Egg float test used in 15th century?

Looking into fabric cleaning recipes I quickly found myself digging through old dyeing manuals, including the Segreti per Colori, or "Secrets of Color", an early to mid 15th century manuscript in latinized Italian. The Latin text of the manuscript and its English translation forms a major part of Mary Merrifield's Original Treatises on the Arts of Painting, published in 1849. The section on dyeing fabric, coloring leather and making chamois is in Volume 2, Chapter VIII, and includes one recipe on making musk soap. 

From Mrs Merrifield: "THIS MS. is of the fifteenth century. It is a small volume in duodecimo, on cotton paper, and is preserved in the Library of the R. R. Canonici Regolari in the convent of S. Salvatore in Bologna. It is numbered 165. On the outside of the fly-leaf is written "D'acquisto di D. Gio. Giuseppe Trombelli," and on the other side of the same "Libro di P. Gio. Batta Nozzi, di carte 240." The precise date of the MS. is not mentioned, but there are allusions to circumstances which seem to fix the date to the first quarter, or at latest, to the middle of the fifteenth century."

The intriguing part of this manuscript is that the soap recipe clearly uses the egg float test as part of testing the strength of lye. If Mrs. Merrifield correctly dated the MS to the early to mid part of the 15th century, then this mention precedes the oldest dated recipe known, from the 1558 The secretes of the reuerende Maister Alexis of Piemount by Girolamo Ruscelli, by more than onehundred years...

It is my feeling that if the technique was known at that time, dyeing manuals like the Allerley Mackel and the T bouck va wondre (1513) should also have mentioned it, which they did not. This makes me think this soap recipe is a later addition to an older manuscript, even though it was not marked as such (newer handwriting was marked with a "B"). The technique itself does get mentioned matter of fact in 16th century latinized Italian manuscripts like the Isabella Cortese and the Notandissimi, and of course the original Italian printing of the Alexis, in a similar way as in this MS.

221. To make musk soap.—Take a vase of whatever size you like, made of good earth,  and let it be rather thick in order that the weight of the lime may not break it, and near the bottom of it there must be a hole, closed with a peg, and on the inside, in front of the hole, you must put a wooden platter, and upon the platter you must put a lump of tow, enough to cover the bottom of the jar, and upon the tow, in front of the hole, put a small piece of thin linen. Then mix two parts of ashes from the baths with one part of quicklime, and place the mass upon the piece of linen that is upon the tow in the vase, and spread it well all over it. Then take rain-water, according to the quantity of the ashes, and pour it into the vase at two or three times, because it boils up and absorbs the water, and there must be enough water to cover the ashes to the depth of two fingers'-breadth or less, and when it ceases to boil, let it stand for a whole night, and in the morning take out the peg and let out the ley; and when you have drawn off a bocale full of it, pour it back into the vase, and it will become rather thick; do this two or three times, and the last time let it rest a little, and then strain it; and if it comes away too fast, press the ashes down a little in the vase, because it must issue from the whole like a thread in order that the ley may run off clear. And when the ley has entirely run off so that the ashes remain dry, take half a jug of water, and pour it over the ashes in the vase, and when it is strained pour it back 3 or 4 times into the vase, and the last time draw off the ley clear. And if you wish to know whether the ley is properly made, put a fresh egg in it; if the egg goes to the bottom it is not good, and if the egg floats it is good. Then take 9 bocali of this ley, and one roll of deer's or cow's tallow, which makes lb. 2 oz. 9, and melt it well over the fire; and when it is well boiled pour it into this ley, and keep stirring it for the space of half an hour; then let it rest for a night or more, and if you wish to add musk or any other scent to it, reduce it to a fine powder, and add it to the tallow which is in the ley, mix it up well and let it settle. Then put the soap in the sun in order that it may refine itself better, and it will harden so that you may make it up into balls, and it is done.

