The Hartlib Papers

10.           Cap.2.   Purple moderne.                41.

     The purple of later ages, as Caneparius calls it, Surely meaning the Venetian Scarlet, which in Venice hath lately beene called Purple.

     Caneparius who best knewe the Venetian purple, & could not bee mistaken in it, assures us, Quod fit hodierna tempore purpuræ tinctura ex quoddam grano rubro puniceo, producto ex frutice ilicis humilis, quæ cocci fera vocatur, adhæretque granum ramulis absque pediculis erciliæ magnitudine. How shall I force our English tongue to signify that which is not to bee found in England, nor hath an English name! But our Iohnsons Gerard makes mention of a Scarlet oake, And I cannot tell, whether white hall can yet beare Witnesse to it. [deletion]<And> an oake I must call it, of a lower stature, which beares a scarlet acorne or berry. This berry or graine adheres to the bowes or [catchword: branches]

42.

branches without a stalke (soe acornes doe). This berry is the graine that beares the purple dye. The Greekes call it [Greek: kokkos baphike], The Latines Coccum Baphicum, infectorium granum tinctorium, The Italians grana da tintori, the French (as hee then observed) Vermillion, nowe grainel escarlete, which wee call Scarlet graines. The Arabians call it chesmes or chermes, Whence Ruellius & others have erroneously deduced the name of [deletion] Crimson colour, Thence forming the Latine word Cremesinus color, being deceivd in the approach of resemblances. But from this Arabian Chermes is truely derived that famous composition of Alchermes.

     This Graine beeing in time dryed, is divided into two parts; The exterior rinde is by Pliny (lib.16. c.8.) called cusculium, et quisquilium. The other interior, & more noble part, is called the pouder of grains. This part

                                                  43.

is to bee preferd for Medecine, or for tincture. It is apt to corrupt into a Worme by Pliny called scolecion, lib.24. c.4. Coccum scolecion. Our Merchants will translate it Cochinele.

               To prevent this exchange of graines into vermine It may bee sprinkled with Vinegar. Ex hoc itaque grano tinctorio, sayth hee, elicitur ille color purpuræ præcipuus, dicitus coccinus a cocco baphico, quod idem est cum grano tinctorio, quo purpura nostra inficitur. And this confusion of names from purple into Scarlet, Hee derives <pretends to derive> from Plinyes dayes lib.24. c.4. Quippe fullores hoc utuntur grano ad tingendas lanas purpureo colore, quem vulgo Scarlatum vocant. Mox ipse Plinius lib.21. c.8. asseruit animadvertisse tres esse principales colores, Vnum in Cocco, qui in rosis micat (gratius nil traditur aspectu) ut in purpuras Tyrias, dibaphasque, ac Laconicas.

44.

But here wee may see rather an exact distinction, then a confusion. Only from hence wee see<infer> That this graine was used for the purple dye long agoe; And the Scarlet colour in greate esteeme, Though neyther of them were the same with the true ancient Tyrian purple, which were<was> extracted from the bloud of the purple shellfish. And, undoubtedly, it was a beautifull maiestique, & glorious sight, To behold Princes cloathed, as it were with <the inside of> pearle; or as if, all over their rayments, the fiery hearte of the most flagrant orientall pearle did contend to blaze out beyond the glittering surface. This <conchilian or pearley purple> may be fit for absolute Princes, or very eminent persons; The richest scarlats for persons of honour, truste, & authority: That all Princes & magistrates may by their robes bee admonished to give God the glory by<in> performing righteous iudgement, Least the Angell of the Lord bee constrained [catchword: provoked]

11.               purple moderne.                    45

provoked to smite aswell their bodyes as their robes into Cochinele, & their soules into the lake that burneth with fire & brimstone. Of which wee reade a sad example Act.12. 21.

     This scarlet oake (for soe I must call the tree) as Dodoneus observes, growes in many places, but brings not this purple or scarlet graine to maturity, except it bee in climats, that have a strong & direct stroke of the Suns rayes. For (as I noted) The Sun wilbe the only father of thiese fiery colors, & will not beget them by proxy, or by deputy. And therefore Mathiolus was mistaken, in affirming, That thiese graines were gathered in Bohemia & Polonia, two very cold climats. They are found indeede in the Sunny places about the Mediterranean Sea, in Galatia, Armenia & Cilicia, & (as Pliny sayth) in Africa, And (as Amatus Lusitanus sayth) in his Portugall, though there

46.

none of the best. And in the Islands of Creete & Cephalenia, But our Merchants in the old Exchange can give the best accompt of thiese affayres.

