the Notandissimi Secreti de L'Arte Profvmatoria

The NOTANDISSIMI SECRETI DE L’ARTE PROFVMATORIA (1555) - A fare Ogli, acque, paste, balle, moscardini, uccelletti paternostri, e tutte l’arte in iera come si ricerca, si ne le citta di Napoli del Reame, come in Roma, e quivi in Venetia nuova mente posti in luce. (To make oils, water, pomander, soap balls, musk comfits, little birds, prayerbeads, all the art of previous research, in the city of the Kingdom of Naples, as in Rome, and there in Venetia new minds has brought to light.) lists 30 soap recipes in medieval Italian, including how to make lye and soap from scratch, and how to make white soap. As this manuscript is in medieval Italian the information given is not generally accessible, and as it looks like it lists information not found elsewhere, including on how to make white soap, I started the time consuming process of translation.

As a preview of things to come, here are a couple of tentative translations, including the original Italian text for those of you who read medieval Italian.

Translations © 2016, by Susan Verberg


A fare balle di sapone odorifere, & eccellenti.
HABBIATE oncie una di sapone damascino bianco, & tiratelo bene sopra la piolla oucro piagna,  poi habbiate il mortale,  pistatelo be fottile, et poi habbiate una ampollina con un poco di acqua rosa, con un poco di canella tagliata minuta, che habbia buono odore, & mescolate con ditta pasta dia sapone,  farete sopra la centre calda sentir uno poco di caldo,  & poi habbiate lo mortaletto,  pistate ben sottile uno grano di muschio, & uno grano di ambracane,  uno grano di zibetto, et fate che sia bene trito, togli ditta acqua rosa, copartila bene con ditti odori, dipoi metteti la mistura in una ampolla, & poi pigliati il ditto sapone, che e nel mortale et aggiongeteli quella sopraditta mistura a poco a poco madandola bene, & questo faretti tante uolte, che ditta mistura di sapone chia la sera lauareteui quando andareti al letto, & lasciares ti star cosi tutta la notte, continuando andara uia presto in cinque ouer sei uolte.

To make soap balls scented, & excellent.
Have one once of white Damascus soap, shave well with a carpenter’s plane or similar, until it is gone, then use a mortar, stamp until small, then use a vial with a little rose water, with a little cinnamon cut small, that has a good smell, & mix with the aforementioned soap paste, you will heat above the central fire until it feels a little hot. Then use the little mortar and grind small one grain of musk, & one grain of ambergris, one grain of civet, and grind it well, remove the remains with rosewater, and mingle well with these aforementioned scents, afterwards put the mixture in a vial. And then take the mentioned soap, which is in the mortar and add unto this soap the mentioned mixture gradually well, and highlight with this gum-like soap mixture when washing to go to bed, & leave the remnants undisturbed all night, and continue this without delay for five or else six times.


A far ballotte di sapon gentile odorifere quanto sia possibile.
HABBIATE sapon bianco lire doi, & biacca oncie doi, hirios oncia una, muschio grani quattro, prima pestare ti I sapone nel mortale ben sottile, & po toglieti acqua rosa & incorporate insieme, e faretine ballotte, & sarano pfette.

To make gentle soap tablets scented as much as possible.
Have two pounds white soap, & white lead two ounces, hirios [orris root, see previous comment] one ounce, musk four grains, before you pound the soap very thin in a mortar, & then take rosewater & combine into small balls, & and it will be perfect.

Comment: Hirios is made from iris, but there is question as to which one. It can translate to orris root or Rhizoma Iridis which is derived from I. Germanica, I. pallida and I. Florentina, or it can translate to ireos or Raphanitis which is a variety of the plant Iris illyrica, or sword lily. The word is not included in the 1611 Queen Anne's New World Dictionary.


A far indurire il sapone bianco, & lustro, duro, & farlo fortissimo.
PIGLIATE de la lume di feccia come il sapone e bollito cinque hore, e gettatlili del sale asciutto ne la caldaia, poi fareti bollir la liscia debile per ogni lira una di sale, e metteti oncia una di lume di feccia ne la ditta liscia debile, et faretila cosi bollire un quarto d’hora, & dipoi scolate ditta liscia da la lume, & poneteli il sale, et lasciatela, ben discare, et poi gittati sopra il sapone come insegna la ricotta, & uederete questa durezza, & lustrezza che dara ditta lume di feccia al ditto sapone bianco.

To harden white soap, & bright-shining, lasting, and made very strong.
Take alum faecis (burnt cream of tartar) as well as soap and boil for five hours; throw dry salt in the boiler, then boil with weak lye for every one pound of salt, and put one ounce of alum faecis in the aforementioned weak lye, and boil well for a quarter of an hour, and afterwards drain the lye with the alum, add the salt, leave it, grind well, and then throw over the soap in the manner of making ricotta, see it is hard, and the luster the mentioned alum faecis gives to the mentioned white soap.