221. A fare sapone moschato.—Habbi uno vaso de la capacita che tu voj facto di bona terra et sia ben grosso a cio la possanza de la calcina non lo rompa et apresso del fondo vole esser uno bugio el quale se convene serrare cum uno spinello e dal canto dentro nante el bugio se vole metarce uno tagliere et sopra al tagliere se vole metarce una faldella de capecio che copra el fondo del vaso et sopra el capecio nante al bugio mectice uno poco de peza rada poi tolli doi parte de cenera de bagno et una parte de calcina viva poi la incorpora cum la cenere poi la pone sopra a la peza che e sopra al capeccio in lo vaso et distendila bene per tutto poi tolli aqua pioviana secondo secondo che e la cenera et mectila in el vaso in doi o 3 fiate per che ella bolle et resciugase et vole esser tanta aqua che stia sopra ala cenera doi deta o manco et quando non bolle piu lassa stare cusi tucta una nocte et la matina cavala spinella et lassa colare el capitello et quando naj cavato uno bocale remitilo disopra al vaso et vira uno poco brutto et questo fa doi o tre volte et lultima volta lassa uno poco reposare poi lassa colare et se venisse troppo forte calca uno poco la cenera del vaso perche la spinella vole gietare a filo acio che lo capitello vengna netto e bello poi che lo capitello e tutto vinuto che la cenera sia senza aqua tollj meza brocha daqua et metila sopra ala cencra che c in lo vaso et colata che sera rcmectila 3 o 4 volte suso in lo vaso et lultima volta recoglie el capitello chiaro. Et se voj sapere quando lo capitello e facto fino se conoscc in questo modo tiene uno ovo frescho desopra sc lovo va al fondo non e fino et sc sta a galla e fino. De poi tolli 9 bocali de questo capitello et uno rotulo de sego de cervo o de vacha che sonno librc 2, 2 [oz. ?] novc e fallo bene strugiare al foco et bene bolito metarlo in questo capitello et sempre remenalo per spatio de meza hora poi lo lassa possare una nottc o piu et se tn ce volj metere musco o altre cose odirifare pulverizale bene subtili et metili sopra al sego che e in lo capitello et mistiealo bene de vantaggio poi lo pone a reposare poi lo pone al sole acio che se afina meglio et restringerasse per modo che lo porai a palotare e de facto. 

Bocale, bocal; a liquid measure used at Rome, answering to what is called a bottle with us, it holds rather above an English quart. One boccale is 4 quartucci. Terracotta or glass vase, for liquids employed throughout Corsica and northern and central Italy. With many, many variations, averaging about 1 liter for wine, and 2 liter for oil.

Measurement translation from Italian Weights and Measures from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century, Volume 145 Ronald Edward Zupko, American Philosophical Society, 1981. Courtesy of Google.books preview.

Free download of Volume 2 at:

https://books.google.com/books?id=44RAAAAAYAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Mary+Philadelphia+Merrifield%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Chapter VIII transcribed at:
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/dyes/segreti.htm

A fresh laid egge - the Egg Float Test explained

Sometime in the middle of the 16^th century someone figured out that a fresh laid chicken egg has a similar density as certain strengths of solutions. The egg will float instead of sink as it would in plain water, indicating a specific strength or density. First mentioned in soap making manuals to check the strength of lye (1558), it quickly surfaced both in cooking recipes to check the strength of brine (1597), a solution of salt & water, and brewing recipes to check the strength of must (1594), a solution of fruit or honey sugars & water.

Initially the only available references for the egg test in brewing were from the copious but out of period 1669 cookbook The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digby Knight Opened. Even though this manuscript came from Digby’s lifelong collection of recipes and was posthumously published several years after his death so could be seen as probably period, his recipes are much more contemporary to 17^th century recipes than to what is found before. For instance, many recipes mentioned in Digby use ingredients and techniques not yet found, or commonly used, in our period of study. The addition of citrus, like lemons, and the use of raisins, which is common in Digby, is not found in any of the pre 1600 recipes. And the technique of aging in the bottle, often for a sparkling beverage, is something that does not match with the medieval method of serving mead young or aging in wooden casks and barrels either. But even though the recipes themselves may not be period, they do tend to include more information on the actual process and can serve as a good almost period explanation on previously unexplained techniques.

It was not until I delved deeper into period mead making that I came across four late 16^th century brewing recipes mentioning the egg float test, and was finally able to firmly place this technique within our time of study for all three crafts: soap making, cooking and brewing. This article explores the underlying process and easy application of this intriguing trick of science!

But doesn’t a floating egg mean the egg is spoiled? It depends. The floating egg technique works by way of the internal design of an egg, which includes an air sack at the rounded end of the egg for the bird embryo to breath. A fresh egg has a relatively small air sack but as the egg shell is slightly porous over time the size of the air sack increases as the contents of the egg slowly evaporate and dry out. As an old egg will have a large air sack, when put into water it will bob up and float. This test is still used in our modern times to test to see if an egg is fit to eat before cracking it and not be surprised with a sulfur bomb!

Because the size of the air sack changes over time, interfering with the results of our density test, it is very important to use a fresh egg which has not yet had time to evaporate. It is also important to check the supposedly fresh egg as eggs sold in the supermarket are not always as fresh as you might assume (check the sell by dates or even better, get a local backyard egg). To do this, before every density test calibrate your egg in plain water to make sure it sinks flat to the bottom, with both butt and tip level. Use a wide mouth glass jar and tongs to place the egg on the bottom as it can sink so fast it cracks in bigger jars. 

