must be moist, and with a long copper instrument, slender and fine at the point, scrape the glass gently from the beak of the quill, and fill any flower you wish,[1]] replace the remainder in its little vessel and cover it up, and so do with each colour until one piece (of the goldwork) is filled; take it off the wax to which it had stuck and place it upon a thin piece of iron with a short handle, cover it with another piece of iron, which must be concave like a cup[2] and perforated all over so that the holes may be smooth and wide inside, but smaller and rough outside so as to keep out any ashes which may fall upon it. This done, put together great and long pieces of charcoal, making them burn up well; in the middle of which make a hole and level it with a wooden mallet, into which raise the iron by the handle with a pair of tongs; so place it carefully covered, and arrange the fuel round and above it on every side, and taking a pair of bellows you will blow it well in every direction till the coals burn equally. You may have also a wing of a goose, or other large bird, which is stretched and tied to a stick, with which you will fan and blow strongly till you see amongst the coals that the perforations in the iron are white with heat; then cease blowing, and waiting about half-an-hour, uncover it by degrees till you have removed all the coals; then wait again till the holes in the iron appear black inside, and so take up the iron by the handle, and place it covered at the back of the furnace in a corner till it is quite cold: and opening it, take out the electrum and wash it, and again fill it, and melt it as before, till it is all equally fused and quite full. This done, take a piece of wax about half a thumb's length and fit the electrum into it, so that the wax may be all round it, by which wax you will hold it. [And you will diligently rub the electrum upon a smooth sandy stone with water, till the gold appears equally everywhere.] Then rub it for a long time on a smooth and hard hone till it acquires some brightness; and also upon the same hone, moistened with saliva, you will rub a piece of pottery, such as is found broken from ancient vases,[3] till the saliva has become thick and red; this you spread
- ↑ This passage is from the Codex Guelph. It is emitted in the Harl. MS.; but seems necessary to the sense.
- ↑ This greatly resembles the form of the muffle commonly used. For an engraving of the one employed in the painted enamels of Limoges, vide Blancourt, Histoire de la Verrerie.
- ↑ Is this the red sealed ware of the Romans, which is commonly, but inaccurately, termed "Samian"?
