Giles Lodges lute book miscellany, V.a.159
Below is a basic semi-diplomatic transcription of instructions for making black ink taken from Giles Lodge's Lute Book. These transcriptions were originally created as part of the Practical Paleography Series, sponsored by EMMO.
60v
To make black incke
Take a gallon of raine water or worte, &
put in hit a pounde of gaull a pound of gumm
halfe a pound of grene coperas, & stear them
Blacke incke to gether everye day, yower gaull most be
brocke in great peces, & yower gummes most
be put in ij or iij dayes after yower stuffe
& lett hit be storyd everye daye for the
space of an wecke, & whan it hathe stande
a moneth it will be good.
To make gumme for incke
Take the whittes of egges & put them in a
Gumme bladder & hange it in a smocke vntill it be
drye, & it will be gumme for incke.
61r
To make read incke . f..i
ffirst make oyle with the whitt of a nege, as
this, Take the whyet of a nege & with a locke
of fine whitt woll wringe hit thorow vj or
vij times vntill ye se that all the whit is turned
to water & will drope from the wooll, then is
Readd incke hit fine oyle. Or els ye may take vpe the
whitt with a sponge & wringe hit thorow as
befor. Now take vermelon & grind hit apon
a marble stone drye with a moller halfe a quartr
of an hower, then put to a litle of your oyle
& grind hit as mutch longer with the oyle, &
yf ye take paine to grind your vermelon an
hower ye shalbe most surest to haue your
incke myche the fyner, for all the masterye
of