   

The density or specific gravity of water is 1. When minerals like salts or sugars are dissolved into water the extra particles change the density of the solution by making it more crowded, or dense. A fresh egg has a density between 1.03-1.1 g/ml which means it would be borne, or float, by a solution of a density matching or exceeding 1.03-1.1 g/ml. A saturated salt solution, or brine, has a density of about 1.2 g/ml, a wood ash lye solution for laundry soap a density of about 1.11 g/ml and a brewing solution would be between 1.06-1.1 g/ml – all fairly close together and why using the egg test works, in some way or another, for all three.

In modern brewing a hydrometer is used to take a starting (before fermentation) and finishing (after fermentation) gravity reading. Determining the difference of sugars between start and end makes it possible to calculate the percentage of alcohol produced by the yeast from that difference (what is gone has been consumed by the yeast and thus converted into alcohol). As medieval brewers were not aware of the micro-biology involved in brewing and artificially stopping the yeast for a specific alcohol content was not understood (how they wished to know what caused the summer ‘boiling’ and consequent explosions of wine!), all the brewer needed to know was if there was the right amount of sugar for proper fermentation.

Most recipes ask for so many pounds of honey to so much water, why should you go through the trouble of checking the density to make must? For two reasons, the first being that not all honey is created equal. A thick syrupy honey created in a dry year will have more sugar per liquid volume than a thin, runny honey. Both will make mead, but if you measured a thin honey to make sweet mead you might be unpleasantly surprised at the dry white wine-like mead you ended up with... Secondly, in period all honey would have been used for brewing, not just the easy to extract. The centrifuge type honey extruder is a modern convenience and allows for high yield with minimal processing. In period honey would be extracted by hand, first by breaking up the combs to leak out as much as they could, and then by washing the broken up combs in warm water to dissolve the remaining and any crystallized honey. This honey/water mixture would be of unknown strength and would have to be checked before brewing, as not enough fermentable sugars could result in an easily spoiled brew and too much sugar can inhibit yeast growth, stalling fermentation and giving competitors a change. I don’t doubt master brewers of the time could eyeball or taste and have a perfect brew each time, but for the less initiated household brewer (and modern re-enactor) it is nice to be able to check with a visual aide, as the Digby recipe Mr. Pierce’s Excellent White Metheglin confirms:

“When it is blood-warm, put the honey to it, about one part, to four of water; but because this doth not determine the proportions exactly (for some honey will make it stronger then other) you must do that by bearing up an Egge.”

Would any kind of fresh egg work? Not until the Digby recipe Mr. Corsellises Antwerp Meath did a recipe specify that the egg should be a hen’s egg “as above, an Hens Egge may swim with the point upwards”. Even so, with differences in breed, health, age and diet the egg size & shape can differ as well. For the best results, Digby’s Mr. Pierce’s recipe advises to test several eggs and pick out the most average one, both in freshness and shape.

“… and put a good number, (ten or twelve) New-laid-eggs into it, and as round ones as may be; For long ones will deceive you in the swiming; and stale ones, being lighter then new, will emerge out of the Liquor, the breadth of a sixpence, when new ones will not a groats-breadth. Therefore you take many, that you make a medium of their several emergings; unless you be certain, that they which you use, are immediately then laid and very round.”

But what does “beare an egge” mean? How does that look like? It depends on the density you’re looking for and the solution you are playing with. For instance, in soap making two densities are used; a strong one to make laundry soap and a weaker one to make body soap. While in the laundry soap recipe the egg is floating horizontally at the surface (with about the size of a quarter above the surface), as the The seconde part of the Secretes of Master Alexis of Piemont of 1560 puts “the Egge into it, and whiles the egge remaineth aboue”; the body soap recipe for shampoo uses “stronge lye that will beare an egge swimminge betwene two waters”, or, the egg is suspended in the middle.

 

 Soapmaking lye looks like:  laundry strength lye, and  shampoo strength lye.

 This shampoo recipe is the earliest sample I've found of the egg float density test and is part of the 1558 manuscript The secretes of the reuerende Maister Alexis of Piemount Containyng excellent remedies against diuers disease by Girolamo Ruscelli.

 
”A very exquisite soap, made of diverse things.

Take aluminis catini (burnt cream of tartar), quicklime one part, strong lye that will suspend and egg in the middle, three pottels, a pot of common oil; mix all well together, put into it the white of an egg well beaten (dispersant), and a dishful of wheat flour (thickener), and an ounce of roman vitriol (cupric sulfate), or red lead (lead oxide pigment) well beaten into powder, an mix continuously for the space of three hours, then let it rest, by the space of a day, and it will be right and perfect. Finally, take it out, and cut it in pieces: afterwards set it to dry two days, in the wind, but not in the sun. Always use this soap, when you want to wash your hair, for it is very wholesome, and makes fair hair.” (Translated by Susan Verberg)

As the density of a saturated salt solution is fairly strong, the egg in a salt solution would also float horizontally at the surface, similar to laundry soap strength lye. The recipe in the 1597 cookbook The second part of the good hus-wiues iewell by Thomas Dawson uses this technique to make sure the brine is saturated and is the earliest mention I’ve found of the egg float test in a cookbook. Apparently, it is also used for numerous pickling recipes of the new world colonies but I have not found any period mentions of that as of yet.