     To dye Scarlate or purple graine, For the richest use. Let the pouder of best graines bee boyld in water, or Lye, Then straind & then dryed by evaporation; The color will reside in the bottome. If this be dissolvd in the white of an Egge or in gumd water, you may painte, adorne bookes, or write with it.

     And this is a noble way of Takeing a cordiall medicine by the eyes, & by the nose; as they take physic by the eares, who seeke a remedy from the poysonous spider of the Tarantula. For as fast as the pen runs upon the paper, The cordiall spirits of Alchermes by ascend by the Tunnell of the nose to the braine & hearte. For<And> this is

                                                  47.

the powerfull cordiall, That cures all the maladyes of the hearte, Trembling, beatings, syncopes, <or> swoundings, & all melancholye affections. Hee addes, That it cures huge wounds, especially wounds of the sinewes, & heade. Proinde ad ingentia vulnera convenit, præsertim nervorum, ad vulnera capitis conducit cum mitra administratum; &c & magnum auxilium mulieribus præstat aboriri solitis, si eis pari pondere [thuris?] in ovo recenti sorbendum propinetur, superfluosque menses <cohibet>. To gratify Ladyes, It stayes the red fluxe, & prevents abortion, or miscarriages, if taken in a <newe layd> rawe egge with an equall weight of frankincense.

12.                    Cap.3.                         49.

          The Choice of Inkes for Printing or

          Writings in severall kinds of beautifull

          colors, & for other speciall uses.

Tis my wonder, That our unquiete humour hath beene soe generally, & constantly fixed upon blacks & Whites for inke & paper or parchments, or vellum, in all our Writings & Print-Impressions. In other things wee are fickle & curious to our preiudice; And tis not without some kind of preiudice, That in this pointe wee are soe unchangeably, & soe narrowely positive, as I shall anon discover, if you affoord mee soe much patience. I doe not dislike the beauty of blacks & Whites, & for Funerall orations, & for lectures of mortification they are proper; And then, with a little charge, they <may> make the ground blacke, the character white, & in this (if wee did affect novelty & rarity, as in other things,) My author Caneparius [catchword: teacheth]

50

teacheth to make inke soe white, as may give a very legible character upon the whitest paper or to make it soe blacke, as shall shine like Ieate.

     All ages, & all nations, ever since Literature hath beene invented, have imployed their wits to find out the best & most lasting blacks, such as were fittest for writing: And the Printers have not beene wanting to enquire out what blacks doe best serve for printing. But I wish they were all, as carefull of our Health, who doe write <much> & reade much, as of their owne Credits. For I see, They can willingly bee at greate charges upon fayre frontispices, & for elegant characters in rich mettalls. But, if wee consider, Howe neere <to> our nostrills, & eyes their paper & inke does dwell, And what an immediate passage there is from thence to the braine, Wee must needes discerne, That it is of some concernement, That thiese perpetuall, incessant, & forcible transpirations should bee salubrious, & assisting to the vital spirits, &

                                                  51

to the principall, & Capitall member, the Head.

     In infectious times, especially such when the diseases are epidemicall, many of us That are studious, pay noe lesse price then our lives for the contagion, which is transported to us by raggs in paper. And besides the mischiefe <which> is brought upon us by polluted rags, There is much more added to it oft-times by the un-wholsome & stinking waters, in which the paper is made; And a third, the greatest, & perpetuall mischiefe, is many times from the poysonous blacks; which by a lingring corrosion doe infect the braine, create hecticke & malignant fevors & other kinds of consumptions: & sometimes they storme away our lives with a more hasty dispatch. They have neyther noses, nor other good senses, That cannot find their natures violated, & oppressed with some kinds of inkes, whilst they run from their pens, & if wee in- [catchword: quire]

52.

quire the ingredients, wee shall finde more iuste cause to bee affrayde of their crude Copperasses, & unprepared Vitriols, than of a pestilence in the neighbourhood, or of thunder & lightning about our eares. But wee do oft-times startle at the shadowe of danger, whilst leape into the very præcipice; And wee beleeve noe more, than wee see or feele, whenas the greatest force is in spirits, that are invisible.

