813. argoile, crude cream of tartar deposited as a hard crust on wine-casks. Called argoil in Anglo-French; Liber Albus, i. 225, 231.
814. resalgar, realgar, red orpiment, or the red sulphuret of arsenic; symbol (As S2); found native in some parts of Europe, and of a brilliant red colour. Resalgar is adapted from the old Latin name, risigallum. The word is explained by Thynne in his Animadversions, ed. Furnivall, p. 36—'This resalgar is that whiche by some is called Ratesbane, a kynde of poysone named Arsenicke.'
enbibing, imbibition; see this term used in The Alchemist, ii. 1. It means absorption; cf. Theat. Chem. iii. 132, l. 27.
816. citrinacioun. This also is explained by Thynne, who says (p. 38)—'Citrinatione is bothe a coolor [colour] and parte of the philophers stoone.' He then proceeds to quote from a Tractatus Avicennae, cap. 7, and from Arnoldus de Nova Villa, lib. i. cap. 5. It was supposed that when the materials for making the philosopher's stone had been brought into a state very favourable to the ultimate success of the experiment, they would assume the colour of a citron; or, as Thynne says, Arnold speaks of 'this citrinatione, perfecte digestione, or the coolor provinge the philosophers stoone broughte almoste to the heighte of his perfectione'; see Citrinacio in Ducange. So in the Alchemist, iii. 2:—
'How's the moon now? eight, nine, ten days hence
He will be silver potate; then three days
Before he citronise. Some fifteen days,
The magisterium will be perfected.'
817. fermentacioun, fermentation. This term is also noticed by Thynne (p. 33), who says—'fermentacione ys a peculier terme of Alchymye, deduced from the bakers fermente or levyne'; &c. See Theat. Chem. ii. 115, 175.
820. foure spirites. Chaucer enumerates these below. I have already mentioned them in the note to l. 778; see also note to l. 798. Tyrwhitt refers us to Gower's Confessio Amantis, bk. iv., where we find a passage very much to the point. See Pauli's edition, ii. 84.