"^ ■'^^wmm ■^fSS^.M-i- 3 M r ^-* y/ A'.V7 'j> I ■iiiifcaanilfci m 7 t^^.^^.^kt,\f}c^^^^^X^ J\\^Uli , ' '^'i'."«'-^- i, u<. /^9 T B \ ^ . 6iJ*^*v / -u^ >j K-r ll|l|liW **"'*nR'«M«pii9r 'ittj rj C- Iv. CHARLES the Second by the Grace of God , King of England ^ Scotland^ France znA Jreiand ^ Defender of the. Faithj &c. To all to whom thcle Prefencs fhall come. Greet- ing. Whereas JOHANNES SEGEKVS IFEWENFELD Gent, hath by his humble Petition reprefenred unto us, That with much Study, and great Expence he hath compofcd a Traft De Se- cretis Jdeptorum, which he is defirous to Print in Our Dominions, and liatb therefore humbly befought us to grant unto him Our Royal Licence and Priviledge for the fole Printing and Publifhing thereof: We have received good Teftimony oi the ilfetulnefs ot tlie faid TraiSt, and being willing to give all fitting Encouragement to iuch commendable VVorks; have thought fit to condcfccnd to that his Kequeft ; and We do accordingly hereby grant Our Royal Licence and Priviledge unto him the faid JO HJNNES SEGEKV S iVE IT) EN F ELD ^ his Executors, Adminiftrators and Alfigns, for, and during the Ipace of fourteen Years, to be computed from the day of the Hril letting forth of the fame: And Our Royal Will and Pleallire is, and We do hereby Require and Conimand, That du- ring the laid Term of Fourteen Years , no Printer, PuNillicr , or other Perfon whatloever, being our Siibjcfts, do preliimc to h^prinr, or caule to be Lnprinted without the Knowledge and Confcnc of him the faid JOHANNES SEGEKVS JFEID ENF E LD, Ivs Executors, Admin iftrators, or Affigns, the aforefaid Trad, or any Part thereof, or to fell the fame, or to import into our Kingdom of England any Copies thereof, Imprinted in any Parts beyond the Seas, upon pain of the Lois and Forfeiture of all Copies jb Ln printed, Sold, or Imported , contrary to the Tenor of this Our Royal Li- cence, and of fuch other Penalties as the Laws and Statutes of this Our Realm will inflict : And of this Our Pleafure, the Mafler, Wardens and Alhflants of the Company of Stationers^ arc to take Notice, that the lame may be Entred in their Resiftcr, and due Obedience be yielded thereunto. Given at Our Court at IV indfor , the iSth.Dayof Angufi 11^84. in the Six and Thirtieth Year ot Our Reign. By Hk Majellies Conmiand. SUNDERLAND. Vl J Vj t ■r FOUR BOOKS o F Johannes segervs wewenfew. Concerning the SECRETS of the ADEPTS; Of theUfeof L«///s '^''^ ^ pirit of WiMnt: A PRACTICAL WORK. With very great Study Colleded out of the Ancient as well as Modern FATHERS of ADEPT PHILOSOPHY, Reconciled together, BY Comparing them one with another, otherwife difagreeing,and in the neweft Method fo aptly digdled, that even young Prafti- tiouers may be able to difcern the Counterfeit or Sophifrical Pre- parations of Animals^ Vegetah/es and Minerals, whether tor Medi- cines or Metals, from True ; and fo avoid Vagabond Impoflors, and hnaginary ProcclTes, together with the Ruine of Eftates. ISAACUS HOLLANDUS. ^. Oper. Miner. Cap, 3. Pag. 420. Vol. 3. Iheatr. Clyym. I difcours'd you plainly, ufing no Allegories •, fhould I tell you of Sdbach, Kalcabria, Manejji, and of ired Matter, or of the Sky-coloured Muerach, Illabar, and Calfa- ria, or the like, you would not ealily apprehend me ; but I have opened you the way, and removed every Obftacle, that you may not err. London^ Printed by Will. Bonny ^ for 7ho. Hawkins In George-lard m Lombard-Street, MDCLXXXV. (/■ •L: /^- rhf Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Research Library, The Getty Research Institute http://www.archive.org/details/fourbooksofjohanOOweid I ] Authori Sacrum. (phorun ^Uod nemo eft atifm citior, quod nemo So^ Hi r aft i tit, in c alamo claret in orhe two HaUenws in fophicis fparfim tumidata tenehru ' Ars jacuit, dah'm inveterata ftrophis, Y alula nafU'tis -, avidifj; Tarantula ftidtis j Oedipus ignaris ; & Latyrinthus avis. Hie afiniimfingebat equwm^mox certior alter Fone aares leporem fe temiifte put at. Sic i?djiansLapdi,Lapidis vicevolverefaxum Conatur chymici neftcia turha gregis. Hoc quantum tua nunc removendo induftria Contrihat^fophia judicat ipfe tyro, [faxo' Semifophiq; tuos pfallent fine fraude labor es, Veri candor is propria figna tut. Et ciniflona cohors^exfpes, proftrata, refumptis Viritus, antiquum [macte ! ) fuHtit onus. Ne vero fine re fis infelicior ipfis, Verge labor antem continuare manum, Varticipefq-, Sacro digit os car bone notare^ Ui mdeant fibiTe reddere nolle par em. 1. 1 .^0 tm fedullm tihi nomtn ^ omen Adepti Afpirante Dei conciliaht ope. Fofteratji emeritus canthhit natio latides Et refer et grates ubere dote piOL Sic Amico fuo cecinit ALBERTVS OT HO FABER, Reg' Ma], Br it arnica Med. Or dinar. To E 3 To the Right Honourable ROBERT BOYLE, A CHIEF MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY: Long Life and Health, TH E Arcanums of Varacelfiis be- ing applauded by many men with to many and fuch am- ple Encomiums, yet not enough, incited me Ten Years fince, firft to under-^ take the coniultmgoi Vaj-ac el fmhim.