The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
Folio 195r
3 of 17 folios
As Egremoyne / Valerian / and Lunarie
And othere swiche / if that me liste tarie
Oure lampes brennyng bothe nygħt and day
To brynge aboute / oure purpos / if we may
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Oure fourneys eek / of Calcinacioū
And of watres Albificacioū
Vnslekked lym / Chalk / and gleyre of an ey
Poudres diuerse / assħes / donge / pisse / and cley
Cered pottes / Sal Peter / vitriole
90
And diuerse fires / maad of wode and cole
Sal tartre / Alkaly / and Sal perparat /
And combust matires / and coagulat
Cley / maad wt hors / and mānes heer and oille
O Tartre / Alum glas / berme / wort and Argoille
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Resalgar / and oure matires enbibyng
And eek of oure matires encorporyng
And of oure siluer citrinacioū
And of oure cementyng and fermentacioū
Oure yngottes / testes / and many mo
100
I wol yow telle / as was me taugħt also
The seuene spirites / and the bodies seuene
By ordre / as ofte I herde my lord hem neuene
¶ The firste spirit quyk siluer called is
The seconde Orpyment the thridde ywis
105
Sal Armonyak / and the ferthe Brymstoon
The bodyes seuene eek / . lo hem heere anoon
¶ Sol gold is / and Luna / siluer we threpe
Mars Iren / Mercurie quyk siluer we clepe
Saturnë leed / and Iuppiter is tyn
110
And Venus Coper by my fader kyn
¶ This cursed craft who so wole excercise
He shal no good han / þt hym may suffise
For al the good / he spendeth ther aboute
He lese shal / ther of haue I no doute
115
Who that listeth / outen his folie
Lat hym come forth / and lerne multiplie
And euery man / that oght hath in his cofre
Lat hym appiere / and wexe a Philosophre
Ascauns / that craft is so ligħt to leere
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Nay nay god woot al be he Monk or frere
Preest or Chanoū / or any oother wygħt
Thougħ he sitte at his book bothe day & nygħt
In lernyng of this Eluyssħe nyce loore
Al is in veyn / and parde muchel moore
125
To lerne a lewed man this subtiltee
Fy spek nat ther of / for it wol nat bee
And konne he lettrure / or konne he noon
As in effect . he shal fynde it al oon