Page 13 - Scottish Alchemists

Tungland.” He must have returned to Scotland previous to the death of
James, as on the 29th March 1513, £20 was paid to “the Abbot of Tungland
to pass to the myne of Crawford Moor.” The King had then artisans at work
upon this mine from which gold had been obtained.

That the experiments of the King and the Abbot were carried on to a
large extent is shown by the accounts of the Treasurer. In them are
numerous payments for the ‘Quinta essentia’, including wages to the persons
employed, charges for utensils of various kinds, coals and wood for the
furnaces, and for a variety of other materials such as quicksilver, aquavitae,
lithargyrum auri, fine tin, brint silver, alum, salt, and eggs, saltpetre,
salaramoniack, etc. Considerable payments were also made to several
“potingaris” for stuff of various kinds. The King sometimes got gold coins
from the Treasurer to put into the quinta essentia.

Several other curious entries from 1502 to 1508 are as follow :-

1502-3.

Item, the vii day of Jannar, be the kingis command, to quinta essencia

xlijs9

Item [xx Februar] for V pund quyk siluer for the fumes of quinta essencia

xxs.

Item, the xvi day of March, for xxv1/2 pund of quik siluer, quhilk yeid to Striuelin

to mak quinta essencia thare, of diuers pricis

iiij lib. vijs. xd.

Item, for xij pund litargiri auri, ilk pund vs. Summa

iij lib.

Item, for ix1/2 pund of fyne tyn, ilk pund xiiijd. Summa

xjs. jd.

Item, that samyn day to quinta essencia, be the kingis command, and dischargyt xx

vnicornis to himself (Johne Auchlek goldsmyth) and his fader. Summa

xviij lib.

1503.

Item, the penult day of March, to ane boy that kepit the furnes fire, be the kingis

command vjs. viijd.

Item, the viij day of September, payit to Andro Aytoun that he laid doun at diuers

tyrnes for pottis of lame to Maister Alexr Ogilvy for the furnesses in Striuelin

xiiijs.

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