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Introduction, Notes, and Commentary

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Marguerite A. Halversen

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THE CONSIDERATION OF QUINTESSENCE:

AN EDITION OF A MIDDLE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF

JOHN OF RUPESCISSA’S LIBER DE CONSIDERATIONE DE

QUINTAE ESSENTIAE OMNIUM RER UM WITH

INTRODUCTION, NOTES, AND COMMENTARY

VOLUME 1

By

Marguerite A. Halversen

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to

Michigan State University

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of English

1998

ABSTRACT

THE CONSIDERATION OF QUIIW‘ESSENCE: AN EDITION OF A MIDDLE

ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF JOHN OF RUPESCISSA’S LIBER DE

CONSIDERA TIONE DE QUINTAE ESSENTIAE OMNIUM RER UM WITH

INTRODUCTION, NOTES, AND COMMENTARY

By

Marguerite A. Halversen

The Consideration of Quintessence is a fifteenth-century Middle English

translation of the Latin alchemical-medical treatise, Liber de Consideratione de Quintae

Essentiae Omnium Rerum written by John of Rupescissa in the mid-fourteenth century.

The work is separated into two sections or books; the first book focuses on alchemical

theory based on Aristotelian theories of matter and contains explanations on how to

create aqua ardens and quintessence to produce life-renewing and life-sustaining elixirs

and medicines; the second book contains remedies for treating such illnesses and health

problems as leprosy and skin irritations, asthma, palsy, and melancholy based on the

alchemical theories and methods presented in the first book.

This dissertation provides an edition of the Middle English Consideration of

Quintessence with critical apparatus, introduction, notes, glossaries, and a list of herbs

and ingredients mentioned in the text. The base manuscript for this edition is

University of Glasgow, Hunterian Library, Ferguson 205. It has been compared to a

second Middle English version of the text by the same scribe, London, British Library,

Sloane 353, with appropriate emendations made in the edition and variants cited in the

textual apparatus. Two shorter Middle English versions of this text (London, British

Library, Harley 353; and London, British Library, Sloane 73, edited by Frederick J.

Furnivall) have also been compared to Ferguson 205. The Middle English translation

has been examined against five Latin manuscript versions of the text (Trinity College,

Cambridge, 1389; Trinity College, Cambridge, 1407; Trinity College, Cambridge

1411; London, British Library, Sloane 338; and London, British Library, Harley

5399), with variants noted in the explanatory notes.

The edition also includes several shorter works found in Ferguson 205: The

Book of Alexander Conceming Seven Herbs, Seven Planets; Semita Recta by pseudo-

Albertus Magnus; The Work of Boniface IX, with the Following White and Red

Chapters; Various Recipes; and Sophistications.

The Introduction includes an historical, technical, and linguistic examination of

the manuscript, the text of The Consideration of Quintessence, and, briefly, the other

texts in the edition. The technical section focuses on the manuscript's Size, general

appearance, and scribal hand, and includes a linguistic description and analysis. The

historical section provides an overview of the Aristotelian scientific theories that led to

alchemical practices and an analysis of how these practices became part of medical

treatment, particularly in The Consideration of Quintessence. The linguistic section

includes an analysis of the dialect and a tentative localization of the text in Somerset.

The dissertation concludes with a set of Explanatory Notes on historical, Latin,

literary, and biblical references in the texts; a Glossary of scientific and other

vocabulary; 3 Glossary of Proper Nouns; and a list of plants and other ingredients.

Copyright by

MARGUERITE ANN HALVERSEN

1998

For my husband, David, whose love, patience,

and interest made this dissertation possible

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Although this dissertation bears only my name as author, it could not have been

written without generous help from many sources and people.

I am grateful to the College of Arts and Letters and the Department of English for

the fellowships and grants that allowed me to immerse myself in this project at key stages

of my research. I am grateful, too, to the stafi‘ of Interlibrary Loan at the Michigan State

University library; their commitment to ordering dozens of books and microfilms for me

from throughout the world never wavered.

My sincerest appreciation goes to my director, Lister Matheson, for the countless

weekend hours he devoted to guiding me through this project as well as his commitment

to scholarly excellence. He has served as both an inspiration and an example; I could not

have completed this work without guiding hand. Special thanks is also extended to my

committee member M. Teresa Tavomiina, whose insightfiil comments and questions, in

addition to her invaluable help in translating the Latin passages, helped bring this

dissertation to fruition.

I am indebted to the rest of my committee: Douglas Peterson, Randal Robinson,

and Alice Dreger, without whose guidance and enthusiasm I could not have managed.

In addition to the scholars on my committee, I greatly appreciate the assistance of

Jeremy J. Smith from the University of Glasgow, who first suggested this project to me.

His guidance during its formative stages as well as his help with the linguistic analysis will

never be forgotten. I sincerely thank Linda Voigts of the University of Missouri, Kansas

City, for her guidance in locating Middle English manuscripts of The Consideration of

Quintessence as well as for her interest and enthusiasm for this project. Barbara Newman

and Richard Kieckhefer of Northwestern University were the first medieval scholars I met

as an undergraduate. Their commitment to teaching stirred my interest in the Middle

Ages, and their enthusiasm for this dissertation sustained me to its end. Many, many

thanks. For assistance in translating the Latin passages in Ferguson 205, I thank Robert

Kellerman, who offered his time and knowledge at a critical juncture.

I thank the faculty of the Dean’s Office of the College of Human Medicine,

particularly Jim Lyon, Lyn Farquhar, and Dean William S. Abbett, for the generous

flexibility in work hours they granted me during the final year of this dissertation. Without

their understanding, this dissertation could not have been completed.

I am gratefiil to my family and parents, John and Nancy Halversen, for their

support and encouragement throughout my numerous years of study. To the many friends

who helped see me through this project with unfailing love, particularly Brian Brown, the

Reverend Jannel Glennie, Beth and Brian Guikema-Bode, Doreen Espinoza and Jeff

White, Diane Henningfeld, Laura Julier, Teresa Kanoza, Bill Marx, Shannon Seagle, and

Jane Smith, I extend heartfelt appreciation.

Finally, I am especially thankful to my husband, David Wisner, whose patience,

interest, and love have seen me through the last five years.

vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................... ix

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................... x

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1

John of Rupescissa: His Life and Work ................................................. 2

The History and Development of Alchemy ............................................ 11

The Alchemy of The Consideration of Quintessence .................................. 46

The Manuscripts ............................................................................. 55

Latin Manuscripts .................................................................. 59

Middle English Manuscripts .................................................... 71

Previous Editions ................................................................... 77

Other Texts in Ferguson 205 ................................................... 78

Marginalia in Ferguson 205 .................................................... 86

The Language of Ferguson 205 ................................................... 90

Editorial Procedures ......................................................................... 97

THE TEXTS ......................................................................................... 101

The Consideration of Quintessence ...................................................... 101

Book I: The Consideration of Quintessence .................................. 101

Book H: The Book of General Remedies ..................................... 207

The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets .................. 255

The Third Book of the Works of Alchemy: Semita Recta ......................... 271

The Work of Boniface IX, with the Following White and Red Chapters .......... 321

Various Recipes ............................................................................ 333

Sophistications ............................................................................ 358

EXPLANATORY NOTES ........................................................................ 364

GLOSSARY ......................................................................................... 412

GLOSSARY OF PROPER NOUNS .......................................................... 450

HERBS, FRUITS, AND PLANTS REFERRED TO IN THE TEXTS .................. 455

WORKS CITED ................................................................................... 472

viii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1) Glasgow University, Hunterian Library, Ferguson 205, f 1

101-A

Figure 2) London, British Library, Sloane 353, f. 2

Figure 3) Ferguson 205, f. 33v

Figure 4) Sloane 353, f. 34v

Figure 5) Ferguson 205, f. 49v

Figure 6) Sloane 353, f. 51v

Figure 7) Ferguson 205, f. 54v

Figure 8) Sloane 353, f. 56v

Figure 9) Ferguson 205, f. 71v

Figure 10) Ferguson 205, f. 75v

Figure 11) Ferguson 205, f. 84v

101-B

207-A

207-B

255-A

255-B

271-A

271-B

321-A

333-A

358-A

ix

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

GENERAL ABBREVIATIONS

AV

BL

Authorized Version of the Bible

British Library

EETS (os, es)

Early English Text Society (Original Series, Extra Series)

ed.

editor, edited by, edition

f., ff.

folio(s)

MED

The Middle English Dictionary

MS(S)

manuscript(s)

n., nn.

note, notes

OED

The Word English Dictionary

I'CCIO

trans.

translator, translated by

TCC

Trinity College, Cambridge

verso

vol(s).

volume(s)

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE TEXTUAL APPARATUS

add.

added (in), addition

alt.

bef.

altered

before

cent.

century

cornnn.

commentator

corr.

corrected, corrector

dec.

decorated

eras.

erasure

Glasgow University, Hunterian Library, Ferguson 205

foll.

init.

ins.

followed

initial

inserted (in), insertion

marg.

(in) margin

om.

orig.

omitted (in), omission

originally, original

poss.

possible

prob.

probably

prec.

preceded

London, British Library, Sloane 353

xi

SYMBOLS USED IN THE TEXTUAL APPARATUSl

0

)

y

9

o’l

?

h

*

fir

Sun/ Gold

Moon/ Silver

Mercury/Quicksilver

Venus/ Copper

Mars/ Iron

Jupiter/ Tin

Saturn/ Lead

Asterisk

Star(s)

Orpyment

‘4’

Arsenic

 

1 Based on the symbols in William Jerome Wilson, “Table of Alchemical Symbols,”

Catalogue of Latin and Vernacular Alchemical Manuscripts in the United States and

Canada, OSIRIS 6 (1939) 657-89.

xii

INTRODUCTION

Scientific learning and inquiry were extensive in Europe during the thirteenth,

fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, with hundreds of scientific texts translated from the

Arabic into the Latin and the vernacular. Even original Latin and vernacular texts,

based on the theories and practices inherited from the Greeks and Arabs, were being

written at this time.1 The Consideration of Quintessence is an alchemical treatise that

can be classified as one of these original texts. Based on Aristotelian theories of matter

and alchemical practices developed from the first century AD, The Consideration of

Quintessence can be placed within the centuries-old alchemical tradition; yet, because it

applies alchemical methods to the creation of life-sustaining and life—renewing elixirs,

not the transmutation of base metals to gold or silver, it also qualifies as a medical text.

When first written, The Consideration of Quintessence affected its readers

profoundly.2 Within two hundred years, more than one hundred copies of the text had

 

‘ See Rossell Hope Robbins, "Medical Manuscripts in Middle English,"

Speculum 45 (1970): 393; Linda E. Voigts, "Scientific and Medical Books," Book

Production and Publishing in Britain: 1375-1475, ed. Jeremy Griffiths and Derek

Pearsall (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989) 345; and David C. Lindberg,

"The Transmission of Greek and Arabic Learning to the West," Science in the Middle

Ages, ed. David C. Lindberg (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978) 70.

2 University Press, 1934) 357. Lynn Thorndike, History of Magic and

Experimental Science, vol. 3 (New York: Columbia

1

2

been produced in Latin and several of the vernacular languages, attesting to its

popularity.3 Still, few modern editions of this text have been published, and the only

published Middle English version is based on a very concise version of the original

Latin.4

Research on medieval alchemy and medieval medicine is still in its infancy and

has been greatly hindered by the dearth of edited texts.5 This edition of a Middle

English translation of John of Rupescissa’s Consideration of Quintessence has been

completed as a contribution to the field.

John of Rupescissa: His Life and Work

John of Rupescissa was born around 1310 to a knightly family in Marcoles,

France, just south of Aurillac.6 Before entering the Franciscan order in 1322 at the age

of twenty-two, John of Rupescissa studied philosophy at the University of Toulouse for

 

3 Robert Halleux, " Les Ouvrages Alchimiques de Jean 'de Rupescissa,”

Histoire Litte’raire de la France, vol. 41 (Paris: Imprirnerie Nationale, 1981) 243.

4 Frederick J. Fumivall, The Book of Quintessence or The Fifth Being; that is to

say, Man '3 Heaven: A treatise in englisch breuely drawe out ofbe book of quintis

essencijs in latyn, et cet. (London: EETS, 1866).

5 Numerous scholars have commented on this difficulty. For two recent

examples, see Constantine of Pisa, The Book of the Secrets of Alchemy, ed. Barbara

Obrist (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1990) ix and Beryl Rowland, ed. and trans. Medieval

Woman ’s Guide to Health: The First Woman ’s Gynecological Handbook (Kent: Kent

State University Press, 1981) xi-xiv.

‘5 Robert E. Lerner, introduction, Johannes de Rupescissa Liber de Secretorum

Eventuum: Edition critique, traduction et introduction historique, ed. Christine

Morerod-Fattebert (Fribourg: Editions Universitaires, 1994) 13-85.

at least five years, and he continued these studies for five years after entering the Order

3

of Friars Minor.7

John of Rupescissa’s entry into the Franciscan order is considered a result of

dramatic conversion.8 The significance of his affiliation with the Franciscan order at

this time in history lies in the order's internal conflicts regarding the doctrine of

poverty and its role in Christian faith and religious life9 as well as the Franciscan

preoccupation with apocalyptic eschatology. ‘0 John of Rupescissa, who passionately

embraced the prophetic aspects of the Franciscan order, fell victim to the tumultuous

religious conflicts of his time and spent a large portion of his life in prison, beginning

in December 1344 and continuing almost uninterrupted until 1364. ” He was first

 

7 Thorndike 3: 347-69. Thorndike obtains this biographical information from a

reference within The Consideration of Quintessence; this reference, however, does not

appear in all the manuscripts, including the Middle English translations found in

University of Glasgow, Hunterian Library, Ferguson 205 and London, British Library,

Sloane 353.

8 Lerner 15-18.

9 For more elaborate discussion of the thirteenth and fourteenth century Franciscan

controversy over poverty, see Malcolm D. Lambert, Franciscan Poverty: The Doctrine of

the Absolute Poverty of Christ and the Apostles in the Franciscan Order 1210-1323

(London: SPCK, 1961); Malcolm D. Lambert, Medieval Heresy: Popular Movements from

the Gregorian Reform to the Reformation (Oxford: Blackwell, 1992); and Gordon Leff,

Heresy in the Later Middle Ages: The Relation of Heterodoxy to Dissent, c. 1250 - c.

1450, vol. 1 (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1967). For a modern, popular but

historically substantiated fictional presentation of the controversies surrounding the

doctrine of apostolic poverty within the fourteenth-century Church (set in 1327, just before

Rupescissa started writing), see Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose, trans. William

Weaver (New York: Warner Books, 1983).

1° Lerner 20.

“ The precise reason for Rupescissa’s imprisonment is unclear; however, his beliefs

regarding Church poverty and the imminent coming of the Antichrist probably made him

4

incarcerated in Figeac and then transported to various prisons, many of them

ecclesiastical, over the next twenty years. ‘2 During his imprisonment, John of

Rupescissa wrote extensively, primarily on religio-prophetic topics but also on

alchemy. He obtained books and writing materials from visitors, even visitors who

opposed his views but came seeking his advice. ‘3

Rupescissa's Writings

The Prophetic Works

Soon after entering the Franciscan Order, John of Rupescissa became obsessed

with the coming of the Antichrist, most probably based on a visionary religious

experience he had as a Franciscan novice in late 1332 (which he recorded in his work,

the Liber Ostensor, in 1356). He reports dreaming that he received divine revelation

 

a difficult person for the religious authorities to control. Furthermore, a number of the

apocalyptic eschatologists in Rupescissa’s day considered John XXII the Antichrist because

of his condemnation of part of the doctrine of poverty in 1323 (Lambert xiv); although

John of Rupescissa did not support this assertion, his affiliation with those who did, in

addition to his other questionable activities, probably made him politically questionable

and thus, vulnerable to church authority. See Lerner 23-30. Within The Consideration of

Quintessence, Rupescissa mentions his imprisonment several times, likening it to "be state

and gouernnance of helle" (f. 40r, p. 208), where he "suffrid grete penance" (f. 42r, p.

212). He never directly states why he is imprisoned, however, except to assert the

inappropriateness and injustice of his situation: "Whenne my mortalt ennemys ayenst

reason wondrefully heulden me in prison .

.

.

" (f. 42r, p. 212) (italics mine).

‘2 William Newman, Rev. of Johannes' de Rupescissa "Liber de consideratione

quintae essentiae omnium rerum " deutsch: Studien zur Alchemia medical des 15. bis 1 7.

Jahrhunderts mit kritischer Edition des Textes by Udo Benzenhdfer, Isis 82 (1991): 726-

727.

” Jeanne Bignami-Odier, "Jean de Roquetaillade [de Rupescissa], Théologien,

Polémiste, Alchirniste," Histoire Litte’raire de la France, vol. 41 (Paris: Imprirnerie

Nationale, 1981) 78-84.

5

concerning the Antichrist's birth and preached against him throughout Zaycon (the

alleged birthplace of the alleged Antichrist) and Italy. '4

It is, however, fair to state that

Rupescissa's interest in apocalyptic eschatology also reflected preoccupations with it

among the Franciscans of Toulouse. ‘5 Regardless of its origins, Rupescissa's belief that

the birth of the Antichrist occurred in 1337'" became central to his prophetic system, as

expressed in such later works as the Liber Secretorum Eventuum (1349) and the Vade

Mecum in Tribulacione (1356). ‘7

John of Rupescissa wrote extensively throughout his life. His earliest surviving

work is the Commentary on the Oraculum Cyrilli. Other theological, polemical, and

prophetic works include: '8

Liber Secretorum Eventuum

Commentum in Oraculum Beati cyrilli

Commentaire de la Prophe’tie: Vae Mundo in Centum Annis ou de Oneribus Orbis

Liber Ostensor

Vade Mecum in Tribulacione

In addition to these works, the writings of John of Rupescissa and several of his

 

1" This vision was the first of many that Rupescissa had throughout his life. See

Lerner 24-28.

'5 Lerner 19-23.

‘6 Rupescissa explained the variation from 1332 to 1337 for the date of Antichrist's

birth by asserting that two Antichrists were born in the fourteenth century, an eastern

Antichrist in 1332 and the great Antichrist in 1337. See Lerner 25.

‘7 Lerner 25.

‘8 For details on the works of John of Rupescissa, see Bignami-Odier 75-222.

contemporaries refer to at least twenty other now-lost works by him. ‘9

6

The Alchemical Works

Lynn Thorndike cannot help but note the irony of John of Rupescissa, a devotee

of the Franciscan theology of poverty, embracing the practice of alchemy, with the

power and position that gold plays in it.20 This criticism, or ironic observation,

however, misses the impetus behind Rupescissa's writings on alchemy. Rather than

writing to attain riches, Rupescissa writes his alchemical treatises to instruct his readers

on how to extend the quality and quantity of their lives,” as God desires (The

Consideration of Quintessence) and to save the church from the poverty imposed by the

prophesied, imminent coming of the Antichrist (the Liber Lucis).

The Consideration of Quintessence

John of Rupescissa wrote The Consideration of Quintessence in 1351/ 1352.22

An alchemical treatise focused on creating medicinal elixirs from aqua ardens23 to

prolong life and renew the vigor of youth in the old, The Consideration of Quintessence

 

‘9 Bignami-Odier 181-83.

20 Thorndike 3: 347.

2‘ This idea of extending and improving the quality of life is similar to ideas of

Roger Bacon, who was interested in retarding old age. See Roger Bacon, xxxxx

xxxxxx.

22 Lerner 15.

23 Aqua ardens is alcohol distilled from wine, noted for its burning-like effect on

the throat.

7

is divided into two parts, or books, with these books further divided into canons and

remedies, respectively. The first book generally contains twelve canons, sometimes

fifteen, and the second is divided into twenty remedies.24

The focus of the first book is alchemical theory based on Aristotelian theories of

matter, with the early canons explaining the concept of the four elements and their

qualities as well as how to make aqua ardens and quintessence,25 and the later canons

focusing on particular properties that can be drawn from various fruits, herbs,

minerals, and animal matter to create particular medicines. The second book contains

explanations of how to apply the theories and elixirs outlined in the first book to

particular diseases and infirrnities: old age, palsy, leprosy and skin diseases,

consumption, various fevers, melancholy, and the like.

Rupescissa's concern for meeting the needs of poor but virtuous clergy, often

referred to as viri pauperes evangelici in the Latin text, arises regularly in The

Consideration of Quintessence, a direct result of his beliefs in the theology of poverty26

and his concern, historical and Christian, that alchemy be practiced by those committed

 

2‘ In the Lullian versions of The Consideration of Quintessence, the number of

canons (or chapters, as the Lullian versions identify them) in the first book increases

considerably, often to between 56 and 66 chapters. This increase is due to greater

subdivisions within each canon, not an addition of material. See Thorndike 3: 357.

25 Very basically and briefly, quintessence is a special form of aqua ardens obtained

through repeated distillations of wine and distinguished from regular aqua ardens by its

marvelous odor and power.

26 As indicated earlier, John of Rupescissa was an adherent of the thirteenth- and

fourteenth-century Franciscan belief that Christ and the Apostles were utterly impoverished

and without property; consequently, they believed the Church should embrace this poverty

as a sign of her devotion to Christ, a belief later deemed heresy by Pope John XXII

(Lambert, Franciscan Poverty xiii-xv). See also nn. 9 and 11, above.

8

to and graced by God. Other comments within The Consideration of Quintessence

clearly indicate that Rupescissa was a medical practitioner who used his knowledge and

skill to help others and, during his stays in prison, himself. 27

At the end of Book One of The Consideration of Quintessence, Rupescissa

refuses to elaborate on the transmutation of base metals to gold, claiming an adherence

to the statutes of the church forbidding alchemical practice.28

Liber Lucis

Considerably shorter than The Consideration of Quintessence, the Liber Lucis is

an alchemical treatise divided into seven operations leading to the creation of the

philosopher's stone.29 The initial operation is the creation of philosopher's sulphur, the

invisible but vital material necessary to create the philosopher's stone, from vitriol

Roman and the reduction of the quintessence of mercury. The second step involves

drawing the quintessence from mercury. The third step requires the alchemist to add

sal armoniac to the quintessence of mercury, dissolving and sublirnating it repeatedly so

 

27 Evidence indicating that Rupescissa put his alchemical knowledge to practical use

arises throughout The Consideration of Quintessence. On ff. 37-38 (pp. 212—17),

Rupescissa states, "for I telle pis of experience" to add credence to his assertion that

quintessence of gold and perle mixed with that of piony, angille, and saffron reduces

weakness and restores strength (pp. 215-216). He also attests to the power of quintessence

to make a person whole (from sickness), citing his experience in prison when he "was

almost ouer-come" but for a "waisshing [with quintessence] was curid and made hole." (f.

42r, pp. 227). Finally, he cites his experience with aqua ardent as a laxative that once

cured him of being "fulle of viscous humours .

.

. by sieging or voiding bynethe" in a

single night (f. 45r, p. 236).

28 See ff. 32-33 (pp. 198, 1. 5 - 201, 1. 2).

29 For a detailed explanation of the contents of the Liber Lucis, see Halleux 264—67.

9

that a strong liquor is obtained. In the fourth step, the distillate lac virgineum, the milk

of virgins (white mercury sublimate) is created. The fifth step reduces the lac

virgineum to powder through calcination. The sixth step involves bringing the powder

of the calcinated lac virgineum to its red color, necessary if one is to create the

philosopher's stone. The final step is the culmination of the six, in which the

philosopher's stone is created.30 The Liber Lucis also contains an eighth section,

related to the text but not directly relevant to its thesis, outlining the construction of a

furnace to be used in the alchemical practices outlined in the previous seven sections.31

None of the material in the Liber Lucis is original, nor does John of Rupescissa

claim that it is. In the Liber Lucis, Rupescissa states that he is presenting the details of

alchemical practices that all other alchemists have kept secret or concealed in

metaphorical language. He removes the veil from alchemical practices but retains the

warning that such practices are only for the chosen of God, a warning that serves as

godly advice to his readers and as a means of protecting himself from the charge of

dispensing information against the anti-alchemy statute of Pope John XXII.32

Despite such admonishments, if Rupescissa opposed writing on traditional

alchemical practices when he wrote The Consideration of Quintessence, one must

wonder what led him to return to the subject in the Liber Lucis. Rupescissa's

 

3° Robert P. Multhauf, "John of Rupescissa and the Origin of Medical Chemistry,"

Isis 45 (1954): 361-63.

3‘ Thorndike 3: 365.

32 John XXII issued a statute against alchemy: "Spondent quas non exhibent divitas

pauperes alchymistae. " ("Poor alchemists promise riches that they do not display. ") See

Robert Halleux, "Alchemy, " Dictionary of the Middle Ages.

10

explanation for writing the Liber Lucis blended perfectly with his eschatological

approach to life. Contending that the time of the Antichrist was at hand, Rupescissa

believed that the church would be despoiled of all its worldly wealth and, not wishing

the church to suffer, he explains the creation of the philosopher's stone so that the

righteous in the church can alleviate their own sufferings and those of others. His

explanation of these traditional alchemical practices combines the traditional warning

that such practices are only for the pure in heart, with the added criterion that the

practice is to be used only to help those in the Church afflicted by end-time

tribulations; he warns that those who attempt to practice alchemical transmutation

without the grace of God will find in it only destruction.33

For John of Rupescissa, a Franciscan monk concerned with the coming of the

Antichrist and a life of poverty, no conflict existed between his prophetic works and his

alchemical writings. In The Consideration of Quintessence, he provides the means for

even those committed to the doctrine of religious poverty34 to obtain medical help to

live their lives fully and vigorously up to the time prescribed by God (and to aid others

in doing the same). In the Liber Lucis, he unpacks the secrets of alchemical

transmutation of metals to provide for the coming poverty of the church and its

followers, a godly means to combat the forces of evil that he foresees gaining power in

the next generation.

 

33 Thorndike 367.

3‘ See footnote 4.

The History and Development of Alchemy

11

Unlike most alchemists from the preceding millennium, John of Rupescissa does

not, at least in The Consideration of Quintessence,” utilize alchemical theory for the

transformation of base metals to gold; he even denigrates the value of alchemically

produced gold in several places in his writings, calling it "contagious to man is [man’s]

nature" and "of man [versus true gold--of God]."36 The alchemy of The Consideration

of Quintessence, despite its relationship to and dependence on traditional alchemical

theory and writings, deviates significantly from the traditional aspects of alchemy in its

focus and applications--from a focus on transforming base metals to gold to the use of

alchemical theories and practices to transform various matters into medicinal potions,

marking a new development in alchemical practice--the beginning of adapting chemical

processes to the preparation of medicines.37 Utilizing the traditional Aristotelian

understandings of matter and form, along with Jabir's theories on humoral balance and

the recent discovery of alcohol, John of Rupescissa takes alchemical practice to a new

step in its evolution.

To understand the Significance of The Consideration of Quintessence in the

history of alchemical practice, it is imperative that one understand alchemy's origins

and practices: where it came from, how it developed, and what it came to mean in the

science of chemistry and medicine. Such an understanding also helps explain why

 

35 See comments on Rupescissa's Liber Lucis on pages 8-10 in this introduction.

36 See ff. 3V (p. 104, 11. 11-12) and 121' (p. 121, 11. 12~16)

37 Multhauf 359.

editions of these texts must be produced for study.38

12

Theoretical Origins

The origins of alchemical theory lie in Hellenistic theories on the nature of

matter, beginning as early as the fifth century BC. with the writings of Empedocles, a

philosopher and poet whose poem, " Physics, " which considers the composition of all

matter, remains only in fragments.39 80 significant is Empedocles's work, that

Aristotle regularly refers to his theories in his own writings on matter and the elements,

0n the Heavens, Meteorology, 0n Generation and Corruption, and Metaphysics.

Nonetheless, it is Aristotle's work on matter and the elements that has the greatest

influence on the development of alchemical theories and practices.

According to Aristotle, an element is a unit of which other bodies are comprised

but which may not be subdivided into another unit or units itself.40 There are four

elements in the material world: fire, air, water, and earth, as well as four primary

 

38 For a full exploration of the argument for studying Middle English medical

and scientific texts, and the resultant need for scholarly editions, see Linda Voigts,

"Editing Middle English Texts: Needs and Issues, " Editing Texts in the History of

Science and Medicine, ed. Trevor H. Levere (New York: Garland, 1982) 39-68; and

Linda Voigts, "Multitudes of Middle English Medical Manuscripts," Manuscript

Sources of Medieval Medicine, ed. Margaret R. Schleissner (New York: Garland,

1995) 183-95.

39 For more detailed information on the theories of Empedocles, see M. R. Wright,

ed. Empedocles: The Extant Fragments (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981) 3-89.

See also Brad Inwood, ed. and trans. , The Poem of Empedocles (Toronto: University of

Toronto Press, 1992) 3-72.

4° Aristotle, 0n the Heavens, ed. and trans. J. L. Stocks, The Complete Works of

Aristotle, vol. 1, ed. Jonathan Barnes (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984) 302a.

13

qualities: hot, cold, moist, and dry. These four elements arise from a primary matter

that, although having no separate existence, is the "single common substratum

underlying them. "4‘ This matter possesses only potential existence until imprinted by

form, although form cannot arise apart from this primary matter. Form includes shape

and the qualities or a combination of the qualities hot, cold, moist, and dry.42

The elements arise from the combination of two of the four basic qualities, with

one superseding the other in strength in each element. Earth possesses the qualities of

cold and dry, with dryness dominating the element’s qualities; water possesses the

qualities of cold and moist, with coldness dominating the pair; air holds the qualities of

hotness and moistness, with moistness ruling the element; and fire possesses the

qualities of hotness and dryness, with heat reigning over dryness.43 As the properties

of these elements indicate, the combination of two qualities was always hot or cold and

dry or moist; an element could not contain the two properties hot and cold or dry and

moist because these combinations would be contrary to each other and thus could not

combine logically, "for it is impossible for the same thing to be hot and cold, or dry

and moist. "44

 

4‘ Aristotle, 0n Generation and Corruption, ed. and trans. H. H. Joachim, The

Complete Works ofAristotle, vol. 1, ed. Jonathan Barnes (Princeton: Princeton University

Press, 1984) 329a.

‘2

Aristotle, 0n Generation and Corruption 329-330. See also Aristotle,

Meteorologica, trans. H. D. P. Lee (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1962)

339 for a concise summary of the material presented in On Generation and Corruption.

"3 Aristotle, 0n Generation and Corruption 330b.

"4 Aristotle, 0n Generation and Corruption 330a.

Aristotle’s next assertion on the principles of elements and their properties is

14

what made his theories so useful to alchemists desiring the transmutation of metal. For

unlike Empedocles who, Aristotle notes, believed the elements to be " immutable, "45

Aristotle reasoned that the elements could be changed into one another, their forms

arising from two properties which, while immutable themselves, could be

manipulated.46

For this change to occur, the qualities of one element had to be destroyed and

then replaced with the qualities of another element. Aristotle proposed two theoretical

means for bringing this alteration about. The first requires that the element to be

transformed share one property with the element into which it is to be changed. The

theory is that one property will replace another, and the element will be altered. For

example, earth and water share the property of coldness, but water is moist while earth

is dry. If earth's dryness were to be overcome by moistness, it would become water.

Water cannot, however, become fire directly through this process because water and

fire lack common qualities. To create fire from water, water would first have to be

transformed into earth or air and then, from earth or air, fire could be generated. The

second process of change involves combining two elements and then removing one

quality from each; the remaining qualities would then form a third element. The

combination of water and fire, which would produce air, exemplifies this process.

Their combination would destroy the qualities of dry and cold, leaving the qualities of

 

‘5 Aristotle, 0n Generation and Corruption 329a.

4" Aristotle, 0n Generation and Corruption 3313 and Meteorologica 339.

15

heat and moisture, which rise as steam, or, as the elemental theorists perceived it, air.

Thus each element can become every other element through a process or series of

processes that alter the original qualities and hence the form."7

Aristotle did not, however, elaborate on the exact processes for overcoming one

element with another or destroying one element so as to leave the other intact and

alone. These are the processes that the alchemists sought in their workshops.

Aristotle's theories on elements and their ability to be transformed into one another

provided the background for alchemists to attempt the transmutation of metals--the

most profitable transmutation imaginable. Because Aristotle explained the means of

transmutation only generally, the refinement and perfection of specific methods for

altering metal became the pursuit of alchemists, with heating and distilling various

matters in various orders comprising the majority of workshop practices.

It is worth noting that Aristotle's theories on matter and form were generally

accepted in the Western world as standard elemental theory for almost 2000 years."8

The acceptance of Aristotelian assertions can be seen even among the leaders of early

Christianity, who theologized his ideas to meet their own understanding of how the

 

‘7 Aristotle, On Generation and Corruption 331a.

'8 The number of works on alchemy, its origins, and history, is extensive. A few

particularly good histories are Arthur John Hopkins, Alchemy, Child of Greek Philosophy

(New York: Columbia University Press, 1934) 1-82; Jack Lindsay, The Origins of

Alchemy in Graeco-Roman Egypt (New York: Barnes and Noble, 1970);

David C.

Lindberg, ed., Science in the Middle Ages. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978);

Eric John Hohnyard, Alchemy (Hannondsworth: Penguin 1957); and Sherwood F. Taylor,

The Alchemists: Founders of Modern Chemistry (London: Heinemann, 1951).

16

Christian God operated on earth to the benefit of his creation.49 Utilizing Aristotelian

theories of matter not only gave alchemists a theoretical base but also established their

credibility throughout the ancient and medieval periods.

The Development and Transmission of Alchemical Thought

Greek Alchemyso

Although Greek theories of matter exist from almost 500 BC. , the earliest

alchemical texts available today date no earlier than the third century AD. Known as

the Leiden papyri, these three writings contain material on alchemy and metallurgy,

with the third papyrus containing 101 recipes, all alchemical in nature, including

processes for making gold and purifying metals. There is also a papyrus at Stockholm

from the same period?1

The earliest Greek manuscripts are found in three sources: Venice, St. Mark's,

Marcianus Graecus 299; Paris, Bibliotheque nationale, Greek 2325; and Paris,

Bibliotheque nationale, Greek 2327, dating from the eleventh, thirteenth, and fifteenth

 

'9 In his work On the Nature of Man, Nemesius, the fourth-century bishop of

Emesa, writes, "For the Creator in his wisdom devised that, lest the elements or the bodies

made up of elements should ever by any means fail, the elements should be convertible

both into one another and into composite bodies, and that composite bodies should be

resolvable into elements again." See Nemesius of Emesa, "On the Nature of Man" and "Of

the Elements," The Library of Christian Classics, vol. 4, ed. William Telfer (London:

SCM Press, 1955) 224-57, 307-20.

so For more elaborate studies on the history of Greek alchemy, see Hopkins;

Lindsay; and Pierre Eugene Marcellin Berthelot, Collection des Anciens Alchimistes Grecs:

Texte et Traduction, vols. 2-4 (Paris: Georges Steinheil, 1888).

5‘ See F. Sherwood Taylor, "A Survey of Greek Alchemy," The Journal of

Hellenic Studies 50 (1930): 109-39.

17

centuries, respectively. Although more varied in content than the papyri, and including

allegorical alchemical narratives, dreams, and lists of alchemical symbols and

substances, the content of these manuscripts resembles that found in the Leiden papyri.

Hence, it is generally believed that these manuscripts are transcriptions of alchemical

works written at or near the same time as the Leiden and Stockholm papyri.52

Among the Leiden papyri and early manuscripts are writings attributed to

Democritus (died c. 357 BC), now known as pseudo-Democritus, an alchemist whom

many later practitioners cite as an authority. Dated AD. 100, pseudo-Democritus's

work represents the earliest known Greek alchemical text and fills four books, one each

on the making of gold, silver, gems, and purple. His recipes, along with those found

in the Leiden papyri, indicate that early alchemical writers and practitioners utilized the

recipes of craftsmen for making imitation jewelry and metals, and for coloring metals;

color was considered a characteristic important for identifying the quality of a metal.53

Zosimos of Panopolis (c. AD. 300) is another alchemist identified in the early

manuscripts.“ Credited with writing a twenty-eight-book encyclopedia on alchemy,

Zosimos's material is believed to derive from original thought as well as compilations

of earlier, now lost, works.55 Elaborating on fairly complex chemical operations with

 

5'2 Gareth Roberts, The Mirror of Alchemy: Alchemical Ideas and Images in

Manuscripts and Books from Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century (Toronto: University of

Toronto Press, 1994) 18-22.

53 John Reidy, ed., Thomas Norton 's The Ordinal of Alchemy, EETS 272 (London:

Oxford University Press, 1975) 53-55.

5" Roberts 22.

5’ Holrnyard 27.

18

metals and minerals, his writings exemplify the chemical understanding that had

developed since the time of pseudo-Democritus. Zosimos was most interested in the

transformation of metals from base to pure states through the use of chemicals that

destroyed the properties of the original (base) metallic substance and then transformed

it to a pure metal, such as gold.

Within his writings, Zosimos professes himself as a disciple of Mary the Jewess

(Maria Hebraea), a first-century alchemist, identified by Zosimos as one of the

"ancients." Mary the Jewess, often identified in early and medieval alchemical texts

with Miriam, the sister of Moses,56 is credited with invention of an efficient still,57 the

water bath (also called the bain-man’e or balneum Mariae),58 the hot ash bath, the

kerotakis,59 the clay of the philosophers (or philosopher's lute), and the dung bed."0

All of these instruments and processes played a significant role in the practice of

alchemy throughout its history.

 

5" Mary the Jewess is also referred to as Maria, Maria the Jewess, Miriam, and

Mary, sister of Moses or Aaron. See Reidy 55 and The Ordinal of Alchemy lines 2563,

2657.

57 See Taylor, The Alchemists 46-49 for excellent illustrations of this still, based

on the writings of Zosimos.

58 For an illustration of the bain-marie, see Raphael Patai, The Jewish Alchemists:

A History and Source Book (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994) 62.

59 Reidy 55 describes the kerotakis as "an instrument in which metals to be worked

on were held on a grating above a quantity of mercury .

.

.

. When this was heated the

resulting fumes attacked and dissolved the metals on the grating, and the liquid flowed

down into the heated mixture in the bottom .

.

.

. this apparatus could be used to produce

a continuous blackening, whitening, and yellowing of the heated mixture." For an

illustration of the kerotakis, see Patai 63.

6° Patai 60-65; see also Lindsay 243-47.

The significance of Zosirnos's writings lies not only in the alchemy that he,

19

discusses, however, but also in the language he incorporates to explain his craft.

Instead of a straightforward explanation, Zosimos utilizes symbolism and allegorical

language to add enigma to his writings, a style that remained characteristic of nearly all

later alchemical works.

The Secret Element of Alchemy

Although secrecy and concealment were part of alchemy's development among

the Greeks, it became such a profound element of the practice and so influenced the

development of the ideas surrounding the art that it warrants a separate sub-section.

From its earliest writings, the practice of alchemy was described in a

metaphorical, secret language. Symbol, allegory, and contradiction were used as

means to discuss alchemical principles while keeping these principles and processes

shrouded in mystery.“

The earliest example of this practice comes from the third century, in the

writings of Zosimos. The following example from Zosirnos's work illustrates this

style:

I fell asleep, and I saw a sacrificer standing before me, high up

on an altar, which was in the shape of a bowl. There were fifteen steps

leading up to the altar. And the priest stood there, and I heard a voice

from above saying to me: “I have performed the act of descending the

fifteen steps into the darkness, and of ascending the steps into the light.

And he who renews me is the sacrificer, by casting away the grossness

of the body; and by compelling necessity I am sanctified as a priest and

 

6' Roberts 66-68.

20

now stand in perfection as a spirit." And on hearing the voice of him

who stood upon the altar, I inquired of him who he was. And he

answered me in a fine voice, saying: “I am Ion, the priest of the inner

sanctuaries, and I submit myself to an unendurable torment. For there

came one in haste at early morning, who overpowered me, and pierced

me through with the sword, and dismembered me in accordance with the

rule of harmony. And he drew off the skin of my head with the sword,

which he wielded with strength, and mingled the bones with the pieces

of flesh, and caused them to be burned upon the fire of the art, till I

perceived by the transformation of the body that I had become spirit.

And that is my unendurable torment." And even as he Spoke thus, and I

held him by force to converse with me, his eyes became as blood. And

he spewed forth all his own flesh. And I saw how he changed into the

opposite of himself, into a mutilated anthroparion, and he tore his flesh

with his own teeth and sank into himself.

Full of fear I awoke from sleep, and I thought to myself: “is not

this the composition of the waters?" And I was assured that I had well

understood, and again I fell asleep."2

This quotation from Zosirnos's writings serves to illustrate how detailed and

elaborate the use of symbolic language and allegory became in alchemical texts and

treatises--and how early its origins were in the history of alchemy. As mentioned

earlier, within the alchemical processes, Zosimos was most interested in the

transformation of metals from base to pure states through the use of chemicals that

destroyed the properties of the original metallic substance and then subsequently

transformed it to a pure metal. In his allegory, Zosimos presents the original chemical

reaction as a violent death to the lesser metal, complete with violent purgings, followed

by the initial stages of transmutation.63

 

"2 Carl G. Jung, The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, ed. Sir Herbert Read, et al.,

trans. R. F. C. Hull, Bollingen Series 20 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1967)

63 Taylor, The Alchemists 65.

Two significant Greek alchemists who followed Zosirnos's style centuries later

21

were Stephanos of Alexandria (c. A.D. 610-641) and Archelaos (c. AD. 715).

Stephanos wrote two books on alchemy and his writings indicate how dominant secret

practices had become in alchemical thought and tradition: "The .

.

. wise man speaks

in riddles as completely as possible. "64 Apparently meaningless statements, in addition

to elaborate symbols, were not uncommon; the language of paradox permeates

alchemical texts: water burns, sexual union brings death, and destruction brings life.

Certain words and expressions, such as "our" (nostra) served to signal paradoxes: our

power is powerless; although everything in life is corruptible, our quinte essence is

incorruptible; our heaven is neither hot nor cold but can reduce hot and cold better than

any contrary. In paradox, language and symbol became one.“

The reasons behind this secrecy were many. Alchemists saw their work as

special, not just a mere mixing and heating of chemicals to acquire a new or better

substance, but an art, the means of unlocking the secrets of the universe. Furthermore,

as evidenced in Zosimos’s writings, alchemical processes had come to evoke mankind's

fallen state being regenerated to a nobler, more spiritual state of mind and existence.

This idea, having become commonplace in Greek alchemical thought, is furthered by

Archelaos's writings, which incorporate images from the amalgarnations of metals with

mercury as well as other alchemical operations to proclaim religious and mystical

 

6" Holmyard 30.

65 Roberts 69-70.

22

ideas."6 Many alchemists believed that their understanding and success came via

special knowledge and grace from God. Thus an alchemist needed to be prudent in his

practice, recognizing that not all those interested in alchemy were spiritually worthy of

its practice and power.67 So, while numerous alchemical texts explained alchemical

methods in great detail, the language of explanation was normally impossible to

decipher without the guidance of an adept to explain the secrets behind the symbols."8

Such care and respect for one's science was passed from one alchemist to

another, from the early Christian era to the Middle Ages. Thomas Norton’s Ordinal of

Alchemy provides a medieval example of this practice:

Maistrie ful mervelous & Archymastrie

Is the tyncture of holye Alchymye,

A wonderful science, secrete philosophic,

A Singular grace & gyfte of almyghtie,

which neuir was fownde bi labour of man,

But it bi teching or reuelacion bigan

It was neuir for money sold ne boght

Bi any man which for it hath sowght

But govyn to an able man bi grace

 

66 Holmyard 31-32.

"7 Stanislaus Klossowski de Rola, Alchemy: The Secret Art (London: Thames and

Hudson, 1973) 9.

68 C. A. Burland, The Arts of the Alchemists (New York: Macmillan, 1968) 7.

wrought with grete cost with long leiser & space.”

23

Curiously enough, Norton opens the Ordinal by promising the reader that his

text, unlike that of such ancient alchemical writers as "Hermes, Rasis, Gebere, and

Auycenn, / Merlyn, Ortolane, democrite, & morien / Bacon, and Raymonde, with

many auctours mo / [who] write vndir covert," will "shew the trouth in few wordis &

playne. "70 And yet he clearly indicates in the lines quoted above that alchemy is a

secret science that can only be understood through the grace of God's gifts.

Chaucer’s "Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale" also illustrates the prevalence of this idea:

“For this science and this konnyng," quod he,

“Is of the secree of the secretes, pardee." .

.

.

“Telle me the roote, good sire," quod he tho,

“Of that water, if it be youre wil."

“Nay, nay," quod Plato, “certein, that l nyl.

The philosophres sworn were everychoon

That they sholden discovere it unto noon,

Ne in no book it write in no manere.

For unto Crist it is so lief and deere

That he wol nat that it discovered bee,

But where it liketh to his deitee

Men for t’enspire, and eek for to deffende

 

"9 Ordinal of Alchemy, ll. 181-190.

70Ordinal of Alchemy, ll. 67-70a, 96.

Whom that hym liketh; 10 this is the ende."7'

24

Often, the worthy were picked by the ancient masters of the art, who "usually

(before they dyed) adopted one or other for their sonns, whom they knew well fitted

with such like qualities, as are sett downe in the letter that Norton's Master wrote to

him when he sent to make him Heire unto this science.

"72 The secrets of alchemy

portrayed as an inheritance passed down to a special son helped enhance the notion of a

secret society, with pseudo-spiritual links created between one generation and the next.

Other reasons for shrouding the art in secret language were more practical.

Some alchemists believed that if they succeeded in making gold artificially, their lives

would be in danger from greedy rulers anxious to exploit their skills73 or rulers

oppossed to the art."

 

7‘ Geoffrey Chaucer, "The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale," The Riverside Chaucer, ed.

Larry D. Benson, 3rd ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987) 281, 11. 1446-47, 1463-71.

72 Elias Ashmole, Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum: Containing Several! Poeticall

Pieces of our Famous English Philosophers, who Have Written the Hermetique Mysteries

in Their Owne Ancient Language (New York: Johnson Reprint, 1967) 440.

73 Holmyard 16.

74 Both Edward 111 and Henry V were reluctant in their support of astrologers

and alchemists, Henry V in particular, who saw a conflict between the practice and his

devout religious faith. See Hilary M. Carey, Courting Disaster: Astrology at the

English Court and University in the Later Middle Ages (New York: St. Martin’s Press,

1992) 79-81, 92-137.

Arabic Alchemy”

25

While the history and development of Greek alchemical thought, particularly the

development of workshop techniques and spiritual and secret symbolism, are significant

to alchemical practice in the Middle Ages, it is important to note that much of the

alchemical thought present in the Middle Ages came through Arabic texts. And while

many of these Arabic texts are translations or summaries of Greek texts, some also

contain alchemical ideas and practices of their own, ideas and practices that came to be

significant in alchemical methods of the Middle Ages, including those found in The

Consideration of Quintessence.

Alchemy in the Middle Eastern and later Islamic cultures came through the

travels of a sect of Nestorians, whose expulsions from various centers of learning

indirectly and directly carried alchemical ideas and principles throughout the Middle

East.76 In AD. 431, these Nestorians were expelled from Constantinople and settled in

Edessa, in the north of Syria, where they formed an active center of Greek learning.

Syria was rich in scientific and mathematical learning and, as a multi-cultural center

where such languages as Latin, Greek, Syriac, and Persian were current, Greek thought

was able to flourish.77

 

75 For more detailed histories of Arabic learning, see F. E. Peters, Allah 's

Commonwealth: A History of Islam in the Near East, 600-1100 A.D. (New York: New

York University Press, 1973); De Lacy O'Leary, How Greek Science Passed to the Arabs

(London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1949); and F. E. Peters, Aristotle and the Arabs: The

Aristotelian Tradition in Islam (New York: New York University Press, 1968).

7" Taylor, The Alchemists 76.

77 Taylor, The Alchemists 76.

These Nestorians were then expelled from Syria by the Greek Emperor in the

26

fifth century, and in AD. 489 moved to Nisibis in Mesopotamia, finally settling north

of Basra at Jundai-Shapur, the site of the Persian medical school, around AD. 500,

where they translated the Greek works into Syriac. The translations of the Nestorians

were later supplemented by those of Monophysites, heretics who were expelled from

Constantinople for their beliefs on the nature of Christ78 and who had migrated to Syria

and Persia during the sixth and seventh centuries.79

The rise of Islam in the seventh century, brought about by religious fervor

following the death of Muhammad in 632,80 carried Eastern ideas to Asia Minor, Syria,

Persia, Egypt, Africa, and Spain-—areas previously under the influence of Greek

learning-including ideas on alchemy.81 After 750, the learned Muslims in Baghdad so

embraced Greek learning and philosophy that such texts were translated extensively.82

While many alchemists practiced in the Arabic world, the most significant, in

terms of his contributions to the development of alchemy, was Abu Musa Jabir ibn

Hayyan, commonly known as Jabir or Geber (the Westemized form of Jabir), who

 

78 The MonOphysites insisted that Jesus Christ only possessed one nature, divine or

human, against the orthodox mystery and belief in Christ as fully human and fully divine.

See F. X. Murphy, "Monophysitism," New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967 ed.

79 Taylor, The Alchemists 76.

8° Lindberg 55.

8' Eric John Holmyard, ed., The Works of Geber Englished by Richard Russell,

1678: A New Edition with Introduction (London: Dent, 1928) x.

82 Taylor, The Alchemists 78.

27

flourished around AD. 760.83 Modern scholarship recognizes, however, that most of

the writings attributed to Jabir were probably written by a group of natural philosophers

who identified themselves as Ikwan al-safa or "Brethren of Purity" and believed in the

power of science to purify the soul.84 For ease of reference, however, these writings

will be referred to as Jabir’s throughout this introduction.

Jabir's writings reveal an author not only thoroughly familiar with Greek

alchemical thought but possessing alchemical ideas not found in known Greek alchemy.

At least some of Jabir's ideas are thought to be original; others are probably derived

from Greek works now lost.85 Jabir's writings correspond closely with Aristotle's

theory of the four elements from which all matter arises: fire, air, water, and earth;

however, Jabir believed that the four elemental qualities of hotness, coldness,

moistness, and dryness were present in metals in combinations of internal and external

qualities, i.e. , in qualities and quantities that varied in proportion to the metal. He

further theorized that all metals were formations arising from various proportional

combinations of mercury and sulfur, an idea that came to permeate alchemical thought

and lasted until the seventeenth century.86

One of the most significant of Jabir's practices was his application of medical

 

83 Holmyard, Works of Geber vii.

8" Paul Kraus, Jabir ibn Hayyan: Contribution a l'Histoire des Idees Scientifiques

darts l'Islam (Paris: Société d'Edition Les Belles Lettres, 1986) 30-316; see also William

Newman, rev. of Jabir ibn Hayyan: Contribution a l'Histoire des Ide’es Scientifiques dans

l'Islam, by Paul Kraus, Isis 79 (1988): 270-71.

85 Taylor, The Alchemists 80.

8" Holmyard, Alchemy 75.

28

theory to alchemical practices. Galenic medicine attributed illness to an excess of one

of the elements; treatment involved administering a substance whose elemental qualities

were directly opposite to the one in excess. For example, if an illness arose from an

excess of coldness, a medicine comprised of substances predominantly hot in their

elemental structure was administered to the diseased to bring about humoral balance.

Jabir applied this medical theory to metals. Believing that all metals were various

proportional combinations of sulphur and mercury, Jabir asserted that base metals could

be cured of their ill-proportions through the application of medicines, elixirs, to return

the metal to its pure, proportionally proper gold state. His theories on metals and their

transmutative properties included a belief in a supreme elixir (the Philosopher's Stone)

that could return all metals to the proper balance of mercury and sulphur found in gold

instantly upon contact.

Jabir's theory of balancing the elemental properties of metals was the most

significant and original contribution to the development of alchemical thought from the

tenth to the fifteenth century. Through a very complicated method of determining the

elemental composition of all things, particularly metals, based on the Arabic alphabet,

the Arabic system of weights and measures, and elemental qualities, Jabir believed he

could determine what elemental proportions were missing in the base metals, i.e. , those

that were not gold. He believed that an elixir could then be created to adjust their

ratios such that base metals would become gold, i.e., would achieve proper proportion,

upon contact with the elixir.

Jabir's elixir was made of pure elements broken down into specific proportions

29

so as to adjust and correct the elemental deficiencies of base metals. To determine the

elemental proportions of any substances and also to obtain the pure qualities, Jabir used

distillation, specifically distilling water to which he added a substance predominantly

dry, so as to draw the moist element from water, leaving, eventually (often after

hundreds and hundreds of distillations) only the quality of coldness. Jabir described

similar processes of distillation to obtain the moist, hot, and dry qualities.

In the same manner, but with a different goal, that is, analysis, Jabir distilled

organic substances--animal products, vegetables, even dung; from the latter most likely

came the production of sal armoniac. Jabir believed that the properties obtained from

these distillations could have significant medical applications and were worth

investigating. In his chapter "Of Solutive Waters and Incerative Oyls, " Jabir provides

instructions for distilling oil from whites and yolks of eggs as well as from human hair,

asserting that while these distillations are not as powerful as distillations from metals,

they do contain useful medicinal qualities. He also praises the idea behind such

unusual distillations, arguing that no one can state that he has not searched the world

thoroughly to obtain all the properties that matters contain.87

Jabir's search for medicinal substances through the elemental analysis of various

materials led to more specific and greater applications of Galenic medical theories.

Through distillation, practioners believed they obtained more precise elemental

breakdowns of matter--herbs, plants, fruit, and the like. These analyses provided a

greater variety of medicines to counteract humoral imbalances. When Jabir's theory of

 

87 Holmyard, The Works of Geber 224.

30

the universal elixir was applied to medicinal compounds, the beginning of medical

chemistry began--the foundation on which Rupescissa later wrote The Consideration of

Quintessence. 88

Jabir's theories of a supreme elixir as well as his intricate descriptions of

distillation and other laboratory practices--free from the secret language of many other

alchemical writings-greatly influenced the work of later Arabic alchemists and

ultimately, the Latin Western world, which received much of its knowledge of Greek

theory and alchemy from Arabic texts translated or paraphrased into Latin beginning in

the early twelfth century.89 Jabir's work provided the Western world with a solid base

of Greek alchemical theory and practice combined with an experimental approach that

reached beyond alchemical tradition, a combination that the Western world embraced

and applied.

 

88 Multhauf 359.

89 Gerard of Cremona, who translated more than one hundred Arabic scientific and

medical texts into Latin, was one of the most influencial twelfth-century translators.

Among his earliest translations was Jabir’s The Seventy Books, one of the four works by

Jabir considered most influencial in the development of alchemical thinking in Europe.

Part of the reason for the strength of this influence was timing; Gerard of Cremona’s

translation of The Seventy Books was among the earliest scientific texts available to the

Western world. See Holmyard, Alchemy 74-75 and 108-09.

Chinese Alchemy9O

31

While little doubt exists that the alchemy practiced in the Middle Ages has its

origins predominantly in Greek and Arabic alchemical practices, the presence of

Chinese elements within alchemy in the Middle Ages cannot be denied. Chinese

alchemy influenced Western alchemy in one particularly significant way--as a practice

to develop an elixir capable of giving eternal life or, at least, extending life beyond its

normal parameters. Such an alchemical theory and practice is not mentioned in

Hellenistic alchemical texts until the ninth century, by which time Chinese alchemical

textual ideas had infiltrated the west through Arabic alchemical writings.91 The

Chinese focus can be exemplified in terms of their view of gold. While Chinese

alchemists recognized gold's significance as a precious metal, they predominantly

valued it as in irnperishable substance that could extend life if consumed.92

When Chinese-influenced Arabic texts were translated into Latin in the twelfth

and thirteenth centuries, alchemy as a means to extend the length of life was

 

9° This historical material on Chinese alchemy represents but a sketch of the known

work. For more detailed studies of Chinese alchemy, see J. Needham, Science and

Civilisation in China, vols. 3 and 5 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974);

Nathan Sivin, Chinese Alchemy: Preliminary Studies (Cambridge: Harvard University

Press, 1968); A. Waley, "Notes on Chinese Alchemy, " Bulletin of the School of Oriental

Studies, London Institution 6 (1930): 1-24; and Lu-Ch'iang Wu and Tenney L. Davis, "An

Ancient Chinese Treatise on Alchemy Entitled Ts'an T'ung Ch'i: Written by Wei Po-Yang

about 142 AD," Isis 18 (1932): 210-89.

9‘ Taylor, The Alchemists 67-71, 75.

92 As the fourth century AD. Chinese alchemist Pao P’u Tzu notes in his poem:

"Why not try putting the Elixir into the mouth? / Gold by nature does not rot or decay;/

Therefore it is of all things most precious./ When the artist [alchemist] includes it in his

diet / The duration of his life becomes everlasting / .

.

. / The old dotard is again a lusty

youth; / The decrepit crone is again a young girl. " See Waley 11.

32

immediately embraced by some Western alchemists,93 transforming western alchemy

from a means of merely acquiring wealth to a means of sustaining and extending life.

The earliest evidence of alchemy being used to develop a substance, later called

the Stone or Philosopher's Stone in Western texts, that brought about the transmutation

of large quantities of gold and silver from base metals is also Chinese.94 The story of

Cheng Wei, who is not able to transmute quicksilver to fine silver until his wife adds a

small quantity of an unidentified substance to his heating container, which immediately

transforms the entire contents of the container to silver, illustrates this concept.95

Alchemy in the Middle Ages: Its Arrival in Europe96

During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, learning in Christian Europe entered

a new phase. As monastic schools evolved into cathedral schools in the eleventh

century, educating clergy and laymen, interest in learning increased.97 The rise of

universities in the twelfth century furthered this trend, with knowledge entering

 

93 Allen G. Debus, The English Paracelsians (London: Oldboume, 1965) 23.

9" Homer H. Dubs, "The Beginnings of Alchemy," Isis 38 (1947): 62-85, 78.

’5 Dubs 78.

9" As with the previous historical sections, this summary is not meant to be

exhaustive. For more elaborate studies on the transmission of Greek and Arabic knowledge

to Western Europe in the twelfth century, see Charles Homer Haskins, Studies in the

History of Mediaeval Science (New York: Frederick Ungar, 1960) and Lynn Thorndike,

History of Magic and Experimental Science, vols. l and 2 (New York: Columbia

University Press, 1923).

97 Richard Kieckhefer, Magic in the Middle Ages (Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press, 1990) 117.

33

Western Europe through Spain, Sicily, and the Latin kingdoms founded by crusaders.

Scientific texts and treatises were among the earliest works translated into Latin, and

their subject matter soon attracted great interest throughout Europe.98 Among the early

investigators into alchemy were Albertus Magnus, Roger Bacon, and Thomas

Aquinas.99 This great interest created an explosive demand for Latin medical and

scientific texts. By the thirteenth century, hundreds of Arabic scientific texts, many

alchemical, were being translated or paraphrased into Latin and spread throughout

Europe. By the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, hundreds of these Latin works were

being translated into the vernacular,100 particularly into Middle English.101 From the

twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, the number of Latin scientific manuscripts produced

continued to increase throughout Europe. '02

Furthermore, by the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, many alchemical texts

were being written by Europeans who found the initial Latin translations from the

 

98 Charles Homer Haskins, The Rise of Universities (Ithaca: Great Seal Books,

1957) 46. For specific information on those scientific texts that were translated, see also

William Newman, "Technology and Alchemical Debate in the Late Middle Ages" Isis 80

(1989): 425-27.

99 Taylor, The Alchemists 96-100. As students of alchemy, these three men were

often cited as the authors of hundreds of alchemical texts, few or none of which were

actually written by them.

'00 Lindberg 70.

10‘ Voigts, "Scientific and Medical Books" 345.

‘02 In the twelfth century, the number of Latin medical manuscripts is twice that

available in the eleventh century. In the thirteenth century, this figure increases more

than six-fold; and in both the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries these figures double

again. See Robbins 393.

34

Arabic too obscure for practical application. Scholastic thinkers desired a systematic

approach to alchemical theory and practice, an approach not often found in the

translated Arabic works. Thus, the Europeans who embraced the scientific learning

that came from the Arabic world began to write on and develop it themselves. ‘03

Perhaps the earliest example of this new writing is Roger Bacon's Opus

Tertium, written in approximately 1250. In this work, Bacon distinguishes between

speculative and operative alchemy, that is, the theories of matter and their

transforrnative characteristics, and the operations to achieve these transformations in the

alchemical workshop. 10"

It is to this school of thinkers and writers that John of

Rupescissa belongs.

Medicine and Alchemy

Alchemy has historically focused on the transmutation of base metals to gold,

sometimes silver. However, as mentioned above in the section on Arabic alchemy, the

theories and practices of Jabir, particularly his work on determining the precise

humoral breakdowns for various substances in order to achieve proper humoral

balance, contributed greatly to medical developments within the alchemical tradition.

Jabir's notion of the supreme elixir, which would alter the corrupt balance of

humors in base metals to that proper balance found in gold and silver, was drawn by

analogy from Galenic medicine, which asserted that medicine should be administered to

 

‘03 Taylor, The Alchemists 109.

'04 Taylor, The Alchemists 97.

35

the sick so as to bring the disturbed humors back into proper proportion. When Jabir

applied the idea of the supreme elixir to this concept in order to advocate "healing"

metals, that is, bringing them to the proper humoral balance of gold, he also,

indirectly, introduced the idea of the supreme elixir into medical practice.

So important were Jabir's works in western alchemical tradition that alchemy

and medicine were closely linked in the Western scientific tradition from at least the

time of Roger Bacon, with the link focusing on the created elixir that had the power not

only to transform metals but to perfect the physical human life. ‘05 In Opus Tertium,

Roger Bacon notes the link between alchemy and medicine in addition to its metal-

based value:

Et hujusmodi scientia est major omnibus przecedentibus, quia majores utilitates

producit. Nam non solum expensas et alia infinita reipublica: potest dare, sed

docet invenire talia, qua: vitam humanam possunt prolongare in multa tempora,

ad qua: per naturam produci potest.

.

.

. Htec igitur scientia habet utilitates

hujusmodi proprias; sed tamen certificat alkirniam speculativarn per opera sua,

et ideo certificat naturalem philosophiam et medicinam: et hoc patet ex libris

medicorum. ‘06

 

‘05 Michela Pereira, " 'Mater Medicinarum': English Physicians and the Alchemical

Elixir in the Fifteenth Century," Paper presented at the conference "Practical Medicine

After the Black Death," organized in Cambridge, England by the Cambridge Wellcome

Unit for the History of Medicine and the C.S.I.C. of Barcelona, 1992.

‘06 Roger Bacon, Opera Quaedam Hactenus Inedita, vol. 1, Opus Tertiam, ed. J.

S. Brewer (London: Longman, 1859) 40. "And science of this sort is greater than all

previous [sciences], because it produces greater uses. For instance, it is able to provide

not only payments [monetary] and other indefinite things to the republic, but teaches how

Whereas Jabir saw the elixir as linked to metals and physical science, Bacon

36

broadened his idea to a more general doctrine of material change, based on the prime

matter (prima materia) from which all matter rose. Bacon's expanded notion of the

elixir greatly affected medical pharmacology, with its virtues considered greater than

all other medicines available. Bacon's idea of a universal elixir appeared in several

early fourteenth-century works, including the Rosarium attributed to Arnold of

Villanova, the Testamentum attributed to Raymond Lull, and the works of the English

alchemist John Dastin.107

The virtues of Roger Bacon's elixir are paralleled by those of John of

Rupescissa's quintessence. Rupescissa, however, was the first to associate alcohol with

the quintessence. '08 Alcohol, with its burning effect on the throat of the imbiber, came

to be associated with special powers, specifically the powers of the elements. Aqua

vitae, water of life, and aqua ardens, burning water, were names soon given to this

potent drink. And the potency of the drink was not only attributed to its obviously

intoxicating effects; it was also believed to be endowed with medicinal powers.

In Rupescissa's pharmaceutical schema, the power pereceived as present in the

quintessence of alcohol was combined with the materia medica of Galenic humoral

 

to discover such things which can prolong human life in many cases, in so far as it can be

brought about by nature. .

.

. This science therefore has proper uses of this sort; but

nevertheless it confirms speculative alchemy throughout its works, and therefore it

corroborates natural philosophy and medicine: and this is clear from the books of

physicians" (translation mine).

“’7 Hohnyard, Alchemy 119-25, 148-52.

'08 Needham, vol. 5, part 4, 122.

37

medicine, that is, quintessence was mixed with various herbs and plants traditionally

used in Galenic medicine to balance the bodily humors. This mixing was believed by

Rupescissa to produce a more potent drug--the quintessence of the medicinal plant or

material, what we would now call an extract.

Alchemy in England

Although an understanding of the origin of John of Rupescissa's ideas and

methods helps place The Consideration of Quintessence in its historical context, the

place of alchemy within England must also be considered. The Consideration of

Quintessence is, after all, a translation from the Latin and, thus, possesses a history as

a Latin text and a history as a Middle English text. Apart from the undisputed

popularity of The Consideration of Quintessence in the fourteenth and fifteenth

centuries throughout Europe, what ideas were developing in England that led an

anonymous writer to translate Rupescissa's work?

Public records and a large number of alchemical texts place alchemy's

beginnings in England in the first quarter of the fourteenth century, with the public

records predominantly focused on preventing swindling and exploitation.109 These

concerns culminated in 1403-1404 with the passing of a statute forbidding the

multiplying of metals upon pain of death. ”0 Nonetheless, more than twenty persons in

 

"’9 Taylor, The Alchemists 123.

”0 A. Luders, ed. The Statutes of the Realm, vol. 2 (London, 1816) 144, cited in

Taylor, The Alchemists 124.

38

the fifteenth century obtained licenses from the king to practice alchemy, indicating that

the statute sought to suppress fraudulent alchemy, not the pursuit of the science itself.1”

Among the many alchemical writings that began to appear in England in the

early fourteenth century are a number of the texts attributed to Raymond Lull.

Although dated around 1330 in the manuscripts, the texts were probably written

somewhat later. These pseudo-Lullian treatises, however, are of particular interest to

students of English alchemy because they comprise the chief source of material utilized

by the school of English alchemists.112

In terms of The Consideration of Quintessence, the fact that pseudo-Lullian

material played a major role in English alchemy, and hence the resultant translation of

Rupescissa's first alchemical work into English, cannot be denied. Among the ideas

with which Raymond Lull is inappropriately credited is that of the quintessence as the

original matter that gave rise to all other matter (the four elements), and that this

original matter contains a measure, albeit invisible, of a fifth, or heavenly matter, that

can bring about the changes of transmutation.”3

Although Lull's work was focused more on metallic transmutation than

medicinal preparations, the idea of a powerful fifth essence present in all matter had

significant ramifications in alchemical history and medical developments. ”4 And its

 

1“ Taylor, The Alchemists 124-125.

”2 Taylor, The Alchemists 127.

”3 See Michela Pereira, The Alchemical Corpus Attributed to Raymond Lull

(London: The Warburg Institute, 1989) 11-15.

”4 Multhauf 360.

39

presence in popular fourteenth-century English writings probably helped give credence

to John of Rupescissa's ideas of applying alchemical theories and practices to medicinal

potions.

Parallels in Astronomy/Astrology

Although few alchemists based the timing of their laboratory processes and

experiments on the motions in the heavens, as many physicians did for medical

operations, the link between the ancient and medieval understanding of cosmology and

its subsequent link to alchemical practices deserves mention.

Perhaps the best explanation for how the ancient and medieval people

understood the relationship between the cosmos and earth is summarized in the

"Emerald Table" of Hermes Trismegistus: "True it is, without falsehood, certain and

most true. That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below

is like to that which is above, to accomplish the miracles of one thing. "”5 According

to the ancient and medieval world View, events on earth, day-to-day or monumental,

were directly influenced by the motions in the heavens (astronomy), such that if one

could comprehend the motions in the heavens, one could predict the events on earth

(astrology).”6 Hence, what modern scientists call astronomy was merely the theoretical

 

“5 R. Singer and D. W. Steele, trans, "The Emerald Table," qtd. in Hohnyard

Alchemy 97.

“6 As Peter Brown notes, however, this simple mechanism of explaining earthly

life and events (the microcosm) through the movements of the heavens (the macrocosm)

requires an understanding of numerous scientific theories (the science of physiognomy, the

theory of complexions, and the theory of prime qualities, for example) before it can

means to understand astrology; the two were intimately linked.”7

40

Furthermore, materials on earth, such as metals, were realizations of events and

occurrences in the heavens. In the case of metals, specific planets and their attributes

manifested themselves in the properties of certain metals. Each of the seven planets

was believed to correspond to a particular metal. The sun corresponded to gold, the

moon to silver, Mercury to mercury (quicksilver), Venus to copper, Mars to iron,

Jupiter to tin, and Saturn to lead.118 And this correspondence was also visible in

personal characteristics.

Likewise, the planets possessed elemental qualities: Saturn was cold and dry;

Mars was hot and dry; Jupiter and Venus were hot and moist; Mercury was common,

that is, it embraced the properties of the planet most strongly influencing it--thus

Mercury was dry with the sun and moist with the moon; the moon was cold and moist;

and the sun was hot and dry. The moon, which was the closest planet to earth, exerted

 

actually be applied and understood; it

is more complex than it initally appears.

Furthermore, while the macrocosm-microcosm worldview appears to be a complete system

for explaining the human condition, its determinism is undermined repeatedly in the

Middle Ages when viewed through the lens of Christian theology, particularly the belief

in free will. Thomas Aquinas spoke directly against the belief that the stars had ultimate

power in Christian life. See Peter Brown, "The Seven Planets,” Popular and Practical

Science of Medieval England, ed. Lister M. Matheson (East Lansing: Colleagues Press,

1994) 3-5; and Raymond Klibansky, Erwin Panofsky, and Fritz Saxl, Saturn and

Melancholy (London: Nelson, 196), 183-185.

“7 Roger French, "Astrology in Medical Practice," Practical Medicine from

Salerno to the Black Death, eds. Luis Garcia-Ballester, Roger French, Jon Arrizabalaga,

and Andrew Cunningham (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994) 30-34.

”8 Titus Burckhardt, Alchemy: Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul, trans.

William Stoddard (Dorset: Element Books, 1986) 76.

41

the greatest influence on terrestrial fluids and consequently was the cause of the

increase or decrease of humoral fluid in man. Which humors the moon affected

depended on the Sign of the zodiac in which it was moving, which changed frequently

(with a new sign every 2.25 to 2.5 days). When the moon moved through a particular

zodiacal sign, that sign's properties as well as those of the planets with which it was

then in conjunction influenced the balance of man's cardinal humors, sometimes to the

point of illness.

Thus, when illness was diagnosed, the cause was understood to be from the

influence of those heavenly bodies, in conjunction with the moon, that affect the

corresponding qualities in man's cardinal humors.

The Other History of Alchemy

Before we examine what elements of alchemy were most dominant in John of

Rupescissa's Consideration of Quintessence, there is one other historical element of

alchemy that must be examined and understood if one is to fully appreciate the theories

and ideas set forth in Rupescissa's text (and most alchemical texts)--the history of

alchemy as understood by practicing alchemists, the mythological history, as it were.

While twentieth-century scholars consider the history of medieval alchemy to lie

in early Greek and Egyptian, even some Chinese, thought, the alchemists practicing in

the Middle Ages saw their art as much older, as signified by its presence, as they saw

it, throughout scripture”9 and early myths. For practicing ancient and medieval

42

alchemists, alchemy's origin and practice were not outgrowths of Aristotelian theories

of matter (although Aristotle was credited with alchemical understanding), but a natural

outgrowth of divine creation itself.

Its practice was believed to have existed since

before the time of Adam, with God portrayed as the first alchemist, and the act of

creation as described in the first (or Priestly [P] text) creation story of Genesis120 as the

first divine chemical separation, in which creation was brought about through various

stages of alchemical separation, the first being the separation of the four elements. The

second stage was the separation of the firrnament from the fire, the separation of spirits

and dreams from air, the separation of fish, salt, and marine plants from water, and the

separation of wood, stone, animals and land plants from the earth. The separation

process continued to a third stage with the separation of matters from objects that had

already been differentiated; thus dung was separated from human and animals rather

than directly from the earth. These separations continue through the fourth stage when

reduction to original primary matter, is reached. For the alchemist, therefore, alchemy

was the universal chemical philosophy that controlled all of life and nature.121

 

“9 See Patai 18-46 for an in-depth study of biblical figures as alchemists and

alchemy in the scriptures.

‘20 Genesis 1-2z4, not Genesis 2:4-23. The identification of this creation story as

“Priestly” is found in studies of Genesis, specifically Bernhard W. Anderson,

Understanding the Old Testament, 4th ed. (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1986) 21.

121 Debus 25-26. See also Joseph Quercetanus (Joseph Duchesne), The Practise of

Chymicall, and Hermeticall Physicke, trans. Thomas Tymme (London: up, 1605) and

Allen G. Debus, "An Elizabethan History of Medical Chemistry," Annals of Science 18

(1962): 1-29 for examples of this type of history.

According to Vincent de Beauvais (d. 1264), Adam was the first teacher of

43

alchemy;122 he was also believed to have been "indowed with singular knowledge,

wisdom and light of nature" before the fall,123 possessing a unique knowledge of the

secrets of nature, including the Philosopher's stone. Alchemists claimed evidence of

Adam’s understanding of the mysteries of life and the universe by the mere length of

his life. As the author of Gloria Mundi notes, “he [Adam] would not have been able to

prolonge his life to the age of three hundred (let alone nine hundred) years [without

understanding the secrets of life revealed only by alchemical means]."124 Even Milton's

assertion that Adam knew just how to name the objects of creation because of his clear

and perfect understanding of them reflects this belief. ”5 After the fall, Adam's

knowledge, though still more complete than that of anyone who followed him, falters;

it is the true, enlightened knowledge of Adam, knowledge lost in the Fall, that

alchemists seek in their workshops and theories.

Christ, the second Adam, was also viewed as an adept in the art of alchemy,

with at least part of his redemptive act being to unite humankind with the knowledge of

the physical and spiritual world that had been lost in the Fall. Christ's transmutation of

 

12 Vincent de Beauvais, Speculum Maius, pt. 1 Speculum Naturale (Venice, 1591),

f. 82a, quoted in Patai l9.

‘23 Robert Bostocke, Difference Betwene the Auncient Phisicke .

.

. and the Latter

Phisicke (1585), qtd. in Debus, “Elizabethan History," 5.

'2‘ Arthur Edward Waite, ed., "Gloria Mundi," The Hermetic Museum, Restored

and Enlarged (York Beach, Maine: S. Weiser, 1990) 236.

‘25 John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book VIII, 11. 342-363, esp. 352-354a: "1 [Adam]

named them [birds and animals], as they passed, and understood / Their nature, with such

knowledge God endued / My sudden apprehension. "

44

water into wine in the Gospel of John126 as well as his miracles of healing found

throughout the gospels were, for ancient and medieval alchemists, examples of his

practicing material transmutation throughout his life;‘27 his transmutative acts even lent

credence to alchemy's association with higher spiritual purposes. In the Gloria Mundi,

for example, Christ is identified directly with the philosopher’s stone, “The earthly

philosopher’s stone is the true image of the real spiritual and heavenly stone, Jesus

Christ.”128 And in Chaucer’s "Canon's Yeoman’s Tale," Christ is identified as the

guardian of alchemical secrets:

For unto Crist it is so lief and deere

That he wol nat that it discovered bee,

But where it liketh to his deitee

Men for t’enspire, and eek for to deffende

Whom that hym liketh; 10 this is the ende. ‘29

The persons of Christ and God the Father, however, were not the only members

of the Trinity identified with alchemical practice; alchemists considered the entire

Trinity as representative of the three principles of matter: sulphur, mercury, and salt.

130

Following these early theories of a greater pre-Iapsarian understanding of true

 

‘26 John 2: 1-11.

'27 Holmyard, Alchemy 159.

‘28 The Hermetic Museum 181.

‘29 Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale," 281, 11. 1467-1471.

13° Alison Coudert, Alchemy: The Philosopher ’s Stone (London: Wildwood

House, 1980.) 89.

45

nature came the belief that the alchemical concepts lying behind all of nature were

more fully understood by the ancients, biblical, historical, or mythological-~that is, by

those closer in time to pre-lapsarian perfection. Practicing alchemists, therefore,

discern alchemical principles, often secretly hidden and visible only to the initiated, in

a myriad of ancient texts and stories, of which the creation story in Genesis is but the

first. Many alchemists viewed the Song of Solomon as an alchemical treatise written in

symbolic language. '3' Even the death and resurrection of Christ are made to parallel

the death of immature metals that can be reborn though the salvation of the

philosopher's stone to gold.

Other ancient alchemists, according to alchemical practitioners describing their

own history, include Noah, Moses, David, Solomon, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato,

Aristotle, Homer, Virgil, Ovid, and Saint John the Evangelist.132 Among the ancient

non-biblical texts interpreted alchemically is the legend of Jason, in which the valuable

and cherished golden fleece brought from Colchis was taken by some to be a

manuscript version of an alchemical treatise that outlined how to make gold. '33 These

theories of origin and ancestry provided authority to alchemical practitioners, who saw

the ancient world as the font of learning and their work as an attempt to recapture

knowledge that had been lost specifically in the fall from grace and generally over

time. Ancient non-Judeo-Christian myths also supported the claim of timelessness that

 

‘3' Holmyard, Alchemy 28.

”2 Roberts 16.

‘33 Holmyard, Alchemy 28.

46

alchemists made for their art. Finally, the belief in alchemists from biblical times and

the presence of alchemical secrets hidden in the scriptures lent a spiritual authority to

the alchemical process that helped legitimize alchemical practices among the

uninitiated.

The Alchemy of The Consideration of Quintessence

Before beginning the detailed discussion of alchemy within Rupescissa's

Consideration of Quintessence, I provide a brief outline of the text: all the canons in

Book I and all the remedies in Book II.

Book I

Canon 1: The body inevitably decays and dies over time, as attested by scripture,

human experience, and observation. To preserve the body, then, one must seek that in

life which is incorruptible: quintessence. What quintessence is. How quintessence fits

within the humoral scheme. That quintessence can preserve life and health until the

time ordained by God.

Canon 2: What quintessence is and how it is made. Quintessence as a form of aqua

ardens, only stronger and better smelling through repeated distillations.

Canon 3: The extraction of quintessence from all matters-~blood, flesh, eggs, fruit,

herbs. How to reduce a substance to its four elemental parts.

Canon 4: How to make quintessence from gold, the greatest source for making the

most medicinally powerful quintessence.

Canon 5: Theory on the virtues of quintessence and information on how to draw the

incorruptible property of all matter into quintessence.

47

Canon 6: How to make quintessence from hot things in the first degree, that is, what

herbs, fruits, etc. contain the property of hotness that when placed in quintessence will

yield medicinal heat in the first degree (to treat illnesses resulting from a mild excess of

coldness). Information on matters that will yield heat in the second, third, and fourth

degrees for illnesses of progressively worse degrees of coldness.

Canon 7: How to make quintessence from cold things in the first, second, and fourth

degrees (the third degree is skipped in Ferguson 205).

Canon 8: How to make quintessence from dry things in the first, second, third, and

fourth degrees to treat illnesses of excess moistness.

Canon 9: How to draw quintessence from moist things in the first, second, third, and

fourth degrees so as to provide moisture for our bodies at need and will. An aside on

the previous four canons, noting which materials contain two medicinal properties. A

summary of Aristotle's theory of combinations and contraries. '34 An explanation of the

four degrees of hot, cold, moist, and dry: what they treat and when they harm.

Canon 10: How to make quintessence so as to remove wood or iron from our bodies,

i.e. , remains from weapon wounds.

Canon 11: How to make quintessence to purge corrupt humors from the body, with

particular ingredients listed to correspond to corruptions or excesses of particular

humors.

Canon 12: How to make quintessence so as to effect constraining in the body,

 

‘34 Aristotle, On Generation and Corruption 329a-331a.

48

specifically the bowels.

Canon 13: How to draw quintessence from gold.