     And as our health may bee annoyed by the dangerous election of poysonous Ingredients; Soe allso our spirits may bee refreshed, our natures strengthened or restored, <&> our understandings cleared, & sublimed, by a iudicious choice of medicall & balsamicall Ingredients.

     I have seene the Inke, [deletion] soe compounded of the best sacke & well-prepared Vitrioll, That it had thiese peculiar qualityes. 1 It did escape the freezeing in our extreamest frosts. 2 It did never become [hory?]; as [catchword: other]

13.                    Inke                          53.

other inke is apt to doe in Sumer time. 3 It ran easily, & not too hastily from the pen. 4 It did not pierce through any indifferent paper. 5 It seemed paler whilst it ran from the pen, then it was upon the paper. 6 It had a blacknes that would not fade. 7. And all that used it, found in it a very apparent, & strong refreshment to their spirits. A vinous spirit it had, & of such a gratefull acrimony, as did That it did cheere our spirits, as we if wee had a more refined, & spirituall way of drinking Wine all the time (& I hope you will thinke this was but a sober way of [deletion] drinking Wine all day long) & it seemd to free the stomacke by helping digestion, & procuring appetite.

     Wherefore, In the behalfe of all studious Men, I hereby sollicite the noble & ingenuous   

54.

Printers to subduct a part of that charges which they bestowe upon their frontispices <& to lay it out> in provideing wholsome inkes & papers wholsome paper, & most especially for such impressions, as are never to bee layd aside as particularly for our holy Bibles, That <together> at once wee may drawe from thence the breath of this life, & the breath of Immortal life.

     And to that end I doe allso herein make bold to sollicite your Worthy Sonne, my noble friende Dr Frederic Clodius, Who hath soe oft-times & soe freely tenderd the restauration of my health, That hee would not disdeigne in this point to obliege the world by his particular directions herein. For it will truely deserve the applause of all the Orators & Poets, & the prayers of all devoute bookemen.

     I should seeme to forget modesty, & mine owne Function, if I should undertake to prescribe Medicine, Therefore I presse soe hard upon my [deletion] kind friend,

                                                  55.

who hath beene soe happily successefull in præpareing the most powerfull Medicaments.

     And because many rich Medicines may bee found in other colors, Therefore I proceede to some usefull mention of divers colourd inkes, & papers.

     The Lord Bacon, in his newe Atlantis, seemes to affect yellowe, as the fittest color of parchment, (Somewhat yellower than our parchment (sayth hee,) & [deletion] shining like the leaves of writing Tables, but otherwise soft & flexible) And wee knowe, That Saffron is a preservative, an excellent cordiall, & spreading, as if it contended with gold to prove, That there is as well a diffusive substance, as a powerfull operation in colors. And this land is well stored with the best saffron for the use of Parchment or Table-bookes, to give them a tincture; or to compound a yellowe, or Greene inke for some speciall impressions or writings, which may bee upon a white, or watchet foundation.

56.

     And it is strange, That wee have never devised a prasine or grasse greene ynke, since that colour is found soe indulgent to our eyes, & soe benigne to our spirits.

     Our ancient Manuscripts, the richest, especially such as are devotionall, & then chiefely, when they contained Songs or Oraysons to the Holy Virgine, are in the leading letters embellished with curious worke in beautifull coulors. I have seene some of them which belonged to the office of Windsore, very richly adorned, but there was noe greate variety of colors, being generally gold, ultramarine blue, & [moniate?] red, noe greene<greene> at all. Thus wee Some aged people <prefer gauderyes before> health & commodity.

     Some aged people doe use to wash the printed impressions with some light greenes, or blewes; but as<And> the old Brittaines painte, which the Romans called Glastum (which is our Woade) may be soe infused with Saffron, as to fit this use, But by [catchword: this]

14.                         Inke.                    57

this kind of application, it will but darken the [deletion] impression. For the ease of such as are aged, or have tender eyes, I wish wee had some bibles printed in a grasse-greene character of a salubrious composition.

     And this I note, That aged people, when their spectacles, as well as their sight, <doe> begin to fayle them, they preferre the old English character before any <other though> more elegant character. all the strokes of that character are thicker, & the whole frame of the character doth assiste their sight, & therefore I wish, That bibles that are printed in that character, may never bee quite out of fashion.