”To keepe lard in season.

CUt your lard in faire peeces, and salt it well with white salte, euery péece with your hand, and lay it in a close vessel then take faire running water, and much white salt in it, to make it brine, the~ boile it vntill it beare an Egge, then put it into your Lard and keepe it close.”

Like with soap, brewing with different sugar strengths makes for different types of brews. The stronger the mead the longer it can keep, as Digby’s To Make Metheglin advises: “If you would have it to drink within two or three months, let it be no stronger then to bear an Egg to the top of the water. If you would have it keep six months, or longer, before you drink it, let it bear up the Egg the breadth of two pence above the water. This is the surer way to proportion your honey then by measure.” Medieval meads are usually fermented using ale yeast, which generally dies off once the alcohol level reaches about 10%. As an alcohol level of about 10-12% will kill off most contaminants responsible for spoiling meads and fruit wines, a higher starting sugar level resulting in a higher alcohol percentage would therefore allow the mead to keep longer. Unlike the soap & brine recipes, the brewing egg does not float horizontal but vertical, as Digby’s Mr. Corsellises Antwerp Meath mentions “so strong that an Egge may swim in it with the end upwards”, indicating an intermediate strength between suspended and floating.

Both the soap making recipes and the brine recipes indicate to boil first, then measure – the brewing recipes are not so certain and often recommend to test the strength before boiling, as Digby’s To Make Metheglin shows: “And the time of the tryal of the strength is, when you incorporate the honey and water together, before the boiling of it.” apparently not realizing boiling evaporates water thereby changing the density. The recipes can also not quite make up their mind if the must should be cold, blood warm or boiling, which could indicate they did not understand how temperature affects specific gravity either, as shown in the 1597 Dutch beekeeping manual “Van de Byen” by Theodorus Clutius; “and let it cook / until an Egg can float in the liquid / then set it off the fire”, which could also resulted in a nicely boiled egg if the egg is not removed... As medieval recipes over many disciplines have a tendency to be brief to the point of missing pertinent information, it is entirely possible the period brewer knew to remove the egg and cool down the must, but did not bother to note that down. The 1616 Danish cookbook Koge Bog advises to “put an egg or two into this lukewarm brew so that there is a part of egg as big as a 2 shilling over the water then it is sweet and fat enough” which probably is the most accurate measurement

.

Bees coming out of a hive to drive off an intruder.

Following are two 16^th century recipes which specifically mention using the egg float test:

Jewell House of Art and Nature by Hugh Platt, 1594.

76 A receipt for the making of an artificiall Malmesey.

Take four gallons of conduit water, into the which put one gallon of good English honie, stirre the honie well till it be dissolved in the water, set this water in a copper pan upon a gentle fire, & as there ariseth any skumme take it off with a goose wing or a Skimmer, and when it hath simpered about an hour, then put in a new laid egge into the water, which will sinke presentlie, then continue your first fire without any great encrease, and also your skimming so long as any skim doth arise, and when this egge beginneth to floate aloft and sinketh no more, then put in another new laide egge, which wil sinke likewise, & when that second egge doth also swim aloft with the fyrst egge, let the water continue on the fyre a Paternoster while, then take it off, and beeing colde, put the same into some roundelet, fylling the roundelet brimful. And in the middest of this roudelet hand a bagge, wherein first put some reasonable weight or peize, and to everie eight gallons of liquor two nutmegges groselie beaten, twentie Cloves, a rase or two of Ginger, and a sticke of Cynamon of a fynger length. Set your roundelet in the sunne, in some hot Leades or other place, where the sunne shineth continuallie for three whole monethes, covering the bung-hole from the raine, and now and then fylling it uppe with more of the same composition as it wasteth. This I learned of an English traveyler, who advised me to make the same alwaies about the middest of Maie, that it might have 3. hot moneths togither to work it to his ful perfection. […]

“Van de Byen” (Of the Bees) by Theodorus Clutius, 1597

To make mead.

