Page 18 - Book of quintessence

also lengthen his life into the last term of life set of God. Now forsooth I
have told you the sovereignest secret and restoring of mankind. And in
part great things that should not be shown. Forewith, this oil that is to say
quinta essentia of gold has the most sweetness and virtue to assuage and
put away the ache of wounds, and for to heal wounds, old sores, and
many wonderful evils. Also in the same manner you may draw out of
silver, quinta essentia.

The science to draw out of antimony, that is marcasite of lead, the
quintessence, is a sovereign mastery and a secret of all secrets. Take the
mine of antimony aforesaid and make thereof all so subtle a powder as
you can. Then take the best vinegar distilled, and put therein the powder
of antimony, and let it stand in a glass upon a little fire unto the time that
the vinegar be coloured red. Then take that vinegar away, and keep it
clean, and put again thereto of other vinegar distilled, and let it stand
upon a soft fire till it be coloured red, and so do oftentimes. And when
you have gathered all your vinegar coloured, put it then in a distillatory.
And first the vinegar will ascend. Then after you shall see marvels. For
you shall see as it were a thousand drops of blessed wine descend down
in manner or red drops, as it were blood, by the pipe of the limbick. The
which liquor gather together in a round vessel [rotumbe] and then you
have a thing that all the treasure of the world may not be in comparison
of worthiness thereto. Aristotle says that it is his lead in the book of
secrets. Although he tells not the name of the antimony aforesaid.
Forsooth this does away aches of all wounds, and wonderfully heals. The
virtue thereof is incorruptible and marvelously profitable. It needs to be
putrefied in a round vessel and sealed in clay, and then it works great
secrets. Forsooth, the quinta essentia of this antimony that is red, in the
which the secret of all secrets, is sweeter than any honey or sugar or any
other thing.

The science in the extraction of the quintessence from blood, and
flesh and eggs. To you I say that in every elemental thing the
quintessence remains uncorrupted, it shall be then the most thing of
marvels if I teach you to draw out that from man’s blood reserved of
barbers when they let blood. Also from flesh of all brute beasts, and from
all eggs, and other such things. For as much as man’s blood the
perfectest work of mankind in us, as to the increase of that that is lost, it
is certain that nature that quintessence made so perfect that without any
other great preparation without the veins, it bears forth that blood anon

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