-^ lelf about his Medicines. Two Years thereof had elapfed, in which I turn- ed over his Books day and night, with an indefatigable and invincible Mind, yet with unequal Succefs,and fcarce any Benefit at all : For in the '^ook^'oi\?aracelfm, befides the uiual way of conc^ling Seerets^ common to: [ ] to the Adepts, I found another much greater difficulty withal, yet lefs fre- quented by the Adepts ^ Varacelfm, as Correftor of the Adepts, having pro- posed to himfelf therein, the inltruft- ing of not only raw initiated Scho- lars, but even expert Mailers of the more fecret Chymy, and for this reafon he abbreviates his Receipts with wonderful Accurtations, Learned in- deed to the Learned, but to us feem as lame and imperfe6t ^ and belides, they are fo dilguifed with moft in- tricate Terms of the true Vhilofophical Chymy, as to illude not only ihallow,but profound Capacities : Which Im- poflibility ( I had almoll faid ) of un- derltanding, Varacelfm aggravates, by intermixing Common with Secret Receipts -, which is not for a Scho- lar, but a moft experienced Mafter to diftinguilh. But of thefe Difficulties, the firft andgreateft Obftacle withal, was my own unhappy preconception of fome certain C 3 Alkaheft : For being now out of the hope of attaining to the preparation of this Liquor by other mens Books, as well as Faracelfm his own Be Vtritm Memhroram, I betook my felf toother places, treating of the Circdatum mi- im,2indSpecificimcorrofivim (as fynoni- mous Terms of the Alkaheft with fome men j to which I added, the A^m or Ole/m Sdis, Aqua Comedens, Aqua Kegls, Circulatum majm, and one after another, being perfwaded that fome one only univerfal Menftruum was intended by all, that I might find the Method of preparing this Liquor in all places compared together , which I could not in each ieverally ^ but at length defpairing, and being overcome by the manifold and almoft incredible, yet unfuccefsful pains I took, I re- folved to decline Chymy and Medicine, as Arts too deep for my underftand- ing: When behold! on a fudden the Eyes of my Mind were opened, and I faw all thefe things differ, not in name only, but alio in matter, preparation a and and ufe ; fo inftead of one Liquor J/- kaheft, which I fought for, I found in Faracelfm many Menftrmms , with the feveral Ules of them all in Medicine^ now knew I how to prepare, and ac- cording to Varacelfus , diftinguilh things into EjfenceSy Magijieries, Aprums, Arcanims, and thofe which he calls the lefs Medicines ; fo that which was in Paracelfm moft difficult to be under- ftood by others, became more clear to me than any thing elfe^ and fo I obtained the End looner than the Beginning: Yet the joy from thence accrewing, fell iChorter than expedba- tion ,• for having tried feveral Expe- riments in vain, I came to underftand that thele Menfirmms of Varacelfus con- tained fomething abllrufe and un- known, to be underilood, not in the. leafl according to the Letter : where- upon, examining them more exadily, and comparing their Qualities with the Nature €^r the Liauor Alkaheft, I found a vail diiference between it and them i for it is faid , There is one Li^ quor C ] quor Alkahefl, and that univerfal ^ but many are the Menftrmms of Faracelfm, that indeftru6bible, that deftrudiible ; that not mixing with Bodies, theie abiding with them^ that preferves the Virtues of things, thele alter them j that alcends after the Ellences of things in deftillation, thefe before their dilfolutions, Sc. I was at a Hand fometime which part to take i one while I wiili'd for one indeftrud:ible Liquor, rather than many deftru(9:i. ble Menftrmms , fuppoling that one better than many^ another while changing my Mind, Idefired the Menftrmms, as fufficient for many Ufes I knew before. Truth overcame at length,enabling me now to demonftrate the moll, if not all the Medicines of Faracelfm in Gmdo and Bafilius : On the contrary, I perceived the Arcaniims of Varacelfm , ( commonly fo called ) as prepared by that Liquor Alkaheft, or the like, to be more and more dillerent, yea con- trary to the Authentick : wherefore a 2 as [ ] as to the Preparation of Medicines, I began to abftain , yea defided from further enquiring into the obfcure Matter, Preparation and Ufe of that Liquor Alkaheft, namely , that which I find defcribed in one place of ?a- racelfus as a Medicine, but not in the lealt as a Menftrmm: Which Obftacle being removed, I found an eaiie way from Faracelfus to Lii/lj , Bafilius , ana other P hilofophers of the lame Fa- culty , who I law agreed all unani_ moully in confirmation of the Vara- celfian Menftrm??is i yea Light adding Light to Light, appeared To clear,that their preparation, variety, fimple and literal fenfe fliewed themielves all at once, one only Word remaining un- known, yet expreffing the univerfal Bafis of all the Adepts , and that is Spirit of Wine, not Common, but Vhilo^ fophicai ', which being known and ob- tained, the greateft P hilo fophicai, Me^ dicinal , Alchymical, and' Magical My- fteries of the more fecret Cbymy, will be in the power of the Polleilor. In no [ 3 no Books of the Adepts, hitherto known of me, have I found any thing rare, that owes not its original Being to this Spirit i lb that I dare