To make Incke or a colour to write with, in a verie good perfection.
‘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.’