     Sir Henry Savile, (a man Worthy the Memory of all gratefull students) printed in a Miniate or red character some sheetes in the greeke tongue, which were (by his direction) collected by the learned Fellowes & Schoolemaster of Eton Coll, as the choicest formes or Patternes of

58.

pure language, fine conceite, or instructive advertisements, which should make the first indelible impression in that noble Seminary of youth of the beste hopes. Such fiery darts are apt indeede to pierce deepe into our braines, & hearts, but are over-violently iniurious to our eyes. Solons lawes might bee fit to bee written in a liquor soe like the bloud of Dragons. And Sanguis draconis is by my author comended for the best rubric; but to perfect the salubrity, wee may take in the [deletion] much comended Al-chermes, which with easy art may bee applied to an excellent scarlet, or crimson dye.

     And this good use they made of their rubric sheetes at Eton College, That for some pleasant imployment, in the vacancy of the old Festivalls of Christmas, & Whitsuntide, The younger Scholars should with their pens drawe a black stroke over the red character;

                                                       59

Thus they were taught at once to learne, or <to> mend their hands upon a very fayre & beautifull character, & to learne true Orthography, & to store their memoryes with the best modells of language, phantsy, & doctrine. They had by nature a hopelesse stupidity, That could take noe impression from this easy imployment. It was a necessary helpe for such greate Schooles, Where the Masters teach more by Authority, rigour, & precept, than by industry, & elucidations. It is not to bee expected, That they should teach hand-writing, but by their inspection, They might thus compell evry Scholar to improve his hand-writing, his orthography, his phansy, his stile, his memory, & his manners, before the # <left margin: # Scholar could discerne himselfe to bee cumbred or troubled about any serious businesse.>

     Though for ornament & beauty the red, miniate crimson, scarlat or purple bee most preferd in comon use, & does indeede more forcibly impresse upon

60.

humane spirit for deeper advertisement, & for thereby for the helpe of memory; (For which cause I doe well approve the ingeny & ingenuity of some printers, who in some specialls Treatises, have printed the more weighty words & sentences in a red character;) Yet I dare recommend the Emeraud, or grasse-greene Table character for the chaste preserver of the eyesight, & for the calme & delightfull composer of the spirits. And the Allwise Creator, Who used the depthes of his Wisedome, & Providentiall Councell in the creation of the smallest grasse, hath layd the foundations of all the beautyes of the fields, pastures, hills, & woodes in Greene: all herbes flowers, & trees, may bee tufted, or fringed or tipt with points, stars, or speckes of all other glittering colors in cups, mantles, tongues, spikes, or tassells; but generally in the maine they are cloathd in greene. And wee cannot follow a better example than this of God in the [deletion]<adorning of> the visible face of the Creation. [catchword: It beeing]

15.                    Inke.                         61

     It beeing certaine, That blackes & whites doe doe some violence to our eyes, The whites by dissipating the visuall rayes, & the blackes by congregating them, It may thence bee enquird, Whether the white upon blacke, or the black upon white does inflict more violence upon our humane spirits; To which I would answere, That as a man finds his temper & inclination to propend, eyther to the excesse of melancholy, or of sanguine iocundity, soe hee may sort the remedy: To temper light, & garish, & gadding humours, the white should bee upon a black or shadowy foundation; To enliven the droopeing, & sad spirite, tis fit the blacke should bee upon white, as is usuall: As in ordinary for the helpe of the aged, the convexe or gibbous glasse is the proper spectacle; For the short-sighted & pore-blind, the concave glasse is necessary. But the grasse-greene, whether upon a bright Skye-coloured [catchword: watchet]

62.

watchet, or upon the virgine-white paper, hath no degree of violence to waste, afflict, or molest our spirits.

--------------------------------------------------------

     Chap. 4   Gabriel Plats, at the ends of his discovery of Mineralls, shewes howe to [deletion] extract all<sorts> kinds of colors, That are to bee found in any kind of Woodes, Herbes, or flowers; & many others have directed it more at large, & more particularly.