affirm, that whatloever Chymicd Spirits lower and higher, fixed and volatile, are a~ ble to do, the very fame, and more will this our Spirit perform : This it was that moved me to employ all my Study and Endeavours, turning over every Stone in queft of the Spirit of thistFine, and continually ruminating upon thofe abllrufe, and varioully difguis d Terms whereby they cloud- ed "it, as the Key of all Philofophy , behold the Fame of your great Name welcom'd me to Wilde, the Metropolis of Lithuania ; and obferving that You in expounding Natural Vhilofophy, ab- ftained from all manner of Intrioicy , and as the fir It and only Perfonin-^ deed uiing a plain and candid Series of Words in applying common Ex- amples of Vulgar Chymijlry , I rejoyced with my felf, thinking, What co' ' ^ not this ^rcat man do, if M' ' . -'JW [ ] the more fecret Chymy? I refolved with my felf therefore to take a Jour- ney into England, for your lake alone, that I might confer with you about the Menftrmms as well as Medicines, and other Secrets of Varacelfiis -, from whom alfo I promifed to my felf very great Affiftance in fome other things not yet known : Nor indeed has my hope deceived me^ for belides the eaiie admiffion, common to all Strangers and Foreio;ners,you have been pleas'd to vouchmfe me a more free Accefs, received me courteoufly , and com- mended my Studies, and thereby rais'd my ivlind to greater Things : Which Favours do oblige me^to Dedicate this part of my Studies to you your lelfi Earneftly and Humbly befeeching you kindly to accept it, and continue your Love and Friendly Countenance to him that is and ever will be Your Honour's Mofl Obedient Servant, J. s. w. [-] TO THE STUDENTS OF THH MORE Secret Chymy. UNder Heaven is not fuch an Art, more promoting the honour of God, more con- ducing to Mankind, and more narrowly fearching into the moft profound Secrets of Na- ture, than is our true and more than laudable Chymy. This IS it which fhews the Clemency, Wifdom, and Omnipotence of the Creator in the Creatures j which teacheth not only Speculation, but alfo Prai5tice and Demonftration, the Beginning, Pro- grefs, and end of things 5 which rell:oreth our Bo- dies from infinite Difeafes , as by common means intolerable to priftine health, and diverts our Minds from the Cares and Anxieties of the World ( the Thorns and Bryars of our Souls ) to Tranquility of Lite, from Pride to Humility, from the Ihst. and Defire of worldly Wealth to tiie Contempt thereof: And in a word, which raifech us from earth to heaven 5 Yet for all that may wc fay of it: With with the iciiiie truth, that amongft all the Arts, which have yielded any benefit or profit to the World, there is none, by which lefs honour has hitherto accrued to God Almighty, and lefs utility to mankind 5 for left a Science of fo great dignitj^ and utility (hould be too common, or ill managed by the ignorant and impious, the prudent PofTefTors of the fame made it their bufinefs fo to defcribe it, as to make it known to their Difciples onl}', but exclude unworthy altogether from it : But in pro- cefs of time, the Adepts arriving to a greater pcr- fe(5lion of Knowledge and Experience , invented fomctimes one , fometimcs another Ihorter, Me- thod in their Work, altering Fornaces, Fires, Vcf- fds. Weights, yea , and the Matter it felf 3 who being thereby alfo conflrain d to make new Tiieo- ries and Terms of Art, according to rhe new in- . vented Pradiice, it happened, that the Scholar of one A{/ept underftood not the new Tiieory, much lefs the practice of another 5 which alfo fometimcs happened to the Adepts themfclvcs, thofe cfpeciallv% which were under the document of fome certain Patron in fome particular Method and Proccfs ; tor the V, had not the power .of difcerning further than they, had learnt 5 whereupon they commonly fufpeded all the Notions of other men, cfpecially thofe. that differed from theirs, tliough in them- felves good and right, as fallacious ' and contrary to Mature, or applied other mens Theories, Sen^ tences, .and Tei?ps of Art ynknown to "thcmfelves, to their o"wn private Proccfs, with which they were ^ ac- [ ] acquainted, as I fhall by many Examples elfewhere declare 5 by which very thing they involved this Art in fuch a Chaos of ob&urity, that hitherto neither Mates nor Scholars have fcarce had the power of communicating any benefit to the learn- ed World. It is to be wondred at, but rather lamented, to fee fuch imperfed: Philofophical Syftems , as have been liitherto bequeathed to us by the Maftcrs of this Art, not feldom contradicting both Nature and themfelves, whereas the Miracles of Nature might by virtue of this Art have been truly and plainly without any convulfion or contraction of words exprelTed 5 in which refpe(5t I dare , with Philofophical Licence here affirm, that moft of the Adepts have by their Writings declared them- felves to the World better Cbymifls than Plnlofo- phers. For what I pra}^ could they have better done in Medicine , than to have applied themfelves to this Subject, imitating the diligence and induftry of Paracelju^ ? But alas ! amongft all, 1 find perhaps three or