[Page 2: THE NAMES AND QUALITIES OF QUINTE ESSENCE.]

[The purest substance of corruptible things is Quinte Essence
or man’s heaven.]

clepen þe purest substau{n}ce of manye corruptible þi{n}gis elementid,
‘qui{n}ta e{ss}encia,’ þat is to seie, ‘ma{n}nys heuene,’ drawe out
by craft of mani;[1] for whi, as quinta e{ss}encia sup{er}ior, þ{a}t is,

[Footnote 1: ? MS. meant for ‘man.’]

[[* Fol. 10b.]]

heuene of oure lord god, in reward of þe .iiij elementis, is 4
yncorruptible & vnchau{n}geable /
riȝt so [*]q{ui}nta e{ss}encia sup{er}ior

[Quinte Essence is incorruptible as to the four qualities of
man’s body, but not as the heaven of God.]

inferior, þat is to seie, ma{n}nys heuene, is incorruptible,
in reward of þe .4. q{ua}litees of mannys body; and so it is
p{re}ued naturaly þat oure quinta e{ss}encia, þat is, mannes heuene, 8
in it-silf[2] is incorruptible; and so it is not hoot and drie wiþ

[Footnote 2: MS. ‘siff.’]

fier / ne coold and moist wiþ watir / ne hoot & moist w{i}t{h} eyr,