The Book of Quinte Essence or The Fifth Being | Page 5

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,