four, who have been carefial and cordial herein 5 and therefore the lefs to be admired, that this noble and neceffary Art, has made no greater progrefs, Avitnefs Common Chymiiftry, where the names of tamous Medicines are noifed about, them- felves being unknoA\^n, and Shells ^wxn for Ker- nels. Latelv indeed we had not only hope ,. but pro- mifes alfo from the Rofy-Crucian Fraternity^ as if b they [ ] they had a mind to make this our Age more happy by their Studies 5 but no effed; being hitherto heard of, we cannot but fear, their fair promifes will never be performed. On the contrary, Experience teacheth, that in- Read of an univerfal good derived from the Foun- tain of this Art, the World hath rather been in- volved by it in great and many Miferies ; for the Adepts affirming, yea more than often with oaths confirming , that they in their Writings treated more clearly and truly of the Art, than any other Philofophers, have thereby inftigated many young Novices of all Degrees and Faculties, to begin their Chymical Labours according to the Method of their Prefcriptions, expofing themfelves not only to intolerable Expences, but alfo being as it were obftinate in a certain confidence of their under- ftanding the Authors genuine meaning, do rather die amongft the Coals and Fornaces, than recede from their Imaginations, once imprinted in them for true : Whereupon fome of the more Learned Inquirers ruminating with themfelves, how rarely, and with what great difficulty fome of the Adepts attained to the Art by the reading of Books only, thought it a point of Prudence to defert the Au- thors, together with their Books, perfwading them- felves to be able to find out a nearer and eafier way by virtue of their own Genius and Reafon, trying, repeating, altering, isfc. Experiments and Conclufions 5 but herein were they difappointed of their defired fuccefs, no lefs than as a Mariner fayling without a Compafs, and fo fuch Inquirers •would have a(5ted more advifedly, if they had in- quired in themfelves, whether they had overcome all the Difficulties obvious to them, before they applied themfelves to this more fecret Art, and doubtlefs mawy of them would have hearkned to the Counfel of Theobald of Hohenland ( who co- pioufly defcribed the Difficulties of this Art colIecSt- edout of Philofophers Books ) and avoided it, as worfe than the Plague, or a Serpent ; For who of you ( faith our Saviour ) intending to build a Tower, wiH not firft fit down^ and compute the Charge y whe- ther he has wherewith to finijh it, leji having laid the Found at ion^ and not being able to perfect it, all that beheld it, Jhould begin to deride him, faying. That man began to build, and could not finijh the Build- ing, Luke 14. 38. But I am fenfible that thefe Admonitions will rather be flighted than accepted, efpecially by thofe who are loath to have the magnificent Towers built by themfelves in the Air, demolifhed : For notwithftanding the impoffibility of removing the aforefaid difficulties by fome men, they endeavour to perfwade others, that they can teach them , what as yet they know not themfelves, and fo will rather perfiff: in deceiving, than defift from that which they know to be Weaknefs and Error : O- rhcrs think themfelves very able to overcome all manner of difficulties, and therefore it is in vain to diflwade them from this Art : Others indeed perceiving all the difficulties, and an undoubted b 2 in- t ^ .. . incapacity in themfelves of facilitating them, are, though free from all fraud and arrogance, yet by fome natural or fecret impulfe fo incited to this Art, as not to be driven from it by any Argu- ment. Wherefore having a fenfe of the frailty wjiich mankind is afflicted with, to them will I dedicate my Studies relating to Medicine. Deceivers I will reiftrain, {hame thofe that afcribe more to them- felves than due 5 but the true Difciples of this Art, I Will lead by the hand, that they may not for the future be fubjed: to the derifion, reproaches and fcoflps of Satyrs, together with the lofs of health, as well of Mind as Body, and at length verifie in themfelves the lamentable Predidtion of Geber, faying, Mo/i 77/iferabIe and imhappy k he,' whom, af- ter the end of his rror^, God denies to fee the Truth, for he ends his Life in Error 3 nvho being confiituted in perpetual lahoiir, and furrounded with all ma?iner of Misfortufie and Infelicity, lofeth all the Comfort and Joy of this World, and [fends his Life in Sorrow, without any benefit or reward. Lib. 2. Iiiveft- cap. 38* So with the fame Argument will I vindicate this the befl of Arts from the Injuries of Dcfamers, who being deceived, by not knowing the Princi- ples , accufe it as fraudulent, impoflible, and fo ridiculous, as that they deter the Lovers of it, and incite them to vilifie all the demonftrations and fa- mous Teftimonies of the fame 5 and laftly. That the Honour and Glory of God hitherto buried in the Afhes of it, may from thence rife again, as a Phcrnix, CD PJioenk, I will fet before your ?yes, that which vou have not been hitherto able to find in fo many Vo- lumes of this Art, namely, Diana naked, or with- out