The secrets of the reverend Maister Alexis of Piemont Containing Excellent Remedies Against Diverse Diseases, Wounds, and Other Accidents with the Maner to make Distillations, Parfumes, Confitures, Dyeing,Colours, Fusions, Meltings, a Worke Well Approved, Verie Necessarie for Every Man (1597 edition).
To counterfeit the blacke woode called Hebenus or Hebenum, and to make it as faire as the natural Hebene, which groweth no where but in India (p. 83)
‘All kinde of woode that is like unto this Hebene, maie be died blacke : but the hardest and massivest (as Bore and other) are meetest for it, and will bee brighter : and above all, the woode of the Mulberie tree, as well the white as the blacke, is the best to bee coloured, albeit the blacke be much more for the purpose : take then the saide woode, and let it lie the space of three daies in alome water, either in the sunne, or a pretie waie off from the fire, until the water ware somewhat warme : Then take oile oliue, or oile of lineseed, and put it in a little pan, wherein is the bighnesse of a nut of Romaine Vitrioll, and as much Brimstone. This done, seeth your woode in the saide oile, a certaine space, and so shall you haue a thing verie darke of colour. And the longer you let it boile, the blacker it will ware, but too much oile burneth it, and maketh it brittle, therefore, both in the one and the other, you must be circumspect, and vse discretion.’
To lay gold on a black bottom or ground (p. 90)
‘Take the smoke of a Lamp, and pun or braie it well with the oile of Line, or of walnuts. And when you will laie the gold upon the said ground, let it not be neither too moist nor to drie.’
To make Incke or a colour to write with, in a verie good perfection. (p. 94)
‘Ye shall take good Galles, and breake them in three or foure peeces, that is to saie, stampe them slightly, and put them in a frying panne, or some other yron panne with a little oyle, frying them a little, then take a pound of them, and put in some vessel leaded, pouring into it as muche white wine as will cover it over, more than a good hand breadth. After take a pound of Gum Arabicke well stamped, and eight unces of Vitrioll well made in peuder : mixe all well together, set in the sunne certaine daies, stirring it as often as you may : then boyle it a little if you see that you have need, and after strain it, and it will be perfect. And upon the Lees that shall remaine in the bottome, you maie poure other wine and boile it a little, and straine it : you may put Wine on the same lees as often as you will : that is to saie, until you see that the wine whiche you put in, will strain, or be coloured no more. Then mingle all the said wine, wherinto you will put other galles, gumme, and vitriol, as at the beginning, then keeping it in the Sunne, you will have a better inck than the first : and do so everie daie, for the oftener you doe it, the better you shall haue it, with lesse cost. And if you find it to thick, or that it not be flowing inough, put to it a little cleare lie, which will make it Liquide and thinne inough. If it be to cleare, adde to it a little gumme Arabicke. The galles must bee small, curled and massive within, if they be good. The good vitriol is alwaies within of a colout unto the Clement. The best gumme is cleare and brittle, that in stamping it, it becommeth pouder easily, without cleaning together.’
A good way and maner how to make Incke for to carrie about a man in a drie pouder, which (when he will write with) hee must temper with a little wine, water, or vineger, or with some other licour, and then he maie incontinent put it in experience : with the saide pouder all other incke may be amended be it neuer so euill. (p. 94-95)
‘Ye shall take Peach or Abricot stones, with their kernels, sweete almonds, or bitter, so that they haue their shels hard, and that the almonds be within them. And if in case you can get but the said stones without their kernels. It shall be good inough, but no so good as with the kernels: take then all the said things together, or those that you can get, and burne them upon the coals : and when they be verie redde and inflamed, take them out, and thus being rebacte and made into verie blacke coales, keepe them in a panne : take likewise rosin of a Pine tree, and put it in a panne, and make it flame and burne: then take another little skillet, or els a little bagge holden open, with little stickes. Stickes laid a crosse over it, or otherwise, as you shall thinke good, and hold the mouth of the bagge downward over the flame so that the smoke of the saide rosin may gather together, and sticke round about the saide pan or bag, and when all the rosin is burned and all colde againe, cause all the smoke to fall uppon a paper or table, or some other thing, and keepe it, but if you will not take the paines to make this smoke, buie it of them that make printers inke. Of this blacke or smoke you shall take one parte, or what quantitie you will, of the coales of the saide stones another part, of Vitrioll one part, of fried gals, as is aforesaid, two parts of gum Arabicke four parts. Let all these bee well stamped, sifted and mingled together, and then keepe well this pouder in a linen bag, or of leather, or the older it is the better it will be. When you will occupie it for to make the inke thereof, take a little of it and temper it with Wine, water, or vineger, the which being put into it warme, the inke shall be the better, neuerthelesse being put in colde, it maketh no great matter, and you shall haue immediatlie very good inke, which you maie carrie where you will, without spilling or shedding. If you have naughtie inke, put to it a little of the said pouder, and it will become immediately verie blacke, and haue a good glasse.’
To make a great deale of Inke quicklie, and with little cost. (p. 95)
‘Take of the blacke that Carriers or tanners doe blacke their skinnes with, for you may haue much for monie: then take the gall of a fish called Cuttle, which costeth almost nothing, and chieflie in places nigh to the sea side, and in eating the said fishe at diuers times, you maie keepe the galles together. Then mingle the saide galles with the tanners colour, without any other thinge, you shall haue perfect inke. To make it yet better, you put to it of the pouder made of the coales of Vitrioll, of Galles and of gumme, and the saide incke shal bee verie good to printe in Copper, Copper, putting to it a little oyle of Line, so that it maie be Liquide and slitting of it selfe, for to pearce the better into all maner of Engravings, and that it may abide well upon the paper without running abroad.’
