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

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 [gh]e may drawe 12 out of siluir, q{ui}nte e{ss}encie //
[--How to get its Quinte Essence out of Antimony.--]
The science to drawe out of antymony, [th]at is, m{er}casite of leed, [th]e v^te e{ss}encie, is a souereyn maistrie, and a p{ri}uytee
[Put powdered antimony into distilled vinegar; heat it till the vinegar is red; take away the red vinegar, and put fresh; take that away when red. Put the red vinegar into a distiller, and 1000 drops of blessed wine shall come down the pipe; collect this; it is an incomparable treasure.]
of alle p{ri}uytees / Take [th]e myn of antymony aforeseid, 16 and make [th]{er}of al so sotil a poudre as [gh]e kan / [th]anne take [th]e beste vynegre distillid, and putte [th]{er}inne [th]e poudre of antymonye, and lete it stonde in a glas vpon a litil fier into [th]e tyme [th]at [th]e vynegre be colourid reed. [th]anne take [th]{a}t 20 vynegre awey, and kepe it clene, and putte a[gh]en [th]er-to of o[th]{er}e vynegre distillid, and lete it stonde vpon a soft fier til it be colourid reed. & so do ofte tymes. and whanne [gh]e haue gaderid al [gh]o{ur}e vynegre colourid, putte it [th]anne in a distillatorie. and 24 first