2[r]
The art of Limming.
The order of drawing or tracing
First thou shalt with a pensill of black Lead, or with a coale made sharp at the point, trace al thy letters, and set thy Vinets or Flowers, and then thy imagery if thou wilt make any, And then shalt thou with a finall pen draw all thou hast portred, then make thy syse on this wise.
¶To make a double syse or bottome to laye or settle silver or golde upon, called an embossed ground.
Take Venis Cereule, white lead, the plaister of an olde image or chalke, any of these made in fine pouder, and then grounde with the glayre of an egge and a little water on a paynters stone maketh a good bottome to lay under silver. But when you shall use any of them to laye under golde, (doe to it a little Saffron therwith to make it somewhat yealow, but beware ye put not too muche water thereto, for then will it be over weake, and if you do overmuch glayre to it, then will it be over stiffe, therefore mingle it after discretion, and looke thy syse be thick standing, and set thy syse thus tempered and covered in a horn or a shell in some seller or shadowed place, or under the earth where it may stand moyst by the space of vii, dayes, until it be perfite clammy, and rotten, and every day once stirre it about, & you shal well understand that all the sises the elder they be & the more: clammy, & rotten they be, the better they be, for all the craft is in well making and tempering of the sise, and if there stand anye belles uppon the sise, put in eare ware, for it is a remedy therefore, and before you lay it on your worke, first lay the syse on a scrow, and dryeit, and when it is drye, bend it, and if it bend, and
Breake
The art of Lymming. [2v]
breake not, then it is good and perfect, and if it breake put therto a little water to make it weaker, and prove if it cleveth fast to the booke, and if it do not, then put glayre therto, and make it more stedfast. The like syse may you make with gypsum, boyle Armoniake, red or yelow Oker orpiment or Nasticot with brown or Spayn or with red lead, if every of them be ground by himselfe and tempered, and ordred in manner and fourme above written.
To make a thin syse er bottome to laye or settle silver or gold upon, called a single ground.
Take ý new shreds glovers leather, or of new parchment, for that is best, & seeth them in faire water from a quart to a pinte that the liquor bee somewhat thicke and clammy between your fingers, then straine the liquor from the shreds, and put it being hote in some stone vesell, and so worke it forth before it be colde, and when you laye on your silver or gold, see that your sise be neither too moyst, nor too dry, but in a meane betweene both, for dread of appayring your worke. The like syse may you make without heating them at the fier) of glue water made of parchment glue for that is best, or with water gummed somewhat thick with gum arabec or of good old glair, or with milke of greene figges alone, or with the milke of spourg or of wartweede, or with the yelow milke of greenesalendine, or with the iuyce of garlike, or of onyon heads, or with the water and greace of snailes. Upon every of these may you lay your leaves of silver or golde having regard that your ground be neyther too moyst, nor too dry when you shall lay or settle the same thereupon.
¶To lay a double syse on letters, or upon other thinges.
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