The Book of Quinte Essence or The Fifth Being | Page 2

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