The Mysteryes of Nature and Art / Conteined in foure severall Tretises, The first of water workes, The second of Fyer workes, The third of Drawing, Colouring, Painting, and Engraving, The fourth of divers Experiments, as wel serviceable as delightful: partly Collected, and partly of the Authors Peculiar Practice, and Invention

by John Bate

To lay gold on any thing.

Take red Lead ground first very fine, temper it with linseed oyle: write with it, and lay leafe gold on it, let it dry, and pollish it.

To lay gold on glasse.

Grinde Chalk, and red Lead, of each a like quantity, together, temper them with linseed oyle, lay it on; when it is almost dry, lay your leafe gold on it, when it is quite dry polish it.

To make yron as soft as lead.

Take black flints, powder them very finely; then put the powder in an iron pan, and make it red-hot, then cast it on a marble stone, till it be almost cold, then make it red-hot againe, and let it coole, and grinde it so long till it cleave to the stone, and grinde as it were clay; then put that in a glasse, and set it under the eaves of a house, where the Sunne commeth not nigh in the day, then the night after take out the water that you shall finde in the glasse above the powder, then take that powder and grinde it with the water, and put it in a stillatory, and let it still out the halfe; afterward poure the water againe on the sayd powder, and still it againe with a soft fire; then take and seethe that water till the halfe bee wasted, then take some iron blade that is new broke, and put it together, and hold it so a little while; then take of the water which was sod to the half, and with a feather lay it first to the one side of the blade, and when the water is cold, lay it on the other side, and it will soder fast with this water; and with this water you may make steele as soft as lead. It is likewise a soveralgne water to help the gout, being anoynted where the griefe is, for it giveth ease very speedily.

To colour tin, or copper, &c. of a golden colour.

Take linseed oyle, set it on the fire, scum it cleane, then put therein of amber, and aloe hepaticum, a like quantity, then beat and stir all well together with the oyle till it wax thick; then take it off, and cover it close, and set it in the earth three dayes: when you would use it, strike your metall all ouer therewith, and so let it dry, and it will be of a golden colour.

To gild iron with a water.

Take running water 3 pound, rochallum 3 pound, and Roman vitreoll one ounce, of vardigrease one penny waight, saltgem three ounces, orpment one ounce, boyle all these together, and when it begins to boyle, put in lees of tartar and bay salt, of each halfe an ounce; make it seethe, and being sod a pretty while, take it from the fire, and strike the iron over therewith, then let it dry against the fire, and then burnish it.