Book II

Remedy 1: To cure the weakness of old age and return one to the heartiness of

youthfulness with the quintessence of gold and pearl.

Remedy 2: To bring an apparently

135

or nearly dead person back to life through the

quintessence of gold.

Remedy 3: To cure leprosy that results from an imbalance of the humors, not the

leprosy that comes as a punishment from God. Utilizes quintessence of strawberries.

Remedy 4: To cure skin diseases.

Remedy 5: To cure palsy.

Remedy 6: To cure wasting diseases.

Remedy 7: To cure mental hallucinations, particularly of a lewd nature.

Remedy 8: To cure weakness and tirnidity.

Remedy 9: A remedy against witchcraft.

Remedy 10: To cure itching and lice.

Remedy 11: To cure the poisoned and render venom ineffective.

Remedy 12: To cure the fever quartan and melancholy.

Remedy 13: To cure illnesses arising from medicines, particularly laxatives.

 

‘35 The text is not entirely clear on what “apparently dead" is; perhaps a coma-like

state is what is indicated.

49

Remedy 14: To cure quartan fever.

Remedy 15: To cure tertian fever.

Remedy 16: To cure quotidian fever.

Remedy 17: To cure sharp fevers and madness.

Remedy 18: To cure emitrichie fever.

Remedy 19: To cure the fever pestilence.

Remedy 20: To cure a fever caused by cramp.

John of Rupescissa's treatise opens with words that immediately help us place

The Consideration of Quintessence in its intellectual-historical context: "The furst boke

of the consideracion of quynte essence of alle thinges that mowe bee changid fro oone

kynde to an other." These words indicate that Rupescissa adheres to at least some of

the transmutation theories that permeate all alchemical texts, although unlike most

texts, which focus on the transmutation of metals, these words hold forth the promise

that this text will consider the properties of "alle thinges. " This consideration, in

detail, of "alle thinges" as well as the explanation in the third canon of how to extract

quintessence from all matter, including blood, flesh, and plants, places Rupescissa's

theories within the school of Jabir, who first analyzed the properties of such organic

substances in order to understand their humoral composition more precisely. That

Rupescissa categorizes the strength of elements to four degrees further exemplifies the

relationship of his work to Jabir's, who desired and sought precise analyses of

substances to yield medicinal properties.

Rupescissa's belief that he can draw quintessence from all substances, however,

50

not just determine their elemental components, further narrows his historical

relationship to Roger Bacon, whose belief that all matter contained prime matter was

embraced and expanded by Rupescissa. Bacon's elixir becomes Rupescissa's

quintessence. This quintessence is then mixed with the ideas found in Galenic medicine

to create potent remedies that not only cure illness but renew life, returning it to its

pristine, balanced state.

Rupescissa's next statement, attributing alchemical understanding to the grace of

Christ, reveals the spiritual value he places on alchemical practice. Like the alchemists

who came before him and who acknowledged that alchemical insight came through the

grace of God, Rupescissa stresses his reliance on Christ. While Rupescissa probably

did not view Christ as an alchemist, he acknowledges Christ’s role in imparting

mystical knowledge to lowly humans.

Continuing along spiritual lines, Rupescissa takes care to warn his readers that

eternal life cannot be obtained in the physical world; citing numerous Old and New

Testament passages, he establishes his place within alchemical tradition, in this instance

as one reacting against one of its ideologies. As mentioned earlier, Chinese alchemical

philosophy placed obtaining eternal life at its center--and some of these ideas had

entered Arabic alchemical texts, which in turn had entered the Western world and

become commonplace within some alchemical theories. Rupescissa’s adament denial of

this belief system indicates his strong desire to divorce himself from this aspect of the

51

art, an aspect that he clearly views as heretical.136 And yet, in embracing the ideology

of the quintessence as the underlying substance of all matters in the world and

identifying the quintessence as possessing an incorruptible power, Rupescissa accepts

the life-giving possibilities within alchemical practice, christianizing them by explaining

that the mystical powers of quintessence are effective only within the confines of God’s

order.

Pseudo-historical references provided to give ancient authority to The

Consideration of Quintessence include references in the second book to Tobit. In this

portrayal, the Archangel Raphael is understood as an alchemical adept sent by God to

instruct Tobias in the arts of alchemy. Raphael, who teaches Tobias how to use the

viscera of a fish for medicinal purposes, demonstrates the power available from earme

matter endowed with Godly power, “be vertue that God hath wroughte in bestes" (f.

38r). Through God’s grace and his messengers, some of whom are traditionally

understood to be alchemists, the secret powers of created matter, lost to human

understanding in the Fall, can be brought to light to benefit those desiring the will of

God, as did Tobias. And, just as the knowledge of how to utilize fish viscera

medicinally is available only to those who knowledgeably heed God’s word, so are

other elements of alchemy secret and inaccessible to the unleamed and uninitiated.

Rupescissa repeatedly refers to his knowledge of the power of quintessence as hidden

 

'36 On f. 1, Rupescissa quotes Saint Paul, identifying him as a "trewe" philosopher

and quoting his words that all men are ordained to die. He also notes other places in

scripture, called by Rupescissa "holy writte," which show that God "hath sette and

ordeyned to euery man a term of life. " By contrast, disbelief in these assertions could be

viewed as heretical and unchristian.

from contemporary physicians and other alchemical practitioners, who strive in vain to

52

achieve the results he has obtained through the quintessence.

In addition to his devotion to the ancient, albeit legendary, authority of

alchemy, Rupescissa’s work reflects an understanding of the theoretical origins of

alchemy within Aristotelian theories of matter and how they relate to transmutation.

Early within The Consideration of Quintessence, Rupescissa outlines the origin of all

matter for his readers, and in the ninth canon summarizes Aristotle’s ideas on the

contraries.

While the theories of the macrocosm’s influence on earthly life do not play a

major role within The Consideration of Quintessence, Rupescissa indicates his

familiarity with these theories and his adherence to them in various parts of the text,

particularly regarding types of illnesses and their origins in planetary influences. In his

discussion of demons that consort with humans,137 for example, Rupescissa details the

virtues and vices of each of the planets, cursing the ill effects of Saturn, Mars, and the

moon, and praising the positive powers of the sun and Jupiter.

The evil influence of Saturn is a topic on which Rupescissa focuses specifically

and frequently. In his discussion of the ninth remedy--against witchcraft, sorcery, and

devils--Rupescissa states that demons love the matters that have the complexion of

Mars, Saturn, and the moon, such as lead and bad smelling things. He states that those

affected by the influences of these planets often suffer from epilepsy and demonic

possession. He even acknowledges the dark power of necromancy, provided it is

 

‘37 ff. 39r-40v (pp. 222, l. 1 to 226, l- 3)

53

wrought under the observance of the moon, without which it is impotent.138 Finally, he

states that the influences of Saturn parallel the dark, dank conditions of hell and

demonstrate spite toward God. During his explanation of the twelfth remedy--to cure

quartan fever and melancholy--he notes that the fever derives from excessive and

corrupt melancholy, the earthly humor ruled by the movements of Saturn. Saturn's

influence on the spread of pestilence, along with the influence of Mars and Mercury, is

discussed in the nineteenth remedy,‘39 with specific characteristics of illness cited for

each planet. Thus, while Rupescissa does not provide information on when his

remedies should be administered, he is aware of the cosmology behind illness.

Rupescissa's awareness of cosmology and its effect on diseases and plagues as

well as its place within his concoctions further establishes his alchemical treatise as

medical. Rupescissa's concerns are not with metallic transformation but the obtaining

of heavenly properties from earthly matters to heal and strengthen the sick, according

to the will of God. His goals are those of a physician, one who utilizes historically

alchemical principles to enhance medical pharmacology. Rupescissa's work provided

the foundation for later medical advances, particularly those of the sixteenth century.”0

Since at least the time of Zosimos, alchemical explanations have been rife with

metaphorical language and images--both to hinder and to enhance a reader's

understanding of the transmutation process. And Rupescissa, despite his

 

‘38

f. 39v (pp. 223, 11. 2-4).

'39

f. 48r-49r (pp. 246-50).

”0 Multhauf 366-67.

54

straightforward explanation of the theories of alchemical change and power, and his

detailed outline of how to put alchemical theories into practice, utilizes some traditional

alchemical imagery and language in his writings, illustrating the historical paradoxical

writing style even while attempting to make the alchemical process lucid.

The most common paradoxical explanations used by Rupescissa surround

quintessence itself, which is part of all corruptible things but not corruptible itself; is

able to act as a contrary to each of the elements but possesses none of the elements'

qualities; is from God, a type of heaven, but intimately connected to matter on earth;

cannot be seen but is present in all matter. The very basis for Rupescissa's alchemical

theories and medicines cannot be logically understood by a reader undeducated in

alchemical theory.

Rupescissa also uses the term "oure, " as in "oure heuene," regularly. The use of

“our" as a prefix to a noun is part of the secret alchemical language that renders

apparently simple terms complex. In using “our," for example, an alchemist changes

the standard, ordinary sense of a word to a secret, even opposite meaning. Such a

definition renders a text difficult to decipher, like a riddle, much as alchemists would

desire. In The Consideration of Quintessence, "oure heuene" generally refers to

quintessence, heaven on earth as well as other, less obvious definitions, such as still.

The idea that “heaven on earth" is obtainable through an alchemical procedure conveys

the idea that a mortal can possess a form of heaven, physically in the primary matter

that permeates all creation and spiritually in the proper use of this material. Such a

concept remains steeped in paradox while conveying special knowledge to adepts; in

55

this instance, that which is invisible, eternal, otherworldly, and of God is obtainable

and exploitable by mortals in the visible, finite, mortal world. "Our sunne" is another

phrase common in the text, referring to gold, the planet of the sun, and all the powers

within both. While an alchemist or astrologer would immediately perceive the varied

meanings conveyed by “our sun,” and derive the proper usage from context, the phrase

would be puzzling to the unitiated and would maintain the secrets inherent in

alchemical procedures.

Thus, even while John of Rupescissa strives to make his text accessible to his

readers, he cannot escape the writing tradition that surrounded alchemy from its earliest

recordings. Even as Rupescissa’s ideas influence and advance the development and

focus of alchemical theory and practice, his work is linked to its historical origins.

The Manuscripts

In his study of John of Rupescissa and the De Consideratione Quintae Essentiae

(hereafter referred to by the English title The Consideration of Quintessence),141 Lynn

Thorndike notes that unlike most of the many other alchemical texts being written and

 

”1 The Liber de Consideratione de Quintae Essentiae has been given several names,

such as Liber de Consideratione de Quintae Essentiae Omnium Rerum, Liber de

Consideratione de Quintae Essentiae, De Famulatu Philosophie, Liber de Secretum

Naturae, The Book of the Consideration of Quinte Essence, The Book of the Consideration

of Quintessence, The Consideration of Quinte Essence, The Book of Quinte Essence, The

Consideration of Quintessence, and The Book of the Secrets of Nature. For consistency and

ease of identification, I will use the translated English title The Consideration of

Quintessence to refer to the text unless I am referring to a specific Latin manuscript, in

which case I will use the standard Latin title, Liber de Consideratione de Quintae Essentiae

Omnium Rerum or a shortened version thereof.

56

distributed in the fourteenth century, this text had an immediate and profound influence

on its readers, evidenced by the number of copies produced and distributed and the

effect it had on alchemical theory and practice. ”2

The popularity of The Consideration of Quintessence, however, also affected the

text. Copies were produced rapidly and the original text was soon changed

("perverted, " according to Thorndike), the result of this rapid dissemination being that

The Consideration of the Quintessence now exists in at least four distinct versions, two

of which possess minor variants of their own.143

The chief difference among the manuscript versions of The Consideration of

Quintessence is length. The shortest have a clipped, to-the-point writing style and

contain no introductory material and almost none of the mystical elements present in

most alchemical texts (for example, the story of Tobit in Part 2); the longest contain a

number of the mystical incantations found in most alchemical texts accompanied by

introductory material. The mystical material in these " full manuscript versions, "

however, does not overwhelm the thesis of Rupescissa's work, a problematic

characteristic of many of the early printed versions. ‘44

The short version--the simplest and briefest--appears to be a condensed version

of the original, marked by straightforward language but lacking most of the mystical

material found in the fuller manuscript versions; the earliest copy is a late fifteenth-

 

”2 Thorndike 3: 355-56.

'43 Thorndike 3: 356.

”4 Thorndike 3: 356.

century manuscript. ”5

57

The longer, fuller version, often considered the closest to the original, exists in

three fourteenth-century manuscripts: Paris, Bibliotheque nazionale, lat. 7151, ff. 1-

32v; Oxford, Bodleian Library, Digby 43, ff. 101-120v; and Montpellier, Bibliotheque

de l'Ecole de médecine, 260, ff. 51-80v. Although these texts vary slightly from one

another, they are generally used as base texts in studying Rupescissa's Consideration of

Quintessence. '46

Finally, several fourteenth-century "Lullian" versions of the text exist, that is,

versions of The Consideration of Quintessence that have been transformed into a

treatise on the fifth essence written by pseudo-Lull. In these versions, characteristically

pseudo-Lullian material was added and Rupescissan material was rearranged and/or

purged. Although substantially shorter than the fuller versions of the original text, it

nonetheless contains enough of Rupescissa’s original argument to be considered a

version of The Consideration of Quintessence. ”7

In his discussion of The Consideration of Quintessence, Robert Halleux

simplifies Thorndike's analysis and distinguishes only two versions of the text, the

pseudo-Lull version of the text, most commonly entitled the Liber de Secretum Naturae

(The Book of the Secrets of Nature), and all the other manuscripts of The Consideration

of Quintessence, which he considers legitimate for true Rupescissa studies. Halleux

 

“‘5 Thorndike 3: 355-57.

'46 See Thorndike 3: 725-26 and Halleux 243.

”7 Thorndike 3: 355-57.

58

notes that " real " Rupescissa texts, that is, those not unduly influenced by pseudo-Lull

compilations, can be identified by their incipits, which follow one of four patterns: If

the text is complete, the incipit reads, "Dixit Salomon Sapientie"; if the scribe omitted

the first paragraph of the prologue, the beginning is "Consideravi ergo quod tempus

expensum"; if the scribe omitted the prologue completely, "Secretum primum est"; and,

finally, some texts open with the second canon, "Hoc est in quo laborant

(laboraverunt) omnes philosophi. " They are set forth in two books--one of alchemical

theory, the other of remedies. “’8

Of these four (or two) types, more than one hundred manuscripts of The

Consideration of the Quintessence exist in Latin as well as a number of the vernacular

languages,149 including several in Middle English, French, Catalan, German, and at

least one in Swedish. '50

 

”8 Halleux 243, 245.

“'9 Halleux asserts that 130 manuscripts exist from the fifteenth and sixteenth

centuries, although he does not include all of them in his list. See Halleux 243.

'50 Halleux 278-282.

Latin Manuscripts of The Consideration of Quintessence151

59

Basel, Universitatsbibliothek, A VI 6, ff. 279-296.

Berlin, Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, 906, f. 26 (fragment).

Berlin, Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, 966, ff. 106-166.

Bern, Biirgerbibliothek, 480.152

Bologna, Biblioteca universitaria, 997, ff. 56-72.

Bologna University 20 (mutilated).

Bologna University 977, ff. 56-72.

Bordeaux, Bibliotheque municipale, 531, ff. 2-41.

Boston, Boston Medical Library, 21, ff. 1-44v.

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, 99, pp. 214-247 (incomplete).

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, 395, pp. 1-98.

Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College, 336, ff. 143v-144v (fragment).

Cambridge, Trinity College, 1102, ff. 173-199v.

 

15‘ This list, though long, does not claim to be exhaustive. It is compiled from

various reference works on manuscripts but is most indebted to Halleux 278-82. See also

Thorndike 3: 347-69, 725-34; Wilson passim; N. R. Ker, Medieval Manuscripts in British

Libraries, vol. II: Abbotsford-Keele (Oxford: Clarendon, 1977) 894-95; Dorothy Singer

and Annie Anderson, Catalogue of Latin and Vernacular Manuscripts of Alchemical

Works, vol. 111 (269-279); Lynn Thorndike and Pearl Kibre, A Catalogue of Incipits of

Mediaeval Scientific Writings in Latin, rev. ed. (Cambridge: The Mediaeval Academy of

America, 1963); and Laurence C. Witten II and Richard Pachella, Alchemy and the

Occult: A Catalogue of Books and Manuscripts from the Collection of Paul and Mary

Mellon Given to Yale University Library, vol. 3 (New Haven: Yale University Library,

1977).

‘52 References to folio numbers do not exist in any of the sources I have examined:

Halleux, Singer, or Thorndike.

60

Cambridge, Trinity College, 1389, ff. 45v-95.

Cambridge, Trinity College, 1407, ff. 45-94v.

Cambridge, Trinity College, 1411, ff. 60-90v.

Cambridge, University Library, 2110, f. 62 (extract).

Cambridge, University Library, 2279, 37 ff.

Cambridge (Massachusetts), Harvard University Library, 24226, 48 ff.

Canterbury, Cathedral Library, 50, ff. 52v-111v.

Copenhagen, Kungelige Bibliotek, GI. Kgl. S. 1712, ff. 5-38v.

Dresden, sachsische Landesbibliothek, 278, ff. 62-69 (fragment).

Edinburgh, Royal Observatory 0.26.3, ff. 1-61v.

Edinburgh University, 131, ff. 130-171.

Evanston (Illinois), Northwestern University, Garrett Theological Seminary Library,

35, ff. l-2v (fragment).

Florence, Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, Ashbumham 117, ff. 11-42.

Florence, Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, Ashbumham 118, ff. 1-32v.

Florence, Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, Ashbumham 191, ff. 1-32v.

Florence, Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, Ashbumham 1448, ff. 1-39.

Florence, Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, Ashbumham 1451, ff. 2-8v (fragment).

Florence, Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, Ashbumham 1458, 193 ff.

Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Palatinus 695, 42 ff.

Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Palatinus 758, ff. 151v-201v.

Florence, Biblioteca Riccardiana, 439, 50 ff.

61

Florence, Biblioteca Riccardiana, 923, ff. 184-186 (fragment).

Florence, Biblioteca Riccardiana, 1247, ff. 74-156v (incomplete).

GOttingen, Universitatsbibliothek, Theologie 156 C, ff. 80-113.

Kassel, Murhardsche und Landesbibliothek, Chem. Fol. 10, ff. 2-25v.

Kassel, Murhardsche und Landesbibliothek, Chem. 8° 20, ff. 62-87v.

Klagenfurt, BischOfliche Bibliothek, XXIX d 24, ff. 292-324.

Klagenfurt, BischOfliche Bibliothek, XXX (1 1, ff. 62-94.

Krakow, Bibl. Universytetii Jagiellonskieg 3344, ff. 1-64.

Leiden, Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit, Voss. Chym. F 29, f. 33 (fragment).

Leiden, Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit, Voss. Chym. Q 2, ff. 122v-123v (extract).

Leiden, Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit, Voss. Chym. Q 23, ff. 1-58v.

London, British Library, Additional 9351, ff. 66-103v.

London, British Library, Additional 27582, ff. 198-213.

London, British Library, Additional 27584, ff. 22-56v.

London, British Library, Harley 5399, ff. 167-280.

London, British Library, Sloane 75, ff. 101-123.

London, British Library, Sloane 330, ff. l-40v.

London, British Library, Sloane 338, ff. 2-48v.

London, British Library, Sloane 1080, ff. 6-31 (fragment).

London, British Library, Sloane 2320, ff. 73-93v (incomplete).

London, British Library, Sloane 2322, ff. 135-168 (incomplete).

London, British Library, Sloane 3132, ff. 1-38 (incomplete).

London, British Library, Sloane 3171, ff. 16-94v.

62

London, British Library, Sloane 3721, ff. 88-101v (extract).

London, Society of Antiquaries, 12, ff. 1-72v.

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 117, pp. 110-206.

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 186, ff.

1- 19, 21-26 (extract).

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 384, ff.

97v-98, 318v-328 (extract).

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 452, ff.

78-92 (extract).

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 502, ff.

160- 183 (incomplete).

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 513, ff.

1-38.

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 517, ff.

27v-41v (summary).

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 520, ff.

1-34v.

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 523, ff.

18-71v (incomplete).

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 526, ff.

328-333 (fragment); ff. 336-

339 (extract).

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 598, ff.

150-158v.

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 708, ff.

1-42v.

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 709, ff.

1-30v.

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 710, ff.

l-23v.

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 711, ff.

1-55 (incomplete).

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 712, ff.

1-97.

Mantua, Biblioteca Civica, E II 35 (570), ff. 7v-65.

Mantua, Biblioteca Civica, F II 35 (686), ff. 31-45v.

Marburg, Akademische Bibliothek, B 12, ff. 1-29.

63

Milan, Biblioteca Trivulziana, 1621 (missing since 1944; folio details not available).

Montpellier, Bibliotheque de l'Ecole de médecine, 260, ff. 51-80v.

Montpellier, Bibliothéque de I'Ecole de médecine, 490, ff. 1-48v.

Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 4162, f. 83 (fragment).

Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 8951, ff. 50-96.

Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 25115, ff. 25-94.

Naples, Biblioteca nazionale, VIII D 20, ff. 1v-54.

Oxford, All Souls College, 81, ff. 100-133v.

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole 1438, pp. 147-148 (fragment).

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole 1448, pp. 140-141.

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole 1450, ff. 157-160, 168v-176.

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole 1451, ff. 1-69.

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole 1490, ff. 181-196 (incomplete).

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Canon Misc. 37, ff. 1-57v.

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Canon Misc. 334, ff. 59v-94v.

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Digby 43, ff. 101-120v.

Oxford, Bodleian Library, e Musaeo, 155, pp. 431-512.153

Oxford, Corpus Christi College, 124, ff. 1-48.'5"

 

‘53 Singer lists Oxford, Bodleian Library, e Musaeo, 155, as extending from pages

431-489. See Singer 274.

'5‘ Singer lists Oxford, Corpus Christi College, 124, as extending only to f. 47v.

See Singer 274.

64

Oxford, Corpus Christi College, 185, ff. 1-41v.

Oxford, St. John's College, 172, ff. 212v-259.155

Paris, Bibliotheque nationale, lat. 7151, ff. l-32v.‘56

Paris, Bibliotheque nationale, lat. 7167 A, ff. 1-21v.

Pavia, Biblioteca Universitaria, Aldini 27, ff. 93-163.

Pisa, Biblioteca Universitaria, 677, ff. 1-43.

Prague, Public and University Library, 267, ff. 93-136.

Ravenna, Biblioteca Classense, 388, ff. 19-44.

Rome, Biblioteca Casanatense, 4108, ff. 6-37.

Salamanca, Biblioteca Universidad, 2108, ff. 1-58v.

Saint Gall, Vadianische Bibliothek, 388, ff. 1-26.

Savignano sul Rubicone, Biblioteca dell'Accademia dei Filopatride, 44, 254 ff.

Toledo, Biblioteca Catedral, 96.32, ff. 1-46.

Turin, Biblioteca nazionale, 505, 29 ff.

Utrecht, Bibliotheek van de Universiteit, 708, ff. 28-41v (incomplete).

Vatican, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, Barberini, 273, f. 291 (fragment).

Vatican, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, Palatine, 1177, ff. 14-28v.

Vatican, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, Patetta, 233, ff. 3-96v.

Vatican, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, Vat. lat. 5847, ff. 1-29v.

 

'55 Singer lists Oxford, St. John's College, 172, as ending "before f. 258v." See

Singer 274.

‘56 Lynn Thorndike describes this fourteenth-century manuscript as "the oldest and

finest," acknowledging, however, inaccuracies within Book I. See Thorndike 3: 726.

65

Vatican, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, Vat. lat. 6267, ff. 20-48.

Venice, Biblioteca marciana, Fondo antico, 323, ff. 124-130 (extract).

Venice, Biblioteca marciana, L V1 282, ff. 1-57.

Venice, Biblioteca marciana, L VII XL, ff. 70-116.

Venice, S. Marco, XIV, 24 (Valentinelli), ff. 70-116.

Venice, S. Marco, XIV, 39 (Valentinelli), ff. 1-41.

Vienna, Nationalbibliothek, Handschriften, 5207, ff. 223-259v.

Vienna, Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek, 2818, ff. 96-130v.

Vienna, Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek, 5307, ff. 165-187.

Vienna, Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek, 5485, ff. 128-157r.

Vienna, Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek, 5491, ff. 37v-49v.

Washington, DC, The Library of Holy Name College, 62, ff. 1-48v.

Winchester, College Fellows’ Library, 39, ff. 1-34v.

Winchester, St. Mary's College, f. l (extract).

Wolfenbiittel, Herzog August Bibliothek, 479, ff. 227v-241.

Wolfenbiittel, Herzog August Bibliothek, 2841, ff. 342-371v.

Wolfenbiittel, Herzog August Bibliothek, 3107, ff. 1-24.

Wolfenbiittel, Herzog August Bibliothek, 3284, ff. 34-129v.

Yale, Beinecke Library, Mellon 9, ff. 229-270v.157

Yale, Beinecke Library, Mellon 11, ff. 1-34v.

 

'57 Excellent descriptions of all the Mellon manuscripts in the Yale Beinecke

Library can be found in Witten and Pachella, passim.

66

Yale, Beinecke Library, Mellon 12, ff. 1-36v.

Yale, Beinecke Library, Mellon 14, ff. 1-36.

Yale, Beinecke Library, Mellon 21, ff. 1-37v.

Yale, Beinecke Library, Mellon 24, ff. 51-91.

Yale, Beinecke Library, Mellon 26, ff. 1-34v.

Yale, Beinecke Library, Mellon 32, ff. 2-31.

Yale, Beinecke Library, Mellon 37, ff. 1-45v.

Descriptions of the five Latin manuscripts that I have examined on microfilm

and a description (based on Thorndike) of an important early manuscript,”8 Paris,

Bibliotheque nationale, lat. 7151, ff. 1-32v, follow.

Paris, Bibliothéque nationale, lat. 7151, ff. 1-32v

A fourteenth—century manuscript, Paris, Bibliotheque nationale, lat. 7151,

contains a full-length version of The Consideration of Quintessence on ff. 1-32v. A

short heading precedes the text: "Incipit primus liber de consideratione quinte essentie

omnium rerum tradendus pauperibus et evangelicis viris servis yesu christi’” a magistro

 

‘58 Halleux 243 and Thorndike 3: 726.

‘59 The words tradendus pauperibus et evangelicis viris echo the theology of

poverty and refer to those religious who embrace the theology of poverty, the spiritual

Franciscans, not the poor in general. These words reflect Rupescissa's polemical theology,

as expressed in Vade mecum et tribulatione, in which the doom of the papacy was believed

to be imminent around 1356, after which an Antichrist would arise and conquer eastern

and central Europe. According to Rupescissa's prophecies, salvation from this horror lay

in the coming of a holy Franciscan pope who would overthrow the Antichrist and usher

67

Iohanne de Rupescissa sacre theologie professor compositus.

The text proper opens

with the words "Dixit Salomon Sapientie capitulo septimo deus dedit michi horum

scientiam veram que sunt .

. ."

The manuscript contains four quires of eight leaves each and contains

illuminated and red- and blue-colored initials throughout. Paragraph signs and

headings are alternately red and blue throughout the manuscript, which measures 11" x

8" with a written space of 8" x 5". The text runs 36 lines to a page.

The text appears to be the oldest version available, although it is probably not

the original; it contains several textual inaccuracies, in particular, citing 2 Corinthians

instead of 2 Timothy in Book 1.160

Cambridge, Trinity College, 1389, ff. 45v-95

A fifteenth-century manuscript, Cambridge, Trinity College, 1389, contains a

full-length version of The Consideration of Quintessence from f. 45v to f. 95, written

in a secretary hand. A short heading precedes the text proper: "Primus liber de

consideracione quintae essentiae omnium rerum transmutabilium. In nomine domini

nostri Ihesu Cristi.

Incipit liber de famulatu philosophie euangelice domini nostri Ihesu

 

in a thousand years of peace and evangelical poverty until the world's end, i.e., the

coming of Christ. This sequence of events outlined by Rupescissa illustrates his passionate

disdain for the luxury and depravity identified with the then-current papal court and his

devotion to the theology of Church poverty then current. That the Antichrist arises from

this papal court only to be overthrown by true believers, that is, the holy Franciscans who

embrace the theology of Christian poverty, helps illustrate the controversy that

accompanied these beliefs. See Leff 235-36.

16° Thorndike 3: 725.

68

Cristi et pauperibus euangelicis viris. " The text proper opens with the words "Dixit

Salamon capitulo vij" sapientie. "

The manuscript contains several illustrations, including a figure within an

alembic on f. 78.

At the end of the text, the scribe has added a short paragraph in which he notes

that the text has been attributed at various times to either Roger Bacon or John of

Rupescissa, asserting, however, that he believes the text to be Rupescissa's.161

The text closely parallels the English text of University of Glasgow, Ferguson

205, having the same number of canons in Book 1 (thirteen) and the same number of

remedies in Book 2 (twenty). It also cites and quotes an erroneous reference to 2

Corinthians (f. 47r) in Book 1 as does Ferguson 205 (f. 1r) instead of the original

reference, which was to 2 Timothy. ”’2

 

16‘ Explicit tractatus de quinta essentia quem aliqui attribuunt M. Rogero Bachoun,

aliqui Johanni de Rucepissa.

Et primum [sic] est verisimilem cum alias vidi vnum

compendium quod intitulatur extractum de libro Johanni predicti et concordat cum isto in

ornni capitulo secundum ordinem et in sententia licet sit breuior quam iste. Et ubique ibi

sunt tres tractatus principales quorum 2'“ est de lapide philosophorum. Et 3" ei

correspondet ibi ille qui est hic 2‘“ etforsan 2'“ est hic et alibi sincopatus propter inuidiam

aut occultacionem cum in se videatur planus. “Here ends the treatise concerning

quintessence which some attribute to Master Roger Bacon and others to John of

Rupescissa. And the first [sic] is probable since elsewhere I have seen a compendium

entitled an Extract from the book of the aforesaid John, and it agrees with this one in every

chapter according to order and in sense, although it is shorter than this one. And in both

there are three main treatises therein, of which the second is about the philosopher’s stone.

And the third [part] corresponds to it. And perhaps the second treatise was abridged here

and elsewhere on account of envy or obscurity, although it appears plain enough in itself'

(translation mine).

‘62 Thorndike 3: 725-26.

Cambridge, Trinity College, 1407, ff. 45-94v

69

A fifteenth-century manuscript, Cambridge, Trinity College 1407 contains a

full-length version of The Consideration of Quintessence from f. 45 to f. 94v written in

a secretary hand, opening with the incipit "Dixit Salomon sapiencie. Capitulo 7." No

heading precedes the beginning of the text proper.

The text is prefaced on f. 44v by the scribe indicating his belief that the work

was written by Raymond Lull: "here followeth too woorkis wich in my opinion are the

first and seconde book off the 5. essence made By Raymond Lully, for be sayde

Rairnond mades mention in a book off his named Compendium anime that he wrott iij

bookes namod be fyrst seconde and iijth book off be .5. essenc where off J. Rupposis

this book too" [sic]. The scribe's signature, Quoth Chamockus, follows this statement.

Cambridge, Trinity College, 1411, ff. 60-90v

A sixteenth-century manuscript, Cambridge, Trinity College 1411 contains a

full-length version of The Consideration of Quintessence from f. 60 to f. 90v written in

an anglicana hand. A short heading precedes the text: "Primus liber de consideracione

quinte essencie omnium rerum transmutabilium. In nomini domini nostri Ihesu Christi

incipit liber de famulatu philosophic quinte essence domini nostri Ihesu Christi

pauperibus Euangelice viris. " The text proper opens with the line "Dixit’63 Salamon

 

‘63 “D" present as a guide letter only; a blank space is left for a decorative initial.

sapientie. Capitulo 7. "1""

7O

The closing lines of the manuscript, "Explicit liber de consideracione quinte

essencie omnium rerum. Amen. " are set off from the rest of the text.

The manuscript is very plain and contains no decoration.

London, British Library, Sloane 338, ff. 2-48v

A fifteenth-century manuscript, London, British Library, Sloane 338 contains a

full-length version of The Consideration of Quintessence from f. 2 to f. 48v written in

anglicana formata. A short heading precedes the text: "Primus liber de consideracione

quinte essenciae omnium rerum transmutabilium. In nomini domini nostri Ihesu Christ.

Incipit liber de famulatu philosophic euangelice domini nostri Ihesu Christ et

pauperibus euangelicis viris. The text proper opens with the words "Dixit Salamon

sapiencie. Capitulo 7. "

The manuscript contains some excellent illustrations of stages in the alchemical

process. The first is located on f. 1v, just before the text begins and illustrates a two-

still distillation process being used with a furnace. The other illustrations, located on

ff. 7v and Sr, are also of stills; an accompanying caption, however, indicates that each

illustrated still represent a different function: calcination, congelation, sublimation,

distillation, and dissolution. Folio 7v also contains illustrations of a furnace and a set

of weights and measures.

 

‘64 The space for the two-line initial "(1" that opens the text with "Dicit" is blank

except for a small guide letter.

71

The text of The Consideration of Quintessence is immediately followed in the

manuscript by the Latin version of The Book of Seven Herbs, Seven Planets (Tractatus

de Septem Herbis, Septem Planetis), on ff. 49-52. This treatise, in English translation,

often accompanies the English version of The Consideration of Quintessence edited in

this dissertation. See below, pages 76-82.

London, British Library, Harley 5399, ff. 167-280

A fourteenth-century manuscript, London, British Library, Harley 5399

contains a full-length version of The Consideration of Quintessence (ff. 167-279) in an

anglicana hand. A short heading precedes the text: "Primus liber de consideracione

quinte essencie omnium rerum transmutabilium. In nomine domini nostri Ihesu Christi.

Et vocatur liber de famulatu philosophie pauperibus Euangelice viris cornpilatus. " The

text proper opens with the line "Dixit Salomon Rex sapiencie. Capitulo 7"”. "

As in Sloane 338, the text of The Consideration of Quintessence is immediately

followed in the manuscript by the Tractatus de Septem Herbis, Septem Planetis (The

Book of Seven Herbs, Seven Planets), on ff. 280-290.

Middle English and Early Modern English Manuscripts of The Consideration of

Quintessence

There survive at least ten Middle English and early modern English manuscripts

of The Consideration of Quintessence, belonging to at least two distinct versions or

translations:

72

London, British Library, Sloane 73, ff. 11-25v (fifteenth century).

London, British Library, Sloane 353, ff. 2-51 (fifteenth century).

London, British Library, Sloane 480, ff. 26-161 (fifteenth century).

London, British Library, Sloane 3086, ff. 82—101v (seventeenth century).

London, British Library, Harley 853, ff. 66-73 (sixteenth century).

London, Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 388, ff. 61-77 (seventeenth century).

Oxford, All Souls College, 81, ff. 100-133 (fifteenth century).

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole, 1450, ff. 157-160, 168v-176 (fifteenth century).

Oxford, Bodleian Library, e Musaeo, 52, ff. 33v-42v (fifteenth century).

University of Glasgow, Hunterian Library, Ferguson 205, ff. 1-49v (fifteenth

century) .

The manuscripts listed above represent at least two distinct Middle English

versions of The Consideration of Quintessence. University of Glasgow, Hunterian

Library, Ferguson 205, and British Library, Sloane 353, were both written by the same

scribe and contain the same Middle English version of The Consideration of

Quintessence. These manuscripts are the base manuscripts for the present edition and

are described below.

British Library, Sloane 73 and British Library, Harley 353 belong to a second,

condensed version that presents The Consideration of Quintessence and are also

described below.

These four Middle English manuscripts are described because they represent

two of the Latin versions of the text: the full version, as described by Halleux and

Thorndike,165 and the shorter version described by Thorndike. ”'6

73

Glasgow University Library, Ferguson 205, ff. 1-86r

A fifteenth-century manuscript on parchment, Glasgow University Library,

Ferguson 205, contains a full-length version of The Consideration of Quintessence.

The manuscript contains 86 numbered leaves plus three flyleaves numbered i, ii, and iii

at the beginning and end; each leaf measures 8 3/8" x 5 5/8" (215 x 141 mm.); the

written space measures 6 3/8" x 4" (165 x 101 mm.). Each page normally has 35 long

lines, occasionally 37. A possible sixteenth-century owner is identified by the name

.

. Kyngstone" in the upper left-hand corner of f.

l and an inscription on the final folio

(f. 86v): "Dekyngstone (?) whose Booke of fower score leaves and fyve and a halfe this

is. "“57 The manuscript is bound in modern red morocco, gilt (eighteenth or nineteenth

century), and lettered "Mirror of Light. "

Ker also notes that that the manuscript contains “notes of events in 1489, written

in very current script and ending imperfectly, because the lower half of the leaf has

been cut off.” AS Ker records, the manuscript at this place reads “‘Anno iiiic iiii"x ix

whas sente a grete harmy in to breton’ the xvi day of Marste and to calys xv C more

hall so the s[ame] her. Anno iiiic iiii"x ix whas sclan the herell of n[ort]homberlonde

the xxviii day of haperel the same her folyng whente the keyng t[o the] nort contrey w'

 

‘65 Halleux 242-43 and Thorndike 355-61.

‘66 Thorndike 356.

‘67 Ker 2: 895.

74

a grete hoste of pep[ell] the xii day of May that her’ whas gaderyd of hewerey leylode

men [.

.

.] of hewerey nobell viii d’ bt made the pepell worte (?) for to areys. Item b°

nor[. .

.] broke the gateys of cworkeys ga[ ..... ]’.'68

Collation:

1-108, 116.

The beginning of a new quire is usually marked in a typical late medieval

manner, with catchwords on the preceding folio in the lower right-hand side of the leaf,

approximately 3/4 inches below the main text; occasionally, "fo" is placed between the

letter and numbers designating the quires and then folios; for example, folio 25 is

marked "d fo 1. "

The scribal hand is a mixture of set textura and secretary in two sizes, larger for

the headings and smaller for the text. The smaller size is current and has a long tailed r

occasionally. The text contains few abbreviations, with "b"' and "w'" for “bat” and

"with,” respectively the most common. Initial letters at the beginnings of sections are

two and three lines high, blue or red, with decorated flourishes in the margins. The few

paragraph markers are either red or blue.

The text of The Consideration of Quintessence is immediately followed in the

manuscript by The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets,

extending from ff. 50v—54v; the Semita Recta extending from ff. 54v—71; and [The

Work of Boniface IX, with the Following Chapters on White and Red], extending from

ff. 71v-75v. The remaining folios (76-86v) contain various recipes.169

 

'68 Ker 2: 895.

'69 Ker 2: 894-895.

British Library, Sloane 353, ff. 2-51v

75

Written by the same scribe as Ferguson 205, British Library, Sloane 353

contains a full-length version of The Consideration of Quintessence. The scribal hand

is a mixture of set textura and secretary; size variations within the hand are

unremarkable. The text contains few abbreviations, with "b"' and "w"' for “bat" and

“with” the most common. Initials at the beginning of canons and subsections are five,

three, and two lines high, with flourishes in the margins, although the flourishes are

less elaborate than those found in Ferguson 205. A later hand has added crude faces to

many of the initials.

No decorations are present in the manuscript. Marginal comments by a later

reader are found throughout the text.

The text of The Consideration of Quintessence is immediately followed in the

manuscript by The Book of Alexandre Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets,

extending from ff. 51v-56, and the Semita Recta from ff. 56v-61v.

British Library, Sloane 73, ff. 11-25v

British Library, Sloane 73, edited by Frederick J. Furnivall in 1866, is

presented in two books, the first of which parallels the standard text of Ferguson 205

except that it contains only the theoretical matter discussed early in Book I, completely

omitting the material in canons six to thirteen that contain specific medicinal

recommendations according to the degree of elemental strength. The second book, The

Book of Remedies, contains sixteen remedies in Sloane 73 rather than the standard

76

twenty found in most versions of The Consideration of Quintessence, including

Ferguson 205. The four missing remedies in Sloane 73 are remedy 4, “to cure skin

diseases”; remedy 9, “against witchcraft"; remedy 13, “to cure illnesses, particularly

those arising from laxatives"; and remedy 14, “the second remedy for quartan fever."

Although the remedies generally follow the order of those found in Ferguson 205 and

Sloane 353, four of the remedies do vary from this order: Remedy 8 in Ferguson 205 is

Remedy 15 in Sloane 73; Remedy 11 in Ferguson 205 is Remedy 14 in Sloane 73;

Remedy 19 in Ferguson 205 is Remedy 65 in Sloane 73; and Remedy 20 in Ferguson

205 is Remedy 13 in Sloane 73.

British Library, Hafley 853, ff. 66- 73

A sixteenth-century manuscript, British Library, Harley 853, contains a shorter

English version of The Consideration of Quintessence from f. 66r to f. 73v, opening

with the lines "Wite the mighte .

.

. and grace of the holy trinite fro .

.

. to you the

.

treatise in English here folyng dravone out of the book of quinta esence being in

latina that leming the .

. kinge of Egipt after the flode of Noa. .

.

. The first

deere."170

The manuscript is not illustrated. The scribe adds the colophon "Explicit liber

quinteescentie" and then dates his writing "august 22, " but does not indicate the year.

 

17° Precise words in the text of London, British Library, Harley 853 cannot be

discerned.

Previous Editions of The Consideration of Quintessence

77

Several printed versions of the Latin text exist from the sixteenth century; many

of these, however, are Lullian versions. In 1518, a combination of Rupescissa's

Consideration of Quintessence was printed with Raymonde Lull's De Secretis Nature as

Sacri doctoris Raymundi Lulli de secretis nature de quinte essentia libellus: De secretis

nature libellus. In this printed text, the first book is greatly expanded to accommodate

Lullian additions. Furthermore, the number of canons in Book I increases to forty-six

on account of subdivisions within the standard twelve canons. Finally, the last few

canons and the entirety of Book II are presented in dialogue form.171

In 1561, the alchemist Guglielmo Gratarolo’s edition of De Consideratione

quintae essentiae rerum omnium, opus sane egregium, was published in Basel [n.p.],

the title of which attributes the work to John of Rupescissa. Halleux notes that this

printed Latin edition preserves the same structure of the medieval text.172 This edition

was later published by Zetzner in Theatrum Chemicus, in 1659.

The first English edition of a version of The Consideration of Quintessence was

a diplomatic edition transcribed by Frederick J. Furnivall from British Library, Sloane

73 as The Book of Quintessence or The Fifth Being; that is to say, Man's Heaven: A

treatise in englisch breuely drawe out ofbe book of quintis essencijs in latyn, et cet. in

1866. ”3

 

m Thorndike 3: 728.

”2 Halleux 243.

'73 See description on page 72 of this introduction.

78

In 1962, William Matthews printed an extract from British Library, Sloane 353,

in a collection of prose works, Later Medieval English Prose. ”4

Other Texts in Ferguson 205 and Related Manuscripts

Although the main text in Ferguson 205 is The Consideration of Quintessence,

the manuscript also contains two other main works and several smaller works: The

Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets from The Book of

Kyranides; a pseudo-Albertus Magnus text, the Semita Recta; The Work of Boniface IX,

with the Following White and Red Chapters;175 Various Recipes; and Sophistications.

Because these works are not the main focus of this edition, I will not discuss

them in great detail; however, their presence in Ferguson 205 does render them

relevant enough to this work such that those manuscripts containing Latin or English

versions of The Consideration of Quintessence in which other copies or versions of

these texts are found, should be listed.176

The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets

Middle English

London, British Library, Sloane 73, ff. 4-7v.

 

”4 William Matthews, "The Book of Quint-Essence," Later Medieval English Prose

London: Peter Owen, 1962) 213-15.

”5 Ker 2: 894-895.

‘76 This list does not claim to be comprehensive; all the manuscripts listed are also

texts that contain The Consideration of Quintessence, either in English or Latin.

79

London, British Library, Sloane 353, ff. 51v-56.

London, British Library, Sloane 480177

Oxford, All Souls College, 81, ff. 133v-145.

University of Glasgow, Hunterian Library, Ferguson 205, ff. 50v-54v.

Latin

Cambridge (Massachusetts), Harvard University Library, 24226, ff. 36-39.

London, British Library, Additional 27584, ff. 66v-73.

London, British Library, Harley 5399, ff. 106v-165.

London, British Library, Sloane 75, ff. 131-132v.

London, British Library, Sloane 330, ff. 40v-44v.

London, British Library, Sloane 338, ff. 49-52.

London, British Library, Sloane 3171, ff. 94v-102.

Montpellier, Bibliothéque de l'Ecole de médecine, 490, ff. 49v-54v.

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole 1450, ff. 96v, 90-91v.178

Oxford, Bodleian Library, e Musaeo 155, ff. 490-496.

Oxford, Corpus Christi College, 185, ff. 42-47v.

Oxford, St. John's College, 172, ff. 259-.”9

Vatican, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, Vat. lat. 6267, f. 48.

 

”7 Specific folios are not listed in the manuscript sources that I have examined

for the version of Semita Recta found in Sloane 480.

‘78 f. 90 follows f. 96v. See Singer 3: 771.

‘79 Reference is incomplete in Singer 3: 771.

The Text

80

The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets is a short

treatise examining the properties of the seven herbs possessing the greatest influence of

the seven planets: marigold, house leek, horehound, saxifrage, peony, savory, and

sage. Elaborate directions are provided on when to gather these herbs, how to prepare

them as medicines or drugs, and what effect these herbs will have when taken as

prescribed. And, although the text sets itself forth as being about seven herbs and

seven planets, it should be noted that almost all of the medicinal potions in this text

also include blood: the blood of man, the blood of goats, the blood of a male eagle,

and so on.

As mentioned earlier, The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven

Planets is taken from the Book of Kyranides; specifically The Book of Alexander

Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets often, though not always, precedes the Book of

Kyranides, much like a preface. To understand The Book of Alexander Concerning

Seven Herbs, Seven Planets, it is important to understand the context in which it is

often found. The Book of Kyranides is a Greek encyclopedic collection of medical and

magical remedies made from the bodies of animals, birds, and fish, usually presented

in four alphabetically arranged books, sometimes, as mentioned previously, preceded

by The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets, and sometimes by

The Mystery of Thessalus to Hermes About Twelve Herbs for the Twelve Signs of the

Zodiac, although these two texts also exist as separate units. ‘80

 

18° Thorndike 2: 233.

The four main books comprising the Book of Kyranides examine somewhat

81

different material in a related manner. The first book contains remedies from animals,

plants, and stones, with the text describing their characteristics and their medicinal and

magical virtues; it also contains instructions for talismans and amulets to be prepared

from their components. The second, third, and fourth books provide medical-magical

remedies from the components of animals, birds,

18‘ and fish, respectively.182

Versions of the Book of Kyranides exist in Greek, Arabic, Latin, and a number

of the Vernacular languages: nineteen in Greek, twelve in Latin, one in French, and at

least four fragments in Middle English. '83 Several versions of the Latin text contain

claims that the text was originally written in "antique archaic Syriac and is as old as the

Euphrates. "‘84 While these claims cannot be verified, the Kyranides text was cited in

ancient times by Galen and in the middle of the first millennium by Olympiodorus, an

alchemist of the fifth century AD. ‘85

Several assertions surround the Kyranides text. The Latin translator of

Kyranides asserts that the text was found in the city of Troy along with the bones of the

 

'81 The section on birds, particularly as it relates to lore on eagles, has been more

thoroughly examined by scholars more than any other part of the work, although much

work remains to be done. See Sue Eastman Sheldon, "The Eagle: Bird of Magic and

Medicine in a Middle English Version of the Kyranides," Tulane Studies in English 22

(1977): 1-31.

‘82 Sheldon 5-6.

‘83 Sheldon 6.

‘84 Thorndike 2: 231.

‘85 Marcellin Berthelot, Les Origines de l 'Alchimie (Paris: Georges Steinheil, 1885)

47. Quoted in Thorndike 2: 229, n. 4.

82

first King Kyranides.186 The author of Kyranides is said to be Alexander, although an

Alaxus Affrike is regularly associated with the transmission of The Book of Alexander

Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets, if not the actual writing.‘87

The Kyranides text presented in Ferguson 205 and Sloane 353 is The Book of

Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets. As a book of herbal remedies, the

general subject matter of the text fits well with John of Rupescissa's Consideration of

Quintessence; the goal of the some of the potions, however, deviates radically from

those presented by Rupescissa in The Consideration of Quintessence. While Rupescissa

is chiefly concerned with preserving youth and health in quintessence potions, the

author of The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets, includes

recipes and potions for successfully seducing women and producing farts in addition to

recipes with such standard medical goals as healing epilepsy and various venereal

diseases. Furthermore, The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven

Planets, contains a number of recipes or potions for achieving magical results, such as

invisibility, the ability to fly, and the ability to travel from place to place almost

instantly.188

The link between The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven

Planets, and The Consideration of Quintessence, however, is clear by its presence

 

‘86 Thorndike 2: 233.

187 Thorndike 2: 233-234.

'88 See f. 54r (p. 263, l. ll-p. 264, 1. 2)

within several of the same manuscripts. ‘89

83

Semita Recta190

Middle English

Glasgow University, Hunterian Library, Ferguson 205, ff. 54v-71

British Library, Sloane 353, ff. 56v-61v

Oxford, All Souls College, 81, ff. 133v-l45

Latin

Edinburgh University, 131, ff. 112-115

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole 1448, pp. 47-73

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole 1451, ff. 47v-48

Oxford, Corpus Christi College, 185, ff. 48-70

The Text

Originally catalogued by Singer and Anderson as John of Rupescissa's other

alchemical text, the Liber Lucis,191 Book III of Ferguson 205 and Sloane 353 is now

identified as the pseudo-Albertus Magnus text, the Semita Recta. The Semita Recta

focuses primarily on minerals, chemicals, and dyes-descriptions, elaborations on their

 

‘89 For lists of works, see Singer and Anderson 3: 759-773; and Halleux 278-282.

‘90 For a list of manuscripts containing the pseudo—Albertus Magnus Semita Recta,

see Singer and Anderson no. 177 (153-57); Pearl Kibre, “Writings Ascribed to Albertus

Magnus,” Speculum 17 (1942): 499-518; and Pearl Kibre, “Further Manuscripts

Containing Alchemical Tracts Attributed to Albertus Magnus,” Speculum 34 (1959): 238-

47. For an edition, see Zetzner, Theatrum Chemicum, vol. II (Strasbourg, 1659) 423-55.

‘9‘ Singer and Anderson 3: 279.

properties, and explanations of the types of medicine they produce for specific

84

illnesses.

Like the Rupescissa text with which it is associated in Ferguson 205, the Semita

Recta focuses primarily on using alchemical principles to create medicines to treat

illnesses.

It also contains sections on glazing clay pots and bowls, and on such

processes as whitening quicksilver and arsenic. It is practical and instructive and,

unlike The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets, it does not

contain magical suggestions or recipes, although the text does indicate that certain

alchemical practices require a knowledge of necromancy. The text also contains two

short chapters on the transmutation of base metals to silver and gold.

Like the Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets, the Semita

Recta is found with several versions of The Consideration of Quintessence, both in

English and in Latin. Latin versions of the Semita Recta included with The

Consideration of Quintessence are Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ashmole, 1451; and

Oxford, Corpus Christi College, 185. English versions of the Semita Recta bound with

The Consideration of Quintessence include University of Glasgow, Hunterian Library,

Ferguson 205; Oxford, Corpus Christi College, 185; and London, British Library,

Sloane 353.192

Although The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets has

caused few problems of identification, that is not the case with the Semita Recta,

which, as mentioned above, was originally identified as Rupescissa's other alchemical

 

‘92 Singer and Anderson 1: 153-157. See also Halleux 278-282.

85

text, the Liber Lucis. That it is bound with The Consideration of Quintessence and

categorized by the compiler as part of The Consideration of Quintessence might

partially explain why Singer and Anderson originally attributed it incorrectly to

Rupescissa;193 however, internal references in the Semita Recta also point to John of

Rupescissa as the author and might explain some of the confusion. Like Rupescissa, the

author has been in prison. ‘94 Furthermore, near the end of Book III, the author refers

to himself as a "Frere Meynour,"195 the religious order of John of Rupescissa (but not

of Albertus Magnus, who was a Dominican‘96).

The Work of Boniface IX, with the Following White and Red Chapters; Various

Recipes; and Sophistications

These three texts are basically alchemical recipe books, with information on

how to create the phiIOSOpher’s stone, how to color material, what various processes

within alchemy involve, and directions for making various metals.

The Work of Boniface IX, with the Following White and Red Chapters contains

alchemical directions for creating the philosopher’s stone. Its title refers to significant

steps within its creation, which follows a succession of processes, with each process

represented by a color. White and red represent significant color stages within the

 

‘93 Singer and Anderson 279.

“’4 f. 551 (p. 267, l. 15)

‘95 f. 84r (p. 350,1. 16)

‘96 E. A. Livingstone, "Albertus Magnus," The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the

Christian Church (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1977) 12-13.

86

transmutation process leading to the philosopher’s stone. After the base matter was

purified and reduced, resulting in a black color often represented as death, the matter

was transformed into the white elixir through many and various processes, usually

involving sublimation and distillation. The white elixir possessed the power to

transmute base metals to silver, though not instantly; the transformation process at this

stage often spanned many hours. Further refinement of the white elixir, involving

dissolution and putrefaction in addition to the alchemical processes already named,

produced the red elixir, which could effect the transmuting of base metals to gold.

Stages following these processes augmented the potency of the red elixir to the point

that it could instantly change base metals to gold upon contact.197

The Various Recipes and Sophistications that cover ff. 75v-86r contain specific

instructions for general alchemical procedures: purifying and purging metals, changing

the appearance of metals, making silver, creating aqua ardent, creating the red stone

and then using it to transform lead into gold, and the like.

Marginalia in Ferguson 205

Throughout MS Ferguson 205, at least three readers of the text left their written

comments in the left and right margins of the text, with a few other readers leaving an

occasional comment. Some of these readers also underlined parts of the manuscript,

usually to highlight their marginal notes.

Paleographical analysis of the script indicates that the note-taking readers were

 

'97 Roberts 56-60.

87

from the sixteenth century. I will refer to the readers as Reader A, Reader B, Reader

C, and Readers X. ‘98

The hands are distinguished by size and style. Reader A's hand, occurring most

frequently, is the smallest and sharpest, with a scratchy, long vertical stroke. Reader

B's hand is, by contrast, larger and more rounded. The writing instrument used by

Reader B also produces a thicker script, although often fainter and somewhat browner.

Finally, while Reader A does use symbols occasionally, Reader B's notes are rife with

pointing fingers, exclamation points, and planetary/metallic symbols. Reader C does

not appear until the end of Book 11. His hand is thinner and sharper than that of B, but

less scratchy than that of A. Reader C's hand also lacks the definitive "t" and "h" that

distinguish Reader A's notes.

The content of Reader A's marginalia is simple; it summarizes points in the

manuscript, apparently as a reference to matters and directions for alchemical processes

that interest him. Within the first several folios of the manuscript, Reader A has made

notes predominantly on the humoral theory present in the text, particularly as it relates

to the substance quintessence and particularly as quintessence relates to extended or

eternal life. For example:

f. 2r: "Ye roote of liffe is in ye golde, himself to be sought. "

f. 2v.

"quintessence is made and wrought of a kyndely bodie. "

f. 3r: "For hit [gold] is incorruptible and bringeth in the rote of life. "

 

'98 Readers identified as "X" represent a number of different hands, generally not

appearing more than twice throughout the manuscript. The notes are, at least in terms of

a pattern, inconsequential; no proper analysis can be made of their writings.

88

And, although the text contains no fewer than three qualifications on the power

of quintessence to accord with the teachings of the Church, particularly stating that

quintessence can not bring eternal life, only extend individual lives within the time

ordained by God, Reader A makes no marginal notes when the limits of quintessence

are stated.

Farther along in the manuscript, Reader A makes extensive summary notes on

the particular directions given for concocting quintessence, for example, the type of

glass container required, the need for fine horse dung, and the need to expose the top

of this glass vessel, buried in this fine horse dung, to air. After these early notes,

numerous folios pass without comment from Reader A until the drawing of

quintessence from metal begins, at which point he notes the references to each metal

and its corresponding planet, complete with appropriate symbols. And so his marginal

notes continue throughout the manuscript, with a focus on what power or powers

quintessence can draw from various substances: animal, vegetable, and mineral.

Reader A's notes suggest that he might be a practitioner concerned with making

quintessence to obtain its life-giving and life-sustaining qualities.

Reader B's notes are considerably different from Reader A's in area of interest

and content of comment. Reader B's marginal notes as well as his underscorings in the

text indicate an interest in the authorities cited in the manuscript, from Saint Paul to

John of Damascus to Aristotle. Throughout the manuscript, names are underscored in

the text, usually without further comment. Occasionally, as in the right margin of f.

13r, a name or names are written where none is cited in the text; in this instance, John

of Rupescissa and Hippocrates.

89

Other annotations by Reader B provide some clues to the reasoning behind these

notes. Adjacent to various sections of the manuscript are references to other

manuscript folios. Often next to underscored words, the references appear to be to

parallel or related texts. Reader B's notes suggest that he is an informed reader of

alchemical and medical texts. He predominantly notes subject parallels to other

manuscripts, texts, or books. Reader B's notes indicate that he has access to a

knowledge of enough alchemical texts that he can make references not only to other

manuscripts, but to specific folios within those manuscripts.

Reader C's notes contain comments that appear to be a mix of comments similar

to those of Readers A and B. While Reader C does note main topical sections in the

text with short summaries like Reader A, he also refers to other manuscripts and

writers, often alongside his summary notes. For example, in f. 57v, Reader C has

written two notes in the margins, one referring to a text by Aristotle, the other

summarizing information on sublimation in tartrate. ‘99 Reader C's notes suggest that he

is interested both in outlining portions of the content of Ferguson 205 as well as noting

where parallels to particular ideas exist in other manuscripts. Reader C might be a

practitioner, studying and evaluating his text against other material with which he is

familiar and to which he has access.

Of course, one can only speculate on the motives driving sixteenth-century

readers of MS Ferguson 205. The presence of various marginalia clearly indicates that

 

‘99 See 11. 57 in Book III (Semita Recta), p. 274.

the text was read by at least six interested people, probably the various owners or

90

borrowers.

The Language of Ferguson 205

Morphology

The morphology of University of Glasgow, Ferguson 205 is illustrated by the

following paradigms of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs.

Nouns

The noun forms end almost exclusively in -e, even unhistorically, that is, even

where such endings are not etymologically present in early stages of the language. An

example of this pattern is the word worlde, which contained no final e in either of the

Old English forms, weoruld or woruld.

Singular:

-e, as in boke, knowlaiche, worlde, sirupe, oyle

-o, as in water, flour, question

Plural:

-es, as in askes, tymes, metalles, houres, drynkes, floures, frutes

-s, as in passions, humours, floryns

-z, as in thingz, elementz, euangelistz, dreggz

Genitive:

noun + is, as in "man is blode" and "gote is flessh"

Pronouns

Singular

91

11m;

lst

I, myn

we, us, oure

2nd

bou, be, the, by

ye

3rd

he, here, his,

hit, hym, hys, she

thay, thaym,

baire, bayre,

thayre

Adjectives

Historically, adjectives in English possessed either weak or strong declensions.

The weak adjective contained final e in the singular and plural, while the strong

adjective possessed final e only in the plural. Furthermore, a definite article, a

possessive, or a demonstrative adjective always preceded the weak declension, while no

definite article existed before the strong. In the Ferguson 205 version of The

Consideration of Quintessence, no distinction exists between weak and strong

adjectives, indicative of the decline of the distinction in the fourteenth and fifteenth

centuries. Thus, for example, "furst" and "furste" occur indiscriminately throughout

the text.

Singular;

-o, -e, as in furst, furste, olde, soure

Plural;

-e, as in drie

92

Verbs

Infinitive

The infinitive ends in -e

Examples:

Siche "seek,” lyue, cumforte, conserve, seye, opene

First Person Present Singular

The first person present singular normally ends in -e or -e

Examples: seye, shal, haue, lye

Second Person Present Singular

The second person present singular normally ends in -st, occasionally in -es.

Examples:

seest, didest

dides

Third Person Present Singular

The third person present singular normally ends in -th.

Examples:

begynneth, distilleth, hath, seieth

First Person Present Plural

The first person present plural normally ends in -e or -n

Examples: seen, Siche, sechen, propose

Second Person Present Plural

93

The second person present plural normally ends in -e, —e

Examples: shal, knowe, siche

Third Person Present Plural

The third person present plural normally ends in -a, -en, or -e

Examples: seyen, mowe, haue, shal

Imperative

The imperative, like the infinitive, has no ending.

Examples:

distille, muste, caste

Past Participle

The weak past participle in The Consideration of Quintessence is indicated by

" id, " "ed," and "yd," with "id" the most frequently occurring. Occasionally the past

participle is formed by the prefix y. The prefix “y" is always written separate from the

verb.

Examples: grantid, changid, closid, callid, componyd, tournyd,

lykenyd, ordeyned

y-put, y-sette, y-giltid

Present Participle

94

The present participle normally ends in -ing or -yng.

Examples: witnessing, witnessyng, wirking, restreynyng

Dialect of Ferguson 205

The following spelling forms based on the questionnaire for the Linguistic Atlas

of Late Mediaeval English are potentially the most significant for localizing the dialect

of Ferguson 205. The predominant Middle English spelling form is presented without

brackets. Those with one, two, or three brackets represent progressively rarer forms.

Modern Item

Middle English Form

any

any

before

bifore, ((( afore, byfore )))

but

but

church

churche

earth

eye

first

from

gave

have

he

high

erthe, («61111»)

eye

furst, (furste ),

((( ffurste )))

from

yeue, ((( yafe, youen )))

haue, ( hath ), ((( has, han, had, hadde, hast )))

be

high

Modern Item

Middle English Form

95

him

his

holy

how

if

in

it

kind

know

life

no

not

now

old

one

say

self

shall

should

such

than

hym

his,

((( hys )))

holy, (( hooly ))

how

yf

in,

((( yn. Ynne )))

hit

kinde, ((( kynde )))

knowe

life,

(( lyfe ))

noo

not

nowe

olde

oon, ((( oone )))

sey, ((( seie )))

silf

shal

shuld

suche

banne, ((( ban )))

Modern Item

Middle English Form

96

that

the

their

them

then

these

they

when

which

work

yet

bat, (that)

be,(the), (((by, t11y»)

baire. (( thaire. thayre )).

((( bayre )))

thaym. (payme)

penne, (( thenne )), ((( then )))

thees. (bees)

thay, (((they. bay )))

whenne, («when»)

whiche

wirk

yit.

( yt )

Unfortunately (although as might be expected in such a late Middle English

text), the above list of forms shows the language to be fairly standardized. However,

the separated genitive suffix in man is “man’s" suggests a Southwestern provenance,

that is, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, and Wiltshire.200 The

combination of forms such as furst "first," such "such," hit "it" as the sole form in the

manuscript, shulde " should " as the sole form in the manuscript, silf "self" as a minor

variant, and the rare occurrence of youen "given" suggests that the dialect of the scribe

 

”’0 Angus McIntosh, M.L. Sarnuels, and Michael Benskin, et a1. , A Linguistic Atlas

of Late Mediaeval English, vol. 1 (Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1986) 550 (map

1188).

97

might be localized to Somerset, but, with the exception of the separated genitive suffix,

all the individual forms recorded above have a wide dialectal distribution in Middle

English.201

Editorial Procedures

Medieval orthography has been preserved, with medieval "u," "v," "b," "1),"

and "z" retained. Abbreviations and contractions in both Middle English and Latin

have been interpreted and silently expanded according to normal scribal spellings in

unabbreviated or analogous words, except in the footnotes, where abbreviations in

marginalia or alternative texts have been indicated through italicization of the

abbreviated letters. The word "and, " when represented by the Tironian Sign for et in

the manuscript, has been printed as an ampersand "&" in the text. Vowels written

above the line of the manuscript text have been written on the line of the edited text

with the emendation noted in the textual apparatus. A few specific, common editorial

expansions are listed below:

ihu

R

bu

wt

Ihesus

Recipe

bou

with

All punctuation, capitalization, paragraph and sentence divisions, and

 

20‘ Jeremy J. Smith from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, provided

invaluable and gracious assistance with this language analysis.

98

capitalization are editorial. The scribe of Ferguson 205, however, did use some

punctuation, primarily in the form of slash (“/") marks to indicate a pause; every effort

has been made to retain these scribal intentions, where logical; they have been

modernized to commas and full stops according to modern usage. Canons (chapters)

are set off from the rest of the text by one line of space preceding and following the

title. Subchapters are noted with one line of space placed above them. The doubling of

"f" as "ff" has been retained if the word is lowercase and rendered as capital f "F"

where editorially sensible (i.e., in capitalization). The capital letter "I/J" is

indistinguishable in Ferguson 205 and has rendered as an "i" or "j " according to

modern usage. Proper names have been capitalized. Other uppercase letters found in

the manuscript have been rendered lowercase unless they begin a sentence.

Word division has been regularized to approximate modern practice, except for

words joined in modern spelling that were probably still perceived as separate words in

Middle English, such as vine aigre, "vinegar, " and its forms. Words that incorporate

the definite article as an elision have been kept as one word, with an apostrophe setting

off the article and the noun, e.g. therthe: th'erthe. The following words have been

silently joined to form one word throughout the text:

wicche crafte:

wicchecrafte

hym silf:

hymsilf

A number of hyphens have been added to join prefixes to root words and to join

adverbs and prepositions that were rendered as separate words in Middle English,

according to modern usage:

99

y-made202

there-with

there-of

bere—of

there—yn

bere-yn

now-a-dayes

ther-to

here-on

ober-wise

hunthrid-folde

pome-citryne

pome-granate

ber-of

In The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets, beginning on

f. 49v, the heads, i.e., names of the herbs, have been added editorially in bold

typeface. The addition has been noted with square brackets attached to the beginning

and ending of headings.

All mechanical scribal errors, major or minor, have been corrected directly in

the text; additions are indicated by square brackets placed around the added portion,

 

202 A number of verbs follow this form to create the past participle, of which “y-

made” is but one example.

100

with the original manuscript readings recorded in the textual apparatus (footnotes).

Catchwords have also been noted in the textual apparatus.

All marginalia written in Ferguson 205 have been noted, and where legible,

recorded in the footnotes. Incomplete transcriptions of marginalia are indicated with a

dash “-" or dashes “--" for missing letters and short bracketed explanations for larger

sections.

The Explanatory Notes following the edition provide information on historical

and biblical references made throughout the The Consideration of Quintessence. All

Latin quotations from the Bible are taken from the Vulgate; translations thereof are

from the Douay-Rheirns edition. Other translations from the Latin are my own unless

otherwise indicated. The section being highlighted in the explanatory notes is indicated

by a superscripted asterisk (*) placed adjacent to the word or phrase in the edition. The

Glossary focuses on scientific and other Middle English vocabulary central to

understanding the text. A Glossary of Proper Nouns and a list of organic ingredients

mentioned in the text concludes the dissertation.203

 

203 Two Middle English medical texts that depend on herbs are Gosta Brodin,

ed., Agnus Castus: A Middle English Herbal (Cambridge: Harvard University Press,

1950); and Faye Marie Getz, ed., Healing & Society in Medieval England: A Middle

English Translation of the Pharmaceutical Writings of Gilbertus Anglicus (Madison:

University of Wisconsin Press, 1991).

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[The Texts]

[The Consideration of Quintessence]1

[Book I: The Consideration of Quintessence]

[f. It]2 The furst boke of the consideracion of quynte essence of alle thinges

that mowe bee changid fro oone kynde to an other.

In the name of oure Lord Ihesus Crist, here begynneth the boke of the

lyknesse and simulacion of philosophic witnessing the euaungel of oure Lord

Ihesus Crist, the whiche he hath yeue and grantid' to holy lyuers.’

The furst deerem is pat by the vertue the whiche God hath yeue to nature

10

made and to mannys knowlaiche, a man may sodaynely a1 inprofitablenesse and

fleublenesse of olde age in the ouer olde men been lettid fro holy werkes cure and

restore ayen. And youthe and strengthe with lustynesse of juuentute may be had

ayen and restorid newe but not in the same degre but rather better, the whiche is

the gretteste pryuete that is in a] kynde.

 

1 This and subsequent titles in square brackets are editorial.

2 The theoricke parte, of the extraction of the quinte essence, of Raymonde

Lully; Otherwise callid, ye mirror of light of Roger Bacon top marg., 16th cent.

summary of the text, com. A F

101

102

And how hit shal be made or doo.

Here is the furste canon.3

This is the thing in the whiche alle men haue labourid to siche, a thing y-

made the whiche is profitable to the vse of man, the whiche may kepe his

corruptible body fro corrupcion and putrefaction and to conserue hit fro wastyng.

And yf hit be possible, to kepe a man euerlastyng in life and helthe, ffor that is a

thing that alle men desiren, neuer to deye.

Witnessyng the holy philosophre Saint Paule in the Secunde Epistil Ad

Corinthios, the v chapitre, Nam et qui sumus in hoc" tabernaculo corporis

10

ingemiscimus grauati, eo ex‘ infirmitatibus eo quod nolumus exspoliari sed corpore

vestiri ipso corpore ne moriamur ideo subdit ut sorbeatur, quod mortale est,“ a

uita.’ Hec Paulus.‘

Ful fewe philosophres haue come to the laste cause‘ of knowlache of suche

thinges, euidence and cause why men and leches now-a-dayes been sette so ferre in

15

couetise and in desiring of worldly worship pat thay mowe not, ne God wille not,

pat thay haue suche grace to come to suche high cunnyng.

 

3 canon] Primo Canon right marg., orig. scribe F

4 hoc] ins. above line F

5 e0 ex] e0 .3. ex S

6 est] S; ere F

But7 as oure trewe philosophre Paule seyth in Epistil ad Hebreos, be ix

103

chapitre: "At last euery man is ordeyned [f. 1v] oones to deye.” Ergo, hit were a

phantasie to laboure in this deedly life to siche8 suche a thing the whiche mighte

kepe oure deedly body immortal and neuer to deye. For God seyth in Genesi in

the thridde9 chapiter: "Now therefore, lest Adam put fourth his hande and take of

the tree of life and etc to lyue for euer, therefore oure Lord put hym oute of lusty

paradise to wirke on th'erthe of the whiche he was made. And so he sette hym

bifore paradise and ordeyned Cherubyn with a brennyng swerde to kepe the weye

of the tree of lyfe. "" Ergo, hit were but a fantasie to seye pat God yafe to Adam

10

withoute paradise any thing by the whiche he mighte lyfe for euer, sith oure Lord

caste hym oute bathe shuld not touche the tree of life leste he shulde lyue for euer.

This we seen openly in holy writte, pat God hath sette and ordeyned to

euery man a terme of life, the whiche noo man may passe by noo crafte ne witte.

As Job seieth: Breues dies hominis sum, et numerus mensium eius apud te est;

15

constituisti terminos eius, qui preterin' non poterunt. ' Ergo, to siche helpe and

remedie ouer the tyme that God hath ordeyned to man hit were but vayne.

Therefore, hit is to siche remedie to conserue and kepe oure bodies fro

corrupcion for be tyme and be10 terme be whiche God hath sette to man to lyue yn,

 

7 But] palle left marg. orig. scribe F

8 to siche] om. S

9 thridde] iij s

'0 be] om. s

104

and to make hym hole and hym merueusely to cumforte and restore to the last day

of deeth come the whiche oure Lord hath assigned to vs. To saue a man fro al

deeth byfore be day of God assigned is not in oure powere, as deeth of thundre or

lightenyng, of falles of slaughtre, or of any violence, but to reherche of be deeth

bifore be terme alimyted of surfetes and of corrupcion of be body and of defaute of

vertue in kynde, as ofte hit falleth.

Reason sheweth bat the corruptible body desireth to be nourisshed by

corruptible thingz and roten, and so refourme be body by a“ inparfite thing. And

so the body is made corruptible by [f. 2r] thingz that been corrupte and faylyng,

10

and the sike to hele by matiers that been vnstedefaste and foule. To make fayre by

stynkyng crafte, alle suche been but fantasies and vayne matiers.

Ergo, the rote of life is to siche a thyng12 of hymsilf that myght abide

euermore incorrupte, the whiche may kepe al thing that is y-put there-ynne fro

corrupcion, as flessh in his kinde, vertue, and state, the whiche nourissheth be

15

vertue of life and increcheth and restoreth kynde; and al rawe humour desireth &

bryngeth hit to euene qualitees. And al qualite that hath excesse or any manier

qualite that is loste, hit restoreth. And hit maketh kynde moystnesse to be

plenteuous and hit maketh hete of kynde myghty.

And trowe wel withouten any falsehede bat noone of the iiij elementz is of

 

‘1 a] om. S

‘2 thyng] Ye Roote of liffe is in ye Golde; him selfe to be sought in right marg.

16th cent. com. A F

105

suche kynde, ne noo thing that is componyd of any matieres of be iiij elementz, for

alle suche been cause of corrupcion. And alle corruptible and sike and fleuble, yf

corrupte matiere or like to corrupcion be putte ther-to, hit encrechith hit. And for

alle leches, by suche corrupte matieres whiche been componyd of elementz and of

5

matieres there-of and wrought there-with, myght neuer come to be high pryuete

that we siche.

But sum seyen bat al that is bodily in this worlde to be vse of man bee

elementz or of elementz. Ergo be rote of13 life may not in this worlde be founde of

man, be whiche may quyke be body vnto be last terme of life y-merked to man of

10

oure Lord God.

Indago” celi nostri seu quinte essencie. "

The15 prologe of oure heuene or quynte essence.

To16 answere treuly to bis matiere, hit behoueth to siche a thing be whiche

 

‘3 Ergo be rote of] rote of life prec. by an asterisk in text just before Ergo and

foil. by a second asterisk in the right marg., prob. to add emphasis to the original

text F

‘4 Indago] one-line decorated initial 1; guide letter visible F

‘5 The] one—line decorated initial T; guide letter visible F

‘6 To] two-line decorated initial T; guide letter visible F

106

is in comparasoun and in respecte of be iiij qualitees of be whiche oure body is

made, as heuene is in comparasoun of be iiij elementz. Philosophres clepen

heuene quynte essence in comparason of iiij elementz. For heuene in hymsilf isl7

incorruptible and also inchangeable, receuyng [f. 2v] noon other impressions ne

kinde but as God hath commandid. So the thing is whiche we sechen. In

comparason of be iiij qualitees of oure body, quynte essence is in hymsilf

incorruptible. Yf hit shuld stonde for euer, not hote with fyre and drye, neyther

colde ne moyste with watre, nether hote ne moyste with eyre,18 nether colde ne

drye with erthe, but hit is quynte essence auaylyng ayens alle contrarieuseness.

10

For right as heuene is incorruptible and as whenne nede is, hit reyneth moisture

and sumtyme hit yeueth hete, sumtyme colde, sumtyme drouthe, suche is be rote

of life, quynte essence, the whiche oure Lord Almighty made in kinde to fulfille be

nedes19 of oure body vnto20 be tyme of oure Lord assigned.

And I seye bat oure Lord Almighti made quynte essence21 and wrought hit

15

of a22 kindeli body and made hit craftily with man is reason and witte.

And I shal name hit with hys iij names, be whiche was youen of olde

 

‘7 in hymsilf is] is in hymsilf S

‘8 eyre] ayer S

‘9 nedes] necessitees S

20 vnto] into S

2' essence] Note yt the Quintessence is made and wrought of a kyndely bodie,

fo. 3 of ye other booke: left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

22 of a] oddly shaped, prob. add. over eras. S

107

philosophres sumtyme.23 Furste ye shal calle hit24 brennyng watre, the soule of

wyne or the spirite of wyne, and aqua Vite, watre of life. And whenne bou wilte

hide his name fro lewde men bat thay shal haue noon vndrestanding, calle hym

quinta essencia or quynte essence. For his kinde and his name, quynte essence,

was shewed by olde philosophres; and with thaym thay kepten this cunnyng close.

And bat hit is not colde and moyste as th'element of watre is, I shal shewe

by reason, for hit is brennyng and so is not th'element of watre. And bat hit is not

hote and moiste as th'ayre is, hit proueth wel; for th'ayer wol rather ingendre”

corrupcion and venum as hit sheweth we] in mystes and contagious ayers, be

10

generacion of flyes and spithers and attrecobbes and ober corrupcions.‘ But oure

quynte essence is euer biding26 incorruptible, yf hit bee kindely closid fro th'ayer.

And bat hit is not colde and drye as th'erthe hit sheweth expressely, for hit is

highest in wirking of kinde in hete. And that [f. 3r] hit is not hote and drie as the

fire is, hit sheweth in wirking, for hit maketh hote thingz colde and hote sikenes

15

hit lesseth27 and putteth of, as I shal proue here after.

And bat hit taketh awaye corrupcion and kepeth a thing fro corrupcio

experience proueth hit thus. For take what maniere byrde or pece of flessh or fissh

 

23 youen of olde philosophres sumtyme] youen sum tyme of olde philosophres F

2“ hit] ins. above S

25 ingendre] first 6 prob. alt. from i F

26 biding] abidyng S

27 lesseth] swageth S

108

that bou wil and put hit there-yn, and hit shal neuer apeyre while hit is there-yn.‘

Thenne, by reason, hit shulde wirke more in quycke flessh and lyuely creatures

and kepe hit28 fro alle corrupcion. This is quynte essence, man is heuene, be

whiche oure Lord made yn keping of alle thingz.

And knowe hit for sothe bat philosophres now-a-dayes and leches knowen

not bis quynte essence nother his kinde. Therefor, with be grace of God I shal

shewe hereafter the pryuytes of hym.

Here I haue shewed the a secrete thing, quynte essence, i. man is heuene,

in comparison as heuene euer lasting.

10

Indago solis ad influendum principium vite in nobis et ad omandum celum

nostrum summum. ‘

The29 prologe of the sunne, that is to seye, gold, to brynge in be bigynnyng

of lyfe in vs and to araye oure heuene at fulle; that is callid quynte essence.

Hit helpeth not oonely man is body by hymsilf but oonely by vertue of be

15

sunne and other sterres. Thys heuene, quynte essence, wil highte and florisshe be

sunne merueusely and make hym shyneng withoute corrupcion; but euen as quynte

essence, this sunne may not wirke in distrueng of hete. And berfore I seye to be of

 

28 hit] thaym S

29 The] left marg., guide letter t visible for two-line decorated initial F

109

veray charite and good conscience, bat this sunne is y-lightnyd and shynyng and

vnable to be with fyre y-wastid, for hit is incorruptible30 and bringeth ynne be rote

of life. As possible may be as I haue shewed bifore in man is body, the whiche is

made to glorifie oure heuene and to increche the influence31 of quynte essence bat

same be take with man is hande.32 And God hath ordeyned hit in the power of

deedly creatures. And I at instance33 [f. 3v] of God and for charite seye to you

holy lyuers and good men what is this sunne that shal stande in oure heuene,

quynte essence. I shal shewe hym to you by his34 propre name.

Hit is gold whiche is take of the vraye myne or of the oure in th'erthe, and

10

not gold whiche is made of waters and is gadred and wrought by crafte.’ For gold

of the doctor alkym' was made of corrosie waters, the whiche is contagious to man

is nature. But this good gold of the myne is clepid35 among philosophres the sune,

for hit is be soon of sunne of heuene. For this gold is ingendred in th'erthe of the

reflections of the sunne. And to hym be sunne yeueth his kinde and colour, and

15

his substance kepith fro corrupcion as comparison may be made.’

But quynte essence is of the nature and colour of heuene and oure sunne

 

3° incorruptible] golde left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

3' the influence] thinfluence S

32 hande] later add. over eras. F

33 instance] thinstance S

3‘ his] prec. by blank space F

35 clepid] callid S

110

shal hight hym as be sunne highteth heuene. And thees two ioigned togedres, bat

is to seye, quynte essence and gold, haue the condicions of heuenely heuene that is

abouue and of heuenely sunne as possible may be in nature, of creatures that been

deedly to restore life and nature loste and to renue youthe clerely. And hit yeueth

kindely helthe as man desireth to haue.

