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.

To make black Sope for clothes, with all the signes and tokens that it giueth and maketh in beiling.

TAke thirty pounde of vnsleckt white lime, if you can get it, and that is in greate hole peces and not in pouder, and foure skore and tenne pounde of the strongest ashes you can finde. Then order & dresse the ashes rounde about the lime, in forme and maner of Morter, and sprinkle with a broome weate in water the small peces of lime a little at ones and often, to the intent that the fire maie en∣ter into it, and whan it is well mollified and augmen∣ted by reason of the heate whiche is in it, let there bee two of you, the one to incorporate well with a spade or shouell the lime with the ashes, and the other to sprinkle water with the broome well vpon it & round about it, to the intent there rise no pouder or dust of it. And lette all so well be mixed, that a man may not knowe or discerne the lime from the dust or ashes, and water it so much round about, that in taking a hand∣full of the same matier, and in wringing it, it cleaue togither. And whan you see that it raiseth no more pouder or dust, giue it no more water. This done close vp togither all this morter with your spade, and lette it so remaine in a heape twoo or three houres, for it

heateth and boileth beyng in a heape, and whā it ma∣keth chinkes or cleftes about it, it is a signe that it is risen. And if it be in cold weather you maie couer it, for feare that it take no colde and so lose his heate, for than it would make no good magistrale. Whan all this is done, straine the said mater in a vessell of earth hauing a hole in the bottome, beyng couerid with a little strawe, and a dishe ouer it, to the intent that the mater maie runne in time: and whan you putte it in presse egally euery where as muche as you can, and lette it be alwaies euen aboue: then poure vpō it some hote water, or els do as followeth, as I my selfe doe. Make ready sixe or eight pailes full of the strained lie, and poure it on the vessell I meane of the first whiche is good, and at the first put in two or three pailes full, the whiche beyng sunke doune, put in as much more, and open not the hole in the bottome, vntil al the ma∣ter be drunke vp: then let it runne out by little & little, and bicause you maie the better knowe the firste, the seconde and the third, take an Egge newe laide, and binde it rounde about with a threede and as the ma∣gistrale lie commeth out, put the Egge into it, and whiles the egge remaineth aboue, put it al into a ves∣sell, for it is the first whiche you ought to make muche of. And whan the egge sinketh in the lie, put that se∣cond by it selfe: and if you can gette of the first fo••rty pounde, you shall get of the seconde thirtie, and of the thirde twentie, and of the fourth asmuch as you will: And let all these be put by them selues: & if you couer them well that they do not euaporate nor breath out, they will continue alwaies a yeare beyng still good, whan you haue done take xxx. pound of the first, and ten of the secōd, and put them togither and looke well if the egge remaine aboue, & if it appeare not muche, weaken it no more, for it shalbe wel so. And note, that vnto three pound of the saide lie, you muste haue one pound of oile, and in pouring it in sturre and mixe it

well with a stick, for feare that the oile be not hurt by the violence of the saide lie: And make this composi∣tion at night, to the intent that it maie remaine in in∣fusion all the night: then in the morning seeth it the space of seuen or eight houres or more, according as the quantite is great or little: for whan it is aboue a hundreth pound, it must seeth ten houres or more: and whan it beginneth to seeth and swell much, take it by and by from the fire, and sturre it alwaies aboue vn∣till it beginne to boile softly. And in the meane time cease not to sturre it, for feare it burne to the bottom. And whan you make the composition in a caudron, let it neuer be full by a hand breadth, bicause it riseth and swelleth alwaies in seething, and the oile would bee loste: and mixyng it oftentimes the oile incor∣porateth with the lie, and seedeth the sooner. And whan it hath sodden about eight or nine houres, you maie beginne to assaie and proue it, and see that you keepe alwaies a little of the firste and of the seconde for all occasitions that maie chaunce. And whan it hath boiled vnto the saide houre, you shall see it waxe thicke, and make the bubbles in seething long and thicke. Than maie you beginne to make your profe and assaie. That is to saie, in taking a little of it with a spoone, and putting it into a little earthen dishe, and lette it coole, then cut it with a little sticke, and if it close togither againe, it is a signe that it is sodden inough: and if it doe not close togither againe, it is not, and therefore finishe the seething of it. And make many of these proofes and assaies. And whan it is sod∣den, take the fire from vnder it, and so take it of, and sette it in some coole place, and whan it is colde you maie occupie of it, and it will be good and parfite. And if you make it with cleere oile although it bee strong, it is all one: but if you make it with oile parcht or thicke, it will not bee verie cleere. One of the beste signes that you maie see in it whan it beginneth to

waxe into a thicke substance, is that in taking of it vp with a spoone, the thredes or little strekes doe breake without shrinking vp again, & this is a signe that it is sodden inough. And whan you haue taken vp a lit∣tel, and haue lette it coole and so cut it, and than if it be ferme and faste on the sides, and in setting it vp it tarry vpright, than it is sodden. And if after an houre it were not sodden, that is to saie, that it had not the sinewe, put vpō it a little of the first magistrall a little at ones, and so lette it boile an houre or a halfe. And than you shall make againe the like assay or proofe as before, and if it shewe you not good signes, you shall put yet a little more to it vntil you make it haue a fast and solide bodie, & let it be not to soft nor to hard. And he that hath experience of this knoweth what is to be done in seeyng it boile onely. And whan you see that it is well take it from the fire.