Cloaths 5 that is, I will take from her Face and Body, the Vizirds of Tropes, Figures, Parables, barbarous Names, ^^'f. by which fhe hath been hi^ therto difguifed, left fhe fhould be obvious to the knowledge of wicked men. I will expofe Diana to you, namely, the z/ery Truth of our Art (with fo much 'ftudy and labour fought in vain ) not co- vered indeed fo much as with the Veyl of necelTary expreffion, but her moft fecret parts (hall be expo- fed to yoMr view, concerning which the Adepts gave exceeding caution to their Difciples, adding a Curfe withal, not to divulge them to the unwor- thy Rabble. Wiierefore if you defire to know the Me7ijiru7ims of Diana , wherewith the A(Jepts pre- pared their Philters, the Liquors of Life and Death, if you would know the way how they prepared their Tindurcs, either univerfal or particular for Metals 5 if laftly , you covet to know how they made pretious Stones , Pearls , perpetual Lights, together with other Secrets of the Art, read the Receipts of the four Books following; Receipts L fay, which were either not underftood, or altoge- ther flighted by almoft all of you, bccaufe of the ruggeducj^ of their Style, which fometimes alfo you, efteemp;d vain, falfe, and impoflible, compi- led n] a ntajiner jf£ie"erly to deceive you 5 yet moft •ftrue> colkdiednot out of trivial vulgar Chvmiftry, hut out of the beft Books of the beft Ac/epts,thQ^^ I 1 Trcafury of Diana 5 Receipts, I fay, fo concatena- ted and elaborated by as well the congruity, as wonderful dexterity of the Matters , that where you take away or deny one of them, you cannot but rejedt all the reft as falfe : on the contrary, he that owns one amongft all to be true, muft re- pute all the reft true 5 and confequently vindicate the Authors of them, our moft venerable Mafters from all the Infamy of Lying and Scurrility. Va- riety fpringing out of Unity , the Fountain of Truth, and returning into it, as into its Ocean, il- luftrates the excellency of thofe Receipts : I could never yet fatisfie my felf, whether there be infinite, or only one Receipt in our Chymy, divided into divers parts, and defigned for feveral Ufes : Variety I obferve in the various and diftin(5t parts of thefe four Treatifes, but Unity in every part, yea in the Individual of every Part, you will al- ways find three confirming one Treatife : In the the Firft Book of MenftruumSy you will find alfo the Medicines of the Second , and Alchymical Tin(5bures of the Third, and Secrets of the Fourth Book 5 which very thing is alfo to be underftood of the Second, Third and Fourth Books. Laftly, Thefe Receipts are not only true , but alfo clear, defcribed by plain and common Words, to be un- derftood not only according to the Letter, but al- fo by their clearnefs, illuftrating and explaining Places more obfcure otherwifc not intelligible, fo that by one only Procefs you will fometimes ex- plain more than ten Theoretical Books, never ex- plicable but by this T '-ht. Now [3 " Now thefe Receipts I was willing to com- municate to you, ye indefatigable Students of this Art , for the Reafons already given , as alfo that you may throughly apprehend the abfolute neceffity of Lull/s Spirit of Wine in our Chymy, before I treat with you concerning the Matter and Prepara- tion of it. No man defires that which is unknown to him, or purfues that which he knows not the benefit of: Wherefore I was defirous firft to de- monftrate the feveral Vfes of this Spirit by the Ex- periments of the Adepts, which if you find true, they will be of fuch fervice to you hereafter, as to be much to your detriment to be without them 5 but if falfe, flight and give no credit to them, but. accufe tiie Mafters, the Authors of them, of Ly- ing, Deceit and ViUany 5 but fuch wickednefs I never expecft from you, whatfoever Adverfaries, the blind and ignorant of this Art, will do, we . little regard, and if a Zoi/us or Momm appear ac- cording to his Cuftom , let him chaw the Shell, that is, the homely Style , the (lender and fligha Obfervations and Conclufions given- upon the Receipts, all which we give him freely 3 but touch, the Kernel he cannot. But if either now or hereafter you reap any joy or benefit by the fight of Diana, attribute it noCi to Diana, though of Ephefus, nor to me, but to. God Almighty, who hath by his Light, brought us out of this C/?;/;;/m^« Darkmfs : The time per?' haps will come, wherein I may be further ufeflil. and afliftant , in procuring liberty for )[ou to em- brace: [ ] brace Diana In your Arms, as alfo difcourfe fami- liarly with her concerning her Voves, Foreji, Foun- tain^ Mii^, Aqua vitoe, &c. for at prefent vou read the Infcription upon her Forehead, Touch me not. jWherefore I advife you, not to touch the Secrets of Viana. unlefs you have to try the Fate and Fortune of ASieon. : Jnfcius A£l"a:oji vldit fine vefte Dianam, Fr£da fuis canihus non minus die fuit. A^aotiy hunting in the Woods alone, When he the nak^d Goddefs law unknown, He (for who could her Fury flay ? ) rWas to her Fupy and his Dogs a Prey. , — - We may indeed behold her,but not embrace her yet a while 5 for this is permitted to none but A- depts, and fuch as are Mafters of the Philofopbical Wine 5 but if you objed with the Poet, ^d JHvat Jfpe^us, fi mn conceditur Vfm* Tis not the Sight, but Ufe that gives Delight. Tothefe Things! anfwcr you, That by vie\ying "Diana naked, 1. You will find, that all the Secrets of T/j/wj/ depend upon one only Center of the Art. namclr, the Sfirit of PhilofofJyical Wine. 2. You will underftandi that all the Preparati- ons of all the Secrets arc done according to the fignification of the Words. 