     [Howe to erased] I have no minde to labour in vaine, Actum agere, in repeating anothers words. But conceiving, That many will desire the skill of extracting for their use & delight all the beautyes of the fieldes & garden, if it bee a worke of noble art & facility; & finding Caneparius <left margin: desc.5. cap.5.> willing to teach the whole art in a fewe words, I will trye, Whether I can comunicate such a delightfull accomodation so briefely as hee does. Let the example bee,

               of Skye-color

To bee taken from the floures of flaxe, or Succory, or Hyacinth, or Flower de luce &c. Gather

                                                  63

thiese, or any like flowers, bruise them in a mortar, presse out the iuice, dissolve it in a little rocke alum; & soe lay it up for use. When you would use it for ynke, adde some of the best gum Arabic.

          Others (sayth hee) dry the iuice thus prepard in the Sun or by a gentle fire, soe it will better bee preservd; when you would use it <to write with it,> dissolve it in the Gum-water.

     Some doe boyle the iuice to the waste of a fourth part, adding a little rocke allum, Then they dip in it pieces of linnen first [deletion] steeped in urine & dryed; Thiese rags they doe thrice [deletion]<madefie & steepe> in the sayd iuice, as often drying them in the shade. Thiese beeing preservd, you may upon occasion dissolve any part of it (as oft as you have neede) with the white of an egge, or in gum water in any glasse. Præterea (sayth hee) ut omnibus exacte satisfaciam, in præsenti silere non possum modum omnium pulchriorem eliciendi [catchword: tincturam]

64.

tincturam verumque colorem a singulis floribus; et modus est sequens, ut capiantur flores <et modus est sequens.>

     For a full satisfaction, the exactest way of extracting the tincture, or true colour of every flower is as followeth. Take the flowers which doe best please you, Let them bee steepd in the cleerest, & strained iuice of Lemons for a day, In that space of time you shall see the flowers have lost their color, & resignd it into the liquor, Then is the color to bee separated[altered from separating] by casting away the flowers, & by evaporating away the liquor. The color is gently to bee dryed, & soe preservd. When occasion is to write or painte with it, It may bee dissolvd in the white of egge, or gum water, as abovesaid.

     The Dutch Verdelis, which as hee sayth is brought to Venice out of Flanders for the painters is thus made. Take the very tops of the flower de luce before they bee quite blowne open, or fully ripe. bruise them in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle, This [catchword: masse]

16.                    Inke.                    65

masse being thus bruised, they put in a glasse, & lay it up in a cellar or other moist place for fifteene dayes, that it may digest, ferment, or rot there, then they streine <it> through linnen, & it will bee allmost all turned into liquor. This they put on a fire, till by a gentle heate a third part consumes, then they adde soe much rocke allum, as gives it a sufficient brightnes, which may be tryed upon white paper.

     To extract yellowe or Greene from the Way-thorne, or buckthorne, the Reinebury bush, called Rhamnus solutivus, or spina [deletion] cervina, merula.

     If the berryes bee gathered in October before they bee ripe, They yield a yellowe or saffron colour, if in November, when they bee fully ripe, then they yield a greene color. When they bee ripe, the iuice is prest out, & boyld with a little allum for the painters use.

                    For yellow they pound the [deletion] unripe berryes in a mortar, & lay them in a [lee?] for a night, & then boyle them [deletion] till a third part bee consumed, soe they streine it,

66.

& put to it roc allum, & put it againe to the fire till the allum bee dissolved, then before it boyles up, take it off the fire, & straine it again & preserve it for use. This is that Luteus pulcherrimus color, with which their chards (chartæ lusoriæ) were wont to bee dyed. A crooke or two of Saffron and Gum Arabic does helpe the colour.

          This I recite at large That our Woodemen, & planters may knowe & value the benefit of this shrub or bush. Whose berryes doe aswell derive health & medicine, as thiese varietyes of colors. They purge choler, & melancholy, grosse & glutinous humours; They cure the gout, palsy, dropsy, & French disease disease, et alia multa, which I leave to the skillfull Physician. <For yellowes cordiall marigolds & sun flowers must not bee forgotten.>

     Another Greene Smaragdine color, & of speciall salubrity, Hee recomends upon the authority of Cardan lib:18 de mirab. p 935.

     Tis made of greene capers ground, & reduced into poulder. drawe from thence by the Alymbec

                                                  67.

a water, which by a reiterated distillation may bee rectifyed, & made of excellence beauty & vertue. This greene ynke if a man drinkes of it, dissolves all obstructions of the spleene.

                    Of Verdegris

     I cannot promise the same salubrity, or safety from Verdegris, but the colors that are drawne from mettalls are more infallibly durable, than such as are drawne from flowres.