One shall take the rest that stayed in the basket / from the dripping of the raw honey or zeem / and wash it with hot water / so that all the sweetness goes into the water / until you have a tub full or two / or as much as you want:  Then put this liquid in the kettle / and let it cook / until an Egg can float in the liquid / then set it off the fire / and pour it into the barrels and let it cool / add some yeast of beer / and set it to rise and work / and althus filling the barrel / so the filthiness may overflow / and when it does not bubble or work / so shall one close up the barrel / and let it rest. This is the way to make mead / some put in a piece of tied cloth some cinnamon / ginger / nutmeg / cloves and similar spices / to give the mead a good taste and scent.    (Translated by Susan Verberg)

Between the end of the 16^th century and the publishing of Digby’s cookbook a number of mead recipes are found to use a similar egg float technique as described in Digby, but with old-fashioned ingredients and techniques. This is an interesting time of transition, as by the 16^th century not only could the average person read, due to cheaper & more extensive trade unusual ingredients like spices, sugar, citrus, chemicals & pigments became available to the common man. With the invention of the printing press, vernacular as opposed Latin editions started to appear and by the mid-sixteenth century secrets books were flooding off the presses. It was a great time for exploration, both of the sea and in the mind, not in the least helped by the success of the numerous secrets books, each claiming to expose trade secrets never seen before, which greatly helped to spread knowledge which before was only accessible to the educated elite. This period of transition shows in the differences between Digby’s work and our time of interest, both in ingredients used and in his often elaborate and detailed explanations.

 Schematic of coins used, notice the similarity between a Groat and our modern Quarter.

Numerous recipes in Digby mention the use of coins, like penny, threepence, groat (about 20mm), sixpence & shilling (Scum, 24). Diameter of the coin would be used as a size measurement of the bit of shell sticking above the water surface, and averages a ratio of 3:1 to 4:1 of water to honey dilution (Scum, 24), which are good fermenting ratios. This type of measurement seems to become fairly universal in later times as observed in many of the Digby recipes and later in the US Colonial soap making lye measurements which often also specify an area the size of a coin, in this case a quarter. Even though coins are mentioned in the barely out of period 1604 Complete Receipt Books of Ladie Elynor Fettiplace “so strong of honie that it will cover an egg to the breadth of two pence”, and the 1609 The Feminine Monarchie “make it to bear an egge the breath of a groat”, the period recipes do not specify how the egg should float, only that is should.

So after all this, where do you start? With a fresh egg no more than two days old, of the roundest kind, weighing less than or about 2 ounces. Making a brine solution is easiest: add enough salt until it stops dissolving, which means a saturated solution is reached, place the egg, and slowly add water until it floats just as the recipe likes it. To test lye for soap making the egg would be used after the heated evaporated lye is cooled down, which allows for contaminant minerals to settle out of solution and thus not interfere with the remaining solution’s density (for more information on leaching lye and making soft soap see the Bibliography). For brewing, make your honey must first, heat and evaporate as needed, let cool down to blood temperature, and add an egg. If the egg sinks the must is too weak, if it floats close to tipping or tips, the must is too strong. As the 1609 beekeeping manual The Feminine Monarchie instructs: “If the liquor be not strong enough to beare an egge the breath of a two-pēce above it, thē put so much of your course hony into it, as wil give it that strength: or rather, when it is so strong powre in more water (stirring it with the liquor) until the egge sinke.” In other words; if it is too weak, add more honey, stir well to make sure the sugars are completely dissolved, and try again. If too strong, add some water, stir well, and try again. As you can imagine, it is easier to start with too strong a solution and dilute it, than to start with a weak solution and try to incrementally dissolve more sugars into it.

The table below matches egg position with specific gravity, giving us an idea of what to aim for. Egg readings are given for both 10% tolerance yeast (ale yeast) and 12% tolerance yeast. (from The Egg Test)

mead	start SG	egg	start SG	egg
style	10% yeast	reading	12% yeast	reading
dry mead	1.085	touches	1.1	20mm
Medium	1.095	18mm	1.11	26mm
Sweet	1.1	20mm	1.12	30mm
Dessert	1.1 +	> 20mm	1.2 +	30mm +

To make sure there is enough sugar for the yeast to feed on, the egg should float. But if it starts to tip over and not reliably float point up anymore, the solution has become too strong with too much honey sugar for the yeast to properly work and fermentation will likely stall. The average range of 1.08 to 1.12 g/ml at which the average, round fresh laid egg floats point up is also the ideal range of sugar content for starting a successful mead. And now that you have everything you need to make a successful solution using medieval techniques, whether it be for soapmaking, cooking or brewing, and are able to properly document it, let the experiments begin!

I would like to express my thanks to Mistress Roheisa le Sarjent from Lochac for her article The Egg Test for Period Brewers and Mead Makers. It proved a great starting point as we’re working from similar sources, and I’m grateful to find the heavy lifting of figuring out egg readings already done. Tak!

“Dryckeslag, Nordisk familjebok” from Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus or

History of the Northern People, by Olaus Magnus, printed in Rome 1555.