Indago stellarum nostrarum ad omatum celi nostri ad iuuandum

infiuenciam nostri celi et solis ad influendum primum principium vite in nobis.’

The prologe of oure sterres to the beaute36 of oure heuene.

Salamon seieth Eccliasticis in the furst chapitre, "Alle thingz been harde

10

and mowen not vtterly bee shewed with man is worde ne tunge. "' For among alle

wondre thingz that euer God made in this worlde and moste to be wondrid of is

this, bat sum spices medicinable haue vertue and powere to drave corrupte

humours and superfluelt fro oon certayn membre37 and not of an other, as ierapigra

that draueth humours fro be heed, fro be necke, fro be breste, and not fro be navil,

15

nober bynethe. And summe [f. 4r] other drauen fro the navil and so bynethe and

not fro be ouer parties of membres. But how and where of bat is, hit is ful harde

to man to knowe.

 

3" beute] beute add right marg. S

37 membre] Jerapigra: left marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

But the high philosophre Eheben and John38 Mesue, oberwise"9 callid40

111

John“ of Damaske, in his Boke of Simple Medicines, aboute the bigynnyng, seyeth

bat there nys“2 noon cause to be askid but bat thay haue that of be kinde of heuene

aboue. And how and of what place and43 partie of heuene thay44 couthe not seye.

And yit thay were so good clerkes bat alle leches and philosophres in thees dayes

callen thaym euangelistz and45 thay that vndrestonde be trouthe of suche worldly

bingz that been of so merueillous vertue. be cause bere-of46 is of God.

But thees worldly philosophres and but communly lettred leches haue noo

felyng here-on47 and holden hit but fantasies and lesingz. But to euery fals

10

sclaundre, trouthe is to be put afore. I shal siche be nature of oure sterres to araye

oure heuene, bat the flouyng of quynte essence that we haue sought and of be

sunne, bat is to seye, of the gold of myne bifore seyde in be prologes, how mouche

 

38 John] Johan S

3" wise] John de Mesue right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

‘0 callid] damasius lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

4‘ John] Johan S

“2 nys] is S

43 and] pars * left marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

4" thay] S; that F

‘5 and] Note that theis phinssions weare in ignorante of this his science right

marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

‘6 bere-of] a pointing right hand, left marg., 16th cent. comm. F

‘7 on] yn S

112

be kinde of be heuene and be sunne been increched by putting to of other sterres.

And knowe ye welle bat euery sterre of heuene aboue hath his flovyng48

dovne to erthe and euery sterre hath his ovne proprete. And49 euery sterre bath a

singulier kinde of be commandement and b'ordynance50 of God in wirkyng vppon

certayne binges in erthe: As be loode sterre hath vppon be adamant51 stone and

vppon ire; and be mone hath his wirking vppon be water of be see; the sunne

vppon gold; be mone vppon siluer; and images of men aboue in heuene wirken on

mannes bodies bynethe.’ And images of shepe or wethres of heuene52 aboue'

gevyn kinde to shepe and wethers bynethe53 in erthe. For as a carpintier with his

10

axe [f. 4v] in his hande maketh a shippe and in lesse banne he haue his axe he can

not make hit right, so neither God gouerneth not be worlde be whiche hath yeuen

wirking to be sterres but oonely lete be sterres wirke in thayre kinde in bingz here

bynethe as He wil and bath commandid and noon otherwise. And vndrestande in

thy hert bat among sterres and images of heuene, of that oone partie and erthely

15

things vppon be whiche baire kinde failleth, hit is so strong and mighty bat thay

 

“8 flovyng] The propertis yt the loade fir hathe vpon the Adamas stone and vpon

o" vide Raymond Exposio [sic] libro Geber 116. right marg., 16th cent. comm. B

F

49 And] Gebir f0. 75 * left marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

50 b'ordynance] ordenance S

5' be adamant] thadamant S

52 of heuene] Aries Super Arieto left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

53 And images .

.

. bynethe] om. S

113

willen haue thaire kinde courshe of wirking; hit may not be withstande. For

Aristotilt seyeth bat heuene shuld rathir to breste ban kinde shuld faille here

bynethe fro wirking of be sterres aboue. For there is suche knyttyng of kinde and

loue among be heuenely bodies bat al bing here bynethe answerith in kinde to

thaire gouuernance.54 ’ Considere and se how bat shipmen in be see setten a nedilf’5

to be adamant stone and maketh hym to tourne euen ayenst be loode sterre. How

hath be nedil,56 bat kinde, to tourne ayenst that sterre so alle waye and withoute

any defaute and tourneth to noon other place? For sothe and withoute any doute,

bis is be cause. For bothe ire and adamant stone by commandement and

10

imperialite of God been causid and ingendrid in b'erthe of that lode sterre and thay

haue the kinde and the proprete57 in thaymsilf of be same sterre. And berefore for

be likenesse bat be nedil and be adamant stone han of hym and kinde, berefore

euery bing desireth his kinde, and so be nedil tourneth to hym as for likenesse of

reason and kinde.

15

I besiche you what is be cause: bat as ofte tyme as the mone riseth, be see

bigynneth to flowe and arise and whenne be mone is come be myddis58 of

 

5“ gouuemance] the vertue of the lode stone agaynst the lode sterre lefl marg.,

16th cent. comm. A F

55 a nedil] an elde S

56 be nedil] the nelde S

57 the kinde and the proprete] the propriete and the kinde S

58 come be myddis] come to the middle S

flrmament,59 hit begynneth to ebbe; and whenne be mone is in be west, hit

114

begynneth to flowe ayen til be mone come60 to be angle“ of b'erthe; and benne hit

begynneth to ebbe ayen and so til be mone arise ayen. And [f. 5r] after this

courshe of be mone twyes"2 in a day natural is floweng and ebbing.

But nebelees63 bis foloweth noo course of be sunne.

But why is hit bat floweng and ebbing of the see foloweth be mone and not

be sunne? The cause is this.64 For be mone hauth his kindely influence vppon

watre, and berefore floweng and ebbing folowen be mone and not be sunne. For

as a man invisiblyche foloweth kindely a wyman in his thought be whiche he

10

loueth, and a65 hungry man desireth mete and foloweth hit, and the thursty man to

drinke, so to be purpose folowyng I seye bat sterres be whiche han kindely wirking

and influence vppon be heed and be necke and be breste of man, as bees sterres: be

wethre, be bole, and gemynes,‘ be"6 whiche yeueth kinde67 vppon ierapigra. And

 

59 of firmament] of the firmament S

"0 come] om. S

6‘ be angle] thangle S

62 twyes] two tymes S

“3 nebelees] neuertheles S

6" this] * right marg., 16th cent. comm. F prob. for emphasis. The cause is

this in text.

65anda]andasaS

(’6 be] Jerapigra right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

“7 kinde] wirking S

115

berefore by be commandement of God, ierapigra draveth corrupte humours fro be

heed, be necke, and be brest, and of noo membre bynethe baym. And so I seye of

other spices bat drauen humours fro the knees, be legges, and be feet, the whiche

haue a singuliere reflection and kinde of be sterres Capricorne and"8 Aquari and

Piscis; and so hit may be seyed of many other.’

Ergo, yf bou wil cure be heed of any sike man with quynte essence and

gold, bou must take suche bingz and put bere—yn as been ingendrid of be kinde and

constillacion vndre be sterre of Aries, as ierapigra and ober suche bat longen to be

heed; and so of ober lymes in be same wise.

10

And so with oure sunne and erthely sterres bou shal [make]69 goodely70

cures and miracles here in erth, as I shal teche the in this boke here aftre.

Here is the secunde71 canon of the furst boke, the whiche72 sheweth the

maistrie of quynte essence: how and in what wise oure quynte essence with be

sunne and be sterres shal bee arayed73 and how hit kepeth be helthe and life of man

15

and how quynte essence is made.

 

‘58 and] om. S

69 make] ins. above by 16th cent. comm. F

7° shal [make] goodely] S; shal goodely F

7' secunde] ijd" S

72 whiche] Secunde Canon right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

73 arayed] rayed S

Here bigynneth the furst prologe. [f. 5v]

116

Trowe74 bou not bat I lye or coloure fals matieres, for hit is quynte essence,

be whiche is callid aqua ardent, brennyng watre. And I seide bifore bat noo

philosophres ne leches nowe-a-day couthe not come bere-to, but of aqua ardent

euery man may finde ouer al. But for sothe, the maistrie of quynte essence is

hidde fro thaym. And I saw neuer but oon dyvine that vndirstode any thing of the

priuetees and maistries of this quynte essence. And I telle you for sothe bat quynte

essence is brennyng watre and hit is not brennyng. But God in-putteth75 wisedame

in the hertz of holy lyuers and good men for whom I make and translate' bis boke,

10

bat thay comune not hit with reprouous men and mysse lyuers in sclaundre of the

high priuetees of God. So I shal here openne to the the vraye trouthe.

Thou shal take wyne not ouer clere ne watrie, neyber blac wyne, erthely

and thicke, but noble wyne and glad sauery and swete smylling, be best that may76

be had, and distille hit by a canon ofte tymes til bou haue made good brennyng

15

watre atte highest77 degre bat bou can make and distille hit iij or vij sithes. And

bis is brennyng watre, be whiche leches now-a-days knowe and can make wel

ynow. This is a watery mattere of be whiche quynte essence is made and drauen

 

7“ Trowe] Raymonde Non reputis me [text is faded] left marg., 16th cent.

comm. B F

75 in] om. S

76 may] A canon glocb (?) left marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

77 atte highest] at the highest S

oute of hit, the whiche we prOpose on78 in bis boke.‘

117

And whenne bou has79 bi noble aqua ardent, benne bou shal80 doo make a

vaisshel of glas or a stillatorie al hoole of oon pece, with oon hole aboue yn be

heed by be whiche be watre shal be put yn and draue oute. And bis vaisshel shal

haue canons withyn honging dunneward so bat be watre withyn the vaisshel, by

vertue of fire, shal ascende and distille withyn be vaisshel by be canons streitthing

oute as arrnes doon in a body, but bay bee ynwarde in be stillatorie and many.

And so distille dovne and arise ayen and benne dovne ayen contynually day and

nyght til bat brennyng watre by be high wille of God be tournyd heuenely into

10

quynte [f. 6r] essence be whiche ye siche fore.

And ye shal vndrestande bat the“ beste watre ardent bat may be made hath

in hymsilf“2 a material commixtion of be iiij elementz. And berefore, by the

spiracion83 of God and by be stillatorie bifore seyde and by continual ascending and

descending, quynte essence, be whiche ye siche, shal be departid fro corrupciun

15

and composicoun of be iiij elementz. And so by greet labour and contynual

 

78 on] om. S

79 has] the mannor of thi stille & vesselz for the quinti essence left marg., 16th

cent. comm. A F

80 bou shal] shal thou S

3‘ the] * right marg., 16th cent. comm. F prob. to highlight best water ardent

in text.

82 hymsilf] hitsilf S

83 the spiracion] thinspiracion S

118

distilling withyn be vaisshel, and by ascending and descending and sublymyng, hit

shal come to so high glorieusenesse bat hit is made almoste incorruptible as heuene

and of be kinde of heuene. And berefore hit is callid quynte essence, for he84 is of

suche kinde in respecte of oure body as heuene is aboue in respecte of al be world,

almoste in be same wise as crafte may folowe kinde by suche a maniere similitude

as nygh as nature may conclude.

Here ye shal knowe whenne quynte essence is ful made and departid fro be

iiij elementz, and how in hymsilf he” is neyther hote ne moyst, nether colde ne

drye as be iiij elementz been. But hit is as heuene, with his sterres and his beaute

10

made be space of many dayes in be vaisshel of circulacion bifore descrybed by

contynuel ascencion and descencion by ciercle distillacion.

Thenne, to knowe whenne he86 is parfit, bou shal openne be hoole of be

vaisshel be whiche is in be heed faste closid cum luto sapiencie, with

philosophres87 lute, made of smal flour and of moyst papire smal teesid and with

15

white of egges mellid and tempered togedre, bat noo breeth passe ynne ne oute.

And when bou has openned be hoole, yf bou fele a meruaillous sauour so

wondreful bat noo worldly swettnesse ne sauour with smelling may be lykenyd to

hym, but hit shal seme to by vndrestanding bat ayer and swetnesse shal be bere-

 

84 he] hit S

85 hymsilf he] hitsilf hit S

8" he] hit S

87 philosophres] what ye look yn for glasse right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

ynne as hit were of be high gloyre and ioye of God. And bis may be callid [f. 6v]

119

a greet mervail, bat a vaisshel be put in a comier of be hous with any licour y-

closid withynne hym88 al oon bat hit may suche swete smylling and tourne into

quynte essence; hit may bee callid a vray miracle, for hit draueth alle bees

swetnesse to hym invisibly.‘ And whenne bou felis alle bees swetnesse and

mervaillous odour, benne has bou quynte essence, be whiche we calle oure heuene,

as bou has herde bifore, to be whiche noo philosophres ne leches in oure tyme

myghten come to, excepte hym89 as I seide of afore.

And yf bou feele noo suche sauour ne smylling to a man is taste, as I seide,

10

close the vaisshel ayen and sette hit to be fire as I shal shewe here after, bat by

sublimacions and ciercle ascencions and descencions hit may be ful wrought and

brought to fulle perfection of glorieuse quynte essence. This glorieuse matiere and

spirituelle shal not haue bat heete in thy mouthe as watre ardent hath, neber noon

suche qualitees of colde, moyst, ne drye as the iiij elementz haue. For be sherpe

15

heete of watre ardent and his aquosite by ciercle sublimacions been wastid awaie.

And th'er[b]ely90 matiere and pondereuse shal leue in be bottume or be91 fundement

of be vaisshel.

And so oure heuene and be sterres, bat is to seye oure quynte essence, is

 

8“ hym] hit 5

89 hym] hit S

90 th'er[b]ely] therlely F

9‘ or be] or in the S

120

complete and made of a body and of a soule, but not in bat wise as a body is made

of be iiij elementz. For hit wil be but litel, glorious, and subtile, and of so noble

fourme bat be power of bat matiere shal not be transfourmyd into noon obere kinde

and so remayne incorrupte til God dissolue and breke be powere bere-of. But

quynte essence, be whiche we speken of, is, as who seyeth, incorruptible as heuene

is, as crafte may folowe kinde. And so in respecte of any matiere y-made of be iiij

elementz, hit is verraily incorruptible. But and hit were vtterly incorruptible as

heuene is, hit wolde renne thorough man is [f. 7r] body as92 witnesshet oure Lord

Ihesus Crist, maker of al thing.

10

Now I haue y-oppenned a parte of this secrete matiere to worship and joye

of oure Lord Ihesus Crist.

Here is cunnyng and witte to haue fire withoute fire and to make quynte

essence withoute labour and expense and withoute occupacion and losing of tyme.

And here we thinke in this boke to cumforte pouer men and hooly lyuers' bat thay

15

bee not y-lette fro baire prayers by wirking of this precieuse watre. I shal shewe to

you a wondre bing and"3 a meruaillous ffire withoute fire and withoute wode or

cole. And bere-ynne is oure quynte essence y-made and gendrid withoute expense.

The wise maker of alle bingz and shaper of bis worlde hath ordenned ij

 

92as] atF

93 and] fier wthouti fier wthouti woode or cole, wth oute expence right marg.,

16th cent. com. A F

121

thingz conuenient to bis thing among alle other, be whiche is bis:94 Take the95 beste

hors dunge bat bou may gete and put hit in a pitte and knede hit faste togedre and

lete be pitte or the place be right close daubid. And make after that a bedde of

askes bynethe and round aboute and be dunge bere withynne. And in the myddes

of the fyme wel pastid and knoden, bou shal sette by vaisshel, bat is to seye, be

stillatorie of circulacion vnto be myddes. For hit is nedeful96 bat al be heed of be

vaisshel stande openne in be colde ayer, so bat by vertue of be fire of be dunge bat

mattere that ascendith and riseth vp to be heed by vertue of be coldnesse of b'ayer

may tourne to watre and descende doune ayen. And thus contynuelly by

10

circulacions bou has quynte essence withoute labour and fire withoute fire.

And here I shal shewe to the an97 other maniere fire98 in99 be same fourme

as I seide afore. Take be draffe of the grapes as bay been pressid whenne be jus is

oute & doo berewith as ye100 dide with be hors dunge bifore, for hit hath a

 

9‘ is bis] been thees S

95 Take the] horse donge right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

96 nedeful] the heade to stand open in ye ayer right marg., 16th cent. comm. A

97 an] oon S

98 maniere fire] maniere of fure S

99 fire in] a nothir maner of fier. right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

'00 ye] thou S

122

meruaillous fire. Also an“ other sette by vaisshe

1102

wel closid to a reuerberacion

in be sunne and so lete hym103 stande day and nyght. And so withoute labour

quynte essence may be wrought.

Here ye may haue quynte [f. 7v] essence withoute any coste. For poure

men the104 whiche suffren grete pouerte and haue noo monaye may haue quynte

essence yf thay haue the cunnyng and coste thaym nought.

Almyghty God hath made not oonely in aqua vite but almost in euery thing

a meruaillous quynte essence, durable and celestial.

I pray the openne thy wittis

and vndirstande trouthe, for corruptible thingz sone been distroyed of baire owen

10

kinde and of baire owen making, but oure quynte essence shal baym preserue and

saue.

Take aqua vite of wyne, for quynte essence is draue oute of aqua vite, be

whiche is noo wyne. But vndrestonde whenne wyne is changid into Vin aigre,

benne the kinde of wyne is tournyd into vine aigre. Ergo,105 in al clene wyne

15

excepte vyne aigre, how rotyn bat euer hit be or trouble or stynkyng, quynte

essence is kepte and may be purid bere—of. Thenne take this for a rule, yf bou take

fyne wyne not trouble ne rotyn, bere-of may bou distille beste aqua vite.

 

‘0‘ an] oon S

‘02 vaisshel] a nother fier right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

‘03 hym] hit S

'04 the] om. S

‘05 Ergo] excipti vinegri right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

berefore, poure men and hooly lyuers that haue litel monaye may siche

123

suche wynes as men refusen and is loste and bat thay mowe haue for nought, as

trouble wyne and rotyn in a watery February. For quynte essence whiche is

incorruptible may not be corrupte by bat rotyn wyne and corrupte, but for be more

pertie hit is drunken vp of that corrupte wyne. Ergo, hit may be callid a pryue

maistrie to draue quynte essence incorruptible fro corrupte wyne. And so by

sublymacions hit draueth and putrifieth be iiij elementz of the wyne and leueth be

dregges in be bottume. Now bou may vndrestande be wirking of hym withoute

expense. Wolde God ye wolde preyse God and laude hym bere-of.

10

Here is knowelaiche of the dyuersite of quynte essence and bat may bee

made parfite and inparfite and after dyuers [f. 8r] degrees, higher or lower.106

The furste maniere making of oure quynte essence is that the whiche I haue

declarid bifore, the whiche hath noo pere.

The secunde maniere is this: Take be beste aqua vite and be strongest bat

15

bou may finde and putte hit withynne a glasyn vaisshel with a long necke and close

be mouthe faste with wexe; and lete be vaisshel be halfe fulle atte moste. Thenne

bou shal putte al close in be hors fyme afore seyde so bat al be vaisshel be vndre

be dunge. And vndrestonde wel bis werke, for be mouthe of be vaisshel y-stoppid

with wexe shal be tournyd dovnewarde and be bottume bere-of shal be vppewarde.

20

And so lete hym107 stande al cloos in hors fyme. And so by vertue of be fire of be

 

"’6 or lower] in left marg. S

‘07 hym] hit S

124

fyme quynte essence shal rise vp to be bottume of be vaisshel and be corrupte

matiere and be residence of bat watre shal descende into be necke of the vaisshel

withynne be glasse. Thenne, aftre xl dayes take oute be vaisshel softely and hourle

[ne trouble]108 hit not ne shake hit.109 But as demeurely [as thou may]110 reere hit

up as hit is standing in be fyme, be necke dovnewarde and the bottume vppewarde.

And bere bou shal se bitwyne the thiknesse and be clerenesse a greete difference,

that is to seye, bitwyne quynte essence sublymed and the grosse matieres and

corrupte be whiche lithe

1” in the necke.

Maistrie and crafte forto parte be inpure112 fro be pure or bat oone fro bat

10

other is this: Take an iren pricke or a poyntel that is right Sharpe and perce the

wexe subtily berewith vnto the watre. And whenne bou has made an hole unto be

watre, drawe hit oute, and so bere shal come oute terrestre matiere & corrupte.

And so lete hit passe aweye til al be corrupte be goon. And whenne bou seest hit

passid a1 oute and be clere quynte essence bigynneth to passe also, benne putte by

15

fyngre vppon be hole anone. benne tourne the potte [f. 8v] or113 the vaisshel et“4

 

‘08 ne trouble] S, om. F

“’9 hit] hit hit F

”0 as thou may] S, om. F

”1 lithe] liggeth S

”2 be inpure] thinpure S

”3 or] of S

”4 et] and S

125

there-ynne bou shalt haue quynte essence; and put hit into a vaisshel by hymsilf. ”5

And bis is holde for a grete maistrie and oon of be greet secretnesse of

philosophres. But bis quynte essence is not of so greet valure as is be furst, for hit

is ful noble to vse hym sikerly,“6 for bere is greet vertue in hym but not somuche

as bou shalt finde in parfite quynte essence the whiche bou seches.

The iijdc maniere117 is bis: Take a greet glasyn pot and bury hit wel closid in

hors fyme so bat al be vaissel be closid in the dunge. And so the pure sprith118 of

quynte essence, by heete of be fyme, hit

119

shal ascende vp and be grossitude and

be corrupte feys120 shal remayne in the bottume of be vaissel. benne draue subtily

10

bat pure and spiritualle matiere that is abouue be dreggz and put hit into a cloos

vaissel and put be remanent ayen into be dunge.

The iiij121 maniere is bis: Take what122 vaissel bou wilte of glas or of erthe

wel y-glasid and trustily, and sette vppon bat vaissel a rovnde foote of glas with a

legge comyng oute of be foote honging withyn be vaissel in be ayer.123 And sette a

 

“5 hymsilf] hitsilf S

“6 sikerly] seurely S

”7 maniere] .1.3. right marg., orig. scribe F

”8 sprith] spirite S

”9 hit] om. S

‘20 feys] feces S

121 iiij] iiijthe S

‘22 what] .4. right marg., orig. scribe F

'23 be ayer] thayer S

126

conuenient couering aboue according to be mouthe of be vaissel, wel lutid with

philosophres paste bifore seyde. And so hit shal ascende in maniere of a boilyng

pot to be rovnde foote of glas by descente dovne ayen into be vaissel by be legge

honging in the ayer.124 And bis instrument of glas may be hadde in many places

withoute greet coste and hit is in partie as goode as be vaissel of circulacion bat I

spake of furst.

The v maniere is bisz‘” Take aqua vite made of clene wyne, in be fyme wel

digestid and fyned, and use hit.

The vj126 maniere is this: Take aqua127 vite ij distilled.

10

The vij maniere is bis: Take aqua vite

l28

bat is reedy made atte hande bat hit

brenne. For alle thees been ful meruaillous as I shal shewe here aftre.

Herel29 is130 the iiidc cannon of the pryue extraction of quynte essence of alle

thingz that been necessarie and profitable in reperacion and conservyng of kinde,

 

‘24 the ayer] thayer S

‘25 bis] .5. right marg., orig. scribe F

‘26 vj] vj‘e S

'27 aqua] .6. right marg., orig. scribe F

”'8 vite] .7. right marg., orig. scribe F

‘29 Here] init. letter decorated with face S

‘30 is] Canon 3 left marg., orig. scribe F

127

cunnyng to draue oute quynte essence of man is blode and131 [f. 9r] of alle flesshes,

egges, and metes that longen to man.

Here bifore I haue shewed to the greet priuetees, ffor I seide in euery

corrupte thing is parfite quynte essence. benne greet maistrie hit were to teche be

to draue hym oute of man is blode and of flesshe and of alle bestes, ffor man is

blode is be parfiteste bing in vs of kinde to increche al nature loste. Take this for

certayne bat naturalle shal make quynte essence so perfite bat withoute any ober

preperacion of degre of olde men & men that been fleuble, hit shal transfourme

and change bat blode ymmediate into flessh. And bis quynte essence and his

10

propre nature hit is greet mastrie to haue, for berynne is greet vertue of oure

sterrid heuene to cumforte and cure nature. And many worthy miracles been

wrought as I shal teche [the

1132

here after.

Take blode of yong sanguyn

133 134

men and colerike men at barbiers Shoppes

as bou may haue hit, and namely of suche men be whiche vse good wynes. benne

15

put awaye be watre after hit hath stande and paste hit and bake hit with be x parte

of comune salte preparat to be vse and medicines of man. And benne put hit into a

glasyn vaisshel and close hit right faste; and put hit withynne hors dunge preperat

 

‘31 Catchwords of alle flesshes at foot of page on right F

‘32 [the]] S; om. F

‘33 sanguyn] sanguyne F; e 16th cent. add. F

‘34 sanguyn] ye blode of yong sanguyne men. right marg., 16th cent. comm. A

128

and arayed135 in forme bifore seide. And renve hit oones in a wyke

136

or more bat

be fire of fyme may be made strengere. And so lete hit roote and putrefie til a1 be

blood be tournyd into watre; and bat may be withyn xl dayes, sumtyme more and

sumtyme lasse.

Thenne put bit into a lembike and distille hit by a good fyre & take ber-of

be watre as muche as bou may. benne take be dreggz bat leuen of bat

137

watre and

grynde baym on a marble stone; and put a1 be watre bere-to and grynde bothe

togedre and benne distille hit ayen and benne grynde be feces, bat is to seye,I38

dreggz, and melle

139

be watre berewith ayen and distille hit [e]ft140 sonys. And do

10

thus many tymes til bou haue [f. 9v] a noble watre of blode of the whiche quynte

essence may be draue oute. Take bat

141

same watre and put hit into be

142

stillatorie

of circulacion as I seyde in be bygynnyng and lete hym ascende and descende til

hit be brought to be greet swetnesse and meruaillous smylling and odour as aqua

vite or aqua ardent, as I seide bifore. And bat is a meruaillous and a myraculous

 

‘35 arayed] rayed S

‘36 wyke] woke S

‘37 bat] om. S

'38 to seye,] foll. by be feces, i. F

‘39 melle] medle S

”0 [e]ft] S, aft F

'4' bat] the S

142 be] a S

quynte essence as bou shal wel knowe and see.

129

Yf bou wil draue quynte essence fro capons and hennes and of al maniere

flessh bat bou wilt, grynde be flessh or be eggz strongly and as smalle as bou may

in a mortier with his x perte of comune salt preperate to be vse and medicines of

man. As I seyde byfore, put hit in hors fyme til hit be tournyd into watre in

maniere afore seide. And benne put hit, bat is to seye, be watre so distillid, into

be vaisshel of circulacion til bat watre be brought to be greet swetnesse and

sauours afore seyde.

Cvnnyng to draue quynte essence fro alle frutes and143 leues, rootes and

10

herbs.

And here is oon other of the priuetees to telle: The drauyng of quynte

essence of alle thingz bat material be mellidI44 and sprunge of b'erthe.

And be manniere of bis wirking is as I seide in the last chapitre bifore.

Grynde alle frutes, rootes, and herbes that bou wilt and for what bou wilt with the

15

x parte of salte preperate to be vse and medicyne of man, as I seide. benne

putrefie

145

hit and distille hit circularit, as I seide bifore, til bou haue be greet

 

”3 and] om. S

”4 mellid] medlid S

'45 putrefie] prutrefie F

swetnesse of greet odour,”" as I haue seide bifore.

130

And here I haue openned to be in bis place, by be commandement and

emperalite of Crist, by desire be whiche is diffuse to be vndrestande or to be

vndretake.

And sith hit is so: Pat of herbes, sum been colde atte highest and sum hote

atte highest, sum drie, sum moiste, sum temperate, sum laxatyue, and sum

costyue. And berefore quynte essence draue oute of thees in suche matiers shal

bee of wondre wirking, [f. 10r] for in twynkelyng of an'“ eye, dyuers effectz and

wondirful been wrought soudaynely.’

10

Why was quynte essence draue outeI48 of ellebre, that ober-wise is callid

walworte, as b'effect

'49 is writenn150 there-of in Latyn? For hit is so high in effect

of wirking bat noo man may shewe ne telle be priuete bere-of. And vndrestande

wel: Yf any herbe, frute, or obere haue suche a powure by hymsilf, hit hath that of

quynte essence. For his quynte essence, as we haue seide, was so depurid atte

15

fulle bifore bat his vertue is a hunthred folde more banne whenne hit is in be

herbe. For be dreggz of the iiij elementz mellid togedre suffrith not quynte

 

”6 odour] odour left marg., orig. scribe F

”7 an] oon S

'48 oute] elleboria left marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

‘49 b'effect] elleboria .i. walworte right marg., 16th cent. comm. B. Beginning

at this word and extending to the beginning of the next section (thirteen MS lines)

is a line that has been drawn designating this section with a pointing finger. F

‘50 writenn] write S

131

essence, the whiche is drovnyd and compovnyd with bayme to wirke aftre his ful

kinde. Therefore we yeue maistrie to quynte essence whenne alle superfluelt and

materialt impedimentz and corrupte bee remouyd fro hym by circle distillacion, as

we haue seide bifore.

Here is the cunnyng to draue quynte essence of euery of the iiij elementz by

hymsilf of alle the matieres bifore seyde.

I wille not lete for a litel to siche and shewe the priuetees how quynte

essence of be iiij elementz of alle thees bingz bifore seide may be draue oute and

shewed and leyde invisibly in a parte by hymsilf. '5‘ And be making is this: Take a

10

bing putrefied and brought into a watre, what bat euer bou wilte, as I haue taughte

and shewed bifore. And bat thing bat bou wilt draue be iiij elementz of, lete hit be

man is blode broughte into a watre with his x parte of salt preparate, as I seide

bifore. benne put bat watre or blode so putrefied yn a stillatorie of glas and sette

hit in a potte with watre and make a fire vndre hit, bat hit may distille fro be

15

myddil of be lembike to be pipe; and there bou shal haue bi distillacion a clene

watre. Receipue hit into a potte of glas bat is right clene. And whenne bou seest

bat by that fire wille noo more watre arise ne [f. 10v] distille, thenne trowe bou

wel for sothe bat bou hast the pure element of watre oonely of bat blode, for be

fire and be calidite of that watre hath noo strengthe ne myghte to sublyme or

 

‘51 hymsilf] hitsilf S

distille th'ayer or be fire or th'erthe.

132

And so thre152 elementz remaynen in the bottume of be vaisshel be whiche

is the stillatorie. Take that watre be whiche bou has so draue oute and put hit

153

efte

sonys in be vaisshel vppon the iij elementz and put be stillatorie ouer be

154

into the watre ayen be space of vij dayes bat thay mowe be wel mellid togedre; but

close hit so faste bat noo thing may distille oute bere-of. And after vij dayes take

be stillatorie and sette hym in a panne fulle of hoote askys and155 lete‘56 be panne

with clene askes stande ouer a good fire, for bis fire is mightier benne is be fire of

be watre in be potte, be is157 callid in bis faculte balneum marie, i. maris vel aque,

10

a bathe of watre.158 And by159 vertu of be fire in be askis ber shal ascende a watre

in fourme of oyle shynyng in colour of gold. And whenne bou sees bere wol come

no more, thenne has bou recepued in by vaisshel ij elementz, bat is to seye, watre

and ayer.

Thus shal bou departe oon fro an other. Put baym in160 a stillatorie of glas

 

‘52 thre] .iij. s

‘53 efte] este F

‘54 ouer be] om. S

'55 and] .2. gra right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

'56 and lete] and thenne lete S

‘57 be is] the which is S

'58 vel aque, a bath of watre] om. S; partially scratched out S

‘59 And by] add. over eras. S

'60 in] into S

133

and sette be stillatoyre in [ye pot]161 with hoote watre in maniere afore seyde and

bere shal ascende oonly clere watre. And benne ayer shal remayne in be vaisshel

in likenesse of oyle and in colour of gold in be bottume of be vaisshel, be whiche

oyle is vray ayer. Put hym bi hymself and yit remaynne in be vaisshel fire and

erthe.

To departe fire fro erthe,“ take iiij 1i. of b'element of watre and put hit

vppon 1‘63 li. of be matiere, bat is to seye, vppon be ii elementz fire and erthe.

And put hit vij dayes bat hit may be wel incorporate in be hoote watre. And after

bat put hit ouer a strong flammyng fire and164 bere shal ascende a reede watre.

10

And whenne bere distilleth noo more, benne has bou a blacke watre in be bottume

of the vaisshel be whiche is pure erthe. Take hit [f. llr] vppe and put hit into a

vaisshel by hymsilf. "’5 benne take that redisshe watre, for bere been ij elementz,

that is to seye, th'element of fire and of watre. Put thayme bothe into be stillatoire

and sette hit in be pot with watre ouer be fire and bere shal ascende by distillacion

15

the clere element of watre. And so shal remayne in be vaisshel a rede oyle, be

whiche is th'element of fire; and here has bou now iiij elementz departid asundre.

The furst is oyle and bat is proprely ayer and watre, ffire and erthe. And

 

“’1 ye pot] add. by I6th cent. corr., prob. over eras. F; the potte S

”’2 erthe] therthe S

‘63 1] oon S

”’4 and] .3. gra right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

”’5 hymsilf] hitsilf S

134

here ye shal vndrestande bat th'element of watre is caste into bat166 other elementz

to draue oute fire and ayer fro erthe, for thay mighten not arise in distillacion

withoute be helpe of th'element of watre.

Now bringe euery of thees iiij elementz by hymsilfe into quynte essence in

the vaisshel of circulacion as I seide bifore or elles rettifie

167

and distille thaym as

bou didest the wyne byfore, that is to seye, distille bayme vij tymes in an ober

stillatoyre. But be blacke watre in wirking of kinde168 muste furst be put in a

glasyer is fourneyse xxij169 dayes’ or in be vaisshel of reuerberacion. And for a

cause of this cunnyng, I speke no more but joye in God of this that bou has

10

herde.170

The171 iiij canon in the secrete making172 of be maistrie of be sunne to sette

hym in oure heuene, i. quynte essence, bat he may shyne in hym to shewe light

and influence in be lasse world that is in oure body and bigynneth to shewe the

furste cause of lyfe.

 

'66 bat] the S

‘67 rettifie] rectifies S

“’8 kinde] .earthe right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

‘69 xxij] .xxj. S

'70 herde] S om. F

'7' the] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

”2 making] 4 . Canon right marg., orig. scribe F

135

Now is tyme bat we araye oure heuene, quynte essence, and bat we sette

oure sterres173 in hym, bat is to seye, gold and be propretees of gold, bat ye may

gete and bringe into man is body be clerest day of a1 oure life and greet helthe and

strength til be last day bat God hath assigned vs to deye, for bat day may noo man

passe.

And here is a greet maistrie to sette oure sunne, i. gold, yn [f. 11v] oure

heuene. And vndrestande bat quynte essence be whiche we spake of at be174

bigynnyng is so subtil and so spiritual and y-brought to so greet glorieusenes bat of

his owen kinde andns sherpenesse and purite of hymsilf, hit desireth euer

10

vppewarde. And berefore bou muste close and bynde hym strong and syker in a

glasyn vaisshel sownde and cloos withoute porys, leste he shape and passe oute of

by gouuernance.‘ But oure176 sunne is euene contrary, for he is of so greet

sufferyng and of so meruaillous sadnesse bat fire may not waste hym by noo witte

ne reason, as I shal shewe by exemple and withoute any doute. Alle men wittes

15

mowen not waste hym by noo crafte of askes to

177

calcyne hym in, yn be whiche

alle metalles been distroyed and loste, gold and syluer except. ”8 And bough bou

 

”3 sterres] sol ins. above S

”4 be] om. S

”5 and] & ins. above 8

”6 oure] * right marg., 16th cent. comm. F, prob. to highlight our sunne is

euene contrary in text.

177 askes to] y telle ins. above S

'78 except] Sement royall: f0. 69. left marg., 1 61h 66’"!- comm. B F

136

woldes take sement royalle, bat is be strongest bing bat may be distruyng and

wasting of metalles be whiche is made of olde salt179 and brymstone and sal

armonyak with the whiche be best siluer of be world is brought to nought and

tournyd into corrupcion, but gold berewith may not be wastid; but hit is be gretter,

fyner and purer banne euer hit was. And bat is but of th'ordennance of God fro

aboue. In be furst making bere-of and of be furste fourme, hit was so glorified

and made so worthy, and be foorme and kinde of bat matiere been knytte togedre

and so strong joyned in oon bat by mighte and vertue of be fire he may neuer be

corrupte and departid. And now I seye to be bat God of heuene,180 by influence of

10

the vij [planetes],181 hath disposid in be bowelles of th'erthe vij182 metalles.‘

Saturne disposith leed for leed hath be183 propretees of Satume. berefore

leed is callid Satume.

Jupiter disposith tynne and for tynne hath be proprietees of Jupiter, berefore

tynne is callid Jubiter. [f. 12r] Mars disposith ire and for ire hath be propretees of

 

”9 olde salt] tyle ins. above S

18° heuene] finger and * pointing to line containing phrase God of Heuene left

marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

‘8' planetes] add. by 16th cent. corr., prob. over eras. F; metallz S

'82 vij] Saturne h left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

‘83 be] Jupiter leefi marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

137

Mars,184 therefore we calle ire, Mars. The sunne, be whiche

185

is be noblest

planete and king of alle be

186

planettes, disposith golde, and for gold hath be

propretees of the sunne. berefore we calle golde, be sunne. Mercurie187 disposeth

quyke siluer and for quyke siluer hath be propretes of mercury, berefore we callen

quyke siluer, Mercury. The mone disposeth siluer and for siluer hath be

propretees

188

of be mone, berefore we calle siluer, be mone. Venus disposeth

copre and for copre hath be propretees189 of Venus, berefore we calle coper,

Venus.

And sith gold is disposid of be sunne and bath be propretees of be sunne.

10

And be sunne yeueth his coursshe and kinde influence vnto b'erthe: of his beemes

and of his light and his heete, be whiche iij been principille thingz and natural of

alle lyuely bingz, and trowe bou wel alle thees propretees been in oure gold, be

whiche is callid gold of God and not of man, i. alkymye.

And now is tyme to shewe how be naturalle influence of oure sunne, bat is

15

to seye oure gold, shal be sette in oure heuene, quynte essence, bat we spake of

bifore. For be light and be heete and be corruptible goodnesse of alle his

 

‘34 mars] mars d' right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

‘85 whiche] 0 Gold right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

'86 be] om. S

‘37 Mercurie] mercurr § right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

'88 propretees] the lune ) right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

‘89 propretees] venvs 5? right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

propretees is to quyke oure body and to kepe hym hole til be last day bat God hath

138

to vs assigned.‘

Here is veraye practise, crafte, and maistrie to sette oure sunne in heuene,

oure quynte essence. ‘90

A werke of be maistrie to sette oure sunne in heuene and hit is bis: Take the

gold of God y-purid by sement royal, yf bou may haue suche gold. And yf bou be

a pouer man, take fyne floryns of Florence,‘ ober wise callid ducatz,’ and make

ber—of191 thynne plates. And put boo plates into be fire and anele baym fire rede

vppon an iren pele as hoote as bou may. And haue biside the a erthyn vaisshel wel

10

glasid ful of fyne brennyng watre and [f. 12v] whenne thy platz been fire hoote,

caste baym withynne watre ardent but take hede to quenche the brennyng watre bat

hit waste not and be wel ware bat noon ire touche bat watre. But standing a ferre,

caste ynne by golden platz and do so 1 tymes or more, for be more be bettre hit

shal be. Note bis wel bat I seyde, yf bou see the watre ouer muche wastid, benne

15

take and change hit and take newe and so aftre bat an other. And whenne alle be

quencherys been doon, benne caste alle be watres togedres.

And vndrestande bat God hath sette suche vertue in aqua ardent bat hit

 

19° essence] cement owre golde by sement Royall right marg., 16th cent.

comm. B F

191

berot] of thaymes S

139

draueth to hym alle be vertues of gold. Whenne thay been fire hote and in

corporacion, hit holdeth be beemys and be lighte and be equale colour and

hardnesse and sadnesse and alle be propretees of be sunne celestial. This aqua

ardent is so glorieusely y-sunnyd and gilte, medle hit with quynte

'92 essence and

vse hit.

Pou shalt not quenche by golden plates in quynte essence for bou mighte

lose baym benne. Now in veray trouthe: by heuene bou hast incorruptible but not

fully as heuene, and bi sunne y-sette in hym more mightier to yeue light of lyfe in

be beemys of vertue in conservyng of kinde and to make quynte essence in biding

10

and sadde.

Here193 is cunnyng withoute expenses and almoste for nought and this is194

for hooly lyuers‘ that haue litel to lyue by, parfit

195

men,’ the whiche seyen with

Petre, "golde and siluer is not longyng to me. "' And whenne bay haue nede of be

vertues of oure sunne, lete baym pray a riche frend to leeue baym ij good floryns

15

of Florence or 1. And hete hym as reede as fire is [in

1196

colour; and yf bou haue

aqua ardent, quenche baym bere-ynne 1 tymes. And yf bou haue noo aqua ardent,

 

'92 quynte] a prehibiting left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

‘93 Here] one-line dec. init. H; guide letter visible F

'94 is] om. S

‘95 parfit] * left marg., orig. scribe near two-line dec. init. lett. P F

‘96 [in] S; om. F

140

quenche baym in good white wyne, not ouer clere nor thicke but in the moste

delectable and [f. 13r] odorous and best liking bat bou may haue. For wyne hath

kinde to recey[u]e197 in hym alle be propretees of gold. And whenne bou haste

doon bis werke at be fulle, bou shal haue by floryns as good as bay were bifore

and as who seyeth of be same weighte.’ Vse this198 goldyn wyne or watre and bou

shal haue greet helthe and gladnesse and be yongly with al.

Here is crafte and cunnyng to sette the vertues of oure sunne more199

strenger and mightyer in oure heuene.

And here in this decre I shal shewe a witte bat be propretees of oure sunne

10

shal be sette more parfite shynyng in oure heuene. But I shal teche be a sleyghte

naturally and withoute synne200 to bringe gold and siluer to suche a plyte bat noo

man shal knowe hit by right ne reason nober sighte, but vttrely bay shal be

deceipued. And bis cunnyng and deceipte of gold and siluer is muche worthe in

tyme of traison to bere and to kepe hym fro tyrandes in sykemesse and in werris

15

and greete tribulacouns and namely in be tyme of Antecrist.‘

 

‘97 recey[u]e] receyne F

‘98 this] vide lib Geber f0 80 of Johanes de Rupicissa or his cure right marg.,

I6th cent. comm. B F

‘99 more] om. S

20° synne] A crafte naturally to ratryue G) into earth fo. 26 a right marg., 16th

cent. comm. C F

141

Allemighty God made gold incorruptible and so noble bat fire by noo crafte

may distroye his colour‘ ne vertue. And yt bere is a thing be whiche tourneth hym

into erthe sodaynely. De maistrie of bis preuyte is this: Take gold and make

lymelle of hym; benne take a crucible with a good quantite of quyke siluer and put

hit into a litel fire bat hit rise not and vapore aweye. And ben put thy lymelle of

gold ber-to and benne moeue hit a litel bat be gold and be quyke siluer may be

medlid togedres. And withyn a litel while bou shal finde al be gold withynne be

quyke siluer y-toumyd into erthy mele or floure. benne make be fire strengere bat

be quyke siluer may passe aweye or elles distille hit and gadre hit ayen by putting

10

to of a lembike aboue be vaisshel. And so bou shal finde be gold calcyned and

tournid into [f. 13v] erthe. And yf bou may not lymel hit, make bere-of as thynne

plates and subtile as bou maist and put thaym to be quyke siluer al hote, and bou

shalt haue by desire. And yf bou wil do be same with siluer, lymel hit and medle

hit with crude mercury and with mercury sublymed and a goode quantite of

15

vitriolle romayne and close hit with philosophres lute bytwyne ij vaisshellz or ij

shelles wel closid; and put hit among coles the space of a day or halfe a day, and

benne bou shal finde hit tournyd into calse. Thees calces bou may bere borough201

oute a1 be worlde and noo man knowe hit for noo gold nor siluer. And yf bou wil

nedely hide bees calces, medle baym with molten pytche or wexe or gumme or

20

with any bing that is able to brenne & bere shal noo man knowe hit, but euery man

that seeth hit shal vtterly be deceipued.

 

20' borough] through S

And yf bou wil loose bis matiere and bring hit as hit was, put be wexe with

142

be gold or be picche202 in a vaisshel with hote clene askys and be gold shal passe

into b'askes and be calce as hit was afore; and be same of siluer.

Now to oure purpoos. Yf bou noble and worthy wil gilte oure aqua ardent

or wyne, take be calce of bat I spake of right now and put hit on a iren pele, but

better hit were a siluer spone. benne anele hit fire hoote and quenche hit in aqua

ardent or wyne l tymes, as ye dide bifore, and bou shal haue by licour y-giltid an

hunthrid-folde better benne hit was with the thynne plates.203 And the cause and

reason is this: For be fyre wirketh better, mightyer, and strenger in be subtil

10

pouder and calce of gold204 benne in sounde plates and harde. And aqua ardent or

wyne draueth a thowsandfolde bettre be kinde and be propretees of gold fro be

smalle parties fire hoote benne fro greet plates. For subtil plates of gold and smale

withstanden lesse the fire benne [f. 14r] the substancial body.

And bou shal vndrestande bat wyne holdeth not oonely be propretees of

15

gold but of alle metalles. For yf bou quenche moltyn leede in wyne or” in

comune watre vij tymes, benne in bat wyne or watre, yf bou wil quenche ire

wellyng hote many tymes and ofte, benne shal be ire be nesshe as leede; and be

 

202 picche], second c looks like t F

203 the thynne plates] 16th cent. add., prob. over eras. F

204 gold] Aqua Ardenis left. marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

205 wyne or] to make all mettall softe and pliable right marg., 16th cent. comm.

A F

143

same with coper and other metalles. Yf bou206 quenche ire ofte tymes in white

wyne and after bat quenche be hote moltyn leede bere—ynne ofte tymes, and benne

bou shal finde be leede harde as be ire was. Ergo, hit foloweth bat be propretees

of alle metalles mowe entre into wyne and muche raber into aqua ardent, precious

and good.

The207 V208 canon of infixion of alle erthely sterres in oure heuene bat thay

mowe shewe thayre propre influence and priue vertues.

God of heuene hath yeue suche vertue to quynte essence bat hit draueth of

euery frute, tree, herbe, seedes, spicz, and flesshe, and of euery medicynal thing

10

alle vertues and propretees and natures, and alle manier209 effectz of baym, be

whiche God, maker of joye, hath shape and made in baym. And withynne iij

houres he shal draue oute alle baire vertues into hymsilf. And bis oure quynte

essence afor seyde draueth alle quynte essence of alle bingz afore seyde.

Ergo, alle bingz necessary to euery sirupe: Put hit in aqua ardent and

15

withynne iij houres, bat shal be a sirupe. And berefore hit shal be an hunthryd-

folde more bettre by reason of quynte essence benne hit shuld be withoute hit.

 

206 bou] to make leade harde as Jren right marg., 16th cent. com. A F

207 The] one-line decorated initial T; guide letter visible F

203 V] .5. canon right marg., orig. scribe F

20" manier] looks like mainer F

And in bis wise, take alle medicynes comfortatyues and put baym with

144

quynte essence and hit shal be an hunthrid folde better cumfortatyfe benne hit was

bifore in alle actes and propretees; the same in medicynes laxatifes, for bay shal

werke wondrefully in kinde and baire vertues shal gretely bee210 increchid [f. 14v]

5

of the highyste of God as I shal teche the hereafter.

And yf bou putte alle spices and alle swete smyllengz and odorous sauours

withynne quynte essence, bou shalt haue so greet swettenes bat wondre hit is to

seye. The same of stiptike thingz, bat is to seye, drynkes made newe of frute, as

wyne sidre or perry newe made and suche other. The same of bingz that been

10

restreynyng, bee bay seedes or floures, frutes or leefz, or colde or hote, or swete

or biter, or moyste or drie, or goode or ylle; yf bou putte any of thees in quynte

essence, suche quynte essence shal bou haue of baym.

Lo here is crafte and cunnyng to translate and to increche be kinde of alle

vertueuse bingz an hunthrid-folde more higher in wirking aftre bayre actions and

15

proprietees.

The“ sixte212 2‘3 canon to

214

make oure heuene hote.

 

210gretely bee] be greetely S

2” the] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

2‘2 sixte] 6. canon lefi marg., orig. scribe F

2‘3 sixte] vj S

2” canon to] canon is to S

Here is cunnyng to make quynte essence hote in be furst degre and to

145

knowe thoo thingz bat been hote in the furst degre. And with quynte essence

bifore seyde we mowe draue oute quynte essence of thaym.

An other flowyng cunnyng in knowelaiche of alle medycyneable thinges I

shal openne here in bis place and ober also. And whiche been hote in the furst

degre aftre autours of medicyne & phisik, here ye shal see.

Of herbes: warmovde, borage, fumyterre, eupatorye, camamylle, sticados,

thistelle, coriandre, dodre vel cuscute, orrnium, spikenarde, celtica.

Of seedes: seed of malve, trifolij, i. iij leefid grasse, ffizamum, lyra,

10

coriandre, arage, ozyan, cuscute, i. dodre.

Of flours: be flour of Narsily Eroci, camamille, emile.‘

Of rotes: the rote of yrios, aristologye-—bothe be rounde and be long,

Agarike.

Of frutes: swete almundes, ripe mulberies, junibe, ripe olyue, ffygz,215

15

castayns, camamylle, walnotz, capary, levticy, the paryngz of pome-citryne. [f.

15r]

Of burgyns: the leefz of laury clowys.

Of greynes: corne, whete, white rise, orobi, lingua canis, i. hovndz tunge,

cucube, cardamoun.

20

Of gummes and juses: clay, sarcocolla, ladinum, muske, storax.

 

215 ffygz] figues S; ues ins. in right marg- S

Of veynes: alume glasse.

146

Of flessh: swynes flessh, hors, camel, chikun, goote, yong sparowes,

pigeons, dockes, gandres, ffesaunt, salte fissh, and ober.

Ergo, yf bou wilte medle oon of thees or many in oure quynte essence or as

muche as bou wilte withynne iij houres, he shal draue to hym quynte essence of

baym with alle his vertues. And by heuene shal be made hote in the furst degre

more banne hit was.

And here is a greet cunnyng to knowe the nature of alle thingz able to

man216 is mete and to knowe what bou shal etc and what bou shal leue. And yf

10

bou be ouer colde, vse thees thinges be whiche been hote in be furste degre,

excepte bat bou shalt shone be bingz be whiche been laxatyfe and sumtyme noyen.

Vndrestande wel what I seye.

Here217 is cunnyng of affixion of quynte essence in oure heuene of alle

thingz be whiche been hote in the secunde218 degre. And here is knowelaiche of

15

thoo thynges.

Therefore, yf bou haue a infirmite be whiche is causid of ouer muche colde

and by quynte essence in the canon bifore seyde, be whiche is hote in be furst

 

2‘6 to man] to a man S

2” Here] one-line dec. init. H guide letter visible F

2‘8 secunde] ij S

degre, suffiseth not to delaye hit, banne draue oute quynte essence of thees thingz

147

here bynethe be whiche been hote in be secunde degre.

Of herbes: catirpuse, affodille, baucia, i. pastinata,’ opopinac,

hoorehownde, centaurie, mynte, annyse, fenoel, aloe, biteyne, white piper, elna.

Of seedes: aliapiados, i. be seede of lauriolle, apirdana, maratri, i. fenoil

seede, betes bat is pastinata, radissh, safron of b'este cuntre, kayzes of yvy, bayes

of be lorry tree.

Of flours: flour saffron,”9 percely affodille.

Of rotes: the rote of merche fenoylt, [f. 15v] ciclamen, i. erthe, note,

10

gladion, azari, squylles, pastinate, affodille, piony, cipre.

Of trees: berbery, ligne, aloes, surelle eben clowes, be barke of pynot tree,

madre, tamarisce, sene.

Of frutes: notemugz, maces, bitttre almundes, ripe grapes, ripe reysons,

coraunse, drye figz, swete datz, notes.

15

Of come: the branne of lupynes, i. dravle, kapes.

Of gummes and juses: aloe, baume, lyfe hony, mastike, frankencens, dille,

melke.

Of veynes: sal petre.’

Of superfluitees of bestz: dirte of bestes, dirte of man, vryne ambre,

20

muske.

Now thy vndrestonding’ and see whiche of bees thingz been nedeful to the

 

2‘9 flour saffron] flour of saffron S

148

to make by body more hote banne thoo might, be whiche been hote in be furst

degre. But loke vse noon of thees but yf bou knowe bifore whiche been venyne

and whiche not.

Now hast bou cunnyng to make oure heuene hote in the secunde degre with

alle thingz afore seyde or of whiche bou wilte of thaym.

Here is the fyxyng of quynte essence of alle hote thingz in be iiid“ degre.

And here is a notable knowelaiche of thaym.

Yn cause bat be infirmite220 come of ouer muche colde and bou nede to

haue oure heuene hote in be iijde degre, sette in heuene quynte essence of hote

10

thingz in be iij degre, be whiche been foloweng here opennely.

Of herbes: enula, campana, ffisileos, tyme, chikon wede,

22‘ 222 camedreos,

camepitheos, ysope, savyne, eldre, moleyne, cockil, nepte, calmynte, origanum,

alexandre, clote, hilleworte, leke of gardyn, rerid merche, i. cerfoyle azabactara,

agnus castus, southrynwode, celidoyne, spurge, louache.

15

Of seedes: peraly seede, annyse, cararj, bitayne, cardamome, leke,

alexandre, nugel, i. cockil, hillewort, gardyne reve, white piper.

Of flours: turbith, eldre flour.

 

220 be infirmite] thinfirmite S

22‘ wede] ins. above S

222 chikon wede] chikon mete S

Of rotz: emula, campana, mader, eteyn223 rote, ynons, leke, walworte,

149

white and blac rubarbe, hermodactil, [f. l6r] serpentyne, cetuale, turbith,

gyngever, centaury.

Of trees: gencian house ferne, i. polipody, cassia lignea, be barke of a tree

5

not of oure soyle, turbith, galyngale, long piper, cynamome, coste.

Of burgenyngz: leues of elerande, of be not tree, coloquyntide clote.

Of frutes: notz of lnde, catapuce, wilde gourdes, coloquitide.224

Of comes: cockill, long piper, staphisagre.

Of gummes and juses: ysope, serote, scamony, picche molte or grece,

10

opopanac, galbaum, asary, armonyake, euforbe, gumme of junypre.

Of veynes: magnes, salgenne, aspaltum, mummia.

Of membres of bestes: the stones of castore.‘

With thees thingz bou shal increche hete in by heuene in be iijdc degre.

Ergo, vse thees as bou has experience bifore, after the vertues of thaym.

15

Here is cunnyng of thyngz that been hote in the iiijthe degre to put baym in

thy heuene whannem bou has nede.

I shal shewe the thyngz that been hote in be iiij‘h degre, be whiche is be

 

”3 eteyn] betayne S

22“ coloquitide] i ins. above, no n indicated F

225 bou has nede] necessite requireth S

highest degre of hete to sette in quynte essence of baym in by heuene whanne nede

150

asketh.

peletre.

Of herbes hote in be iiij‘he degre: wilde rewe, crasses, garlyke, spereworte,

5

Of seedes: senevy seede, seede of crasses, wilde rewe.

Of trees: moleyne, peletre.

Of frutes: anacardy,226 i. life of olyfauntes.

Of veynesz' piper, bracke,227 bayes of loory.

Of veynes: quyke siluer, sulphur, chalke, sal armonyake, alum glasse, cs

10

ustum, i. rede poudre y-made of copre, flos eris, i. flour of bras, petrolium.

The228 vij prologe in draueng229 oute of quynte essence of alle binges that

been colde in the furst degre. To sette thaym in oure heuene. And here been thoo

thinges bat been colde in the furst degre to fixe baym in oure heuene.

As I haue shewed to the to draue quynte essence of hote thingz aftre b'ordre

226 anacardy] a nacardy F S

227 bracke] blac S

223 The] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

22" draueng] .7. canon right marg., orig. scribe F

151

[f' 16"] 0f 1111230 degrees, [)6 same ordre231 shal bou haue in drauyng oute of quynte

essence of boo thinges bat been colde. And furst of boo bingz bat been colde in be

furst degre.

Of herbes: arage, mercury, wodesoure, caule, gardyn malowes, skyrewit,

surelle.

Of seedes: be seede of malowe, plantayne, roses, skyrwitte, cucurbite.

Of floures: the flour of roses, almandes, apples citryne, the flour of

wethy.232

Of leefz: leefz of myrtyn and bere-0933 is made oleum nurtum, be whiche

10

is good for reynes.234 *

Of frutz: maste of oke, alle be myrabolanes, tamarindi, .i soure dates, a

citryne apple parid, olyve vyttre, damysons, quynches, peeres, cheryes.

Of come: barly, grene beenes, drye beenes, myle myrtille.

Of juses: acassia, vyn aigre.

15

Of veynes: bole, thymolea,

235

cleye sclattes, silure, goldyn cathymy.

Of flesshes: gootes flesshe, herte, oxe, mule, bere, quayles, and fressh

230 of iiij] of iiij (end ofpage) of “ii F

23‘ ordre] ins. above 5

232 wethy] willough S

233 bere-of] of thaym S

23‘ for reynes] for the reynes S

2” thymolea] thymolia S, add. later by corr., prob. over eras. S

fisshes.

152

Yf bou put any of bees bingz in oure heuene, bou shal make oure quynte

essence, i. oure heuene, colde in be furst degre. Of bis heuene bou may vse in

SOIIII'C .

5

Here is cunnyng to sette quynte essence in oure heuene of thingz that been

colde in be ijd" degre.

Whenne oure heuene be whiche is colde in be furst degre suffiseth not to

quenche be greet colde,‘ benne sette in hym quynte essence of bingz bat been cold

in be if“36 degre, be whiche bou shal see here folowyng.

10

Of herbes: pentaphilon, ffylles, gardyn letuce, wilde tanesy, popy.

Of seedes: seede of letuce.

Of flours: Violette, nemifar, i. watre lyly, beene flours, balausty.

Of rotes: rotz of pome-granate, weybrede.

Of burgenynges: the leefz of wylowe.

15

Of frutes: galengale, vnripe mulberies, chattys vyn aigre, pome-citryne,

cerfoile, kede, perche peere,237 gourdes, cucurbite, melones.

Of greynes: berberyes, pome-citryne--be kirnelles238 [f. l7r]

”6 ijdfl secunde S

237 kede, perche peere] reede perchepere S

23" catchwords of gummes siluer at foot of page on right. F

Of gummes: siluer, gumme arabike, armonyak.

153

Of veynes: ceruse, lapis lyzare or lazuse litarge, alume glas, lede, coralle.

With thees bingz bou shal make oure heuene to bryng yn colde into oure239

bodies in this ijde240 degre. Vse bis wisely for here bou may se greete wisedame.

5

For yf bou be ouer colde here may bou vse suych thingz to make the hote; and yf

bou be ouer hote thenne bou may take boo binges that been colde.

Here is cunnyng to sette quynte essence in oure heuene of thingz that been

colde in the iiijthe degre,’ to bringe yn be grettest colde into oure bodies that may

be whenne neede askith.“1

10

Now is tyme to shewe the of settyng quynte essence of thingz that been

colde in the iiij‘he degre, be whiche been thees.

Of herbes: wild tasille, alexandre, ypoquistidos, i. hound is rose,

semperviua, i. hous leke, portulaca, fole foot, surelle, henbane psillium.

Of frutz: apples.

15

Of flours: white popy.

Of stockes: be wilde tasille, alexandre.

 

2” oure] i. in the iij degre in Bothe Books-vide thothr Book f0. 29 right marg..

16th cent. comm. B F

24° ijd‘] secund S

2‘” neede askith] necessite requireth S

Of frutes: applis mandrage.242

154

Of gummes and juses: camphora, sang draconis, ypoquistidos, i. hound is

rose.

Of veynes: gipsum, ferrugo.

5

Of seedes: henbane, blacke popy, juse of merche.

Of veynes: antymoiny, toty aurum.‘

Thees been boo thingz of be whiche quynte essence y-sette in oure heuene

shal make oure body colde in be highest degre. For the iiij‘he degre is noo bing

colde, as philosophres seyen.‘

10

The viii canon to draue quynte essence of alle243 drye thingz to sette thaym

in oure heuene to brynge244 drouth in245 oure bodies when neede asketh.246

Here is cunnyng to draue quynte essence of thoo thinges that been drie in

the furst degre:

Here I shal shewe to draue quynte essence of thingz that been drie as 1 haue

 

242 applis mandrage] apples of mandrage S

243 alle] .8. Canon right marg., orig. scribe F

244 brynge] badly formed r F

245 in] into S

246 asketh] requireth S

doo of other. And of thingz that been drie in be furst degre.

155

Of herbes: camamille, hous leke, wortz, [f. 17v] ffenil, catepuce,

fumygreke, spykenarde, roses.

Of seedes: henbane seede, fumigreke.

5

Of flours: saffron flours, camamille, enula campana.

Of rotz: gladion, cetualle.

Of burgenyngz: leefes of rise.

Of frutes: notz of Ynde,247 alle myrabolayns, tamarindi, i. soure datz,

reysyns, carin, ripe olyue, grene walnotz.

10

Of comes: barly, drie beenes, cucube, i. quibibis, cardamome braune.

Of gummes and juses: muske, sarcocolla, merche.

Of veynes: bole, thymolea, clay.

Of flessh: gote is flesshf‘“3 oxe, hert, hare, hors, asse, camel, bore, veel,

lyon, kede, sparowes, turtylles, pertrigge, pecok, pigeons.

15

Thes been boo thingz be whiche bou shal put in oure heuene bat he may

draue to hym quynte essence so oure heuene shal make oure bodies drie whenne

nede asketh.249

 

2‘” Ynde] ynde F

248 is flessh] om. S

2“" nede asketh] necessite requireth S

Here250 is cunnyng to draue quynte essence of thyngz that been drie in the

156

ijde degre and knowelaiche of boo bingz that been drie in the ijd‘ degre.

Yn251 this maniere, whenne bou has need, bou shalt draue quynte essence of

drie thingz in the if“ degre bat oure heuene may brynge dryenes in oure body in be

ij252 degre. And thees been boo thingz bat been drie in be if”253 degre.

Of herbes: warrnoude, fumyterre, affodille, centory, catapuce, eupatory,

wilde tasille, pentaphilon, i. toete seyn woderoue, white popy, alexandre, percily,

yreos, i. gladyn, mentastrum, mynte, annys, leke, coriandre, woode soure,

cuscute, orrnium, papirus, garlyke, cucurbite, courdes,254 saffron of best, and alle

10

spikenarde.

Of seedz: seed of merche, dauci, fenil sede, leke, treyfoile, plantayne,

annys, coriandre, roses, rosyn, scamonye, scariolle, i. ramnes,”5 cuscute,

cucurbite, est saffron, comyn affodille, balaustia.

Of rotz: be rotz of merche, fenel, oyngnons, pome-granat, azari, astrologie

15

bothe be rounde and be long, squilles, affodille, arnoglosse. [f. 18r], i. hound is

 

250 Here] one-line dec. init. H; guide letter visible F

25‘ Yn] two-line dec. init. Y; guide letter visible F

252 ij] secund S

2” ijde] secund S

25“ courdes] gourdes S

255 ramnes] rampnes S

tunge, piony, cipre, centaury, agarik.

157

Of trees or stalkes: polipody, rubarbe, ligne, aloes, surelle, ebenn,

cynamome, alexandre, clowes, barke of pynote, tamariscus.

Of burgenyngz: wylowes, myrtus or myrta, serpentary,256 laurialle,

tamarisan, olyve, coloquitidarum,257 citryne.

Of frutes: maste myrabolayns, citryne, catapuce, notemuge, the modre of

bitter almandz, vnripe damysons, vin aigre, the barke of nustille, pome-citryne,

coloquintida, coctanum, i. quynche, pira, chasteynes, pionye.

Of greynes: myle, brede, cockille, lupiny, rise, oreby, berbery, myrtille.

10

Of gummes and juses: junyper, jusquiamus, i. henbane, mastike, thus, i.

essens, myrre smylling swete, galbanum, baume, hony.

Of veynes: ematices, gipsum, cerusa, lapis lyzarus, litarge, alum glas,

sclattz, corallus.

Of flessh and superfluitees of bestes: the mete of salt fissh, muske, ambre.

15

With thees thingz bou shal sette quynte essence in oure heuene bat hit shal

yeue drouth in oure heuene, i. oure body, in be ij”8 degre.

Here”) is cunnyng to sette quynte essence in oure heuene of bingz that been

 

25" serpentary] serpentyne S

257 coloquitidarum] rum appears to be a later add. by corr. S

253 ij] secund S

259 Here] one-line dec. init. H; guide letter visible F

drie in the thridde260 degre.

158

HitZ“ foloweth of reason to sette quynte essence in be iijdc degre in oure

heuene bat hit may bringe drouth into oure body in be iijdc degre whenne neede

askith.262 And bees been boo binges that been drie in be iij degre.

Of herbes: polypody; azara baccara; agnus castus, i. toute sane; apium, i.

ache; aizon, i. surelle; tyme; philopendula., i. stoneworte; prassum, i.

horehounde; ypericon, i. herba iohanis, oberwise callid perforator minor, i. Saynt

John is worte; camedreos, i. mede swete, i. regma prati; spurge; calamynte, i.

nepte; hillewort; rupea i. madre; camapitheos; ypoquistidos, i. hound is rose;

10

ysope; origanum; gardyne rewe.‘

Of seedes: [f. 18v] the seed of peletre, nettil, annyse, cardamoun, caruj

herbe benette, opithymy, nugelle, i. cockil, comyne hilleworte, gardyne rewe,

radissh, eruce, i. white piper.

Of flours: eldre flour, turbith.

15

Of rotz: rubarbe, turbith, ditayne, oygnons, elebre--white and blake,

hermodactili, serpentary, philopendula.

Of trees and stalkes: gencian, tapcia, i. faytour is herbe, vulga pastoris,

wilde tasil, cassia lignea, azara, i. azara baccara, turbith, galenga, long pipre,

 

26° thridde] iijdc S

26‘ Hit] two-line dec. init. H; guide letter visible F

262 neede askith] necessite requireth S

coste.

159

Of leefz and burgenyngz: be leefz of clote.

Of frutes: galle, wilde gourde, capary.

Of greynes: bayes of lory, staphizagre.

Of gummes and juses: acasia, scamony, vin aigre, alle piper, serapy

opopanak, azafetida, euforbium, gumme of juniper, cathaplasma, yperoquistidos.

Of veynes: magnes ferrugo spodium, sope, sal gemme, cumyn glas,

aspaltum, mummia.

Of membres: be stones of castore.

10

And with quynte essence of bees thingz in oure heuene hit shal brynge in

more drouth in oure bodies in the iij degre whenne neede askith.263

Here is cunnyng to sette in oure heuene quynte essence of thingz that been

drie in the iiij degre, bat whenne we haue neede264 we may put heuene in oure

body in the iiij degre.

15

By the helpe of oure Lord Ihesus Crist we shal make a parfyt ende of be

consideracion and extraction of quynte essence of bingz that been drie in the iiij

degre, bat we may sette heuene bat hit may yeue drouth yn vs in be iiij degre

whenne oure body is ouer come with humydite of fleaume and superflualle

 

263 neede askith] necessite requireth S

26“ neede] necessite S

humidite. And bees bingz been drie in be iiij degre.

160

Of herbes: wilde rew, crasses, blac popy.

Of stalkes: be letre.

Of frutz: frute of anacardi, blac piper.

5

Of veynes: sal armonyak, es ustum, toty aurum, chalke, salte.’

Of flours: fflos eris, i. flour of copre, sulphur vyue,265 [f. 19r] petrolium.

With thees oure heuene shal bringe drouth in oure body in be iiij degre.

The ix canon to266 draue267 quynte essence fro moiste thingz to sette baym in

heuene, bat hit may yeue moysture in oure body whenne we wille.

10

Here is cunnyng to sette moystnesse in heuene of thingz that been moyste in

be furst degre. Cunnyng hit is to openne bingz that been moyste in be furst degre.

Nowe is tyme and I shal make reuelation of thingz and of cunnyng that

been moyste in the furst degre, bat we may sette quynte essence of thaym in

heuene bat in tyme of greet drouth we may make oure body moyst in be furst

15

degre. And thees been thoo thingz that been moyste in the furst degre.

Of herbes: enula campana, borage, mercury.

 

265 vyue] vif S

2"“ to] .9. Canon right marg., orig. scribe F

267 to draue] is to draue S

Of seedes: malowe seede, portulaca, i. foole fote, atriplex, i. arage.

161

Of flours: been flours.

Of rotz: liqoricia, pastinate, i. nepes.

Of trees: liquorice.

5

Of frutes: swete almundes, ripe mulberies, ripe grapes, pome-citryne,

damysons, rede that berith sugyr,‘ chattes.

Of corne: grene beenes, lingua anis, i. stychewort, long piper.

Of gummes: ladanum, citryne, gumme arabike, dragatantin,268 berdilium.

Of veynes: lede, siluer, chatyme of siluer.

10

Of flessh: porke, oxe, chikons, dovys, sterlinggz, gandres, fesauntz, fressh

fisshes, dokes.

With bees thingz bou shalt sette moystnes in oure heuene in be furst degre,

bat hit may reyne humidite in vs in be furst degre whenne neede269 is.

Here is cunnyng to sette humidite in oure heuene in be secunde degre. And

15

here is a note of necessary thinges to that.

Conuenyent

270

hit is to shewe and openne thingz that been moiste in be ij‘1e

degre bat we may sette quynte essence in heuene bat hit may yeue moystnes in be

 

268 dragatantin] dragaganti S

269 neede] necessite S

270 Conuenyent] two-line dec. init. C; guide letter visible F

secunde degre to oure bodies when neede askith.

162

Of herbes: malowes, psillium, fole [f. 19v] fote, arage, gardyne letuce,

fisaune, fole fote.271

Of flours: watre lily.‘

5

Of frutz: dates, cheryes, gourdes, notz, cucurbita, citerly.

Of comes: ffacy,272 kemelles of quynches.

Now here bee boo thingz be whiche yeuen moisture in the ii“273 degre in

oure heuene, yf thay been sette in hym.

Here is cunnyng to sette moystnes in oure heuene in the iiidc degre and

10

whiche been boo bingz that been moiste in be iij degre. Thees thingz been moiste

in be iij degre.

Of seedes: the seede of psillium,274 white popy, oygnon seede.

Of flours: flours of Violette, white popy.

Here is cunnyng to sette humidite in heuene275 in the iiij‘he degre.

 

27' fole fote] om. S

272 ffacy] faci foll. by blank space S

273 ii“) secund S

274 psillium] spillium S

275 in heuene] in oure heuene S

This276 is be laste consideracion in respecte of thingz as longen to be

163

qualitees of277 iiij grees.278 And yit we mowe seye whiche been thoo bingz that

been moiste in be iiij degre bat we may sette quynte essence of thaym in heuene

bat hit may yeue moisture in oure body in be iiij degre whenne neede askith. And

bees been moiste in the iiij degre.

Of veynes: quycke siluer.

Of drynkes: snowe and leptoma.

Now bi the helpe of God we haue fynysshed the iiij canons afore in

frutefulle consideracion and profitable of iiij grees in hote thingz, colde, drie, and

10

moyste. To God be be preising.

Here is cunnyng to knowe of alle thees thingz bifore seyde whiche of thaym

haue ij propretees.

I279 haue shewed to be thingz ful necessary and cunnyng to knowe of euery

thing what proprete hit hath and what complexion. For euery thing280 bat is made

15

of iiij elementz hath moo propretees ban oon. For th'element of watre is bothe

 

276 This] two-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

277 of] vide f0. 29. lio Ray Quinte essens of 3 left marg., 16th cent. comm. B

27" grees] degrees S

279 I] two-line dec. init. 1; guide letter visible F

28° thing] ins. above S

164

colde and moyste; th'aier, hote and moiste; th'erthe cold and drye; the fire, hote

and drie.

And berefore be iiij pure qualitees be whiche are

281

hote and moyste, colde

and drie, haue iiij maniere combinacions according to [f. 20r] gedre in the iiij

5

elementz.282 And so bere been oonely iiij elementz and iiij combinacions. Bothe283

28“ drie285 and moyste, be whiche been ij contraries, may286 not bee togedre287 in

oone substance.

Ergo whenne bou wilt knowe any of288 thees thinges to fore seyde, whethre

hit be hote and moyste, or hote and drie, or colde and moiste, or colde and drie,

10

seche hit in be chapitre of hote thingz. And yf bou finde hit bere, wryte289 of bat

bing bat hit is hote and moiste in suyche a gre, and bere bou shalt finde be

 

28‘ are] bee S

232 according togedre in the iiij elementz] foll. by according to gedre F

283 Bothe] pointing hand and * left marg.. 16th cent. comm. F

284 Bothe] written slightly larger than surrounding text; poss. add. later. by

scribe after orig. leaving blank space. F

235 drie] ie prob. a 16th cent. add., prob. over eras. F

28° may] and mowe S

287 togedre] togedres S

238 any of] of any S

289 wryte] written slightly larger than surrounding text; poss. add. later by

scribe after orig. leaving blank space. F

165

complexion of hym.290 And bat bou opennely vndrestande what I seye, seche

quycke siluer in be chapitre of hoote bingz and bou shal finde hit hote in be iiij

degre hit wryht.

291 "

Thenne aftre that, seche hit in be chapitre of moyste thingz.

And bere hit is moiste in be iiij degre, bat is to seye,292 moiste in be highest degre.’

And ye shal vndrestande bat the furst degre may not extende in wirkyng of

kynde but as a cochyng, and apeyreth not be wittz. The ii degre is euene to be

wittes. The iij degre passith the wittes but not distroyeth hit. But be iiij degre

hurteth and mahaymeth be wittes. And of bis consideracion of iiij degrees of

ordre, qualite is take.

10

Here is cunnyng to sette in oure heuene moste temperate complexion

abouue alle other bingz.

Here I shal reherche thingz moste temperate of be whiche we shal draue

oute quynte essence bat we may sette in oure heuene moste temperate complexion

in oure body bat may be in bis worlde.

15

And bees thingz been most temperate and eueneste to oure complexion and

 

29° hym] ye quality of g .i. hote & moiste .i. ionis et lEris! f0. 59. right marg.,

16th cent. comm. B F

29' wryht] written slightly larger than surrounding text; pos. add. later by

scribe after orig. leaving blank space. F

292 seye] [illegible word] vide .i. Dissinetions of Raymond Quintesence fo. 37

of right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

 

166

highest to cumforte and contynuelle restoryng: oure gold of God and not of man, i.

of alkymye; perle; antheras; capillus veneris, i. mayden heere; rote of lay;293 cassia

fistula, i. cayfuste; manne.

Draue oute quynte essence of bees294 and sette baym in oure heuene. [f.

20v] For thenne quynte essence shal lighte parfitely in vs helthe contynuelle and

life til be laste day assigned to vs of God.

And nowe I haue tolde hough bou shalt sette quynte essence of gold, yf hit

be perle or of goldyn cathymy or suyche ober. Yf bou wilte sette quynte essence

of thayme in heuene, make as smal poudre of baym as bou may; and banne put

10

that poudre in oure heuene' and hit shal draue to hym parfitely all vertues and

quynte essence of thoo thinges in be space of iij295 houres, as I haue seyde bifore in

be v canon.’

The x canon techith to sette quynte essence of thinges that296 been attractife

in oure heuene

297

bat we may drawe oute of woundes, tre or ire.

 

”3 lay] text very messy F; lily S

294 of bees] om. S

295 iij] S; F difficult to read.

29" that] .10. Canon. left marg., orig. scribe F

297 heuene] om.; ins. caret left in text S

167

Sette298 we in oure heuene quynte essence to draue oute fro oure body tre or

ire be whiche is in oure body by shotte or strooke. And alle attractifz of necessite

moste needes be hote to make be flessh subtile299 and softe.

And attractifes been thees: magnes, serapinum, azafetida, maiorane,

merche, peletre, petrolium, brymstone, armonyak, cockil, astrologie be long, be

rote of rede, i. sane, ditayne, cat, catamicie,’ ciclamen, i. erthe note, tapcia, i.

faytour is herbe, alle drytte brennyd and dried in cancro solis, i. in Juyn300 and

July,301 and been putrefied bere-ynne, ceveyne,302 watre leches. Alle bees han

vertue of drauyng. Ergo, sette of bees thingz in oure heuene and bay shal draue to

10

baym quynte essence and hit shal draue oute anone lightly bothe tre and ire of

euery wounde.

The303 xj canon techith to304 sette in oure heuene quynte essence of bingz the

whiche shal purge man is body fro corrupte humours.

 

298 Sette] two-line dec. init. S; guide letter visible F

29" subtile] to draue oute tree and iyron of euery wound left marg., 16th cent.

comm. A F

300 Juyn] Junio S

30‘ July] Julio S

302 ceveyne] leueyne S

303 The] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

304 to] 11 canon left marg., orig. scribe F

 

And here is diuerse cunnyng in purgyng of humours.

168

Summe305 make be wombe laxatife' or makith vomites, sum dissoluyng,

sum drauyng, and sum percheth and bryngeth [f. 21r] oute the306 humours

abhominable by helpyng of mighte and kinde vertues expulsiue alle wicked

humours and impedimentes contrarie putte oute. Sum purge with viscosite, as

mercury. Sum with grete sharpenesse, as euforbie. Sum put oute with

compression, as myrabolanys. Sum with saltnesse, as seede of arage. Sum with

swetnesse, as cassia fistula, i. cayfuste, but sum purge oon humour, and sum an307

other.

10

Thees purge blode: cassia fistula, manna, juse of mercury, wilde malowe,

violet.

Thees purge coler: altea, i. malue, cestrene, mirobolane, citryne,

warmoude, capillus veneris, i. mayden heerus, rubarbe, mercury, violet,

damysons, wheye, cassia fistula, tamarindys.

15

Thes purge fleume: sarcocolla, sambucus, i. eldre, anacardi, saffron of

b'est, coconidium, turbith, coloquintidi, tyme, staphizagre, fumygreke, like

308

caule, spikenarde, roses, hermodactilis, peletre, euforbium, tapcia, i. faytour is

 

305 Summe] two-line dec. init. S; guide letter visible F

306 the] om. S

307 an] oon S

308 like] leke S

herbe, sal gemme.

169

Thees purge malencoly: mirabolanes, indi, kebuly, lapis lazarus, lapis

armenicus, opithymy, sticados, sene, camepitheos, cuscute, squinantum.

Thees putte awey watery humours: sarcocolla, euforbium, coconidium,

gourde rotes or rotz of wilde gourde, jus of walworte.

Thees purge reede coler and fleuanine: coloquintida, scamony, agarik.

Thees purge flewme and malyncoly: polipody, elebre--bothe white and

blacke, polycary, catapuce, electuari corodife, titumalle, centory minor, agaricus.

Thees purge rede coler and malencolye: myrabolanes, indi, jus of caule,

10

fumyterre, enula, sene, blac elebre.

Thees meruaillous thingz of God is making with vertue determynate to putte

oute309 mortuelle and superfluelle humours of oure body

310

and many ober also be

whiche been not sette

311

here yn.