Comment: In spot cleaning soaps lume di feccia (also known as lume de fezza) clearly translates to alum faecis or burnt cream of tartar, as it has an active rol in the cleaning process. In cosmetic soaps it could also conceivably translate to facial alum, but be aware that the literal translation of feccia is the lees of wine accoring to the 1611 Queen Anna's New World Dictionary.


A dare il muschio al sapone.
PIGLIATE de l’anteditto sapone lire doi, & mettetilo in uno catino di terra uetriato, et netto, et con acqua rosa ben fina, e fattelo be tenero, forte mescolando con uno legno, & lasciatelo al sole la state, mescolando forte, et fpesso, & fe’l diuentara duro gittate;I sopra de l’acqua rosa, & cosi per diece giorni ò piu, & quanto piu il tenereti al sole sar à megliore. Dipoi tolleti muschio fino, & soluetilo, come si dirà al sue luo go caratti sei, zibetto in poluere caratti Quattro, canella ben sottile un quarto, et mezzo, mescolate ogni cosa ben insiemenel catino con il sapone, poi disubito mettetilo ne li suoi albarelli di uetro potreti anchora metter incompagnia un quarto di poluere di rose damaschine che’l fara piu soaue, & come sara no li uasi di ueto pieni farai gocciare delle gioccie del muschio soluto ditto di sopra, & cosi farà fatto perfetto, in altro modo anchora si puo fare.

To give musk to soap.
Take the aforementioned soap two pounds, & place it in a earthen bowl covered with glass, well polished [waterproofed], with very fine rosewater, until it is softened, stir well with a piece of wood, and leave it be in the sun, stirring well, and often, until it becomes hard; for rosewater soap, & so for ten days or more, the more it it is kept in the sun, the better. Then for fine musk toilet soap, & that may be dissolved, as mentioned here six caratti, civet powder four caratti, cinnamon well thinned a quarter and a half, stir everything together well in the basin with soap, and then quickly put all in the glass jar, also you could combine a quarter of powder of damaschine roses to make it even more sweet, if the glass vessel is not full with the drip drops of the musk solution as spoken above, to do it perfect, in another way it also can be done.


A darli altri odori al sapon sopra ditto.
PIGLIATE del sapone in pane che fia stato mescolato con l’acqua rosa, & co effo mescolate oglio di belzoi, di storax, & di naranze, & di quella forte che ui piacerà, & mescolati ben al sole, & farà fatto. Potrai anchora darli odore con alter pluere odorifere, come sandali, citrine, magalepi, canella, garofil, hirios, cipri, & alter cosec he uogliono, & far à se condo la proprietà, & forza fua, & ancho secundo il gusto de la persona che gli piace che d’uno odore, a chi d’un’altro, ma il meglio è fiori de naranzi, ouer di cedro freschi, che siano lira una : & pestarli nel mortale con il sapone, che sia stato al sole & mescolato con acqua rosa lire doi, & pstate benisieme, & mettetilo poi nel suo pittarello di uetro uetriato, & sera al Proposito molto bene di diuersi colori ne potreti fare come ue deroti qui drieto leggendo.
 
To give other scent to soap as previously mentioned.
Take a soap loaf that is mixed with rose water, & mingle with oil of benzoin, storax, and of naranze [naranzi; sweet orange, Citrus aurantium], with the strength that you do like, and let it mingle well in the sun, & it will do that. Also you can give it fragrance with other diverse scents like sandali citrini [yellow saunders wood], magalepi [Prumus mahaleb], cinnamon, garofil [gilliflower, see previous comment], hirios [orris root, see previous comment], cipri [galingale or Cyperus longus], & change the things he wants, according to the quality, & strength desired, & that also matches the taste of the person whom likes that kind of scent to those of another; but the best is flowers de naranzi, or fresh cedar, which is a penny: and crush them in a mortar with the soap, leave it in the sun & mixed with two pennies of rosewater, & pound well together, & then put it in its small earthen pot with a glass covering [lid] & it shall be spoken of very well, I could do in different colors as there are directions [instructions] here after reading [later in text].

Comment: Garofil or garofali translates to both gilliflower and cloves in the 1611 Queen Anne's New World Dictionary. In other languages gilliflower is used interexchangeably between gillyflower and cloves, to make it even more confusing. Gillyflower is the carnation Dianthus caryphyllus, cloves are the dried seeds of the clove shrub and they are not related. In my experience, if plant matter is indicated carnations are most likely (mostly seen in brewing) and if a powder is requested it is probably the spice cloves. It is up to you to make the final decision!


