Whan we been ther as we shul exercyse 750
Our elvish craft, we semen wonder wyse,
Our termes been so clergial and so queynte.
I blowe the fyr til that myn herte feynte. (200)
What sholde I tellen ech proporcioun
Of thinges whiche that we werche upon, 755
As on fyve or sixe ounces, may wel be,
Of silver or som other quantite,
And bisie me to telle yow the names
Of orpiment, brent bones, yren squames,
That into poudre grounden been ful smal? 760
And in an erthen potte how put is al,
And salt y-put in, and also papeer,
Biforn thise poudres that I speke of heer, (210)
And wel y-covered with a lampe of glas,
And mochel other thing which that ther was? 765
And of the pot and glasses enluting,
That of the eyre mighte passe out no-thing?
And of the esy fyr and smart also,
Which that was maad, and of the care and wo
That we hadde in our matires sublyming, 770
And in amalgaming and calcening
Of quik-silver, y-clept Mercurie crude?
For alle our sleightes we can nat conclude. (220)
Our orpiment and sublymed Mercurie,
Our grounden litarge eek on the porphurie, 775
Of ech of thise of ounces a certeyn
Nought helpeth us, our labour is in veyn.
Ne eek our spirites ascencioun,
[534: T. 16247-16281.]
Ne our materes that lyen al fixe adoun,
Mowe in our werking no-thing us avayle. 780
For lost is al our labour and travayle,
And al the cost, a twenty devel weye,
Is lost also, which we upon it leye. (230)
761. E. _omits_ how. 762. E. Cm. papeer; Ln. papere; Lich. papire;
Cp. Pt. Hl. paupere. (Tyrwhitt _reads_ pepere.) 764. _The MSS. have_
lampe, laumpe, lamp. 767. Lich. Pt. eyre; Ln. eyere; E. eyr; Cm. ayr;
Cp. Hl. aier. 775. E. in; Cm. &c; _rest_ on. 776. E. And; _rest_
Of. 782. E. Cm. a; Ln. in; _rest_ on. 782, 3. Cm. Pt. Ln. weye,
leye; _rest_ way, lay.
Ther is also ful many another thing
That is unto our craft apertening; 785
Though I by ordre hem nat reherce can,
By-cause that I am a lewed man,
Yet wol I telle hem as they come to minde,
Though I ne can nat sette hem in hir kinde;
As bole armoniak, verdegrees, boras, 790
And sondry vessels maad of erthe and glas,
Our urinales and our descensories,
Violes, croslets, and sublymatories, (240)
Cucurbites, and alembykes eek,
And othere swiche, dere y-nough a leek. 795
Nat nedeth it for to reherce hem alle,
Watres rubifying and boles galle,
Arsenik, sal armoniak, and brimstoon;
And herbes coude I telle eek many oon,
As egremoine, valerian, and lunarie, 800
And othere swiche, if that me liste tarie.
Our lampes brenning bothe night and day,
To bringe aboute our craft, if that we may. (250)
Our fourneys eek of calcinacioun,
And of watres albificacioun, 805
Unslekked lym, chalk, and gleyre of an ey,
Poudres diverse, asshes, dong, pisse, and cley,
Cered pokets, sal peter, vitriole;
And divers fyres maad of wode and cole;
Sal tartre, alkaly, and sal preparat, 810
And combust materes and coagulat,
Cley maad with hors or mannes heer, and oile
Of tartre, alum, glas, berm, wort, and argoile, (260)
[535: T. 16282-16317.]
Resalgar, and our materes enbibing;
And eek of our materes encorporing, 815
And of our silver citrinacioun,
Our cementing and fermentacioun,
Our ingottes, testes, and many mo.
790. E. vertgrees; Li. Cm. Cp. Hl. verdegres; Pt. verdegrees. 792. E.
Li. Hl. vrinals; Cm. vrynallis; Cp. Pt. vrinales. 803. E. purpos if;
_rest_ craft if that. 806. _The MSS. all retain_ an. 808.
_Miswritten_ pottes in E.; Hl. poketts. 812. E. and; _rest_ or.
813. _Accent_ alum _on the_ u. 817. E. And of oure; _rest omit_ And
of.
I wol yow telle, as was me taught also,
The foure spirites and the bodies sevene, 820
By ordre, as ofte I herde my lord hem nevene.
The firste spirit quik-silver called is,
The second orpiment, the thridde, y-wis, (270)
Sal armoniak, and the ferthe brimstoon.
The bodies sevene eek, lo! hem heer anoon: 825
Sol gold is, and Luna silver we threpe,
Mars yren, Mercurie quik-silver we clepe,
Saturnus leed, and Iupiter is tin,
And Venus coper, by my fader kin!