Also, yf bou wilt sette quynte essence of thees thinges in oure heuene to

15

purge blode or obere humours, take bees bingz of hire312 chapitres and put baym in

oure heuene and [f. 21v] he shal draue oute the vertue of baym. But loke bou doo

hit wisely and softely for thayre wirking is muche more in oure heuene, that is to

seye in quynte essence, benne withoute hit, and berefore hit is needeful bat bou be

 

309 oute] oure S

3‘0 body] bodies S

3” sette] ins. above S

3‘2 hire] thaire S

wise in

3‘3 thees laxitifes.

170

Here314 in this xii canon after315 thes laxatyfs, I shal shewe the thoo binges

that shal constreyne and sette togedre alle thinges ayen and to draue quynte essence

of thaym to sette thayme in oure heuene, i. body, whenne neede

316

is. Don shalt

haue thaym in this chapitre here foloweng.

Tho thinges the whiche constreyne been contynually colde and erthely.

And sum constreynen parties togedre of vray colde togedre, as galles. And sum

gendre317 grosse humours and wormes. Not withstanding thay cumforten gretely

vertue retentife and yeuen muche nurisshing bere-to. And of be numbre of thees

10

the whiche been binding and streynyng togedre dyuers membres, sum constreynen

blode, sum streynen be wombe.

Thees been boo bat streynen blode: coralle, bole, palme of cipressa, terra

sigillata, carabe, nurtus, cassia, iacincti, galli, sumac, ematices, plantago, suctus,

 

3‘3 wise in] wise and ware in S

3” Here] one-line dec. init. H; guide letter visible F

3‘5 after] Canon .12. lefi marg., orig. scribe F

3‘6 neede] necessite S

3‘7 gendre] ingendre S

171

i. jus of withy,“8 draganti, dragaganti, gumme arabike, the

3‘9 askes of tamarisci,

balaustia, mummia, ypoquistidos, ferrugo, virga pastoris, L320 wilde tasille, alume,

toty, pentaphilon, i. quiz folia, fole fote, doues blode, kowe blode, assh dirte,

askes of note barke, hare heere brenned, filtre brennyd, clay, antymomy, attrament

brennyd, askes made of hempe clothe.

And bees restreynen blode and helpen be flessh and maken hit sadde. Put

thees in oure heuene, and benne shal oure heuene meruailleusely streyne blode

whenne bat neede askith.321

Here is cunnyng to draue quynte essence of bingz that streynen be wombe,

10

to sette thaym in oure heuene to streyne the wombe whenne necessite asketh.322

[f. 22r] Putte323 thees thinges in oure heuene for they shal streyne the

wombe. And thees been thoo thingz, the whiche here folowen, that streynen the

wombe: Sicoman,324 sorba, hawzes, ripe mulberies, vnripe damysons, myrtille,

 

3‘8 withy] willough S

3‘9 the] om. S

320 i.] om. S

32‘ neede askith] necessite requireth S

3” askith] requireth S

3’23 Putte] two-line dec. init. P; guide letter visible F

32“ Sicoman] cicoman S

172

caule ouer mouche boyled, vnripe peris, opynas, corallus, honysoke, see shelles,

cruddes of a bare, boyled mylke, asse mylke, chese, almundz, rise, oyle, oke

kemes, benes, be seede of blacke popy, galles, mynte, white vin aigre, roses, leefz

of cipresse, bole, terra sigillata, mastike, coralle, berbery, sanguis draconis,

ypoquistidos, balaustia, spodium, aysshe, planteyne, alum, litarge, dragaganti,

gumme arabic.

Sum of thees by kinde of be tre that they come of been cumfortatyfes and

sum constreynen togedre, as quibibes and clowes. Putte bees in oure heuene and

bou shalt haue a vertuous and a mervaillous constreynyng of the wombe.

10

Here is cunnyng to draue oute quynte essence of thyngz that been harde in

kynde of wirkyng and to sette thaym in oure heuene to harde oure lemys and alle

thingz that we wolde harde.325

Thoo thinges been ouer colde and moyste, be whiche congelen and harden

the lymes; and sum of thoo been colde and drie.

15

Thees been thoo that harden be body: myrte, psillium, hows leke, fole fote,

watre of lentille, solatrum, henbane and namely be seede of henbane, and quycke

siluer restreyneth. Sette oone of thees in oure heuene and hit shal bringe so greete

hardnesse bat mervaille hit is to sey.

 

325 we wolde harde] we wolde and desiren to haue harde S

173

Here is cunnyng to draue quynte essence fro thingz bat been mollificatyfe

and neyssh that oure heuene may yeue neysshenesse to

326

membris and mollifie

thaym whenne neede is.3‘27

Here we shal seye whiche thingz been thoo that mollifie and maken

membres neysshe. Thoo thingz propriely been temporate [f. 22v] hote for they

maken noo greete hete nether drouth, as camamille, wermoude, eupatorium,

mellilotum, i. treyfoil, encens molte, mastike, armonial,328 berdilium, galbanum,

opopanac, segge, rote of malowe,

32" olde oyle, goot is talough, checon is grece,

gandre grece, kyde talough, marow of a herte, the fatenes330 of a calfe. With thees

10

bingz we shal make oure heuene mollificatife and neysshe.

Here is cunnyng to draue quynte essence of thingz that ripen a soore. And

bat oure heuene may ripe and mollifie any thing or soore be rather.

Now we shal come to knowlaiche of thoo binges that ripen a soore and

 

32° neysshenesse to] neisshenesse and softnesse to S

327 neede is] necessite requireth S

328

329

armomal] armoniac S

'

'

malowe] malowes S

”0 fatenes] fastenes F; fastnesse S; cf. CTC 1389, f. 70r, vitulina, "calf's fat."

bryngen oute the malice. They331 that haue thys kynde been temperate, hote, or ful

174

nygh to temperance of hete naturalle, or elles they been viscous and closyng be

pores, of be whiche naturalle hete is cumfortid withynne and kindely dissolueth

and defieth be matiere 01“32 be postume.

And thees been thoo thingz here folowyng: ladanum, liquorice, soure

molte, annyse, abrotanum, sticados, rote of malowes, lynne seede, fumygreke,

soure dowe, salte with oyle, reysons of coraunce, buttre, swete of a cleen man ofte

y-vsid fasting spotelt. Vse any of bees, and hit shal ripe a postume or a boicche

wondrefully.

10

Thees been stopping, be whiche been erthy and viscous and gendren grosse

humours and thicke: soure breede, dates, musa, fatnesse, chese, maste of oke,

henbane.

Thoo bat openne been thees; and they333 bat openne han vertue to make a

thing thynne, and peresshen hit and clensen hit. And bey openne be weyes that

15

been stoppid and relenten and deuouren the thicke humours superflualle and spisse

and mundifien and clensen be filthes of be soore.

And sum of thees opennen a soore withynne & [f. 23r] withoute and suyche

been propriely grosse in substance, bittre and viscous, as bittre alrnandes.

 

33‘ they] thoo S

332 be matiere of] repeated F; the matiere of repeated S

333 they] thoo S

And sum wyrchen inwarde as bay bat haue a maniere [of]334 drynesse and

175

softenesse in baymsilf, as warmoude.

But sum bere been mighty openners the whiche auaillen mouche ayenst

strong stopping, the whiche remedien and helpen easy stoppingz, as netle is seede.

Thees been aperitiues, i. openners: cappary, affodille, coste, gencian,

gyngeuer, cynamome, surelle, dauke, bayes, isope, camedreos, camepitheos,

annyse, policaria, calamynte, herbe John, merche, treyfoyle, alexandre, lowaiche,

celidoyne, sticados, Recipe,335 solatre, scariola, warmoude, cuscute, agarike,

eupatory, quibibes, fumytre, madre, welde, gladion, aristologie be rounde, piony,

10

sisimbrium, madre, eldre, malte, cipre, beryes, amaranus,336 leke, oygnons, soure

dowe with salt and oyle, aroby, fistia, gourdes, speragus, saffron, heedes, squilles,

lupini, be seede of yreos, southrenwode, barly mele, alume glas, vitriol, es ustum,

sal armoniake, eupatorium, sticados, aloe epaticum,337 seede of arage, macis,

radissh, horehound coconidium,338 tamariscus, malowes, pomeys, mylke of a

15

wyman, picche molte, ditayne, staphizagre, swynes galle, doggz dyrte, seede of

myle, liquorice, cayfuste, hony, swete wyne.

Putte quynte essence of bees bingz in oure heuene and he shal yeue

 

33“ [of]] S; om. F

335 Blank section of MS F S

33“ amaruscus S

337 Blank space in MS F S

338 Blank space in MS F S

influence and condicions of thoo thingz.

176

Here is cunnyng to draue quynte essence of thingz that been mordificatife

and339 bityng and fretyng.

And340 thees thingz biten and freten a wounde in be temperance and heleth

and helpeth be good flessh that is in any wounde, as turbentyne, aristologie the

long, yreos, arob, litargium, ceruse, leede, aspaltum, myrre, seede of arage, seede

of tamarisci, hony, and aloe.

Here is cunnyng to sette quynte [f. 23v] essence of corrosyfes in oure

heuene.

10

Here ye shal vndrestande bat bere is difference bitwyne corrosifes and

vlceratifz. Corrosifes, been bay hote or colde, bay muste neede be drie; and bay

muste be litel in quantite whenne bay be put on the or on be flessh. But vlceratifz

matieres been sum what mightier benne be corrosifz, ffor bay’“ bat been vlceratif

been ordenned to pershe be skyn be whiche [is]342 euer harder benne be flessh. For

 

339 and] om. S

340 And] two-line dec. init. A; guide letter visible F

3‘“ bay] thoo S

342 [is]] S; om. F

177

as the corrosife fretith be flessh, right so vlceratife fretith the skynne; but bay343

bat been vratife and brennyng been ful hote and bay maye be sunner entre. And

bay been grosse in substance, bat by long tarieng and hiding be flessh may be

dissolued and molte, yn be whiche ye may wel vndrestande bat th'element hath noo

brennyng vertue but by reason of be grossitude of be substance, yn be whiche he is

wirkyng ynne, be whiche is nurisshing and kinde to hym and holdeth his violence

of fire yn hymself. There-of be substance [of]344 be fire afore seyde hath his

substancial wyrkyng and kinde. So withoute greet substance, bere is noo thing

vratife in kindely wirking. And bere been but” fewe bat conceyven this.

10

And here been thoo that been corrosifes: es vstum, sal gemme, flos eris,

alume, vitriol, toty, antemomy, and arsenike.

But thay that been vlceratife shal bee leyde on be vttremeste partie to breke

be skynne, and not on be flessh, to putte oute be superflualt humours, be whiche

been thees: sepe,346 cantarides, garlike, the rote of aysshe, dille, a1 salt-~bittre and

15

soure.

Thees been vratife: garlike, peletre, be rote of euforbe, piper, vn sleckid

lyme, mustarde seede, quyke siluer, sope, askis of segge, fygue leefz, spereworte.

To make be sore fressh and newe ayen and to drye hym [f. 24r] with litel

 

3‘3 bay] thoo S

3‘“ [01]] S

345 but] ful S

346 sepe] cepe S

178

fretyng and bityng, thees been ynowe to renue a sore; but bay shal bee putte ber-to

but seeldome. And bay been bees: es vstum, mellilotum, galla, alumen, balaustia,

spodium, spumex vste, aloe, litarge with orob, rede lede, ceruse. Put oon of thees

withyn oure heuene and he shal yeue to the be condicions of thayme.

Here is cunnyng to yeue strength and vertue to close flessh togedre with

oure heuene.

Thees been boo thingz the whiche closen togedre membris that been

departid and y-loosid fro other: lippes bat been ferre a sundre to close baym. And

that is by viscosite and closing of be woundes and repairing be flessh, as gipsum,

10

cipres leefz, sarcocolla, bole, aloe, be barke of encens, myrre, berdelium, litarge,

balaustia, mummia, sanguis draconis, aspaltum, cokil, bothe be leefz and be maste

of oke, serpentinaria, brenned tile stones, schellz of eggz, alum brent, hare here y-

brent.

Putte quinte essence of bees thingz in oure heuene and bay

347

shal close

15

diuerse parties togedre meruailleusely.

Here is cunnyng to dissolue a thing and make hit thynne and to bringe348 hit

a sundre.

 

3‘” bay] hit 3

3‘8 bringe] putte S

Thees349 been thoo thingz be whiche thynnen and dissoluen with baire hete

179

and putten a sundre diuers bingz in be whiche bay wirken by baire hete, as we see

by fire, hony, or snowe dissolue and smyke dissolueth withyn his owen posicion, i.

in his goyng vppewarde, taketh diuers weyes and goeth a sundre.

And bees been boo bingz be whiche wirchen in be same foorme in man is

body: affodille, cuscute, i. dodre, southrenwode, aristologie, ameos, armoniak, asa

fetida, agarike, garlik, baume, camedreos, camepitheos, [f. 24v] oygnons, herbe

benette, camamille, capary, segge, cynamome, coriandre, calamynte, eupatorium,

white piper and be seede there-of, euforbium, ffumigrecum, wyne lyes, galbanum,

10

citri, gencian, yreos, ysope, mastik, mentastrum, vitriol, netil sede, zilobalsanium,

i. surelle, faytour is herbe, rewe, vitre eldre, turbentyne, opopanak, crassis, picche

molte, hertis tunge, lynne seede, reysons of coraunce, be blode of a wesille,

serysyne, cowe dirte, lion grece, brocke is grece.

Sette bees in oure heuene and bay

350

shal haue greete vertue to thynne any

15

thing meruailleusely.

Here is cunnyng to sette in oure heuene vertue to bite and to freete ynwarde

and to loose humours in oure body.

Thees thingz entren softely and meenely and dyuiden be humours by hete

 

349 Thees] two-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

”0 bay] hit S

180

and wirkyng of oure heuene, as alle soure thingz and namely vin aigre made of

strong wyne. For hit wirketh ferre of in places remote for be subtile and be greete

purenesse of hymself. And ober soure thinges wirken in be nygh places dissoluyng

be351 humours. And bees been thoo bat been inscicif: eupatory, squylles, cipres,

camedreos, camepitheos, petrolium, piper, rewe, vitrum, i. alumen, mel, oroby,

salt, Vin aiger. Put of bees in oure heuene and hit shal frete and be inscicife at the

highest.

Here is cunnyng bat oure heuene may clense the skynne at the fulle.

Hit behoueth bat thoo thingz that shal mundifie or clense the skynne muste

10

be hote but not muche, or thay muste be grosse or erthely in substance, as

warmoude, camamylle, talough, be rote of eldre, be rote of wilde gourde,

malowes, southrenwode, olde oyle, brockes grece, rose maryne.

Here is cunnyng to sette quynte essence in oure heuene of diaforeticorum,

bat is to seye, to openne poris352 [f. 25r] of the body.

15

Diaforeticorum,

353

that is to seye thoo thingz that openne the porys, muste

 

35‘ be] om. S

”2 catchwords of the body at foot ofpage F

”3 Diaforeticorum] Diaforeticon F S

181

needes bee hote, bat by openne poris, be humours354 may wexe thynne and tourne

to smoke and vapore awey, as barly mele, annys, asa, rewe, peletre, vitre,355

galbanum, salte, fygues, alexandre, maiorane, netil seede, savyne, wilde nepe,

olde oyle, mentastrum, hony, oygnons, radissh, nepis, dirte, southrenwode,

agarik, aristologer, be rote of affodille, be rote of wilde gorde. Thees make oure

heuene to voyde humours, smoking oute by be poris.

Here is cunnyng bat oure heuene may smyte thaym ayen and stoppe thaym.

Percussifes and puttyng ayen been thoo bat putten oute be humours356 by

might of the pacient, for thay been colde and streynen be membres and binden the

10

spiritus and cumforten be vertue expulsife of man is membres. And been thees:

camelea, oke kemelles, henbane, popy, mercury, lede, solatre, hows leke,

ypoquistidos, acacia, tendrons of vynes.

Here is cunnyng to sette in oure heuene vertue and strengthe to make men

to slepe.

15

Thees maken men to slepe, the whiche constreynen the synowes togedre

 

35“ be humours] thumours S

355 vitre] vitrum S

356 be humours] thumours S

182

with ouer muche colde, as blak popy, opium, mandrager, henbane, and a quyke

turbutte y-leide vppon a man, crykettz, pisteyca, colde watre of lentiles, hows

leke, fole fote, psillium. Put oone of thees in oure heuene and withoute faille bou

shalt slepe soudaynely bat meruaille hit is to seye.

Here is cunnyng to sette quynte essence in oure heuene to maken hit bityng

when nede is.

Thay that haue greete saltnesse and sharpenesse in thaymsilfe, bay been

biting and mordificatyue, as olyue with salte, leke, arsenyke, cantarides, jus of

walworte, the rote of wilde gorde. Yf bou [f. 25v] put thaym withynne oure

10

heuene, hit shal be biting in vs.

Here is cunnyng to put cumfortatifz

357 in oure heuene.

Thees cumforten be humours358 in the brayne or in the herte and proprily

purgen th'umidite, i. the nexte of thaym, as sene, sticados, cuscute, sarcocolla,

alle myrabolanes, fumyterre. Thees cumforten blode of be herte as gold and

15

siluer. Thees cumforten that been grosse in substance and by grossitude of thaire

substance helpen be parties of be lymes and holden be spirttz, by whoos helpe the

 

”7 cumfortatifz] S; confortatifes F

358 be humours] thumours S

vertues wyrkyn, as warmoude, and alle boo strengthing and repairing creatures that

183

han gladsum spiritz and lyuely as roses and gelofre gentil.

And sum han vertue of digestion in be stomake and cumforten hit, as

cynamome. And here been many other bat cumforten as wel as is bifore seyde,

but not alle bingz so parfitely, be whiche been thees: ambre, camphora, saffron,

berbery, mynte, leefes of cipres, surelle, camedrios, galengale, carin, setewale,

pome-citryne, be leefz of wilde tasille, boraige ozmium, spikenarde, quibibz,

stowere, goulz, mastike, note muge, clowis, asromaticus. Put thees in oure heuene

and bay shal cumforte vertue and nature of man that meruaille hit is to seye.

10

Here is cunnyng to sette quynte essence in oure strength and vertue to

359

put

aweye venem fro oure body.

Oure heuene shal haue greete vertue to put aweye venym yf bou put bees

bingz bere-ynne, that is to seye, the flessh of a cok or of a henne, notz, and the

greete triacle, i. aloe cicatrinum, and be lasse triacle, radissh, or any other that

15

been contrary to venym aftre be rule of phisik. I sette not bat bou shalt put alle

thees in oure heuene, i. quynte essence, but oone of thaym and bat sufficeth.

Here [f. 26r] is the consideracion of draueng oute of quynte360 essence of

 

3” vertue to] om. S

36" quynte] .13. Canon right marg., orig. scribe F

gold. Here bou may leere in this chapitre foloweng.36l ’

184

Though I haue shewid here bifore to draue quynte essence that sufficeth to

cure purpoos, nat withstanding I shal teche be to draue hit oute of alle myneralle,

i. alle mynes of metallz, and furst and principally of gold. And in bis maniere bou

shal bringe bi golde into calce by be crafte that I haue taughte bifore in the iiij

canon.m Thenne bou shalt put vin aigre distilled or olde vryne in a glasen vaisshel,

and late the liquor be iij fynger thicke, and put be calce of gold withyn be liquor

and sette hit in a strong hote sunne in the hattest tyme of somer. And lete hit

stande stille and bou shalt see as hit were a crayme or a reme of gold rise on be

10

liquor or like oyle of gold suiymmyng or flutyng aboue like a skynne bat is wondre

thynne. Gadre hit with a spone or a362 fethre and put hit into an other vaisshel wel

glasid with a litel watre in the same vaisshel afore. And so ofte tymes in be day

gadre that matiere bat riseth so vppe til bou haue al and bat bere wil no more

ascende. Thenne make be watre vapore awey bi a fire oute of be vaisshel and

15

benne sha

l363 remayne in be vaisshel quynte essence of vray golde. And many men

callen this quynte essence y-draue oute in this wise, oyle incombustible, be whiche

was ordenned and put for a greete pryuyte of philosophres.

And yf bou wil putte bis quynte essence in oure heuene withoute any

 

36‘ foloweng] vide lio Geber. in f0. 80 of Jo de Rupi f0. 13a right marg., 16th

cent. comm. B F

362 or a] or with a S

363 benne shal] shal thenne S

185

falshode, bou shalt restore nature loste and brynge ayenn vertue of youthe and to

lengthe oure lyfe til be laste daye y-ordenned of God.

Now I haue openned to the oone of be grettest priuitees in cumfortyng of

kinde, and oone of thoo bingz that shuld not be openned. And bis quynte essence

of gold [f. 26v] hath be gretteste swetnes and vertue to swage ache and malice of

woundz and to heele woundz and bouches364 and many other dyuers infirmitees.

And truste bis365 welle for trouthe.

Here is cunnyng to draue quynte essence oute of siluer, lede, and tynne.

Though quynte essence may be366 draue of siluer as wel as of gold in the

10

same wise, yit shal bou haue an other maner crafte as I shal teeche the. And be

maistrie of bis werke is to haue be beeste vin aigre distilled bat bou may haue and

put ber-to a noble tarter calcyned and sal armonyak, and schette baym alle togedre

in a potte faste y-closid or elles be might and vertue shal fle oute by reason of

b'armoniak bat is put bere-ynne. Furst of alle bou shal putte thy calce of siluer as

15

I haue taught bifore, benne cloose hit faste with philosophres lute & putte hit into a

hote foumays bat hit may putrefie viij or x dayes. Thenne aftrewarde putte hit yn

 

36“ bouches] bouthes F, boicches S

3’65 truste bis] truste to this S

3“ be] look for ye whole praetrio for of in my [7] book ) 11 left marg., 16th

cent. comm. B F

186

a distillatorie and distille hit. And furst of alle shal ascende be vin aigre and after

that, meruely hit is to seye, bere shal distille quynte essence of siluer in similitude

of quyke siluer, be whiche is of suyche kinde and vertue in wirkingz be whiche

been so meruaillous bat

367

thay bee not to be shewed.

Here is quynte essence of siluer and vitriol romayne and coperose.

Oure368 glorious Lord hath so y-ordenned bat quynte essence of vitriol and

coperose with quyke siluer mow be draue oute ynuysible. For whenne quyke

siluer is sublymed with baym and with comune salte, and369 bere shal ascende by

sublirnacion quyke siluer most whitteste withynne be whiche [ye quinta 37° essence

10

of vitriol and coperose shal invisibly be closid. For whenne bou has quyke siluer

sublimed with thees, benne has bou quynte essence of thaym inuisibly inclosid and

hidde withynne be whitnesse of be quike siluer afore seyde. And [f. 27r] tha 7‘

quynte essence afore seide is callid sulphur of philosophres, be whiche is inuisible.

 

367 bat] looke more of this note herbe in f0. 30 & in E f0. 79. left marg., 16th

cent. comm. B F

368 Oure] two-line dec. init. 0; guide letter visible F

369 and] om. S

370 ye quinta] ins. by corr., prob. over eras. F; ye] om. S

37‘ that] philosophers sulphure right marg., 16th cent. comm. X; s in sulphur a

bit hard to see F

187

And berefore bay seyen bat thaire sulphur is noo comun sulphur. And bere are372

but fewe373 men bat haue knowelaiche or vndrestanding of this matiere.

And bis is he that congelith mercury anone and bringeth hym to whitnes

and maketh hym whitter benne be snowe. And for thay been of oon kinde;

berefore thay bee sublimed togedre. And vndrestonde welle bat quyke siluer

sublimed hath sum parties to vrent374 and hath quynte essence, be whiche may not

be corrupte375 by noo crafte ner witte.

And we see by experience, yf a man putte siluer lymelle in a corrosife

watre made of vitriol and sal petre, alle bat shal tourne into376 laton.

10

Also putte quyke siluer sublimed with coperose or vitriolle and white

comun salte withynne be coperose watre to fore seide til be quyke silure be al

dissoluyd into watre. Thenne putte al that matiere into a stillatorie and distille hit

and bere shal distille furst be coperose water and after bat bere377 shal come quynte

essence of mercury and vitriol togedre as white as any snowe. And bere shal

15

remayne a parte of be mercury in be bottume of be vaisshel brent and foule. Take

 

3’72 are] been S

373 fewe] Note ye beste § or sumlimation of My philoxrin ca. 6. right marg.,

16th cent. comm. A F

37" vrent] * right marg., 16th cent. comm. F

375 corrupte] * left marg., 16th cent. comm, prob. to highlight asterisk also

in text by 16th cent. comm. F

376 into] Silver lirnelli turned into laten right marg.. 16th cent. COW"- A F

377 bere] om. S

188

bat quynte essence and medle hit with be dreggz in be vaisshel and putte a] be

coperose watre fore seyde there-to and sublyme hit so ofte tymes til bere remayne

noo dreggz at be laste ende. And benne has bou quynte essence of mercury and

vitriol togedre.

And yf a man might sundre thaym, he mighte doo many maistries, ffor bere

been many grete priuetees in tho

”8 matieres. For quynte essence ber-of is

incorruptible and of be nature of incorruptible gold; and bat is more incorruptible

banne gold.

And yf bou desire to parte quynte essence of coperose and vitriol fro quynte

10

essence of mercury, putte hit in vin aigre distilled or in ober vin aigre and lete hit

resolue a [f. 27v] long space. And benne shalt bou haue be mercurye in the

bottume of be vaisshel. And shal benne379 remayne pure quynte essence aboue

myxte with be Vin aigre of vitriol380 and coperose

38‘ be whiche is inperceptable to

man is sighte.

15

And here by experience, bou shalt see be trouthe. Take clene ire and

quenche hit ofte tymes in vin aigre. And aftre bat bou has quenched by ire in

clene vin aigre, benne hete hit and quenche hit in be Vin aigre bat quynte essence is

yn of vitriol and coperose. And by ire shal be so rede bat mervaille hit is to seye.

 

378 tho] quinte essence incorruptible and of be nature of incorruptible gold.

right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

379 shal benne] thenne shal S

380 be vinaigre of vitriol] vinaigre of the vitriolles S

33‘ coperose] inperieptus lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

189

For hit is be highest rede bat may be. Distille hit by a filtre, benne put hit to a

softe fire and gadre the blac cloudes awey, be whiche shal be gendrid bere-yn by

fumositees and hete of be fire. Thenne bou shal haue remayneng in be vaisshel

quynte essence purer benne any gold. And bis quynte essence is noble and

precious in hymself. For he availleth to woundes and sores bat needen corrosifes.

And quynte essence of mercury heleth a sikenesse bat is callid fistula' and be

cancre and many other wicked infirmitees.’

Here is cunnyng to draue quynte essence of ire and copre.

To draue quynte essence of ire and copre, take be lymelle of baym and put

10

hit withynne vin aigre. And put ber-to comun salt or armonyak and sette hit in a

strong hote sunne. And of the ire, bere

382 shal rise vppe crocus ferri; and of the

copre bere shal come grene copre, be whiche is callid flos eris, i. be flour of

copre. But bou shalt putte oone of thees metallz by hymsilf in be vin aigre, bat is

to seye ire by hymsilf and copre by hymsilf, and with vin aigre and lede bynne

15

platid bou shalt make quynte essence. And alle thees availlen

383

to medicynes.

Here384 is cunnyng to draue quynte essence of sulphur [f. 28r], i.

 

382 bere] ther S; add. in right marg.

383 availlen] vaillent S

384 Here] one-line dec. init. H; guide letter visible F

brymstone, and of orpyment.

190

Doo make poudre of brymstone and put hit in olde vryne, benne sette hit

ouer a softe fire til be vrine be wel coloured. Take bat vrine so colourid & put hit

by hymsilf in an other vaisshel. And benne putte more vrine vppon be brymstone

and put hit to be fire til hit be wel coloured & put hit to be furste vryne colourid

with be brymstone. And putte alle bees vrines bus colourid togedre in a vaisshel

and sette hit on be fire and lete al be vrine385 vapoure awey. And bere shal

remayne to the quynte essence of sulphur in be bottume of be vaisshel. Thenne

putte hit in386 a wide vaisshel with vyn aigre til387 a softe fire. And yf any thing of

10

be fatnesse of be sulphur be dissolued bereon by vertue of be Vin aigre, hit shal be

vaporid and lifte vppe ti

1388

be blac cloudes be whiche shal remayne an

d389

put hit

awey with a fethre. And bere shal remayne in be vaisshel quynte essence of

sulphur be whiche is so clene bat be beaute of gold may not be lykened to hym.

And in be same maniere wise bou shal wirke in ober thinges, as in arsenike, auriat

15

and rede, and in alle other.

 

385 be vrine] thuryne S

386 in] into S

387 til] to S

388 til] to S

389 and] om. S

Here is cunnyng to draue quynte essence390 of antymony, i. a leden marke

191

sede.

God391 of heuene he is witnesse bat I shal shewe so grete a priuete and

expresse hit to youre knowelaiche, be whiche was neuer shewed ner knowe but to

fulle fewe men. And here is be pryuete of al secretenesse to draue quynte essence

of antymony, be whiche is made in bis wise. Take antymony and grynde hit as

smalle as bou may. Whenne bou has doo so, benne take be nobleste vin aigre

distillid bat bou can haue and putte be poudre of antymony bere-ynne and sette hit

ouer [f. 28v] a softe fire til be vin aigre wexe verry rede. Whenne hit is so, put

10

oute be vin aigre softe and subtily into a vaisshel of glas fro b'antymony. benne

put newe vin aigre bere-to

392 to b'antymony ayen and sette hit ouer be fire in

maniere bifore seyde, til hit be colourid. benne put hit of as bou didest bifore to

be furst colourid; and do so ofte tymes as bou may haue by vin aigre colourid.

And whenne bou haste gadrid alle bees parcelles of colourid vin aigre togedre, put

15

baym alle in393 a stillatoire of glas and distille baym. And furst of alle bere shal

arise vin aigre by hymsilf and after bat bou shal see a meruaillous myracle. For by

 

39° essence] A quynti essence of Antymony right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

39‘ God] two-line dec. init. G; guide letter visible F

392

bereto] om. S

393 in] into S

192

be pipe of be lembike, bere394 bou shal see a MI 395 veynes small of be blessid

myne of antymony descending with smale rede droppes as hit were vray rede

blode, be whiche blessid liquour bou shal gadre and kepe in a vaisshel of glas by

hymsilf. And whenne bou has bis, benne bou has a thing be whiche al be tresoure

of bis worlde may not be lykenid to in comparison of valour, quantite for

quantite.’

See here an openne myracle how greete swetnesse bis quynte essence of

antymony bath in hymsilf, for bat396 passith be swetnesse of any hony in alle

degrees.

10

And I sey to be of godly intencion and vray charite, bat man is witte may

not conceyve ne bilyue be valour397 ner be mervailleuse vertue of be quynte essence

of antymony afore seyde. What shal I seye to be? Aristotil seyeth in his boke De

Secretis Secretorum bat bis quynte essence afore seyde is his lede bough he name

hit not by his398 propre name of antymony,’ as we haue reherchid ofte tymes

15

bifore.

Truste me wel bere was neuer noo thing of so grete secretnesse as bis is ner

noo bing of so grete wirking in kinde. Vndrestande what I seye: Alle men han y-

 

39“ bere] om. S

395 M'] thousand S

”6 bat] hit 3

”7 valour] values S

398 his] hit S

193

labouryd to sublyme be spiritz of myne and bay myghten [f. 29r] neuer brynge hit

aboute. And yf I sey to be a M‘.399 tymes bis is be secrete priuete of alle be

priuytees, yt400 may I not suffice by no witte to shewe alle vertues ner half of baym

and priuetees bat been in hym. For hit taketh awey grete ache of alle woundes and

heleth baym meruaillousely; his401 vertues been mervailleuses profitable and

incorruptible.

Thenne bou shal put hit in a potte x1 dayes faste y-closid in hors fyme bat

hit may putrefie; and benne hit shal wirke grete meruailles. This is a grete

woundre bat of bat pure myne of antymony may come to so greete swetnesse.

10

Trowe not bis inpossible bat I haue shewed to be, for yf bou put ceruse in vin aigre

and distille hit and benne hit set402 ouer a easy fire be space of ij houres or more til

be vin aigre be vapourid awey, bat hit be tournyd into be thiknesse of oyle. And

bat oyle is callid oleum plumby, i. oyle of lede, and hit is swete as hony. But be

swetnesse of quynte essence of antymony, be whiche is rede, passeth hit many

15

folde, ffor in bis antymony been many woundre pryvitees. For he passeth be

swetnesse of bony or sugre or any ober swetnesse, bylyue403 me yf bou wilte.

 

399 M'] thousand S

“00 yt] yit S

4‘“ his] hees S

402 set] ins. above line F; hit set] putte hit S

‘03 bylyue] truste S

194

Siche alle be bokes of philosofres and in404 serche what is philosophres plumbe.

And bou shalt neuer find what hit is in wirking405 in noo crafte but mercury, be

whiche be myne bere-of may be sublymed into redenesse. Joy in oure Lord of bat

I haue shewid to the here in this matiere.

Here is cunnyng to reduce mercury sublymed or the quynte essence of hym

into watre the whiche among philosofres is callid lac virgineum, i. mayden is

mylke.

Euery406 spirite sublymed as mercury or quynte essence of hym, or arsenyk,

sulphur, armoniak, but specially mercury [f. 29v] to brynge to watre or lac

10

virgyne, as philosophres named hit furst.

And here is be makyng bere-of. Take merkury sublymed or quynte essence

of mercury and put in“)7 a glasyn vaisshel or in a potte wel glasid and sette hit in a

foumays of be philosophres ordonnance on iij fete, where is a meruaillous witte.

For that matiere that is putte there-yn shal euenely be digestid in euery partie.

 

40" in] om. S

‘05 wirking] Here lakis a parte looke therfore in my Booke of quint essence J

bowght ofe Ro. Ho. f0. 41 right marg., 16th cent. com. A F. No extra section of

the manuscript is found in the Latin, CTC 1389, f. 77v. It is possible that the text

being referred to is a Lullian version of the Consideration of Quintessence, in

which case it could easily contain additional material.

‘06 Euery] two-line dec. init. E; guide letter visible F

‘07 put in] putte hit in S

The whiche foumays is made on408 bis wise: Make be walles of by foumays

195

nexte b'erthe409 rounde in be altitude of half a fote. And benne on by walle sette

an iren plate

410

on bis maniere wise shape .X. ;“” and sette hit so bat be plate in

hymsilf touche not be walles of be foumays, but lete be plate be susteyned and

borne vppe with iiij armes that been strenthid oute fro be plate so bat be hete be

whiche shal ascende fro be fire bat is vndre may ascende by be sides of be plate

and by be circuyte of hym, and surgete. bou moste make a dore in thy foumays

nexte b'erthe where bou may put yn thy fire or coles. benne, fro be plate upwarde

make thy foumays rounde to b'altitude of half thy pavme‘“2 or bere-aboute; lete hit

10

not passe muche be highnes of ij fmgres. And bou shal sette abouue by foumays a

rovnde couering, as rovnde as hit may be made in maniere like to a voute that shal

be made by be conseil and crafte of a potter. And so by foumays shal be cloos

abouue. And also in be side of by foumays

413

abouue by plate bou muste haue a

hole, the whiche muste haue a closer bere—to to stoppe hit and to oppenne hit,

 

408 on] in s

‘09 b'erthe] ye makynge of ye fumas callid an Athonor lefi marg., 16th cent.

com. A F

“0 iren plate] plate of ire S

4” Very large x in MS, 1 cm x 1 cm. F; very large circle with four points/lines

intersecting at "comers " of the circle 8

“2 pavme] palme S

“3 by] finger pointing toward section right marg., 16th cent. comm. F

196

whenne bou wilte. And loke by closer be of erthe. And here has bou by foumays.

Here may bou vndrestande bat bis foumays shal yeue euenely hete in euery

parte rovnde aboute, ffor be hete by cause of the plate is lete fro bynethe and so hit

is caste uppe by be sides. The reflection of hete [f. 30r] cometh euene like fro

euery parte of the myddes. And berefore of cunnyng of reason we haue made oure

foumace rovnde.

And whenne we wille sette a vaisshel yn oure foumace, in be myddis of be

plate, lete vs ordeyne iij tethe be highnesse of ij fingers. And of trewe

Ymaginacion lete hym be wrought et414 sette hym yn iij parties of be plate in euene

10

distance fro other. And vppon be iij tethe sette a vaisshel of erthe fourmyd like a

plater so bat be vaisshel may stonde euene in be ayer. And with b'erthyn plater we

muste haue other iij tethe lesse benne be other, i. shorter. Vppon bis vaisshel sette

we oure glasyn vaisshel with oure matiere wel closid, be whiche shal bee closid

and couerid aboue with an other erthen plater so bat bitwyne ij platers in be

15

myddes of be voute euene in be myddes of th'ayer, by matiere shal be sette and

stonde and not touche be bottume bere-of nor be sides nethir aboue ner bynethe in

noo maniere partie. And for be hede or be voute aboue, the whiche is as he seyeth

halfe be foumace, may be lifte vppe and openned.415 So we mowe lose hit and

openne hit and couer hit whenne we wille.

20

This is the secretest foumace bat may bee, be whiche is oon of philosophres

 

“4 et] and S

“5 openned] in heavier script by scribe, poss. over eras. F

197

secretz. And ful fewe men vndrestonde or knowe be makyng of bis foumace. Yn

bis foumace is euene digestion and like in euery parte of hete.

Now yf bou wilte reduce any spirite sublymed416 and brynge hit into watre

or brynge mercury sublymed into lac virgineum, i. mayden is mylke, sette on be

5

plate on be iij thothid plater and lette alle417 maniere matiers diligently bee grovnde

smalle & lete hit stonde openne and vnclosid, bat be hote ayer may touche be bare

spirite or matiere alone. And make by fire next th'erthe of iij or iiij coles, for a

litel fire and a easy shal suffice in this wirking. [f. 30v] Contynue this fire bisely

the space of viij dayes and nyghtz bere-to. And so in bis foumace and stewe, be

10

whiche is hote and drie, the spirit shal be calcyned.

Thenne take hit oute and grynde hit right smalle on a marble stone til hit be

as smalle as bou mayste. benne put hit ya a stillatorie of glas and sette hit in a

cauderon with water, but lete not be vaisshel touche be watre ner come nygh hit by

be thickenesse of ij fingres, but lete hit honge in th'ayer. And make a fire vndre

15

be cauderon. And418 so in bat stewe hote and moyste, though the matiere of

mercury touche not be watre, yt shal be spirit be resoluid into watre. And be

cause is for be spirit is wel calcyned and smalle grovnde to subtile

419

poudre.

 

4‘6 sublymed] calcinacion of g right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

4'7 alle] to make mircury lacthi virginis right marg., 16th cent. com. A F

“8 And] ye effecte of calcinacon of sprits .i. of My 26 left marg., 16th cent.

comm. B F

“9 subtile] thi rote lirnbecke you shall distill lac virginis left marg., 16th cent.

comm. A F

x/_- ‘1

198

Thenne whenne hit is dissoluid into watre, sette a lembike there-vppon and bere

shal distille lac virgineum, i. mayden is mylke, moste clereste be whiche is quynte

essence proprely bothe of mercury and of vitriol togedre. And bis quynte essence

is secretum secretorum, i. the priuete of alle priuetees.

5

And bou muste knowe be mesure of by fire in digestion of alle spiritz that

been volatife or fleyng420 in be foumace. And in bis wise bou shalt knowe whenne

by fire is hote. Put yn by hande at be dore a litel abouue be plate and yf bou holde

hit bere-ynne withoute brennyng, hit is wel ynowe; and yf bou may not, make by

fire lesse. And be we] ware of tho thingz bat been fugitife, ffor hit is needeful bat

10

hit be wel closid in a glasyn vaisshel and bat be fire be right litel and easy. Nowe

vndrestonde wel be draueng oute of quynte essence in bis partie, as I haue

reherchid, and bilyue bis for trouthe, for bis is a grete thing.

Here is cunnyng to make ful able fire the whiche is withoute

42' cole,

withoute flamme, withoute light, and wyrking ayens alle actions of visible fire and

15

[f. 31r] wircheth as feruently as hit were the fire of helle.

The excellence and be secretenesse ignis adepti,’ i. of be ful able fire, is so

grete and of suche vertue bat hit may not be shewyd. And this is the making there-

 

‘20 fleyng] to knowe when thy fierys hott left marg., 16th cent. com. A F

42‘ withoute] A fier wirking agaynst our actions of visible fire and as fervent as

ye fier of helle lefi marg., 16th cent. com. A F

I

a.”

A

..

s.

199

of. Take mercury sublymed with vitriol and commun salt, butte quynte essence of

mercury bifore seyde is muche better. And take sal armonyak vij or x tymes

sublymed, of euery like muche, and medle baym togedre and grynde thaym

diligently. And benne sprede thy poudre

422

bere-vppon be marble stone and sette a

night in be colde ayer and bright or in colde423 celer; and bere hit shal be tournyd

into a watre. Receipue bat watre yn a glasin vaisshel wel anelid and kepe hit.

This watre is of grete wirching. For yf bat“24 a litel droppe falle on be hande of a

man, in be twynkeling of an eye, hit shal perche hit hande. And in be same wise

hit wirchet yf hit falle on a plate of copre or of ire.

10

And this is a grete vertue, bat yf bou caste any of thees“ metalles bere

withynne, bat is to seye, siluer, copre, or tynne, anone hit shal be tournid into a

margery perle. But ye shal vndrestande bat bees metalles muste be hote in be

casting yn but not molte. And he that can make bis fire, withoute any doute he

shal hele alle holy fire, be whiche is a infirmite of vengeance as be fire of Saint

15

Anthoyne.’ And hit wil quenche hit for euer in twynkeling of a eye. And hit

heleth alle infirmitees corrosife woundrefully. And ye shal vndrestande bat many

oon426 callen bis thing sal amarum, i. bittre salte, in bayre boke, bough bay techen

 

422 poudre] pouldre S

423 in colde] in a colde S

42“ bat] om. S

‘25 thees] to tourne silver, copper or tynne into a margiry perle right marg.,

16th cent. com. A F

‘26 oon] men S

not be maistry there-of.

200

Here is cunnyng and crafte of be maistrie and of the wirching of the

strongeste watre and moste vertueuse thay may bee.

God the maker of alle priuetees hath wrought and made so many mervailles

in nature that man is vndrestanding with noo tunge ner reason may playnely shewe

or teche be grete [f. 31v] pryuetees427 and woundres of God is werkes.’

And here I shal shewe to the a watre of grete priuyte and of woundre kinde.

And here is be maistrie and be wirking bere—of. Take be beste white tartre

calcyned bat may be made and put hit in a erthen vaisshel wel y-glasid or in a

10

vaisshel of glas, and put ber-to be beste watre

428

ardent bat bou may haue and

medle baym togedre. And benne sette a lembike abouue and distille hit and bou429

shal haue ful fieuble watre ardent, for be might and be strengthe ber-of is goon and

lefte in be tartre. Put hit aweye, for hit is ful litel worth but to waisshe eyen or

ober lymes. Thenne take by tartre430 and asaye hit on by tunge and bou shal fmde

15

hit double so strong at euery tyme benne hit was bifore. benne put ber-to an other

 

427 pryuetees] pryuetees therof S

428 watre] aqua S

429 and bou] and ther thou S

43° tartre] watre S

201

watre ardent and distille hit as ye dide bifore;431 and so do ofte tymes. And at

euery tyme the tartre shal be strenger, bat mervaille hit is to seye. And bou may

make hym so strong bat noo thinge may be like hym ner haue comparison ber-to.

An[d]432 comunely atte euery tyme of by distillacion afore seide bou shalt finde thy

vaisshel y-broke. And berefore hit is necessary bou haue many vaisshels in

wirching of this maistrie. And yf bou wilte make hit more strenger benne hit is by

an hunthrid-folde, grynde hit smal and put hit on a marble stone and sette hit in a

colde celer, bat hit may tourne into watre. Put hit in a strong glasyn vaisshel, i. a

doublet of glas, and put ber-to sal armonyak and close hit faste. And soudaynely

10

withoute tarieng or elles be vertue and be strengthe shal fle oute anone.

The strengthe of watre is this: Yn twynkeling of a eye he shal heele alle

woundz that been sauable, that been of hurting, or of scabbe; and hit heleth alle

scabbes bat been in be skynne and freting awey of be skynne. And alle thees been

doon as who seyeth soudaynely. But hit is not needeful in cure of helyng of

15

scabbes or woundes to putte armonyak and [f. 32r] medle hit with watre of tartre.

And yf bou wilt increche his might at the

‘33 vttremest, put bere-yn ignem

adeptum, i. ful able fire, be whiche was declarid in be laste chapitre bifore, and hit

shal be fervent in wirching as hit were fire of helle.

 

43‘ bifore] * lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. F

432 And] An F S

433 the] om. S

202

And yf bou wilt put mercury sublymed434 withynne be pure watre of tartre

warme hote, withoute any armonyak bere-ynne or any ober thing medled berwith,

hit shal quenche hit ayen, and hit shal bringe alle bodily calces into a body, and hit

wirketh many mervailles. And yf hit happe bat this fire bat is shewed in be

chapitre afore seyde laste borough breking of be vaisshel falle in be askes abrode,

gadre hit ayen. For bou shal finde hit bake and harde pastid togedre. And put hit

on a marble stone, as bou did bifore, and hit shal tourne to watre and be of muche

vertue and valour as hit was bifore. Preserue this pryuite for hit is ful precious.

Yf‘35 bou wilte leme cunnyng and mastrie to departe gold fro

436

siluer

10

whenne thay been medled togedre.

There been many manier workz in the whiche gold and siluer been medled

togedre, as ye may see in gilting of vaisshel and joyeaulx of bisshops and other

noble persones. And whenne bou wilte departe bat oon fro bat other, lymel hit and

caste hit in437 watre corrosife made of vitriol and salt petre. And bere be siluer

15

shal dissolue into watre, but be gold shal not dissolue ner may not be dissolued yn

bat watre. Now has bou by golde departid fro be siluer.

 

43“ sublymed] y fo.6. of corordans right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

‘35 Yf] one-line dec. init. Y; guide letter visible F

‘36 fro] om. S

437 in] into S

203

And yf bou desire to bringe gold into watre, put yn by watre bifore seyde

sal armonyak. And banne bat watre withoute any doute shal dissolue by golde into

watre. And bis crafte is ful profitable in savyng of gold in gilte harnoys. Wirke in

bis maniere and bou shal knowe be trouthe.

Haueth me excusid that am pore and simple for I wil shewe no more of the

high pryuitees of philosophic [f. 32v] at this tyme.

Here ye may vndrestande bat holy philosophres seyen thus, bat bettre is

obedience benne wede or bodily sustenance, and hereto accordeth holy writte seyng

in this wise, "Melior est obediencia quam victima. "’

10

Wherefore to the Lord God almighty and to alle thy halowes, I me obeye in

body and soule. And to alle holy churche, and to alle prelatz that haue hit in

gouuemance, and to alle religious aftre be forme and statute of oure ordre,

beseching thaym of spiritual438 leue and439 licence and bat I bee not repugned, for I

purpose yn the ii‘“° boke here folowyng to shewe and entre high medicines and

15

wondreful, be whiche been desired of many worldly peuple and as who seyeth

helith and cureth thaire bodies miraculously and wondrefully putteth awey alle

wicked infermitees.

Also in high deed of charite and helping of man I shal shewe and teche here

 

438 spiritual] special S

4” leue and] om. S

44° ii] secund S

204

aftre how alle inparfit metalles mowe be changed and transfourmid and brought

into fyne gold and siluer in a momente, of the whiche be trouthe and verite was

shewed to me as God wolde--in grete tribulacion and anguesshe of prisonement.’

And aftre myn vndrestonding and as I haue conceipued, I shal shewe here after,

but not at bis tyme.‘ For hit longeth not to vs religious nere hit is not laweful bat

we medel with alkymys werkes.’ Therefore here I make an ende of the

Consideracion of Quynte Essence, not withstanding the operacions‘“1 and

consideracions of alkyme shuld be shewed and medelid berewith.

For I take God to witnesse and alle holy lyuers, bat alle be crafte of alkyme

10

shal be to be contrary442 and reprovous yf be deueil haue interesse in the, bat is to

seye, yf thy purpoos or thyn intent be sette to wirke to distruction or hynderyng of

any creature. And knowe wel bat this443 [f. 33r] is a crafte of greet peril and

hindering and fordoing“44 of many a man, in so muche bat noo philosophre wrote

in this boke the vray trouthe and uerite, but shewed and feyned hit vndre

15

paraboles, be whiche may not be comprehendid and shewid by man is reason. And

bere is noo man bat may cumne to be high pryuetees of be crafte and cunnyng of

alkym but yf hit be by be contemplacion and holynesse and special grace of God.

But and his mynde be deificatife and halowid, he shal with grace not oonely knowe

 

4‘“ the operacions] thoperacions S

“2 contrary] contrarious S

“3 catchwords is a crafte of at right foot of page F

“4 fordoing] vndoyng S

 

205

a1 be maniere of metalles ynwarde, but he shal translate and transforme be nature

of thaym. And bat is knowe but to ful fewe men. But ofte tymes thay that vsen

this crafte draue thaym to making of fals metallz as tho bat wirke by cicroun and

sophisticacoun,445 as thees gilters of copre and laton withoute, and blaunching and

siluering bras and other withoute, and gilding of home and suyche other. And ber-

of maken fals monaye and contrefaiten vnlaweful coygne and scales of prelatz and

princes and been vagabundz and rennen aboute be cuntre and deceipuen the peuple

and been withoute and laweful gouuemance and bringen baymsilf446 to dampnable

ende of whom Saint Paule seyeth in be iid‘ Boke ad Thimotheun‘” capitulo“ iij,“

10

Semper sunt discentes et numquam

450

ad scienciam v[e]r[i]tatis

45]

peruenirentes.‘

For whenne thay mowen not come to be parfit cunnyng, benne bay toumen to fals

sophisticacions and vnprofitable deceiptes. Suche men comme gladly to an ille452

ende. Other high werkes and mervaillous there bee with bees, the whiche been

kepte seure and cloos ayenst be right wisenes of God, as be day of dome sheweth

 

‘45 sophisticroun] sophisticronum F

44" baymsilf] thaym S

“7 thimotheun] thimothean S

“8 cao] 0 ins. above F S

“9 iij] tercio S

“50 numquam] namquam S

45' v[e]r[i]tatis] virtutis F, vertatis S

452 ille] wicked S

by high dyuynes as I haue lemyd by heuenely cunnyng and shewing of glorieuse

206

doctrine.’

Here aftre yf God wil I shal shewe to you holy lyuers yn [f. 33v] alle453

thees bokes folowyng. And in thaym write your intent by be grace of God, the

whiche is callid "De Consideracion of Quynte Essence" to the glorie and praising

of Almighty God and454 oure Lord Ihesus Crist and his modre glorieuse mayde

and” Marie, and to b'appostellz Petre and Paule, and of oure Holy Fadre Saint

Frannceys, and to cumfortyng and consolacion of alle holy lyuers, and to the

worship

456

and praising of alle holy churche.

10

Amen. Quod Rogier Bacon.‘

 

“53 The Secconde Booke: top ofpage, 16th cent. comm. F

45“ and] om. S

455 and] om. S

456 worship] Amen left marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

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[Book Two: The Book of General Remedies]l

[f. 33v] Hic incipit secundusz liber, De generalibus remediis.‘

In the name of oure Lord Ihesus Crist, here biginneth the ij3 boke be

whiche is callid The Boke of General“ Remedies in curing and helyng alle maniere

men of infirmitees.

For the furst boke, be whiche is the Consideracion of Quynte Essence, is of

so grete vertue bat of hymsilf a1 oone bat alle infirmitees curable mowe be helid;

yit sum men mowe rede and inquere of be heuenely cunnyng and bigynnyng of

quynte essence bat I haue y-shewid here bifore. Neuerthelees, bough thay haue see

10

and radde this matiere, yit bay haue not b'intellection bere-of ner consideracion ner

can not bringe his conclusion to a purpoos in defending and putting away of

vnhappy and casuel chaunces of nature.

But in this ij5 boke, I shal teche the remedies alle infirmitees soudaynely to

hele and cure myraculousely. And with bees heuenely medicines, alle holy lyuers

 

1 The Secconde Booke: orig. scribe, top offolio F

2 secundus] if” S

3 ij] secund S

4 General] generallz S

5 ij] secunde S

207

208

shal be made able, wilful, and strong to alle parfite laboure and werkes of vertue.

Here6 is the furst remedy: How the fleblenes of olde men may be curid and

to remedie thaire impedimentz and to restore in holy lyuers youthe and lustynesse

with be helpe of God.

Here is the furst remedie and maistrie to cure and helpe the vnprofitablenes7

of olde men and repairing ayen of [f. 34r] youthe as hit was afore8 and restoring of

nature loste, and to conserue nature in grete helthe and gladnesse vnto9 be tyme of

whiche God hath assigned vnto vs.

Take quynte essence y-made of watre ardent in the vaisshel of circulacion,

10

be whiche is ful rectified and brought to grete merualleuse swetnesse as be furst

boke sheweth and techeth to put10 bere-onll quynte essence of golde and perle.

And lete olde men vse this goldyn watre and drinke bere-of bothe erly and late, at

euery tyme be quantite bat wil goo in a note shale. And in fewe dayes he shal

 

6 Here] one-line dec. init. H; guide letter visible F

7the vnprofitableness] thynprofitablenesse S

8 afore] bifore S

9 vnto] into S

'0 put] p unusually large, poss. over. eras. F

” bere-on] thereynne S

209

come to so grete helthe bat12 hymsilf shal seme to be broughte into be state and

lustynesse of x1 wintre age.’ And in hymsilfl3 he shal seme bat he is as” yong as

euer he was.

But greet maistrie is here to vse bis quynte essence mesurably and sildum,

bat youthe may be recouerid and helthe goten ayen and nature restorid in his owen

kinde and alwey to be kepte withoute any notable augmentacion or dymynucion.

And hit is nedeful in this matiere bathe vse good wyne in” alle his melys yn be

whiche bou may sette quynte essence of golde and perle, as ye haue herde me

teche of in the furst boke bifore.

10

The ij‘1616 remedie is ayens17 deeth and to reyse men fro deeth to life.

Yn18 this chapitre we clepel9 baym dede in whoom we stonde in doute of

 

‘2 bat] ink blot above b F

‘3 hymsilf] preceded by white space; h very messy; poss. corr. or later add. by

scribe F

‘4 as] sins. above, prob. by corr. F

‘5 in] at S

‘6 ijde] secunde S

‘7 ayens] agayn S

‘8 Yn] two-line dec. init. Y; guide letter visible F

'9 clepe] calle S

210

baire life and be whiche been so nigh deeth bat phisike and leches forsaken thaym

for bay been destitute of th'actes of lyfe. But hit muste be considerid bat the

persone may sumwhat swallowe. To this dede man we shal do cure and helpe and

hym fonde to arise and leue and speke parfitely hele, inlesse benne be last daye of

lyfe be come, be whiche is assigned of God to hym.

To areise a dede man as we spake of bifore, lete hym vse quynte essence [f.

34v] with be whiche the youthe hath be restored and renued. A320 sone as a lite

bere-of is entrid into be stomake of hym, anone hit bringeth into be herte be

beemes and colour of naturalle lyfe. And bou shal see hym anone arise and be

10

right stronge and be myraculeusely cumfortid, the whiche is a meruail of hym as

who seyeth was able to be grauyd vndre erthe. And yf bou wilte do hit soudaynely

not withstanding, many a man wil take bis for a scome, ne-for-benne' high

miracles been wrought in bis crafte.

Take be herbe21 celidoyne whos frute and flours been of goldyn colour, and

15

take bere-of the iiij elementz aftre be maistrie of be furst boke. benne put of

b'element of fire of be celidoyne and putte in be forseide quynte essence, be

quantite of a whete come, and put hit in his mouthe. And as sone as hit is in his

stomake, he shal arise and speke. benne chere hym22 and cumforte hym and yeue

 

2° As] as as F

2‘ be herbe] therbe S

22 hym] om. S

211

hym euer more of quynte essence til he be vray hole and curid atte vttremest, but

yf God commande vttrely to deye.

And I seye to be of vraye trouthe bat bis is be highest maistrie in

transmutacoun and chonging of kinde and to saue23 man is life in bis wise. And

bere is noo leche now-a—dayes bat can come to bis cunnyng or crafte. And he bat

wil bis crafte vse24 or do lete hym haue alle his matieres reedy.

Here is the iij25 remedie in helping of a lepre and in the hyding and puttyng

yn of hym.26

Oure Lord God hath sette no peyne for synne in this worlde vttrely but be

10

strookes of infirmitees, be whiche been horrible. And among alle sikenesses, be

plage of lepre is moste cursid and moste lothesum to man and sumtyme harde to be

curid and sumtyme impossible. For sumtyme hit cometh of be sending of God' as

be lepre was sente to be Constantyne of Grece,‘ be [f. 35r] whiche might not be

curid but by vertue of oure Lord that sende hym bat sikenes.

15

But we shal speke here of a plage of lepre be whiche cometh to a man of

corrupcion of nature but not by commandement of oure Lord ne suffrance of oure

 

23 saue] salue S

2“ vse] of lprese left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

25 iij] iijdc S

26 hym] the lepre S

212

maker.’ And bis sikenes is vndrestonde in ii maner wise. Sumtyme leprenes

comyth of fadre and modre' and sumtyme leprenes cometh of be principal humours

bat been putrified and corrupte to nought.’ And as to be furst, bat cometh of fadre

and modre, hit is ful harde or ellis inpossible to be curid. The ij‘":27 is bis: Yf hit

be contynued and rotid, hit is ful harde to be curid but not ynpossible. And on bis

lattre lepre we purpose to do cure, ffor ofte tymes grete lordes and worthy been

vexed and blemyshid berewith.‘

Therefore, by be licence of God we shal take bis heuenely priuete, quynte

essence, with quynte essence of gold and perle and hit wil cure hit parfitely.

10

And yf hit haue indured in a man terme of his life, hit shal dissirnule be

plage of lepre, for hit wil frete and waste be corruptible humours, what condicion

or what qualite bat thay been,28 and settith alle humours of equite in temperance.

And hole humours that been any bing appeirid, hit cumforteth.

And yf hit so be bat a plage of lepre come to a man soudaynely, vse aqua

15

ardent til bat quynte essence be redy. And I seye to be of autorite of oure Lord

Ihesus Crist, bat not oonely quynte essence heleth be lepre but aqua ardent also.

Eyther29 hit heleth be lepre or hit dissimuleth be lepre.

And here I shal telle the a greet priuite and a profitable in bis maistrie and

 

27 ijd‘] secund S

28 been] been of S

29 eyther] or S

213

curing of lepre. Take watre of strowberies be30 whiche is swete smylling frute and

moyste;31 and bis watre in cure of lepre bath a heuenely vertue. And trowe wel bat

quynte essence and strawbery watre [f. 35v] togedre heleth the lepre wondrefully

and mervailleusely. And I knowe wel bat with aqua ardent hit doeth be same.

5

And I knowe wel bat watre of strawberyes, of experience, bat hit32 is ful goodly in

cumforting nature and be stomake and putteth oute menstrues, i. woman is wil.’

And hit putteth awey brennyng humours and hit putteth aweye veneym fro be

stomake and be body. And hit helpeth muche to concepcion.

Here is be makyng of33 strawbery watre.

10

Take34 ripe strawberies and put baym in a vaisshel35 made of jounkz of be

see, and lete hit be of be grettest younkes; and lete baym putrifie and receypue be

watre distilling of baym in faire violles and vse hit.

The spiritualle vertue of bis watre is to breke fressh webbes of be eyen of

 

3° strowberies be] strawbery wattr with quinta essens helng leprest right marg.,

16th cent. com. A F

3‘ moyste] s blotchy F

32 hit] his S

33 of] oft F

34 Take] two-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

35 vaisshel] Jounkys of be sea left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

214

bothe humours which is hote. Hit holdeth not muche be sighte and hit drieth be

terys in bothe cause; and hit clensith be impedimentz of the sighte in bothe cause.36

And I sawe a wyman rawe and fressh in be face smyten with bladders and

bleynes of lepre and smyte with a hete, be whiche was heled myraculeusely and

sone with be waisshing of bis watre.

And his vertue is a hunthrid-folde more with aqua ardent and more spedier

in wirking banne withoute hit; and hit is muche more mervaillous with quynte

essence. Kepe bis wel and bou shalt not erre, yf God wil.

Hit nedeth not to vse venymes and suych ober perillous matieres and

10

labours inportable, be whiche are37 vsid of many leches.

The38 iiij remedie the whiche is ayenst alle kynde of hurtyng and scabbes of

be skynne.

The watre of goodly wirking be whiche I taught be to make on39 be furst

boke in be xiij canon in be ix chapitre be whiche begynneth, "God be maker of alle

 

3‘5 cause] causes S

37 are] been S

38 The] one—line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

39 on] in S

215

pryuitees" hit40 [f. 36r] helith41 alle kinde of scabbe and fretyng awey of be skynne

and morfewe and ryueles in be handes, b‘armes, be legges, be necke, be shuldres,

be hammes and the fete and alle obere lymes.‘

And whenne holy lyuers' goon on thaire fete in trauailling by the world and

been hurte on baire fete,‘ put to be feet of hurting sal tartre calcyned and anone hit

shal be helid. For hit hath a maniere strength of quynte essence for hit is of be

same kinde.

This watre of God is making helith alle ycches and degges. But hit is

nedeful bat thees men vse oure quynte essence byfore seyde or elles aqua ardent,

10

for bere-of the inward humours been purgid and been brought to kindely according

in thaymsilf.

Put in by aqua ardent suiche thingz bat wil purge be42 humours that been

fauty; and take thaym oute of be tables' of be furst boke of thaire propre chapitre.

The43 v chapitre to cure the pallesye.

15

Alle clerkes according and seyeng, be pallesie is ingendrid and causid44 of

 

4° hit] repeated, top offo. 36r F

4' helith] hetith F; heelith S

42 be] thoo S

‘3 The] two-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

4“ causid] foll. by blank space, prob. eras. F

216

habundance of viscous humours, the whichen shytten the weyes and vertues of“5

moving and veyling. And alle thay seyen bat boo thingz bat been vratife and ouer

brennyng and desiccatife been contrary in curyng of bis maladie. But boo bingz

that been curatife and helyng bis sikenes muste be hote and moiste, temperate, and

sumdele drauyng and cumforting be synowes, and cuttyng and departyng be

viscosite.

And for noo suche thing might be founde in kinde, berefore ful fewe men

bere been that covde hele bis sikenes. For alle suyche bingz that been sharpe and

departing be humours46 and voiding been feyling be body. And whenne be lymes

10

been fleublid with suche thingz, bay shal be stroyed vtterly. But God of Gloire

and Maker of Nature hath ordenned to men bat han [f. 36v] the pallasie oure

quynte essence bifore seyde, the whiche abouue alle thingz in this worlde is made

to cumforte man is body and hit to restore in forme of temprance.

And put in hym quynte essence of suyche bingz that purgen fleaume and

15

humours that been viscous, as a lite of euforbe or turbith or eldre or saffron. And

benne withoute any thing yf be sikenes be curable, he shal be helid, enlesse benne

hit be withstande of be wille of God.

And also bou shalt make hym a stewe hote and moiste of herbe yue and

sauge, the whiche ban a godly strength and a heuenely to cumforte the joyntz and

 

‘5 of] and S

46 be humours] thumours S

217

synowes and brayen and be moving vertue of man. And yf bou haue noo quynte

essence a redy, vse in his absence aqua ardent til hit be redy; for aqua ardent is

grete in wirking and helping of man is body and helth ayenst alle sikenes, yf any

matiere47 of wirking be put bere-yn. But bou muste contynue this remedie long

tyme for this grete sikenes must haue long tyme of helyng yf hit haue long indurid.

The48 vj remedie is for thoo that been consumed in alle the body and ouer

leene men, as men of tendre complexion and tendre wymen and children and thoo

that ban the tisik and the ethike.‘

Oure49 quynte essence that I haue shewid here bifore shal cure alle thees,

10

for bat cumforteth al fleuble nature and restorith hit that is loste and kepith a man

whenne he is restorid. And yf bou desire to restore notably be flessh bat is

consumed and suyche persones that been ouer leen, draue oute the iiij elementz of

th'erbe celidoyne aftre be maistry of the furst boke and take bere th'element of

ayer, the whiche is good oyle, [f. 37r] and medel hit with quynte essence or with

15

aqua ardent, and vse this. And withynne fewe dayes, he shal be fatte and

wondrefully restorid. here is noon thing to this remedy.’

 

47 matiere] maniere S

48 The] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

49 Oure] two-line dec. init. 0; guide letter visible F

The vij remedy is ayenst [infirmitees]50 fantesies51 and lewde imaginacions

218

and contagious steryngz of the deueil.‘

Vray experience techeth the colerik men52 haue certayn imaginacions of

baymsilfe,53 though suyche be youen to baym54 of kinde of be humour. And thoo

5

bat been fleumatike han ober fantasies. And thoo bat been sanguine been occupied

in sundre labours. And thoo bat been ful of malencoly been thoo persones be

whiche abouue alle men been replete with most meruaillous thoughtz. For that

humour ascendeth fully to be brayen and distrueth alle be mightes of be brayen and

gendrith55 notable imaginacions and clowdes and horrible thoughtz, bothe sleping

10

and waking. And suych men been of be gouernnance and generacion and

disposicion of be kinde and nature of Satume56 ' and namely yf thay bee of ille

condicion. '

 

5° [infirmitees]] S; remedies F

5‘ fantesies] fantastiques S

52 men] man to S

53 baymsilfe] hymsilf s

54 baym] hym S

55 gendrith] ingendrith S

5“ Satume] init. letter unusually wide and oddly shaped; prob. add. later by corr.

219

To suyche maner thoughtz deueillz gladly assenten and shew on57 baym

pryue temtacions rennyng in thaire thoughtz.’ And thees men been58 thus y-

turmentid and with suyche thoughtz been compelled of baire owen kinde59 passions

to strife and speke to thaymsilf and dispute with baymsilf bat men mowe here

baym. And bees men often tymes been of malencolie humour and with deueillz,

and sumtyme falle in60 despeyre and sleen‘“ baymsilf.’

The cure of suyche men, yf hit be be wille of God, is thys: Lete hym vse

oure quynte essence byfore seyde or watre ardent. And put bere-yn a lite quantite

of sene or fumyterre or be herte or the mery of walworte or a thing bat is callid

10

lapis lazule, [f. 37v] and vse this discretely. And thay shal bee helid perfitely, ffor

this quynte essence doeth not oonely heele hit but hit putteth awey malencoly. And

aqua ardent doeth be same yf any matiere purging62 malencoly be put bere-yn, and

bat purgeth be splene' and lettith derke thoughtes. And a malencolie hert and a

sorowful herte hit gladith. And be brayen and be pores there-of hit mundifieth and

15

bringeth yn gladde"3 thoughtz. And hit taketh awey be crafte and temptacions of

 

57 on] n S

58 been] om. S

59 kinde] kindely S

60 in] into S

6' sleen] killen S

62 purging] purgyn S

63 gladde] gladsum S

220

deueillz, and putteth awey vtterly and casteth awey thoughtz and wicked despeyre

and maketh a man to forgete ille. And hit tourneth a man to his natural witte.

The64 viij remedi ayenst dreede hit"5 is and vnstedefastnesse and destroyeng

of be herte and losing of strengthe, and to restore be vertue and the hardiesse of

strength.

Now I shal shewe the that be whiche man is witte ner vndrestanding may

not take ner with noo tunge shewe ner telle be mervaillous vertues be whiche God

hath made and ordenned in quynte essence and also in aqua ardent.‘ And yf oure

Lord haue assigned suyche vertue in aqua ardent, hit semeth wel more bat be

10

meruaillous wirking of Almighty God shuld be in vray quynte essence, and so hit

is.

Thenne putte yn oure quynte essence: herbe piony, herbe angille, ober wise

callid ayglentife, i. saffron, and quynte essence of gold and perle y-medlid

togedre. And lete hym vse this. And soudaynely bat man be whiche is ouer come

15

with ouer muche gastenesse shal leve his dreede and gastenesse and myraculeusely

be cumfortid and wondrefully recoure be strengthe be whiche was loste of greete

tymorosite. And hit shal restore [f. 38r] hym to hardiesse and put deeth at nought

 

6“ The] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

65 hit] om. S

1
1

and drede noo peril. And he shal bee so hardy bat meruaille is to seye, for he shal

221

seme his strengthe so mighty bat he is able to breke and perische iren walles.

Bilyue bis wel for a sothe, for I telle"6 bis of experience as I haue prouyd.

Therefore, here is a sleygthe and a cautelle bat Cristen princes in

ordennance of batailles to haue in tunnes and vesshellz, aqua ardent made redy of

be herbes and be golde and perle afore seide bere-ynne, y—put, and benne yeue to

euery champion and man of that bataille halfe a cuppe fulle or bere aboute in be

bigynnyng of the turment and of be bataille.

This pryuite shuld be kepte67 fro alle ennemyes of Holy Churche, for sothe

10

I seye to the, suyche bingz shuld be kepte and hidde fro tirantz. This is not to be

shewed to euery man in comune.

The ix remedy is ayenst wicchecrafte and sorcerye and chaching awey"8

deueillz.

Holy writte in be Boke of Thobie, be vj chapitre, techeth vs opennely by be

15

vertue bat God hath wroughte in bestes bat we mowe put away deueillz fro oure

howses and dwellingz.’ As we finde in the precepte, Raphael, be viij chapitre,

 

66 telle] write S

67 kepte] kepte pryue S

68 awey] awey of S

222

Tobie put a parte of a fisshe mawe vppon firy coles and with be smoke bere-of he

chachid be deueil awey, be whiche was callid Asmodeus.’ But b'angel Raphael, in

the vj chapitre seyeth, "Yf bou take and put a litil porschon69 of be herte of a fissh

vppon quyke coles, be smoke of hit casteth oute al kinde of deueilles bothe fro man

and wyman in somuche bat thay shal neure vexe thaym no more. " Ergo, hit

foloweth bat vertue in bodily thingz of be creacion of God haue grete strengthe to

put awey be kinde of deueilles bothe fro man and wyman.

And here is [f. 38v] the question the whiche is moeued among dottours of

theologie: Vtrum per talem virtutem a deo in rebus corporalibus’” concreatam

10

possunt demones in rei veritate fitgari on non.. That is to seye, wethre by suyche

vertue of God hath ordenned and made in bodily thingz, may deueillz be put awaye

or not? But noon of thaym bat I knewe or sawe to myne vndrestanding hadde noo

felyng, but bi siche a vertue and strengthe oure bodies been purgid and disposid bat

deueillz may not fynde noo malyncoly71 humours or any other that is according

15

thereto to wirke withynne vs. And a1 by cause of vertues that God hath yeue in

good72 thingz of be whiche thoo humours been purgid. And otherwise deueilles

been not purged fro vs as bay veylid73 and seide.

 

69 porschon] con pisis right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

70 corporalibus] scratched out 8

7‘ malyncoly] malencolious S

72 good] (1 later add. foll. by blank space F

73 veylid] feelid S

223

But what opinions bat any man holde or vse, this is be doctrine and bilyue

yeue to vs of al Holy Churche, bat yf any particle or parte of be herte of a fissh

bee put vppon quyke coles, be smoke bere-of74 putteth oute a1 maner kinde of

deueilles bothe fro man and wyman in somuche bat thay75 shal nomore come to

thaym. And bus shal bou voide suche speche though bow make noo ful answere to

be question.

benne thay tournid bis question, i. for76 bis skele, for thay sawe deueillz

withoute bodies, but bay might not take baym, yit bodily vertue may bringe

violente ac77 naturally to be spiritualle substance of spiritz and angelz, to whom we

10

seye be contrary. For God hath made in spiritz and also angelz of man a78 sensible

powere, not flesshly but spiritually, by be whiche hit suffrith actions and passions

of dyuers thingz and bodily vertues. As ye wel knowe bat spiritz may fele

b'actions and peynes of be fire of helle. And this is oure bileue, bat oure spirit

whenne hit is passid and departid fro oure body hath suyche a power sensitife.

[f.

15

39r] Hit foloweth wel and sheweth, ffor hit is be sentence of be worthy Doctour,

Saint Augustyn, as he expresly shewith & techith in be Boke ofbe Spirite and

Sovle. '

 

7‘ bere-of] of thaym S

75 thay] thal S

76 for] foe F

77 ac] and S

78 a] ofS

224

And for men bat holden opinions ofte tyme been deceipued bat benke bat

bodies wirke not in spiritz but b'actions79 of bodies, be whiche bee noo bodies.

But thingz bat been spiritualle in wirking mowe suffre actions with sensible powere

of be spiritz of angelz, and man may be leyde and applied togedre proporcionally.

We shal not for bayre fleuble coniections and fals opinions goo oute of be weye

and vary fro the texte of the Bible. And yf we canne not vndrestande and take be

maner doyng there-of, benne shal we sette oure sovle in oure witte in the

thraldome and subiection of be seruice of Crist and to the worship of Holy

Scripture. And bat euery goodly creature may vndrestande what I meen, 1 wote

10

wel euery holy lyuer knoweth and vndrestandeth bat noo thing in bis worlde made

is simpliciter and pleynely simple yn forme in likenes as God is. For yf hit were

so, euery thing in this world made shuld declyne fro the80 sirnplenes of God. What

woundre is hit yf alle spiritz of angelz bay been long, brode, and deupe, yt haue

bay noo bodies ner noo sensible power in felyng by be whiche boo bat haue noo

15

bodies but formes of bodies may rather suffre and wille benne thay bat been

bodies?

Therefore, euery man bat hath witte and vndrestonding affirmeth with

b'angel Raphael bat actions and spiritualle propretees of sum bodily bingz putten

away alle kinde of deueillz in dede and sum actions spiritualle pleasen baym and

 

79 b'actions] the actions S

80 fro the] of ye 3 demencions .i. Altitude, latitude, & profunditude: right marg.,

16th cent. comm. A F

sum displeasen baym.

225

Deme not in byself bat I haue ymagined bis of be newe, for in the colacions

of Vitis Patrum,‘ a holy abbot affirmed and shewed in his sermons bat sum of be

vnclene spiritz haue delite and luste gretely in lecherie and in flesshly [f. 39v]

likingz bothe of men and of wymen, though thay haue noo bodely substance as

man or beste.’ And though thay haue suyche luste in lecherie, yit haue bay noo

bodily seede ner complexion whereby thay may make kindely generacion.

Therefore, thay take shappe and figure of wyman is body and benne comuneth and

deliteth with men and receip[u]eth8l ‘ complexion of thaym. And benne bay

10

chongen into the figure of man and benne thay dele with wymen and geten children

on baym with be forseide seede of man.‘

Therefore, why shuld this holy man seye bat thay deliten in suyche lustes

and temptacions but yf bay hadde a spiritualle powere sensible and veyling in be

whiche bay suffren suyche actions and felyngz?

15

berfore, leueth suche opinions voyde and lete vs seye bat openne experience

sheweth. For deueillz han suyche delectacions in bingz that is of be complexion of

Satume and of be mone and most specially of Mars and bat is wel provid in be

pryuetees of nygramancy. For to any ille deede or wickednes he is most t'obserue

and kepe be constillacions of two82 wicked planettz, Satume and Mars, and ober

 

8‘ receip[u]eth] receipneth F

82 two] .ij. 3

226

while of be mone, as we see in baym bat suffren influctions and wirking of be

mone be whiche ofte tymes been vexed wickedly of be deueille as hit sheweth in

baym bat han be falling ille and suyche other that been hirte of be influence and

moeuyng of be mone.’ But alle maner werkes of nygramancy bat been to

inuocations or inchantementz muste bee wrought vndre th'obseruance of be mone

or ellz hit is nought worth.

And for Satume hath be condicions and be sadnes of leede and is in his

kinde erthely, blacke, derke, and pryvy cloos and stincking, yeuy[n]g83 power on

[f. 40r] foule placz and blacke stynckyng weyes vndre b'erthe and derke wodes

10

and blacke and solitaire dwelling84 and horrible. Yn bees places comunely,

deueillz han baire conuersacion and appering as we may proue by collacions and

worthy sermons of Vitis patrum.85

And for be mone hath his kinde wirking vppon be night and crosse weyes

and in ober weyes and joumayes. And in suche placz deueillz gladly assenten and

15

apperen to baire sectes and baire seruantz.

But boo bingz bat been of be nature and kinde of Jubiter and of be sunne,

be whiche been beneuoleus planetz and gentil of kinde, displeasen baym and been

 

83 yeuylnlg] yeuyng S

8" dwelling] .i. in Satume right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

85 patrum] luonae ) super + Nox left marg. 16th cent. comm. B F

contrary to thayre wirking to alle deueillz. And bay fle be lightnes86 of be sunne

227

and be presence of Jubiter.

And here is a openne euidence bat bingz bat been in this worlde sum han be

figuracion of heuenely joye and sum presenten to vndrestonding be state and

gouernnance of helle.

But be sunne and Jubiter and gold and a1 bing bat gladith by reason87 of

light and clerenes and gladnes, bay presenten be grete gladnes and gloyre of God a

high. But blacke Satume and be clowdy mone and blacke, and derke presons and

blacke presenten be figure88 and condicions of helle, hauen hate, and dispisen be

10

clerenes and gloriousenes of God and alle blessid bingz, and haten gretely the

sunne and be clerenes bere-of and alle thinges that causen any gladnesse. And bay

haten alle be weyes and stappes of figures and ymages bat been participatife and

parteners of be joy of paradix, with be whiche man may bee highly cumfortid and

gladid. And bay lothen heuene and alle heuenely dwellingz. And bay naturaly

15

deliten in derkenes and shadowes, yn [f. 40v] wreth and sorowe and malencolye

and alle suyche bingz that presenten and shewen be complexions of helle.

And aftre bis gouernnance, whenne oure quynte essence is so heuenely and

brought to so grete swetnes, as hit were, of b'odoure and sauour of paradise with

 

86 lightnes] light S

87 reason] tiger . Saturna et jubilus left marg. 16th cent. com A F

88 figure] finger pointing to line, beginning with be and ending with hate, left

marg., 16th cent. comm. F

228

the whiche man may lightly be cumfortid and gladyd, and alle soroweful fantasies

and deueillz hit putteth aweye opennely, ffor be condicions bere-of is euene

contrary to be deueillz and putteth baym bothe fro man and wyman as possible

may be by reason and nature.

And yf bou wil do hit spedefully and maisterfully, put ber-to quynte

essence of perle and golde with be seede of a herbe be whiche is callid perforator

minor or ypericon, and in openne langaige of Guyenne hit is callid trascalayn.‘

The seed ber-of is callid of notable philosophres fluga demonum,’ the chaching

awey of deueillz, and ofte tyme hit hath be prouyd bat be seed bere-of hath put

10

awey wode deueillz fro dyuers dwellingz of houses. And yn oure tyme hit putte

awey a crueille deueil fro a yonge mayde. But hit wircheth muche more in kinde

and yf be seede and be herbe been gadrid togedre, for hit berith in hymsilf be

kinde condicions of ij planettz,89 bat is be sunne and Jubiter, be whiche influence

and condicions agasten be deueil by reason and euidence afore seyde.

15

For Holy Writte in be Boke of Thobie nor in noon other place nameth not

the fyssh of whom we shal take be mawe or be hert, shal lye in be fire, and smoke

berewith be deueillz shal be put awey. And also many philosophres90 in many

experiences haue founde bat yf be galle of any fissh,91 and specially of a fissh bat

 

89 planettz] Hyperiron is of ye nature of O and 2(& so. is juniper; piscis left

marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

9° philosophres] * right marg., 16th cent. comm. highlighting sentence.F

9‘ fissh] What is sarringrany left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

229

is callid saringrany, and put hit into a boxe of junyper and, yf any man be

turmentid or vexed with wicches or sorcery or temptid or ouercome with

deueilles,92 [f. 41r] put the boxe in a fire whenne ye goo to bedde and lete hit

smoke in al the hows. And with be smoke, al be sorcerie and wicchecrafte and the

werkes of the deueil and spiritz"3 also shal be put awey.

