The gentlemans exercise Or an exquisite practise, as well for drawing all manner of beasts in their true portraitures: as also the making of all kinds of colours, to be vsed in lymming, painting, tricking, and blason of coates, and armes, with diuers others most delightfull and pleasurable obseruations, for all yong gentlemen and others. As also seruing for the necessarie vse and generall benefite of diuers trades-men and artificers, as namly painters, ioyners, free-masons, cutters and caruers, &c. for the farther gracing, beautifying, and garnishing of all their absolute and worthie peeces, either for borders, architecks, or columnes, &c. By Henrie Peacham Master of Artes.

To make liquid gold or siluer.

Take fiue or sixe leaues of gold or siluer, and lay it vpon a cleane Porphiry, marble stone, or pane of glasse, and grinde it with strong water of gumme Lake, and a prettie quantitie of great salt, as small as you can, and then put it into a cleane vessell, or vi∣all that is well glazed: and put thereto as much faire water as will fill the glasse or vessell, to the end it may dissolue the stiffe water you ground with it, and that the gold may haue roome to goe to the bot∣tome, let it stand so three or foure houres, then powre out that water, and put in more, vntil you see the gold cleane washed: after that take cleane water, which put thereto with a little Sal Armoniacke and great salt, so let it stand three or foure daies in some close place: then must you distil it in this maner, take a peece of glouers leather, that is very thinne, and picke away the skinny side, and put your gold there∣in binding it close, then hanging it vp, the Sal Ar∣moniacke will fret away, and the gold remaine be∣hinde, which take, and when you will vse it, haue a little glaire water in a shell by you, wherein dip your pensill, taking vp no more gold then you shall vse.