent Herb
for Wounds, and to provoke Urine.' _Phillips._
* * * * *
* * * *
* * * * *
[Technical Notes and Errata:
Two entries in the Table of Contents were merged in the printed book,
apparently for reasons of space. The original form was:
HOW TO CURE FRENSY, GOUT, AND TROUBLES FROM DEVILS, WICKED THOUGHTS,
ETC., p. 17; AND HOW OUR QUINTE ESSENCE IS HEAVEN 19
The main title page has been left as printed:
e{ess}encijs...
The internal title page was changed from
[Sloane MS. 73, fol. 10. Brit, Mus.]
The superfluous "e" and the comma after "Brit" appear to be the only
typographical errors in the book.
Each page of body text was surrounded by the following:
Top of Page:
Synopsis of page contents. This e-text preserves the page breaks and
line divisions of the 1866/1889 book.
Inner Margin:
Line numbers in increments of 4, used for Index.
Bottom of Page:
Footnotes, originally numbered from 1 on each page.
Outer Margin:
Side footnotes: Identified by asterisk rather than by number. In this
e-text they are printed directly below the referring line, in the same
way as page-bottom footnotes.
Folio number: Marked with an asterisk at the exact point of page break.
It appears to be mere coincidence that the text of folio (leaf) 26 was
printed on page 26 of the 1889 book.
Marginal notations: These are described in the "P.S." of the editor's
introduction.
Subheads: Printed in italics, with horizontal lines above and below.
Running summary: Provided by the 1866 editor. In this e-text, some of
the more fragmentary summary notes have been combined into one block.
Special Case:
On page 22, in the space at the end of a paragraph, a numbered
footnote reads [_in margin_, 'Rose / violett / Borage / lutuse/']. In
this e-text, the words have been shown as a marginal notation. ]
END
This etext was retrieved by ftp from ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg
It is also available from www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg
Produced by Louise Hope, David Starner and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
[Transcriber's Note:
This version of "The Book of Quinte Essence" is intended for those
readers who are unable to use either of the utf-8 versions (text or
html).
Characters that could not be represented in 7-bit ascii have been
"unpacked" and shown in brackets:
[gh] [th] yogh, thorn
[-n] [-a] [-e] letter with overline (abbreviation for following nasal)
['e] e with acute accent
[l-] l with bar
[lb] "pounds" abbreviation (lb with bar through both ascenders)
[P] pilcrow (paragraph symbol)
+transliterated Greek+
The 1866/1889 text printed many single letters in italics, representing
contractions in the 15th-century original. These italicized letters are
shown within {braces}. Italics elsewhere in the text are indicated with
_lines_ in the usual way. Brackets from the original text are [[doubled]]
where necessary to avoid ambiguity.
The printed text used headnotes, footnotes and several kinds of sidenote.
In this e-text, headnotes begin with the page number, and footnotes are
marked [Footnote...]; all other bracketed lines are sidenotes. Details
are explained at the end of the text.]
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