This junipre bath a grete vertue and wondreful, for yf bou make a fire of

junipre and make askes bere-of a goode quantite and put ber-on oon quyke coole of

junipre and coure hit with warme askes. For and bou leye oon quyke sparcle of

fire bere-on and lete hit lie so be space of a hole yere, and bou shal finde fire ynow

10

whenne bou comys bere-to. And bat may be seyde a grete meruaille.

And be gumme of junipre and al that comyth of hym is vertuous. And

writers layen hit vppon thaire parchemyn whenne bay write. And here is a grete

euidence bat sith he may not be wasted and brent in a hole yere, ye may deme wel

bat he is of be kinde and rote of noble moystenes. And berefore hit is profitable to

15

man is life, for hit receipneth his kinde influence of be beste planettz fro abouue.

And philosophres haue be informed with many experiences bat the galle of

a blac dogge stynketh somuche, i. displeaseth be deueillz. Yf be hows be springid

berwith, a1 wicchecrafte and deueillz shal be put awey and bere may noo sorcerie

be wrought in bat hows. And bay seyen bat be blode of a dogge is abhominable to

 

92 catchwords put the boxe in a fire at foot ofpage F

93 spiritz] * lefi marg., 16th cent. comm, highlighting sentence F

230

bat crafte. For yf be walles of a hows been sprynged berwith, bere94 may noo

sorcerie be doo in bat hows and alle deueillz shal fle awey, but in noon otherwise

but as be deueil Asmodeus was put awey with be mawe of a fissh, as Thobie

seyeth95 in be furst boke, the viij chapitre.

And yf any fals crafte be wrought with benes or oke kemellz or ober fruite

or with nedeles bat be sudary clothe of the96 dede man lieng ynne bee sewid with,

and yf wicches wold destroye the and make be to forsake thy place and lothe hit

and bou may not avoyde hit with [f. 41v] the crafte to97 fore seyde, philosophres

seyen bat bou shal close withynne rede quyke siluer and close faste and hide hit

10

pryuely vndre be bed of be pacient or of hym bat is so vexed, and hit shal cesse.

An other remedy bere is after Holy Churche. Take prestes or suyche

persones as haue receyued power of Holy Churche and in be name of oure Lord

Ihesus Crist, with holy bingz and holy obseruance, bay shal put baym awey and a1

bing bat is contrary or suspecte to be feyth. Other98 forboden by Holy Churche

15

bay mowe put awey and alle thees thingz that han be seyde and shal be seyde and

reherchid herebifore vndre correction of Holy Churche. And I haue seyde here

noo thing but as Holy Churche seyeth and confirmeth.

 

9“ berwith, bere] with, bere add. in right and left margins, respectively S

95 seyeth] Thobie right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

96 the] a S

97 to] a S

98 Other] or S

The99 x remedi is ayenst lise, ycchyng, hetz, the whiche been sprunge100 in

231

man is body.

The101 nurisshyng and generacion of lys102 and of ycche and of hete in103

man is body is of humours putrified, for roten humours by nature been put oute

and putrified by be porys of be skynne and be mouthe of be porys. And with

corrupte humours, worrnes and lis been gendrid and ycche and hete of the skynne,

be whiche vexen men and suffre104 not to slepe. And by cause hit is ingendrid of

corrupcion, bere is noo thing in this worlde medicinal bat better and more naturally

may cure hit and kepe hit fro putrefaction and consume humours corrupte benne

10

may oure quynte essence, yf bou haue hit redy at hande; or elles take be beste aqua

ardent bat bou may gete. For by b'ordennance of God, hit suffrith noo dede flessh

to rote nor fissh yf hit be put bere-yn. Ergo hit is right mighty to kepe quyke

flessh [f. 42r] fro rotyng and putrifaction. And this liquour repugneth and is

contrary to putrefaction and generacion of hete, ycche, and lys.

15

And whenne my mortalt ennemys' ayenst reason wondrefully heulden me in

 

99 The] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

”’0 sprunge] sprunge and ingendrid S

'0‘ The] two-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

‘02 lys] lowses S

‘03 in] in a S

'04 suffre] suffren thaym S

232

prison and in derkenesse, and with bees passions and grete bordon of irons I

suffrid grete penance and was almost oure-come,' and borough licence of my

keper, a holy man brought to me105 aqua ardent and waisshed a1 my body berewith.

And oonely with bat waisshing I was curid and made hole. But I shal teche the to

make hit an hunthrid folde strenger.

Put ynne'06 thy aqua ardent quyke siluer, staphizagre,‘ and his vertue and

wirking shal be gretely increchid to sle vermyne in somuche bat thay shal be put

awey with be sauoure bere—of and sle thaym. Also quyke siluer is dedely poyson

to thaym as in bat miraculeuse vertue of107 God sheweth hit opennely. And108 yf

10

bou putte quyke siluer with gleyre of an109 egge &“° medle baym and shake baym

strongely togedre and mortifie baym and put bere-ynne a long liste of lynne clothe

and lete hit drinke vp the gleire and quyke siluer togedre, and benne sewe hit with

an other liste of lynne clothe--leste be quyke siluer falle of and gurde be berewith

or bere hit on the--and hit shal put awey alle lys and sle thaym and bay shal falle

15

fro hym, bat meruail hit is to seye; and of”1 experience 1 know hit. Yf bou put

 

‘05 to me] to kill licse lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

‘06 ynne] into S

‘07 of] as S

‘08 And] to kyll lyse right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

‘09 an] a S

“0 &] and s

1“ of] of ful S

bere-ynne staphizagre and medle alle togedre, and his might and vertue shal be

233

strenger.

And ye shal vndrestande bat be cure of lys is sumtyme inpossible and

namely ayenst deeth as hit sheweth in IJ 'Actes of[r 'Apostellz, be xij chapitre. As

hit is seyde, Percussit autem angelus Domini Herodem eo quod non dedisset

honorem Deo, et con- [f. 42v] sumptus a vennibus exspirauit.’ And as we haue in

the Croniclys,112 the Emperour of Rome with noo remedye of medicyne might not

be curid ner holpe of his lys.’

Here I haue openned a trewe cure and a possible by quynte essence and ye

10

haue hit to vse euenyng and morownyng, and to drynke aqua ardent and to waisshe

by body berwith, and medle quyke siluer and staphizagre bere113 with thy aqua

ardent, and anoynte by body berewith.

The114 xi remedie is to putte awey veneme and to cure hym that is

poysoned.

15

The plage of venem is curid with bingz that been moste contrarious there-

to. What bing is moste contrary to deeth, but life? Ergo, bere is noo thing in bis

 

”2 Croniclys] cronicle S

”3 bere] visible but crossed out in text F; om. S

“4 The] one—line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

234

world bat is so contrarious to venem as is aqua vite and moste special quynte

essence, as I haue seyde bifore. For in bis worlde is noon thing so contrary” to

dedely thingz as is oure quynte essence, ffor hit kepith be life and increcheth hit

and kepeth be herte and putteth awey a1 contrariousenes. And as sone as hit is in

the, hit renneth to be herte and putteth awey alle lesions and heurtz mightiest in

wirking; and ber is grete bataille with be veneym. And atte laste hit putteth oute

be”6 veneym fro be body or elles hit putteth hit awey fro be herte.

And put in bis quynte essence bingz bat been contrary117 to veneym and

comforten be hert, as quynte essence of golde and perle, saffron, pionye,

10

arglentife, and be beste triacle and rue, fenoil, radissh; and his vertue shal be a

hunthrid folde bettre. And put berynne alle maner stoones bat been profitable to

put awey veneym. Put hit withynne quynte essence or aqua ardent and hit shal

yeue the strengthe and proprietes of hym [f. 43r] and his vertues shal be multiplied

wondrefully.

15

And whenne bou has put alle bees thingz in oure quynte essence, thenne put

hit in”8 a noble glasyn vaisshel and close hit wel, bat hit vapore not oute in noo

wise. And whenne bou supposis to be inpoysenid of any suspecte seruantz, vse

here-of a lite quantite in the morowenyng yn be name of oure Lord Jhesus Crist

 

”5 contrary] contrarieux S

“6 be] om. S

”7 contrary] contrarieuses S

”8 in] into S

and pray to God of helpe; and bere shal noo veneym noye the that day, with the

235

grace of God.

The119 xij remedy is ayenst the febre quartayne and alle passions of

malencolye in man is body. And here is cunnyng to purge baym and120 be maistrie

there-of.

That leche in al this world is holde moste wise among alle be whiche in

fewe dayes can hele be febre quartane, for bat sikenes is long induryng and noyeth

riche men and hyndreth poure men and letteth holy men fro God is seruice. Hit

putteth awey gladnes and bringeth yn sorowe and wasting of be body, and ofte

10

tyme hit bringeth a man to deeth. And sum men magnifie and prechen and praysen

baymself muche and seyen baymsilf cunnyng and seyen bay wil put hit awey in

fewe dayes and seyen hit is noo cunnyng and hiden baire ignorance and seyen hit is

not profitable to cure bayme, ffor he is but a deedely creature. But alle leches

seyen and accorden bat be quartane is ingendrid of grete abundance121 of copy of

15

malencolye, be whiche is corrupte withynne be body. And for bat humour is erthe

and of be kinde of slowe Satume, berefore, b'actions of bis infirmite been in be

 

”9 The] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

‘20 and] and also S

‘2‘ of grete abundance] of gret habundance in marg. S

herte and hit indurith in man custumably often tymes ouer an hole yere.

236

And yf bou wil soudaynely cure bis infirmite and in short tyme, bou shal

doo hit with quynte essence, for hit consumeth humours corrupte and superflual

and hit bringeth nature to equyte of [f. 43v] kynde. Hit bringeth yn gladnes and

sorowe hit putteth away. And hit putteth awey fro alle be bodye malencolie.

Igitur ablata causa’zz remouebitur et ejfectus, " that is to seye, whenne be cause of

any infirmite is remote and doon awey, benne is b'effecte and wirking of bat

infirmite awey.

And here is be maniere and curing of hym. Yf bou haue noo quynte

10

essence, take a123 1i. of be beste aqua ardent and put ber-to the pethe of be mery of

walworte--and namely of white walworte-and yeue of that euenyng and

morowenyng124 to be pacient ij walnotz shellz fulle or lesse. And he shal be curid

anone. And lete hym contynue bis remedy til he be hole. And bis is trewe of vray

experience.

15

But take bis for a general revle. Turne to be canon of be furst boke; and

bere in be table of laxatifes‘ bou shal finde bos thingz bat purgen malincoly. And

put of thaym in125 thy aqua ardent and take but lite bere-of at oones, bat the matiere

bi litel and litel may be digestid and voyde in be same forme. For hit is bettre to

 

122 causa] can S

123 a] 1 S

124

euenyng and morowenyng] atte euene and atte morowe S

'25 in] into S

wirke by litel and litel of curing of bis infirmite banne soudaynely to gryue nature

237

and kinde.

And many philosophres seyen bat a tothe draue oute of a quyke beste, yf a

man here hit vppon hym, hit shal delyuer hym fro be febre quartayne. Also bay

seyde bat the jus of a herbe callid pympernelle be put into the nostrilles of hym

whenne be quartayne bigynneth to shake hym, and126 he shal be helid, yf God wil.

The127 xiij remedy is ayenst impedimentz and medicines and be'28 perilles

bat fallen in yeuyng of medicines and ayenst gryeuance to man is body of be

gouuemance of lechis.

10

Fro129 the bigynnyng of be worlde into bis day, alle philosophres han

laborid with grete swette and besynes aboute medicines laxatifz for iij thingz. The

furst is bat by laxatifz, kinde [f. 44r] and vertue shal not awey. The ij“‘”30 is bat

bay sle not. The ii]

'de13l

is whenne neede, spedefully and effectually withoute any

peril to wirke in ferre parties of be body and mightily to bringe corrupte humours

 

‘26 and] om. S

‘27 The] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

'28 be] om. S

”'9 Fro] finger pointing to section, lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. F

'30 ijda] 11 S

‘3' iijde] iij s

238

fro bens. But bees iij mighten neuer be founde parfitely. ‘32 For whenne bay

maken any voidance or laxatifz by crafte, benne be vertue of kinde is appeirid and

be body is fleublid and hat grete lesions and hurtyngz. And so bere mighte noo

certeyn mesure be founde what we shuld yeue to eury man in certayne. For alle

bodies been not like in taking of receiptz; ner be doze nor be porcion may not be

like to euery man nor alle bodies been not like133 mighty to suffre and receipue

b'actions of medicines and receiptz. For hit is not all oone in wirking of leen men

and sklendre and134 femynyne kinde as hit is in sad flesshly men and thicke. And

berefore, sumtyme hit heleth men and sumtyme sleith men, bat is to seye, yeuyng

10

of medicines and receiptz in thees dyuers wise wyrchen in maniere to fore seyde.

And so laxatifz, be whiche been veneym, sumtyme hurten bat oone parte and

sumtyme helen on bat ober parte.

But among alle solempne medicines, high leches and cunnyng commenden

aloe and praysin hit highly.135 For as bay veylen and seyen, hit hath leste power to

15

lesse any vertue of kinde and causith ful lite hurtyng of kinde in a man. For hit

wil rather cumforte be membris as hit proueth wel and euidently by Johan Eheban

of Mesue in his Boke of Simple Medicines.’

 

‘32 parfitely] partifely F

‘33 in taking .

.

. not like]

ins. in left marg. by corr. S

'34 and] and of S

135 highly] * Aloe right marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

239

But God of his high goodnes hath made quynte essence of aqua ardent in be

vaisshel of circulacion y-rectified atte fulle, as hit is made in the furst boke. And

quynte essence bere-with made of man is blode rectified in be same wise, and

quynte essence of gold and perle. Alle thees to [f. 44v] gedre maken humours of

euene qualite in kinde, as136 hit sleeth alle febres yf bou putte bere-ynne suyche

thingz that purgen corrupte humours by cause of be strength and horribilite of be

sikenes.

But loke bou be wise in putting yn of bi matiere. And hit shal put awey

alle inconuenientz bifore seide. For oure quynte essence and aqua ardent also

10

kepen and increchen nature and suffren noo vertues to be loste. And in somuche

as be receiptes been veneym and contagious, yit quynte essence is euene contrary

bere-to, yf ye vse your medicines and laxatifz mesurably, as I shal teche137 be‘”

hereaftre.

And for oure quynte essence is more meenable and subtiler in wirking and

15

more perisshing benne ober thinges. And berfore he berith moste sharpely and

mightyest with hym alle laxatifz to membris ferre of and to diepe places and so to

ferre places; and bryngeth oute noyous humours miraculeusely.

And bere is an

139

other thing the whiche leches couthe neure shone in

 

‘36 as] and S

'37 teche] om. S

138

be] you S

‘39 an] a S

240

yeuyng of medicines laxatifz; but often tymes thay braken140 hit vp ayen and so be

labour of be leche and the coste of be medicine isl“l loste and be pacient vnholpe.

But by oure quynte essence or aqua ardent, suyche vomettz and causes been put

away. For yf be quynte essence of any laxatife thing be put in142 oure quynte

essence spiritualy, hit suffrith noo maniereI43 vomett ner braking to be ingendrid in

be stomake. For be spirituale receipued shuld not be voyded, yit hit semeth

possible bat be humours bat been ingendrid in be stomake shuld be voide by

vometing. And many of bees medicines been venoymI44 and hurten often tymesm’

of baire owen kinde. But with quynte essence or aqua ardent, hit doeth not so for

10

borough cumforte of quynte essence, hit is not hurte.

Now I shal yeue be remedis ayenst perillz bat might falle in yeuyng of

medicines laxatifz with quynte essence [f. 45r] or aqua ardent. For I seide bifore

bat medicines laxatifz wirken more strenger and sharper with aqua ardent benne

withoute hit.

146

Therefore take bis for trouthe, bat the quantite of any medicine bat

 

140thay braken] thay casten and braken S

‘4‘ is] been S

'42 in] into S

‘43 maniere] om. S

1‘“ venoym] venemuses S

”5 and hurten often tymes] and often tymes hurten S

”6 withoute hit] preceded and foll. by 16th cent. comm. asterisks and pointing

finger in left margin. F

241

is assigned by any cunnyng to be take to any sike creature withoute harme of

deeth. Yf bat same medicine be yeue with aqua ardent, hit sleeth a man, for be

medicine shal wirke x tymes more with aqua ardent benne withoute hit.

And yf ye wil trowe me, 1 shal yeue to you a exemple. I was grieuousely

sike in be breste and fulle of viscous humours. And I toke of yerepigra and of

euforbe ana oz. semi and bere—of I made pillulz to be gretenesse of a smalle chery.

And iij pillulz oonely bere-ofI put in a litel watre ardent and brake baym smalle

with my fyngre and receipued hit late at euenyng. And by be power of God, be

medicine wrought after mydde-nyght merueilleusely x tymes or147 day by sieging

10

or voiding bynethe. And aftre bat I toke my reste and sleupe. I arose al hole at

morowe and gladde withoute any heurte bothe in sight and yn my lymes.

Therefore ye shal vndrestande bat yf a man toke x of bees pillulz, be

smallest bat he mighte chese and vse baym, and bay shal not wirke somuche

withoute aqua ardent as iij shuld with aqua ardent. And berfore, wisedame wolde

15

bat bou put oone of bees in aqua ardent and assaye how bat wol wirke in be

pacient; to sum ij or iij til bou finde cure and experience bat be medicine helpeth

and cureth be persone. For here is a generalle roule what bou shal yeue to euery

man, for sum man is mightier ban sum, sum been flesshy, and sum leen. And

berfore be wirking is diuers in persones and bou may not yeue y-like muche to

20

euery man. And here bou may see what profite hit is to receipue medicines with

 

”7 or] bifore S

242

quynte essence or aqua ardent, ffor yn this crafte hit peireth not the kinde nor be

sight, [f. 45v] ner hit sleeth not. And yf bou wil proue bis wisely, hit shal bringe

humours fro remote places and kepeth awey veneym fro medicines and kepeth a

man fro vometz. For good hit is to take but litel of bees bingz in by quynte

essence; and hit shal hele the verraily.

This chapitre is clepid be key of bis crafte, withoute whos vndrestanding

bere may noo man clerely and trewly noo maniere medicine, laxatife, nor receipte

mynistre.

Here is the xiiij remedie ayenst the febre quartayne' and the cure there-of.

10

Alle leches han discemyd bat a febre contynual is y-gendrid of putrefaction

of blode and of corrupcion of humours in his body. Therefore, be cure of bat is to

purge blode and to remoeue away al be corrupcion bere-of and alle humours that

been veneym148 and inparfite to make thaym equale and to repaire nature lost. And

whenne hit is restorid, to maynteyne and kepe hit. And oure quynte essence

15

wirketh and fulfilleth alle bees thingz.

Ergo, hit moste needes folowe bat hit moste cure be febre contynual of

whom I spake bifore. For experience sheweth opennely bat watre ardent putteth

away watery humours and corrupte fro blode. And sith hit is so, bat hit kepith

 

”8 veneym] venemuses S

243

rawe flcssh and dede fro corrupcion, by more reason hit shuld kepe the blodc of a

lyuely creature fro corrupcion and putrefaction. But for cause bat aqua ardent is

not fully departid and depurid fro be hctc of be iiij elementz, berefore, I wol not

bat bou vsc hit in curyng of be fcbrc contynual. But quynte essence ful and

parfitcly rectified in be furste bokc, be whiche is hotc‘ nor moiste nor dric as be

iiij elementz been, this quynte essence heleth149 sikcrly”0 and [f. 46r] trewly alle be

passions of be febre contynual, and namely quynte essence of gold and perle. And

yf bou wil cure hym parfitely, takc quynte essence aftre be forme of be furst bokc

y-madc of man is bloode.’ And bat same quynte essence helith pcrfitely bis

10

infumitc, not oonely to drinke bcrc-of but also yf bou waisshe or enoynte bi

temples bcr-with and be pulse veynes of euery parte of be body.

And yf bou put bees ij quynte essence togedre, bat is to scyc, be furste

quynte essence &151 quynte essence made of man is blodc, benne shal bou haue a

trewe medicine. And yf bou wilt increche hit in wirking, put in bees quynte

15

essences: be quynte essence of cassia fistula or be jus of mercuric wisely

proporcined. And be cure shal be an”2 hunthrid folde bettre.

And yf any other humours been fovnde fauty or corrupte with blodc, putte

bere-ynne quynte essence of suyche bingz as purgen boo humours as bou shal findc

 

”9 heleth] hccly S

15° sikerly] seurely S

‘5‘ &] and S

152 an] as

244

in be table of purgacions and laxatifz; and with be helpe of God bou shal be curid.

Vndrestande wel in thy herte what I haue seyde and bou shal not faille yf bou

wirke wisely aftre be rculcs be whiche I haue taughte be, both in be furst bokc and

in be secunde, be whiche is present.

The153 xv remedie is ayenst be febre tercianc; and here is cure of hym.154

A febre tercian aftre doctrine of wise men is ingendrid of grete

plenteuouscncs of rcdc colcrc and putrefaction of hym. And yf bou wil hclc hit

soudaynely, take quynte essence yf bou haue hit or cllcs aqua ardent and put bere-

yn a litc rubarbc or cllcs alocs or saffron colour or sum obcr thing of be tables of

10

be furst bokc that purgeth colerc. And put bere—to a good quantite [f. 46v] of

b'crbc of cndyue and vsc this euenyng and morovcnyng. ‘55 And withoute any

doute hc shal be helid hastily and sonc.

The xvj remedie is ayenst a febre cotidian156 and be cure of hym.157

 

‘53 The] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

'54 is cure of hym] foloweth the cure of the saidc fcbrc S

‘55 euenyng and morovcnyng] at cuenc and morowe S

‘56 cotidian] quotidianc S

‘57 hym] hire S

Alle maistrcs been accordid bat be febre cotidian'58 is ingendrid of

245

putrefaction of flcaumc and supcfluitc bere-of; and suyche flcaumc is colde and

moyste. Oure quynte essence or aqua ardent hath grete strengthe and meruaillous

to waste and put away be grete colde; and of watrencs and putrefaction hit hath a

dyuers wirking in consumyng bere-of and ofte be humydite.159 And fcttcth oute be

rote bere-of and heleth hym profitably. berefore, put bere-ynne a lite euforbe aftre

be doctrine and rculcs of grete leches and wise or eldre or obcr the whiche purgen

flcaume as bou may fmde in be table of be furst boke; and vse hit euenyng and

morovnyng.160 And he shal be helid anone, yf God wil.

10

The xvij remedie is ayenst a sharpe febre and lunatikc men and of maddc

men and folcs. Here is

161

be cure of thaym.

Herc experience sheweth by reason alle maniere werkes bat aqua ardent

ascendith vppe to the hccdc and maketh men drunke.’ And sith hit is so bat be

sharpe febre hath his wirking in be region of be heedc, berefore hit is necessary to

15

the to haue oure quynte essence bifore seyde and quynte essence of gold and perle.

 

‘58 cotidian] quotidian S

‘59 be humydite] thumydite S

"’0 euenyng and morovnyng] at euene and at morowe S

‘6' Here is] and also S

246

But in an other parte bou moste haue quynte essence of man is blodc ratified;162

and put bere-to quynte essence of rose watre and Violette and borage and of letucc

and medle baym togedre and vse hit in be name of oure Lord Jhesus Crist. And

bou shal haue a parfite and a heuenely medicine [f. 47r] and bou shal be curid

berewith.

And often tyme a sharpe febre is ingendrid of a brennyng violent colcre and

blode; and sumtyme of a blak brennyng colere; and sumtyme of oone of thees and

sumtyme of ij togedre and sumtyme of alle iij.I63 And aftre bat, be sharpe febre is

sumtyme highere and sumtyme lowcrc in dyuers degrees. And to alle bees degrees

10

of adustions of blodc curith and helpeth quynte essence of man is blode with be 6

parte of oure quynte essence. And yeue hit to be pacient and he shal be sone hole,

yf God wil.

And whenne bou seest be pacient sum what to mende,‘“ benne put yn be

quynte essence of blodc, be quynte essence tofore seyde, i. , the v165 parte of oure

15

quynte essence. And whenne he is more holer, put hit to be iiij parte and

aftrewarde to be iij parte and so lesse til hit be al awey. And so bou shal vse atte

laste but oure quynte essence.

And also be sharpe febre hath maniere alienacion of witte and visions of

 

‘62 ratified] rectified S

'63 iij] thrc s

'“ mende] amende S

165 V] Vthc S

247

diuers bingz and fantasies. And here by bou shal vndrestande what humours been

adustc and been cause of bat sharpe febre. Yf so be bat be pacient scme to see

blak thingz, benne blak colerc is adustc. And yf he see golden thingz, rede colerc

is adustc. And if he see rede thingz and effusion of blode, be blode is adustc.

And yf he semc to see alle bees iij, benne alle the humours bat we spake of bifore

been fauty.

Thenne to cure be frcnasie and be madncs and be woodcncs of baym bat

han bis sharpe febre and to swage hit at fullc, take a good quantite of populeon and

be beste vin aigre bat bou may haue and a good quantite of gardyn rue and grynde

10

hit smalle and medle al togedre; and medle berewith quynte essence of man is

blode, [f. 47v] yf bou haue any. And with this heuenely confection bou shal

wrappc be hecde al cloos of be pacient and put of be same confection to his nose

thrillz.166 And bis same doeth put awey be frcnasie anone and alle fantasies bat

been shewid to hym. And hit putteth awey woodnes and lunatikcnes and restoreth

15

discrecion and witte and bringeth hit to knowelaiche and maketh hym to haue reste.

Kepe bis wel and haue good pcrseucrance in thy wirking and God shal saue the.

The xviij remedie is to cure the iij167 cmitrices.

 

‘66 his nose thrillz] hecs nostrilles S

'67 iij] thriddc s

248

Thay that by crafte of medicines knowen iij emytrices the whiche sumtyme

gcndcrcn168 in oure body ful perillous; thay knowe be lasse cmytrice, be myddcl

cmitricc, and be more cmitricc. Emytrice is a febre be whiche is gendrid169 of

corrupte humours and contrari170 in kinde, be whiche is causid of fleaume

putrified, and so be febre is colde and moyste; and of rede colerc putrcfied171 and

so be febre is hotc and drie. And so in be body been ij febres contrary172 in kinde,

as a febre whiche is causid of fleaume, for bat is colde and moyste; and of rede

colerc putrified also and so be febre is hotc and dric. And so in be body been ij

febres contrary173 togedre.

10

And by nature a inprudcnte leche wolde suppose be cure of baym to be

inpossible. For yf bou woldcst yeue to be pacient ayens bat

‘7‘ is hote and dric,

colde and moyste, benne bou shuldcs increche be febre bat is colde and moiste.

And yf bou yeue ayens be febre colde and moiste, hotc and dric, benne be febre

whiche is bore and drie shal increche withoute any doute. And yf bou yeue hym

15

hote and dric, colde and moiste euene porcion, bat oone shal lette bat other in

 

”’8 gcndcrcn] ingendrcn S

”’9 gendrid] ingendrid S

‘70 contrari] contraricus S

‘7‘ putreficd] putrafied also S

‘72 contrary] contraricus S

”3 contrary] contraricus S

”4 bat] that that S

wirking, and the pacient vnheled.

249

Wherefore, be trewe cure here [f. 48r] of is this. Pou shal yeue175 hym

oure quynte essence bifore seide and lete hit be euene half medled with quynte

essence of man is blode and quynte essence of gold and perle and with a lite quynte

essence purgyng thoo humours bat been fauty. And with bis doze alle emytrices

shal myraculousely be helid and sonc passe awaye.

And here ye shal see how many cmitriccs been in oure body and how thay

been ingendrid. As often tymes, as any of be iiij principallc humours been

corrupte togedre in oure body may be founde, as bou shal sec bothc be furst and be

10

secunde and be thridde and many other, as flcaumc and rede colerc. The furst

maniere is of flcaume and colerc adustc. The sccude maniere is of fleaume and

blak colerc. The thridde is of flcaumc and blak colerc adustc. The iiijme is of

blodc and fleaume adustc. The v and be 6176 been causid and ingendrid of many of

thees. And by bees bou may vndrestande and dyvync oute many of thees

15

cmitrices.

The xix remedie is ayenst be febre pestilenccm and be cure there-of.

 

'75yeue] yeue to S

176 6] vjte S

”7 pestilence] pcstilencialle S

Hit were but a fantasie and a folie to sekc remedie whenne be sikenes is

250

incurable, as whenne deeth is sent to slec be peuple of be high commandement of

b'cmperalitc of our Lord Jhesus Crist. For we see autorite of Holy Scripture bat

pestilence often tymes is nurisshed and suffred of God to slec be peuple, in suyche

a cooste where God wil bat vengeance falle vppon this man or bat wyman. We

purpose not in bis purpoos and in swyche cause to doo noo178 remedies, ffor hit is

harde to stryue ayens be pricke and bat God of his high emperalite scndcth be

pestilence to slec be peuple as Witnessyng be scripture in Deutronomye179 be xviij'

chapitre homini sicut dicitur.

[f. 48v] Si audire nolueris vocem Domini Dei tui vt

10

custodias et facias omnia mandata eius veniant super te omnes maledictiones iste.

Maledictus eris in ciuitate. Et infra adiungat pestilenciam dominus consumet te de

terra. Percuciet te dominus egestate febre et frigore ac ardore et estu et aere

corrupto ac rubigine et persequatur te donec pereas. Hec Moyses ymmo Deus per

eum et infra percuciet te Dominus vlcere Egipti et partem corporis per quam

15

stercora egerunt scabie quoque prurigine ita ut curar'i nequeas percuciat te

dominus cecitate ac furore mentis. Et est propositum. '

I pray you what man is he bat wille presume be febre pestilence180 to be

curable be whiche cometh of be wille of God sith be holy texte seyeth bifore bat

 

”8 noo] om. S

'79 Deutronomye] dcutonomio S

‘80 pestilence] pestilencial S

25 1

bay may be vncurablc; berefore, hit is but a fantasie to take suyche thingz a hande

sith thay been insauablc.

And be formc of bis volume atte th'ynstance of menkc chosen men, I181

determyned in bis matiere in be tyme of be grete pestilence be yere of oure Lord

Jhesus Crist Ml ccc xlviij.’ And benne I disputid with many wise men to begynne

bis pourpoos and to bringe hit to a short conclusion.

And ye shal vndrestande bat men mowe deye ij or iij maniere wise. Oone

maniere wise by natural deeth, as God hath ordeyned to vs, be whiche we mowe

not passe by noo witte nor reason. An other wise by violence. And berefore to

10

thees ij maniere wiscs bcr may noo maniere medicine auaillc.182 But anober

maniere bere is for a man may dcye vnreasonably byfore be terme bat God hath

ordeynid to man, as in to muche etyng or by to grete abstinence or dispeyre or

negligence to shone the peril of deeth and so slec hymsilf. And in bis wise,

whenne God scndcth be vengeance of pestilence to certayne persones of be peuple

15

to slec baym and hurte baym and mahaymc baym, be whiche God commandcth not

to be slcyn, yit bay mowe wille183 [f. 49r] fully and negligently deye,184 yf bay wil.

For God made man and yaue hym frc wille and fre choise to chese bothe good and

ille.

 

18' I] om. S

'82 maniere medicine auaille] medicine auaillc in noo maniere S

183

catchwords fully and negligently dye at foot ofpage. F

‘84 Spelling of text of MS differs slightly from the catchwords on previous folio.

252

And yf we shal do any cure vnto185 thys pestilence, here is‘86 general reule.

Where God sendith pestilence

of b'influcnce of Satume as ye mowe see in be

187

plage of lepre, reume, consumyng of be body, passion of be breste, and alle

suyche as been causid of be pestilence colde in man. Or elles febre pestilence188

with spitting of blode be whiche is causid of b'influctions of Mars,189 ' and also

apostcumes vndre be myddcrcvc to strangle be herte, and boicches and blaynes and

moste in be necke or elles in his armcholcs, and brennyng sores and fclounys and

carbunclys and many ober brennyngz. And sum been causid of b'influctions and

of be malice of Mercurie,190 ' as in armoles and byles in be brcvys vndre armepittz

10

and in be berde and in be breste. And sum malice191 is causid of b‘influctions of

be mone,’ as be falling ille horrible drcmys, be whiche make men maddc or any

other pestilence or sikenes of be sondc of God. Allc bees been parfitcly helid and

curid with oure quynte essence, for hit putteth awaye parfitely alle thees malices

and hit shal neure noye be, yf God wille.

 

‘85 vnto] to S

‘86 is] is a S

'87 pestilence] h lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

'38 pestilence] pcstilencial S

‘89 Mars] 6' left marg. 16th cent. comm. B F

‘90 of Mercurie] g lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

19‘ malice] ) left marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

253

But in be febre pestilence192 and in alle brennyngz and blacke and

brcnnyngz, put with oure quynte essence half as muche of quynte essence of man

is blode and put ber-to be rote of lange du buef or elles alle b'crbc of wodesoure

and a lite aloe cpatike, euforbe, yerapigra, and quynte essence of be rote of be lilic

and of golde and perle and mayden here and isope. And alle bees curen and been

contrary

‘93 to suyche febres and apostcumes. And hit is nedeful bat bou put in194

be forsaide laxatife quynte essence and lete hym vse there-of euery day oones, and

threys195 in be wike vse bees laxatifz and nomore; but vse alle ober quynte essence

bifore seyde withoute any laxatife. And euery day vse [f. 49v] there-of an196 egge

10

shellc ful at oones and of good watre ardent; and iiij or vj tymes in be day vse at

euery tyme a Frenchc note shellc ful and be corrupte aicr withoute any doute shal

not noye the. And lokc bou vse thees thingz bat leches finde in baire bokes, be

whiche been contrary to pestilence. And lete baym vse pillulz in quynte essence or

in aqua ardent aftre be bokes of phisike; but lete baym vse hit seldum and lite at

15

oones. And make fumigacouns strongly iij

197

tymes a day with encensc and myrre

rcsync and treburtync and rue and many other. And here is be parfitc cure of

 

'92 pestilence] pcstilencial S

‘93 contrary] contrarieux S

1“ in] into S

‘95 threyS] thre tymes S

‘96 an] a S

‘97 iij] thrc s

pestilence bifore seyde.

254

The xx remedie is [ayenst]198 the febre be whiche is causid and gendrid in

be crampc to hele hit.

Most wisest leches affirmen and seyen bat be febre is oonely causid and

ingendrid in be crampc. And bay bat been expertc of bis seyen yf be199 rubbe or

freete and rubbe alle be parties of be body where be crampc and b0200 febre is with

spereworte til be pacient be curid and be peril and be malice of be crampc bee

cessid and sette in temprance. And aftre doctrine of wise men, be crampc

propriely cometh of hurting and fleblcncs of201 synowes, as hit sheweth in baym

10

bat vsen elebre. And bere is noo thyng more spedeful to put away be crampc

benne oure noble quynte essence or aqua ardent in his absence. Laus deo.‘

 

'98 ayenst] S; bat F

‘99 be] thou S

20° bo] the S

2‘” of] of the S

  

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THE CONSIDERATION OF QUINTESSENCE:

AN EDITION OF A MIDDLE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF

JOHN OF RUPESCISSA’S LIBER DE CONSIDERATIONE '

DE QUINTAE ESSENTIAE OMNIUM RER UM

VOLUME 2

By

Marguerite A. Halversen

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to

Michigan State University

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of English

1998

255-A

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[The Book of Alexander Concerning

Seven Herbs, Seven Planets]1 ‘

[f. 49v] Alaxus Affrike, disciple of Robert Claddere, of be worthy studie of

Archymente,t hath long contynued and made a notable ende and preysable after

b'actual and2 fruteful bokes of olde Kirannys, be whiche was felow in bat tyme to

Ypocras, be grete leche and Clerc.

This present boke here folowyng was founde by relacion of be grete cite of

Troye in a graue3 with be bones [f. 50r] of the furst Kyng Kyranne,’ of whom this

tretys here foloweng whiche was compiled with grete studie and diligence and

10

parfite discrecion distinctly compilid and draue out of be grete volumes of

Kiranne,‘ be whiche tretith of be vij herbes hauyng wirking and vertue of

b'influctions of the vij planetz and aftre b'inpressions be whiche been yeuen to

baym of be sighte and powere of God, and in special in hote regions and hote

tymes of be yere, and namely to iij of tho and to iij other also.

 

‘ Work begins on next line after the close of The Book of General Remedies; the

only suggestion of a new section is the two—line decorated initial A in Alaxus that

begins the section.

2 and] & S

3 graue] tumbe S

255

256

In sumtyme a man bat wil do cure and wirke in4 bis maniere, and sane and

kepe be mortal body safe, he may be callid a holy profite, for be vertue ber—of is

wondre meruaillous. For alle bing bat I shal teche here aftre in bees vij herbes

shal be so meruaillous and haue so grete powere bat be nature and wirking of God

bat’ shal be shewed of baym is wondre yn wirking to speke of.

Vt sequitur.’

[Solsequyle]

Solsequyle, i. goldes, is a herbe to alle men knowe. Gadre be flours and be

leefz and be rote in be moneth of Juyn, be vj houre of be day, be porcion of 1 li.

Penne stampe hit a] togedre; and whenne hit is smalle grounde or stampid,6 put a]

10

togedre, jus and al, in a boystous potte and put a couering7 ber-to of erthe,

according to be potte having vj right smale holes in the potte lede. And sette hit in

be sunne the furste houre of be day natural til be vj8 houre of the same day. And

do bus vj9 dayes a rowe; and aftre the vj10 dayes, put berynne iij” li. of gote is

 

‘ in] on S

5 bat] am. 8

6 grounde or stampid] stampid or grounde S

7 couering] couerture S

8 vj] 6 S

9 vj] 6 s

‘0 vj] 6 S

" iij] thre s

257

whey and drie poudre of dogge is dirte iiij12 oz. And benne sette hit in be sunne

ayen in alle degrees as ye dide bifore seyde or elles atte leste iij dayes.

And whenne bou wil vse bis goodly medicine, streyne hit aftre be whiche

bou wilt vse or yeue. This is be maniere yeuyng bere-of to hym bat hath dispaire

of be dropecy. Pou shal yeue of be liquor bifore seide oz. 1 et semi in the houre

[f. 50v] of the day.‘ And anone withoute any tarieng he shal be hole and curid of

be dropecy.

Item, yeue oz. 1 to any sike man or wyman and in a moment he shal be

helid of the jaunyche.

10

Item, yf bou yeue oz. iij to any creature, hit helith be pallesye. Yf hit be

with be porcion of castorie and wilde sauge, boile baym togedre in wyne and

medle baym wel. And here ye shal vndrestande how quaking bat eure he be,

anone he shal reste and his membres shal be right able and hole. And Ypocras

commandeth bis to be kepte hole cloos and neuer to be taught.

15

Item, yf bou yeue to a wyman oz. ij et semi of be same confection warme

hote, anone hit wil bringe oute here floures be she neuer so olde.

Item, yf bou waisshe or rubbe by mouthe or by tethe well3 be same

confection in the vj‘“l4 houre of be day and benne bite any wyman in be necke or in

be bare cheke, bou shal haue thy desire of hire.

 

'2 iiij] 4 s

‘3 wel] wel with S

”fifl68

Item, yf bou yeue be same houre to any persone oz. iij et semi with poudre

258

of percily y-brent, hit shal hele anone alle maniere fluxes and disposicions

contrary” to be stomake.

Item, yf bou yeue be same oure to any persone oz. 1. and put ber-to be

brayen of a pecok, anone he shal be hole of be falling ille. And hit shal cure hym

of a sikenes bat is callid appoplexia, i. a soudayne flasching oute of blode at be

mouthe or at be nose. For I sawe oon bat had bat sikenes iij dayes togedre and

whenne I openned his mouthe with gretel6 violent strengthe and put yn a porcion of

bis confection, anone he rose17 and was al hole. And bis was in be region of

10

Melantidan. And yit mighte noo man percepue nor witte ner life nor be leste

breeth bat mighte be perceipued. And he arose anone in haste in somuche bat boo

men bat stoden aboute supposid bat he had be a deueille and were agaste of hym

for his soudayne rising.18 And I toke and made a fire to hym of subfumygacions

and swete smyllyng spicz and herbes; and so he was hole.

15

[Iubarbe]

Iubarbe, i. syngrene or hows leke, is a comune [f. 51r] herbe. Gadre this

 

‘5 contrary] contrarieuses S

“5 grete] greet and S

‘7 rose] arose S

'8 rising] arising S

259

herbe in the iij19 houre of be day in the moneth of May and stampe hit smal. And

put hit in a potte of lede hauyng a couuering of lede with ix smale holes, as motes

semi and sette hit ix nightz in be presence of be newe mone and in be fulle of be

mone til be iij21 houre of be night. And benne take hit ayen and vse ber-of oz. ij

be iij22 houre of be night with colde wel watre and loke hit be of a fulle quyke

springe. And hit shal cure be frenasie and madmen and alienacion of mynde and

alle weywarde and shrewde disposicion.

Item, yeue oz. vij with be blode of a cocke and hit heleth anone alle

10

venemuse biting.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. 1 with be white bat is in empte hilles' to a wyman,

hit shal make hire farte iij dayes togedre.

[Horehound]

Horehounde is a herbe bat euery man knoweth wel; and of bis herbe bere

15

been ij maniere kyndes, white and brovne. Gadre of bis herbe li. v be furst houre

of be day artificial, bobe be rote and be herbe23 and leefz and stalkis alle togedre in

 

‘9 iij] iijdc 3

2° clarified] y—clarefied S

2‘ iij] iijde s

22 iij] iij“ s

23 be herbe] therbe S

260

be moneth of Aprill. Stampe baym and benne put baym in a potte of copre hauyng

in be couryng 1 smalle hole and no moo; and put berewith lyuyly wyne and quyke,

clere and wel smylling, and sette hit oute a1 be morowenyng while be sunne is in

b'este til prime tyme of be day.

Vse this excellent and medicinalle confection. Yf bou yeue the furste houre

of be day oz. iij et semi with wyman is mylke, be whiche was deliuered of a maide

childe, and hit shal in a moment cure alle bees sikenesses: dismaticos, asmaticos,

pthisicos, emptheycos, anelosos.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. 1 and take hit to be pacient be same houre, hit heleth

10

be lepre in somuche bathe shal be renuyd in al his body; but 'bou muste medle

berewith be blode of a ram, but rather benne bou faille, be blode of a wilde doke.

Item, 02. 1 et semi yeue be same houre [f. 51v] medled with dirte of myse,

anone hit bringeth slomer into24 man is body yn somuche bat yf any man taste

bere-of, he shal for noo neede nor stroke awake but slepe iij dayes togedre or ij

15

atte25 leste and neuer to wake for noo crafte. And whenne he is wakid, yeue26 hym

a vomite or elles he wil doo harme for madnes of his brayen and smyting of other

men and hymsilf also; and berefore gouemne be wel in this.

[Saxifrage]

 

7“ into] into a S

2’ atte] at the S

2‘ yeue] yeue to S

Saxifrage is a herbe knowe to many men. Gadre bis herbe be leefz be iiij27

261

smalle in a mortiere and put hit in a tynen potte hauyng in be couering iij smale

holes. And put ber-to be28 blode of a gote and be jus of alexandre leefes and hony,

of euery like29 m[i]kyl30 li. et semi and medle berwith white wyne and subtile and

put hit in be sunne iij dayes togedre euery day til be vj31 houre of be day.

And bou wil vse bis heuenely medicine. Take bere-of oz. 1 et semi. Hit

heleth be frenasie and lunatik men and be stoone and be strang vryne and be ptisik

in a moment, yn somuche bat anone incontynenty he shal pisse be stone.

10

Item, be same houre yf bou put bere—to be blode of a turtil cocke and of a

male done 02. ij et semi warme hote, as hit cometh fro be fovles, hit cureth alle

togedre, ij in32 be day.

Item, yf bou yeue by face dewe or enoynte by face with this forseide

15

confection and aftre bat enoynte by face with be grece of a lappe-wynke i. a wipe,‘

be same houre of be day bou shal see deueillz and spiritz be space of iiij houres of

 

27 iiij] iiijthe S

28 be] a S

29 like] S; liken (otiose stroke through K) F

3° m[i]kyl] mkyl F; mouche S

3‘ vj] 6 s

3‘2 ij in] ij tymes on S

262

be same day.

[Pyonye]

Pyonye is a herbe knowe to many men. Gadre be rotz oonely of bis herbe

li. v in be moneth of February in be v houre of be day and stampe hit smalle with

a pestil. And put hit in a potte of siluer with ij li. of bony and 1i. 133 of be beste

wyne clere [f. 52r] and olde swete smyllyng. And loke bou haue v smale holes in

be couering and sette hit v dayes in be sunne and bryng hit ynne ayen.

Vse be godly bote and vertues of bis herbe oz. 1 yeune be v houre of be

day and hit shal delyure in contynenty be fallyng ille, be hit neuer so olde. And as

10

some as he hath34 tastid bere-of, he shal be hole for euer and clene delyured fro alle

be passions of bat sikenes.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. ij be same houre, hit shal hele be febre quartayne

parfitely; and put to be same confection oz. 1 of asse blode dropping yn hote bere-

to.

15

Item,35 bou yeue oz. iiij be v houre of be day, hit cureth be biting of a

wode hounde and alle dropecies; and bat may be callid a grete mervaille. But be

wel ware bat be pacient, whenne he hath drunke bis medicine, bat he see noo clere

aier; but kepe hym in a derke hows til he be delyuerid of his infirmite.

 

33 Ii. 1] 1 li. S

3" hath] 0m. S

35 Item] Item yf S

Item, yf bou yeue oz. 1 and semi with wyman is mylke be same houre, hit

263

helith panpissimum,’ be gomorriam, and the satiriasym.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. 1 of the same confection be same houre with be

blode of a merlyne and of a olour, i. , a swanne, oz. ij hote dropping bereonne, hit

heleth alle venemuse biting and a1 maniere ycthyng of be body, be morpheu, and

alle suyche sikenes as shewen in be skyn. And hit heleth suyche36 as been furst

disposid to leprenes.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. iij and semi be same houre with be vryne of a mule,

hit maketh a wyman bareynne for euer more.

10

Item, yf bou yeue oz. iij ber-of with be crudde of a mystel tree and be

brayen of a sparowe and be blode of a male doue be same houre, hit maketh a

wyman to conceipue; but she moste take hit anone aftre hire flours.

Item, be same houre oz. ij et semi of be same with be blode of a hare and

barly mele in quantite of oz. 1 et37 semi, hit heleth be ptisike and demoniacos, i.

15

men bat been deueilly in sikenes.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. v be same houre with be blode of a bore and of a

egle' and namely of be male, anone [f. 52v] hit maketh a man to slepe and to see

by dreemes bingz bat shal falle in tyme comyng. And hit telleth the of tresours

and many other. And hit putteth awey alle maligne spiritz. For be grete King

20

Alexander in vsing of bis drynke sawe many thingz in his slepe and dremes be

 

3° suyche] suyche persoones S

37 et] and S

264

whiche were meruaille38 and feulle to hym aftrewarde. And hit is seyde bat the

queen of Amason yaue hit to hym for a precious yfte.‘

Item, yf bou take oz. 1 et semi of be same confection and medle berewith

be wyne or liquor of be pome-granat be same houre oz. ij et39 semi, hit taketh

aweye alle febres interpolate.

Item, yf bou yeue bere-of oz. 1 with be brayen of a henne and yeue hit to

children be same houre,40 hit putteth awey ycchyng of be gomes and b'ake bere—of

be whiche is causid and gendrid in the springyng oute of be tethe furst whenne bey

bigynne to shewe.

10

Item, oz. semi of be same confection with as muche bavme yeue be same

houre, hit cureth be litargie in somuche bat he shal rise and speke anone.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. semi with somuche baume and be jus of squylles, and

yeue be same houre, hit cureth a man incontinenti of alle vometz and restoreth

appetite bat is loste vertuousely and sone.“1

 

33 meruaille] meruailleuses S

39 et] and S

4° houre] ins. in right marg. S

4‘ Item, oz. semi of be same confection with as muche bavme yeue be same houre,

hit cureth be litargie in somuche bat he shal rise and speke anone.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. semi with somuche baume and be jus of squylles and

yeue be same houre, hit cureth a man incontinenti of alle vometz and restoreth

appetite bat is loste vertuousely and sone.] pans of paragraphs combined and mixed:

Item oz. semi of the same confection with asmuche baume and the jus of squylles and

yeue the same houre hit cureth a man incontynently of alle vomettz and restoreth

appetite that is loste vertueusely and sone.

Item oz. semi of the smae confection with asmuche baume yeue the same

houre hit cureth the litargie in somuche that he shal arise and speke anone. S

265

Item, be same confection with be jus of borage oz. v et semi and lymelle of

gold oz. 1, alle malyncolie and sorowe hit putteth aweye and renueth be soule with

grete gladnes, and bat in a moment while.

Item, oz. iiij yeue be same houre with be blode of a backe, i. a reremovs,

oz. 1, hit sherpeth be sight meruaillousely. For as sone as he hath drunke hit, he

shal see as wel by night as by day.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. ij et“2 semi with be blode of a herte and of

lappewynke and of a molle y—like muche of eche oz. 1 be same houre,43 hit helith

be fallyng ille. And as sone as thay been hole, yf bay be abstynid fro wyne, bay

10

shal preche bingz to come; and this [f. 53r] spirit of prophecieng thay shal haue ij

dayes togedre or iij atte leste. And that may be callid a miracle.

[Saturion]

Saturion is a herbe ful wel knowe. Gadre of be rotz of hym44 li. x in be

moneth of January in the x houre of be day and stampe hit45 smal. And put hit46

 

‘2 et] and S

‘3 houre] oure ins. above line S

4" hym] hire S

‘5 hit] thaym S

‘6 hit] thaym S

266

in47 a potte of latoun with x holes in be couryng48 as smalle as motz in be sunne.

And put bere-to hote cowe mylke as hit cometh fro be beste or fro be cowe all hote

li. iij and of bony 1i. 1 and of white wyne wel saporid 1i. ij. And sette hit vij dayes

in be sunne and kepe hit wel and vse bere-of oz. x, the x houre of be day. And

yeue hit to a wyman aftre hire flours and be same night she shal conceipue yf a

man comune with hire.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. v et semi of the same confection with the blode of a

sparowe oz. 1 et semi and be same houre youe, hit moueth lecherie oute of mesure

in somuche bat he desireth and may to ride or swife as a sparowe bat ber-of tastith.

10

And yf bou wil put awey bat luste, put to be same confection be jus of letuce li.

semi and medle berewith camphure oz. ij.

Item, yf bou wil bat she conceypue a masle, aray thy wyman bus.49 Take

be jus of modreworte, i. arthemesie or mugworte, li. 1, and of be galle of a bole

1i. semi, distempere baym, and medle baym togedre. And in bis warme confection

15

put bere-ynne wolle and make bere-of longe shappes or formes like to a man is

yerde. And put hit in50 hire body and leye hire thyes togedre and lete hire pisse

withynne hiresilf; and whenne she hath do so ij or iij,51 benne lete hire drynke of

 

47 in] into S

‘8 couryng] couerture S

‘9 bus] in this wise S

50 in] into S

5‘ iij] iij“ s

267

be same confection afore seide. And bat night she shal conceipue a man yf she

dele with hire husband. Trowe bis wel withoute doute, for she shal be ful

conceptife.

Item, oz. vij et52 semi of the same confection yeue with be blode of a crowe

oz. ij the same houre, hit shal delyure be fro alle sorcerie and alle fals

inchauntementz yf bou be bounde berewith.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. ij et semi with be blode of a ffox oz. 1 [f. 53v] the

same houre, in a moment hit53 heleth a man of the ciaticas4 passio and artetica”

 

passio in somuche bat he shal be hole in be same day.

10

Item, yf bou yeue oz. 1 et semi of bis confection with oz. 1 of gote is blode

euene, fourth-with a1 hit shal delyure man or wyman of be flux of be wombe and

of blode. And bat is a grete meruaille.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. vj with be blode of a lyon or of a catte oz. 1 the

same houre, hit shal hele the febre quartayne. But be wel ware bat the quartenary

15

be not ouer lene whenne bou yeues hym this confection.

[Sauge]

Sauge is a goodly herbe and a comune. Gadre in the moneth of Decembre

 

52 et] & S

53 hit] be S

5“ ciatica] sciatica S

5’ artetica] arthetica S

268

be leefz of sauge li. xxti bi xxti houre of be day. Stampe or grynde hit smalle and

put hit in a potte of gold hauing xx‘i smale holes in be coueryng. And put bere-to

baume 1i. semi; wyman is mylke bering a man child, i. a masle, Ii. 1; hony, li. ij;

and of be beste wyne, li. iij; be jus of be leefz of borage, 1i. ij; be jus of

planteyne, 1i. semi; and sette hit xxti dayes in be sunne and benne put hit vppe.

Vse hereof li. semi be xxti houre of be day fasting and hit shal kepe a man

bat drynketh bis fro alle be kindes of be febres be terme of xx‘i yere, yf he live so

long.

Item, yf bou yeue .oz.

ij with be tendrons of hert is home oz. semi be

IO

same houre, hit wil take awaye be grete meruaillous aking of the tethe and hit

putteth awaye be passion of be splene and makith hym gladsum.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. semi with be poudre of a tree that groueth in

paradise, be whiche is clepid56 lyng aloes and quybibis oz. 1 et semi. , and anone

hit helith be sobbyngz in man is breste and sygheynggz. And alle straitnes of

15

breeth hit helith and defendith.

Item, yf bou yeue xxti oz. with be blode of a egle masle oz. 1 be same

houre, hit maketh a man to thenke high thoughtz and [f. 54r] eloquent of speche;

and hit maketh hym worthy to peuple. And in his presence alle manieres foules,

bothe wilde and tame, shal daunche and bay shal obeye to hym and he may take

20

baym with his handes. And he bat receipueth bis confection shal be a man of grete

 

’6 clepid] callid s

269

deedes and a redy man of consaille and a able man57 to intrete and receipue high

messaigz; and he shal be callid to conseil of high kingz and princes and he shal be

holde for a grete stedefast man. And yf he wil goo ayens his ennemyes, lete hym

drynke with bis confection be blode of a lion oz. 1. Vse in be steede there—of be

blode of a bere.

Item, yf bou yeue oz. iiij with hors blode oz. ij be same houre, hit maketh

a man so strong in straytenesse bat he semyth hym able to fighte ayens ij men.

And hit maketh a man strong in joumaye and in many suyche ober thingz. And hit

kepeth a man fro bone breche and hit purgeth be stomake fro alle collerys bynethe,

10

s. the emoraydes.

Item, here is a excellent bing and godly. For yf bou yeue oz. semi with be

blode of a turtur and of goshauke and be blode of a catte and be blode of a curlewe

ana oz. 1 be same houre of be day, hit makith a man to be ynvisible to be peuple

and to hire baire consaille and baire menyng.

15

And yf bou put be blode of a frogge bat discendeth dovne fro b'ayer abouue

in reyne, as 0er tymes hit doeth, and be blode of a dogge, benne bou shal goo and

be bore in b'ayer.

And put bere-to be blode of a wipe and bou shal be bore fro place to place

in a moment and fro oon coste58 to an other, yn somuche bat he may goo to Rome

20

and ouer be see and so to goo aboute alle be places and cuntrees withoute any

 

‘7 a able man] man able S

58 coste] cuntre S

270

hurtyng. And for bere shal be so grete lightnesse of alle his organys, i. vttewarde

lymes of be body, bat meruail hit is to thenke.

And alle bis is thorough vertue and wirking of be confection with his

composicion bifore seide. Kepe bis excellent and godlyyste, be whiche is yeue and

5

grauntid fro God aboue of be secretz and be bokis [f. 54v] of Kyrannys.59 Studie

wel here on and bou shal profite there-on60 gretely and fynde a ful prayseable ende.

The precepte of be grete clerc Ypocras was bat this shuld be kepte and not

taught nor shewid to noon maniere man.61

Here endith the secund62 boke the whiche is callid The General" Remedies

10

Ayens Diuerse lnfirmitees.

 

59 Kyrannys] Kyranne S

60 -on] -yn S

6' man] foil. by ner wyman S

‘52 secund] ij S

63 General] generallz S

271-A

  

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[The Third Book of the Works of Alchemy: Semita Recta]

[f. 54v] And here bigynneth the thrid boke of the werkes of alkymys with

his chapitres alle here1 foloweng.2

Alle3 wisedame is of God and with hym hit hath be eure lastyng and

withoute bigynnyng; therefore, he bat loueth wisedame, lete hym siche hit of God

and aske hit of hym, for he yeueth hit plenteueusely and with no hastynes but of

good and grete special grace. And for be highnes and the profunde knowelaiche of

euery cunnyng and the tresour of priue secrete science is yeue to euery man oonly

of God.’ Quoniam ex ipso et per ipsum et in ipso sunt omnia.’ For in hym is al

10

thing and withoute hym noo thing may be made.

Therefore in the furst day and bigynnyng of my sermon, I shal clepe and

calle aftre his helpe, the whiche is welle and bigynner of alle goodnesse, bat he of

his pite and benignite fouchesafe bat litelnes4 and simplenes of my cunnyng to

 

‘ here] here now S

2 The thirde Booke top ofpage, 16th cent. add. F

3 Alle] three-line dec. init. A F

4 litelnes] lytenesse S

271

272

increche and sende in me wisedame and grace of be holy goste t'oppenne the5

trewe doctryne and to bringe into light and knowelaiche of man bat long hath lyen6

and been hidde in derkenes, and to shewe hym be vraye trouthe and to reuoke

baym fro bayre errour, be whiche han be long from be waye of trouthe.

And ye bat been reders of bis boke, I you bisiche, vnto me directe ye

neyther shame ner velanye for be translacion hereof into oure modre is tunge. For

yfI haue any wise errid, I submitte me to youre correction and to boo that been

my betre; for to thaire correction ful tendrely, [f. 55r] I me submitte; with7 my

hole intent, I me obeye. But with be grace of Almighti God, yn alle bees bokes

10

bifore seyde in this present volume, I haue not errid. But as myn auctour seide so

I seye, excepte my tunge is difference.‘ And fully aftre my lettre and my auctour I

laborid and suyd as God hath sende me grace. And here in bis 38 boke I hope to

make a ende this labour and bis translacion at b'instance9 and prayer of a poure

creature and to the helping of man.’

15

I10 Mahnedis,’ beyng at grete vnease in prisone,‘ haueth bees forseyde

 

5 the] fall. by hooly and S

6 lyen] lege S

7 with] with al S

8 3] thrid S

9 b'instance] the instance S

‘0 1] Blank space following, prob. eras. by corr. F

273

bokes hidre to y-take an hande; and so I shal hit fynisshe. ” To God be be laude

and preising and yours be be fruyt and cumfort to th'elping bobe of body and

soule. And bat he be whiche is eternal in mageste,12 hit grante and fouchesaufe, be

whiche sitteth a high and alle bingz disposeth and gouuerneth by alle bees worldz

present and to come.’ Amen.

I haue laborid and walkid with grete labour and sought many regions,

diuers prouynces, and many citees and castellz for a cunnyng be whiche is callid

alkym. And I haue inquerid bere-of to knowe the13 trouthe of wise lettred men.

And I haue incherchid thayre wayes and folowid baire doctrine and copied baire

10

bokes and wexid wondre subtil and practisid gretely in baire werkz. And so in

baire werkes I hadde euery day more cunnyng banne other.

And yit fonde I neyber verite ner trouthe in bees thingz that thay affirmed

with baire bokz. I haue seye bokz contrary14 to thees and gretely affirmyng thaire

wirking, and yit thay were voyde of al trouthe and alle were deceiptes. And I haue

15

seye strangiers and many prelatz and lettrid men,15 abbottz, chanons, and lewde

philosophres withoute any lettrure, be whiche were of be same crafte, and spenden

muche monaye and labourid wondre sore and atte laste faylled of bayre [f. 55v]

 

” hit fynisshe] fynysshe hit S

‘2 mageste] maieste S

'3 the] later, larger-lettered add. over eras., prob. by corr. F

'4 contrary] contraryous S

‘5 men] men as S

274

purpoos, for thay couthe not sue be trewe weye of wirking. And I lefte not but bat

I spende and laborid as wel as thay and dide coste, wondre hit is to seye, and

wente fro place to place, sum tyme waking and sum tyme thenking, as techith me

be greet clerc Auicenna.’ And yf bis cunnyng or crafte be how hit is, and yf hit be

not, how is hit nought.

Atte laste for sothe, by grete studie and benking and contynual labour yn

wirking and by inquering, I toke perseurance‘° and I fonde hit, but not of my owen

wisedame but of be special grace of God and17 be Holy Goste.’ And whenne I

sauorid and vndrestode be trouthe and hadde ouercome alle baire deceiptz, benne I

10

wakid and laborid diligently. And I beganne in decoctions, sublymacions,

solucions, distillacions, ceracions, calcynacions, and many ober labours til I fonde

hit possible to transmute or change any metail into golde and silure be whiche is

beste in examinacion and malliacion. Et idea sequitur: multi licet sapiencias et

alibi cum labor in dampno est.‘

15

This cunnyng is nogt worthe to poure men, for hit asketh grete coste, and

he muste putte muche monaye oute bat wil vse bis labour. And I sawe sum men

bat made sublirnacions and pure to be thridde sublimacion; and whenne bay had y-

doo, bay couthe make noo poudre bere-of. Thenne bay made sophisticacions and

blaunchid copre and put to a‘8 1i.

1 ber-of the foureth parte silure. And so bay

 

‘6 perseurance] perchenanche S

‘7 and] and of S

'8 3] am. S

275

deceipued baymsilf and ober men also. And I sawe bat sublymyd and fixed spiritz.

And whenne bay wolde haue yeue tyncture to copre or ire and whenne bay couthe

haue noon inpression ner make noon ingression, benne bay doutid.

Also I sawe other bat had spiritz fixid and thay closid and made ceracions

and entryng with oyle til be spirit [f. 56r] had ingression in be metail; and thay

putten bere-to 1l9 parte of silure and so bay yauen tincture in copre and made hit

white. And benne hit was like to silure in malliacion and eke20 in whitenes. And

whenne hit passid by examinacion, benne was hit not perfite, for be copre was not

calcyned ner purged of his corrupcion.21 Vnde dicit Aristotiles, Non credo22 quad

10

metalla possunt transubstanciari nisi ingrediantur in puram naturam, i. in calcem,

per ignis combustionem sine/siue adustionem et tunc possibile est. '

And at laste I sawe other wise men and lettred men as hit was23 pleasyng to

God be whiche sublymed and fixid spiritz atte fulle and made solucions and

distillacions of be same poudre and so brought hit to coagulacion. Aftrewarde, bay

15

calcyned metaillz and so bay made dealbacion of be calcis of be bodies and brought

hit to whitenes and to redenes. And aftre bat bay brought bat calce to a sadde pece

or a gobette and bere-ynne bay put tincture of golde and silure, the whiche is bettre

 

'9 l] oon S

2° eke] also S

2' corrupcion] pointing finger and 9 left marg.F

22 credo] Aristotle right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

23 was] ins. above line F

golde and bettre banne alle natural myne in examinacion and malliacion.

276

And sith I haue seyen so many to erre, therefore I purpose to write trewe

and vray werkz y-prouyd and approbate, be beste of alle philosophres, yn be

whiche I haue trauailled and am excepte. For I shal noon oberwise write but as I

see with myn eyen.

Here is be tresour bat many man han sought with grete wisedame24 and bay

fonde hit not. I shal shewe to you be stone of Ioue, be myneryal stone, be blessid

stone of whom Heremes' seyeth, "Oure blessid stone is of a thing bat hath a soule

and wel hit may be seyde of a thinge bat hath a soule, for hit quykeneth and

10

Iighteth alle be bodies of metaillz and chongeth hit into golde and silure be whiche

is fyner and better benne any natural metail in al examinacion [f. 56v] and”

malliacion for cure more. "26 ’

Alkymya is a cunnyng or a crafte the whiche was founde of alkym.’ And hit

is seide of bis worde alkum, be whiche is Grew, be whiche is a gobette or a pece

15

in Englissh,‘ by bis crafte alle metaillz that growen of myne and been corrupte and

inparfite been brought and toumyd fro imperfection to perfection.‘

And here ye shal vndrestande bat every metail is dyuers fro other by a

accidental forme and not essencial. berefore hit is possible to chonge b'accidental

 

2" wisedame] The stone of love .i. the mineral] stone right marg., 16th cent.

comm. B F

25 and] Vide Geber fo. 59. of (pointing finger, chalistines what all metalls yt

grow ow of myne! left marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

26 Recipe nodun ab Sfracta ab illo sermone sive libro verat Albertus Recta

Semita: top ofpage, 16th cent. comm. A F

277

forme and to bringe hit to a newe body. For hit is possible by crafte to make a

newe body artificially, ffor alle metaillz been gendrid27 in b'erthe of sulphur and

mercury of grete bisynes and kinde decoction of nature and reason bat is serving

bere-to by kynde.’

And ye shal vndrestande bat nature in his principal gynnyng28 of his

bigynnyng intendith alweye to make gold and silure. But sum tyme, whenne

sulphur corrupte y-medlit with mercury, for as a childe taketh29 sikenes in his

modre is wombe of be corrupte matrice by cause bat be place is30 corrupte

accidently--for though be sperme were clene yit be child might bee a lepre and

10

vnclene for cause be matrice is foule and corrupte'uand hit farith in metallz be

whiche been corrupte or corrupte sulphur or stynking erthe. And of thees thingz

been causid be differencz and diuersitees of alle“ metaillz where thorough32 euery

metaille is dyuers fro other. For whenne rede sulphur and pure and not brennyng

rennyth in b'erthe with mercuric, bere-of is gendrid33 golde in brefe. But hit is a

15

long tyme by assiduacion and decoction of nature to hym serving. But whenne

 

27 gendrid] ingendrid S

28 gynnyng] bigynnyng S

29 taketh] Note yis per fo the matrice & into 5 3 ye sperme left marg., 16th

cent. comm. B F

3° is] of S

3' of alle] Generacion of metalls. left marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

32 thorough] through S

33 gendrid] ingendrid S

278

white sulphur renneth to mercury in clene34 erthe, bere-of is gendrid” silure; and

hit hath noo difference fro golde but bat sulphur in golde is not corrupte, but in

silure hit is corrupte.‘ But whenne white sulphur corrupte and brennyng renneth

to36 [f. 57r] mercurye in vnclene erthe and stynkyng, bere-of is gendrid ire. But

whenn[e]37 whit3839 sulphur corrupte renneth to mercury in clene erthe and

stynking, bere-of is gendrid4o tynne. But whenne blac sulphur corrupte rennyth to

mercuri in“ vnclene42 erthe, bere-of is ingendrid lede. And as Aristotil seyth, bat

lede is leprous golde.‘ Now I haue seide how metallz haue bigynnyng and what

difference is among baym by accidental forme and not essencial and suyche other.

10

Now hit is to see and to shewe probacions and autoritees of olde

philosophres, how thay prouyd and43 made probacions of be verite of this crafte,

bat we may mete with baym bat make conterdiction ayenst hit and seyen hit is not

 

3‘ clene] looke in my latyn Booke for four lakes 9 left marg., 16th cent. comm.

35 gendrid] ingendrid S

36 catchwords mercury in vnclene erthe at foot ofpage F

37 whenn[e]] whenn F

3‘8 whit] blac S

39 whit] w later add. F

4° gendrid] ingendrid S

‘“ in] ins. above line F

‘2 vncleene] cleene S

‘3 and] & S

279

trewe. But bere is noo man gladly bat speketh so muche ayens this crafte as

namely bay bat han noo vndrestandyng of bis crafte nor knowe not what is be

ynner parte‘“ of a metaille, neyber45 be vttre parte ner noo46 weye of his kynde,

thay bat make obiections to be wordes of Aristotil, be47 whiche seyeth bat crafty

men of Alkymes48 werke and cunnyng may not change be kinde of metailles.

Aristotil seyeth not bat. But of baym bat purposen and bilieuen bat corrupte

metaillz and bodyes49 may be translatid to an other kinde, and bat may not.50 And

hire be wordes of Aristotil be whiche folowen here be whiche seyth bat experience‘

destrueth be forme of kinde and specialy in metaillz bat51 is sothe alwey. For

10

whenne any metaille is calcynyd and bere-of made poudre or calce and grounden,

and yf hit be waisshe with Sharpe waters til hit be white and quycke, and so by

calcinacions and dyuers medicines hit leseth be humydite52 and be corrupcion and

be brennyng is excludid and be bodies, 3. be metaillz, been brought to an other

 

4“ parte] Recessus right marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

‘5 neyber] ne S

‘6 noo] oone S

‘7 be] om. S

‘8 Alkymes] Alkymye is S

‘9 bodyes] Gebor fo. 20 .f0. 77 or 4 right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

5° not] not be S

5‘ bat] ye effecte of calcinacion of bodies fo. 63 vide alliti pripio sancta maria

MCC.fo.7.ca.20. right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

‘2 be humydite] thumydite s

rectificacion; and so the calce whenne hit is clene [f. 57v] is53 brought to a gobette

280

or a pece the whiche pece or gobette may receip[ule54 tyncture white and rede.

Vnde Heremes, "Quad spiritus ingredi nan passunt nisi purgata” et non

ingrediantur nisi aliqua dura. "‘

Aristotilis dicit, "Nan credo quad metalla transubstancian“ passunt nisi

reducantur ad primam materiam et mundificentur per ignis adustianem. "' And yit

shal I mete better with hym bat bilieueth not bis cunnyng but maketh contradiction

ayens hit. Quia quad scimus, loquimur, et quad vidimus testamur. '

For we see dyuers tymes, dyuers kindes, to haue dyuers formes, as hit

10

sheweth openly of arcenyke, be whiche is rede but by decoction and grete57 bisynes

hit is made blac in colour; but by sublimacions58 hit is whit.59 ‘50 But happily suiche

men seyen bat suyche kindes may lightly be chongid fro oon colour to an“1 other;

 

53 is] Geber fo. .18. 19 or .20. and painting finger toward text B, left marg.,

16th cent. comm. F

5“ receip[u]e] S; receipne F

55 purgata] vide No Rosari fo. 6 Aristolle * lefi marg. 16th cent. comm. C F

5" transubstancian'] followed by blank space F; fall. by non S

57 grete]

By .i. sublimacions (in ye tartre) it is made ivsible [sic]. left

marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

58 sublimacions] calcynacions S

59 whit] larger hand; prob. later add. F

6° whit] reede S

6‘ an] oon S

but in metaillz bay seyen hit is inpossible.

281

To bees men I shal answere euydently by diuers probacions to dampne and

put awey baire fals errours and opinions. For we may see by experience bat of

silure is gendrid62 and"3 made latoun, not withstanding yn his nature silure is parfite

withoute any maniere corrupcion. Vnde facilius est destruere accidentale quam

essenciale.‘ We see bat copre with"4 a stone be whiche is callid lapis calaminan's

is chongid and tournid into saffron colour. And tynne doeth be same and we see

bat of tynne is litarge y-made;65 and also tynne by grete hete shal toume into

colour of gold, not withstanding hit were more possible to tourne hit into be kinde

10

of silure by reason and nature66 of hym. We see bat ire is chongid into mercury,

be whiche to sum men hit is incredible,"7 and berefore bay seyen hit is inpossible.

But I seyde bifore bat alle metaillz been gendrid68 of mercury and of sulphur; and

sith hit is so bat mercury is grounde and bigynnyng69 of al metalle, berefore hit is

 

62 gendrid] ingendrid S

63 and] ) into latyn lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

64 with] 9 is altered into laton prirno folio pholoxrium left marg., 16th cent.

comm. C F

65 made] note of 4 F

6° nature] g left marg., 16th cent. comm. F

67 to sum men hit is incredible] is to sum men incredible S

68 gendrid] ingendrid S

“9 bigynnyng] Note bt d‘ is possible to be red and again into g fo. 69. left

marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

possible to be broughte ayen to mercury.

282

And here ye shal [f. 58r] see a exemple. Ye wite wel bat clere watre and

liquyd in colde cuntre hit is congelid and brought to yse and is froze togedre, and

by hete of be sunne hit dissolueth70 ayen and so hit is watre as hit was bifore. And

be same maniere wise hit is of mercury, for where euer71 hit be and lye in b'erthe

a1 disperpelid abrode and in grete quantite, yf bere be sulphur, benne thay ij vnyed

togedre so lyeng in b'erthe by temperate decoction & by long tyme and

contynuance of kinde wirking, hit wexeth harde and is toumyd into mynyal stone

or a stone of myne, and bere-of is made good metalle. We see bat of lede is made

10

ceruse and myne of myne72 is made lede ayen. Here haue I shewid to be ynow

how kindes been chongid fro colour to colour and so fro oon to an73 other to be

iij74 or be iiij” forme. Where of has bou doute but bat be metallz corrupte mow be

reducid and brought to perfection and crafte, and by parfite medicines?

Here Ye Shal See a Maniere Making of Your Vaisshellz.

 

7° dissolueth] pheocon right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

7‘ euer] g right marg., 16th cent. comm. and painting finger F

72 myne of myne] Note bt of leade is made ceruse and of [unreadable] is made

minium. But minium of copper so Bold than minium of leade to glase [remaining

three words illegible] right marg., 16th cent. com. A F

73 an] oon S

7‘ iij] iijdc s

75 iiij] iiijthe S

283

Take what maniere vaisshel bat bou wilte y—made of potters76 erthe and wel

anhelid and enoynte hit wel withynne, in this wise y-temperid. Take oone parte of

watre and put bet-to ix partz so muche of be dreggz of good ale or of wyne and

medle hit togedre. And put bere-on myne asmuche as be77 nedith for be tyme and

medle hit78 wel togedre; and bere-of79 enoynte by80 vaisshel with by hande or with

sum other thing and lete baym drien. And whenne hit is drie, put hit in a fornayce

or yn a kylne of potte makers crafte and lete be mouthes bere-of be dovnewarde;

and lete baym lie vppon ij strong holes in be myddis81 of be fornayce. And yf bou

sette bere-on many vaisshellz, hit is82 better. benne do83 be kylne as be crafte

10

askith, and benne make a softe fire be space of an84 houre. And afterwarde make a

strenger fire til bou se be myne to renne and [f. 58v] flowe abrode as wex.

Thenne cesse thy fire and lete hit coIe and bou shal finde by vaisshellz wel glasid.

But vndrestande wel85 bat myne y-made of copre is muche better banne myne y-

 

“ potters] potter is S

77 be] om. S

78 hit] thaym S

79 bereof] berewith S

8° by] the S

8‘ myddis] mydle S

82 hit is] hit wol be the S

83 do] do to S

8“ an] oon S

85 wel] mone left marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

made of ceruse, i. de cinere plumbi, i. poudre or askis of lede.

284

But how bat be poudre or askis of lede is made86 or of flos eris or myne, I

shal teche be here aftre. Now haue I touchid a partie to oure vaisshellz be whiche

been necessary in bis crafte.

Now hit is to be spiritz and medicines: How bay shal be arayed. And here

ye shal knowe bat there been iiij spiritz of metallz,87. mercury, sulphur, arcenyk or

auripigment, and sal armonac. Thees iiij yeuen tincture to bodies white and rede,

i. in golde and silure, but not by baymsilf til bay been preparate with dyuers

medicines and yf bay fle not be fire. And whenne bay abiden be fire, bay shal

IO

wirke meruaillz. For of ire and tynne ye may make siluer, but of copre and lede,

golde; and shortly to seye, alle metaillz mowe be chaungid into golde and silure,

be whiche been beste of alle metaillz, of gold and silure, in natural kinde except

bat ire of alkymys crafte is not excludid fro the kinde of th'adamant stone. And

also gold of alkym gladeth not be herte of man ner88 heleth ner cureth no lepre.

15

And yf a man be woundid berewith, be wounde shal swell and so hit shal not in

gold natural and in al ober, s. , malliacion and examinacion and in colour hit shal

dure for cure.

What Is Elixar

 

“6 made] fo. 62. left marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

87 metallz] 4 spiritus left marg., orig. scribe F

88 ner] ne S

Elixar is a name of Arabike,‘ and in Latyne hit is callid leueyne,‘ i.

285

souredowe; for as brede is leueyned with good leuevne, so a gobette of metaille is

changid by bees iiij spiritz into white or into rede, and specialy with mercury. For

hit is welle and bygynnyng of alle metaillz of ober kindes and mene stones whiche

bay been. And how bay been made [f. 59r] and named here ye shal vndrestande,

5. salt comune, salt alkaly, salt niter, salt borace, alym lam, tartre, arnement,

vertegrece,89 lapis calaminaris, lapis coprie, toty, cynopre, myne, ceruce, egges of

hennys, shellz of egges, vin aigre, vryne of man, of children vnsleckid lyme,

marcasete, cathymy, almartarida, magnesia, and other thingz of be whiche we haue

10

noo neede in bis boke. Alle bees yeuen noo tyncture but bay bee necessary bat be

spiritz mowe be rabere be preparate. And how bay shal be brought to myne and

calcinyd and distilled and soluyd,90 here after I shal shewe by ordre.

What Is Mercury91

Mercury is a viscous water92 of subtile substance in be secrete places of

15

b'erthe, be whiche is a maniere of white erthe; and by temperate hete, hit is vnyed

 

89 vertegrece] verte grece F

90 soluyd] dissolued S

9‘ Mercury] What is g fo. 20 right marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

92 water] add. later in diff. hand over eras. F; matiere S

286

togedre essencialy for93 hit is moyste. berefore hit is fugitife fro bynethe by cause

of hete; not withstanding, his substance is viscous, but borough boo parties bat

been drie, hit is temperate and not cleuyng to. But viscosite hit cleueth to and by

hete hit ascendith and remoueth.

Mercurie is modre of alle metallz, with sulphur, s. and"4 with be rede

stone, of whom mercury is draue oute.95 And hit is founde in hilles and moste in

pryvyys of olde men and bat in grete quantite. And yn nature96 he is colde97 and

moyste, and he is welle98 and begynner of alle mataillz and of hym alle thing is

prokerid and gendrid,99 as hit is seyde afore.100

10

What Is Sulphur101

Sulphur is a fatnesse and a quyke myne of be whiche

102

is made thicke bi

 

93 for] § lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. F

9“ and] am. S

95 oute.] ye redd stone .i. sulphur Redd right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

96 nature] This nature is essencial] lefi marg. 16th cent comm. X

97 colde] hoote S

98 welle] fouse right marg. 16th cent. comm. C F

99 gendrid] ingendrid S

‘00 afore] bifore

‘01 Sulphur] fall. by blank space F

‘02 whiche] whiche he S

temperate decoction103 til hit be very harde. And whenne hit is harde and thicke,

287

hit is callid sulphur.

Sulphur hath grete operacion and is in substance in oone maniere forme, in

alle his parties. berefore, bere [f. 59v] cometh104 noon oyle of hym as doeth of

other binges that han oyle in baymsilf. But and sulphur be boillid in sharpe watiers

by be myght bere-of, hit wil dissolue. Sum tyme hit is founde in b'erthe, sum

tyme in montaynes and in other dyuers places. And105 bere106 been dyuers of

hem:107 white, rede,

108

grene, citrine, and blac. And sum is quycke and sum is

deede. Quycke sulphur or sulphur vyue109 is as hit is draue oute clene of b'erthe;

10

and hit is good for scabbes. And bat other bat is deed is bat be whiche is”0 to

III

sille

in Shoppes, and hath be molte and is caste in grete redys, i. in cane rede.