Published by the Aethelmearc Gazette January 8th, 2017
https://aethelmearcgazette.com/2017/01/08/a-fresh-laid-egge/

REFERENCES

Anonymous, Koge Bog: Indeholdendis et hundrede fornødene stycker etc. Kiøbenhaffn (Copenhagen): Aff Salomone Sartorio, 1616. http://www.forest.gen.nz/Medieval/articles/cooking/1616.html

Butler, Charles. The Feminine Monarchie. Oxford: 1609.

https://books.google.com/books?id=f5tbAAAAMAAJ&dq=the+feminine+monarchie+butler&source=gbs_navlinks_s (1623). Transcription by Susan Verberg.

Clutium, Theodorum Van de Byen. Leyden: Jan Claesz van Dorp, Inde Vergulde Son, 1597.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Y0NnAAAAcAAJ&dq=van+de+byen&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Transcription by Susan Verberg.

Digby, Kenelme. The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digby Knight Opened, 1669

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened. Anne MacDonell (ed.), 2005 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16441

Dawson, Thomas. The second part of the good hus-wiues iewell, London: E. Allde for Edward, 1597.

http://www.eebo.chadwyck.com

Density values from http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2014/02/historical-lye-making-part-2.html

Krupp, Christina M. & Gillen, Bill. Making Medieval Mead, or Mead Before Digby. The Compleat Anachronist #120. Milpitas: SCA Inc, 2003. (includes the Complete Receipt Books of Ladie Elynor Fettiplace, 1604).

Platt, Hugh. Jewell House of Art and Nature. 1594.

London: Peter Short. http://eebo.chadwyck.com/ Transcription by Susan Verberg

Ruscelli, Girolamo. The secretes of the reuerende Maister Alexis of Piemount. London: John Kingstone, 1558.

http://www.eebo.chadwyck.com.

Ruscelli, Girolamo. The seconde part of the Secretes of Master Alexis of Piemont. London: John Kyndon, 1560.

http://www.eebo.chadwyck.com.

SCUM, To Bear An Egge, Making mead with medieval hydrometers, by Lord Corwin of Darkwater. SCUM 16, p.21-28. 

Sibly, Belinda. The Egg Test for Period Brewers and Mead Makers, 2004

Mistress Roheisa le Sarjent, Cockatrice, May AS 49, p.20-29.

http://brewers.lochac.sca.org/files/2014/02/The-Egg-test-for-Period-Brewers2.pdf

More information on leaching soapmaking lye:

https://www.academia.edu/27755101/Of_Potash_and_Lye

More information on making medieval soft soap:

https://www.academia.edu/27757652/To_Make_Black_Sope

More information on brewing with honey: Of Hony, a Collection of Medieval Brewing Recipes.

WEBSITE forthcoming…

To find a groat, and other period coins: http://alphaofficium.weebly.com/apps/search?q=groat

Image of fresh egg test from http://media.finedictionary.com/pictures/243/38/9971.jpg

Photographs of soap making lye by Susan Verberg, 2016.

Bees coming out of a hive to drive off an intruder.

Museum Meermanno, MMW, 10 B 25, Folio 37r - http://bestiary.ca/beasts/beastgallery260.htm#

 “Dryckeslag, Nordisk familjebok” from Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus, by Olaus Magnus, Rome, 1555.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Historia_de_gentibus_septentrionalibus

Make Soap the Old-Fashioned Way

Learn how to make your own lye from ashes, and then 

use it to cook up a mild, soft soap perfect for personal use.

By Susan Verberg

Soap-makers love to tell the story of how ancient Romans first “discovered” soap by burning animal sacrifices on Mount Sapo, and how the creeks at the bottom of that mythological mountain were the best places to do laundry. They’ll tell you that the water, ash and animal fat on those sites accidentally created the soap that filled the creeks. The reality is that the Romans didn’t actually make soap. They traded for it with the Celts, who dominated the market because of their access to abundant limestone and seashells [writer's note: this would be access to marine plants for soda ash as opposed to potash, not limestone which is calcium oxide], from which they produced slaked lime [soda ash] to make a caustic soda lye (sodium hydroxide).

After years of professionally making all-natural goat’s milk soaps to sell at our local farmers market, I decided to develop a self-sufficient soap-making process based on ancient techniques. My goals were to make my own lye and to turn kitchen-waste fats into soap. I finally took the plunge… and what an interesting adventure it became! I dug through old articles and manuscripts, learned to decipher medieval English, and filled my kitchen with weird, bubbling concoctions. And I wondered how something that seemed so simple could be so challenging.

Don’t let me discourage you. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, you may have made soap already. Scrubbing a greasy frying pan with campfire ashes doesn’t just scour the dirt away: when rinsed with a little water, the hydroxide salts in the ashes combine with the cooking grease to form a primitive cleanser.

