The Book Of Quinte Essence Or The Fifth Being (1889).
by Unknown.
The odd account of the origin of this Treatise--in its first lines--caught my eye as I was turning over the leaves of the Sloane Ma.n.u.script which contains it. I resolved to print it as a specimen of the curious fancies our forefathers believed in (as I suppose) in Natural Science, to go alongside of the equally curious notions they put faith in in matters religious. And this I determined on with no idea of scoffing, or pride in modern wisdom; for I believe that as great fallacies now prevail in both the great branches of knowledge and feeling mentioned, as ever were held by man. Because once held by other men, and specially by older Englishmen, these fancies and notions have, or should have, an interest for all of us; and in this belief, one of them is presented here.
The loss of my sweet, bright, only child, Eena, and other distress, have prevented my getting up any cram on the subject of Quintessence to form a regular Preface. The (translated?) original of the text is attributed to Hermes--Trismegistus, "or the thrice great Interpreter," so called as "having three parts of the Philosophy of the whole world"[1]--to whom were credited more works than he wrote. The tract appears to be a great fuss about Alcohol or Spirits of Wine; how to make it, and get more or less tipsy on it, and what wonders it will work, from making old men young, and dying men well, to killing lice.
The reading of the proof with the MS. was done by Mr. Edmund Brock, the Society"s most careful and able helper. To Mr. c.o.c.kayne I am indebted for the identification of some names of plants, &c.; and to Mr. Gill of University College, London, for some Notes on the Chemistry of the treatise, made at the request of my friend Mr. Moreshwar Atmaram.[2] The Sloane MS. I judge to be about, but after, 1460 A.D.[3] The later copy (Harleian MS. 853, fol. 66) seems late 16th century or early 17th,[3]
and has been only collated for a few pa.s.sages which require elucidation.
The pause marks of the MS. and text require to be disregarded occasionally in reading.
EGHAM, _16th May, 1866_.
P.S. The short side-notes in inverted commas on and after p. 16 (save "5 M^e" and the like) are by a later hand in the MS. The "Spheres" on p. 26, and the "Contents," p. vii-viii, are now added.--F. 1889.
[Footnote 1: _The Mirror of Alchimy_, composed by the thrice-famous and learned Fryer, Roger Bachon, 1597.]
[Footnote 2: Mr. M.A. Tarkhad has been for many years Vice-Princ.i.p.al of the Rajk.u.mar College, for the sons of the native Chiefs of Rajkote.--1889.]
[Footnote 3: Mr. E.A. Bond of the British Museum has kindly looked at the MSS., and puts the Sloane at 1460-70 A.D., and the Harleian at about 1600.]
BOOK I.
[[Fol. 10.]]
[By the grace of G.o.d I translate you this Treatise revealed to Hermes by an angel after Noah"s flood, that the knowledge of this book may be preserved to the end of the world.]
With e my?t, wisdom, & grace of e holy trynite, I write to ?ou a tretice in englisch breuely drawe out of e book of quintis e{ss}encijs in latyn, {a}t hermys e p{ro}phete and kyng of Egipt, aft{er} the flood of Noe, fadir of philosophris, 4 hadde by reuelaciou{n} of an aungil of G.o.d to him sende, {a}t e wijsdom and e science of is book schulde not p{er}ische, but be kept and p{re}serued vnto e eende of e world, of alle holy men from al wickid peple and tyrauntis, for greet p{er}ilis 8 at my?te falle erof. For wii{n}ne is breue tretis, wi e g{ra}ce of G.o.d, I wole more determine of practif[*] an of theorik.
[[* practise, MS. Harl.]]
[G.o.d"s greatest secret for man"s need is how to restore old feeble men to the strength of their youth, except in case of thunder-blast, and too much fasting, and the term set for all men.]
?itt ben boe nedeful / The firste and souereyneste p{ri}uyte at G.o.d, maker of kynde, ordeyned for mannys nede, how at olde 12 euangelik men, and feble in kynde, my?te be restorid, and haue a?en her firste strenkis of ?onge in e same degree at is in al kynde, & be m{a}d hool p{ar}fi?tly, except e strok of e undir blast, & violent brusuris, and oppressynge of to myche 16 betynge / Also p{er}ilous fallyngis of hi? placis, to myche abstynence, & o{er}e yuel gou{er}naunce a?ens kynde, And also e teerme {a}t is sett of G.o.d, {a}t noman may a-schape, as Iob sei in latyn / "Breues dies ho{min}is s{un}t &c." Forsoe philosophoris 20
["N{ot}a."]
[Page 2: THE NAMES AND QUALITIES OF QUINTE ESSENCE.]
[The purest substance of corruptible things is Quinte Essence or man"s heaven.]
clepen e purest substau{n}ce of manye corruptible i{n}gis elementid, "qui{n}ta e{ss}encia," at is to seie, "ma{n}nys heuene," drawe out by craft of mani;[1] for whi, as quinta e{ss}encia sup{er}ior, {a}t is,
[Footnote 1: ? MS. meant for "man."]