3. You will perceive, that all Proceffes of wdiat Method and Matter foever, if not without the Sprit of Philofofbical Wine, are true, and will ne- ver be falfe. 4- VVhat 4. Whatfoevcr is rare or feledV, difperfed here and there by the beft of the Adepts^ you will have here pick'd and digefted into order, fo, as that there will be nothing wanting , but the enjoyment of them 5. You will moreover have the convenience of chuling the beft and fhorteft out of all the Pro- cefTcs. 6. Or you will be enabled to find out alfo more of your felves, if thefe pleafe you not. 7. You will fee that he who hath performed even the leaft thing in this Art, may confequently alfo perform the greateft. 8. One only clear Procefs will open the under- ftanding of more, otherwife moft obfcure. p. You may know alfo , that the Adepts them- felves have been fometimes in the dark, and often- times underftood not the ftyle of anothers Wri- ting : That fome have corrected others, and f6 made the Art more perfed. 10. And to fay all at oncej No man, though never fo Learned, though never fo Eloquent, though never fo fubtil an Impoftor, will be able for the future, either by his Authority, Perfwafion, or fubtil ty, to deceive any man, and drive him out of our common Road into an untrodden Path, ex- cept he be willing himfclf Nor will you alone be free from the Deceipts of other men, but your own Miftakes alfo j by which you have hitherto moft miferably loft all, Time, Pains, Money, Health, and what not ? You have c made made your very Life it (df vain, unprofitabIe,and ofFcnfive to vour felves as well as others. Yea and fuch are the glittering Rays of our Dia- na, that I fear they will dazzle your eyes , like as the Ifraelites were at the fight of Mofes de- fcending from the xVIountain. You will fcarce believe me, (hould I affirm, that the Secrets of the AJeps are to be underftood and prepared according to the Letter 5 if you argue it to be improbable that the Adepts fhould have ex- pofed their Mvfteries to the view of all men, they themfelves having advertifcd you of the contrary. Wiiac then ? Is not tim our Art, faith Artefius, cabaliftical,anci full of Myjleries ? And you Fool believe we teach the Secrets of Secrets openly^ and under fiand our Words according to the Letter-^ be afjured (lam not envious ai others) he that takes the Phi lofof hers Sayings ac- cording to the common feyice and fignification^ has al- ready loft the Clew of Ariadncs, and wanders up and down the Labyrinth, and it would be of the fame be- nefit to him^ as if he had thrown his Money into the Sea. The fame thing advifeth Sendivogiu^ in the Preface of the twelve Treatifcs ; I would, faith he, have the candid Reader know, that my Writings ad- mit not fo much a verbal conftru^ion, but fuch rather as Nature requireth, left afterwards he jhould have Caufe to bewail the expence of time, pai?is and coft in vain, dec. Becaufe, as Arnold faith in his Speculum, An intention according to the Letter nothing avails, and to operate according to the intention of the Let- ters 1^ J ters, is the diffifation of Riches. For, faith Geber^ Where we fpoke moft openly we conceal d the Art-, (peaking to an Art i ft not JEnigmatically , but in a plain feries of Difcourfe. Yea Roger Bacon proceeds further, faying, When I fvpear I fay true , believe it a lie, that is, as to the Letter, and therefore when I tell you 0/ Stalks, under ft arid Lead, &c. lib de Arte Chymica, pag. 5^. All that 1 fay is fa If e , therefore nothing I fay is true j wherefore I pray , believe me not 5 but when I fay true, take it to be fa If e 5 and if this, the contrary : So that which is falfe will be tur- ned into true, and that which is true, into falfe : I tell you thefe thi?igs, that you may beware of things that are to he avoided , and believe things credible, in writingproperly, I write not, &cc .p. "^oi. And though I fay. Take this and this , believe me iiot, operate ac- cording to the Blood, that is, the VnderftaTiding,and fo . of all 5 leave off Experiments 5 apprehend my meatiing, and you will find, believe me being already 'a lighted Candle, pag. 345. Thcfc and the Hke may you alleadgc to confirm your Opinion , but give me leave to fuggeft to you the diftindlion that is to be made between the Theoretical and Practical Books of the Adepts : In the Theoretical Books there is fcarce any thing to be underftood literally, all things being paraboli- cal, ^enigmatical, is^c. But in the Practical Books all things are clear and intelligible, according to the Letter : Philofophical Wine alone excepted, the foundation and beginning of all Secrets : For ex- ample, Take the