at
oure quinta e{ss}encia, [th]at is, mannes heuene, 8
in it-silf[2] is incorruptible; and so it is not hoot and drie wi[th]

[Footnote 2: MS. 'siff.']

fier / ne coold and moist wi[th] watir / ne hoot & moist w{i}t{h} eyr,
ne coold and drie
wi[th] er[th]e; but oure q{ui}nta e{ss}e{nci}a avayli[th] to
[th]e cont{ra}rie,
as heuene incorruptible / But vndirstonde [th]{a}t oure 12
q{ui}[n]ta e{ss}e{nci}a
is nou[gh]t so incorruptible as is heuene of oure
lord god; but it is incorruptible in reward of composiciou{n}

[It is called, 1. Burning Water; 2. the Soul in the spirit of
Wine; 3. Water of Life; and if you wish to conceal it, Quinte
Essence.]

maad of [th]e .4. elementis; & it hath .iij. names by the philosophoris,
[th]{a}t is to seie /
bre{n}nynge watir / [th]e soule in [th]e spirit of 16
wyn, & watir of lijf / But whanne [gh]e wole concelle it, [th]a{n}ne
schal [gh]e clepe it
'oure q{ui}nta e{ss}e{nci}a'; for [th]is name, & [th]e
nature [th]{er}of, ri[gh]t fewe philosophoris wolde schewe / but sikurly
[th]ei biriede
[th]e tru[th]e with hem. and witi[th] weel that it is clepid 20

[It is neither moist and cold like water, nor hot and moist
like air, nor cold and dry like earth, nor hot and dry like
fire.]

brennynge watir; and it is no bre{n}ny{n}g watir: forwhi, it is not
moist ne coold as comou{n} watir; for it bre{n}ne[th], & so doi[th] not
comyn watir; ne it is nat hoot and moist as eir, for eir corru{m}pi[th]
a [th]i{n}g a-noon,
as it schewi[th] weel by gen{er}ac{i}ou{n} of flies, 24
& areins, and siche
o[th]{er}e; but sikirly [th]is is alwey incorruptible,
if it be kept cloos fro fli[gh]t /
Also it is n{o}t coold and drie as er[th]e.
for souereynly it worchi[th] & chaungi[th]. And it is not hoot and
drie as fier, as it schewi[th] by exp{er}ience;
for hoot [th]ingis it keli[th], 28

[It gives incorruptibility, for it prevents dead flesh from
rotting, and much more the living flesh of man.]

[[* Fol. 11.]]

& hoot sijknessis it doi[th] awey /
Also [th]{a}t it [gh]eue[th] incorruptibilite,
and kepi[th] a [th]i{n}g
fro corruptibilite [*]and rotynge, it is p{re}ued
[th]{us} / Forwhi. what pece of fleisch, fisch, or deed brid, be putt
[th]{er}i{n}ne,
it sch