The Book of Quinte Essence or The Fifth Being | Page 8

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