magnum Teftamentum of Lully , in c 2 the [ : ■ the Theoreticd part of which, is Philofophically, , that is, by various Sophifms, defcribed the Nature, Matter, and T reparation of Lullys Wine , but in the Practical part of this Teftamentum, the Vfe of this Wine is declared according to the Letter : From h^nce will you alfo eafily obferve, That thofe^- Jepts which rejed: the Literal Senfe are rather Theoretical than Practical : We treating at pre- fent of the pradice of the Adepts, or the Vfe of Philosophical Wine, will prove that moft of the Se- crets delivered to us by them, are according to ths. Letter. But feme of you will urge, that the Adepts themfclves have even more than often declamed againfl: the Literal Sence of Pra(5tice, againfl xhe, very Dcfcriptions ( commonly called Receipts ) of Experiments 5 but let thefe our Companions know, the Adepts wrote againft two forts of Re- ceipts. The firft comprehends the Receipts of Smoak- fellers, Deceivers, wicked men, who pretend they either had them from the Difciple of fome Adept, or found them in the Walls of fome old Cloifter or Sepulcher j againft whom hear Dionyfius Za- chariot, Pag. 781. Vol. i. Th.Chym. {aymg. Before J left the Col/edge of Arts, I entred i?ito familiarity and friend jhip vpith many other Scholars 5 they had divers Books of Chymical Receipts, which being lent me, I tranfcrihed with very great diligence, my pri- vate Mafier, who had alfo a long time before began to labour in this Art, confenting 5 fo that before I went away, f ] away^ I had gathered a very large Book, of fuch Re- ceipts, I went prefently vp'ith my Majler to the Place where I was to jiudy Law, began to turn aver my Wri- tings -^ whereof fome contained ProjeSiions of One up- on Ten^ others upon Twenty, Thirty-^ a Third-, a half part 'y for the Red of eighteen Carrachs, twenty, &c. into Gold of Crowns, Ducats, and of the higheji co- lour that could be 5 One was to endure Melting , ano^ ther the Touch-ftone , another all Tryals : Of the White likewife, one was to be of Ten penny, another cf Eleven, another Sterling Silver, coming white out of the Fire, a?iother white fro?n the Touch : In Jhort, / thought if I were able to perform the leafi of thofe things greater felicity could not happen to me in this worlds Efpecially when I read the l7ifcriptio?is of great Perfons before fuch Receipts 5 one of the Queen of NaVarr, another of the Cardinal of Lorain, Tu- rine, and infinite others, that by fuch Difguifes and Titles, Credit might be give?i by unwary men. Bernhard alfo complains of the fame Receipts, pag. yj I . cjufd. Vol. If I had had, fiith he^ at firji^ all the Books, which J afterwards procuredy doubt lefs I jhould have fooner attained to the. Art, but I read no^ thing but falfe Receipts , and erroneous Books 3 be- fides I happened to confer with none but the mofi per- verfe Thieves, wicked Men, a7id hiipojlors. The other fort contains Receipts of Adepts themfelves , againft whom fome other Adepts have alfo fometimes written : As for example, the fame Bernhard, Pag. 748. Vol. Theat. Chvm. . faying:, Tao C 3 To mthdravp the true Speculators of this Art from com- mon Errors into the right Way, that they may not wafte their Wealth, and loje their L^abours, Name and Re- pitation, infijiiftg upon the falfe Receipts of Books, as thofe of Geber, Rafis, Albertus magnus, Trames, Lumen, Canonis pandedarum, Dcmophon, Sum- ma, and other Seducers, I will fir fi declare my own Errors, 6cc. And in pag. 750. goes on. Infinite is the iiumber of them, whom to write is needlefs 5 and there is great plenty of Books written upon this SuhjeEi imder Metaphorical Words and Figures , fu as not to he eafily u?ider flood by any but the Sons of Art 5 the reading of which, leads men out of the right way, ra- ther than direBs to the Work, j i^ the number of which, are Scotus, Arnold, Raymund, Johannes Mehung, Hortulanus Veridicus, isc. My Bufinefs therefore is to fatisfie you, and fav% That the Authors of the firft fort of Receipts de- ceive a(5liVely, A\^ittingly, and wiUingh^ : But the Receipts of the later fort, written bv Adepts them- felves , feduce only paffively ; And this for two Reafons 3 either in refpe(5l of the Adept being lefs experienced in the Art, and unacquainted with the Pra(5bice of his more Learned Confort 5 for it is impoffible for one Adept, though never fo expert in his Method, to know the various Experiments of all the other, much lefs the peculiar Theorems, private Meditations, different Denominations of things, isfc. formed or derived from the fame : Or in refpecf of your felves, who extort from thofe Receipts, as to the Literal Sound, more, than tiic I- J the Adepts themfclves allow , not at all obferving ihat the Spirit of Wi?ie being once and always un- dcrilooci, the reil: you will eafily underftand. For knowing this, faith Flammel, in his Hieroglyphic ks^ pag. 28. Iperfe^eJ the Magi fiery eafily 5 for having learnt the Preparation of the frfi Agent, I following my Book, according to the Letter^ could not err if I vpould. And a little after 5 Then following my Book, from word to word, I made Froje^ion. But why