Page 25 - Scottish Alchemists

Item you must haue a long pott baked of earth very strong, and in the
top it must have ane round hole, and in it put a white felt hatt sowed to a
hoope that fitts the hole, and hang the felt in the top of the pott with the
hoope in it, and fill the felt full of gross sheepes woll, and poure the watter
throch the felt into the long pott. Item when it is flow distilled throch the felt
then you must distill it fyve tymes per alembicum in sifted ashes, give it first
a small fyre till the glass growes warme, and then make a strong fire and lute
the glass very closs with lutum sapientiae: when you distill it fyve tymes over
tak the feces every tyme and keep thame, for out of tharne you sail distill
ane oyle, as I will teache you heirefter.

“Heerefter you sall cause tua round earthen bodies to be brent which sall
shut one into ane vther so as the nek of the one may go into the nek of the
vther, and these bodies must be very weill glassed, and in the vndermost nek
you must put a litle pan full of small holes and upon it must the vther nek
stand so as the oyle may pass throch the holes into the vndermost bodye; the
vppermost pott must be luted ane inch thik, and burie the vndermost pott
within the earth up to the nek. In the vppermost vessell put all the feces and
close the one vessell in the other with lute, suffering it to drie, and mending
the craks if any come, with fresh lute, so as no vapour may breath forth.
Then build a wall round about the pott a foot higher than it, and lett the oven
be open at the toppe, for the flamme to goe out of and leave ane hoale on
the side to put in your fyre at. At first for half a day give it a gentle fyre, then
increase it the space of 24 houres moir, then lett the fyre go out and the
vessells coole as they stand. Tak the vpperinost and in it you sall find your
earth calcined very white: keep it. Then break the earth open, tak out the
vndermost pott, and thairin you sail find ane oyle shyning lyk gold. Poure
this oyle out of the pott into ane cleene Venise glass and keepe it cairfully, till
I teache you what to do with it, for with this oyle you sall effect wonders,
the power and vertew of which I am not able by wreting to expresse.

“Item tak the pott you first placed vnder the hearth, and put the calcined
white earth, and the watter you distilled into it, and if you be desirous to sie
what it can do, put tuo or 3 lib of Mercury into the pott and stop it closs as
befair that no ayre may get foorth of it, and place it in the same pitt vnder
the harth, paue it up againe, and keep a good fire vpon the hearth for 16
dayes; and unless you will, you need not put any Mercury into it, bot it doth
not hurt, for the watter wilbe much better, and moir powerfull thairby; and
when the 16 dayes be past, make the great oven hoatt againe, one day befoir
glowing hoate which wilbe aneugh. Tak the pott spedielie out of the hearth,
and put it in the oven, and stop the oven presentlie, and lett it stand thairin
24 houres. Then tak it out, bot tak heed you open it not till it be throchlie

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