 

'03 decoction] middle section blotched by ink F

"’4 cometh] ex -- Q, -- in sharpe waters things may nomore get his oyle from

hyme: vide fo.i. in my othr boke of Semita Recta ut the per mont covert left

marg., 16th cent. comm. B/C F

105 And] & S

‘06 bere] added later S

‘07 hem] thaym S

‘08 rede] rede and S

‘09 vyue] vise S

”0 is] om. S

'” sille] fille S

What Is Orpiment

288

Orpyment

112

is a myny[r]alle

113

stone and hit groweth like to a dunge hille

of erthe in dyuers places of th'erthe; and by longe decoction hit changeth into

substance of orpiment. There been ij viscositees in hym; oone subtile and an114

5

other grosse; and oone of boo is take awey by waisshing and decoction in vryne

and bat other is take awey by sublymacion, as I shal teche115 here after.

What Is Arcenyk

Arcenyke

116

is of a subtile matiere hauyng be colour of sulphur; and hit is a

rede stone. And he is of be same nature bat is orpyment. And bere been ij

10

maniere viscositees in hym, the furst is take awey by waisshing and decoction of

vryne, be secunde is take by sublymacion and decoction.117

What Is Salt Armoniak

 

“2 Orpyment] Y left marg., 16th cent. comm. F

“3 myny[r]alle] mynyalle F

”4 an] that S

“5 teche] teche the S

“6 Arcenyke] 41eft marg., 16th cent. comm. F

”7 decoction] end of Sloane 353 microfilm

Salt armonyak118 is in many wise, 5. natural and artificial. Natural“9 is bat

289

be whiche groueth in b'erthe and bere-of is ij maniere, bothe white and rede. And

bothe been draue oute of be harde myne and hit hath a stronge terraige of salt; and

hit is hote and drie in kinde, and hit is lauatife, mundificatife, and sublymatife.

But sal artificial is that be whiche [f. 60r] is made by crafte; and bat is muche

bettre in oure crafte or werke benne natural. And hit is noblest of alle saltz and hit

converti[t]h120 mercury into watre. And whenne hit is medlid and shake therewith

and grounde, and yf hit be sette in a moyste place to dissolue, and with bis, salte,

ire, and lede been121 solvid122 into mercury. This same is a oyle and the drynesse

10

of fire congeleth hit. His nature is hote and moyste and hit is be subtile spirit to be

elixar, ffor withoute hym hit may not be dissoluyd nor fretid nor losid by noo

crafte. And ye shal undrestande bat by hym be bodies be made neythre white ner

rede, but by ober spiritz; but hit yeueth ingression to other and goeth bifore and

purgeth and clensith be bodies fro blaknes. And bere he leueth be spiritz y-medlid

15

and vnyyd with be bodyes and so fleyth away.

What Is Sal Comune

 

”8 armonyak] 5 left marg., 16th cent. comm. F

”9 Natural] Cancer lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. F

‘20 converti[t]h] convertih F Appears to be a leter add. over. eras.

‘2' been] fo 57 and pointing finger, right marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

122 solvid] ins. over eras. by corr. F

Sal comune is the keye of bis crafte for hit shitteth and openneth a1 thyng;

290

and withoute hit noo werke of alkyme may be made. And here is the makyng

there-of. Take asmuche of comune salte as bou wilte and put hit in a mortiere with

hote watre, and labour and stere hit faste aboute. And whenne hit is dissoluyd,

streyne hit thorough a newe thicke canevas clothe into a treen vaisshel. Yf any

salte remayne in the clothe, grynde hit and put more hote watre bere-to and so

dissolue hit; and do so til alle be dissoluyd and streyne hit as ye dide bifore.

benne boille bat watre in a leden vaisshel or in a copryn til be watre be brought

alle to salte as hit was bifore. benne take bat salte and put hit in a newe potte in a

10

fornayce of calcon and drye hit wel and kepe hit wel til I teche the to dissolue hit

and to distille hit. ‘23

What Is Salte Alkaly124

[f. 60v] Sal alkaly is a thing that Iongeth to this crafte. And whenne hit is

arayed, hit bryngeth alle calcis of metailles to a sadde gobette or a pece ayen. And

15

he is hote and moyste in kinde.

And thus hit shal be seyde to be made. Take askis y-made of olde rotyn

oke a grete quantite or elles wode askis and grynde thaym smalle; thenne take 6

parties of vnsleckid lyme and medle hit with th'askis. Thenne put a thicke clothe

 

‘23 hit] vide fo. 69 to solve spiritz n'ght marg., 16th cent. comm. F

‘2‘ What is Salte Alkaly] centered, by itself F

291

on a tunne or elles a fatte and put clene askis bere-on. And benne put to by lyme

and by askis togedre in be clothe, asmuche as bat may here, and put bere-to right

hote watre and lete hit streyne borough as a lye doeth til al be strength and

bitternes bere—of be quenchid. And benne put bat matiere of be lyme and b'askis

5

aweye and make afressh and doo berewith as ye dide bifore. And so lete be same

watre be put borough ayen to make hit strong and mighty. benne kepe a1 bat watre

and boille hit in a cauderon til a1 be watre be awaye. And benne lete hit stande on

a fornaice and lete hit kele; and bis is a harde stone, be whiche is callid sal alkaly,

i. be dreggz of bitternes.

10

benne take bis salt and put hit in a potte half ful and sette hit ouer a

fornaice and make bere-to a softe fire til hit boille easily and not feruently; and

benne make hit more and contynue hit til hit wexe rede and melte as wex. benne

withoute any tarieng, put hit in an ober vaisshel with a iren instrument, for yf bou

tary any tyme, bou shal not put hit oute, for hit wil wexe harde anone and so bou

15

shal haue by sal alkaly. And put hit in a place hote and drie, for yf hit stonde in a

moiste place, hit shal be dissoluyd into watre incontinenti.

Alume

Take alume asmuche as bou wil and sette hit in a potte half ful or lesse and

close hit and sette hit in a fomaice of calcynacion. And benne make a softe fire

20

and aftre make a stronger fire til be potte wexe rede, and lete hit stonde so al a [f.

292

61r] day in be same fire. And benne lete hit kele and benne shal125 be alume be

whitter benne be snowe. Kepe hit and bere—of shal be made watre, be whiche is

elixar to alle white werkes. ‘26

Of Arnement or Attrament127

Arnement is blac erthe hauyng a sulphur sauour. And whenne hit is y-

brente in be fire, his blac colour is tournyd into redenes by calcynacion be whiche

colour shal neure faille. Take arnement smal grounde asmuche as bou wil and put

hit in a potte to be myddys or fille hit ful yf ye wil and close hit abouue with a

coueryng of claye; and lete hit be faste closid and lete hit drie. And benne put hit

10

in a fornaice of calcinacion and make a softe fire iij houres. And benne ober iij

houres make hit strenger til a1 be potte wexe rede. And so lete hit stonde in be

same hete a day and a night, but in a1 bat tyme lete hit not wex colde. And

whenne bat tyme is passid, benne lete hit wexe colde. benne draue hit oute and

bou shalte haue

128

by arnement rede be whiche is callid be flour of attrament.

15

And ferthermore, yf hit be dissoluid into watre berewith spiritz and bodies

 

‘25 shal] elixir of Alumis fall. by painting finger, right marg., 16th cent. comm.

C F

C F

'26 werkes] fall. by blank space F

127

attrament] fo. 82 right marg., 16th cent. comm. F

'23 haue] ye flower of Atrament .i. Niger, terra right marg., 16th cent. comm.

been rubified, be whiche redenes and colour shuld neure faille.

293

What Is Tartre

Tartre is a thing that is muche worth in this crafte, be whiche is made in bis

wise. Take be gros tartre, i. wyne lies white and rede, and drie baym and fille a

potte berewith and close hit faste and sette hit in a fornayce; and make bere-to a

softe fire. And aftre bat make a gretter fire and do so iij dayes and iij nightes, so

bat be potte be sumwhat rede. benne draue hit oute and kepe hit and I shal teche

be to make oyle bere-of, with be whiche oyle bou shal dissolue alle calcis of bodies

and of spiritz and brynge baym to watre. And bis is oone of be holders of

10

tynctures togedre.

What Is Vertegrece [f. 61v]

Vertegrece is necessary abouue alle thinges in this crafte, be whiche is

made in this wise. Take a plate of copre and honge hit ouer a vaisshel with vin

aigre wel closid yn a warme place, bat be vaporyng goo not oute ne vapore not

15

aweye by iiij wikes. Penne openne hit and bou shalt finde vertegrece cleuyng to be

platz. Pene shaue hit of and kepe hit and honge vp by plate ayen or many, yf bou

wil, vppon the vin aigre as bou didest bifore, til alle be plates bee tournyd into

kinde of vertegrece. And benne calcyne hit by fire in like forme as bou doest by

294

be attrement, as I seide bifore, and be colour bere—of shal be rede be whiche shal

neure be distroyed whenne hit is dissoluyd into watre, for berewith bodies and

spiritz been rubified for euermore. And hit is oone of be secretenes bat holdeth be

spiritz togedre and yn bis watre been many priuetees.

What Is Synobre

Synobre is a thing of grete nobles bat Iongeth to bis crafte and hit is callid

vsifur. And hit is made in this wise. Take mercury ij parties and be iijde parte of

sulphur and medle baym togedre with watre as wel as bou can. And put hit into a

glasyn vaisshel with a narowe necke and close bat vaisshel and daube hit wel with

10

claye to be thickenes of by fmgre; and drie hit and benne sette hit on a treuette and

close be mouthe faste of be vaisshel. And make a softe fire almoste halfe a day.

And aftre bat increche by fire and so contynue a hole day to bou see a rede smoke.

And benne lete hit cole and draue hit oute. benne breke be vaisshel and bou shal

finde good synobre assaye, and bou shal finde be trouthe.

15

What Is Ceruse

Ceruse is made in this wise. Take platz of lede and honge baym in a

vaisshel with vin aigre be whiche [f. 62r] is vaporyng of hete in a stronge potte wel

closid. And loke hit stonde in a warme place and doo berewith as bou dide bifore

295

with be vertegrece and bou shal finde be ceruse cleuyng to be plates. Gadre hit

and kepe hit, but bou shal haue but lite bere-of in quantite and make myne there-

of.

What Is Myne of Ceruse

Myne of ceruse is made in bis wise. Take ceruse and grynde hit smalle on

a stone with watre and make bere-of paste. And put hit into a subtil vaisshel

formyd into a bacyne, excepte hit may not be rounde but sum dele longe. benne

make a rounde walle; like to a fornaice or to a walle of a spanne hight and lete

hym take a grete boystice erthyn potte and leye be mouthe on bat oon walle and be

10

bottume on bat other walle and sette berewith in be grete vaisshel the litel vaisshel

with be paste of ceruse; and sette hit euene in be middel of be potte. benne coure

bat vaisshel with sum vaisshel bat is according bere-to and bene make a softe fire

and aftrewarde a stronger by halfe a day. And benne lete hit kele and bou shal

finde by ceruse sumwhat rede. And do berewith as bou didest bifore. Grynde hit

15

with watre and sette hit ouer be fire halfe a day. benne draue hit oute and bou shal

haue goode myne

Item, here is an other myne of lede. Take a potte and put hit vppon ij

wallz, as I seide bifore, of bat other myne and put lede there-ynne and make a

strong fire. And whenne hit is molte, loke bat bou haue a ladille of ire with a long

20

stale and moeue be matiere contynuelly in so muche bat hit may toume to poudre

296

sone. Contynue that labour a1 wey til hit be tournid to poudre; and benne kele hit

and benne sifte hit through a clothe. And yf any bing bere-of be grete and may not

throwe, put hit into be potte as hit was bifore [f. 62v] and labore hit til al be

brought to subtile poudre; and benne sifte hit and grynde hit vppon a stone and

tempre hit with watre and do berewith as ye dide bifore. Bothe grynde and labore

hit ouer be fire til hit be myne.

Lazarium

And though lazorium, i. lapis lazuli,‘29 be not necessary in this crafte, yit

shal bou haue doctrine bere-of. Take ij parties of mercurie and be iij“130 parte of

IO

sulphur and be iiij parte of sal armonyak and grynde baym togedre as ye dide be

synobre. And put hit in a glasyn vaisshel and sette hit oure be fire right as be

synobre was. And whenne bou sees a colour yelowisshe comyng bere-of, benne

hit is ynow; and whenne hit is so, breke vp thy vaisshel and benne bou shal fmde

noble lazarium,131 i. lapis lazule. bene grynde hit on a stone withoute watre;

15

berewith shal bou gete monaye.

What Is Sublimacion

 

‘29 lazuli] lapis lazaruru left marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

13° iijd°] ins. above line F

13' lazarium] .i. Alum right marg., 16th cent. comm. F

297

Sublymacion is a lifting or a rezyng vppe of a drie thing by hete of fire

with a touching or with a hongyng or cleving to the vaisshel abouue. And bere

been dyuers sublimacions and for dyuersite of spiritz bat been to be sublymed;I32

with grete fire, as marcasite, magnefie, and catymiye; and sum with meen fire, as

mercuric and arsenyke; and sum with ful lite fire, as sulphur.

The cause of sublymacion of mercuric is to dcpure & to do aweye

b'erthcncs of hym and to remue133 and to exclude his watrynes. But be crafte to

put aweye erthcly matiere is to medle hym with binges be whiche been not of his

affinite nor kinde and to sublyme hym ofte tymes. Pees been tho bat shal134 serue

10

bere-to: lyme of merble, alume poudre calcinyd and smalle, and a1 kinde of sal

preparate. Thees bingz clensen be spiritz in sublymacion but other doon not, but

hit be inperfection of a body; but alle other thingz wolde rather corrupte the [f.

63r] spiritz in be rising and sublimacion, for be sulphurite that is in thaym.

And berefore bou shal sublyme with‘” a potte of tynne or of lede. And

15

aftre by sublimacion, openne by vaisshel and loke in by matiers bat lyen bere-on

and been grosse and grete. berefore, a1 kinde of metaillz muste be sublimed

withoute baym bat haue sulphurite. But yit sublimacion were muche bettre with

bees thingz bat were according in kinde benne with other, yf bay hadde noo

 

‘32 sublymed] ye cause of ye Sublimacon of g lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. F

'33 remue] remie F

‘34 shal] lyme of Merble .i. white Merble fo. 64 left marg., 16th cent. comm. B

F

‘35 with] a pott of tynne or lede right marg., 16th cent. com. A F

sulphurite.

298

But be maniere remenyng of b'aquosite of mercuric is to medle hit with

calce of lyme and to grynde

136

baym wel togedre

I37

to the sublymacion til noo bing

of the mercury be seyn. And with a softe fire, th'aquosite shal goo awaye. And

thus is the moisture of mercury doon aweye as I shal teche the bettre in

sublymacions here after.

What Is Calcinacion

Calcinacion is a crafte to make poudre of euery thing by strength of fire and

maketh alle bingz sadde by pryuacion of be moysturc. Whenne bodies been

10

calcined, benne been thay brought to nought; and diuerse spiritz been calcynyd‘38

also.

And be cause bat metaillz or bodies been calcyned is to do awaye be

sulphurite that cometh bere-of, ffor al sulphurite of euery thing bat is brennyng

may be put awey by calcinacion. And a special thing is to grynde thees thingz and

15

bees calces with oyle and to harde baym and congele thaym ayen. But tynne is

 

‘36 to grynde] aquositie of § right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

‘37 to .

.

. strong fire. (292/ 3)] written by same scribe but in a finer hand, pass.

fi'om using afresh or different pen. F

‘38 calcynyd] the cause of calcyning of lye— right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

299

sone calcynedI39 and sone hardid. The cause bat spiritz been calcyned is bat thay

receipue be tyncture be bettre and be sonner may be soluyd into watre. Alle kinde

of calcinacion is be cause of be sonner fixeng, for hit is rabere doon in bingz

calcynyd benne in boo bat been not calcinyd. Also neisshe bodies wille sone be

calcynyd by fire, but harde bodies musten haue a strong fire.

What Is Congelacion'

Congelacion is to brynge a liquour to a sadde pece by pryuacion [f. 63v]

of140 humydite. The cause of the hardyng of mercury or any spirite is to take awey

the watrynesse of euery medicyne that

1‘“ is soluyd. Mercury is brought to

10

coagulacion with grete violence and sharpenes of fire; and be sharpenes of fire

remeueth th'aquosite awaye of mercury and that muste be doo in a long vaisshel

and straite.

What Is Fixyon

 

‘39 calcyned] the cause bt spirite bynni calcined ys for that thy be the soner

fyxed right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

‘40 of] precipitacion of g .i. the [ends abrubtly] left marg., 16th cent. comm. A

F

1‘" that] Coagulacon of v w J is don wit owt any vitriol or salte .i. siriror (?)

lefl marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

Fixion is a fleing thing to make hit able and conuemcnt to the fire. The

300

cause and be finding of bis kunnyng is bat euery tynctur and euery alteracion, i.

chongyng of colour, may abide eurelastyng yn other and chonge not hit142 fixeth

bodies. But by calcynacion thay been brought to nought; and be sulphur fugityfe

and corrupte been soluyd and losed fro be bodies. But sulphur and arsenyckc been

fixed in ij maniere wise, oon maniere wise by ofte sublimacion in the vaisshel of

aludelle til bay stonde, an other wise with watres of metailles.

What Is Solucion

Solucion is a tournyng into watre of euery thing y-calcynid or of euery

10

thing that is calcyned. The cause of this cunnyng and decoctions bere-of is bat be

ynnerparty shuld be like to be vttre partie and be vttre partye to the ynner partie;

and bat hit be conuenyent to distille. For right as alle corrupcion cometh of

putrefaction, so is solucion causid of caliditc and humydite. as I shal teche the here

aftre.

15

What Is Distillacion

Distillacion is a liftyng vppe of a vapouris aquosite in his vaisshelle. And

 

”2 hit] ye effecte of calcinacoun of Bodies fo. 57 left marg., 16th cent. com.

A F

301

bere been dyuers distillacions; sum distilling is withoute fire and sum with fire;

and bere—of bee ij maniers. Sum distilling riseth vp, as ye may see in a lembike;

and sum descendith dovne, as boo that been made with a pipe in a potte to make a

thing droppe dovneward.

The generalle caus [f. 641'] of euery distillacion is to purifie the liquor fro

his dregges, for distilling maketh a liquor more purer. And be purer that hit is, the

bettre hit shal receipue and enbibe be spiritz and be clene medicynes. And

berefore, whenne ye wille enbibe any thing, loke your watres bee right pure, bat

your medicynes and spiritz the whiche been clensid and pure may be bettre entre.

10

The cause of distillacion and descending dovne by a rede is cause of

drauyng oute of clene oyle; and whenne hit is tournyd to oyle, hit may not be

hadde nor chongid fro his combustible nature. ‘43

The cause of distillacion by filteryng is not elles but to make be watre pure

and bright as I shal teche here after.

15

What Is Ceracion

Ceracion is of a thing not floweng and moyste, be whiche is made neissh

and drie to melte. And berefore, medicynes often tyme mow not entre. ffor sum

trowid to make ceracion of rennyng oyle and of suyche other, but hit is not so. In

noo bing of kinde moystnes may hit bettre be founde ban in sulphur and arsenyk.

 

”3 nature] distillacion by filtering right marg., 16th cent- com. A F

302

The maniere of ceracion and closing togedre by baym is to multcplie and ofte to

sublyme alle thoo bingz and boo parties bat shal be brought to ceracion til kinde

hummidite come bere-to, be whiche is cause of liquefaction and meltyng. But bat

may not be byfore baire purificacion and mundificacion of corrupcion. But as me

scmeth, hit were bettre to fixe thaym furste by oyle of tartre; for with boo oyles

alle ceracion may competently be made. ”4 And bis is ynow145 at bis tyme.

Here Ye Shal Sublyme Mercury

To sublyme mercury, take 1i. 1 of mercury and grynde hit on a stone on

this wise. Take calce of egges or calce of white [f. 64v] merble146 or vertegrece

10

and grynde hit on a stone, and put there-to stronge vin aigre and grynde alle thees

togedres with mercury til be mercury be hidde in be poudre with be vin aigre.

And put bere-to a lite sal armoniac and benne grynde baym wel togedre til be

mercury be hid. And benne make paste bere-of and put hit in a vaisshel y-made to

be formc or shappe of a platier. And put hit to drie in a fornaice with a meene

15

hete, for yf be hete were grete and strong, be mercury wil fle of.

Take of be mercury 1i. 1, of be calce Ii. 1, and a lite of armonyac; but take

 

"4 may competently be made] may be competently be made F

”5 ynow] Sublimacion of g right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

”6 merble] fo. 62 .i. merble brent to white hym: left marg., 16th cent. comm.

C F

303

as muche of be calce as of be mercury and grynde baym til noo bing of be

mercurye be perceipued. And banne drie hit and banne grynde hit eft sones with

vin aigre til al be mercuri bee hidde. And sette hit to drie ayen.

And here ye shal knowe whenne hit is drie ynow. Wete a peny with a lite

spetille and assaye yf hit wil cleue to be matiere; and yf hit cleue not to be matiere,

benne hit is drie ynow. And whenne hit is so, grynde hit smalle withoute any

moisture and put bit into a sublimatory.

And whenne bou has put ynne by medicine, benne leye hit a brode with a

fethre and make hit al playne. And benne close by vaisshel and make be poyntcs

10

faste and cloos with clay and daube hit siker bat noo aier goo oute. And benne

sette hit in a vaisshel of sublymacion and make bere-to a softe fire halfe a day til al

be moisture be vaporid awey by a hole that is abouue in the aludelle, be whiche

bou shal proue in bis wise. Put be bladdc of a knyfe on be hole abouue yn be

vaisshel and loke; yf be bladdc be moyste, benne hit is not ynow. And benne

15

increche by fire til bou see noo moysture at alle. benne shitte be hole with clay

and make a stronger fire and so contynue by fire strengre; and at night cesse and

lete hit kele147 [f. 65r] and openne hit in the morowenyng. And yf any bing there-

of be quyke, hit shal shewe in the nyther perte of be aludelle. But bat othir parte

that is sublymcd shal lye abouue on be feces as snowe, able to poudre aboute be

20

nyther partc of be vaisshel and sum tyme in the oure vaisshel, s. , in the couering.

Gadre hit and kepe hit and benne grynde hit as ye dide afore with be matiere and

 

”7 catchwords and openne hit at foot ofpage.

304

sublyme hit efte sonys. & bou shal finde hit white and able to poudre and so

grynde hit ofte til al be dede and able to poudre.

Thenne I yeue be conseille bat bou put ber-to no more vin aigre ne liquor,

for benne hit wil take his quykenes and sharpenes agayne. And benne by labour

were in veyne.

Thenne take sal preparate right pure and clene and drie 1 partc and put

bere-to halfe so muche mercury sublymed. And melle hit togedre with thy hande

and put hit in a vaisshel of sublymacion. And benne make hit playne abouue and

close hit as ye dide afore and sublyme hit al a day; and at nigth lete hit kele. And

10

in be morowenyng, draue hit oute and bat be whiche is sublymed, draue hit oute

and asaye yf bere be any mercury remenyng in be matiere in bis wise. Take a lite

of be matiere and leye hit on the coles bat been brennyng; and yf hit yeue any

fume, sum parte of be mercury remeyncth withyn; and yf hit yeue noo smoke, bere

nys noo thing remeynyng. But yit sublyme hit efte sonys and doo so threys or iiij

15

and so bou shal fmde by mercuric whittre banne be snowe. And benne assaye yf

any thing remayne in be dreggz or the grovndz; and yf bere doo, sublyme hit many

tymes til noo thing remayne and kepe hit to fixion or to his fixacion.

Here Is to Sublyme Sulphur148

 

”8 sulphur] sulphr F

Sulphur shal be sublymed in this wise: Grynde hit and boille hit in stronge

305

vin aigre a1 a hole [f. 65v] day, alweye takyng aweye the blacke cloudes bat shal

flete abouue in be tyme of decoction. And aftre lete hit drie and thenne grynde hit

and put bere-to asmuche of alum preparate as I haue shewid before. And sette hit

5

in a vaisshel of sublymacoun as ye dide be mercury and sublyme hit in a tynnen

vaisshel a1 a hole day. And at night, lete hit kele; and in be morowenyng, draue

hit oute and bou shal finde hit sublymed and blac. benne sublyme hit a sones and

hit wil be white; and do sublyme hit be iij and hit wil be right white; and so

sublyme hit ix tymes and benne kepe hit til bou wille fixe hit.

10

To Sublyme Orpiment

Take orpyment and grynde hit smal and boille hit al a day in vin aigre and

an other day in wyne til hit be drie. benne put ber-to de fuligine ferri, ' i. be ruste

of be smalle ruste of ire, and medle hit wel togedre. benne sublyme hit al in be

same forme as I seyde of be sulphur bifore and hit shal be white as snowe.

15

Arcenek

Arcenek is of be same kynde and nature bat orpyment is of, but hit is not

grete neede to boile hit. benne grynde hit furst and inbibe hit with vin aigre threys

306

hymsilfe and put bere-to asmuche de fitligine ferri, i. of be ruste of ire, and medle

hit togedre and sublyme hit vij sithis or more as wirche hit as bou dides be

mercury .

Of Sal Armonyac‘49

Sal armonyac is sublymed in bis wise. Grynde hit with asmuche sal

preparate, be whiche is made of comune salte, as I haue seyde bifore, withoute any

maniere liquor and sette hit to sublyme with a softe fire the space of ij houres. [f.

66r] And aftrewarde make a strongger150 fire a hole day; & whenne hit is colde,

draue hit oute and bat is sublymed, kepe hit.

10

Nowe ye haue hadde doctryne of sublymacion of spiritz. Nowe hit is to se

of be substance of oure fire. Oure fire shal be made of coles for ij causes. Oone

cause is bis, for hit is lasse labour to put vndre your fornaice coles benne wode.

The ii°° cause is for fire of wode yeueth muche smoke and for be smoke, hit may

not be considerid whenne be vaisshel is y-broke and whenne not. As hit may often

15

tymes falle by grete hete of the fire, as whenne be claye is not goode and whenne

the vaisshellz been not wel anelyd, and whenne the vaisshel is broke or crasid,

benne goeth bere oute a white smoke, be whiche sone may seeve, and perceipued

on be fire of coles and not of wode. And whenne by vaisshellz yeuen any fume,

 

”9 Of Sal Arrnonyac] Centered on line with white space before and after F

'50 stronger] strongger F

307

anone put baym fro be fire or elles by sublymacion wil be loste. Beware bere-of!

Ye shal vndrestande bat oure151 vaisshel, s. be aludelle, hit muste be glasid

withynne; but of be nyther vaisshel, hit nedith not. Also be medicine in be

vaisshel muste be made hardc; bat hit may not sublyme bere-of is noo doute. But

afterwarde bou muste grynde hit and put a lite more of be fecis bere-to and so

sublyme hit with a subtile fire; and hit shal be wel sublymed.

Floures

Here bifore I haue intrctid of sublymacions and be crafte bere-of. Here I

haue taught to gadre dyuers flours of grete vertues and swete smylling in be whiche

10

is be helthe and be beaute of al be joye of bis worlde. Here is be flour of flours

and be rose of alle roses and be lilye of worthynes. Yong man be glad in by

bought and gadre bees flours, for I haue [f. 66v] brought the to the gardyn of

paradys; and berefore make the a garlonde to thy heede and joye and vse the liking

of bis world and openne be fruyte of this crafte, for hit hath long y-leye in

15

derkenesse and nowe I shal hit openne.

As I seyde right nowe, I haue shewid to sublyme poudrcs and to gadre be

flours of baym. Now I shal teche you to sette baym and plante baym bat thay may

bringe fourth muche fruyt; and bat be fruyt of baym may abide euerlastyng.

And here I shal teche be to fixc thy spiritz sublymed bat bay mowe abide in

 

'51 oure] the cure F

308

fire, and vnyed and medled to a body and be fixed for euer in iij maniere wise.

The furste maniere is this: Take a li. or ij of what spirite bou wil, withoute any

other thing, and put hit in a vaisshel of fixacion; and loke hit be right stronge

without holes, y-made of fyne clay, a vnche thicke, and not glasid withynne ne

withoute. And close al bat vaisshel in good clay y-temperid with hors fymc

withoute any stones. And benne drye hit. benne sette hit on a fornaice of

sublymacion and make152 a fire a1 a hole day. And whenne hit is somer and be

dayes be long, lete by fire be as hit was in sublymacion of mercury; but aftre none

lete hit be stronger. And benne in be morowenyng tourne by vaisshel euene

10

contrary and sette that be whiche was nexte be fire vppewarde. And benne make

fire ix dayes togedre at leste and benne openne hit.

And assaye yf be poudre be fixe in bis wise. Take a porcion bere-of and

leye hit on brennynge coles; and yf hit smoke, hit is not fixe and yf hit smoke not,

banne hit is fixe. And bis is the knowelache of euery spirit. And yf hit be not

15

fixe, put hit ayen vppon be fornaice and close the vaisshel as hit was bifore and

make a fire [f. 67r] ix dayes or til bou hire a sovne in be vaisshel as stones maken

whenne bay bee ouer hote, as through be hete there-of bay breke and make grete

noyse,153 as ofte tyme hit fallcth. And whenne bou hyres suyche sovne in by

vaisshel, benne is by spirit fixed at fulle.

 

‘52 and make] and make and make F

‘53 noyse] to fix arsenicte right marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

The ijdc wise of fixion is by inbibyng with"4 oylc of tartre in bis wise.

309

Take arcenyc sublymed or orpyment or sulphur and grynde bayme vppon a stone

with oylc of tartre til al be resoluyd and liquefate. And after that, put hit into a

glasyn vaisshel and sette hit in smalle askes siftide vppon a fornaice of distillacion;

and make furste a lente fire bat the vaisshel breke not. And whenne the glasse is

hote, make a stronger fire and so drie the medicine yn a openne vaisshel, yf bou

wilte. But I yeue be consail bat bou sette bere-on a lembike and receip[u]e155 be

watre bat distilleth bere-of be whiche aduailleth to many men. And whenne be

medicyne is dryed, breke the vaisshel, for other wise may bou not come bere-to.

10

And bere bou shal finde by poudre hard as a stone; and grynde hit as bou dide

afore with 0er on a stone & put bit into an other potte and drie hit and distille hit

and yit breke hit efte sones and grynde hit and do so vij sithes. Bothe grynde hit

and drie hit as ye haue do afore; and afterwarde grynde hit wel and put bit into a

vaisshel and sette hit in hors fymc the space of vij dayes and shal dissolue into

15

watre. bene sette be vaisshelle in askys and congele hit with a softe fire til hit be

harde; and bus bou shal haue by spiritz fixed and hit is a parfitc tyncture and

abiding. Put oone partie of bis poudre to oone partie of mercuri to copre calcynyd

and bou shal finde hit good in al examinacion and malliacion for euer.

 

‘54 with] modus fixacoun omnia spiritus nobus, fall. by pointing hand, right

marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

'55 receip[u]e] receipne F

To Solue Spirites156

310

[f. 67v] Spirites been soluyd in ij maniere wise. Oone maniere wise, as I

seide, of oylc of tartre. And aftre this congelacion hit shal be leyde on a marble

stone into a moyste celier; and lete be stone be hongyng bat be matiere that

resolueth bere-on may dcscendc into a glasin vaisshel beyng vndre be stone.

The U“ solucion is made on this wise of sal armonyac. Put bis salte or any

obere sal preparate on a marble stone into a lowe place of resolucions, as into a

colde celier, and anone hit shal dissolue into watre. With bis watre grynde poudres

that shal be dissoluid. But note bis wel in thy mynde: bat aftre be tyme bat

10

mercury is wel sublymed, hit shal neuer be medlid with noo liquor but with be

watre of sal armonyac or sal comune preparate or with oylc of tartre. Grynde bees

poudres and dissolue baym vij sithis and as 0er tyme make desictacion. And

benne leye hit on be stone and hit shal dissolue into watre withoute any doute and

kepe hit to distillacion.

15

To Make Solucions of Bodyes

Bodies bat been calcyned been dissoluyd with be same matiere bat the

spiritz been dissoluyd with, as be flour of bras, be flour of arnement or atrament,

be flour of alum, be flour of lede. And bou shal doo berewith in alle degrees as

 

‘56 To Solue Spirites] 0n last line offolio by itselffall. by blank space F

bou dideste by be spiritz afore seyde.

311

To157 Rubifie Your Spiritz

Now ye shal see how your spiritz shal been rubified. Take rede watre of

atrament distilled and therewith rubifie by spiritz whiche bou wilte. And vij sithes

5

grynde baym and inbibe and drie baym vppe and benne sette hit to dissolue on a

merble stone. And hit shal dissolue into the redeste watre that may bee. [f. 68r]

Distillacion

Distillacion is made on this wise. Put be watre bat bou wil distille into a

stillatorie and sette hit in a panne with158 smale askis on be fire, as I haue shewid

10

here bifore. And bis maniere distillacion is hotc and dric.

Yf bou wilte distille with hote and moyste, put watre into be vaisshel bat

b'askis were yn,”9 colde and not warme, and putte hey bere-ynne and bedde thy

stillatoire in bat vaisshel with watre and hey. And sette hym faste and vpright with

stickes bat hit bowe not a side but bat hit stande euene.

 

‘57 To] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

‘58 with] heate of Ashi .i. hote, 2 dayes: for ye coagulacion of waters right

marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

'59 yn] heate, of water .i. hote & moiste for distilacoun of waters: right marg.,

16th cent. com. A F

312

But be wel ware bat bou put neuer a colde glas into hote watre ncr a hote

into colde160 watre, for benne hit wil lightly breke and so bou may lese a1 by

labour. Also in distillacion, lokc by watre boille not. And by bis doctryne, bou

may distille alle watres and kepe welle thy watres and vse thaym as bou shalt see

5

here aftre in dyuers werkes.

To161 Distille Fro a Canne

To distille with a canne, take a grete erthen panne potte and put bere-yn

askes or trees or rotes or stonys or any thing bat bou wilte haue 0er of by

distillacion. Make a diche or a pittc in th'erthe and sette a potte bere-yn and sette

10

the canne bere-vppon and shytte baym faste, bat noo ayer goo oute-with fyue daye;

and lete hit drie. benne fille be pitte to be nyther potte fastc and benne make alle

abouue be potte a softe fire ix houres; and aftre make a strenger fire and so

increche thy fire fro houre to houre til halfe the day be passid. And benne lete hit

kele. benne openne hit and bou shal finde watre and 0er distillid; and kepe hit

15

welle.

The162 Rcde Stone

 

‘60 colde] in water of hote & moiste Balneo left marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

‘6‘ To] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

'62 The] finger pointing to section, lefi marg., 16th cent. comm.F

313

The rede stone, as philosophres seyen, cometh not of be watre of a vyne or

wyne, but hit [f. 68v] cometh163 of watre of lyfe, the whiche life is made in this

and put hit in iiij pottz. benne put the viij pottz in hors fyme hote and moyste the

space of ij monethes. And benne take hit oute and medle alle be watres of be

saltes togedre and distille thayme. benne take mercury rubified and dissolued, as I

seide afore, oz. 1 and of watre rubificd oz. ij and medle thaym togedre; and hit wil

melle togedre as hit were a troubly watre. And yf bou putte hit ouer a fire in a

clere glas, and hit shal shewe like to a topacc in colour, i. a precious stone. And

10

here bou shal haue a proue. For yf bou put bere-of in any glasyn vaisshel, hit wil

make a residence as were be blode of a dracon. benne put hit vppe for benne hit is

parfite.

Take sol calcynyd with myne of lede oz. ij and benne put bere-of in be

watre of sal armoniac and salt petre and sette hit a litclle space ouer a lente fire;

15

and hit shal dissolue into watre. And benne put bat watre to be watre of mercury

y-rubificd and be rede watre, as I seide bifore, and medle a1 togedre. And put hit

into a iren ladelle and sethe thees iij watres togedre til the thridde parte be wastid.

benne put be remancnt in a potte of glas but lete nethir sunne ne mone toche164 hit

tille in maniere of rede stones be gadred and congelid and shynyng in be bottume

 

“53 cometh] Aqua Vitee or ye phiors is made in this mineral way & not of ye

vyne or wyne lefi marg., 16th cent. com. A F

'64 toche] che later add. over eras. F

3 14

of be vaisshel. benne departe thaym fro be watre and put baym in a potte with a

long necke vndre hors fymc so bat a1 be necke of the potte stondc aboue the fyme.

And yf hit stond so oon moneth, hit shal be dissoluyd into watre. And yf bou caste

copre or laton or silure molte into this watre, hit shal seme gold withynne and

withoute, and yit165 hit is noo golde. For parfitc gold, as philosophres seyen, is

not but of lede; and we seye bat the maistrie of lede is be secretenes of golde and

be secretenes [f. 69r] of166 lede is the maistrie of gold; for they clepid hit be

philosophres golde. Take the forseide watre that maketh the forseide probacions

and sette hit in erthe to moiste and to be humyde.

10

Recipe. 1i. 1 of resealgar, Ii. 1 of tartre, li.

1167 of comune salte and make

there-of a cemitacion as ye can; and aftrewarde weisshe hit wel with hote watre.

And benne put bere-to newe salte and benne weisshe hit ayen with hote watre; and

benne drie hit and make a stronge lye and boille hit tille the iiid" parte be wastid.

And benne dissolue arcenec and sal petre by euene proporcion and boylle hit in

15

that lye. And so bou may bringe euery bodic to a sadde pece or elles a gobette.

Nowe to make a medicine for thi proiection, take oz. iiij of mercury

sublymed et oz. 1 of silure lymellid and grynde hit on a marble stone and sublyme

hit vij sithes. And benne make a corrosife of sal petre and vitriol and dissolue oz.

1 of lymel of siluer and aftrewarde a1 crude mercury and sublyme thaym alle

 

"’5 yit] parfectc golde as the phiorossayan is of their Adrope fo - 2 lefi marg.,

16th cent. com. A F

'66 of] fo. 57 left marg., 16th cent. comm. F

"57 1] a Sementacion fo. 11 right marg.. 16th CB!“- comm. C F

315

togedre. And aftrewarde inbibe hit with oylc of sal armonyac fixed and caste the

weighte of 1 peny bere-of vppon a oz. of copre.

This168 is a Rede Tincture

Take 1 partie of mercury y-rubified and ij parties of watre of sulphur

5

rubified and the iijdc parte of arcenyc rubified and halfe a parte of golde and medle

alle thees togedre; and put thaym into a rotumbe169 of glas and close hit bat noon

ayer go oute. And sette hit in fyme and do therewith in alle degrees as ye dide of

be furste white tyncture, as I haue shewed bifore. And bis is a stedefaste tyncture

be whiche entreth by nature. Therefore caste 1 parte of thy medicine vppon a

10

hunthred partes of silure preparate with rede watre and hit shal be good gold in

colour and in al examinacion and in malliacion for euer more.

Item, An Other Good Rede Tincture

Take oone perte of mercury [f. 69v] sublymed, fixed, and rubified and 1

parte of calce of gold and grynde thayme wel togedre vppon a stone and inbibe

15

thaym with watre of sal armoniac rubified; & do berewith as bou dides with be if“

white tyncture bifore. And hit shal be a goode rede tincture and parfitc. Put oone

 

‘68 This] left marg., 16th cent. comm. finger pointing at section F

‘69 a rotumbe] arotumbe F

316

parte of bis tyncture vppon a hunthrid parties of euery metalle purgid and calynyd

and rubified, and hit shal be goode gold in al examinacion and malliacion for

euermore. ‘70

Coagulacion of watres is made of hete and dryenes.

5

Put what watre bat bou wilte haue made drie into a glasyn vaisshel with a

streyte necke and sette hit in askis on a softe fire; and hit shal congele withynne v

houres into a white plate or into a rede plate.

Here is Calcynacion of Metallz and Namely of Gold and Siluer.

Take lymel of gold or of silure and put in a strong vin aigre be space of ix

10

dayes. benne take hit oute and drie hit and grynde hit into poudre. benne put

watre of sal armonyac bere-to and grynde hit and drie hit v sithes and put hit on

the stone to be watres of be poudres. But note bis welle, bou shal put by watre of

golde to be rede watre and to noon other, and be watre of silure to thy white

watre .

15

To Calcyne Ire and Copre

 

"0 euerrnore] Coagula[cion].i. [Alum] right marg., 16”! cent. COW"- F

Take plates and anele theym in be fire, not fire rede but sumdele hote, and

317

enoyncte thyam with watre of salt be whiche corrodeth and fretith and alle

moystenes be whiche is in be bodies of metallz. And put hit in a fusible vaisshel

and fille bat vaisshel with the plates; and sette hit in a fornaice of calcinacion on iij

fete. And put coles bere-vndre and make a strong fire but be ware bat hit melte

not. And so lete hit contynue in bat hete til al be matiere be distroyed with be fire.

benne [f. 70r] draue hit oute and that bat is calcynyd, shafe hit of and kepe hit,

and bat that is not calcyned, enoyncte hit ayen with watre of salte comune. as ye

dide bifore, and so contynue til a1 be calcinyd euery dele.

10

Item, An Other Wise.

Take171 plates and cutte baym to be brede of a peny & wete thaym with

watre of salte and put on bothe sides arcenec preparate and decocte in vin aigre and

ley thaym in ordre in be bottume of be potte. And so leye oone leyne on an othir

til be vaisshelle be fulle. And close hit with clay bat noon aier go oute; and benne

15

lete hit drie. benne sette hit in a fornaice of calcynacion and lete hit stonde bere

iiij houres. And bat the vaisshel be rede by strengthe of fire, but loke by fire be

not to stronge leste the copre melte berewith and renne as hit happeneth ofte tyme.

Afterwarde, lete hit kele; benne take hit oute for bou shal finde hit brought to not

and al distroyed. Dene bou may grynde hit in a mortre or on a stone; benne

 

”‘ Take] Calcinacion of h wit phtéuerate right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

318

grynde hit to poudre and kepe hit. And be residue or be remancnt bat is not

calcynid, enoyncte hit efte sones and calcyne hit.

To Brynge this Calce to a Gobette Ayen

Take calce of what metalle bou wilte and grynde hit wel on a stone; and

aftrewarde waisshe hit with hote watre ij or iij and put away the troublcnes and

contynue bis til bou see be watre clere; benne hit is wel. And benne drie hit wel

and grynde hit and put bere-to watre of alum. And in wyntre tyme, medle hit with

watre of comune salte and grynde hit smalle and inbibe hit ofte with bat watre and

drye hit. benne grynde hit and inbibe hit and drie hit til hit be as quycke in colour

10

and as white as hit may be.

[f. 70v] And so al sulphurite accidentalle, the whiche

he toke in erthe, be remoeued fro hym. And thenne grynde hit with sal alkaly and

drie hit; and whenne hit is dryed, put hit into a crusible and close hit with clay and

make a litelle hole in be potte and stoppe hit faste; and sette hit in a fornaice and

make a strong fire and blowe bere-to saddely with a bcly bat hit may sone melte.

15

And whenne hit is molte, opynne be hole and caste yn be medicine into a iren

canelle. And in be same place bou shal caste ynne shepe is talowe. And bere bou

shal haue a white pece of metallz be whiche shal be to be grete gladnes; and bis

pece of metallz may receipue a white tyncture or rede for hit is clensid fro al

corrupcion. And berefore loke what metalle bou wil haue and bere-aftre inbibe thy

20

calces of thy metallz with rede watre of be flour of copre or atrament withoute any

319

myne. And do so berewith as bou dides bifore, as l seide right now, of sal alkaly,

and melte hit as I seide and hit shal be a rede pece and bou shal be glad of this

tyncture.

In the name of our Lord Ihcsus Crist, take oon parte of mercury sublymed

and ij partes of watre of sulphur and iij partes of arcenec and medle baym togedre.

And put bere-to halfe parte siluer and put hit into a glasse potte and close hit faste

abouue with crafte of fire; and close hit with tonges of ire. But by fire muste be a

cercle fire and hit muste be abouue be vaisshel bat hit may yclde and melte and so

be closid with hote firy tongz. And so lete be mouthe be as cloos as be bottume of

IO

be glas; and benne sette hit in clene askes on a panne ouer be fire and so congele

hit. And whenne hit is congelid, hit is a stedefaste tyncture and hit perchet &

entreth [f. 71r] and hit is pcrmixtife, i. medlyng togedre, and coagulatife, i.

crudding togedre, and coniunctife, coadunatifc, and pcrseueratife. Put oone parte

of this tyncture Vppon a hunthrid parties of ire or copre purgid and hit shal be good

15

metalle withoute doute in al malliacion and examinacion. And hit shal dure for

euer more .

Item, An Other Chapitrc of a Noble Tyncturc the Whiche Shal Neuer Faille

Take172 1 parte of mercury sublymed and an ober parte

”3 of arcenec

320

sublymed and fixed and 1 parte of the calce of lune, i. silure, and grynde baym

alle on a stone and inbibe baym with watre of sal armoniac; and do bus iij“ or iiij

tymes. Grynde hit and inbibe hit and drie hit as I shewid be bifore on a fire and

benne dissolue hit. And whenne hit is dissoluid, kepe hit; and that bat is not

dissoluid grynde hit bettre and put bere-to a lite watre of sal armonyac and so

dissolue a1. And whenne hit is dissoluid, distille hit in a stillatorie of glas, as I

haue seide bifore, in hote watre and so a1 shal be distillid. But ware bat bou sette

hit not in askes to distille for benne hit wil wexe harde. Perfore put hit in be watre

10

and distille hit bere-ynne; and whenne al is distilled, put hit into a glasyn vaisshel

and congele hit as I seide afore and benne hit shal be white substance and clere and

bright, like cristalle. benne melte hit on be fire and benne grynde hit and benne

dissolue hit and benne hit shal entre and abide for euer. Put 1 parte bere-of vppon

a C of metalle purgid and hit shal be good at alle tymes. But I conseille be touche

15

noo metalle berewith bat is not purgid, ffor hit wille voyde away and be tyncture

shal be loste aftre be furste examinacion or the secunde.

Explicit semita secundum Albertum in alkamia. '

 

172 Take] finger pointing to section left marg.. 16th cent - comm. F

”3 parte] Iné sublimed heare is a way strayte n'ght marg., 16th cent. comm. C

F

321—A

   

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Figure 9: Glasgow University, Hunterian Library, Ferguson 205, f. 71v

 

 

[The Work of Boniface IX,’ with the Following

White and Red Chapters]

[f. 71v] Hic incipit opus Bonefacij IX cum sequentibus capitalis albis et

rubijz. ’

Allel 2 thees parfite writingz hereafter, s. dealbacions and rubificacions,

bothe of metallz and of other, been experte and probate. And here we shal

bigynne atte dissolucion3 of lune and congelacion of mercury and of be fixion of

hym in be watre of lune, of the whiche is made better lune benne groweth of

myne.

10

Take 1i. 1 of alum romayne and half a ll. of grene coperose and half a 1i. of

salt petre, be iiiju“ parte of a 1i. of vsifur. Grynde alle thees, euery bi hymsilf, and

aftre medle alle togedre and distille hit in a stillatorie. And whenne be lembike

whexeth rede, encreche thy fire til a1 be moystenes of be body bee distilled oute.

And benne grynde be [l]eys4 bere—of and put be liquor bere-to ayen and incorporate

 

' Alle] three-line dec. init. A F

2 Alle] .1. ca left marg., 16th cent. comm. F

3 dissolucion] look li° A salue for -- right marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

“ [l]eys] feys F

321

322

hym ayen togedre. And yit distille hit ayen and lete hit stande in a moyste place to

wexe moyste and5 liquyde, and benne distille the watre.

In this watre put oz. 1 of lymel of be beste siluer and sette hit ouer a lente

fire and hit shal dissolue. Yn the whiche watre, yf bou put xliiij oz. of quycke

siluer, withynne iij or iiij dayes bou shal finde hit congelid. And yf bou take hit

oute of be watre and put hit into a brasse boxe with a coueryng of brasse (yn be

whiche boxe with be poudres and mercury crude togedre, as bou shal fynde

hereaftre).

And bis boxe shal bee sette in this wise. Sette be boxe in a pitte and lete hit

10

be of be shappe of a pere; and frette hit faste with iren roddes abouue and a1 aboute

and loke bat the lydde" or be couering bere-of be right cloos. benne fille be cliche

where be potte is ynne or be boxe with molten lede and lete hit stonde so iij

monetthes, euery day making oones a fire of coles or of wode [f. 72r] vppon the

lydde. And in be space of iij monetthes, bou shal fynde in the boxe a C oz. the

15

beste siluer that7 may bee at alle probacions and trewe asayes.

The poudres be whiche shal be put in be boxe vppon the mercury been

made in bis wise. Make be watre as I seyde bifore and dissolue bere—ynne oz. 1 of

fyne siluer lymelid and put bit into a vrynale and put there-to sal armonyac, sal

 

5 and] note when ye ) is dissolvid into water aforeseid in lefl marg., 16th cent.

com. A F

6 the lydde] Hote house to congele y left marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

7 that] the best silver right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

323

petre, sal vitri8 ana oz. semi, of stone borace oz. 1, and brynge al to poudre and

boille hit with be watre til alle be fumositees be a passid. benne lete hit wexe

colde in be vrynale vppon the fournaice. benne draue hit oute and breke be

vrynale and bou shal finde in be vrynale a harde substance and fusible as a body,

the whiche substancial matier put in be forseyde werke vppon the quycke siluer in

be boxe vndre the lede as I seide bifore. And vndrestande bat euery li. wille haue

xij oz. of quycke siluer in be werke of lede and iij oz. of fyne siluer, bat is to seye,

an oz. 1 of goode siluer dissolued in the watre in be whiche mercury is congelid

and ij oz. of fyne siluer dissolued into watre, with the whiche the poudres to the

10

weighte in be boxe vppon the quycke siluer congelid.

The Whyte Stone

Make a watre as bou dides afore of the forseide thingz to be weighte afore

seide and dissolue oz. 1 of fyne siluer, and quycke siluer wel waisshe and clene oz.

1, and tynne mundified oz. 1; and sette hit in a glasyn potte faste closid. And sette

15

hit in a wyndowe where cometh nether sunne ne reyne by no tyme, but lete hit

stonde stille til white stones falle dovne into be bottume of be potte; and be stones

wille renne like wexe.

And this is be proue bere-of. Take a litille of bat stone and put hit on a

 

8 vitri] ri ins. above F

324

hote firy plate of copre and hit shal renne as wexe and drie vppon be fire; and so

shal [f. 72v] thy plate be white and goode. And yf hit renne not, put hit in the

watre ayene and sette hit ouer the fire to boille a litelle til the stones falle to the

bottume of the potte and make the probacion as I seyde byfore. And yf any

dregges falle or descende into be bottume of the potte byfore9 suche stones falle

bere-of, departe thoo dregges fro be watre and benne boille hit a litelle; and benne

sette hit in a wyndowe til be stones descende. benne grynde hit on a glasyn plate.

benne put hit atte laste into a potte of glasse with a long rovnde necke and put

bere-to poudre of sal armonyac. And sette the glasse in hote hors fyme be space of

10

6 wykes and lete be mouthe of the glasse be welle closid and lete hit be abouue the

fyme. And bere bou shal fynde thy stones dissoluid into watre. And loke what

metaille bou toches with bat watre, hit shal receipue the colour of siluer. And yf

bou10 put11 platz firy hote in bat watre, hit shal seme siluer withynne and withoute;

and yit hit is noo siluer.

15

And yf bou sette bis watre into diche or a pitte of moiste clay and lete hit

stande bere vj wokes and lete the mouthe of be potte be closid vppon th'erthe,

benne take hit oute and sette hit wokes 6 in thayer yn watry sande and benne take

hit oute and sette hit in b'ayer 6 wokes, and bou shal fmde bere a stone moste

 

9 byfore] add over eras. F

'0 bou] added in right margin, prob. by corr. F

“ put] ut ins. above line F

325

whittest and rovnde and vnyd togedre. Grynde hit to poudre and put be poudre

into a glasse and close hit and sette hit in hote fyme as ye dide bifore; and lete hit

stonde bere-ynne be space of iij dayes natural and hit shal dissolue into watre. Yn

the whiche watre put a strawe and touche be blade of a knyfe berewith; and yf hit

be white where bou touches by knyfe, hit is ynowe. And yf hit whiteth not,

openne be mouthe of be potte and lete hit stande in the fyme til bou fynde be

proue12 [f. 73r] of the knyfe of the foreseyde that was causid and descendid of be

foreseide white stone.

And here been be vertues of bis stone. Furst, yf bou put quycke siluer

10

bere-ynne withoute any fire be space of viij houres, hit shal be toumyd into be

beste siluer bat may be at alle assayes. And yf bou leve the foreseyde in thayre ij

dayes natural,’ hit shal be tournid into a stone of be whiche yf bou grynde oz. 1

and put hit to 70 oz. of quycke siluer on a lente tire be space of a houre, and bou

shal haue 60 oz. of be fynest siluer that may be at alle probacions.

15

Item, yit I shal seye more maistrie and gretter bere-of vnto the of bis

forseide stone so leveyned and lifte vppe. Take aftre he hath be in the dunge and

in be clay and be sonde and in bayer making the probacion on the knyfe, as I seyde

afore. And put 02. l bere-of vppon 70 oz. of quycke siluer dissolued into watre so

bat be watre be hote. And benne shal bou haue 60 oz. of bat stone that shal make

20

and fulfille be vertues that I spake of a litel bifore in the same chapitre in

 

‘2 catchwords of the knyfe at foot ofpage.

congelyng of mercury. '3

326

And here in this werke bee affirmed be wordes of philosophres be whiche

seyen bat argentum viuum est spiritus unigens pregnans seipsum vno die parens et

est tanquam coagulum in lacte fennentatum et inpistatum odore bono. ' And as 0er

tyme as bou14 wilte haue by quycke siluer rubified, dissolue hit in be watre afore

seyde and benne distille be watre fro hit. And benne shal be quycke siluer

remayne in be vaisshel rubified. And benne dissolue hit in be forsaide watre and

hit shal be good for be rede stone. And bis watre wille be rubified yf hit bee long

inboiled on a fire yn a iren panne.

10

Here15 is An Other Good Tyncturc and a Precious. ‘6

Take oz. 1 of mercury sublymyd atte vttemest and inbibe hit with be flour

of be watre of copre distillid. And grynde hit and yn [f. 73v] bibe hit and drie hit

vij sithes. And put hit on a stone to dissolue and hit shal dissolue into a rede

watre. And do so til bou haue a grete quantite of mercury y-rubified. And put to

15

be furste oz. of mercury, oz. 1 of pure watre of golde and medle baym togedre and

brynge baym to coagulacion; and yit dissolue hit as ye dide bifore. benne put

 

‘3 mercury] finger pointing at section F

‘4 bou] prima aqua right marg., orig. scribe B F

‘5 Here] two-line dec. init. H; guide letter visible F

‘6 Precious] 2 ra lefi marg., orig. scribe F

327

bere-to an other oz. of watre of mercury rubified and 1 oz. of watre of sulphur

sublymed and fixed and rubified and melle baym togedre and congele hit as bou

dide bifore. benne afterwarde, grynde hit on a stone and inbibe hit with watre of

mercury rubified and drye hit and put hit into a rotumbe and sette hit in hors fyme

to dissolue. And aftre bat, distille hit and congele hit; and bis is a rede tincture

and a parfite.

Put 117 parte of bis tincture vppon an C parties of euery metalle purgid by

calcinacion and rubified and hit shal be good golde in al examynacion and

malliacion. And put 1 parte of be same tyncture vppon xxxti parties of crude

10

mercury y-purgid and hit shal be parfite golde. Yit grynde this medicine with

watre of mercury rubified and solute and distillid; inbibe and drye hit and put hit in

a rotumbe and sette hit in hors fyme to dissolue. And benne distille hit and

congele hit, and hit is a noble tincture and a parfite. Caste oone part of bis tincture

vppon a ml parties of euery metalle purgid and calcyned and rubified & hit shal be

15

good golde in al examinacion. And put oon parte of bis same tyncture vppon sixti

parties of mercury crude and purgid and hit shal be parfite golde.

Yit grynde bis medicine with watre of mercury rubified and do in alle

degrees berewith as bou dideste with be iijde white tyncture, s. grynde hit, inbibe

hit, and drye [f. 74r] hit, and put hit into a rotumbe of glasse and close hit with a

20

closyng iryns, as I seide long bifore, & benne sette hit in fyme to dissolue. And

 

‘7 1] finger pointing at section F

328

benne distille hit and benne congele hit; and hit is a good tyncture both rede and

precious and parfite. Put 1 parte of bis elixar vppon Ml parties of euery metalle

purgid and calcyned and rubified; and put 1 parte of bis same tyncture vppon a M1

parties of crude mercury y-purgid. And hit shal be noble gold and bettre banne

natural golde or golde of be myne in a1 examinacion; and hit shal indure for euer.

Here18 is an Other Precious Tyncturc.

Dissolue oz. 1 of mercury sublymed at fulle on a marble stone or on a plate

of glasse with watre of sal armoniac. And whenne hit is dissoluid, put bere-to 1

oz. of watre silure and congele thees ij watres togedre in a vaisshel y-closid

10

togedre with hote irens or tonges, as I haue seide bifore. And whenne hit is

congeled, dissolue hit as ye dide bifore with be watre of sal armoniac and put bere-

to an other oz. of watre of mercury sublymed atte fulle and 02. 1 of watre of

arcenyc, sublymed and fixed, and medle baym togedre; and congele hit as ye dide

afore and dissolue hit also as ye dide afore and benne put bere-to be thridde oz. of

15

watre of mercury and 1 oz. of watre of sulphur, sublymed and fixed, and medle

baym alle togedre and congele hit as ye dide bifore. And benne grynde hit on a

marble stone and inbibe hit with watre of mercury and benne drye hit wel. And

benne put hit into a strong rotunbe of glasse and close hit with a iren, as I seide

 

‘8 Here] ?ra lefi marg., orig. scribe F

329

bifore, bat noon ayer go oute, and sette hit in hote hors fyme. And withynne ix

dayes hit shal dissolue into watre and be mercury [f. 74v] shal be fixed at fulle.

benne distille bis watre and caste aweye be feys and congele hit. And bis is a

stedefaste tyncture abiding for cure.

Caste 1 parte of bis medicyne on a C partes of euery metalle purgid and

calcyned and hit shal dure for euer. And put 1 parte of bis medicine on 30 partes

of crude mercury purgid and hit shal be parfite siluer in a1 examinacion.

Item, grynde bis medicine on a stone and inbibe hit with watre of mercury

sublymed at fulle and distille hit. benne drie hit as bou dide afore and put hit in a

10

rotunbe and sette hit in hors fyme, as bou dide bifore, til hit be dissoluyd. benne

distille hit and congele hit as bou dide afore and benne hit is a strenger tyncture

and bettre benne hit was before. For 1 parte hereof falleth to be put on a M'

parties of euery metalle purgid and calcyned. And put 1 parte hereof on sixty

partes of crude mercury purgid and hit shal be parfite siluer.

15

And grynde bis medicine be iijde tyme on a stone, inbibyng with watre of

mercury, and drye hit and sette hit in hors fyme to dissolue and distille hit and

congele hit. And do berewith as bou dide afore and benne hit may make a ful

excellent tyncture and precious. Caste 1 parte of bis tincture on x M' perties on

euery metalle purgid by calcynacion and hit shal be fyue siluer and noble and

20

bettre benne the natural myne. And caste 1 parte of bis tincture on a M1 parties of

crude mercury purgid and hit shal be fynest siluer beryng and abiding alle

examinacions and malliacions for euermore.

Dicit’9 philosophus de dijfinicione argenti viui [etlzo declarat illud sub hac

330

forma dicens. Argentum viuum est aqua viscosa substancie subtilis generata ex

terra alba ergo sequitur per consequens aqua viscosa substancie subtilis generata

ex terra alba est argentum viuum sic sequitur conclusio quod sperma omnium

inanimatorum crescencium in term [f. 75r] est argentum viuum. Et per consequens

cum omnes lapides sunt inanimati nascentes et crescentes in term argentum viuum

est materia omnium lapidum” tam gemmarum quam aliorum. Ergo omnes lapides

naturaliter in term producuntur naturaliter ab e0. Ergo sequitur quod omnes

lapides artificialiterfieri ex ea possum per hoc quod ars sequitur naturam et in

10

quibusdam corrigit eam. Et sic de omni lapide nimis perfectionis potest fieri lapis

magis perfectionis cum omnes conicent in materia et reducantur ad primam

materiam que est argentum viuum. Et sic concluditur quod argentum viuum est

spemta et materia tam lapidum quam metallorum quare ex metallis reductis in

argentum viuum possunt fieri metalla &c. '

15

Take mercury asmuche as bou22 wilte and bryng hit to white poudre by ij

sublymacions. And whenne bou has any plente of be mercury sublymed, benne

take a iren plate right clene bumysshid and strawe by mercury bere—on as bou

 

‘9 Dicit] 5 ray and pointing finger, lefi marg., orig. scribe F

2° et] est F

2‘ lapidum] lapidium (extra minum in text) F

22 as] Aqua 3 right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

331

woldes strawe salt on flessh; and withynne a fewe dayes natural be mercury so

strawed abrode shal toume into watre. benne take bat same watre and asmuche of

be mercury sublymed and grynde hit togedre on a stone and lete hit lye til be

mercury be dissolued into watre. benne loke bou put no more by mercury neber

by watre on be iren plate, for hit may lightly ruste. benne take bat watre and

asmuche of mercury sublymed and grynde hit on a marble stone til hit be

dissolued; and do thus often tymes til bou haue a sufficiant quantite. benne

receip[u]e23 or take what maniere stone bou wilte and bringe hit to smalle poudre

withoute any firing; and put bere-to asmuche of be watre of mercury afore seyde

10

and grynde hit on a marble stone. And put hit into a glasyn vyolle wel lutid with

philosophres paste and sette hit in hors fyme. And bere bou shal haue ferment,24 i.

leveyne, to by wirking of bat poudre.

benne take of bat [f. 75v] seyde ferment asmuche as bou wilte and put

bere-to asmuche watre of be mercury afore seyde and medle thaym wel togedre in

15

a cuppe and moeue hit with a spone of home.25 And benne lete hit stande and take

residence in a glasyn vaisshel of a good shappe ix dayes yn a place colde and

moyste and withoute any fyme, for withyn ix dayes, hit shal be toumyd into watre

and tyde ferment. And do bis laste wirking ofte tymes ayen til bou haue suyche

 

23 receip[u]e] receipne F

2‘ ferment] t contains squiggle in crossbar F

25 home] A spone of home [illus. of spoon] left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

porcion as bou sechis for of be ferment afore seyde. And so multiplie hit ofte to

332

be vtmeste.

benne26 make a cliche or a pitte in hors fyme and fille be pitte with drye

sande; and on be sande make a bedde of vnslekid lyme and bere-on make an other

of be askys y-made of man is blode. benne putte be watre be whiche is levene or

ferment, as I seyde afore, in a vaisshel of glasse and close hit with paste; and put

be forsaide vaisshel y-closid on be forseide askis and benne be askis of be blode in

euery side of be vaisshel. And benne make a bedde of vnsleked lyme. And benne

put sande vppon that and benne hors fyme and lete be vaisshel stonde so

10

contynually by 3 monetthes. And benne draue hit oute and benne bou shal fynde

be matiere y-toumyd into bat matiere bat bou has desirid both to by liking and

profite and to high plaisance of God. Amen.

Finito libro reddatur gracia Cristo.27 '

 

26 Pennne] fimo equios left marg., 16th cent. com. 8 F

27 Finito libro reddatur gracia Cristo] blank line above and below this line F

333—A

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Figure 10: Glasgow University, Hunterian Library, Ferguson 205, f. 75v

 
 

 

 

[Various Recipes]

[f. 75v] For to Purge Jubiter‘

Take 3 1i. or asmuche as pou wilte bere-of and melte1 hit. benne make a

strong quenchour of strong pisse and grete salte togedre and boille hit welle

togedre. benne quenche py metalle bere-ynne and melte hit ayene and quenche hit

ayen bere-ynne; and quenche hit ofte tymes pere-yn, for be ofter be bettre. And

benne let hit cole a [f. 76r] while so pat hit be not to hote.

benne make a teste of barke turfe askes; and benne wete 11y askis with ale

and tempre hit wel togedre. And penne daube py potte perewith withynne a1

10

aboute 1 ynche thicke. benne put by Jubiter pere-yn and melte hit strongly. benne

take glasse and make poudre bere-of; and as by metalle boilith, strewe euer of bat

poudre pore-on a litel and a litel til he leve his boilyng. benne lete hit stonde

stille.

benne take 3 partes of by Jubiter and 1 parte of thy mercury and take be 3

15

partes and melte hit so pat hit be not to hote; and take by 1 parte of mercury and

warme hit a litel. benne caste pat oone parte into pat other and stere hit welle with

 

‘ melte] 4 A stronye quenchor: f0. 76 left marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

333

334

a sticke, and benne forthwith caste hit into watre. benne take pat malgaz and do

hit in a boxe of ire. benne hit is redy to sette to be fire.

benne take tartre pat hongeth2 in a wyne tonne and do hit in a potte and

sette hit in a strong fire and brenne hit to white askes; and benne caste bit into a

strong pisse and benne stere hit wel. benne pore oute a1 be clere bere-of clene,

and bat is watre of tartre.

benne take sulphur and grynde hit smalle and do hit in a sherde and boile

hit with strong vin aigre, and as hit drieth, droppe euer of be vin aigre bere-vppon,

for be more be bettre. benne put by sulphur in be boxe with be malgaz and sette

10

hit ouer be fire; and alwey droppe of be watre of tartre bere-on and lete by fire

kyndel easily & lete hit stonde ix houres or more. And alweye droppe of be tartre

watre bere-on so bat bere be euer more be thickenes of ij grotz of bat watre pere-

on. And whenne pou seest tyme, caste a pecke of coles aboue bere-on and lete hit

stonde til hit be brent oute. benne take hit oute and melte hit in a clene potte.

15

benne make gleyre of egges. benne caste the metalle al hote into be gleyre

and benne melte hit [f. 76v] ayene and caste thy metalle bere-yn ayene and serue

hym so iij or iiij tymes. And aftre melte hit clene and caste hit in weiggz and

benne hit is goode lune and able at alle assayes.

For to Make a Blanchour

 

2 hongeth] preparrio of Tartar right marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

335

Take mestelyn, i. panne bras, and bete hit in platz of a hande brede and

benne anele thaym rede hote. And benne quenche bayme3 in a sharpe quenchour

ofte tymes til thay be clere; but make by quenchour of strong pisse and grete4 salte

and stere hit wel togedre.

Thenne, for to make by medicine, take arcenyc and mercury sublymed y-

like muche. benne take halfe asmuche of toty argent and benne grynde thaym alle

at oones to smalle poudre and put hit in a sherde with strong white vin aigre and

boille hit wel togedre; for be longer hit boilleth, be better hit is. And droppe euer

of be vin aiger bere-on as hit drieth and benne lete hit drie vpppe.

10

benne take al bat matiere and put hit in a gynger potte or a mustard potte

bat hath a long necke, and loke hit be clene, and sette hyt in hote ymbres and lete

hit stonde til 31 be moisture be ago; and leye a knyfe is blade ouer be potte is

mouthe and yf bere honge noon moisture on be blade, benne take and leye a clowte

on be potte is mouthe and benne stoppe hit faste with clay and sette hym on a easy

15

fire. And whenne he hath stonde so 1 houre, benne tourne hym vpsodovne and

lete hym stonde so in be fire an other houre. And benne tourne hym vp ayene and

so lete hym stande an ober while and serue hym, s. , iij or 4 tymes; & benne breke

vp be stopping and strape dovne clene into be potte al bat hongeth aboute be potte

is mouthe. And benne stoppe hit faste ayene and sette hit in be fire and loke bat be

20

matiere rise not vppe nomore to be potte is mouthe. And yf he rise no more,

 

3 bayme] A sharpe quenchor left marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

4 grete] of vrine & Barn salte fo. 75 lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

benne is he fixe ynowe benne.

336

Take by platz [f. 77r] afore seide and kutte thaym smalle in peces and

benne ley a leyne of be plates into be potte and an other leyne of bat poudre bat

bou made bifore, for bat matiere is poudre afore seyde, and benne leye a leyne of

be platz. And benne strewe of bat poudre bere-on and do so with euery dele in be

same wise til be potte be fulle; and loke bat bou haue matiere ynowe to fille be

potte. And benne couer by potte with a sherde aboue and benne daube by potte

faste with clay bere-on. And benne sette be potte in be fire and lete be fire

kyndelle by hit silfe; and whenne hit wexeth rede hote, ley to a peyre of suffletz

10

and blowe faste til hit melte dovne. And benne caste hym in a quenchour y-made

of gleyre of'5 egges and 0er de olyve and hony and put baym togedre. And benne

assaye by metalle with a hamour and loke yf hit be tough. And yf bat he breke,

benne melte hit ayene and quenche hit ayene til hit be tough ynowe. benne take

and melte hit in a faire potte and benne caste hit into weigges.

15

Take6 venus in plates be thickenes of ij grotz. benne take7 sulphur and

grynde hit smalle to poudre and ley bat poudre on a sherde. And benne anele by

platz as rede hote as brennyng coles and with a peire of tongz take 1 plate or ij and

caste baym in be poudre of sulphur and toume baym bere-yn. And do so with

 

5 of] A low glae right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

6 Take] To make es vstum add. to blank line in text, 16th cent. comm. X F

7 take] tako F

euery plate 1 after an other.

337

Furst anele baym and benne caste baym in be poudre of sulphur; and benne

assaye baym with a hamour yf any of baym wil breke a two. And he bat wille not

breke, anele hym rede hote ayene and quenche hym in be sulphur ayene til he wille

breke. benne anele hym rede hote ayene and take a vaisshel with 0er de olyue

and quenche hym bere-ynne, eche after other and ofte tymes [f. 77v] til thay be

tough ynowe and yelow ynowe bat a knyfe wil kerve8 bere—ynne. benne is he es

vstum.

Thenne to make thy medicine, take toti aurum and grynde hit smalle to

10

poudre. benne take figges and dates and reisins and stampe baym welle. benne

take rede wylowe coles and grynde thaym to smalle poudre. benne take alle thees

matieres and medle baym wel togedre. benne put bere-to hony and tempere hit

welle berewith so bat hit be softe. benne make be maniere of paste bere-of.

benne take thy plates and enoyncte baym berewith. benne couche baym in by

15

potte til be potte be fulle. benne couer hit welle with a sherde and close hit wel

with clay and sette hit in a herthe. And benne leye coles al aboute hit and lete the

fire kindelle by hit-silfe and so lete hit stonde til hit be rede hote. benne ley to a

peire of belowes and blowe bere-to sadly to hit be white hote and melte dovne.

Penne afterwarde take and melte hit in a clene potte and benne caste hit in weiggz.

20

And benne anele baym rede hote and caste thaym in quenchour y-made of

vertegrece and watre togedre and quenche baym bere-ynne 1 or ij. benne is hit

 

8 kerve] to make es vstum left marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

good sol, yf hit be kyndely wrought.

338

Take9 stagne and calcyne hit, i. brynge hit to poudre, in bis forme. Take a

erthen panne fulle of clene siften askes and sette hit ouer be fire til hit be fire rede.

And benne melte by stagne afore seide yn an other potte and caste hit in to be

panne with askes. And benne take a hote iren rodde and stere be stagne and be

askis togedre strongly, s. , bat be stagne be tournyd clene into be askes in somuche

bat bou may not perceipue be stagne in be askis in no wise, but bat a1 is clene

askes to by sight. And so lete hit stande til hit be very colde. And bannelo grynde

hit on a merble stone subtille and smalle and benne put a porcion of by askes bat

10

been grovnde in a clene [f. 78r] holowe bacyn with hote watre and waissh hit

clene. benne caste aweye be trouble watre and so waissh hit ij or iij and a1 wey

put awey be troublenes and contynue this til be watre shewe a1 clere. benne caste

awey be watre subtilly and put be poudre into a clene vaisshel to drie. And so

dightte vppe alle by askis and waisshe baym clene in maniere afore seide. And

15

benne drie alle be calce, bat is to seye be poudre of the stagne. And whenne hit is

drie, grynde hit smalle and subtil and put bere-to watre of alume and watre of salte

and grynde thaym alle togedre and put hit in a glas. And sette bat glas in a panne

with clene drie siften askis ouer a fire and so lete hit congele and drie. And

 

9 Take] 2(fo. 57 lefl marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

‘0 banne] sic F

339

bennell grynde hit on a marble stone and medle hit with be watre afore seide and

so congele hit and dissolue hit often tymes; and do so til by calce be very quycke

and white to by sight. benne grynde hit with white sal12 alkaly on be stone and

benne drie hit and put hit in a crusible, i. a potte to melte hit ynne; and loke bat by

potte be well y-lutid and cloos. And lete be potte haue a litelle hole by side where

bou may put yn by medicine and clene shepe is talough. And benne make a strong

fire bat hit may melte anone withoute grete tarieng; but be wel ware bat be hole be

se[c]urelyl3 y-stoppid til be matiere be melte. benne openne be hole bat is biside

be potte and put yn by medicine by a fonelle” of ire. And bere bou shal haue a

10

white parfitable gobette be whiche is good siluer on warantise for euermore. And

bis same matiere may receip[u]e15 a rede tincture.

Thy medicine for byn white is bis. Take mercury sublymed, fixed, and

dissolued and vse hit for by medicine, I li. of be watre of mercury on xxti li. of by

stagne.

15

To calce by alume and to sublime by mercury and to fixe hit and to dissolue

hit with sal armoniac sublymed, se[t]‘° hit withynne quynte essence.

 

” benne] Have fixed the waterys ye water of Alume and watir of salte right

marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

‘2 sal] water of white lefi marg., 16th cent. com. A F

‘3 se[c]urely] seurely F

‘4 fonelle] fo in diff. hand F

‘5 receip[u] e] receipne F

‘6 se[t]] see F

And yf bou wilte make [f. 78v] good golde of thy stagne or of any metalle

340

calcyned, vndrestonde wel be matiere afore seide. Whenne by metalle is calcyned

and waisshen in clene watre and dryed & grovnde vppon a stone and meltyd with

watre of salt and alume, as I haue seide bifore, and so congele hit and dissolue hit

til hit be quycke, as I seide bifore. And bis matiere shal be reducid to fyne sol in

this wise. anibel7 by calce in watre of arnement and rubifie hit wel and congele

hit and benne grynde hit with watre of sal alkaly; and18 benne put hit into a

vaisshelle to melte hit. And make be vaisshel al cloos al aboute & make a strong

fire; and blowe bere—to bat hit might melte anone. And by a fonelle of ire caste yn

10

by medicyne, and after bat shepe is talowgh moltyn.

be whiche medicine is made on bis wise. Take by mercury sublymed,

fixed, and dissoluid with watre of sal armonyac and ynbibe hit19 in watre of viride

es' 7; and as ofte tymes congele hit and benne dissolue hit on a marble stone into

watre ayene, bat is to seie, grynde hit and put bere-to sal armoniac and lete hit be

15

grounde berewith. And so lete hit lie on be stone and lete hit descende into a

violle; and loke bat be stone lye a side and be violle euene vndre hit to receipue be

watre; & bat same watre distille in a stillatorye of glas and kepe be matiere bere-

of. And put bere-to watre of fyne sol and medle hit wel berewith and put bere-to a

 

‘7 anibe] Aqua Floris ye Atrament: or of the stone [o]f copper fo. 7O .*. left

marg. 16th cent. com. A F

'8 and] d added later F

‘9 ynbibe hit] Aqua viride [remainder lost] left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

porcion of watre of markasede. And benne bou has a principalle medicine forto

341

make vppe by rede werke for euermore on warantise.

To make by viride es and be watre of salte, go and see hit in quynte

essence, & c. And bis is be moste parfite to bis crafte.

20Alume21 of Spayne, as alle philosophres seyen, is propirely callid ij

gummies, bat is to seye, a white gummie & a rede gummie. The white is the

kybryt, i. be leueyne [f. 79r] of philosophres and thayre gold, and principal and

chief tyncture. Thenne joyne22 by trewe matrimony bees ij gummies togedre. By

bis matrimony‘ and wedding togedre is vndrestande sublimacion; by be white23

10

gummie is vndrestande crude mercury, and by the rede gummie is vndrestande

vitriol romayne.24

Sublyme bees ij gummies togedre after be maniere and forme” as the vthe

chapitre of Boniface declareth yn26 be iijdc Boke of Quynte Essence. ' And benne

 

2° The alume of Spayne ys ij gumes, a whyte and a redde gummes] ins. one

line above section text by 16th cent. com. A in otherwise blank line in MS F

2‘ Alume] finger pointing at section F

22 joyne] joy add later over eras. F

23 white] ite in diff hand F

2“ Romayne] loke for the fyst chapiter of boniface right marg., 16th cent.

com. A F

2’ forme] f0. 74 left marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

26 yn] 7.5 lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

342

bryng hit to a rennyng watre and make a matrimony, i. a medlyng togedre, of bis

watre so godly laborid of ij parties of zaibec, i. mercury, on 1 parte of a fixe body,

i. sol. And malgan hem and melte thaym by be secretenes of kinde in a

philosophers vaisshel, i. in a stillatory of glas or elles in a vaisshel bat is y-callid a

rotumbe. And kepe yn be ayer and be smoke and be ware bat bere fle no thyng

aweye fro hym. And be mesure of be fire shal be as be hete of be sunne in be

moneth of Juyn or July. Bide and beholde be vaisshel: how furst hit wille wexe

blac and benne white and benne rede and benne frost‘ and so in lesse benne in 3

houres of be day, be fumosite and be smoke hede shal be brought to a body and be

10

spirit shal be constreyned. And hit shal be benne as rennyng mylke and as a bing

bat is meltyng and as a bing bat is perisshyng; and bis is oon of be priuytes of

philosophres.27

Thenne seide Aross be grete clerc, "I bilyue not bis. " Oure lady Saint

Marie answerid and seyde, "This is more wondreful and meruaillous banne any

15

werk bat hath be vsid of olde, for this wirking come neuer to man by noo

meditacion. " "

And here is be pourpoos of be werke. Take a clere herbe and28 a white

worthily y-honovrid and sette on litel hilles, bat is to sey, mercury y-sublymed &

caste [f. 79v] abouue the feces and dreggz, be whiche is feire and white and

20

depurid fro a1 corrupcion. Grynde baym fressh as he is in his houre, i. in be tyme

 

27 philosophres] Aros ye gret clerke right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

28 and] g right marg., 16th cent. comm. F

whenne he is sublymed, and brynge hym to watre for hit is trewe body not fleyng

343

be fire.

But Aros seyde and inquerid yf bat were be stone of trowth or not. Oure

lady seyde for sothe hit was so, but men knowen not be gouuemance and be

spedeful wirking of hym.

And benne wedde, i. medle, to kybryt, i. to by leueyne bat is made of

mercury and vitriol romayne and toumyd to watre with zaybec, be whiche is a

watre bat is made of mercury and sol as I seide afore. And bees ij fumes, i. be

watre of be spirit of mercury and vitriol, shal make ij lightes, bat is to sey, bis

10

watre is bothe white and rede, white in mercury and rede by be vitriol,29 be whiche

bou may see by experience in be furst Boke of Quynte Essence withyn be xiij

canon, be thridde chapitre.’

Thenne caste by kybryt and zaibec togedre by euene weightz, i. of euery

like muche, for bay shal make a fulle tyncture and parfite. Melle thaym wel

15

togedre and put hit in a double glas and close hit with philosophres paste and sette

hit on a panne with asshis on a fire. And bere bou shal see a meruaillous

gouuernance. Whenne hit is sette on be fire, here bou shal see how wondrely hit

shal be toumyd fro oon colour into an other in lesse banne in 3 houres of be day.

