[English translation]

To distill by downward distillation.
[Drawing on page.] Take your retort which should be well sealed and put therein that which you wish to distill downward, such as the wood of juniper or cypress or guaiac wood. You will be able to extract oil from every wood that is gummy and dry in this way by making the fire from above as you see. Put the retort in a cauldron or a pot which has an opening at the bottom so that the neck of the retort can pass through and join with the receptacle below, as you see. When the retort is in the pot with the bottom upward, so it seems to come out of the pot, and join it with the recipient below as you see. Fill the pot with finely sieved ashes. Then place the recipient below, as you see, and put in this a fine straw or pig bristle to give an exit when the vapor begins to come, for it might crack the receptacle. Wrap the joint well so it will not let out gas from any side and make the fire from above, as you see. Then make a hole in the earth and put in first the receptacle, then the pot with the retort fitted in it and make the fire as usual in the earth with dry wood or charcoal, very slowly so the retort does not crack. Seal the receptacle so that it does not break easily. As it begins to distill, remove the straw so that a little gas escapes which helps keep the receptacle from exploding. In this way you can distill everything which may be difficult to distill by other methods. Through this descending distillation, everything will come out for you.
With this method you will be able to extract oil from juniper wood and cypress wood and from lignum vitae, that is guaiac wood, to bathe the gummas of syphilis. You will also be able to make all kinds of oil that you want. This distillation is very effective.
Oil of juniper made in this way.
Take two vitreous clay pots and put one over the other and fill the upper one with finely-divided, unsoftened juniper wood. Put a grid between the pots so the wood does not fall into the lower pot. Both pots should be open so the fumes from them are able to go out. They should be placed within the fire box so the charcoal fire extends around the upper pot in the fire box. Ignite the charcoal and as soon as the wood in the upper pot is heated, oil from the upper pot will come down into the lower one. In this way you will extract all kinds of oils and they will come out for you. It has been proved.

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[Italian transcript]

A stillare per disenssorio.
Rx. la tua bozza la quale sia ben luttata et mettivi drento quello che a te pare che vorai stillare per disenssorio como e legno di ginepro o cipresso overo legno guaiacho. Et d’ogni ligname che sia gomoso e secco tu ne potrai cavarne olio a questo modo facendoli foco per disopra via como tu vedi. Poi meterai la ditta bozza in un caldarino overamente in una pignata la quale abia uno buco inel fondo tanto chel collo dela bozza possi passare et congiorgersi col recipiente disotto como tu vedi. Et quando la bozza sera inela pignata col culo al insuso chel venga appari ala pignata, empi la pignata di cenere stachiata sutile e serrata bene intorno destramente. Poi li comoderai disotto via et suo recipiente como tu vedi et metteli drento quello fusello suttile overo una setola di porco per dare sboramento quando li fumi cominciano avenire perche creparebe il recipiente et infassa bene le congionture tutte che non possi respirare da niun lato. Et li darai il foco per disopra via como tu vedi. Prima tu farai una bucha in terra et comoda prima il recipiente. Poi la pignata con la bozza comodata drento et il foco lo farai a uguale a terra di legna secca overo de carboni lento lento acio che la bozza non crepasse. Et lo recipiente lo lutterai accio che facilmente non si rompa. Et come incomincia a destillare, moverai quello fusello acio che exali um poco divento che quello aiuta chel non scopia el recivitoio. Et a questo modo tu stillerai ogni qualunque cosa la quale fusse difficile a stillare per altra via. Et per disenssorio ogni cosa te reussira.
Et a questo modo tu potrai cavare olio del ginepro et de[l] legno cipresso et del legno sancto, cioe guaiacho, per bagnare le gome del mal franzoso. Et etiam ne potrai farne de tutte le sorte olio che tu vorai e questa stillacione e verissima.
Oleum juniperiuum hoc modo conficitur.
Accipe duas fictiles ollas vitro incrustatas quare unam super aliam pone superiorem antemollam implebis ligno juniperi minutum conciso et inter ollas erit lamina feraminosa ita ne ne lignum cadat in ollam inferriorem obturabonuntur vero ambe olle ne fumus inde exire possit et ponentur intra ferram ita ut superior aliquantum enferra promineat circum quam ignem ex carbonibus sfrues tum quam primum lignum in superiore olla intus calefactum fuerit oleum ex superiore olla inferriore maneat. Et a questo modo farai tutte le sorte olii e ti reussirano. E di provata.