The treasure of Euonymus conteyninge the vvonderfull hid secretes of nature, touchinge the most apte formes to prepare and destyl medicines, for the conseruation of helth: as quintesse[n]ce, aurum potabile, hippocras, aromatical wynes, balmes, oyles perfumes, garnishyng waters, and other manifold excellent confections. Wherunto are ioyned the formes of sondry apt fornaces, and vessels, required in this art. Translated (with great diligence, et laboure) out of Latin, by Peter Morvvying felow of Magdaline Colleadge in Oxford.

Of quint essence of remedies.

QVint essence they name to be, the chief and the heauenliest power or vertue in any plant, me [ xxx] tall, beast, or in the partes therof, which by y^e force

and puritie of the hoale substaunce, not by any e∣limentall or sensible qualitie (although it be not without qualities) conserueth the good health of mans body, prolongeth a mans youthe, differeth age, and putteth away all maner of diseases. Of this first of al mē writ Raimūdus Lull{us}, although it wer vnknowen to al the physicians of his time, nether written of in any booke, nor tryed or gone aboute in any vse. After him foloweth besides o∣ther Iohannes de Rupe scissa, (whome one certain [ x] man thinkes he flourished before Lullus, as I writ afore, I iudge they were both in one tyme) Hieronimus Brunsvvick, Philippus Vlstadius, and perauenture a few other whiche writ sumwhat of the same. Sum kind therof is simple, as y^t moste famous quint essence of wyne or Aqua vitae, of che∣lidony or selandyn, of mans bloud, of strawberys, of Antimonii. &c. Other ar cōpounde that is whē certain remedies ar put to sum quint essence now perfited, y^t it may draw out y^t vertues of thē, wher∣unto [ xx] gold y^t may be drunken, ought to be assribed.

But here springeth a doute, saith Cardane, whe¦ther a man may make y^e water tēperat, which thei cal quint essence: It wilbe, as I shal proue, of the nature of the firmamēt, that is a most pure & thin substance moueable, & which by the mouing retei∣neth a temperat heat, & very muche therof. This thefor is of power to cōserue al strengths, & topro long life. For being most subtil, it mixith it self w^t the first moistur, pearcing the massy thinges, & se∣parateth [ xxx] the excremēts, which be cōteined therin.

And because it hath much heat, it expelleth what soeuer is vncleane, and therfore restoreth the na∣tural heat. For age is nothinge els then a lesse∣ning and diminishing of natural heat, which is therfore diminished, because the mouinge is hin∣dred: as I saide of fire: for there is like reason of this vnto that. Mouing is hindred, because of y^e aboundance of earthy matter, because the earthe only hath very muche matter, and is destitute of all mouing. Therfore that water being of so tē∣perate [ x] a heate, it shall nether vexe the hearte, nor noysom to the liuer: wherfore this onlye can per∣form the things that we haue spoken. When bur∣ning water therfore or Aqua vitae reteininge hys purity and subtil matter: by the longe mocyon of circulaciō, hath put of and rid away his heat and sharpnes of taste and smell, it is becomed of the nature of the firmament: and then firste of all it smelleth swiet and fragantly. For a fragrāt smel is nothing els then a sharp smell when it is mo∣derate. [ xx] Example of peper, whiche hathe no fra∣grante smell. &c. Therefore Aqua vitae, if it come once to a temperatnes, the thinnes and purity re∣maining stil, it must nedes be made fragrāt and swiet smelling: and if it be once fragrant, it must necessarilye be turned into the nature of the fyr∣mament. There is also a water made of the flesh tyr{us} or an adder, that restoreth youthe: there is made olso of Elleborus, which I sawe at my fa∣thers. But these vexe and vnquiet the body, and [ xxx] make disceitful image and likelines of youth: the

firmamentall water dothe it in dede, whiche re∣teineth long that which a man hathe and adour∣neth the same. But is the firmament more pure then the fire which is moste hot▪ It is surelye so: for it is next vnto the heauen, and therfore most lighte. For by his circulacion it moderateth the heat caused in it by the starres: and after y^e same manner thys water, broughte to the moste puri∣tye by the heat of the fire, by mocion it self is co∣led again and obteineth a temper. Wherefore bo∣the [ x] this and the firmamente are as it were in a meane betwene mortal thinges and immortall. For hauing a place and temper, and also substāce next vnto the heauen, it can not be corrupte. But whiles it is constreined and driuen beneath, it is couled, and so after a lōg time it is corrupt. Ther fore it is in a meane betwixt mortal and immor∣tal▪ (of which kind the Stoikes beleue mans soule to be.) Al this write Cardane.

The vertue of euery thing resteth in the quin∣tessens [ xx] therof, hot, cold, moyst, and dry. &c, and the same operacion it hath, which it had afore in his mixture or with his mater, but much more swift∣ly, & more merueilouslye manye waies. After the destillacion vpon the lies certain times repeated, letting the water haue euer a new digestiō, eueri water ought alwaies to be circulated so longe in hors dōg or other wher, vntil it haue a most swit sauor. For such a fragrancy is required in euery quintessens. Somthings it is sufficiēt to destil thē [ xxx] once or twise, and then circulate them & after a

few daies, if any part of the earth or lies remain in the botō of the circulating vessel, to put it awai pouring it forth. The quintessens of wine wyll no more burn the mouth, nether is it burning wine any more, but more subtill, and is called heauen: wherunto we say his starres is added, when as herbes of diuers qualities, and such as be excel∣lent againste diuers sicknesses, are sokte & stiept therin, as we shall shewe hereafter in Aqua vitae compounded. To be solificate or made goldē, is [ x] when we procure the vertue of the sunne, that is, gold to be in it, as it is declared before, in the tre∣tise of potable gold or gold that may be drounke. These thinges for the most part are out of Lul∣lus boke of quintessens.

The quintessens of any medicine hathe a thou∣sand times the greater vertue, then it had before, whiles the thing had yet the element in it. Vlsta.