[6-text p 564]
He bade his seruaunt / fecch hym this thyng/ [Eg. 2726 folio 231b]
And he all redy was / at his biddyng/
Line 1109
And went hym forth / and cam anon ayein
With his qwyk-sylver shortly for to seyn
And toke thise ounces. thre / to the Chanon
And he hem leid faire and well adoun
Line 1113
And bade the seruaunt/ coles for to bryng/
That he anoon myght / go to his werkyng/
The coles right anoon weren yfette
And this Chanon toke out/ a Crosselette
Line 1117
Of his bosom / and shewed it to þe preest/
This Instrument / koth he which þat þou seest
Take in thyn honde / and put thy self/ þere-in
Of this qwyk-siluere an ounce / and there begyn
Line 1121
In þe name of Crist / to wex a Philiȝophre
There ben full fewe / which þat I wold profre
To shewe hym thus moch/ of my science
ffor ye shull se here / by experience
Line 1125
That this qwyk-syluer / I shall now mortefye /
Right in your sight anoon withouten lye
And make it as gode siluer / and as fyne
As þere is ony / in your purs and myne
Line 1129
Or elles where / and make it mallable
And elles holdeth me fals / and vnable
Amonges folk / for euere to appiere
I haue a poudre here / þat cost me dere
Line 1133
Shall make all gode / for it is cause of all
My kunnyng / which I to you shewe shall
voyde your man / and let hym be there out/
and shette þe dore / whiles we ben about/
Line 1137
Our pryvitee / þat no man vs espie
Whiles þat we werk/ in þis Philosophie
all as he bad fulfilled was in dede
This ylk seruaunt/ anon right/ out yede
Line 1141
And his maister shette þe dore anoon
And to her labour spedely they goon
