Stowe MS 1071

"THE GOULDEN ARTE, or The Jewell House of Gemes . . . with divers other things devided into tow severall bookes for the better understandinge therof. Collected and gathered together out of divers and sundry authors by William Heth, Clarke of his Majesties Store for the navy at Portesmouth, for the good of his cuntry." The first part of the work was apparently written in 1603 (f. 10), but, William Heath did not receive the grant of his office till 1609 (cf. Cal. of State Papers). For a somewhat similar work entitled "The Gouldsmythes Storehouse," written in 1606, cf. Add. MS. 25,093. The first part, which is a treatise on gold and silver, is divided into the following headings, amongst others, viz. "The description of gold." f. 3;-"The generatione of gold." f. 3 b;-"The abstractinge of gold from the mine." f. 5;-"The purginge of gold from stonne." f. 6 b;-"The mine of silver and the quallityes therof." f. 8;-"Of the first originall and makinge of money." f. 10;-"The manner of the assaye." f. 11 b;-"The charge and duty of the M^r of the Minte." f. 13 b;-"The tryall or examination of moneyes." f. 14 b;-"The divissione of the pound Troye." f. 15 b;-"The vallew of sterlinge silver and fine silver." f. 16;-Tables showing "the goodnes and prise of all sortes of silver." f. 16 b;-"The difference of Troye waight and Tower waight." f. 24;-"The fines [fineness] of outlandish moneyes": description, weight, and value of foreign coins. ff. 26 b, 28 b;-"The finnes of our old English moneye." f. 28;-Names, etc., of "A Jurye of Goldsmythes for triall of Silver" in 1600 and 1601. ff. 29 b, 31 b;-"The tryall of the pixes, 1600." f. 30;-

"The just reconinge of gold, 1577." f. 33;-"The Table of the finnes of all manner of gold." f. 35;-"The waight of gold quoynes." f. 36 b;-"The rule of combinatione upon the mixtur of gold with copper." f. 37;-"The rule staticke and steremetrya upon the waight of gold or silver." f. 38 b;-"The property of gold and silver against poysonne." f. 39;-"A secret to knowe by arte where ther is any myne of gold, or gold treasur hidde, without breakinge of ground." f. 39 b;-"To make artificiall gold out of Alexis workes." f. 40;-"On gold and silver in the West Indies." f. 40 b;-"On the mines of Potosi." f. 44;-"Of the propertye of quickesilver," etc. f. 49;-"Of the Engines to grind mettalls." f 53 b. The second part is called "The Booke of pearles and presious stonnes, with their vallewes and vertues." After a general introduction, which includes (f. 57) some English verses, translated from Marbodus by Abraham Fleming, the following particular stones are considered:-The Pearl. f. 59;-Carbuncle. f. 62;-

Diamond. f. 62 b;-Ruby. f. 66 b;-Sapphire. f. 68 b;-Topaz. f. 70;-Emerald. f. 70 b;-"Ballas . . a Kind of Rubies." f. 72; -"Spinnelle . . . an other Kind of Rubies." f. 72;-"Turquese." f. 72 b;-Jacinth. f. 73;-Amethyst. f. 73;-Opal. f. 73 b;-

"Jerasolis." f. 73 b;-Jasper. f 74;-Cat's eye. f. 74 b;-

Agate. f. 75;-Chrysolite. f. 75 b;-Memphitis. f. 75 b;-

"Saunus." f. 75 b;-"Toode Stoune." f. 76;-"Echites." f. 77; -Loadstone. f.77b;-"Zepistites." f.78b;-"Histinos." f.78b; -"Elitropia." f.79;-Beryl. f.79b;-"Sependamus or fetipendamus." f.79b;-Cornelion. f.79b;-"Esmundus." f.79b;-

"Iris." f.80;-"Gallasia." f.80;-Lapis Lazuli. f.80;-Onyx. f. 80;-Crystal. f. 80b;-Amber. f. 81;-Coral. f. 81b;-

"Gagates, in English Jeat" [Jet]. f. 82;-Bloodstone. f. 82 b;-

Chalcedony. f. 82 b;-"The stoune for the deseas of the gravell and stoune in the kidnes or raynes." f. 83;-"Bena." f. 83;-

"The stoune for the desease of the mother." f 83 b;-"The vertue of pretious stounes against poyson." f. 83 b;-"Serpentine Stone." f.84;-"The Stone Salmas." f.84b;-Selonite. f.84b; -Alectoria. f. 84 b. In addition, the following subjects are treated:-"The tryall of Stounes." f. 85;-"The Beazzar Stone," and its virtue against ]poisons. f 86;-"The unicornes horne." f. 91;-"Amber Grise." f. 92;-"Of muske and the muske catt." f 94 b;-"Of the Civet Catte." f 95;-Directions for making counterfeit stones. f. 96;-Recipes for gilding and for various operations with gold and silver. f. 99 b;-"Of the strange moneyes that is used in other cuntryes." f 103. At the end (f 104), in a later hand, is "A short valuation of pearles by weight or measure." Paper; ff. 104. Folio.

Mineralogy: The Goulden arte or the Jewell House of Gems, by W. Heath: early 17th cent.

William Heath, Clerk of the Navy Stores at Portsmouth: "The Goulden Arte, or the Jewell House of Gems": early 17th cent.

Coinage: The Goulden arte, etc., by W. Heath: early 17th cent.

includes:

• f. 13 b Mint, The: Charge and duty of the Master of the Mint: early 17th cent.
• f. 44 Potosi, South America: On the mines of: early 17th cent.
• f. 56 Jewels and Plate: "The Booke of pearles and presious stonnes," by W. Heath: early 17th cent.
• f. 57 Marbode, Bishop of Rennes: Verses on precious stones, translated by A. Flemming: early 17th cent.
• f. 57 Abraham Flemming: Verses of Marbodus translated by: early 17th cent.
• f. 94 b Zoology: Notes conc. the musk cat and civet cat: early 17th cent.
• f. 99 b Recipes: For japanning, varnishing and gilding: 17th-18th centt.
• f. 103 Coinage: Notes on foreign money: early 17th cent.