     Tis sometimes taken from the Mines of Brasse, only to bee washt, & dryed, & fitted with gum & allum, & this is called Greene azur, Viride azurrum.

               Tis sometimes taken from the rust of brasse, This they grind with the iuice of rue, & a crooke of Saffron, & soe dissolve it for use in gum water; some adde the yelke of eggs with cleare vineger. some adde to it the water which is distilld from greene galls.

     But this will fayle of my maine point of preserving the health of the Physician<writers> except it bee by the true Chymist corrected.

          To prevent that damage

68.

     The Armenian stone is extolld to bee most salubrious, & as proper for an excellent greene, as the Lapis Lazulus for the Ultramarine bleue. And may be prepard for Medicine, picture, or for writing in the same Manner as Luzulus for Ultra marine.

      Thus.

Grinde the Armenian stone into the finest flouer, then wash it often in the purest water, soe dry it, & keepe it for the use of medicine, picture, or writing. This the way of Alexander Trallian.

     Caneparius prefers the way of segregating the color from the stone & soe to free it from all earthines & impurity, & <thus it> is more beautifull in picture & more effectuall in medicine, which is thus done

First grind it into the finest flower, cover this flower in the spirite of distilld vineger or distilld Wine, Macerate it in a gentle heate of ashes or of the Balneum Mariæ, till the liquor hath the perfect Tincture of the stone. The feces may bee caste away. The liquor may bee evaporated upon a very gentle fire, or distilld; And beeing furnished againe with vineger, the pure greene will reside in the [catchword: bottome]

17.               Armenian Greene                         69

bottome which may bee washd in cold water, & dryed, to bee reservd for all the foresaid uses.

     And thus Vltramarine is best made of Lazuli.

          This Armenian stone is soe called, as brought from Armenia. of which kind, & of the same efficacy some are brought out of Germany, as Mathiolus, & Amatus Lusitanus in his comentaryes on Dioscorides. By Ælius tis called Lapis Armutheus. Caneparius by many arguments proves it a lesse digested, more imperfect, & therefore more friable kind of Lazulus. Mesve sayth it purgeth the braine safer then hellebore, dispelleth melancholique humors without danger or trouble. cures the epilepsy, madnes &c thus prepared; It purgeth the bloud from grossenes, & freath from the cardiac passions, from giddines, headach, corroborat et lætificat, eius noxas aufert, animam exhilarat, corpus floridum diu tuetur, vitam reddit beatam, thoracem et pulmonem crassis humoribus expurgat, asthmati, splenisque affectibus

70.

iuvat; quartanas sanat, lanerum et Lepram &c

Thiese large comendations of strengthning & cheering the hearte & source of releeving the breast <&> lungs from grosse humours, & the spleene from noxious obstructions, of curing Quartanes, Cancer, & Leprosy under the Testimony of many excellent Physians, does present it with a good savour undr our nostrills, That it may well bee admitted for a good neighbour to the braine, And an ynke for a good Prince In whose long life is the peoples peace & safety. And thus I bequeath it with sincere affections.

     Caneparius & Mathiolus <& Mesves> doe prefer the Luzulus with golden lines, & golden specks before the only blewe stone. Nam ex præcepto Mesves eligitur lapis prædictus maculis aureis stellarum modo radiantibus splendens, purus, gravis, cui assentit Mathiolus, asserens huiusmodi cæruleum cum lineis aureis reperiri tantum in fodinis auri huic inferior est, qui deficit his notis aureis: foditur iste ex mineris argenti, et æris. &c

     Caneparius directeth How to extract the

                                                  71.

most excellent ultramarine out of this richest lazulus, & howe to extract the gold apart; But thiese two operations require a greate deale more labour & art then is necessary to make the Armenian Greene & I have noe license to expose thiese Mysteryes of Art, & my authors costly experiments to public viewe.

     To prove the best Lazulus, Hee gives this rule. If beeing put upon burning coles, & the bellowes blowing the fire for an hour, & suddenly coold againe, The baser Lazulus will become friable, the right Lazulus will retaine color & hardnes, as before.

     The Naturall azur, quod Alemaniæ dicitur, est fumositas quædam efflorescens e fodinis argenti, et super lapides residet coloris azurri, et ab ijsdem lapidibus quibus adhæret colligitur, abradendo eos, inde scobem iam abrasum tenuissimè molunt, et lavant, mox eam exiccant et usui picturæ et scripturæ servant, adhuc vero nullum in medicina usum habet.