Sapone da mettere nelli bossoli, ouero in albarelli.
PIGLIATE liscia di sapone, cioè della secunda acqua, & uno secchio ouero boccale della prima, cafora soldi doi, et soldi doi di storax liquido, & mettetili nella ditta liscia: dipoi mettetilo al fuoco in uno paruolo ouero in una stagnatella co una lira ouer due di grasso di manzo, tagliato in pezzetti minuti, & scolatilo, & poi mescolati fino che’l ui piace, & s’elui paresse troppo liquido mettetili una scutella di sapone granato: dipoi leuatilo dal fuoco sempre mescolando fino che sia rifredito, delquale potreti empire li uasi uostri ouero albarelli, o bossoli, & questo fa le carni luster, molesine, nette, & biache, & tanto belle quanto si puo piu dire, se con quello ui uoleti lauare.
 
Soap to put in the ointment box, or else in jars.
Take lye of soap, that is to say of the second water, & one pitcher or rather else a drinking pot, campfor one soldi, and one soldi of liquid storax, & mix in the mentioned lye, then heat a kettle or else baking pan with  one pound or else two of beef fat, cut into tiny pieces, & strain, & and then mix up as it pleases you, & if the liquid is too weak [either strength of lye or density of mixture] mix in one scoop of grainy soap: then when it rises take from the heat stirring constantly for a long time until it comes together, when it is time you can to fill your vessel or else jar, or ointment box, & this makes the skin luster, smoothened, unspotted, & white, & so much more beautiful than you can say, if with that you will wash.


Saponetti da barbiero a la Fiorentina.
PIGLIATE sapone Gaetano piolato come sapete, e di poi seccatelo al sole, in modo che lo possiate tamisare ben sottile, & habbiate garofali, hirios, oldano come ui pare, e di queste cose fatene poluere sottilissima, & per ogni lire otto di sapone sopraditto ponete oncie dieci, otto di, questa mistur a di fpecie, di modo che ogni lire tre di fpecie farete lire quindeci di sapone, & con acqua rosa, & un poco di muschio, et pesta te, & incorporate ogni cosa ditta, & habbia e la uostra forma, e fatene balle o saponetti, & è cosa gentile, & stgnorile.

Soap balls of the barbers of Florence.
Take gaetan soap as you know, let it dry in the sun, so that it can be sieved into small pieces, & have garofali [cloves, see previous comment], hirios [orris root, see previous comment], oldano [francinsence] as you think, for these things divide the small powder, & per eight pounds of soap mentioned add ten ounces, or eight, of this spice mixture, so that every three pounds of spice is part of fifteen pounds of soap, & with rosewater, & a little musk, and pound well, & incorporate everything as told, & have your forms, to make soap balls, & generally gentle, & princely.


A far sapone duro con fuoco.
PIGLIATE le sopraditte robbe, & ponetele a bollire in una caldaia al fuoco, e quando che la bollira gettatili dentro de la farina de amito a poco a poco, & incorporate bene, & lasciate bollir per tre hore, & dipoi leuatela dal fuoco, & mescolate bene per una hora, & dapoi gettatelo ne l’acqua, & habbiate un poco di calcina Bianca, & lasciatela cosi stare per quattro giorni, & uenira duro.

To make hard soap with fire.
Take the aforementioned goods, & put them to boil in a vessel over heat, and when it boils gradually add stoneground flour of starch [wheat], & incorporate well, & let it boil for three hours, & when it rises take it off the fire, & mix well for an hour, & afterwards add some water, & have a little white lime, & let it be so for four days, & becomes hard.


Sapone muschiato.
PIGLIATE muschio quanto uoi pare, & pestatelo sottilmente, & metteteli uno poco d’acqua rosa, & incorporate insieme, & scaldatelo in uno gotto ouer pignatta quato a oui pare che la pignatta sia uetriata, & cosi calda com’ella sara gittatela sopra’l sapone, che sia i poluere, come dice di sopra, et come hauerete fatto queste compositioni me scolatelo sottosopra, & uoltatelo bene, & dapoi lo ponerete in un uaso, & di sopra poneteli muschio puro, & mescolate con uno stillo, & astroppate bene con carta quanto piu far à suecchio tanto piu far à megliore.

Musk soap.
Take musk as much as you think, & grind small, & add a little rosewater, & mix together, & heat in a pot or earthen meat pot if it has a glass cover, & as hot as it will and add the mentioned soap, which is powdered, as stated above, and as this mixture has come back down, & turns well, then place it in a vessel, & add put in pure musk, & mix with an sharp stick, & [cover] well with paper as much as a pail so much more the better.