Understanding Soap-Making Basic

To undertake the process of soap making, known as “saponification” (from sapo, the Latin word for soap), let’s first review what soap is and why it works the way it does. Because soap is made from water-soluble bases known as alkalis, it neutralizes acids while retaining its ability to be dissolved in water. More specifically, soap is a surfactant with the unusual ability to diffuse fats and oils into water, which is why it can rinse away oily stains.

Soap is made by mixing dissolved hydroxide salts, generally called “lye”, with fatty acids. To make your own lye that you can use to produce a soft soap, you leach (or drip) water through ashes to dissolve the hydroxide salts. Ashes are highly concentrated minerals of hydroxides, nitrates, carbonates, sulfites, and more. The quality of the lye produced depends on how well the plant material was burned. I’ve found that the more complete the burn (all organic material combusted), the more hydroxides will be dissolved, and the more basic (that is, higher pH) the resulting lye will be. In the case of incomplete burns, such as you’d find in fire pits and fireplaces, you can add lime to help change the carbonates (charcoal) into hydroxides.

My drip lye made from ashes has a pH of about 11, while commercial lye has a pH of 14 – making it 1,000 times more basic than ash lye. This is a big reason why making drip-lye soap is so different from conventional soap making. Because of the lower pH, drip lye is a lot less dangerous to handle than modern commercial lye. As a precaution, though, you should always keep some vinegar handy during soap making because its acid will help neutralize the lye’s base.

Making soap using drip lye can be challenging because the purity, density, and consistency of home made lye is uneven. For home soapmakers, I recommend preparing hot-process soap (which I describe below) rather than cold-process because an exact amount or specific purity of lye isn’t required for successful saponification. In hot-process soaps, saponification – the chemical reaction between lye and fat – is controlled by added heat, not by the pH.

During my research, I uncovered a historic trick for checking the density of drip-ash lye using a fresh egg. Because an egg has about the same density as lye that’s the correct strength, the egg will float. Many colonial recipes for drip-ash lye recommend using homemade lye if it can float an egg with ¼ of its shell showing about the liquid. This lye will produce “Black Soap”, a strong laundry soap that historical re-enactors complain is too harsh. On the other hand, I uncovered a 16^th century shampoo recipe that recommends using lye dense enough to suspend an egg in the middle of the liquid. Suspended-egg lye makes near-neutral soap, perfect for personal use because it does not “bite”. This same historic recipe also confirms the 3-to-1 ratio of lye to fat that consistently works for me: “thre pottels of lye to one pot of oyl”. It’s nice to find confirmation that’s five centuries old!

Based on experience and historical research, I’ve developed these instructions for making a soft, creamy, hot-process soap from scratch – including homemade lye.

Soft Soap in 8 Steps

1 - To make a leaching barrel, drill a small hole at the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket and stuff it with a piece of dishcloth as a filter. Fill the bucket with sieved ashes, tamping down intermittently. Level the top, leaving about 2 inches of headroom. Slowly pour in about an inch of rainwater. When the water has absorbed, add about an inch more. Continue to slowly add water until liquid starts to drip out the hole in the bottom of the bucket – it should take about a day. Prop the ash bucket on top of a second bucket to collect this drip lye. (Or build a setup like in the illustration at the left.) You’re ready to test the strength when you’ve collected about 1 gallon.

                                                                                   

 

2 – If you’ve used regular ashes from a woodstove or fireplace in Step 1, the drip lye will be dark brown and probably won’t suspend an egg. Slowly heat the the drip lye and allow it to evaporate until it has the desired strength, which is likely to about a quarter of its original volume. Use stainless steel vessels for heating lye, never aluminum (which creates noxious gases in combination with lye) or enamel (which lye will etch). Cool down the lye before soap making. Contaminants will settle to the bottom. The next day, pour the purer lye solution off the top (that is, decant it). If you’ve used white ashes from a high-efficiency stove in Step 1, the lye may be light yellow and will float an egg from the get-go. Use this lye as is to make a strong, sharp laundry soap. To make neutral hand soap, slowly add water in small amounts until the egg is suspended in the solution.

 3 – Measure out (by liquid volume) 3 parts lye to 1 part oil. Fats that are solid at room temperature, such as tallow and lard, should be heated until they liquefy, and then cooled. If you’re a soap-maker beginner, use olive oil because the process will be easier. Add the lye to the oil and mix well – a stick blender works great – and let sit overnight.