To make Printers Incke. (p. 95)
‘Printers Incke is made onelie with the smoke, of Rosime, as is abouesaid, and is tempered with moist vernish, you must seeth it a little to make it Liquide or thicke, as you shall neede. But in winter moister than in Sommer: and alwaies the thicker maketh the letter fairer, blacker, clearer and brighter. But in what maner soeuer it bee, it must be euer well mixed with the smoke. And to make it Liquide, as is saide, you must put more oile of Line, or of walnuttes to the vernishe. If you will make it thicker, put lesse oile and more smoke, letting it seeth more. If you will print red, in stead of the said smoke, mingle vermillion well braied, with the saide vernishe. If you will make it blewe (as men haue done sometime heretofore) take Azure of Almaine, or of that glasse, which is nowe made at Venice, doing in all points as we haue spoken of the blacke Incke.’
Padua Manuscript (1600-1700)
L’inchiostro come si mantenghi negro con aggiungervi acqua.
L’inchiostro come si mantenghi negro con aggiungervi acqua. 28. How to make ink that will remain black when water is added.
Dopo ch’una volta sarà aggiustato il calamaro con buona tinta, vi si metta dentro un pezzo di risigallo, e mettendo l’istesso nella chiara d’ovo si conserverà longo tempo senza putrefarsi.
Facendo bollire allume di rocca in acqua che cali duoi terzi, e con quella cosi calda bagnando la carta con penello o spongia, asciuto che sarà vi si potrà dipingere sopra ancor che fosse carta strazza e leva le macchie. After the inkstand has once been filled with ink of a good colour, a piece of red orpiment should be put into it, and if a piece of the same [i.e. the red orpiment] be put into white of egg, it will keep for a long time without putrefyeing.
By boiling roche alum in water until one-third of the water has evaporated, and while still hot, washing it over paper with a pencil or sponge, when it is dry you may paint on it even if it were common blotting paper, which is not then liable to blot.
Inchiostro finissimo come si faccia.
Inchiostro finissimo come si faccia.
Vin bianco galiardo lb. 8, Galla d’Istria ben franta viij, quale per otto giorni stia nel vino in vaso vitriato al sole, o nel fornello coperto mescolandoli spesso, poi separato il vino dalla galla, e collandolo, mettivi vitriol Romano vj, e stiavi dentro altri otto giorni all’ombra mescandolo spesso, poi piglia di gomma arabica ij e posta in j acqua rosa, et per altri otto giorni mescola col vino, nel qual tempo con poco di vin coto, et incorporate insieme, te ne servirai, e sarà bono.
61. How very fine ink is made. Take of strong white wine lb. 8, and of well broken galls of Istria oz. viij, put them together in a glazed vase, and expose them to the heat of the sun or in a covered furnace for 8 days, stirring them frequently ; then separate the wine from the galls, strain it, and add to it of Roman vitriol oz. vj, and leave it in the shade for a week longer, stirring it frequently. Then take of gum Arabic oz. ij, dissolve it in a pint of rose-water, and for 8 days more continue to mix this with the wine, at the end of which time use the ink with a little boiled wine, and you will find it good.
Per accomodar negro di fumo per profiler l’oro in cremesino.
Per accomodar negro di fumo per profiler l’oro in cremesino.
Si distempra con fiel di bue, poi si mette a sciugar al sole e dovendolo adoperare si macina con acqua gommata.
66. To prepare lampblack for outlining the gold in crimson. Distemper it with ox-gall, then let it dry in the sun, and when you use it grind it with gum water.
Osso bianco che diventi negro.
Osso bianco che diventi negro.
Litargirio, calce viva, an. oz. 6, mistica con l’aqua commune e meti a bollire, e ponivi l’osso bianco sempre menando per fin che comincia a bollire, e levalo dal foco, e non restar di menare sin che l’acqua si raffreddi e sarà negro.
71. To make white bone black. Take of litharge and quicklime each oz. 6, mix them with common water, and place them over the fire to boil ; put in the white bone, stirring continually until the water boils. Then take the vessel from the fire, and do no cease stirring until the water is cold, when the bone will be black.
Un bellissimo nero.
Un bellissimo nero.
Li libbri del oro in foglio abbrucciati a foglio per foglio al lume, e far cascare l’abbrucciato nel acqua netta, piglia poi quella robbia incorporala con colla pergamena ed è bellissimo.
124. A most beautiful black. Burn the books of gold-leaf, leaf by leaf separately ; let the ashes fall into clean water, then take them and incorporate with parchment glue. The colour will be most beautiful.
Per far negro Pomo, pero, olivo, Busso, zorbolo, cerasa, verna [e orno?]
Per far negro Pomo, pero, olivo, Busso, zorbolo, cerasa, verna [e orno?]
Pulito che sarà il legno con pomice bruggiata, si freghi bene il lavoro con canovazzo, e detta polvere bagnando il lavoro con acqua di cola tedesca acciò venga più pulito poi si neti bene con altra pezza.
141. To blacken the wood of the apple, pear, olive, box, service, cherry trees, and elm (?). When the wood has been polished with burnt pumce stone it must be well rubbed with a coarse cloth and with the said powder, bathing the work with German size that it may be more polished ; it must then be cleaned with another rag.