And so hit wil change alwey til hit come to a redenes and fresyng togedre as ise or

20

froste. benne put be panne fro be fire and lete hit cole and benne bou shal fynde

 

29 vitriol] looke more of this note in e fo. 30. & in 26 left marg. 16th cent.

com A F

344

bat precious body feyre and clere yn be colour of a rede popy bat groweth in the

felde. And bis stone is rennyng, meltyng, and entryng, and he yeueth tyncture

meruaillous and passyngly. Put 1 d.' weight vppon a m1 l (1. weight of any metalle

bat is purgid and calcyned and hit [f. 80r] shal be fyne golde. And bis is a fulle

secrete matiere.3O

Take egges, as many as bou wilte, and draue oute the white and put hit in a

glasyn vaisshel. And close be mouthe with pure clay and sette bat vaisshel yn a

hors bely, i. in hors fyme, and lete hit stande be space of 21 dayes. benne take hit

oute and paste hit with calce of egges and make bere-of a sadde gobette. benne

10

put bat gobette in a boistous potte of erthe and close be potte with clay and sette hit

ouer a fire of coles brennyng. And let hit stande bere til be gobette withynne be

potte be toumyd to a stone. benne openne by potte and take hit oute and grynde

hit to smalle poudre; and after bat melte what metalle bou wilte be whiche is

purgid and calcynyd, except ire. And put oone parte of bis poudre on 30 parties of

15

what metalle bat euer hit be, excepte ire, and hit shal be tournyd into fyne siluer.

If bou wil make good sol, take egges and put awey be white so bat bere

leue noon bing in be shelle but be yolke. And benne fille be shelle with be same

poudre afore seyde and close hit faste in clay al aboute. benne sette hit vij dayes

in be hors fyme and benne draue hit oute and openne hit; and bat be whiche is in

20

be shelle, drie hit in be sunne and benne grynde hit to poudre. Vse bis poudre as

bou dides bat othir bifore and bou shal see a miracle.

 

3° matiere] to make good ) right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

A Sophisticacion

345

Take pycche, rosyne, and francencenche and melte baym and caste be

meltyn31 tynne bere-on; and hit shal haue colour and hardynes of siluer. And

whenne hit is litel congelid, caste hit into vin aiger in be whiche comune salte

preparate is dissolued and quenche hit bere-ynne ofte tymes, furst in by pioche and

be rosyne and in be francencens togedre; and at euery tyme, melte by metalle and

contynue bis til bou haue by pourpoos, that is to sey, [f. 80v] til hit be white and

harde as silure.

An32 Other Sophisticacion of Stagne’

10

Take tynne and melte hit and caste hit into a strong feruente watre y-made

of salte comune preparate and boilling hote; and do caste ynne by tynne 5 tymes.

Penne melte hit ayene and caste hit in feruent 0er and in hony or in shepe is

talowgh and hony feruent hote. And bere hit shal lese his brotilnes for euer more.

Put bere-to 1 oz. weight of fyne silure vppon be weight of 20 oz. of the

15

forseide tynne and bou shal fmde hit good metalle withoute any doute for euer

more .

 

3' meltyn] To make 2‘30 white & harde as ) right marg., 16th cent. comm. A

F

32 An] To make 2(so white and tough as ) left marg., I6th cent. comm. A F

Item,33 An Other Sophisticacion

346

Take stagne, i. tynne, and melte hit and caste hit 3 in watre of tartre y-

medlid with watre made of a stone bat is callid lapis calaminaris, boillyng hote.

And hit shal harde the tynne and make hit white withoute brotilnes.

5

Item,34 An Other Sophisticacion

Take madockes l, angwille toches of b'erthe, and a goode quantite of

morelle and grynde baym bothe togedre in a mortier. And tempere hit togedre

with cowe mylke or gote is mylke; and tempere hit vppe as hit were a thicke

rennyng broth. benne melte by tynne and caste bit into bat broth boiling hote and

10

melte hit; and caste hit bere-on vij sithes. And loke bat be licour boile alwey

whenne bou caste yn by tynne and bou shal finde hit white and harde as ire or stile'

and withoute any brotilnes for euer more. benne take platz of ire or stile35 as

thynne as bay mowe be and anele baym fire rede; benne quenche baym in good

olde wyne and do so ofte tyme and bay shal wexe neissh as lede.

15

Of this ire bus preparate and arayed, put 1 parte on 4 perties of be tynne

 

33 Item] To make leo hard white & tough as ) left marg., 16th cent. comm. A

F

3“ Item] To make le0 white & hard as iron or stile lefi marg., 16th cent.

com. A F

35 stile] To make 6' as fine as h left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

347

bifore seide and hit shal put aweye his brotilnes for euer more and make hit harde

as ire. benne put to this metalle the 4 parte of fyne siluer and melte36 [f. 81r]

thaym alle togedre and caste hit in oyle and in hony y-medlid togedre by euene

porcion; and withoute doute hit shal be al good silure.

Item, An Other Sophisticacion

Take 1 oz. weight of37 copre purgid and be weight of ij oz. of tynne and 1

oz. weight of fyne silure and medle baym alle togedre and caste thaym alle in hony

or in hote sethyng oyle; and do so 5 or 6 tymes. And bou shal fynde hit good

metalle and like to silure in al werke withoute doute.

10

Copre or laton is purgid in this maniere wise.38 Plate hit and anele hit til

fire rede and quenche baym in hote cowe mylke boilyng in be whiche bou shal put

a goode quantite of comune salte preparate or sal armonyac sublymed, be whiche is

bettre, and quenche baym so til be platz wexe white and berewith wirke as I seide

afore.

15

Item, An Other Sophisticacion

 

3“ catchwords thaym alle togedre at foot of page.

37 weight of] To make 2(@ y lym fyne ) right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

38 wise] To purge 9 or laton right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

Take arcenec smalle39 grounde to poudre and boille hit in comune oyle &

348

sethe hit vppe til hit be drie and be 0er wastid awey to nought. benne grynde hit

ayene and put bere-to 0er of tartre and sethe hit til hit be drie. benne grynde hit

ayene and loke yf hit shewe like lymelle of gold. Yf hit shewe not so, sethe hit

and grynde hit with be oyle of tartre as bou did bifore; and grynde hit and do so

ofte tyme til bou haue by pourpoos. benne take plates of white messilyne or

copre, be thynnest bat bou may haue, and put hit in a potte, oon leyne of be platz

in be bottume. But strawe be arcenec nexte be bottume vndre be plates and loke

bou haue a porcion of poudre of alume calcyned bere-on, s. , among the poudre of

10

arcenec and strawe of bat poudre on be plates. And leye an other leyne of platz

bere-on and be poudre bere-vppon and benne mo plates and poudre on thaym and

so fille by potte. And lute hym faste but be wel ware of thy proporcion. For to 7

marke [f. 81v] weight of copre or of massilyne, bou shal put 1 oz. of be poudre of

arcenec. And yf bou put bere-to mercury sublymed and fixed oz. semi, hit shal be

15

fyne silure; or elles bou muste put bere-to 1 oz. of fyne siluer, and hit wil be good

ynow at alle assayes for euer more.

Item,40 To Purge Lede

 

39 smalle] To Blanche copre then it be [undecipherable] sith as silver right

marg., 16th cent. com. A F

‘0 Item] To purge h left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

Melte hit and quenche hit in watre of sal armoniac dissolued in hote reyny

349

watre, and do bus 3 tymes, & c.

Thenne“1 yf bou wil make siluer of by lede, lymelle hym smalle42 and put

bere-to 3 partes of clene poudre of alume y—calcyned and medle baym bothe

togedre. And benne take potters claye and medle berewith as a man medleth spices

with paste and gadre a1 vppe; and tourne hit and knede hit thriftely with be clay

and make hit as a balle. And benne drie hit. And benne loke bou haue a potte

with pipes or gotiers comyng dovneward in euery side of be vaisshel. And put by

balle bere-yn and make bere vndre a strong fire. And lete hit melte dovne by be

10

gotiers of be vaisshel or be pipes in be bottume. And benne lymelle hit ayene and

do berewith as bou dide bifore; and do bis 3 [tymes]. And yf bou haue any

porcion of be arcenec aforeseide, medle berewith or mercury sublymed and bere

shal come bere—of fyne siluer. And for be white spirit hit43 is be better. And yf

bou put bere-to any rede spiryt and by metalle be Spaynessh laton with be calce of

15

yolkes of egges lymellid and laborid after be forme of be matiere afore seide, and

hit shal be good golde.

Alle spritz mowe be wrought with bees bodies afore and come to effecte

bothe of lune and of sol, be whiche is goode in a1 operacion.

 

4‘ Thenne] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

‘2 smalle] To mak ) of h left marg., 16th cent. com. A F

43 hit] To make gold of Spanishe laton left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

Item,44 To Purge Tynne

350

Take picthe and fenne, i. myry erthe in be weye, and sette hit ouer be fire.

And whenne hit is hote, melte by tynne and caste bere-on 3 [tymes] and bis is his

clensyng or mundificacion. [f. 82r]

Item, take vin aigre and put bere-ynne lymelle of45 lede and sal armonyac

ana. And withynne ix dayes be lede shal be dissoluid into the kinde of be vin

aigre. Yn bis liquour quenche often tymes any harde body and hit shal wexe

nesshe as lede.

To Make a Watre to Rubifie thy Spiritz, the Whiche Is Callid Aqua Ferri.

10

Take blac arnement,46 be whiche is callid erthe of Spaigne, and rubifie hit

and grynde hit to poudre; and inbibe bat poudre with vin aigre droppe by droppe

and grynde hit in a mortiere of bras or of copre so bat b'amement be to be

pouderosite of be 4 parte of be vin aigre. And whenne hit is drunke vp and is

thicke as hit were mery, benne sette hit to dissolue in a place of dissolucion and

15

namely in a vaisshel of ire with a coueryng conuenient to be werke. And benne

put bere-to vin aigre to be matiere to be thyckenes of ij fyngre brede fretyng

 

4‘ Item] To purge 2/lefi marg., 16th cent. com. A F

‘5 lymelle of] To make any harde bodie soft right marg., 16th cent. com. A F

46 arnement] Vide of Arnement fo 61 right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

351

abouue be matiere. And loke bou close be joynctes of be boxe with picche. And

thenne sette bat vaisshel in hote hors fyme and lete hit stonde bere be space of 7

dayes. And benne bou shal fynde by matiere dissoluyd; or elles lete hit stande til

hit be dissoluyd and loke alwey bat be dunge be hote. benne take hit oute and

distille hit in a stillatory.47 benne inbibe hit with bis watre ornement, i. attrament

y-rubified to be weight of be 4 parte of bis same watre, and put hit in be fyme to

dissolue as bou dide bifore. And benne distille hit and be iijdc tyme do be same.

And benne shal bou haue a rede watre as hit were blode; and yf hit be not so,

benne contynue be wirking forthe in be maniere afore seide, bat is to seye, put

10

arnement bere—on to be 4 parte of be watre and dissolue hit and distille hit and so

werke forth til by watre be as rede as blode.

benne take sal ar[f. 82v]monyak to the weight of the 4 parte of be forseide

watre; and lete the watre be warme. And benne put yn by salt and hit wil dissolue

anone. benne put bere-yn clene lymelle of fyne ire to the weight of be same

15

watre. benne put bat watre with be lymelle in48 hors fyme to dissolue and lete hit

stande 7 dayes. benne take hit oute and grynde hit in a brasyn mortier with a iren

pestel and so put hit to dissolue ayene. And contynue bis labour til be lymelle be

al wasted and the matiere of be watre be thicke as hony. benne distille hit throys

by a stillatory and benne bou shal see hit come oute like colour of blode; and

20

benne hit is goode. And yf hit be not rede, hit is nede bat bou bigynne al be werke

 

‘7 in a stillatory] ) 0 right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

48 in] later add. over white space F

352

ayene, bat is to seye, to inbibe by attrement with be vin aigre and dissolue hit and

distille hit and benne put yn by sal armoniac and benne thy lymelle and so wirke as

bou dide bifore. And bis watre is callid noble watre of ire or aqua fern' nobilis.

And with bis watre bou shal yeue tincture to by spiritz sublymed and fixed. And

bis is a stedefaste tincture bothe entring and bidyng and duryng for cure more.

For49 be Rede Stone

Take yolowe orpyment 4 parties50 and grynde hit and half so muche of

yolowe sulphur smalle grounde and sette baym ouer an easy fire. And put bere-to

a quantite of quycke siluer and close be potte faste. And put coles bere-to ij or iij

10

at oones and so lete hit stonde til hit melte and by processe tournyd into a stone.

Put oone parte of bis poudre vppon 7 partes of lune, i. siluer, and hit shal be

tournyd into gold be whiche is better benne be natural myne in al malliacion and

examinacion. This is be werke of Maister Parys.‘

To” White Copre

15

Take lymelle of copre and arcenec sublymed, sal nytir, sal armoniac, sal [f.

 

‘9 For] To tourn ) into fyni 0 left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

5° parties] partiss F

5‘ To] To make 9 good ) left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

353

83r] gemme, sal tartre of euery y—like muche, and put thaym alle in a cloos potte

and sette hit ouer be fire be space of xij houres. And benne caste bit into white vin

aigre and benne melte hit ayene; and melle hit with fyue silure of euery y-like

muche, both of be copre as of be silure. And hit shal be good silure for euer.

To52 Make of Copre, Silure, Laton, or Golde

Take 6 parties of"3 copre and 1 perte of silure54 and put bere—to orpyment

suyche as bou may haue of be [a]pothecary55 4 parties, and sette alle ouer be fire in

a cloos potte. And whenne hit is right hote, lete hit cole and benne lute by vaisshel

right cloos a

l56 aboute. And benne sette hit in be fire til hit be rede. benne blowe

10

hit and bou shal fmde hit good silure. And yf hit contynue long in bat hete, hit

shal be good57 laton. And yf bou put 1 parte of golde bere-to, hit shal be goode

golde.

 

52 To] two-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

53 of] followed by approx. 1.5 inches of white space, prob. an eras. F

5" silure] To make 9 ) right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

55 [a]pothecary] pothecary F

56 al] To make 9 and ) good laton right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

57 good] To make laton good golde: n'ght marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

To58 Tourne Lede into Golde

354

Take plates of lede and59 enoyncte thy plates with sope and be white of

egges togedre; and benne drie thaym and melte baym. benne take arcenec citryne

and boille hit with vin aigre and salte. benne take saturne preparate, i. lede

calcyned, and put hit to be forseide arcenec decocte in a cloos vaisshel, wel lutid

and faste, and sette hit ouer a lite fire 3 houres; and benne other 3 houres ouer a

gretter fire; and ober 3 houres ouer a strenger fire. benne take hit fro be fire and

waisshe bat poudre with be lye y-made bifore with be vin aigre and salt; and benne

drie be poudre. benne take leden platz and fire baym and melte thaym and

10

quenche baym in be vin aigre 7 tymes. benne melte baym este sonys and put oone

parte of be forsaide poudre vppon 10 of be lede and hit shal be good golde.

This werke Maister Boleyne' hydde in his boke; berefore hide be preysable

priuete to the laude of golde.

[f. 83v] To"0 Melte Ire

15

Take lymelle of ire and asmuche of sal armonyac y-brente and grynde

thaym togedre on a marble stone; but furst lete by salte be grounde by hymself and

 

58 To] two-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

59 and] To tourne h into 0 right marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

6° To] To make d' quikly to melte left marg., 16th cent. comm. A F

benne grynde al togedre. benne put alle in a potte and lute hit faste with

355

philosophres lute bat noon ayer go oute. benne sette be potte in a cole fire welle

brennyng be space of 21 houres. benne put hit fro be fire and bou shal fynde be

matiere in be potte al blac as cole. Take hit and medle hit with sope and make hit

as hit were a paste. And benne sette hit ouer a litel fire and lete vapore awey

lightely be moisture bere-of. And benne put hit in a melting potte and melte hit.

Take ire bat is made to melte and renne and kepe hit. benne take after that

rede calce of egges and asmuche of be spirit be whiche is grounde on a marble

stone, i. sal armoniac, and lete thaym lye bere togedre til bay bee toumyd into be

10

substance of watre and clene resoluyd. benne melte thy ire and medle lede

berewith. benne take thees ij bodies vnyd and moltoun togedre and caste baym 3

[tymes] in be forseide watre and kepe hit.

Here Is a Preparacion of Ire For to Make Sol

Take lymelle of ire and orpyment 3 partes and grynde hit with vnsliked

15

lyme strongly be space of 3 houres and put hit in a vaisshel of glas welle closid

with lute that Iongeth for the werke. And close hit in hors fyme a hole day and a

hole nyght. benne take hit oute and grynde hit in a mortier of this medicine. Put

1 oz. of bis medicine vppon 10 oz. of thy metalle.

To"1 Make Mercury Malliable

356

Take 1 li. of crude mercury, of calce of egges 4 li., white vin aigre 6 1i. ,

ceruse of b'erthe 1 li., sal armoniac 1 li. Grynde thaym alle togedre and put bere-

to 1i. 1 of mastic. And benne put hit in a strong erthyn [f. 84r] vaisshel wel glasid

and put bere-to comune oyle bat hit may swymme aboue to the thickenes of by

paume of thy hande. benne sette hit on a easy fire be space of 1 houre vncouerid.

benne make be fire strenger bat hit may boille a litelle. benne make a strong fire 3

houres and benne lete hit cole. And bere shal bou fynde by mercury congelid and

malliable.

10

Item, To Make Mercury Malliable

Take camphor oz. 1, juse of be grete morelle 1i. 1, mastic oz. 4, salte of32

askis 1, sal alkaley oz. 1, juse of titymal 1i. 1, 0er of hennebane 1i. 1, crude

mercury li. ij. Medle baym alle togedre and put hit in a vaisshel of erthe wel

glasid and lute hit faste and sette hit in a easy fire be space of 6 houres. benne lete

15

hit cole and bou shal fynde by mercury congelid and fixed. And bis crafte fonde a

Frere Meynour' as experience shewed to hym.

 

6‘ To] two-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

“2 salte of] Salte of ashis .i. sal alcaly right marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

357

Item, To Make Mercury Malliable

Take arcenec sublymed and poudre of sulphur decocte in vryne, sal alkay,

sal armoniac, crude mercury ana, and put hit in a vaisshel welle glasid. And lute

hit faste and sette hit ouer the fire the space of 3 houres and hit shal be fixe and

5

abidyng the fire and perisshing.‘53

 

“3 Endnote: Text ends two-thirds down the page, with the remaining folio left

blank.

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Sophistications

[f. 84v]

De’ cupro solem facere.

Accipe cuprum laminatum quantum volueris & igneas et extingue in

5

sulphure plun'es quousque poten's frangere leniter laminas in manu cum tuis

digitis. Et tunc iterum igneas & extingue in oleo oliuo optimo & nouo quousque

videris illud herere colorem auri. Tunc iterum extingue illud in nouo oleo mixto

cum moiolo (?) ouorum 3. Tunc pone pondus 1 denarii de auro optimo ad

ponderus 20 de predicto metalla. Et tunc tere viridegrecum super lapidem

10

marmoreum subtiliter et distempera cum forti aceto et vnge. Tunc laminas

predictas tantumquamque cum viridigreco predicto et pone in ignem quousque

corpus sit rubeum sicut ignis et iterum vnge laminas copriasz sicut pn'us et sic

facies 3 vel 4 quousque hereat colorem aun’ et hec est coloracio auri.’

To Make Watre of Tartarum

 

‘ De] 9 left marg., 16th cent. comm. F

2 copias] coprias F

358

Take3 4 fyes5 of wyne made into balles and brene baym in a erthen vaisshel

359

til bay bee white. And make poudre of baym and put hit in a glasyn vaisshel in

sum moyste place of b'erthe. And in 4 dayes hit shal toume to a oynement as hit

were an oile.

Also, take be same poudre and put hit in a lynnen clothe as barbiers maken

lye vppon and honge hit ouer a glasse in a moiste place and a colde; and be watre

of tartarum shal distille into bat glasyn vaisshel. Dis watre is goode for many

binges: Hit whiteth silure bat is redissh and hit whiteth copre and hit doeth awaye

moles in a man is face or in a body and for be morphew also and for scabbes.

10

To Transe" Copre fro his Leprenes

Take“ copre plates, as many as bou wilte, and anele baym fire rede. benne

take baym vppe and quenche baym in molton sulphur. And benne put hit in be fire

efte sones til hit be rede and quenche baym in be matiere aforesaide. Do so 4 or 5

tymes til be platz been as broutil bat bay breke with by fingres. Thenne anele

15

baym fire rede [f. 85r] ayen and benne quenche baym in fyne newe oyle d'olyue 4

 

3 Take] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

4 Take] 0er of Tarter lefi marg., 16th cent. comm. B F

5 fyes] lyes F

6 Take] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

7 Take] finger pointing at section, left marg., 16th cent. comm.F

360

or 5 tymes. Dene take an other quantite of newe oyle d'olyue and put bere-to 4

yolkz of egges and medle baym wel togedre; and quenche be platz bere-ynne 2 or

3 [tymes] til hit be yolow as gold. benne put ber-to a quantite of fyne gold to yeue

hym his kindely myne to 20 3. weight of by lepre. Take a ferthing of gold and

caste bere-to; and benne he hath his myne of gold. benne caste hit to weiggz.

benne take fyne verdegrece and grynde hit8 as smal as bou may and tempere hit

with fyne vin aigre as bou wolde make grene ynke. And benne enoynte by weiggz

with by grene ynke foresaide and put hit in be fire til hit be fire rede. And do so 3

or 4 tymes til bou haue be ful coloracion of gold; and benne go berewith to be

10

chonge and do by aduaille.

To Make Good Lune9

Takel0 half a 1i. of lede and put bere-to 2 li. of vermylon and put baym

bothe togedre in a cloos potte be space of 4 houres in a strong fire; but loke by

potte be wel lutid and cloos bat noon ayer passe oute bere-of. And lete be potte

15

haue so strong fire in be 2 houre bat he be as rede as be fire. And in be 5 houre,

take hym oute and bou shal finde hym al blac. benne clense hit clene and melte hit

and quenche hit in watre of egges. And benne caste hit to weigges.

 

8 hit] to make gren ynkr right marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

9 Lune] vermilon right marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

‘0 Take] one-line dec. init. T; guide letter visible F

Antymonyll shal deuoyde al mainere of metaille and purifie hym clene fro

361

alle corrupcoun. And in bis wise gold smythes clense baire swepingz of baire

Shoppes. Furst bay melten be duste and a1, bobe lymel12 of gold and siluer, by

puttyng to of by antymony.

Sandiferl3 Hath bis Kynde

Take and melte asmuche stanger as bou luste. And whenne hit is moltonl4

caste in on diuerse places, in 5 places, sandifer, euery quantite asmuche as a peyse.

And bou shal see hit berme as hit were ale, but hit is yolow as gold. benne [f.

85v] take15 a praty cole rake of ire and draue oute bat yolow clene as bou may.

10

And benne caste yn more of by sandifer in be maniere afore saide and alwey

deuoyde bat yolowe, but caste hit not aweye, for hit is fyne sol. And caste so 0er

of by sandifer til hit berme no more. benne take and quenche by stanger 3 [tymes]

in watre of egges and hit shal be alle goode lune.

Thenne take be yolowe berme and caste 1 li. ber-of to 2 of secundary sol.

15

And melte baym togedre and quenche baym yn be rede watre of egges and kepe hit

 

” Antymony] one-line dec. init. A; guide letter visible F

‘2 lymel] How we [undecipherable] to make the yelow star of 2 sandiver of

right marg., 16th cent. com. A F

‘3 Sandifer] finger pointing to section, left marg., 16th cent. comm.F

‘4 molton] Jupiter right marg., 16th cent. comm. X F

'5 take] yelow & Barum left marg., 16th cent. comm. C

for fyne sol & probable at alle assayes.

362

Lute of Philosophres Is Made in bis Wise.

Take16 fyne blewe claye and dissolue hit in a quantite of myry watre and

benne strayne hit borough a clothe of grete canevas so bat bere leue nought of be

clay in be canevas but grauel or stones. benne lete hit stande in be sunne and

clere; and benne put awey bat clere watre. And do so til hit be wexen drie erthe.

benne grynde hit to poudre. benne take a quantite of salte and grynde hit and drye

hit by be fire and benne grynde hit as smalle as bou may. And medle th'erthe and

be salte togedre and tempere baym with watre of egges. And make hit as for

10

seureste lute bat may be founde.

Aqua Vite

Do fille a potte to be myddes with white wyne or rede and putte bere-to

poudre of thees spices: gyngever, galyngale, cinarnomim, notemuges, greynes of

paradise, long piper, anyse, be seede of fenel, carnj comyn, loueache of euery like

15

muche, neber more ne lasse. And put ber-to poudre of bees spices: wilde sauge,

saline, minte, isopim, tyme, rosemaryne, puliol royal, perctory, origany,

myllefoile, camamille, lauendre, auance, y-like muche, and put with be spices.

 

‘6 Take] latum Philosophorum left marg., 16th cent. comm. C F

363

benne put vppon be potte [f. 86r] alembyke wel clenyd with paste, bat be breeth17

go not oute, and make a easy fire of coles; and do stille hit into a vaisshel of glas.

This watre comforteth alle spiritz and vertues and kepeth a man yong. Hit

is goode ayenst be palsie and tremelyng of membres and ayenst dissolucions of

synowes, ayenst akyng of be stomake and be straytenesse of be stomake, ayenst be

matrice and be stonne in be bladder and in be reynes. And bis watre draueth to

hym alle vertues, sauours, and tastes of good spices, herbes, and flours bat is put

in hit. And bis watre kepeth wel bobe fysshe and flessh soden and rawe in baire

naturaille goodnesse withoute corrupcoun and stinking, as longe as a man wol.

10

And bis water bringeth al corrupte wyne into his furst state. And bis watre

brenneth al bing withoute hete or smylling, sauf oonely of wyne.

Finis. ‘8

 

‘7 breeth] initial e scratched out, prob. by corr. F

‘8 16th cent. add.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Book I: The Consideration of Quintessence

101/8. Alchemical philosophy held that an alchemist's understanding and ability to

apply the principles of matter to transmutation came as a spiritual gift from God.

Within Christianity, this spirituality followed a particular Judeo-Christian

interpretation, with the gift of Christ's spiritual salvation including, at least, the

reaquisition of perfect knowledge lost in the fall of Adam. As one's soul was

transformed by Christ, so could one learn to transform metals from one to another; it

was a gift of knowledge, through grace, from God in Christ. One of the earliest

specific examples of this analogy comes from Stephanos of Alexandria in the eighth

century, who asserted that the transformation of metals was analogous to that of the

soul, and that metals being transformed were being "redeemed" from their sins. See

Maurice P. Crosland, Historical Studies in the Language of Chemistry (London:

Heineman, 1962) 10. For general information on this belief system, see Roberts 13-

18.

101/8. "holy lyuers" in Middle English appears to be the chosen rendering for the Latin

364

365

"pauperibus euangelicis viris, " literally "poor evangelical men, " and its minor variants

throughout The Consideration of Quintessence. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 45v. These "holy

lyuers" probably refer to those religious who embraced the theology of Apostolic

poverty. See Introduction pp. 3-4 and n. 9.

101/9. This Middle English version of The Consideration of Quintessence begins

without the prologue, Dixit Salamon Sapientie, although it contains the entire title

paragraph that begins, Primus liber "The furst boke .

.

"

.

and closes with et

pauperibus euangelicis viris "holy lyuers." Cf. TCC 1389, f. 45v. See also

Introduction pp. 54-55 and Halleux 243.

102/ 12. " For we also, who are in this tabernacle of the body, do groan, being

burthened in this respect from infirmities; because we could not be unclothed, but in

body clothed upon lest we die in the same body, that that which is mortal may be

swallowed up by life. " An expanded version of 2 Corinthians 5:4; italicized phrases

indicate expansions of the original Pauline text.

102/ 12. Lynn Thorndike cites this reference to 2 Corinthians as an error in most copies

of The Consideration of Quintessence, asserting that the original Rupescissa text quoted

2 Timothy 1:10. While the 2 Corinthians reference does match the quotation, and the

context-~the mortality of physical life--is appropriate, the text of 2 Timothy 1:10, "But

is now made manifest by the illumination of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath

destroyed death, and hath brought to light life and incorruption by the gospel," would

366

also be appropriate.

102/l3. The word "cause" is being played with in this instance to reflect and combine

Aristotelian and Christian philosophies. In Aristotelian philosophy, "cause" refers to

the primary matter from which the four elements arise. (See Aristotle, Physics, Book

II, pt. 3 and 0f Generation and Corruption, Book 1, pt. 3 and Book II.) In this sense

the word "last" preceding "cause" refers to the ultimate purpose for which something

exists. In Christian theology, as set out in the sections immediately preceding and

following this particular statement of the author, the " final cause" is the grace of God

through whom the knowledge of all "causes" comes through Christ. See Roberts 16.

103/2. Hebrews 9:27: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die. "

103/9. Genesis 3:22-24: " Now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand and take

also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. And the Lord God sent him out of

the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken. And he cast out

Adam; and placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubims, and a flaming sword,

turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. "

103/15. Job 14:5. “The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with

thee: thou hast appointed his bounds which cannot be passed."

105/11. "An investigation of our heaven or fifth essence." In the translation

367

immediately following the Latin (in the text), "The prologe of oure heuene or quynte

essence, " the word Indago appears to be translated as "prologue." The reason for this

choice is unclear; I have found no lexical evidence, ancient or medieval, indicating that

"prologue" is an appropriate translation of indago.

107/10. In the Middle Ages, while it was believed that individual births were subject

to planetary design, lower creatures, such as worms, eels, and some insects could be

generated by the sun’s influence: it provided heat and light which in turn brought about

decay in matter that then allowed the matter to acquire and generate these lower forms.

See Betsey Barker Price, "Physical Astronomy and Astrology, Albertus Magnus and the

Sciences: Commemorative Essays 1980, ed. James A. Weisheipl (Toronto: Pontifical

Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1980) 180. See also John Trevisa, 0n the Properties of

Things, vol. 1, ed. M. C. Seymour (Oxford: Clarendon, 1975) 566-69, 583-85, 589-94

to learn how air has the ability to generate corruption, specifically in dew or mist.

108/1. Alcohol's ability to preserve food was one of the traits for which it was lauded

when first discovered in the eleventh century. See Taylor 116-20.

108/11. "An investigation of the sun for initiating the beginning of life in us and

embellishing our highest heaven. "

368

109/10. This comment against alchemy as a means for transforming base metals to

gold is typical of John of Rupescissa in this text, in which he regards alchemy mainly

as a means of renewing life. This approach does not hold in his other alchemical work,

the Liber Lucis. See Introduction pp. 8-10.

109/11. The reference to "doctor alkym" is unclear. The Middle English translation of

the Latin text is corrupt at this point, although the Latin is also rather disjointed; cf.

TCC 1389, f. 49r: et ipsum est aurum verum de vera minera terre uel de fluminibus

collectum quia aurum alkimicum quod est ex corrosiuis conponitum destruerat naturam

et vocatur a philosophis aurum dei Sol: quia est filius solis. “And this itself is the true

gold collected from the true mine of the earth or from rivers (because the alchemical

gold which is made out of corrosive things would destroy nature) and [the true gold] is

called by philosophers the gold of God-~Sol, because [gold] is the son of the sun.”

109/15. According to Aristotelian theory, minerals and metals were formed from

exhalations in the earth, one vaporous, which produced metals, and one smoky, which

produced minerals. The vaporous exhalation is formed when the sun's rays fall upon

water and is moist and cold; the smoky exhalation is formed when the sun's rays fall

upon dry land and is hot and dry. Shut in the earth, the vaporous exhalation is

compressed by dryness and congeals, thus forming the various metals. Metals, thus,

are formed by the "reflections of the sunne. " See Aristotle, Meteorologica, trans. H.

D. P. Lee (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1952) 378a-2.

369

110/7. "An investigation of our stars for the adornment of our heaven for aiding the

influence of our heaven and sun for initiating the first beginning of life in us. "

110/10. Ecclesiastes 1:8; Vulgate: Cunctae res difliciles: non potest eas homo

explicare sermone. "All things are hard: man cannot explain them by word. "

112/8. The medieval world view held that the human organism was a microcosm of

the celestial macrocosm, perpetually influenced by variations in the heavenly realms.

Just as the sun's seasonal path affected all life on earth and the moon affected the tides,

so the planets (which included the sun and the moon) and stars influenced earthly

events, particularly the physical and mental diseases of mankind. See Lynn White,

"Medical Astrologers and Late Medieval Technology," Viator 6 (1975): 301.

112/8. The constellation Aries.

113/5. I cannot locate the specific reference in the available works of Aristotle,

although the general ideas behind the macrocosm-microcosm principle are found

throughout 0n the Heavens.

114/3. Parts of the zodiac: Aries, Taurus, and Gemini.

115/5. The macrocosm-microcosm view of the world often encompassed elaborate

370

detail, with all organic and inorganic matter in the world saturated and influenced by

the qualities of the stars; for example, nutmeg encompassed the quality of the sun's

rays and peppermint the qualities of the sun and Jupiter. Among humans, this system

affected mankind in a very detailed manner, as Rupescissa notes, with specific herbs

influencing, via their relationship to a specific star or planet, specific parts of the

human body. See Klibansky 264-65 for a discussion of how all earthly products, not

only metals, contained a heavenly power in this worldview.

116/9. "and translate" added by the Middle English translator; these words are not

present in the Latin original. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 50v: pro quibusfabn'co librum istum.

117/1. Although the exact date when wine was first distilled to produce aqua ardens,

nearly pure alcohol, is not known, most scholars place the discovery near the eleventh

century. Regardless of the date, the discovery of alcohol was met with awe. Its ability

to act as a restorative to the weak and elderly as well as its ability to preserve organic

matter soon earned it a reputation for great power. Its ability to preserve food (i.e. ,

organic matter) was soon extrapolated to the idea that it could preserve the living

human body. Furthermore, alcohol was the first solvent to be discovered for organic

substances insoluble in water, such as fats, resins, and oils. Alcohol's ability to "draw"

or extract these aromatic substances from plants or other organic materials, believed to

be their fifth essence, contributed even further to the perception of its power. See

Taylor 116-20. One of the first writers on the powers of alcohol was Thaddeus

371

Alderotti (1223-1303), who wrote on its medicinal value in his De Virtutibus Aquae

Vitae. See R. J. Forbes, Short History on the Art of Distillation (Leiden: E. J. Brill,

1948) 60ff.

119/5. A verb appears to be missing from the Middle English text. The Latin reads:

Quia vas positum in angulo domus ex fragrantia quinte essentie quod summe

miraculosum est trahat ad se vinculo inuisibili vniuersos intrantes. Cf. TCC 1389, f.

51v and Sloane 338, f. 9v. “Because a vessel placed in a corner of the house from the

fragrance of quintessence which is very miraculous draws to itself all who enter the

house with an invisible chain."

120/14. The Middle English phrase "pouer men and hooly lyuers" is translated from

the Latin pauperes euangelicos viros, literally "poor evangelical men. " Cf. TCC 1389,

f. 52r. See pages 3-4 of the introduction for further information.

130/9. John of Rupescissa’s words allude to the biblical text 1 Corinthians 15:52, "In

a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound,

and the dead shall rise again incorruptible: and we shall be changed, for in the

twynkelyng of an eye, dyuers effectz and wondirful been wrought soudaynely" The

Latin reads: In momento, in ictu oculi, in novissima tuba; canet enim tuba, et mortui

resurgent incorrupti, et nos immutabimur. The words in ictu oculi, "in twynkelyng of

an eye,” could have a dual effect on his readers. This biblical reference, normally used

372

to discuss the transformation of believers from mortal to immortal beings in the last

days and at the coming of Christ, is significant in this passage because it reflects and

synthesizes John of Rupescissa's theological and scientific interests by using biblical

eschatology to discuss alchemical change. The power of Christ to transform (or

transmute) believers at his coming is applied to the power of quintessence to transmute

ordinary herbs into life-renewing medicines. By using this particular language,

Rupescissa further enhances the perceived power of alchemical transmutation by linking

it to the final transformation of men's bodies and souls at the return of Christ; this

choice is consistent with his preoccupation with apocalyptic eschatology, the traditional

interpretation of 1 Corinthians 15:52. See Reginald Fuller, "Resurrection of Christ:

Biblical Background," The Oxford Companion to the Bible, ed. Bruce M. Metzger and

Michael D. Coogan (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993) 647—649.

134/8. Like Sloane 353, the Latin text in TCC 1389 calls for 21 (xxj.) days of

maturation in a glaizer’s furnace or vessel of reverberation. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 55v.

135/12. This metaphor of rising vapor as a powerful man exemplifies but one of the

many types of metaphors used to explain the processes of alchemical transmutation.

Religious ideas, ancient mythology, and love and sex were other metaphors regularly

used to illustrate the alchemical process in texts and treatises. Artistic depictions of

these metaphors are also resplendent throughout the literature. See Roberts 65-92.

373

136/10. The association of each of the planets with a specific metal has its historical

origin in the belief systems of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. It was believed that

the seven planets directly caused the formation of specific metals in the earth: the sun,

gold; the moon, silver; Mercury, quick silver; Saturn, lead; Jupiter, tin; Mars, iron;

and Venus, copper. Because these metals were formed by the influence of specific

planets, they possessed the corresponding planetary qualities. Thus, the preparation of

quintessence from a particular metal would result in a medicine possessing the heavenly

properties of its particular planet. And since the planets were the mightiest aspects of

the heavens, the quintessence drawn form their earthly formations was particularly

potent as medicine and hence particularly sought by alchemists. Taylor 51-57.

138/2. Throughout The Consideration of Quintessence, Rupescissa makes a point of

distinguishing between the life-renewing properties of his medicines and the elixirs of

other alchemical texts that promised eternal physical life. This repeated emphasis

clearly reflects his Christian approach to alchemical theories as well as his desire to

divorce his writings from alchemical texts that are clearly heterodox in their assertions

and goals.

138/7. Rupescissa's mentioning of the gold coin of Florence as useful in the craft of

alchemy further exemplifies the coin’s importance and widespread influence within

Europe during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. First minted in 1251-52, the

florin, named for its impression of Florence's floral emblem, was one of two gold

374

coins in Europe that had enormous impact on international trade and consequently

became renowned throughout the Continent. See Jonathan Williams, ed. , Money: A

History (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997) 80, 82-83; see also Glyn Davis, A

History of Money: From Ancient Times to the Present Day (Cardiff: University of

Wales Press, 1994) 144.

138/7. John of Rupescissa errs here, at least technically. The Venetian ducat was

introduced in 1284 and was the florin's closest rival, gaining the dominant role in

Eastern Mediterranean trade; it was not just another name for the florin, it was a

different coin. Rupescissa is probably referring generally to gold coins that can be used

in place of gold filings, not the ducat or florin per se. See John Chown, A History of

Money from AD. 800 (London: Routledge, 1994) 18-22.

139/12. The Middle English "hooly lyuers" is a translation of the Latin euangelici viri.

Cf. TCC 1389, f. 56v.

139/12. The Middle English "parfit men" is a translation of the Latin uiri perfecti

euangelici. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 57r.

139/13 Rupescissa is referring to a passage in the Acts of the Apostles 3:6, "But Peter

said: Silver and gold have I none. "

375

138/8-140/5. The practice of altering money was considered a means of stealing (the

condemned practice arose from individuals filing coins slightly but then using them at

their face value), and was condemned by both the ecclesiastical and secular authorities,

as noted in Nicholas Oresme's Treatise on the Origin, Nature, law, and Alterations of

Money: "There are three ways in which profit may be made from money, without

letting it out for its natural purpose: one is the art of the moneychanger, banking, or

exchange; another is usury; the third is alteration of the coinage. The first way is

contemptible, the second bad, and the third worse. " Quoted in Williams 82.

Consequently, to keep his alchemical practices free of sin and criticism, John of

Rupescissa is careful to note that the florins will return to their original weight after the

alchemical process is complete (134/ 15-16-135/ 1).

140/15. See Matthew 24:3-25 for detailed signs of the end times that parallel those

cited by Rupescissa, including the coming of a false prophet, wars, pestilences,

famines, and natural disasters. See also Lerner 23-83 as well as Rupescissa's prophetic

works for greater insight into his obsession with the coming of the Antichrist.

141/2. The color of a metal was considered a defining characteristic of its metallic

properties. By changing a metal's color, many alchemists believed they had actually

changed the metal itself. See Roberts 8.

145/11. "lily" is also listed in the Latin text under "of flours." Cf. TCC 1389, f. 58v.

147/3. "baucia, i. pastinata" not in Latin text. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 59v.

376

147/18 The Latin text cites "sal comune" not "sal petre." Cf. TCC 1389, f. 60r.

147/21. The Middle English translation of this passage from the Latin is lacking a verb

like "open. " The Latin reads, Aperias ergo oculus tuos ut videas .

.

. ("Open,

therefore, your eyes that you may see.") Cf. TCC 1389, f. 60r.

149/12. The " stones of castore" refer to the testicles of a beaver, believed to have

medicinal use when dried. See Trevisa 2: 1172-1173.

150/8. The first of these two lists containing "veynes" as the introductory topic should

read "grains," as it does in the Latin. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 61r.

151/10. "and bere-of is made oleum nurtum, be whiche is good for reynes" is not in

the Latin text. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 61v.

152/8. The Middle English "colde" is an error in translation from the Latin, which

reads calorem, "heat." Cf. TCC 1389, f. 62r.

153/8. The Middle English text "iiij‘"°" reflects a translation error from the Latin,

which reads "3 " gradu. " The same error is repeated three lines later. Cf. TCC 1389, f.

62v.

377

154/6. The Middle English "toty aurum" is a translation of the Latin tuthia, normally

translated into Middle English as "toti" or "tutie, " meaning zinc oxide; I have not been

able to establish the reason for the addition of "aurum" from the available etymological

material. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 62v.

154/9. The Latin reads, Quia in 4" gradu nulla res est a philosophis frigida constituta.

Cf. TCC 1389, f. 62v and Sloane 339, f. 20r; the Latin indicates that there is no fourth

degree of coldness. The “fourth degree" of coldness should read "third degree."

158/5-10. This entire list "Of herbes" is out of order and contains items beyond those

found in the Latin. Cf. TCC 1389, ff. 64v-65r.

160/5. The Middle English translation "salte" corresponds to the Latin "sulphur. " Cf.

TCC 1389, f. 65V.

161/6. Sugar in the Middle Ages referred to a type of sugar cultivated in northern

India and used medicinally; although often referred to vaguely in ancient western texts,

this type of sugar was not cultivated in the West and not generally exported there until

996 A.D., and then not in great quantity. This sugar was, however, known to the

Arabs, who used it in drinks as well as medicinally. In the West, sweeteners identified

378

as “sugar" were cultivated from honey (predominantly), must (a form of unfermented

grape juice or pulp), and other juices (especially from dates in the form of syrup). See

Forbes 80-104. See R. J. Forbes, Studies in Ancient Technology, 2nd ed., vol. 5

(Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1966) 80—104.

162/4. This section, "Of flours," is preceded by a section de seminibus ("of seeds") in

the Latin text. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 66v.

165/3. See f. 16r (pp. 149-50).

165/4. See f. 19v (pp. 162-63).

166/10. Although the phrase "oure heuene" usually refers to quintessence in this text,

it does appear to have other meanings; in this instance, for example, it refers to a still.

Context also indicates that types of quintessence might be mixed together; for example,

the quintessence of an herb placed in the quintessence of gold; hence, placing one form

of quintessence into "oure heuene," i.e., a more potent form of quintessence. The

MED does not account for this variety of meanings, noting only the definition as

"quintessence" in terms of alchemical use. See MED, s.v. heven n., sense 6.

166/12. See f. 14r. (p. 42-43).

379

167/6. The Latin text reads "cathimin" followed by "cathaputia," which explains the

listing in both Ferguson 205 and Sloane 353 of "cat catamicie," as not a scribal error

involving redundancy but as an abbreviation for one of the listed “attractives.” Cf. TCC

1389, ff. 67v-68r.

168/2. " To make the wombe laxatife" refers to relieving constipation, with "wombe"

referring to the bowels. See OED s.v. wombe n., sense 1c.

184/1. The Latin text identifies this section as " Canon 13" as does the original scribe's

marginalia in Ferguson 205. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 75r.

184/6. See ff. 11r-11v (pp.129-31)

189/6. For information on the widespread occurrence of fistula in the late Middle

Ages, see John Arderne, Treatises of Fistula in Ano from an Early Fifieenth Century

Manuscript Translation, ed. (London: EETS, 1910) xv.

189/7. For information on other treatments of fistula and like illnesses with mercury,

see Arderne 53, 54. Note that this text uses a mercurial ointment for the treatment of a

mormale, but it is not the main treatment nor is it a drinkable medicine.

192/6. The language of this passage, illustrating the distillation of antimony, may be

380

reminiscent of the grail legend, in which Christ's blood was first shared at the last

supper and into which his blood was caught by Joseph of Arimathea at the crucifixion.

The grail legend and the doctrine of transubstantiation were highly relevant within

alchemy and Christianity, with the transformation of wine into Christ's blood

representing, for alchemists, an alchemical change within a vessel precisely used for

such a purpose. The literal and spiritual transformation present within the Eucharist,

that is, the real transformation of the inward properties of wine to those of blood and

the grace received by participating communicants further illustrated the significant

spiritual elements present within all alchemical changes. The grace that was understood

to be received by the communicant was also understood to apply to the alchemist, who

required the grace of God in order to transmute. See Adam McLean, "Alchemical

Transmutation in History and Symbol, " At the Table of the Grail (London: Routledge

& Kegan Paul, 1984) 54-65; and Alfred Nutt, Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail

(New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1965) 69-70.

192/14. This reference to lead/antimony was not present in the Middle English

versions of De Secretis Secretorum that I examined. See M. A. Manzalaoui, ed. ,

Secretum Secretorum: Nine English Versions, EETS os 276 (Oxford: Oxford University

Press, 1984) and Robert Steele, ed. , Three Prose Versions of the Secreta Secretorum,

EETS 74 (London: Triibner, 1898).

198/16. ignis adepti “of the powerful [Middle English ‘full able’] fire"; cf. p. 193, l.

3 for Middle English gloss. The Latin is ignum adeptum.

381

199/15. Saint Anthony’s fire, also known as St. Anthony's disease or ergotism, was a

disease connected with bad harvests and poor agriculture that played a large role in

French epidemics in the Middle Ages, with six outbreaks recorded in the tenth century,

seven in the eleventh, ten in the twelfth, three in the thirteenth, and one, in 1373, in

the fourteenth. The disease was called St. Anthony's fire because its symptoms

included intense burning pain between the flesh and bones, even in the bowels, often

followed by gangrene and the loss of extremities. See Charles Creighton, et al. , A

History of Epidemics in Britain, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (London: Frank Cass, 1965) 52-55.

200/6. The language may echo three biblical texts: Ecclesiastes 1:8: "All things are

hard: man cannot explain them by word, " which Rupescissa has quoted before; Isaiah

64:4: "From the beginning of the world they have not heard, nor perceived with the

ears: the eye hath not seen, 0 God, besides thee, what things thou hast prepared for

them that wait for thee"; and 1 Corinthians 2:9, which quotes and paraphrases the

passage from Isaiah: "But as it is written: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither

hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them."

203/9. I Kings 15:22 (AV 1 Samuel 15:22): "For obedience is better than sacrifices. "

204/3. John of Rupescissa was imprisoned off and on for approximately twenty years,

382

from 1344 to 1364; it is significant that he chooses to identify his imprisonment with

"tribulacion, " a scripturally suggestive word in terms of eschatology. See Matthew 24:

3 and the Apocalypse (AV, Revelation).

204/5. John of Rupescissa may be referring to his plans to write the Liber Lucis. See

Introduction pp. 8-10.

204/6. Rupescissa might be referring to Pope John XXII's prohibition against

alchemy: "Spondent quas non exhibent divitas pauperes alchymistae. " (" Poor

alchemists promise riches that they do not display. ") See Halleux, "Alchemy. "

205/ 10. 2 Timothy 3:7. Vulgate: Semper discentes et nunquam ad scientiam veritatis

pervenientes. " Ever learning and never attaining to the knowledge of the truth. "

206/2. The last sentence in this paragraph may refer to Rupescissa's personal

revelations on the apocalypse, in addition to the traditional biblical passages on the end

of time.

206/10. "Quod Rogier Bacon" is not present in the Latin text. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 81r.

Book II: The Book of General Remedies

383

207/2. "Here begins the second book, concerning general remedies. "

209/2. Forty years would place a person approximately at the end of middle age, that

is, the age between youth (iuventus) and old age (senectus). This age was often

identified as the "perfect age, " that is, mature adulthood, and was associated with

Christlikeness. Those in middle age were believed to possess good judgement of

others, neither trusting too little or too much; they also were thought to have good

character, combining the best attitudes of youth with those of maturity. For more

information on perceptions of age in the Middle Ages, see Mary Dove, The Perfect Age

of Man 's Life (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986) 1-42; for specific

information on how middle age was perceived, see J. A. Burrow, The Ages of Man: A

Study in Medieval Writing and Thought (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986) 8—11.

210/12. "ne-for-benne" is best defined in Modern English as "nevertheless"; however,

the phrase is not found in the MED; the closest phrase to it is "ne-for-thi, " also defined

as "nevertheless." See "ne" in The MED.

211/12. In the Middle Ages, leprosy was seen as a disease sent by God to punish the

immoral, particularly the sexually immoral. Leprosy was interpreted as an outward

sign of an inward impurity. It was also associated with heresy. See Saul Brody, The

Disease of the Soul: Leprosy in Medieval Literature (Ithaca: Cornell University Press)

384

107-148.

211/13. The Middle English "Constantyne of Grece" is a translation from the Latin

Rex constantum magna; a more accurate translation would be "King Constantine the

great." Cf. Iatin TCC 1389, f. 82v. Constantyne of Greece is a legendary figure, not

always identified as "of Greece, " punished for his opposition to Christianity. See

Brody 157-59 for details. Versions of this tale can be read in John Gower, Confessio

Amantis "Tale of Constantine and Sylvester" (Toronto: University of Toronto Press,

1980) 11. 3187-3496; in Gower, Constantine is cured when he refuses, out of mercy, to

sacrifice his children and bathe in their blood to cure himself and calls out to "pite"

instead. His conversion to Christianity then completes his healing. In Dante's lnfemo,

Constantine's leprosy is compared to a sin, "superba febbre " (literally, “proud fever"):

Ma come Constantin chiese Silvestro / d 'entro Sirattia guen’r della lebbre; / cosi mi

chiese questi per maestro / a guen‘r della sua superba febbre " "but as Constantine

sought out Sylvester in Soracte to cure his leprosy [a punishment he received for

persecuting Christians], so this man [Boniface VIII] sought me [Guido de Montefeltro]

out as his physician to cure the fever of his pride." (Inferno XXVII, 11. 94-97). Dante

Alighieri, The Divine Comedy: Inferno, trans. John D. Sinclair (New York: Oxford

University Press, 1939).

212/1. The medical explanation for leprosy was an imbalance of the humors. For

385

information on medical beliefs about the physical as well as the spiritual causes of

leprosy, see Francoise Beriac, Histoire des le’preux au Moyen Age: Une société d'exclus

(Paris: Editions Imago, 1988) 17-26.

212/2. Many medical writers in the Middle Ages asserted that sexual intercourse

during menstruation resulted in offspring that were leprous. See Henry Handerson, ed.

Gilbertus Anglicus: Medicine of the Thirteenth Century (Cleveland: Cleveland Medical

Library Association, 1918), 49. Furthermore, church law forbade sexual intercourse

during menstruation; thus, if a couple were to engage in such an act of unlawful coitus,

the result of their sin could be leprosy in the conceived child. In this sense, leprosy

was "inherited" by children as a result of the "sins of the father"; cf. Exodus 20:5 "1

am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the

children, unto the third and fourth generations. " See James A. Brundage, Law, Sex,

and Christian Society in Medieval Europe, 53, 91-92, passim, and Beriac 20-21.

Finally, Henry Daniel's treatise Liber Uricrisiarum, based on Isaac Israeli's De Urinis,

contains several references citing the medical dangers of coitus during a woman's time

of menstruation, noting that her partner may die or, if helped, only lose his member or

become leprous himself (see Henry Daniel, Liber Uricrisiarum, TCC, 1473); this type

of leprosy was seen as resulting from the excessive and cold superfluities present in a

woman's womb and carried by the filth of her menses.

212/ 13. Beriac 20-21.

386

212/7. Leprosy was not a disease affiliated with a particular social class, although

those infected came to be considered a social class, lepers, themselves. Elaborate civil

and ecclesiastical laws and practices illustrate the diverse populations that leprosy

affected, with some regions having leprosariums differentiated by social class, with

special living quarters for the wealthy, while others merely housed all lepers together

under strict monastic rules and regulations. Practices varied greatly from region to

region. See Brody 60-106.

213/6. Retention of the menses was considered a serious matter in the Middle Ages

and was attributed with causing many illnesses in women, including dropsy,

hemorrhoids, and heart disease. See Rowland, ed. 60-66.

215/3. See f. 31r-31v (p. 198-200).

215/4. The Middle English translation "holy lyuers" comes from the Latin pauperes

euangelici viri. Cf. TCC 1389, f. 83r.

215/5. The reference to sore feet is particularly relevant to the Franciscans, who,

according to St. Francis’s example and order, did not wear shoes. The only clothes a

member of the Friars Minor owned were "a tunic, a cord, and drawers, and he had

nothing else.” See Thomas of Celano, Lives of St.Francis, ed. and trans. Placid

Hermann, St. Francis of Assisi, Writings and Early Biographies: English Omnibus of

 

the Sources for the Life of St. Francis, ed. Marion Habig (Quincy: Franciscan Press,

387

1991) 411.

215/3. Although the lists of herbs appropriate to treating specific illnesses are not set

in tables in Ferguson 205, they are in columns in the Latin text of TCC 1389, a

possible sense of "table" in Middle English. See "table" in the MED.

217/8. Tisik and ethike are related wasting diseases. Tisik, also known as "phthisic,"

is a wasting disease of the lungs, such as consumption (tuberculosis); ethike, often

called "hectic fever, " is a fever that often accompanies wasting diseases attended by

flushed cheeks and hot, dry skin. For an elaborate description of ethike, see Trevisa 1:

380-85.

217/16. The original Latin for "bere is noon thing to this remedy " is much longer: non

est res que in hac cura hijs remedijs valet comparari. Inferius te docebo in cura febris

acute cibum confortatiuum quo vti debent macilenti ptisici et consumpti. Cf. TCC

1389, f. 84r. “There is nothing which in this cure can be compared to these remedies.

I will teach you below, in the cure of an acute fever, about strengthening food which

the emaciated and sufferers from phthysic and consumption should use.”

218/1-2. The Middle English text here, “The vij remedy is ayenst [infirmitees] fantesies

and lewde imaginacions and contagious steryingz of the deueil," translates the Latin

388

Remedium 7" contra fantasticas passiones fatuas ymaginaciones et tediosas demonum

infestaciones. “The 7th remedy, against hallucinatory sufferings, foolish imaginations,

and loathsome attacks of demons.” Cf. TCC 1389, f. 84r.

218/11. Saturn is a planet bringing the properties of coldness and moisture to earth.

Those born under Saturn were often considered cursed with an evil, or at least

melancholy, temperament. See Klibansky 177-182.

218/ 12. Because Rupescissa opens this passage by referring to "vray experience," it is

possible that this general reference was inspired by Rupescissa's encounter with a mad

Englishman during his stay in prison in 1351 (near the time when The Consideration of

Quintessence was written). His experiences with this English priest, who had lost his

mind ("perdu la téte ") and subsequently been placed in prison, included listening day

and night to his prattling and yelling, including accusations directed at Rupescissa of

horrible sins. He also directed the chant "Heretic, Heretic 'tic 'tic" at Rupescissa

thousands of times. See Bignami-Odier 80-81.

219/2. Those born under the sign of Saturn were considered especially vulnerable to

sexual temptations. Klibansky 177.

219/6. Melancholy humors were often associated with other forms of mental illness in

addition to what would today be identified as clinical depression: madness, fear,

389

misanthropy. See Klibansky 14-15, 27 for information on melancholy leading to

despair. While Klibansky does not associate suicide with demon possession, the

historical view of the church has always been that suicide is an evil. As Thomas

Aquinas notes, "Suicide is altogether wrong for three reasons. First it runs counter to

the inclination of nature and charity, to love and cherish oneself. As such it is a fatal

sin and against nature. Secondly, it does injury to the community to which each man

belongs as a part of the whole. And thirdly, it wrongs God whose gift life is and who

alone has power over life and death. What gives man mastery over himself is free will.

“
A

So he may licitly manage his own life in respect of every thing that contributes to it;

but his passage out of this life to a happier one is not subject to his own free will but to

the authority of God." See Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae: A Concise

Translation, ed. Timothy McDernott (Maryland: Christian Classics, 1989) 389—90. It

is also worth noting that in Spenser's Faerie Queene, it is the personified Despair who

brings the temptation of suicide to the Red Cross Knight (Book I.ix.35-54).

219/13. According to Galen, the spleen emits the humor melancholy. See Galen,

Opera, ed. Carolus Gottlob Kuhn, vol. 8 (Leipzig: n.p., 1821-1833) 185-193. For

evidence that this theory passed into the Middle Ages and Renaissance, see Lawrence

Babb, The Elizabethan Malady (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1951)

12, 26, 103.

220/6-8. The language in this sentence may be reminiscent of scripture, specifically l

390

Corinthians 2:9: "That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the

heart of man, what things God hath prepared" and itsOld Testament allusion in Isaiah

64:4: “From the beginning of the world they have not heard, nor perceived with the

ears: the eye hath not seen, 0 God, besides thee, what things thou hast prepared for

them that wait for thee.”

221/16. Tobit 6:5-9: "Then the angel said to him: Take out the entrails of this fish,

and lay up his heart, and his gall, and his liver for thee: for these are necessary for

useful medicines. And when he had done so, he roasted the flesh thereof, and they

took it with them in the way: the rest they salted as much as might serve them, till they

came to Rages the city of Medes. Then Tobias asked the angel, and said to him: I

beseech thee, Brother Azarias, tell me what remedies are these things good for, which

thou has bid me keep of the fish? And the angel, answering, said to him: If thou put a

little piece of its heart upon coals, the smoke thereof driveth away all kind of devils,

either from man or from woman, so that they come no more to them. And the gall is

good for anointing the eyes, in which there is a white speck, and they shall be cured. "

222/1-2. Tobit 8:2-3 "And Tobias remembering the angel's word, took out of his bag

part of the liver, and laid it upon burning coals. Then the angel Raphael took the devil,

and bound him in the desert of upper Egypt."

222/9-10. "Whether demons can in truth be put to flight through such power as is

 

 

wrought by God in corporeal things or not?"

391

223/16-17. This reference could be to Saint Augustine’s work, The Magnitude of the

Soul, in which he argues that the soul possesses seven degrees of power: Animation,

Sensation, Art, Virtue, Tranquility, Approach, and Contemplation. In "The Second

Degree of the Soul," he asserts that the soul distinguishes between tastes, smells,

sounds, and shapes, seeking what suits it and shunning what is unsuitable. See Saint

Augustine, The Magnitude of the Soul, trans. John J. McMahon, The Fathers of the

Church, ed. Ludwig Schopp, vol. 4 (New York: CIMA Publishing Co., 1947) 51-149.

225/3. Vitis Patrum "Lives of the Fathers." The text is usually called Vitas Patrum in

the nominative. Vitis probably reflects a Latin ablative, such as Collectiones de Vitis

Patrum.

225/6. The "holy abbot" referred to in this sentence may refer to Saint Gregory the

Great (540-604), whose work Moralia on Job, which includes a discussion of angels

and demons consorting with humans, was very popular in the early middle ages.

However, because sexual dreams were associated with attacks by the devil, a number

of the early Church fathers expounded on this topic, including Justin Martyr,

Tertullian, Athenagoras, Jerome, and Clement of Alexandria, so the reference cannot

be absolutely determined. See Nicholas Kiessling, The Incubus in English Literature:

Provenance and Progeny (Washington: Washington State University Press, 1977) 10-

392

14. The church's interest in and subsequent writings on incubus legends arose from

problematic passages in scripture in which spirits consorted with the "daughters of

men" (Genesis 6: 2-4) in addition to well known Jewish legends. For further

discussion on the writings of the church fathers on the incubus legends, see Rudolf

Arbesmann, "The Daemonium Meridianum and Greek and Latin Patristic Exegesis, "

Traditio 14 (1958) 17-31.

225/9. Throughout the manuscript, the translation of the Lain recipere and its forms is

spelled as recepne, receipne, or receipue, none of which are listed as variant forms for

receive in the MED. (but cf. receipt(e, resceipte, variants of receit(e n., and recept(e

n. , recepten v.) One may also compare deceipven, variant of deceiven v. (cf. also

desieipte, variant of deceit(e n.); perceipves pr. 2 sg. of perceiven v. (although it is

noted as an “error"); and conceipt(e, variant of conceit(e n. The actual spelling forms

that have given rise to the normalized form deceipven in the MED are deceipuyng pr.

ppl. , deceipuen pr. 3 pl. (Mumm and the Sothseyyer 495), 1052. The Middle English

forms containing “p” show the influence of Latin forms. Deceiven provides a pointed

example; decipv is cited as an Anglo-French form, demonstrating a scribal blend of the

Latin deceptus with the reflexes. All instances of these variants for receive have been

rendered as recepue or receipue to comply with the historical form in similar words.

Variations are noted throughout the edition in the textual apparatus.

225/11. In the right margin of the Latin text on the incubus, TCC 1389, f. 86r, the

scribe has added the comment talis fitit Merlin “Such was Merlin.”

393

226/4. According to medieval views of astronomy/astrology, each of the planets

possessed qualities corresponding to events on earth. The moon, in particular,

influenced health. See Introduction, pp. 39-40 for details. See also J. C. Bade, The

Forgotten Sky: A Guide to Astrology in English Literature (Oxford: Clarendon, 1984);

Walter Clyde Curry, Chaucer and the Mediaeval Sciences 2nd ed. (New York: Barnes

and Noble, 1960) 7-9; and C. H. Talbot, "A Medieval Physician's Vade Mecum,"

History of Medicine and Applied Science 16 (1961): 218.

228/7. The Middle English "and in openne langaige of Guyenne hit is callid

trascalayn" is a translation from the Latin, Et in vulgari aquitanico vocatur trastelain

(cf. TCC 1389, f. 87r): “And in the open language of Aquitaine is called trastelain. "

Guyenne or Guienne, more commonly known as Aquitaine, is a region in southwest

France, formerly a duchy of France before being annexed in 1422, bordering on the

Bay of Biscay. See George G. P. Cuttino, "Aquitaine," Dictionary of the Middle Ages.

In terms of language, the area of Aquitaine originally had its own language, the

presumed ancestor of Basque. Lodge suggests that although the language of

Aquitaine/Guyenne would have been a dialect of French at the time of Rupescissa's

writing, it is possible that individual words from the original language of the area still

remained. See R. Anthony Lodge, French: From Dialect to Standard (London:

Routledge, 1993) 29-58.

228/8. fiitga demonum "chasing away of demons. "

394

231/15. Rupescissa's main enemy was Guillaume Farinier, the Franciscan Provincial

of Aquitaine from 1343-1348; many scholars attribute Rupescissa's imprisonment to his

use of ecclesiastical power. Lerner 23.

232/2. Rupescissa was held imprisoned in the cloister of Rieux from August 1347 to

August 1349, during which time he nearly succumbed to the plague in 1348. See

Lerner 29. It is plausible that the disease that almost "overcame" him was the plague.

232/6. Stavesacre is cited as a potion to drive out fleas in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus:

"Clown: Staves-acre! that's good to kill vermin." See Christopher Marlowe, The

Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, The Norton Anthology of

English Literature, vol. 1, 4th ed., ed. M. H. Abrams, et. al. (New York: W. W.

Norton & Co., 1979) 747 (I.iv.16).

233/6. Acts 12:23: Vulgate: Confestim autem percussit eum angelus Domini, eo quod

non dedisset honorem Deo, et consurnptus a verrnibus exspiravit. "And forthwith an

angel of the Lord struck him [Herod], because he had not given the honour to God: and

being eaten up by worms, he gave up the ghost. "

233/8. The Holy Roman Emperor who could not be cured of lice was Arnulphus (who

395

ruled as emperor A.D. 896-899). See MED s.v. louse n., sense 1a. The Chronicle

that Rupescissa referred to was most likely that of Martinus Polonus, Chronicon

Pontificum et Imperatorum (The Chronicle of Popes and Emperors).

236/6. "Therefore, when the cause is taken away, the effect will also be removed. "

236/16. See ff. 20v-21r (pp. 166-68).

 

238/17. Johan Eheban of Mesue may refer to the Arab writer Masawaih al—Mardini,

also known as Mesue the Younger, who wrote a book on pharmacology that was

widely used in medieval apothecaries. See Carole Rawcliffe, Medicine & Society in

Late Medieval England (Great Britain: Alan Sutton Pub. , 1995) 150. Halleux also

cites De virtutibus sirnplicium medicinarum, asserting that part of The Consideration of

Quintessence is copied from it (he does not indicate which part, however). See Halleux

256.

242/9. The Middle English translation "febre quartayne" is a mistranslation of the Latin

text febrem continuus, which translates to "fever continual " as cited in l. 10. Cf. TCC

1389, f. 91r.

243/5. The Latin text actually reads "cum non sic calida .

.

.

" which translates to

"not hote." Cf. TCC 1389, f. 91v.

 

396

243/9. See ff. 9r—9v (pp. 122-24).

245/13. The distillation processes used in the Middle Ages easily produced alcohol

contents of 90 percent or higher. See Forbes Distillation 61.

250/8. The reference should be to Deuteronomy 28, not Deuteronomy 18.

250/9-16. A slightly modified version of Deuteronomy 28: 15, 16, 21, 22, 27-29. “So

it is said to man, if thou wilt not hear the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep and to do

all of his commandments, may all these curses come upon thee. Cursed shalt thou be

in the city. And below: May the Lord set the pestilence [upon thee]. It will consume

thee out of the land. May the Lord afflict thee with miserable want, with the fever and

with cold, [and] with burning and with heat, and with corrupted air and with blasting

and pursue thee till thou perish. These things Moses says, or rather, God through him.

And below: The Lord strike thee with the ulcer of Egypt, and the part of thy body, by

which the dung is cast out, with the scab and with the itch: So that thou canst not be

healed. The Lord strike thee with blindness and fury of mind. And so it is declared.”

251/5. 1348 was the first year of the great bubonic plague, seen by Rupescissa as a

disease sent by God as punishment. According to Lerner 29, Rupescissa almost died

from the plague while in prison.

397

252/5. The illness could be caused by the over-production of red or yellow bile, with

which Mars is associated. See Klibansky 128, 130.

252/9. The association of Mercury and its influctions with these illnesses is not

common. Normally, Mercury is associated with the nervous system and related

diseases, including melancholy. Klibansky 130, 146, 251-52.

246/11. See note for p. 226/4.

 

254/11. “Praise God." The closing words of The Consideration of Quintessence. Cf.

TCC 1389, f. 94v Deo gratias, "Thanks be to God. "

The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets

255/2. "The Book of Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs and Seven Planets" is

considered part of the Book of Kirannes, an encyclopedic collection of medical

remedies. See Introduction pp. 75-78 for more information on The Book of Kirannes.

255/4. Archimedes was a classical Greek mathematician whose influence on the

Middle Ages, especially in terms of geometry, was profound. See Marshall Clagett,

Archimedes in the Middle Ages (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1964).

398

255/8. The identity of this King Kyranne is not definitively known. King Kyranne is

sometimes referred to as Kiranides of Kiranus, King of Persia; however, no King

Kiranus of Persia is known to historians. See Thorndike (II) 229. It is possible that

Kiranus is Cyrus (Greek, Kyros; Persian, Kurush), the Persian king who conquered

Babylon in 538 B.C.E. Another possibility is that the word kyranides derives from the

Coptic word meaning " inscribed on columns"; indeed, several of the Latin manuscripts

claim that the text was inscribed on pillars and translated by a certain Harpocration.

See Sheldon 9.

255/11. The Book of Kirannes contains four major parts comprising the book proper:

remedies from animals, plants, and stones; remedies, mostly magical, from animals;

remedies, mostly magical, from birds; and remedies, mostly magical, from fish. See

Sheldon 5-6.

256/5. "As follows: "

257/6. "in the hour of the day": the Latin reads, hora sexta diei, “in the sixth hour of

the day." Cf. Sloane 338, f. 49r; and Harley 5399, f. 161r.

259/11. The Middle English "white bat is in empte hilles" refers to ant hills. The

white may refer to the pupae of ants. See "ampte" in the MED.

399

261/15. The lappe-winke or wipe is also known as the hoopoe, a mythical bird of

omen and augury figuring prominently in magic and folklore. See Kieckhefer 6 and

n., 20, 91, 133, 142 and n., 159, 162, and 165 for more elaborate information and

references.

263/2. The word "panpissimum" appears to be a misreading of the Latin: passionem

gomorricam saturiasim illico sanat “It immediately heals suffering from gonorrhea and

satyriasis.” Cf. Sloane 338, f. 50v.

263/17. A treatise on eagles, Virtutes Aquile, was often found within the Latin

Kyranides as well as some Middle English translations of the Kyranides. See Sheldon

1-31.

264/2. I have been unable at this time to locate the origin of this story.

The Third Book of the Works of Alchemy: Semita Recta

271/9. The belief that alchemical understanding was a special gift from God permeated

alchemical thought, in both its symbolic and literal senses. While the transmutation of

base metals into gold became symbolic of the elevation of imperfect, sinful man to a

spiritual and regenerated being and had a clear religious parallel, the actual metallic

transmutation process was not without a spiritual element. Serious alchemical

400

practitioners believed that "metallic transmutation could be brought about only by

divine aid and by men of pure life. " Holmyard, Alchemy, 156-63.

271/9. "Since all things are from him and for him and in him." These words are

reminiscent of the Trinitarian doxology from the Roman rite of the Mass: "By whom

and with whom and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be

unto thee, 0 Father Almighty, world without end. " See Marion J. Hatchett,

Commentary on the American Prayer Book (Chicago: The Seabury Press, 1980) 372.

272/11. The claim to extreme faithfulness in translation to the original text was

common to most, if not all, fifteenth-century translations. See N. F. Blake, Caxton

and His World (London: Andre Deutsch, 1969) 126.

272/ 14. This paragraph is not present in the original Latin text. Cf. Zetzner, ed. ,

"Magistri Alberti Magni Episcopi Ratisbonensis, de Alchemia Praefatio, " Theatrum

chemicum, prucipuos selectorum auctorum tractatus de chemiu et lapidis philosoplici

antiquitate veritate, jure, prustantia, & studiosorum etc., vol. 2 (Strasbourg, 1659-61)

423 .

272/15. It is not clear from the Middle English text who Mahnedis might be.

Furthermore, this reference does not exist in the Latin original. Cf. Zetzner 423.

401

272/ 15. Albertus Magnus (c. 1200-1280), historically cited as the author of the text

(although scholars now know he is not) was never imprisoned, regardless of his

involvement with several theological controversies within the thirteenth-century church.

See E. A. Livingstone, "Albertus Magnus," The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the

Christian Church (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1977) 12-13.

273/5. This paragraph is not present in the Latin text. Cf. Zetzner 423.

274/4. Avicenna (980-1037) was one of the first Arabic medical writers whose work

was used extensively in medieval medical education. His attempt to present a

comprehensive summary of the whole of medical writings, the Canon, particularly

those of Galen, was first translated in the twelfth century by Gerard of Cremona and

his pupils, in Spain. Many of Avicenna's medical writings were standard readings for

medical lectures in Montpellier and Bologna by the fourteenth century. See Nancy G.

Siraisi, Medieval & Early Renaissance Medicine (Chicago: University of Chicago

Press, 1990) 71-72, passim.

274/8. Again, the author emphasizes the inability of mankind to achieve success in

alchemical practices without divine intervention, despite perseverance. See Holmyard,

Alchemy 158 and explanatory note p. 265, l. 9.

274/13-14. Et ideo sequitur: multi licet sapiencias et alibi cum labor in dampno est:

"And it therefore follows: Although many ------ and elsewhere when the work is in

402

ruin. "

275/9-11. “Whence says Aristotle: I do not believe that metals can be transmuted unless

they begin in their pure nature--that is, in their calcinated state--by combustion of fire

without adustion; and then it is possible."

 

276/8. The reference is probably to Hermes Trismegistus, an early Greek alchemist,

often associated with the Greek god Hermes and credited with the creation of "The

Emerald Table, " a set of theoretical alchemical assertions that purports to summarize

the principles of change in nature and is, therefore, central to all alchemical doctrine--

physical and spiritual. As one of the oldest surviving alchemical documents, the

Emerald Table influenced both ancient and medieval alchemical practices. Holrnyard

Alchemy 97-100.

276/ 12. I have been unable to locate the specific origin of this quotation attributed to

Hermes.

276/l3. In this instance, "alkym" appearsto refer to Egypt. Although all modern

scholarship points to ancient Greece as the beginning place for alchemy, the ancients

and medievals believed alchemy originated in Egypt. The word "alkym" (or

"alchemy ") is formed by placing the Arabic definite article "al" before the ancient

403

name for Egypt, "Khem, " from which the word "chemeia," defined as "the preparation

of silver and gold," in an early alchemical lexicon, might be derived. Egypt was

known as a land where metalworkers thrived and metallurgy was widely practiced.

Hence, "alkym" and, consequently, the practice of alchemy, came to be directly

associated with the land of Egypt, that is "the" land of metalwork. See Roberts 18-19.

276/15. "Gobette" and "pece" can refer to a piece of metal. The parallel to "alkum" is

perhaps as a metal. See "gobette" and "pece" in the MED.

276/ 16. Although originating with Aristotle's theories on the formation of metals and

minerals (see explanatory note p. 104, l. 15), the idea of metals maturing was

popularized by Geber's works. See Geber, Of the Investigation or Search for

Perfection, in The Works of Geber, ed. E. J. Holmyard (London: J. M. Dent, 1928) 6.

277/4. The belief that all metals were engendered of sulphur and mercury originates

with Geber, who accepted Aristotle's assertion on the origins of metals but added an

intermediate stage to the generation. Instead of dry exhalation in the earth producing

minerals and moist exhalations producing metals, the dry exhalation produced sulphur

and the moist, mercury. These two exhalations would then combine in various

proportions, resulting in the various minerals and metals. A perfect balance between

sulphur and mercury produced gold; all other metals were the result of less than perfect

proportional combinations of mercury and sulphur. See Geber 46, 56-70 and Roberts

 

50-5 1 .

404

277/ 10. The belief that improper sexual relations, such as engaging in sexual

intercourse during a women's time of menstruation or engaging in sexual intercourse

with a leper, led to leprosy in the child thus conceived carried over to other health

concerns, particularly skin diseases in infants, often misidentified as leprosy. For

example, scabies, an extremely infectious skin disease produced by the parasite

sarcoptes scabiei, led to lesions on the genital organs, abdomen, and thighs. While the

opening of these wounds could lead to infection with the leprosy virus, more often this

illness was mistaken for leprosy. And, if the other conditions for spreading leprosy

were absent, the condition of "uncleanness, " such as the period of menses or an unclear

sleeping area was named as the cause. See Danielle Jacquart and Claude Thomasset,

Sexuality and Medicine in the Middle Ages, trans. Matthew Adamson (Cambridge:

Polity Press, 1988) 181-193.

278/3. Geber outlines the strengths and weaknesses of each of the metals. See Geber

56-70.

278/8. Geber portrays lead as the least of all the metals. Geber 51, 65-66, 141-45.

279/8. I have not found this reference to experience destroying form in the available

Aristotelian works.

 

405

280/3-4. "Whence Hermes (says), For the spirits cannot enter unless it [the metal] is

purged and do not enter unless [it is] somewhat hard."

280/5-6. “Aristotle says, I do not believe that metals can be changed unless they are

reduced to primary material and purified through the burning of fire." I have not been

able to locate this quote attributed to Aristotle.

280/8. This quotation comes directly from the Vulgate, John 3:11: Amen, amen, dico

tibi quia quod scimus loquimur et quod vidimus testamur.: "Amen, Amen I say to thee,

that we speak what we know, and we testify what we have seen. "

281/5-6. “Whence it is easier to destroy the accidental (form) than the essential."

285/1. The earliest etymology of "elixir" is probably from late Greek xerion "dry,"

having the sense of powder, i.e. , medicine. From this form it entered the Arabic

languages as "aliksir, " holding generally the modern meaning of "philosopher's stone."

Finally, elixir entered medieval Latin as "elixir," where it spread to the vernacular

languages. See "elixir" in C. T. Onions, ed., The Oxford Dictionary of English

Etymology. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1966) 306.

285/ 1. The word "leueyne" derives from the Latin Ievamen, meaning "leaven," which

in rare instances (particularly in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries) does refer to a

general agency that produces change, or the tempering of an element. See "leaven" in

406

OED .

299/6. This title, "What Is Congelacion," might possibly be an error for

"coagulacion, " which is discussed in the explanatory paragraph immediately following

the title. While congelacion and coagulacion have similar meanings, there is a touch of

difference between the two, specifically that "congelacion" refers to the combining of

matters alchemically, while coagulation refers to the solidification of matters. The

material being explained is more appropriate to the concept of coagulation. See

"congelacion" and "coagulacion" in the MED and OED.

305/ 12. de fitligine ferri, of the soot of iron

320/17. “Here ends the path into alchemy according to Albertus."

The Work of Boniface IX, with the Following white and Red Chapters

321/ 1. Boniface IX ruled as pope from 1389-1404. His affiliation with an alchemical

text is unclear, although some chroniclers, specifically Dietrich of Niem, accuse

Boniface of an inordinate love of money; perhaps therein lies the connection. See

Thomas Oestreich, "Boniface IX," The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York: The

Gilmary Society, 1913).

407

321/3-4. “Here begins the work of Boniface IX with the following white and red

chapters." The "white" and "red " refer to significant stages within the transmutation

process. See pp. 79-80 of the introduction.

325/ 12. A "natural" day refers to a full 24-hour day; conversely, there are also

artificial days, referring to the time of light seen in a day. See Trevisa 1: 534-36:

"And a wooke biginnyth in one day and endib in be same; be parties bereof beb dayes

artificial and naturalle.

.

.

. Artificial day is be space in be whiche be some passib

aboute in oure sizt fro be est to be west.

.

.

. And a day naturalle hab xxiiii. houres

in be which be some is bore aboute al berbe by rauyschynge of be firmament. "

326/3-4. "Quicksilver is a spirit, only begotten, pregnant, giving birth to itself in one

day; and it is like rennet fermented and pushed together in milk with a good odor."

330/1-14. “The philosopher says concerning the definition of mercury and states it

under this form saying, Mercury is a thick water of a subtle substance generated from

white earth; therefore, it follows logically that a thick water of a subtle substance

generated from white earth is mercury. So the conclusion follows that the seed of all

inanimate things growing in the earth is mercury; and as a consequence since all stones

are inanimate things being born and growing in the earth, mercury is the matter of all

stones, both of gems and of others. Therefore all stones naturally are produced in the

earth naturally from it. Hence it follows that all stones can be made artificially from it,

408

because art follows nature and in certain instances corrects her. And so from every

stone of great perfection can be made a stone of greater perfection when all things

come together in the material and are reduced to prime matter, which is mercury. And

so it is concluded that mercury is the seed and matter both of stones and of metals

whence from metals reduced into mercury, metals can be made, etc."

332/13. “The book being finished, thanks be rendered to Christ."

[Various Recipes]

333/2. Throughout this section, the metals are noted according to their corresponding

planet; hence, sun or sol, gold; moon, silver; Mercury, quicksilver; Venus, copper;

Mars, iron; Jupiter, tin; and Saturn, lead. See Burkhardt 76.

340/13. viride es: green copper/brass

341/9. The metaphor of matrimony is very common in alchemical descriptions.

Matrimony, or conjunction, is a crucial step in the creation of the philosopher's stone.

