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

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