The Book of Quinte Essence or The Fifth Being | Page 7

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