The seconde part of the Secretes of Master Alexis of Piemont by hym collected out of diuers excellent authours, and newly translated out of Frenche into Englishe, with a generall table, of all the matters conteined in the saied boke. By William Warde.

The first parte howe to knowe the vertues, good∣〈◊〉〈◊〉 and signes of Lapis lasuli, and to make true ••••yonde sea Azure most perfectly and expertly.

W••ate first the saide stone with spettle or wa∣ter, and sette a piece of white cloth before it, and you shall see it giue in it a faire lustre of a Violet colour, whiche shall comforte your ••ight. And if you will make the proofe to know if it be fine, take a little of it, and laie it vpon hote embers and make it flame, thē take it out, & if you see that it is not altered, it is a signe that it is good, and if it chāge not at all, it is of the finest, bicause it feareth not the fire, but rather augmēteth his true and parfite colour. If you will make another proofe, laie it vpon a fire panne, or vpon some other yron, and so heate it on a

flambe and then quenche it with white vinaigre very strong, and take it of, & if you see that it hath not loste nor changed the colour, it is of the best, and if it take colour againe it is of the finest and moste parfite. And if a manne could get of this seconde, which encreaseth his colour, he might sell it for three or foure crounes the vnce, but very little of it is to be had that wil kepe his natural colour, but will change some thing in the triyng. And you must note, that in making these tri∣als with fire, if the stone do not keepe wholly his na∣turall b••ate, the azure shall not be of the fairest, but of the meane sort. To know whan it is pouder, whether it be good or no, take a Goldsmithes melting pot, and put a little of it, into the said pot at your discretiō, and set it on the fire and let it flame & heate, and then let it coole againe. And if it bee not good it will melte like glasse, but if it be good it wil remaine vnmoltē in his owne substance and essence, & although it bee in pou∣der, it will yet be good, and if incace it were but halfe good, and halfe badde, the badde will melte, and be∣come like a cake, and the stone will remaine in his state and colour still. And this fraude and deceit is co∣monly wrought of them that sell it, and therfore lette euery manne beware of it. And of all the three sortes of Azure, you shall get out for euery pound of stone, I meane of that which endureth y^e cimentes aboue said, about a fiue vnces and a halfe of Azure, and the firste which shalbe the finest will be solde for xij. or xiij. du∣••ates an vnce, the second for iij. or iiij. crownes, and the third a crowne. Than shall you take out the laste whiche is called cinders whiche is of no great value, & yet neuertheles it wil beare the cost & charge of your past, and by this meanes you maie giue iudgement of the gaine and profits of your worke. But if it were of those stones whiche in triyng of them do decrease and lose their colour, a manne can not make so muche no•• so fine: but if you will take paine for to fine theim the

more, you must giue them the past, as it shalbe decla∣red afterward. True it is that it diminisheth much in weight. But that is good, true, and parfite, whiche is full of veines of Gold, and shining: and that is it that sustaineth and abideth liuely all cimentes of fire, of Vinaigre and also all other triall.