               This, to prevent That noble persons bee not cosend.

72.

  And a blue earth is brought out of Spaine of a dilute color, & little worth.

     Note, That the liquor of thiese stones, or of flowers or mettalls bee put to drye, where the Sun can have any powerfull accesse to them, Hee will rob them <of their colour or steale away part of them;> For hee claimes an affinity to all beautiful colors.

     Of the Peacocke-color or Violet Purple.

There are two sorts of Carots, the one yellow, the other of a blood color. both are well knowne at our Tables, & good foode. Wee cannot affirme, That the Ancient were acquainted with eyther of them.

     Take the blacker part of the red carot, & shred it into small mineings, cover it with sharpest vineger adding a little rocke allum, put it on the fire, till it boyles away three parts of foure. Then take it from the fire, when tis coold straine it, soe leave it to bee thickned & dryed of it selfe. Soe may bee made a Masse of violet purple. Which must upon occasion bee ground & dissolvd into gum water & then straind for a perfect peacocke coloured ynke. What can bee cheaper, or lesse hurtfull: [catchword: This is]

18.                    Violet color.                    73.

     This is a newe way of improvement for them that sowe rapes, if they mingle some of this read carot seede amongst their rapes, And, if they want vent or conveniency of carriages heres' an here's a way to contract the bulke & burden. Sane operæ precium. doe the dyers & rape-men knowe of this! Whether soe, or noe, Tis a profitable Mystery for them that can amplify upon profitable advertisements

     The berryes of Wallwort, (called allsoe Danewort or dwarf Elderne, famous for the speciall cure of the dropsy) when fully ripe, bruised, & pressed, the iuice is fit to dye hayre as Diocorides notes, but if roc alum bee dissolved in the iuice, after streining, it wilbe brighter, & a good purple inke.

     Violet color is properly deduced from the true Violet, eyther by pressing out the iuice, or by the infusion of the flowre into iuice of lemmon as hath beene sayd, or in the sharpe spirit of vitriol, soe prepared with a little gum water & roc allum. What inke can bee more wholsome, more sweete, or

74

more beautifull!

     The berryes of privet seeme blacke, but are full of a purple iuice, by many old writers comended for inke. With additions that they made it blac inke, And But Vitruvius de Archit. l.7. c.14. sayes they make an elegant purple, Vaccinium temperantes, et lac miscentes purpuram faciunt, [et?] sub nomine vaccinij disseruit de baccis ligustri, quas et Maro sic appellavit.

     Alba ligustra cadunt, vaccinia nigra leguntur. q.d. flosculi albi decidunt ligustris, baccæ nigræ restant. In this point Servius shewd his unskillfulnes in botaniques. but howe shall wee excuse the same errour in Mathiolus, Bellonius, Ruellius, Marcellus, Hermolaus Barbarus, And a like mistake in Fuschius, & Dodoneus, who diverted to seeke the explication from other flowres. I must not here stay to refute or to correct them. And here wee have a beautifull ynke that cures inflamations, & many other diseases, as old & best physicians doe affirme.

     To make an ynke soe white, That it will by perfect whitenesse give a very visible &

                                                  75

distinct character upon any paper howe white soever.

     Take the shells of newe layd egs, wash them very cleane, & grind them exacty to pouder upon a marble; Let this bee done over, oft-times, still washing it with the purest cleane water. Whilst it rests, the pouder will reside in the bottome; Poure away the water, & let the poulder dry in the sun; It wilbe the whitest poulder that is.

     To dissolve this white poulder of eggs-shells for use, Take a sufficient quantity of gum amonic, cleare it from stones, sticks, & evry filth by washing it, let it bee infusd all night in vineger well distilld, & warme, that it may bee dissolved. Then it may bee straind; & in this gum which wilbe most white the white-pouder may bee dissolved for a white inke, or white painte.

     For a valuable rarity I must allso acquainte <you>, That of this white chalke made of

76.

eggeshells kneaded with gum-water, & the whites of eggs, you may make cups, vessells, Images, & other most beautifull inventions which may be dryed in the Sun to the hardnesse of stone. From whence many other things may bee formed, as they are formed of woode & stone; which I recomend to the industry of them that are ingenious.