Page 14 - Book of quintessence

that earthly water will first come out that is in the neck. And so till it be
come out unto the parting between it and the quinta essentia, that is
man’s heaven sublimed. And when you see that this quintessence will
run and melt after that this earthly water be voided, put then swiftly your
finger to the hole, and turn up the glass, and then you have therein our
quintessence, and the earthly water without aside. And this is a
surpassing sovereign secret.

The third manner is that you take a great glass called amphora, seal it
well and bury it well in the womb of a horse altogether, and the purity of
the quintessence shall be sublimed above, and the gross shall abide in the
bottom. Take out softly that that floats above, and that that is left behind,
put it to the fire.

The fourth manner is this. Take what vessel of glass that you will, or
of earth strongly glazed, and there upon a round foot of glass with a leg,
and seal the vessel with his cover, that the rod of the foot of the glass
within the vessel hangs in the air. That that thing that ascends to the
cover in the manner of a pot boiling descends down again by the foot of
the glass. And this instrument may you do make without great cost.

The fifth manner is that the burning water be ten times distilled in
horse dung continually digested.

The science of making of fire without fire. Whereby you may make
our quintessence without cost or travail, and without occupation and
losing of time. Take the best horse dung that may be had that is well
digested, and put it within a vessel, or else a pit made with the earth
anointed throughout with paste made of ashes. And in this vessel or pit
beat well together the dung. And in the middle of this dung set the vessel
of distillation unto the midst or more. For it is need that all the head of
the vessel be in cold air, that that thing that by virtue of the fire of the
dung that ascends thereby be turned into water by virtue of coldness of
the air and fall down again and ascend up again. And thus you have fire
without fire, and but with little travail.

Also another manner of fire. Set your vessel aforesaid to the strong
reverberation of the sun in summer time, and let it stand there night and
day.

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