First used (or recorded) by Mary the Jewess, the metaphor of matrimony represents the

ultimate union between the two opposite metals, mercury and sulphur, with mercury

given the role of mother, and sulphur given the role of father. The mixing, or sexual

union, occurred in the alchemical vessel, often portrayed as a marriage bed, resulting,

409

after time for heating, or pregnancy and development, in the production, or birth, of

the powerful philosopher's stone. See Johannes Fabricanus, Alchemy: The Medieval

Alchemists and Their Royal Art, rev. ed. (London: Diamond Books, 1989) 80-97, 128;

and Roberts 82-91.

341/13. See ff. 73r-74r (pp. 326/10—328/5).

342/8. Color changes were very significant in the alchemical transmutation process,

although the succession of colors varies somewhat from text to text. Generally, the

color sequence moves from black to white to red, with other colors coming between

white and red in later alchemical treatises and yellow appearing between the white and

red in a number of early Greek texts. The colors in this particular sequence--black,

white, red, and frost--follow the general color sequence pattern of black, representing

the death of the base metal or prima materia and the first stage in transmutation; white,

the second stage of " growth" or maturing of the metal, with the change from black to

white indicating that the metal was attaining a greater purity; and red, normally the last

color stage, representing the creation of the great elixir. The " frost" could be anything,

although it probably refers to a more intense purification of the red stage, often

associated with the creation of the philosopher's stone. Roberts 55-63.

342/16. I have been unable at this time to locate the quotation attributed to Saint

Mary.

343/12 See f. 27r (pp. 186-88).

410

344/3. "d": penny or penny weight, from denarius. One "d" weighed 1/6 of an ounce

or approximately 4.57 grams. See R. D. Connor, The Weights and Measures of

England (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1987) 103, and Ronald Edward

Zupko, British Weights and Measures: A History from Antiquity to the Seventeenth

Century (Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1977) 7.

345/9. stagne is a form of the Latin stannum from stannum or stagneus, meaning tin

or, in some early texts, an alloy of silver and lead. See Charles T. Lewis, A Latin

Dictionary (Oxford: Clarendon, 1980) 1750.

346/11. Although haphazard in terms of its success rate and conducted by empirical

chance, not an established process until 1722 when Reaniur published his treatise on

steel-making, L'art de Convertir le Fer Forge en Acier, steel-making was practiced in

the Middle Ages. See K. C. Banaclough, Steelmaking Before Bessemer: Blister Steel,

the Birth of an Industry, vol. 1 (London: The Metals Society, 1984) 15-29.

352/13. Maister Parys: probably a reference to a master of the Paris school.

354/ 12. Maister Boleyne: probably a reference to a master of the Bologna school.

411

356/16. Several Franciscans practiced and wrote on alchemy, including Roger Bacon

and John of Rupescissa. I could not, however, locate the specific reference.

[Sophistications]

358/3-13. “To make gold from copper.

Take copper plates, as much as you want, and beat them red hot and quench

them in sulphur many times until you can easily break the plates in the hand with your

fingers. And then again, heat them red hot and quench them in the best, new olive oil

until you see it retain the color of gold. Then quench this again in new oil mixed with

the yolk (?) of 3 eggs. Then put 1 pennyweight of the best gold with a 20-weight of the

foresaid metal. And then grind verdigris finely on a marble stone and combine [it]

with strong vinegar. And then coat the aforesaid plates with just enough of the

aforesaid verdigris and put them in the fire until the body is red as fire, and again coat

the copper plates as before. And do so 3 or 4 times until it keeps the color of gold; and

this is the coloration of gold.”

359/ 10. "trans" is used as a prefix in more than seventy words from Latin and Old

French, originally meaning "cross over. " It is not normally used by itself. See "trans"

in the MED.

GLOSSARYl

The glossary is selective and contains important or obsolete terms, particularly

technical or scientific terms, words whose meanings or senses have changed

significantly or have become obsolete, and unusual spellings and forms of dialectal or

lexical interest. Some words whose meanings might be easily derived from context are

included in this glossary, either because their meaning varies slightly from that which is

expected, is narrower than that which is expected, or is significant in regard to the

science of the time.

Headwords, phrases, variant spellings, forms of the headwords, and cross

references to headwords are printed in bold type. References are by page number.

References normally include the first or an early occurrence in the text, with additional

representative references cited if necessary for illustrating forms or senses. If a word

or form is the result of an emendation, it or the reference is marked by an asterisk.

Where appropriate, relevant explanatory notes are indicated by “[Cf. n.]"; if the word

is discussed in the introduction, it includes the indication “[Cf. introduction, p. n]."

 

This glossary has been compiled using The Middle English Dictionary; The Oxford

English Dictionary, 2nd ed.; Martinus Rulandus, A Lexicon of Alchemy, trans. A. E.

Waite (London: John M. Watkins, 1964); Roberts 97-113; and Patai passim. The style for

this glossary has been largely based on the glossary in Lister M. Matheson, ed. , Popular

and Practical Science of Medieval England (East Lansing: Colleagues Press, 1994) 369-

409.

412

 

413

Vernacular and Latin glosses to botanical terms (herbs, plants, and fruits) are

listed in a separate section. Proper nouns are also listed in a separate section.

The following abbreviations for grammatical labels are used in this glossary:

adj.

adv.

adjective

adverb

attrib.

attributively

coll.

collective

conj.

conjunction

fitt.

future tense

ger.

imp.

inf.

lit.

n.

phr.

pl.

gerund

imperative

infinitive

literally

noun

phrase

plural

ppl. adj.

participial adjective

p. ppl.

past participle

pr.

present tense

pr. ppl.

present participle

pret.

preterite

refl.

sg.

reflexive

singular

 

414

subj.

subjunctive

sup.

superlative

I (2, 3)

first (second, third) person

abrode adv. throughout; in a wide space 202/5.

abstynid subj. kept from, abstained from 265/9.

ac n. attack or onset of illness often accompanied by fever 223/9.

accidental adj. (of form) secondary, non-essential, external 276/18, 278/9, etc.

accordeth pr. 3 sg. agrees 203/ 8; accorden pr. 3 pl. agree 235/ 14; according ger.

conforming 126/1, combining 164/4, etc.; accordid p. ppl. agreed 245/1.

aduailleth pr. 3 sg. benefits, profits 309/8.

aduste ppl. adj. (of humors) morbidly altered in nature by the action of the heat in the

body 247/2, 247/4 etc.

adustions n. pl. (of bodily humors) modifications through heat 246/10.

affinite n. relationship of family or kind 297/9.

affixion n. the reduction by various processes of a volatile substance to a state not

affected by fire or other agents of change 146/13.

agaste p. ppl. afraid 258/12; agasten pr. 3 pl. frighten, deter 228/14.

alienacion of witte n. phr. derangement of the mind, insanity 246/18.

alimyted adj. (of a date) fixed or determined 104/5.

altitude n. height, height as a dimension 195/2.

aludelle n. a vessel used in sublimation and distillation 300/7. 303/12, etc.

alum n. a generic term denoting certain alum-bearing minerals and luminous salts as

415

well as potash alum 150/9; alume 146/1 etc.; alum glasse 157/12; alume

glasse 150/9; alume glas 153/2, 175/12; alume glasse146/ 1; alum romayne

n. phr. potash alum obtained from Roman alum; rock alum 321/ 10; alym lam

n. alumen lamenum, laminated alum 285/6.

ana adv. in the same amount, of each the same amount 241/6; 269/ 13, etc.

anele imp. treat with fire, temper, anneal 138/ 8, 142/6, etc.; anelid p. ppl. treated

with fire, enameled 201/6; anelyd 306/16.

anelosos n. a form of epilepsy caused by a stomach disorder 260/8.

angwille n. an endoparasitic worm 346/6.

anone adv. instantly, right away 124/15, 167/10, etc.

aperitiues n. pl. medicines causing dilation of the pores, veins, etc. 175/5.

apeyre inf. impair or harm 108/1; apeyreth pr. 3 sg. impairs, harms 165/6; appeirid

p. ppl. impaired 212/13, 238/2.

aposteumes n. pl. morbid swellings or inflammations in the body, internal or external;

festering sores 252/6, 253/6.

appoplexia n. apoplexy, stroke 258/6.

approbate p. ppl. sanctioned, approved, expert 276/3.

arnement dirt containing sulphur 292/4 etc.

artetica passio n. arthritis, rheumatism 267/8-9.

artificial adj. (of the day) belonging to the part of the 24 hour day between sunrise and

sunset, devised by humans (versus God or scripture) 259/16 [see n.325/12].

asaye imp. test, taste the strength of 200/ 14, etc.

ascencion n. vaporization, normally achieved through a process of heating a liquid to

  

 

416

 

boiling, catching the vapors in part of the still, and then reheating these vapors

again after they have cooled; eventually resulting in a base matter that is denser

118/ 11; ascencions n. pl. 119/ 1 1. Cf. ciercle ascencions.

ascende inf. to rise in a still as vapor upon heating 117/6, etc.; ascending ger. rising

117/ 13; ascendith pr. 3 sg. rises 218/7.

asmaticos n. asthma 260/7.

assiduacion n. persistent application of alchemical methods and processes 277/ 15.

aspaltum n. native asphalt 149/11, etc.

attractife adj. (of medicine) the property of drawing out or eliminating morbid or

foreign matter from the body 166/ 13.

attractifz rt. pl. medicines that draw out or eliminate morbid or foreign matter from

the body 167/2; attractifes 167/4.

attrament n. 171/4, etc.

auriat adj. of the color of gold 190/ 14.

azafetida n. a gum resin, usually sticky 159/6, 167/4.

backe n. a bat 265/4.

balneum marie n. phr. (L) a double vessel water bath for maintaining water at less

than boiling temperature; within the double vessel, the outer vessel is filled with

water while the inner one contains the substance or substances that require

moderate heating 132/9.

barbiers n. pl. barbers who also practice bloodletting, tooth extraction, and minor

surgery (used attrib.) 127/13, 359/5.

417

baume n. a curative ointment, balm 147/16, 157/11, etc., bavme 264/10.

beemos n. pl. rays, emanations of light, from God, truth, etc. 137/ 10, etc., beemys

139/2, etc.

bely n. a bellow, particularly those used by a smith to create wind 318/14.

beneuoleus adj. (of a planet) having a nature whose influence benefits humankind

226/ 17.

berme subj. froths 361/8, etc.

hiding pr. ppl. abiding, long-lasting, enduring 107/11, etc.

bladders n. pl. vesicles or blisters; pustules, pimples 214/3.

blaunchid adj. whitened 274/19

blaunching ger. whitening 205/4.

blanchour n. a reagent for whitening metals 334/ 19.

blaynes n. pl. inflammatory swellings or sores; the sores of smallpox, leprosy,

shingles, etc. 252/6, bleynes, 214/3.

blode n. blood; one of the four humors 127/1, etc., blood 128/3, bloode 243/13.

boicche n. a hump on the back 174/8; boicches pl. 252/6, bouches 185/6.

bole n. bull 266/ 13; the constellation Taurus 114/13.

bote n. medicine, remedy 262/8.

boystous, adj. big, sturdy 256/10, boystice 295/9.

brede n. breadth, width 317/11.

brennyd adj. burned 172/4, etc.;

brennyngz n. pl. festerings; morbid modifications of humors by body heat 252/ 8.

brent p. ppl. 167/7, etc.; brenned ppl. adj. burned 167/7, etc.; brennyng ger.

 

  

 

 

burning, flaming 103/18.

418

brevys n. pl. the muscular parts of a limb, specifically voluntary striated muscles

252/9.

brotilnes n. brittlenesse 345/13, etc.

brymstone n. the mineral sulphur 136/2, etc.

burgyns n. pl. buddings, sproutings 145/ 16; burgenynges 152/14, burgenyngz 149/6,

etc.

but and conj. if, but if 120/7, 204/18.

byles n. pl. swelling and festering sores on the skin; an ulcerated wound 252/9.

calamiaris, lapis (See lapis calaminaris.)

calce n. the white of an egg 302/9.

calce n. a calcinate, lime 142/3, etc., calces 141/17, etc., calcis 275/15, etc., calse a

calcinate, especially of gold or silver 141/17, calce 142/3.

calcon n. an annealing arch or oven 290/ 10.

calcinacion n. process of reducing a substance to powder through heating 292/ 10, etc;

calcynacion 291/19; calcynacions pl. 274/11, etc., calcinacions 279/12.

calcyne inf. to reduce to powder by heating 135/ 15; , calcyne imp. heat 293/ 18;

calcyned p. ppl. reduced 141/ 10, etc.; calcynid 318/2; calcynyd 279/10, etc.;

y-calcynid 300/9.

camphure n. a volatile, aromatic compound, usually obtained from the wood or bark

of the camphor tree, and used as a linement; other similar compounds such as

terpene alcohol and ketones 266/11, camphor 356/11, camphora 154/2.

cancre n. an ulcerated, often spreading and gangrenous wound, cancer 189/7.

419

cancro adj. ' solis a type of gold 167/7.

cane n. reed, sugarcane 287/11.

canelle n. a tube 318/l6.

canon n. the cylindrical part of a stilll 16/14; canons pl. 117/5, etc.

carbunclys n. pl. large and suppurating boils 252/ 8.

cathaplasma n. a poultice containing herbs 159/6.

catymiye n. ore containing gold or silver 297/4, cathymy 151/15.

cauderon n. a caldron 197/13, 291/7.

cause n. a reason 102/14, etc., causes 306/11.

cause n. (laste) reference to the last of the four causes distinguished by Aristotle, that

is, that by which something is produced; in this reference, the purpose for

which something is produced or created 102/ 13. (See 11.)

cautelle n. a precautionary measure, strategy 221/4.

cemitacion n. a pasty combination 314/11.

ceracion n. wax blended with a medicinal ingredient or ingredients 301/15, etc.;

ceracions pl. 274/ 11, 275/4.

ceruse n. white lead, a compound used in pigments and medicaments 153/2, cerusa

157/ 12.

chattys n. pl. the catkins of the hazel or the seeds of the ash 152/15, chattes 161/6.

ciatica passio n. phr. sciatica, i.e., pain from the inflammation of the sciatic nerve;

also, pain in the region of the sciatic nerve 267/ 8.

cicroun n. a scar-producing medicine or medicinal procedure 205/ 3.

 

 

ciercle ascencions n. phr. vaporizations or evaporations of a fume through the boiling

420

of a liquid in a still such that the vapor rises and condenses, and the condensed

matter then returns to the original vessel via a tube, to be further refined

through repeated boilings 119/11.

 

ciercle descencions n. phr. distillations or fusions in which the liquid product flows

down into a container below after first having risen through a circular tube,

normally in the form of vapor 119/11.

ciercle distillacion n. phr. boiling a liquid and then reconverting the vapor into a liquid

by cooling; sometimes applied to the removal of liquid from one vessel to

another 118/11, circle distillacion 131/3.

ciercle sublimations n. phr. 119/15.

circulacions n. the processes or operations of changing one body or element into

another by means of heating or cooling 121/ 10. [See also stillatorie of

circulacion and vaisshel of circulacion]

circularit n. the process of circulation 129/ 16.

circuyte n. a circuitous course whereby a liquid element undergoes circulacion by

heating or cooling 195/7.

citryne adj. orange, amber, yellow 151/7.

cleen adj. healthy 174/7.

clepe inf. to name 271/11; clepe pr. 1 pl. name 209/11; clepen name pr. 3 pl. 106/2;

clepid p. ppl. called 109/ 12; clepid pret. 3 pl. called 314/7.

clowdes n. pl. that which obscure the mind 218/9, 261/12.

clowte n. plate of iron or clot of earth used as a plug 335/13.

coadunatife adj. having the attribute of combining into one 319/13.

421

coagulatife adj. clotting, coagulating 319/12.

cochyng ger. a preparing substance 165/6.

coler n. bile, one of the four primary humors 168/12, etc. colere 244/7, etc.

colerike adj. 127/13, colerik adj. 218/3.

collerys n. pl. bouts of cholera or severe diarrhea 269/9.

comfortatifes n. pl. medicines that invigorate, stimulate, and soothe 144/1,

comfortatifz 182/11.

complexion n. nature or disposition as formed from the four humors 163/ 14, etc.;

tendre " physically weak 217/7.

condicion n. nature, mode of being 212/11; condicions pl. 110/2, etc.

congelacion n. chilling, thickening, combining 299/6, etc.

congele imp. solidify, crystallize 298/15, 309/15, etc.; congeleth pr. 3 sg. solidifies

289/10; congelith pr. 3 sg. solidifies 187/3; congelen pr. 3. pl. solidify

172/13; congelid p. ppl. crystallized 282/3; congelefilt. 3. sg. will solidify

316/6.

coniunctife adj. cohesive 319/13.

consideracion rt. examination 101/4, etc.

constreynen pr. 3 pl. thicken bodily fluids so as to diminish or arrest their flow or

discharge 170/7, etc., constreynyng ger. binding 172/9; constreyne pr. 3 pl.

diminish flow 170/6; constreyne fiit. pl. 3 will diminish flow.

contagious adj. harmful, dangerous, evil 107/9.

cooste n. way, manner, available course 250/5.

coperose n. a metallic sulphate, as of ferrous (green) FeSO4, of coprous (blue) CuSO.,,

422

or of zinc (white) ZnSO4; a vitriol 186/5 etc.

copy n. abundance, copious quantity 235/14.

coralle n. coral, particularly red coral of the Mediterranean Sea 153/2, etc. , corallus

157/13, etc.

corporacion n. united, combined 139/2.

corrosife n. substance that destroys organic tissue 177/1, etc.; corrosifz pl. 176/13,

corrosyfes 176/8, corrosifes 176/10, etc.

corrosie adj. corrosive 109/11, corrosife 187/8, 199/16, etc.

costyue adj. constipating 130/7.

couche imp. put 337/14.

crudde n. any thickened substance 263/10; cruddes pl. feces 172/2.

crudding ger. thickening, congealing 319/13.

cumfort n. strength 273/2.

cumfortatyfe n. a food or medicine that invigorates, stimulates, or soothes 144/2;

cumfortatyfes pl. 172/7, etc., cumfortatifz 182/11.

cumforte inf. to strengthen or revive the functioning of an organ 104/ 1, etc.;

cumforteth pr. 3 sg. strengthens, revives ; cumfortid p. ppl. strenthened,

revived 174/3; cumfortyng ger. reviving 185/3; cumforte imp. revive 210/ 18,

etc.; cumforte fut. 3 sg. will strengthen 238/12; cumfortefut. 3 pl. will

strengthen 238/12; cumforten pr. 3 pl. strengthen 170/8, etc.,

cunnyng n. knowledge, understanding, discernment 102/16, etc.

cuttyng ger. dissolving 216/5.

 

 

 

423

dampne inf. to condemn or repudiate 281/2.

daube imp. cover with clay 294/9, etc.

daunche inf. to dance 268/ 19.

dealbacion n. a substance to make things, usually the skin, white 275/15.

decocte imp. boil down to a concentration; to mature metals by heat; boil so as to

extract the principal parts of a substance 317/12.

decoction n. a medicinal preparation made by boiling 277/ 3, etc.; decoctions pl.

274/10, etc.

degges n. pl. matted clots of blood and hair 215/8.

deificatife adj. godlike 204/18.

demoniacos n. pl. illnesses caused by demons 263/ 14.

departe inf. to separate, distinguish 133/6, etc.; departefut. 2 sg. shall separate

132/14, etc; departid p. ppl. separated 118/7, etc. departid fill. 3 sg. will be

separated; departing ger. separating, 216/9, departyng departing 216/5.

dcpure inf. to free alchemical materials from impurities or harmful qualities; to purify

humors 297/6; depurid pret. 3 sg. purified 297/6.

descencion n. condensation of vapors (see also ciercle descencions) 118/11;

descencions pl. 119/11.

descende inf. condense 128/12; descendith pr. 3 sg. condenses 301/3; descending

ger. condensating 117/14.

desiccatife adj. promoting or inducing dryness 216/3.

desictacion n. the removal of moisture by the application of heat 310/ 12.

diaforeticorum n. a substance that produce perspiration or opening of the pores

424

180/ 13, etc.

digestid adj. (of wine) aged 126/8.

dismaticos n. pl. an illness 260/7.

disposicion n. temperament as determined by the combination of the four humors

218/11, etc.

disposicions n. pl. physiological factors causing morbid conditions 258/2.

disposid p. ppl. ordained, directed 136/10, etc.; disposith pr. 3 sg. regulates, controls,

ordains 136/11, etc.; disposeth ordains 137/3, etc.

dissimuleth pr. 3 sg. conceals 212/17; dissimule 3 fut. sg. will conceal 212/9.

dissolucion n. separation 321/7, etc.; dissolucions pl. separations 363/4.

dissolue inf. to reduce a solid to a liquid, to separate a part from the whole 178/ 16,

etc.; dissolue pr. 3 sg. evaporates, reduces 120/4; dissoluen pr. 3 pl.

evaporate; dissolueth lessens 174/3; dissolued p. ppl. dissolved 177/4,

dissoluid mixed into 198/1; dissoluyd broken down; dissoluyng ger. reducing

168/2, etc.

distillacion n. the process of distilling 131/15. etc. Cf. ciercle distillacion.

distille inf. to reduce 178/16; distille imp. condense 116/14; distilling ger. vaporizing

178/16.

distilled adj. condensed 126/9; distillid 130/6.

distillatorie n. the apparatus used in distilling, a still 186/ 1.

doublet n. an imitation jewel made of enamel and glass 201/9.

draffe n. waste parts of grapes or olives after the juice or oil has been removed

121/12.

 

 

 

 

425

draue inf. to remove, to extract 123/6, etc.; draue imp. take out 125/9; draueth pr. 3

sg. removes 110/14, etc.; drauen pr. 3 pl. 110/15, etc.; draue p. ppl. removed

122/12, y-draue extracted 185/16; drawe subj. will be extracted, will be

diminished 117/4; drauyng extracting 129/11, etc., draueng extracting 151/11,

etc.

drouth n. dryness 154/11, etc., drouthe 106/11.

egle n. a large bird of prey belonging to any one of the species termed “aquila” in the

Middle Ages 263/17, 268/16.

electuari n. a medicine in which the ingredients are combined with honey or syrup to

form a paste 169/8.

elixar n. a universal remedy; a substance of transmutative power 285/ 1, etc.

emitrice, n. a fever 248/3, etc.; emitricw pl. intermittent fevers 248/1, emytrices

249/5.

emoraydes n. pl. hemorrhoids, especially bleeding hemorrhoids 269/ 10.

emperalite n. empire 130/ 3, etc.

empte hilles n. pl. ant hills 259/ l l.

emptheycos n. a wasting disease resulting in an excess of skin 260/ 8.

entre inf. to explain 203/14; entreth pr. 3 sg. penetrates 315/9; entre pr. 3 sg.

penetrates 143/4; entren pr. 3 pl. penetrate 179/18; entrefiit. 3 sg. will

penetrate 320/13; entryng ger. penetrating 275/7 entrid p. ppl. placed 210/ 8.

equite n. according to what is ordained or accorded to ne, e.g. , the proper balance of

humors according to complexion 212/12, equyte 236/3.

426

 

es vstum n. (L) an oxide of copper obtained by calcination; the crocus of copper, lit.,

burned copper 177/10, 178/2, etc., es ustum 150/9-10, 160/5, etc.

essencial adj. having, real existence, versus “accidental” being; fundamental 276/18,

278/9.

ethike n. hectic fever 217/ 8.

euangelistz n. pl. men devoted to or learned in the gospel 111/6.

euene contrary adv. directly opposite 135/12, etc.

exclude inf. to eliminate or remove as by draining 297/7; excludid pret. 3 sg. removed

279/13, etc.

falling ille n. ph. epilepsy 226/3, 252/11, etc., fallyng ille 262/9, 265/9.

fantasie n. delusion 103/9; fantasies pl. deluded imaginations 104/11, etc.

fatnesse n. (of a humor) the viscosity or thickness, oiliness 174/11, 190/ 10, etc.

fatte n. a large open vessel, a vat 291/ 1.

fauty adj. lacking 215/13, etc.

febre n. fever 235/3, etc.

febre continual n. phr. remittent or non-interrnittent fever 242/10, etc.

febre cotidian n. an intermittent variety of roted fever with daily recurring attacks

244/13, etc.

febre quartayne n. an intermittent variety of roted fever with attacks recurring every

third day; roted fever is said to be caused by the putrefaction of humors in the

body 235/3, etc., febre quartane 235/7, etc.

febre terciane n. tertian fever; an intermittent variety of roted fever with attacks

recurring every other day 244/5, 244/6.

427

feces n. pl. sedimentary deposits, dregs 128/8, 303/ 19, fecis 307/5.

felounys n. pl. suppurative sores 252/6.

fenne n. mud, dirt 350/2.

ferrugo n. (L) iron filings or rust 154/4, 159/7, etc.

feyling ger. failing 216/9.

fieuble adj. feeble, weak 200/12.

fistula n. a deep-seated ulcer or infection with one or several pipe-like outlets 166/3,

168/ 8, etc.

fixacion n. state in which a volatile substance is not affected by fire or other agents of

change 304/ 17, vessel to bring about fixacion 308/ 3.

fixe inf. to set, to make invariable 150/13, etc.; fixeth pr. 3 sg. sets 300/3; fixeng

ger. setting 299/3.

fixed ppl. adj. set, invariable 275/1, etc.

fixion n. a substance that causes the reduction by various processes of a volatile

substance to a state not affected by fire or other agents of change 299/13,

300/1, etc.

fleing ger. changing198/6, 300/1.

fleuanine n. a disease characterized by an imbalance of phlegm, sluggishness 169/6.

fleuble adj. feeble, weak 105/2, etc.

fleublid p. ppl. weakened 216/ 8.

fleublenesse n. weakness 101/11, etc., fleublenes 208/2, 254/9.

fleumatike n. a temperament in which the predominant humor is phlegm, characterized

 

by slow, solid mannerisms 210/5.

428

fieaume n. one of the four body fluids or humors, phlegm 139/ 18, etc., fleume

168/15, flewme 169/7.

floryns rt. pl. gold coins minted in Florence and stamped with the figure of a lily; also,

any foreign gold coins or English gold coins worth 63 8d; a noble 138/7,

139/14, etc.; " of Florence phr. Florentine florins 138/7, 139/14, etc.

flour n. powder, e. g. a brass filing 150/ 10, etc., flower, bud 145/11; floures pl.

menses 257/16, etc.

flux of the wombe, n. phr. dysentery, diarrhea 267/11.

fluxes pl. cramps 258/2.

fordoing ger. destroying, hindering 204/13.

freete inf. to destroy by scraping or rubbing; to irritate 179/16, to irritate, to scrape

254/6.

fressh adj. bright in color 214/3.

fretith pr. 3 sg. irritates 177/1, etc.; freten pr. 3 pl. stop the infection of 176/4; fretid

p. ppl. corroded 289/11; fretyng ger. irritating 176/3, etc., freting 201/13,

etc.; frete fut. 3 sg. will corrode 180/6, etc.; frette imp. bind, fasten, tie

322/10.

fugitife adj. unstable, apt to disappear 198/9, etc.

fumosite n. vapor 342/9; fumositees pl. vapors 189/3, 323/2.

fyme n. excrement, dung 121/5, 123/17, etc.

fyne adj. of excellent quality 122/7.

fyned p. ppl. is refined, is freed of impurities 126/ 8.

 

fyner comp. better 136/5, etc.

429

 

galle n. a type of fruit, 159/3, gall bladder or bile 175/15, etc.; galles pl. farts 190/7,

etc.

gastenesse n. terror 220/ 15.

gleyre, n. the white an an egg, often beaten to form an adhesive, albumen 232/ 10, etc.

gobette n. a mass 275/17, etc.

gomorriam n. gonorrhea; an inflamation accompanied by a discharge of the urethra or

vagina 263/2.

gotiers n. pl. pipes for water, gutters 349/8, 349/10.

gouerneth pr. 3 sg. rules 112/11.

gouemnance n. astrological " influence or domination 218/ 10, etc. , gouuernance

determining influence 113/5, rule 205/ 8.

graue n. grave 255/8.

grauyd pr. ppl. buried 210/11.

grees n. pl. degrees 163/2, 163/9.

Grew n. Greek, the Greek language 276/14.

grosse adj. thick, coarse, unrefined 124/7, etc.

grossitude n. remains, waste 125/8, 177/5, etc.

gryue inf. to agitate, to disturb 237/1.

gumme n. tree gum or resin 141/19, etc.

gummes n. pl. non-volatile solids or semi-solid substances apt to be deposited by some

petroleum products when stored or heated; formed by the oxidation of certain of

 

 

their constituents; varies in nature from a soft, sticky mass to a hard resinous

430

layer 145/20, 147/16, etc.

hete n. fever 214/6.

highteth pr. 3 sg. illuminates, 110/1; hight fit. 3 sg. will illuminate, will enhance

108/15.

hourle adv. hour after hour, continually 124/ 3.

humour n. one of the four bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, choler, and melancholy) that

rule personality and affect 104/15, etc.; humours pl. the four fluids (blood,

phlegm, choler, and melancholy) that form and nourish the body; also, the four

qualities of matter 110/13, etc.

humidite n. moistness 160/1, etc., humydite moistness 159/18, etc.

hurting n. sore 214/11; hurtyngz pl. injuries 238/3.

hurtyng adj. bleeding 201/12, etc.,

hurteth pr. 3 sg. injures 165/8.

hyding ger. alleviating (the symptoms of a disease) 211/17.

ycche n. itch, irritation 231/1, etc.; ycches pl. itches 215/8; ycchyng ger. itching

231/1, etc.

ierapigra n. a purgative for which the basic ingredient is aloe 110/13, etc.

y-honovrid p. ppl. well known 342/l8.

y-Iike adv. equally 241/19, etc.

imaginacions n. pl. delusions 218/1, etc.

inbibe imp. soak a substance in liquid 305/17, etc.

431

incontinenti adv. immediately, instantly 264/13, 291/16, incontynenty 261/9.

influctions n. pl. influences 226/1, 252/5.

ingendre inf. to beget, to produce 107/8; ingendred p. ppl. is produced 109/13,

ingendrid 113/10, etc.

inpoysenid pr. ppl. to be poisoned 234/ 17.

inscicif adj. having the property of dispersing, diluting, or dissolving viscous thick, or

heavy humors 180/4, inscicife 180/6.

interpolate adj. intermittent 264/5.

intrete inf. to ask 269/1; intretid p. ppl. accounted for (as in a treatise) 307/ 8.

inuisible adj. invisible 186/13.

invisibly adv. secretly 131/9, 186/10, invisiblyche adv. 114/9, inuisibly 186/11.

ire n. iron 112/6, etc.; irons pl. bindings of iron 232/1.

iren adj. of iron 124/10, 138/9.

iren pele n. phr. a matchstick-sized iron filing 138/9, 142/5.

jaunyche n. jaundice 257/9.

jounkz n. pl. (of the sea) rushes, prickly plants found in Palestine 213/10, younkes

213/1 1.

joumaye n. any course of action or undertaking 269/ 8.

juse n. (of mercury) the liquid in which metals are dissolved 168/10, jus 243/15.

kele inf. to cool 291/8, etc.

kepe to maintain 102/6, 103/4, to guard 103/8, to prevent 231/ 10. enclose 192/3;

 

 

 

 

432

kepeth pr. 3 sg. protects, preserves, kepith 109/15, etc.; kepe imp. restrain

262/18; keping ger. sustaining 108/4; kepten pret. 3 pl. guarded 107/5; kepte

p. ppl. maintained 122/16, etc., hidden 221/6, etc.

kybryt n. sulphur 341/7, 343/6, etc.

kinde n. nature 104/14, etc.

kindeli adv. naturally produced 106/15, kindely naturally 107/11, etc.

lapis calaminaris n. tutia; calamine stone 281/6, 285/7, etc.

lapis lyzare n. lapis lyzarus, a semi-precious stone used in medicines and as a coloring

agent 153/2, lapis lyzarus 157/12, lapis lazarus 169/2, lapis lazule 219/810.

lappewynke n. the hoopoe, a mythical bird 265/8. Cf. wipe. [See 11.]

laton n. mercury 187/9, 205/4, etc., latoun 266/ 1, 281/4.

lauatife adj. cleansing 289/4.

laxatyue adj. able to expel morbid matter or evil humors 130/6, laxatyfe 146/11,

laxatife 168/2.

Iaxatifz n. pl. medicines that causes a humor or humors to be expelled 240/ 1; laxatyfs

pl. 170/2, laxatife: 144/3.

lazuse litarge n. lapis lazuli, i.e., white or red lead 153/2.

lefte pr. 1 sg. brag 274/1.

lembike n. alembic 128/5, 131/15, etc.

lente adj. gentle 309/5, 313/14, etc.

lepre n. one with leprosy or a skin disease resembling leprosy 211/7, 211/11, etc.

leprenes n. leprosy 212/1, 212/2, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

lesions n. pl. injuries, esp. of the skin 234/5, 238/3.

433

leueyne n. substance causing effervescence in metals 285/ 1, etc., leuevne yeast 285/2.

leyne n. layer 317/13, 336/3, etc.

lymel imp. file 141/13; lymel pr. 2 sg. file 141/11

lymel n. a filing 316/9, pl. 322/3; lymelle pl. filingsl41/4, etc.

lymellid adj. made into filings 314/17, etc.

lise n. pl. maggots or worms in the flesh 231/11, lis 231/6, lys 231/3, 231/14, etc.

liste n. extraneous cloth (from another piece of clothing, for example) used for various

purposes 232/11, 232/13.

litarge n. yellowish-white lead oxide produced by relatively rapid cooling 157/12, etc.;

litargium (L) 176/6.

litargie n. lethargy, a disease of prolonged unconsciousness or coma, a mental disorder

accompanied by stupor, mental or spiritual inertia 264/11.

lite adj. little, small 210/7, etc.

Iongeth pr. 3 sg. is fitting 204/5, is necessary 290/13, etc.; longen pr. 3. pl.

influence 115/8 etc.

lunatike adj. mentally unstable according to the astrological movements of the moon

245/ 10, lunatik 261/8.

lunatikenes n. insanity 247/14.

lune n. silver 320/2, 321/7, etc.

lustynesse n. vigor, energy, life 101/12, etc.

lute n. (philosopher’s) clay, a type of paste 118/14, etc.

lute imp. seal (an orifice) 348/12, etc.

lutid adj. sealed 126/1, etc., y-lutid p. ppl. 339/5.

434

malencoly n. black bile, the humor arising from a preponderance of black bile 169/2,

etc. , malencolye 169/9, etc., malencolie 236/5.

malencolie adj. (of humor) sad, negative 219/3, 219/11.

malgan imp. to blend 342/3.

malgaz n. a blend of mercury with another metal 334/ 1, 334/9.

malice n. disease, malignancy, infection 174/ 1, etc.

manna n. certain natural exudates from trees and shrubs, esp. when processed as

medicine; often exudate from a tamarisk 168/10.

margery perle n. phr. a pearl stone 199/12.

marcasete n. a metallic sulphide used medicinally 285/11, one of various kinds of

pyrites (iron disulphide) marcasite 297/4; markasede 341/1.

masle n. male, boy 266/12, etc.

maste n. coll. acorn 151/11, etc.

matrice n. uterus 277/8, etc.

matrimony n. a union of two or more metals, often used metaphorically to symbolize

the spiritual element of alchemical stages leading to an ultirneate transformation

341/8, etc.

mawe n. stomach 222/1, 228/16, etc.

medicine n. a transmuting agent 240/2, etc., medicines pl. 127/16, etc.

medicinal adj. healing 231/ 8, medicynal 143/9, medicinalle containing medicine

260/ 5 .

 

 

 

 

medicinable adj. able to transfer healing substances 110/12.

435

meenable adj. moderate, pliable 239/14.

meenely adv. moderately 179/18.

melle imp. mix 128/9; mellid p. ppl. combined, blended 129/12.

mellid adj. combined, blended 118/15.

melys n. pl. mixtures of honey and a medicinal ingredient 209/7.

menke adj. honorable 251/3.

merlyne n. a small european falcon or a sea fish (the european whiting) 263/4.

mery n. the kernal or meat of a nut or seed 219/9, 236/ 10.

messilyne n. a kind of brass 348/6.

mesurably adv. adequately, appropriately 209/4, 239/12.

minium n. (L) native cinnabar (HgS), red lead; the color of red lead; red earthy matter

resembling red lead 282 n.

modre n. (of bittre alrnundes) seed for producing like plants 157/6.

mollificatyfe n. a softening ointment 173/ 10.

mordificatife adj. distressing, tormenting, crosive 176/2, mordificatyue 182/8.

morfewe n. a skin disease characterized by leprous or scurvy eruptions or scabs 215/2,

morphew 359/9.

mortifie inf. to chemically alter a substance , i.e., kill its original form, by using and

acid or oxidation 232/11.

motes n. pl. dust particles 259/2, motz 266/1.

mundificacion n. the cleansing of a sore or a wound, esp. by removing pus 302/4,

350/4.

mundificatife adj. cleansing 289/4.

436

mundifieth pr. 3 sg. heals 219/14; mundifien pr. 3 pl. cleanse a wound or infection;

to cleanse the the body internally; to purify blood or medicine 174/ 16;

 

mundifie p. ppl. cleanse 180/9.

mundified adj. purified 323/14.

musa n. plantain or banana 174/11.

myddereve n. the upper torso 252/6.

myne n. a mine 109/9, etc.

myry adj. dirty, swampy, muddy 350/2, 362/3.

mystel n. (tree) the European mistletoe (viscus album) 263/ 10.

neissh adj. soft 301/16, 346/14, neisshe 299/4, nesshe 142/17, 350/8, neyssh 173/2,

neysshe 173/5, 173/10.

neysshencsse n. the quality of softness 173/2.

noye pr. ppl. shall sicken, shall affect 252/14, etc.; noyen p. ppl. corrosive 146/11;

noyeth pr. 3 sg. afflicts 235/7.

noyous adj. toxic 239/17.

nygramancy n. sorcery, divination 225/18, 226/4.

nys pr. 3 sg. is not, i.e., negation of is 11/3, 304/14.

nytir n. sal " salt petre 352/15.

olour n. (L) swan 263/4.

operacion n. (of an element) function 287/ 3, 349/18; operations pl. functions 204/7.

 

   

437

openne inf. to reveal 161/16; openne imp. show 312/14; openne fut. I sg will reveal

116/11, 145/5; openned p. ppl. revealed 130/2, etc.

orpiment n. one of the four substances called " spirits "; arsenic trisulfide 288/ 1, 288/4,

305/ 10, orpyment 190/ 1, 288/2, etc.

oure heuene n. phr. quintessence 105/12, etc.

0er n. a substance extracted from metals or other elements, a quintessence 132/11,

133/3, etc.

passith pr. 3 sg. exceeds 192/8, exceeds, harms 165/7, passeth surpasses 193/14;

passe pr. 3 sg. go through 118/15, etc.; passe p. ppl. exceed 103/13, etc.;

passid pret. 3 sg. departed 124/14, etc., went through 275/8.

paste n. (philosopher’s) dough used as a sealant, adhesive, or casing in which

medicinal substances are cooked 126/2, etc.

paste imp. mix 127/15, cover, coat 344/9; pastid pret. 3 sg. congelid 202/6.

pastid adj. thickened, as in the form of dough 121/5

peireth pr. 3 sg. hurts, damages, weakens 242/1.

penance n. penalty, punishment, a judicial sentence; austerity of life 233/2.

percepue pr. 3 sg. understands, perceives 258/10; perceipued p. ppl. understood,

discerned 258/1 1;

percheth pr. 3 pl. penetrate 168/ 3; perchet pret. 3 sg. penetrated 319/11; perchet

subj. penetrate 199/ 8.

percussifcs n. pl. repercusive medicines 181/8.

peresshen pr. 3 pl. destroy 174/14.

438

permixtife p. ppl. mixed, intermingled 319/l2.

perry n. fermented pear juice 144/9.

perseueratife adj. enduing, lasting 319/13.

pestilence n. (fever) an epidemic 249/16, 250/17, etc.; widespread illness 250/4,

250/8, etc.

pethe n. the flesh of a fruit or nut 236/ 10.

petrolium n. rock oil 150/10, etc.

philosophres lute n. phr. a special composition for sealing the oriface of alchemical

containers, usually a type of clay 118/14, etc.

phisike n. medical science or treatment 145/6, 183/15; a physician 210/ 1.

picche n. wood tar or its distillate 142/2, etc.

plage n. affliction, disease 211/11.

playne adj. flat, smooth, even 303/9, 304/8.

plyte n. state, appearance 140/11.

pondereuse adj. thick, viscous, as of a putrid discharge 119/16.

pothecary n. corruption of apothecary 353/7.

pouderosite adj. ability to crumble or powder 350/13.

praty adv. well made 361/9.

presons n. pl. prisons, confinements 227/8.

pricke n. attack, e.g. , from God as punishment for sin; a goad 250/7.

pryue adj. secret 123/5, 126/2, sexual 218/13.

pryuely adv. secretly 230/ 10.

probacions n. pl. pieces of evidence, arguments, demonstrations 278/10, etc.

 

 

priuete n. secret 130/12, etc., pryurte 101/14, etc.; pryuetees pl. secrets 193/3, etc.,

439

priuetees 116/7, etc.

ptisik n. asthma 261/8, ptisike 263/14, pthsicos 260/8.

purge inf. to cleanse, to purify, to reduce excess 169/15, etc.; purge pr. 3 pl. remove,

reduce by heat; purge filt. 3 sg. shall cleanse 167/13; purgyng 168/1, 249/5;

purgen pr. 3 pl. cleanse 182/13; purgeth pr. 3 sg. cleanses 219/13; purgid p.

ppl. cleansed, refined by heat, y-purgid 327/10, 328/4.

y-purgid adj. cleansed 327/7, 327/21.

putrefaction n. decomposition 102/5, etc.

putrefie imp. separate 129/16; putrefie pr. 3 sg. decomposes 128/2

putrefied adj. decomposed separated 131/10, etc.

putting to phr. application, administering, adding of 112/1, etc.

puttyng yn phr. the applying or administering of medicines 211/7-8.

qualite n. capacity, strength 165/9, 212/12.

quartayne n. (fever) an intermittent fever with attacks occuring every third day (see

febre quartayne) 235/3, etc., quartane 235/7, 235/14.

quartenary n. one who has quartayne fever 267/14.

quenchour n. liquid used for quenching 333/4, 335/2, etc.

rectified p. ppl. purified, refined by distillation 208/ 10.

y-rectified p. ppl. purified 238/15.

rede n. reed 161/6, 167/6.

rede inf. read 207/ 8.

440

rede adj. red 133/15, 138/8, etc., reede 133/9, 139/15.

reherche inf. to discuss, to consider 104/4; reherche fut. I sg. will discuss165/12;

reherchid pret. 1 pl. discussed 192/4.

renne inf. to flow 283/11; renne subj. flow 317/17; renne cond. flows 120/8; renne

fut. 3 sg. will flow 323/17; renneth pr. 3 sg. flows; 234/5; rennyth 277/14;

rennyng ger. flowing 301/18, etc.

repaire inf. to restore 242/13; repairing ger. returning 208/7.

reprouous adj. harmful 204/10, reprovous 116/ 10.

repugneth pr. 3 sg. resists or hinders a physiological process 231/13; repugned pret.

I sg. hindered 203/13.

resolue imp. brake down into constituent parts through an application, e.g. , of heat

188/ 1 1; resolueth pr. 3 sg. breaks down 310/5; resoluid p. ppl broken down

into its elements 197/16, resoluyd 309/3.

retentife adj. the natural faculty to retain and control bodily effluents 170/ 9.

rettifie imp. to purify (a substance) by distillation 134/5.

reynes n. pl. kidneys 151/ 10, 363/6.

ripen inf. (a sore) bring to a head, encourage suppuration 173/12; ripen pr. 3. pl.

173/13; ripe subj. 174/8.

rote n. (of life) root, condition, state, basic principle 104/12, etc.

rotid p. ppl. putrified 212/4.

rotumbe n. a vessel used in distilling, an alembic 315/6, etc.

rubificacions n. pl. a series of beatings producing redness 321/ 5.

 

 

ryueles n. pl. wrinkles 215/ 1.

441

s. (L) scillicit 269/10, etc.

sadde adj. solid 139/ 10, strong 171/6 etc., hard, stiff 290/14, etc., sad 238/4; "

gobette rt. phr. a hard fragment or mass 290/14, etc.; " pece n. phr. a hard

fragment 314/15, etc.

saddenesse n. solidness 135/13, 139/3, sadnes hardness 226/7.

saddely adv. steadily 275/16, etc., sadly 337/18.

sal amarum n. ammonium chloride, used in washing, purifying, and cleansing

processes 199/17.

salgenne n. rock salt 149/11, sal gemme 159/7, 169/1, etc.

sandifer n. any of several mineral substances including a saline scum cast up over glass

after vitrification 361/5, 361/7, etc.

sanguine n. a person dominated by the complexion of the humor blood 218/5.

 

saringrany n. a type of fish 229/ 1.

satiriasym n. inordinate sexual cravings in the male 263/ 2.

saturne preparate n. phr. calinated lead 354/4.

sement royalle n. a corrosive substance capable of destroying silver 136/1, etc.

sethe imp. boil 313/ 17 , etc.

seure adj. strong 205/14; seureste sup. strongest, most secure 362/10.

shape pr. 3 sg. change form 135/11.

sharpe adj. strong, corrosive, effective 216/8, sherpe 119/14.

sharpe febre n. phr. a high fever 245/10, etc.

442

sharpe watiers n. phr. waters containing distillates of corrosive metals 279/11.

sharpenesse n. acidity, corrosiveness 135/9, 168/6, etc., sharpenes (of fire)

corrosiveness 299/10.

sharper comp. more effectively 240/12.

shaue imp. scrape 293/16.

sherde n. a piece of baked clay, an earthenware pot or vessel 334/7, 335/7, etc.

sieging ger. evacuating (excrement) 241/9.

siker adv. securely, sikerly adv. without fail 125/4, etc.

similitude n. appearance 118/5, 186/2.

simpliciter comp. simpler 224/ 1 1.

sleygthe n. secret 221/4, sleyghte n. trick 140/10, 221/4.

smoking ger. escaping as an exhalation 181/6.

sol n. gold 313/13, 340/5, etc.

solempne adj. famous, well known 238/13.

solucion n. the liquid into which substance(s) have been dissolved 300/ 8, etc.;

solucions n. pl. 274/11, 275/13, etc.

soluyd p. ppl. dissolved 285/14, 299/9, etc.

soon n. son, one who inherits the spirit or displays the character of someone or

something; a comcomitant virtue regarded as descended from another virtue

109/13.

sonde n. ordinance, dispensation 252/12.

sope n. a cleansing or whitening ointment or powder, soap 159/7, etc.

sophisticacion n. deception in making a product; an adulterated or adulterating

 

 

 

 

substance 345/1, 345/9, etc., sophisticacoun 205/4; sophisticacions pl.

443

205/12, 274/18.

soudaynely adv. thoroughly 130/9, 182/4, etc.

sovne n. sound, noise, clamour 308/16, 308/18.

spisse adj. thick, dense 174/15.

splene n. the spleen, particularly as the seat of laughter, ill humor, or courage 219/13,

268/1 1.

springid p. ppl. sprinkled 229/17.

stagne n. tin, from bad Latin stagnum for stannum 345/9, etc.

stappes n. pl. steps, moral pathways 227/12.

stile n. a modified form of iron, artificially produced; steel 346/11, etc.

stillatorie n. a vessel used in the distillation of liquids 117/3, etc., stillatorye 133/ 1,

134/7.

stillatorie of circulacion n. the still used for the process of changing an elemental body

from one form to another 121/6, 128/11-12.

stiptike adj. harsh to the taste, astringent, sharp, sour 144/ 8.

stoone n. a kidney or gall stone 261/9, stone 261/10; stones n. pl. testicles 149/12,

159/9; stoones pieces of ore 234/6.

stopping n. obstructing 174/ 10, 175/4, etc.

straitnes n. constriction in the chest, difficulty in breathing 268/ 14.

strawe imp. scatter or sprinkle about 330/17.

strawed adj. scattered 330/16.

straytenesse n. hardship, seriousness 269/7, 363/5.

444

streyne inf. (be wombe) to check the movement of the bowels 171/ 10; streynen be

wombe pr. 3 pl. check the movement of the bowels 170/11, 171/9.

stroke n. caress with the hand 260/14.

strayed pret. 3 sg. destroyed 216/ 10.

sublymacion n. the process of refining a substance by heating it to the point of

vaporization in an enclosed container and discarding the sediment 186/9, etc.;

 

sublymacions pl. vaporizations 119/11, etc.

sublymatife adj. refining 289/4.

sublyme inf. to refine a substance by heating it to the point of vaporization in an

enclosed container and discarding the sediment; also, to obtain a refined

substance through the cooling of the vapor produced by sublimation 131/ 19,

etc.; sublyme imp. refine 188/2; sublymed p. ppl. refined 186/8, 194/3.;

sublymyng ger. refining 118/1.

sublymed adj. refined, purified 124/7, etc., sublimed 186/11, etc.

subtil adj. not dense or viscous, light, pure 135/8 etc., subtile 120/2, etc.

subtily adv. skillfully, carefully 124/11, etc.

suffletz n. pl. bellows 336/9.

suffred p. ppl. tolerated, allowed 250/4; suffre inf. endure 224/3; suffren pr. 3 pl.

endure 122/5; suffrith pr. 3 sg. endures 223/11 etc; suffre p. ppl. tolerate

250/4; suffrid pr. 1 sg. endured 231/15.

sulphur n. sophic sulfur, one of the four spirits, or volatile substances, or one of the

two elements comprising metal 150/9, etc.

sulphur of philosophres n. phr. one of many different forms of sulpher used as a

component of medicines and incendiary mixtures 186/13.

445

surfetes n. pl. excesses, overabundances 104/5.

swife inf. copulate 266/9.

synowes n. pl. fibrous tendons, muscles, ligaments or other connective tissues

containing fibers vital to nerve response 181/15, 216/5, etc.

 

table n. an ordered list of related items 236/11, etc.

tarter n. a sediment of potassium tartrate deposited during the fermentation of wine,

argol 185/12, tartre 200/13, etc.

teesid adj. shredded 118/14.

temperance n. the blending or mingling of the humors, qualities, or elements,

particularly to a moderate level 174/2, etc.

tempered 3 sg. pret. mixed 118/15.

terys n. pl. tears 214/2.

terraige n. foundation, base 289/ 3.

teste n. a crucible or similar vessel for trying such metals as silver and gold; a vessel

for heating contents to a high temperature 332/ 8.

thothid adj. three-toothid 197/ 5.

thynnen pr. 3 pl. reduce the viscosity of (a humor or a liquid) 179/ 1.

tincture n. a dyeing or medicinal agent that discolors the skin; also, the elixir used to

effect base metals into gold 275/6, 275/17, etc.

toty n. zinc oxide; the crude zinc oxide obtained by the smelting of copperose ore with

zinc and frequently used in medicinal compounds; a lump of zinc oxide 154/6,

156/7, 160/5, etc.

446

tyde ferment n. phr. boiling water (steam?), a substance that causes matter to

effervesce, give off heat, and change its properties--but not continually 331/18.

tisik n. a wasting disease of the lungs, phthisic; a cough or other lung or throat

ailment, usually serious 217/8, ptisik 261/8, 263/14.

toches n. touchwood, tinder, touchstone 346/ 6.

tonne n. a large barrel, cask 334/3.

transmutacoun n. the process of changing one substance into another 211/4.

treburtyne n. 253/16.

treen adj. wood, made of wood 290/5.

triacle n. a medicinal compound, originally a kind of salve, composed of many

ingredients, considered an alexipharmic against and antidote to venemous bites,

poisons generally, and malignant diseases 183/14, 234/10.

trouble adj. opaque 122/15, 122/17, etc.

troublenes n. turbidity or opacity 318/5, 338/12.

turbutte n. a large, edible European flatfish; also, a fancy, domestic pigeon 182/2.

vlceratife n. a substance that cause sores 177/1, sores 177/12; vlceratifz pl. 176/11,

etc.

vlceratif adj. sore-causing 176/13.

vnslekid adj. tight 332/4.

vnstedefaste adj. inconstant 104/ 10.

vnstedefastnesse n. inconstant, fickle 220/ 3.

 

 

447

vnyd pret. 3 sg. tied together, as with a vine 325/1, 355/11.

vratife adj. salty, as from uric acid 177/2, etc.

vsifur n. a compound of mercury, sulphur, and water 294/7, 321/11.

 

vaissel of circulacion n. phr. the receptacle in which an elixar is made 118/ 10, 129/7,

vaisshel of circulation 126/ 5.

venem n. any baneful, malign, or noxious quality; poison, or virus 183/11, etc.,

veneme 233/13, veneym 213/7, etc.

veneymous adj. venemous, venemuse poisonous 259/10, 263/5.

verdegrece n. a green or greenish blue substance obtained artificially by the action of

dilute acetic acid on thin plates of copper (or the green rust naturally forming on

copper and brass) and used as a pigment; basic acetate of copper 360/6.

veylen pr. 3 pl. know 278/ 10.

veyling ger. feeling 216/2, etc.

veynes n. pl. deposits of metallic or earthy material having an extended course

underground; continuous cracks or fissures filled with matter, especially

metallic ore, different from the containing rock 146/1, etc.; veynes n. pl.

(pulse) arteries 243/11.

violle n. vial 340/16; violles pl. vials 213/12.

viscosite n. a gluttonous, gluey character 168/5, etc., viscositees 288/4, 288/10.

viscous adj. gluttonous, gluey, thick, having little motion or flow 174/2, etc.

vitriol n. a natural or artificial sulphate of a metal used medicinally 175/12, 177/11,

etc. , virtiolle 187/ 10.

 

 

vitriol romayne n. sulphuric acid and copper, sulphate of copper 186/5, 341/11, etc. ,

448

vitriolle romayne 141/15.

voidance n. substance causing evacuation 238/2.

voiding ger. causing discharge or evacuation 216/9, 241/ 10.

voyde inf. to discharge or evacuate, expel 181/6; voyded p. ppl. evacuated 240/3.

voute n. vault; an enclosed space within an arched roof (in this case, within a furnace)

195/11, etc.

vyue adj. clear 160/6, 287/9.

waste inf. to consume, to diminish 135/13; waste pr. 3 sg. diminishes 130/12; wasted

p. ppl. destroyed, y-wastid 109/2; wastid destroyed 119/15, etc.; wasting ger.

consuming 136/2, wastyng decaying 102/5.

wastid adj. diminished 138/14.

webbes n. pl. filmy tissues, such as membranes 261/12, 213/13.

wedde imp. to join intimately such that each original substance loses its original

properties to the whole; create a compound 343/6, wedding ger. joining 341/9.

wede n. clothing or sacrifice 203/ 8.

weigges, n. pl. wedges; pieces of wood or metal (often ingots of gold or silver) or

other hard material thick at one end and tapering to a thin edge at the other;

metals cast in this shape 336/14, etc., weiggz 334/17, etc.

welle n. beginning 271/ 12, etc.

wethre n. wether, a castrated sheep 114/13; pl. wethers 112/9, wethres 112/8.

white tartre calcyned n. phr. purified tartar that has been reduced to powder through

the application of heat 200/8-9.

449

wipe n. the hoopoe, a mythical magical bird 261/15, 269/18. Cf. lappewynke. [See

11.]

woman is wil n. phr. menses 213/6.

wombe n. bowels 168/2, 170/11, etc.; wombe uterus, wombe 277/8.

woodenes n. insanity, madness 247/7, woodnes 247/11.

wyne lies n. phr. tartar 179/9, dregs of wine 293/4.

 

yerde n. (man is) penis 266/15-16.

younkee Cf. jounkz.

zaibec n. mercury; water from gold and mercury 342/2, 343/13, zaybec 343/7.

GLOSSARY OF PROPER NOUNSl

Actes of b’Apostellz: The Acts of the Apostles 233.

Adam: According to the Bible, the first man created by God 103.

Alaxus Affrike: The man credited with carrying on the writings of King Kyrannis 255.

 

Albertum: Saint Albertus Magnus (1200-1280) 320

Alexander, King: King Alexander 263.

Amason, Queen of: Hippolyta, leader of the Amazons 264.

Antecrist: the Antichrist. According to medieval tradition, the Antichrist was a

thoroughly evil human being (not a devil) expected to reign in Jerusalem in a

hideous parody of Christ’s ministry before the final Judgement; the mystical

head of the human body of evil 140.

Aquari: The constellation and zodiac sign Aquarius 115.

Arabike: The Arabic language 285.

Archymente: Archimedes, a classical/Greek mathematician; in the Middle Ages

knowledge of geometry came predominantly through a translation of his work

from Arabic into Latin 255.

 

‘ The information within this appendix of proper nouns is compiled from The

Dictionary of Scientific Biography, The Vulgate Bible, and other reference works cited

elsewhere in this edition.

450

 

451

Aries: The constellation and zodiac sign Aries 115.

Aristotil: Aristotle (384-322 BC.) 113, etc.

Aross, be grete clere; Aros: I could not locate a specific reference 342.

Asmodeus: the name of the demon in the Book of Tobit 222.

Augustyn, Saint: Saint Augustine of Hippo, also known as Aurelius Augustinus (354-

430 AD.) 223.

Auicenna (the greet clere): (980-1037 A.D.) Ibn Sina, Abu Ali Al-Husayn, Arab

physician and scholar, known in the West as Avicenna, wrote extensive corpus

of works on philosophy, science, and medicine. Medieval medical writer.

Wrote in Arabic. Died 1037. Attempted to present a comprehensive summary of

the whole of medical writings, particularly those of Galen. First translated in

the twelfth century by Gerard of Cremona and his pupils, in Spain. 274.

Bacon, Roger: (ca. 1213-1291) Roger Bacon, English Franciscan highly interested in

astrology and alchemy among other disciplines 101 , 206.

Boniface: Pope Boniface VIII 321.

Book of be Spirite and Sovle: pseudo-Augustinian work, De Spiritu et animae; had a

great influence on Roger Bacon’s understanding and interpretation of the soul

223.

Book of Simple Medicines: A book attributed to John Eheban of Mesue 111.

Capricorne: The constellation and zodiac sign Capricorn 115.

Cherubyne: The Cherubim; an order of angels usually ranked after the seraphirn and

serving as reminders of God's glory 103.

452

Claddere, Robert: Teacher of Alaxus Affrike, the identified preserver of The Book of

Alexander Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets 255.

Constantyne of Grece: also known as Constantine Africanus or Constantine the

African; studied medicine and translated many influential Greek and Arabic

medical works into Latin that influenced European studies of medicine for 500

years (see Thorndike 1: 742-59) 211.

Croniclys: The Chronicon Pontificum et Imperatorum (The Chronicle of Popes and

Emperors of Rome) 233.

De Secretis Secretorum: The Pseudo-Aristotelian text, The Secret of Secrets 192.

Deutronomye: The Old Testament book of Deuteronomy 250.

Eccliasticis:2 Ecclesiasticus. A book of the Old Testament Apocrypha 110.

Emperour of Rome: Arnulphus (896-899) 233.

Epistil Ad Hebreos: Saint Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, a New Testament book 103.

Florence: Florence, Italy 138.

Frannceys, St.: (ca. 1182-1226) St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan Order

206.

Frere Meynour: The Franciscan Order; the Order of Friars Minor 356.

Genesi: Genesis 103

Grew: The Greek Language 276.

Guyenne: Aquitaine, France 228.

 

2 The word refers to Ecclesiastes; the reference in the text, however, is to

Ecclesiasticus.

 

 

 

 

 

Heremes: Hermes Trismegistus 276.

453

Job: Old Testament character who undergoes great personal trials; the Old Testament

book of Job 103.

Johan Eheban of Mesue: The Arab writer Masawaih al-Mardini, also known as

Mesue the Younger; he who wrote a book on pharmacology that was widely

used in medieval apothecaries 111.

John of Damaske: An alternative use for John of Mesue (see next entry). 111.

John Mesue: John of Mansur (c. 675 - c. 750). Greek theologian of the church 111.

Jupiter: The planet Jupiter and the metal tin 136, etc.

Kiranne, Great volumes of: an encyclopedic collection of medical remedies. 255.

Kyranne, Kyng; Kirannys: The legendary author of a four-volume book of remedies,

The Book of Kyranides, including the introduction The Book of Alexander

Concerning Seven Herbs, Seven Planets 255.

Latyne: Latin, the Latin language 285.

Lully, Raymonde: Ramon Lull (1232-1316). A number of alchemical texts are

attributed to Lull, though his authorship is doubtful 101.

Mahnedis: The supposed author of Book 3 of The Consideration of Quintessence 266.

Maister Boleyne: a master of the Bologna school 354.

Maister Parys: a master of the Paris school. 352.

Marie, Lady Saint: the Virgin Mary 206.

Mars: The planet Mars; the metal iron 136.

Mercurie: The planet Mercury; the metal quicksilver 137.

 

 

Mirror of Light: pseudo-Bacon text, Mirror of Alchemy or Speculum Alchemiae 101.

454

Paulus: Saint Paul the Apostle 102.

Petre: the Disciple/Apostle Peter 139.

Piscis: The constellation Pisces 115.

Raphael: The Archangel Raphael who in the Book of Tobit reveals to Tobit a practice

on how to make devils flee 221.

Salamon: King Solomon, a Biblical king of the Old Testament credited, according to

tradition (not modern scholarship) with writing the Old Testament books of the

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Book of Wisdom, and Psalms

72 and 127. 110

Saturne: The planet Saturn and the metal lead 136.

Secunde Epistle Ad Corinthios: Saint Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, a New

Testament book 102.

Thimotheum: The New Testament Epistle to Timothy; 2 Timothy 205.

Thohie, Book of: Biblical book Tobit 221.

Tobie: character within the Apocrypha] text of Tobit 222.

Troye: Troy; a city popularized in the Middle Ages by romances based on the fall of

Troy 255.

Venus: the Planet Venus; the metal copper 137.

Vitis Patrum: Lives of the Fathers 225.

Ypocras: Hippocrates 255.

HERBS, PLANTS, AND FRUITS

REFERRED TO IN THE TEXTS

The following list of herbs, plants, and fruits includes all those listed in

Glasgow University, Hunterian Library, Ferguson 205. Including the genus and

species allows the lexicon to be used more easily when comparing it to other medical

texts that utilize herbs medicinally, such as Agnus Castus: A Middle English Herbal and

the various pharmaceutical writings of Gilbertus Anglicus (as found in Getz’s edition,

for example).

The herbs, plants, and fruits are listed alphabetically according to their name in

the manuscript. Those plants that could not be identified are listed without a

corresponding modern identification.

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

acacia, acasia, acassia

Green Plums (Prunus spinosa)

ache

Wild Celery (Apium graveolens)

affodille

Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum)

agaricus, agarik, agarike

Agaric (Polyporus officinalis)

agnus castus

St. John’s Wort (Vitex agnus-castus)

aysshe, rote of

Ash tree

455

 

 

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

456

aizon

Houseleek (Acidula, Acetosa)

alexandre

Horse Parsley (Alexandrea)

aliapiados

Spurge Laurel (Daphne laureola)

almandes, almundz,almundes

Almonds (Prunus amygdalus)

aloe

Aloe (Aloe)

aloe cicatrinum

Aloe (Aloe)

aloe epatike

Aloe Vera (Aloe vera)

altea

Marsh Mallow (Malva sylvestris)

arnaranus

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)

ameos

Bishop’s Weed (Aegopodium podagraria)

anacardi

Marking Nut (Semecarpus anacardium)

annys, annyse

Anise (Pirnpinella anisum)

apirdana

An herb

apium

apples

Wild Celery (Apium graveolens)

Apples (Malus)

apples citryne

Yellow Apples, Citron (Malus)

applis mandrage

Mandrake Root (Malus)

arage

Orache (Atriplex hortensis)

arglentife

A Brier Rose; cf. MED eglenter n., eglentin n.

aristologie

Aristolochiacase (Aristolochia)

aristologie be rounde

Birthwort (Aristolochia rotunda)

 

 

 

457

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

aristologie the long

Aristolochiacase (Aristolochia longa)

amoglosse,

Plantain (Plantago major)

arob, aroby

Gum arabik

asary

(L) Asarum

asa fetida

Asafoetida (Ferula foetida)

atriplex, arage

Orach (Atriplex hortensis)

ayglentife

White Dead-Nettle (Lamium albus)

azara, azara baccara, azabactara

? English Mugwort (Asarum europaeum)

balaustia, balausty

Pomegranate Blossoms (Punica granatum)

balsanium

Balsam Tree (Commiphora opobalsamum)

barly

baucia

baume

bayes

Barley (Hordeum)

Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

Balm (Melissa officinalis)

Bay (Anacocci)

beene flours

Beans (Vicia faba)

beenes, drye

Bean (Vicia faba)

berbery, berberyes

Common Barberry (Berberis vulgais)

berdilium

Gum resin of a Tree of the Genus Commiphora

beryes

betes

Berries

Beet (Beta vulgaris)

bitayne, biteyne

Betony (Betonica officinalis)

 

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

458

bitter almandz, modre of

Almonds (Prunus amygdalus)

hole

Wild Carrot (Daucus carota)

borage, boraige

Borage (Borago officinalis)

bredecalamynte

ozmium (Calamintha officinalis)

nepte

Catrnint, Catnip (Nepeta cataria)

camamille

Common Chamomile (Charnaemelum nobile)

camapitheos, camepitheos

Ground Pine (Ajuga chamaepitys)

camedreos

Common Gerrnander (Teucrium chamaedrys)

camelea

(Daphne laureola)

campana

? Bellflower (Campanula)

camphora

Camphora lauras

cane rede

reed, (Arundo donax or Phragmites communis)

capary , cappary

European Caper (Capparis spinosa)

carabe

Fruit of the Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqua cararj

cardamome

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)

caruj

cassia

Hemlock (Conium maculatum)

Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia)

cassia lignea

Cassia Barke (Cinnamomum cassia)

cassia fistula

Pods of the Cassia Tree (Cassia-fistre)

castayns

Sweet chestnut (Castanea vesca)

catarnicie

A Plant

459

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

catepuce, catirpuse

Caper, Spurge (Euphorbia lathyrus)

caule, jus of

Cabbage (Brassica)

cayfuste

?Caper Spurge

celidoyne

Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus)

celtica

Various Spiked Plants (Valeriana celtica)

centory

Centaury (Centaurium erythraea)

centory minor

Yellow Centaury (Centaurium erythraea)

cerfoile, cerfoyle

Common Honeysuckle (Anthriscus cerefolium)

cestrene

Betony (Betonica officinalis)

cetuale, cetualle

Long Zedoary (Curcuma Zedoaria)

ceveyne

Juice of a Plant or its Leaves

chasteynes

Chestnut (Castanea sativa)

chattes

Ash seeds

cheryes

Cherry (Prunus cerasus)

chikon wede

Chickweed (Stellaria media)

ciclamen, erthe note

Pignut, Earthnut (Cassamus majus)

cipre

Galingale (Cyperus longus)

citerly, citri

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

citryne

clote

House Leek (Sempervivum tectorum)

Common Burdock (Arctium lappa)

clowes, clowis, clowys

Buds of the Clove Tree (Syzygium aromaticum)

 

 

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

460

clowes

cockil

Cloves (Syzgium aromaticum)

Corn Cockle (Agrostemma githago)

coconidium

Fruit of laurel (Daphne gnidium)

coctanum

Quince (Cydonia oblonga)

coloquintida

Colocynth (Citrullus colocynthis)

coraunse

Currents

coriandre

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)

COSIC

Costmary, Alecost, Balsamita (Chrysanthemum

balsamita)

crassis

cucube

Orpine (Sedum telephium)

Cubeb (Piper cubeba)

cucurbite

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)

cuscute

Common Dodder (Cuscuta epithymum)

cynamome

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)

damysons

Plums (Prunus domestica)

dates

Date (Phoenix dactylifera)

datz, swete

Date (Phoenix dactylifera)

dauci,dauke

Wild Carrot (Daucus carota)

dille

ditayne

Dill (Anethum graveolens)

Dittany of Crete (Origanum dictamnus)

dodre vel cuscute

Large Dodder (Cuscuta europaea)

dragaganti

(Astragalus)

 

 

 

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

461

draganti

(Polygonum bistorta)

dravle

ebenn

eldre

Lupin (Lupinius)

Ebony Tree (Ebenus)

Elder (Sambucus nigra)

elebre, white

White Hellebore, Bear’s Foot (Helleborus)

foetidus)

elebre, blake

Black Hellebore (Helleborus niger)

corodife

(Ecballium elaterium)

elerande, leues of

Sage (Salvia)

elna

Wych Elm (Ulmus montana)

endyue

Bitter Lettuce, Endive (Lactuca virosa)

enula campana

Elecampane, Scabort, Horsehead (Inula heleniurn)

eruce

Charlok (Sinapis arvensis)

euforbe, euforbium

Spurge (Euphorbia resinifera)

eupatorium

Wood Sage (Teucrium scorodonia)

faytour is herbe

Deadly Carrot (Thapsia garganica)

fenel, fenoel, ffenil

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

ffacy

Kidney Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)

ffisileos

Kidney Bean (Phaseolus vulgarus)

ffumigrecum, fumigreke

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)

ffygz, fygue leefz, figz

Common fig (Ficus carica)

ffylles

Wood Sanicle (Sanicula europaea)

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

462

fistia

Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger)

fole foot, foole fote

foles fote (Portulaca oleracea)

fumyterre, fumytre

Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis)

galbanum

Galbanum (Ferula galbaniflua)

galenga, galengale

Galangal, China root (Alpina officinarum)

galle, galli

Oak Apple, Oak Gall (Quercus)

gardyn malowes

Mallow (Malva agrestis)

gardyn letuce

Lettuce (Lactuca virosa)

gardyn rue

Meadow Rue (Thalictrum flavum)

garlik

Wild Garlic (Allium urginum)

gelofre gentil

Gilly Flowers

gencian, polipody

Yellow Gentian (Gentiana lutea)

gladion

Wild Iris (Iris pseudaconus)

goldes

Pot Marigold (Calendula officianalis)

gourde rotes, courdes

?Gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris)

grapes

Grapes (Vitis vinifera)

gyngeuer

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

grene beenes

Green Beans

hawzes

Hawthorn Berry

henbane

Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger)

herb angille

(Lamium albus)

  

463

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

herba iohanis

St. John’s Wort (Herba perforata)

herbe benette

Henlock, Herb Bennet (Comium maculatume)

herbe John

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

hermodactilis

Meadow Saffron (Colchicum autumnale)

hillewort

Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)

honysoke

Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)

hoorehownde

White Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)

horehounde

Black Horehound (Ballota nigra)

hound is rose

Dog Rose (Rosa canina)

hound is tunge, hovndz tunge

Hound’s Tongue (Cynoglossum officinale)

hous leke

Houseleek, Sengreen (Sempervivum tectorum)

iacincti

Hyacinth

isope, isopim

Hyssop

iubarbe

Jubarb (Houseleek)

juniper, gumme of

Juniper (Juniperus communis)

jusquiamus

Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger)

kebuly

Ben Nut (Terminalia chebula)

lange du buef

Alkanet, Bugloss, Mouse Ear, Hawkweek

(Anchusa officinalis)

laurialle, lauriolle

Spurge Laurel (Daphne laureola)

laury clowys

Laurel tree, Bay tree (Laurus nobilis)

leke

Leek (Allium porrum)

 

 

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

464

lentille

levticy

ligne

Lentil (Eruum lens)

Lovage (Levisticum officinale)

Columbine (Aquilaria vulgaris)

like caule

Cabbage (Brassica)

lilie , lily

Lily (Lilium)

lingua canis

Hound’s Tongue (Cynoglossum officinale)

 

lingua auis

Stitchwort (Stellaria hollostea)

liqoricia

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

long piper

Long Pepper (Piper longum)

lorry tree, bayes of be

Laurel or Baytree (Laurus nobilis)

louache, lowaiche

Lovage (Levisticum officinale)

lupini, lupynes

White Lupin (Lupinus albus)

maces, macis

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)

madre

Madder (Rubia tinctorum)

maiorane

Sweet Marjoram (Marjorana hortensis)

malowe, malowe seede

Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis)

malte

malue

manna

Malted Barley (Horedeum)

Crab Apple (Malva sylvestris)

Frankincense (Boswellia thurifera)

maratri

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

myrabolayns

Balleric, Bastard Myrabolan (Terminalia bellerica)

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

465

mastik

Mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus)

mellilotum

Common Melilot (Melilotus ofiicinalis)

melones

Melon (Seminum melonis)

mentastrum

Horsemint (Mentha sylvestris)

merche, juse of

Celery or Wild Celery (Apium graveolens)

mercury

Mercury, All-good (Chenopodium bonus-henricus)

mirabolanes

Emblic myrabolan (Phyllanthus emblica)

moleyne

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

mulberies

Mulberry (Morus nigra)

muske

(Asperula odorata)

mustarde seede

Mustard (Brassica alba)

myle myrtille, myle

Millet (Myrtus communis)

mynte

myrre

myrte

Common Spearmint (Mentha viridis)

Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)

Myrtle Bush or Berries (Myrtur)

myrtille, myrtus or myrta

European Myrtle, berries (Myrtus communis)

myrtyn, leefz of

Oil of Myrtle, using the leaves, too (Myrtinus)

nepes

nepte

Cow Parsnip (Heraleum sphondylium)

Catnip, Catmint (Nepeta cataria)

netil sede

Nettle (Urtica)

note

Walnut (Juglans regia)

 

;
r

 

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

466

notemuge

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)

notz of Ynde

Coconut (Coros nucifera)

nugel

nurtus

Corn Cockle (Agrostemma githago)

A fruit or nut

nustille, barke of

Bark of Some Kind of Tree

oke, maste of, kemelles

Oakgall Oakapple (Quercus)

olyue

Olive (Oliva)

Opithymy

Kuhn, other ferns, (Pteridium aquilinum)

opopinac

Opoponax (Opoponax chironium)

oreby, orobi

Mouse Peas (Lathyrus macrorrhizus)

origanum

Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare)

orrnium

Nettle (Urtica)

oygnons

Onions (Allium cepa)

ozmium

Royal Fern (Osmund regalis)

palme of cipressa

Galingale (Cyperus longus)

pastinata, pastinate

Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

peas

Pea(s) (Pisum sativum)

peeres, peris, pira

Pear (Pyrus communis)

peletre

Common Pellitory (Parietaria officinalis)

pentaphilon

Creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans)

percely affodille

Sweet Woodruff (Asperula odorata)

 

 

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

467

perforator minor

St. John’s Wort (Herba Perforata)

perforator minor, ypericon

Tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum)

piony

common Peony (Paeonia ofiicinalis)

piper, blac

Black Pepper (Piper nigrum)

piper, white

White Pepper (Piper officinarum)

plantago, planteyne

Great Plantain (Plantago major)

policaria

Fleabane (Pulican'a dysenterica)

pohpody

Polypody (Polypodium vulgare)

pome-citryne

Lemon (Citrus limon)

pome-granate

Pomegranate (Punica granatum)

pomeys

(Pomum)

POPY

Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)

popy, blac

Opium Popy with Black seeds (Papaver)

portulaca

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

prassum

Black Horehound (Ballota nigra)

psillium

Fleawort (Plantago psyllium)

pympernelle

Bumet Saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga)

pynote, barke of

Pine (Pinus)

quibibes, quibibis

Piper cubeba

quiz folia

Five-leafed flowers (Potentilla reptans)

quynche

Quince (Cydonia oblonga)

 

 

468

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

radissh

ramnes

Radish (Raphanus sativus)

Buckthome, Blackberry (Rhamnus cathartica)

rede, be rote, i. sane

Reed (Arundo)

regma prati

Meadow-sweet (Filipendula ulrnaria)

rerid merche

Chevril (Anthriscus cerefolium)

resyne n.

resin (Commiphora Balsamodendrum)

 

rewe, rue

(Ruta graveolens)

reysons

Grape seeds (Vitis vinifera)

rise

Rice (Oryza sativa)

rose maryne

Rosemary (Rosmarinus oflicinalis)

roses

Rosebush (Rosa)

rubarbe

Rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum)

rupea

safl‘ron

Madder (Rubia tinctorum)

Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus)

sambucus

European Elder (Sambucus nigra)

sang draconis

Dragon Tree (Dracaena)

sarcocolla

(Astragalus fasciculifolius)

saturion, rotz

Bluebell, Orchid (Arum maculatum)

sauge, segge

Sage (Salvia officianalis)

savyne

Savin (Juniperus sabina)

saxifrage, leefz and rotes

Saxifrage (Saxifraga)

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

469

Saynt John is worte

Saint John’s Wort (Herba perforata)

scamonye

Scammony (Convolvulus scammonia)

scariolle

Lettuce (Lactuca sem'ola)

semperviua

Houseleek (Sempervivum tectorum)

sene

Senna (Cassia)

senevy seede

Black or White Mustard (Brassica)

serapinum

a gum ( Ferula persica).

serpentyne

Dragonwort (Dracunculus vulgaria)

setewale

Long Zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria)

sisimbrium

Horsemint (Mentha sylvestris)

skyrewit

Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

solatre

Belladonna (Solanum)

Solsequyle

Pot marigold (Calendula ofiicianalis)

sorba

Cucumber (Curba)

southrenwode

Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum)

speragus

Geranium (Robertianum)

spereworte

Greater Spearwort (Ranunculus lingua)

spikenarde:

Spikenard (Valeriana officinalis)

spurge

squilles

Spurge (Euphorbia)

Sea Onion, Squill (Urginea scilla)

squinantum

Camel’s Hay (Andropogon schoenanthus)

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

470

staphisagre

Stavesacre (Delphinium stephisagn'a)

sticados

French lavendar (Lavandula stoechas)

stoneworte

Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris)

stychewort

Stitchwort (Stellaria hollostea)

suctus, i. jus of withy

Withy (Salix viminalis)

sumac

surelle

Sumac Shrub (Rhus coriaria)

Sourdock, Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)

syngrene

Houseleek, Sengreen (Sempervivum tectorum)

tamarindi, soure datz

Tamarind Tree (Tamarindus indica)

tamarisci, seed of, tamariscus

Tamarisk Tree Seed (Tamariscus)

tapcia

Deadly carrot (Thapsia garganica)

thistelle

Thistle (Carduus Silibum marianum)

titumalle

Spurge (Euphorbia)

toute sane

St. John’s Wort (Agnus-castus)

treyfoil, trifolij, iij leefid grasse

Clover (Trifolium)

turbentyne

Terebinth Tree (Terebinthus)

turbith

tyme

violet

Turpeth (Ipomoea turpethum)

Thyme (Thymus)

Violet (Viola)

virga pastoris

Teasel (Dissacus fullonus)

walnotz

Walnuts (Juglans regia)

 

 

Name in Manuscript

Modern Name, Common English and Latin

471

walworte

Danewort (Sambucus ebulus)

warmoude

Wormweed (Artemisia Absinthium)

watre lily

Water Lily (Nymphaen)

welde

Dyer’s Rocket, Weld (Reseda luteola)

wethy, flour of

Honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium)

weybrede

Great Plantain (Plantago major)

white popy

Poppy (Papaver)

tasille, wild

Tasille (Dipsacus sylvestris)

tanesy, wilde

Tansy (Chrysanthemum vulgara)

vulga pastoris

A Type of Common Grass (Vulga pastoris)

withy

Withy (Salix viminalis)

wodesoure, woode soure

(Oxalis acetosella)

wortz

Wild Cabbage (Brassica oleracea)

wylowe, leefz of

Willow (Salix)

ypericon

St. John’s Wort (Herbicum perforatum)

yreos, glad

Iris (Iris)

ysope, isope

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)

yue

Ivy (l-Iedera)

 

‘Y ‘

 

WORKS CITED

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Latin Manuscripts

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Rupescissa, Johannes de. Liber de Consideratione de Quintae Essentiae Omnium

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Rupescissa, Johannes de. Liber de Consideratione de Quintae Essentiae Omnium

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Rupescissa, Johannes de. Liber de Consideratione de Quintae Essentiae Omnium

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Rupescissa, Johannes de. Liber de Consideratione de Quintae Essentiae Omnium

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472

473

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