Altro sapon con zibetto.
PIGLIATE sapone tritato come è ditto sopra al sapon muschiato, che’l stia al sole con acqua rosa, et metteti de trio zibetto, & mescolate bene, & se uorreti potrete mettere la ditta poluere a dissoluere muschi, & metter nel sapone, & obturate il uaso ut supra.
 
Another soap with civet.
Take chopped soap like the previously mentioned musk soap, let it stand in the sun with rosewater, put in a trio of civet, & mix well, & as needed you can mix the previously mentioned powder in dissolved musk, & put into the soap, & [cover] the vessel up.


Sapone con il belzoi.
PIGLIATE sapone che sia state al sole, & purgato con un poco di oglio di belzoi, & mescolate, et cosi potrete fa re di oglio di storax ouero oldano, ouero ogn’altro odore che vi piacerà, & farete le vostre balle o saponetti.

Soap with benzoin.
Take soap that has been in the sun, and purged with a little oil of benzoin, & mix, you can also use oil of storax or oldano [frankincence], or another kind of scent you like, & and make your balls or wash-balls.


Sapone con rose.
PIGLIATE sapone trito, che sia sbroffato con l’acqua rosa, & che’l sia stato al sole, & purgato tanto che non senta piu da l’odore del sapone, & dapoi habbiate rose fresche, & che siano pestate bene, et mescolate insieme, et fatene ballotte con ditto sapeon, & rose, e saluatelo in un uaso di ue tro, & questo è il uostro sapone rosato, et cosi potrete fare di ogn’altro odore, questa regola serue a tutti gli ingeniosi, & efperti intelletti che si uoleno dilettare di quest’arte.
 
Soap with roses.
Take soap crumbled very small, which is sprinkled with rosewater, that was in the sun, & purged so that is does not smell anymore of soap, & then take fresh roses, and crush them well, and stir together, and make round bullets with said soap, & rose, and save in a vase of glass, & this is your pink soap, and so you can do with other scents, this rule serves all naturally, & intellectual experts willingly delight of this art.


Sapone ad un’altro modo buono, & bello.
PIGLIATE sapeon gaettano, & sia piolato come narea l’altra ricotta lire sei, sapone negro lira meza, & farete come dice di sopra, & far à auantaggiato.
 
Soap in another good way, & beautiful.
Take Gaetan soap, & be it shaved like narea [?] or instead cooked six pounds, black soap half a pound, & do as I say above, & stay far ahead of peers.


Item altro sapone. - Ingredients other than soap.
Pigliate sapone gaettano piolato fecco, e poluerigiato fate che’l sia a peso           lire.4
Take shaved Gaetan soap left overs, and powders which shall weigh 4 pounds.
Hirios                       onc.6                        Orris root                6 ounce
Oldano                     onc.2                        Frankincence           2 ounce
Storax calamita        onc.1                        Storax calamita       1 ounce
Storax liquida           onc.meza                 Liquid storax           half ounce
Rose rosse                onc.1                        Red Rose                1 ounce
Poluere de cipri        onc.3                        Galingale powder   3 ounce
Muschio                  grani.6                      Musk                       6 grains
Et con acqua rosata faretti come è di sopra.
And with rosewater as is highlighted above.


Item un’altro modo. -Ingredients in another way.
Pigliate sapone Gettano piolato, & in poluere lire.8
Take Gettano soap shaved, & in powder 8 pounds.
Oldano                   onc.4                        Frankincence          4 ounce
Garofali                 onc.6                        Gilliflower              6 ounce
Hirios                    onc.2                        Orris root                2 ounce
Storax liquida        onc.2                        Liquid storax          2 ounce
Muschio                drag.meza                 Musk                      half a dragme
Et fate poluere, & imbeue tilo con l’acqua rosata, et pestatelo nel mortale di piombo caldo, & la mazza calda, & fatte balle ouer saponetti al modo uostro utsupra.
Make powder, & moisten with rosewater, and grind in a mortar of hot lead, & a hot iron pestle, & make balles or wash-balls, out of your way.


Sapone fino.
PIGLIATE sapon damaschino radato, & acqua rosa Muschiata, hirios biancho la terza parte & storax liquido, & coponenti & fareti il uostro saponetto come sapete, o con stampe, & come a uoi parera, e lasciatelo indurire a l’hombra.
 
Fine soap.
Take damaschino soap radato, & musky rose water, white hirios [orris root, see previous comment] a third part, & liquid storax, & put it all together, & decorate your wash-balls as you prefer, or with stamps, & as per your opinion, and let it harden in the shade.