 4 – After 12 hours rest, the solution will have separated. Mix it very well. Heat the solution for an hour or two in a slow cooker on the high setting with the lid in place. Stir only occasionally, as the soap should not be allowed to cool down. When the soap starts to rise, you’ll see foam forming under the lid. Remove the lid, and stir the soap well to settle the foam. Replace the lid, but prop a toothpick under the lid to create a little gap for hot air to escape.

5 – As the soap cooks in the slow cooker (still on the high setting), you’ll see bubbles form at the edge of the ceramic insert. This is the soap “turning itself”. It should only bubble at the edges – never boil in the center. You’ll observe finished soap starting to form on top. Stir occasionally to ensure that no areas dry out at the edges of the insert. Be sure to stir gently, because the mixture can foam up suddenly at this stage.

6 – The soap will get thicker and thicker until it incorporates, or finishes. Remove the slow cooker’s lid so excess moisture can evaporate. This soap will look like custard (soap-makers call this “trace”), leave droplet marks (“trace marks”) on the surface when scooped and drip off the spoon in globs. You’re nearly finished!

7 – Cook until it starts to have a glazed, sleek look, like petroleum jelly, and leaves little wavy points when stirred. If you part the soap at the bottom of the cooker, it should not come back together. Stop cooking at this point for a thin, soft soap. Or, keep evaporating the moisture until the soap is your desired density – it will never get hard. I prefer a whipped cream consistency.

8 – Your finished product will vary by color and consistency. I’ve made successful batches of soap using “old-fashioned” techniques and each one takes about six to seven hours. If you decide to try this process over open heat, be aware that a more erratic heat sources will make the soap behave erratically as well, and your mixture may not come to trace.

Making soap from homemade drip lye is a fun and rewarding project, and one that doesn’t require specialized or expensive equipment. I hope you’ll give it a try!

Susan Verberg is the founder of Far Mountain Soap in Ithaca, New York. Find her handmade soaps at www.FarMountainFarm.Blogspot.com

From the December 2016/January 2017 Mother Earth News issue, page 40-42.

You can find a scan of the article here:
https://www.academia.edu/31075422/Make_Soap_the_Old-Fashioned_Way._Mother_Earth_News_Dec_2016_Jan_2017

Stick a Feather in and Squeeze... testing the strength of lye.

"the most difficult part of early soapmaking was determining if the lye was the correct strength. the “lye water” was considered the proper strength to make soap when an egg or small potato placed in the solution floated about halfway beneath the surface of the solution. if the egg or potato floated on top, the lye was too strong. if it sank quickly, the lye was too weak. some early soapmakers used goose or chicken feathers to test their lye. if a feather inserted in the lye water began to dissolve in it, then the lye water was at the right strength."
From http://www.ecobeings.com/soap-information/history-of-soap

"Unfortunately, we only made around a quart to begin with, so we'll only be left with a few drops at the end--not enough to do much with (even dissolve a feather, which was another test of lye strength we were going to try)."
From http://homesteadlaboratory.blogspot.com/2014/02/historical-lye-making-part-2.html

"Lye Water Strength: If an egg or potato will float just below halfway, or a chicken feather starts to dissolve in it, then the lye water is at the right strength."
From http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_ashlye.html


As you see, the idea of using a goose feather is prevalent on blogs and websites talking about historic drip lye soap making. But I've never been able to place the technique and further back than hearsay US Colonial times... until I was browsing through a late medieval German spot removal manual which has a couple of oddball recipes in the back, including To soften horn so much it can be formed into forms. And low and behold, there was a mention to using a feather to test the strength of lye, including how to use it! I'd tried it myself and from just sticking it in and looking nothing much happened (except leaving it in overnight resulted in some gorgeous crystals forming on the edges). I am looking forward by the next batch of fresh lye to go get a feather from the backyard, try it this way, and see what happens!


To soften horn so much it can be formed into forms. 
Take one pound of the ashes used in making glass, one pound unslaked lime, one "mass" water, allow to boil together until two thirds are evaporated, then stick a feather in and squeeze it between two fingers: if the hairs come off, the boiling has been enough, otherwise let boil longer; let it clarify and pour off, put in small chips of horn and let soften for two days, smear oil on your hands and the horn to make a paste and press into what you wish.

From the Allerley Matkel (1532) by Sidney Edelstein, Technology and Culture, Vol 5 no 3 (Summer 1964), pp. 297-321 - includes the original fascimile text with a translation and discussion.

A most copious and exact Compendium of Sope - Medieval Soap Recipes.

If you've ever wondered how to get your hands on some period recipes for proper documentation in A&S competitions - download A Most Copious and Exact Compendium of Sope! 60+ pages of original recipes with detailed bibliography, links to medieval translation sites for that little extra push and an extensive glossary of unusual ingredients.

Available for download at Academia.edu:
https://www.academia.edu/27795669/A_most_Copious_and_Exact_Compendium_of_Sope

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.