[[* Fol. 10b.]]
heuene of oure lord G.o.d, in reward of e .iiij elementis, is 4 yncorruptible & vnchau{n}geable / ri?t so [*]q{ui}nta e{ss}encia sup{er}ior
[Quinte Essence is incorruptible as to the four qualities of man"s body, but not as the heaven of G.o.d.]
inferior, at is to seie, ma{n}nys heuene, is incorruptible, in reward of e .4. q{ua}litees of mannys body; and so it is p{re}ued naturaly at oure quinta e{ss}encia, at is, mannes heuene, 8 in it-silf[2] is incorruptible; and so it is not hoot and drie wi
[Footnote 2: MS. "siff."]
fier / ne coold and moist wi watir / ne hoot & moist w{i}t{h} eyr, ne coold and drie wi ere; but oure q{ui}nta e{ss}e{nci}a avayli to e cont{ra}rie, as heuene incorruptible / But vndirstonde {a}t oure 12 q{ui}[n]ta e{ss}e{nci}a is nou?t so incorruptible as is heuene of oure lord G.o.d; but it is incorruptible in reward of composiciou{n}
[It is called, 1. Burning Water; 2. the Soul in the spirit of Wine; 3. Water of Life; and if you wish to conceal it, Quinte Essence.]
maad of e .4. elementis; & it hath .iij. names by the philosophoris, {a}t is to seie / bre{n}nynge watir / e soule in e spirit of 16 wyn, & watir of lijf / But whanne ?e wole concelle it, a{n}ne schal ?e clepe it "oure q{ui}nta e{ss}e{nci}a"; for is name, & e nature {er}of, ri?t fewe philosophoris wolde schewe / but sikurly ei biriede e true with hem. and witi weel that it is clepid 20
[It is neither moist and cold like water, nor hot and moist like air, nor cold and dry like earth, nor hot and dry like fire.]
brennynge watir; and it is no bre{n}ny{n}g watir: forwhi, it is not moist ne coold as comou{n} watir; for it bre{n}ne, & so doi not comyn watir; ne it is nat hoot and moist as eir, for eir corru{m}pi a i{n}g a-noon, as it schewi weel by gen{er}ac{i}ou{n} of flies, 24 & areins, and siche o{er}e; but sikirly is is alwey incorruptible, if it be kept cloos fro fli?t / Also it is n{o}t coold and drie as ere.
for souereynly it worchi & chaungi. And it is not hoot and drie as fier, as it schewi by exp{er}ience; for hoot ingis it keli, 28
[It gives incorruptibility, for it prevents dead flesh from rotting, and much more the living flesh of man.]
[[* Fol. 11.]]
& hoot sijknessis it doi awey / Also {a}t it ?eue incorruptibilite, and kepi a i{n}g fro corruptibilite [*]and rotynge, it is p{re}ued {us} / Forwhi. what pece of fleisch, fisch, or deed brid, be putt {er}i{n}ne, it schal not corru[m]pe ne rote whilis it is {er}i{n}ne / 32 miche more anne it wole kepe quyk fleisch of mannys body
[It is Man"s Heaven, preserving his body as Heaven does the world.]
from al man{er}e corruptibilite and rotynge / This is oure q{ui}nta e{ss}encia, {a}t is to seie, mannys heuene, {a}t G.o.d made to e
[Page 3: THE NATURE AND WORKING OF QUINTE ESSENCE.]
conseruac{i}ou{n} of e .4. q{ua}litees of mannys body, ri?t as he made his heuene to e conseruac{i}ou{n} of al e world / And wite ?e for
[Many know it not now for their covetousness and vice.]
certeyn at manye philosophoris and lechis at ben now, knowe nou?t is q{ui}nta e{ss}encia, ne e true {er}of / Forwhi; G.o.d wole 4 not {a}t ei knowe it; for her greet bre{n}nynge coueitise &
[But as G.o.d"s Heaven is aided by sun and stars, so our Heaven, or Quinte Essence, is made fair by the sun mineral, or pure gold of the mine, not of alchemy.]
vicious lyuynge / Forsoe q{ui}nta e{ss}encia sup{er}ior, {a}t is to seie, heuene of oure lord G.o.d bi hi{m} silf / Aloone / ?eue not conseruacioun in e world, and wondirful influence, but by e v{er}tue 8 of e su{n}ne, planetis, and o{er}e sterris; ri?t so oure q{ui}nta e{ss}encia, at is, mannys heuene, wole be maad fair wi e su{n}ne min{er}alle, fynyd, schynynge, incorruptibile; and euene in qualite at fier may not appeire, corru{m}pe, ne distroie. and is is v{er}ry 12
["N{ot}a."]
gold of e myn, of e ere, or of e floodis gaderid / for gold of alkamy maad w{i}t{h} corosyues distroie kynde, as aristotle and