thcfe ? Plenty enough of Examples in this Treatife will inllru(5t you in all thefe things that are to be underftood according to the Letter, except Wine^ Lunary, Vegetable Mercury, 2Lnd other things fynony- mous to the Matter of the Spirit of Philofophical Wine, or things prepared by the fame Spini:, Vege- table Sal Harmoniack., Philofophical Vi?iegar, &c. For this Spirit of Wine being prevaricated, the Adepts knew, that all the reft,though never fo plain- ly difcovered to the Sons of Art, could not conr tribute the leaft benefit to the Reader : Wherefore I fear not the indignation ot the Adepts, nor the A- nathema's which they thundred out againll the Be- trayers of their Secrets, having herein done nothing more, but ( to fpeak ingenuoufly) lefs, than they themfelves. I have according to my capacity, me- thodically digefted thofe things which were here and there confufedly difperfed, but added nothing of my own, and fo expecSt neither Honour nor Thanks from you , but this only, that I may know, if our Studies pleafe 5 and I ihallfupply thofe things that are here wanting and defired, fomewhat more . largely 5 [ ] largely 5 for I will not refufe to aflift you yet fur- ther by the indultry of- my Studies : So that no- thing remains, but upon our bended Knees to re- turn moft humble Thanks to the Father of Lights, in vouchfafing us this Art by the Writings of his Servants, and the High Priefts of Nature, without which it would be beyond the power of man to ar- rive to fo great a degree of Knowledge. Now celebrate with me the Urns of our pious Mailers, who have for the Welfare of Mankind, rather difperfed, than buried their Talents , and may you oblige your felves to the fame good Of- fice, if you have any of their Writings not yet publifhed. Finally, It is my earned Suit to the Adepts now living,that they would pleafe to employ themfelves freely in expounding Nature, corred:ing Philofo- phy and Medicine 3 And laftly, refiiting all the de- ceitful Seds of Philofophers, as well in the Acade- mics, as private Schools, for the advancement of the Glory of God, being fingularly eminent in this Art. So be it. The Firft Book OF MENSTRUUMS. II ■ I II "n « m T - III I - -m ■ n nrMmwwr RIPLEY, Cap, 2. J^Jeddla Vhilof, Chym. We will here demonftrate the clear PraiStice, how iuchMenftrMms as be Un6tuous and Moift,Sulphureous, and Mercureal, well agreeing with the Nature of Metals, wherewith our Bodies are to be artificially ait- iblved, may be obtained. London y Printed for Tho. Howkim in Ceerge-Y^^ in Lom- hard-SixQtt, 1685-. The Tranflator to the Reader. YOur Bufinefs it is, not mine , otherwife than as a Reader, to judge of thk Work^ , but the am- ple and public^. Encomiums of Learned Societies be- yond the Seas, already declaring their Sentiments of its Rarity and Excellency, are conviUive Authorities far beyond my Opinion 3 and therefore I fhail he [dent : only thk I thinks neceffary to let you knorp , that our Aiithor, having little fpare time himfelf, left his La- tine Imfrefjion to be by others corrected, which has been the caufe of many Errors , and indeed in fome Places fo grofs, that tbe Author himfelf could fcarce retrieve his own Meaning : This to prevent in the Englifb Tranjlation , he has been pleafed to ufe all Care to have it exaSily import his own Mind. I muft alfo tell you, that though I have taken no fmall pains in endeavouring to make this weight)) Work^ fpea\true and perfe^l Englifh, yet my Copy not being punctually obferved, you will find many fmall Mifiakes, befides the Errata's inferted at the latter end of the Book. , which you may pleafe, a% you read, to correSi. FareweL G. C. d t A N vA. [ ] A Catalogue of Menflnmms, I. Simple Vegetable Men^rmms made of fhilofophkal IVine only. I.'TpHF Heaven^ Effence^ or Spirit of Wine of ImWy. l X 2. TheEffence^ Senior Spi^'it of Wine of Ku'^zki'kdi. 9 3. ihe Spirit of Wine of paracclfus. I r /^. IheEffencevflFine of Gmdo. iz IT. Simple Vegetable Menjirmms made of Spirit of Thibfophical Wine^ and the hoctelt Vegetables, HerbSj Flowers, d^r. being Oy ley. 5. the AnimaMeta'lica^ or Inn aria Caiica of Lully. 16 6' the AquaVitieofVdXZcdin'i. -■ 11 7. Another. Ibid. %.l-heAqVtdtVit£o\'^v^Cf. 2.3 9. the Compounded Aqua Vita o/Ripley. ' Ibid. Ill, Simple Vegetable Menfirmms made of Spirit of ThilofojhicttlWineznd Oy ley Sals, zs Sugar ^ Honey, tartar Common, ^c. , 10. the Mellifiuou'S Heaven of ParifinuSi ^j H. the Spirit of Honey of LuUy. ^4 la. the S I ir it of crude tartar of Guido. 36 13. the Spirit of crude tartar t/Paracclfus. ibid. IV* Simple Vegetable Menfiruums ma.dc oi Spirit of Fhilofophical PFine and Volatile Salts , as Sal -Armoniack, Salt of Blood, Urine, &c. 1^. the Sfiritof Sal Armoniack of TvKmoTmus. 38 ly A Water of SjI Armoniack^ ^ Circulatum majus, or Acetum acerrimum of Lully. 124. Jo. the Circulatum majus / liaacus 294 loi. T/?e/i//^i/7gMenil:ruum c/I.uHy made of Vitriol and Cinabar. 294 1 01. The fame. Ibid. 103. The /li/iklng Menftrnum of Lully inade of Vitriol^ Cinabar and Nitre. I95 104. TheflinklngMcnihuumflf Lully, made of Vitriol^ Nitre, ytlume^ Tai'tar, &cc. 196 105. The dijfolving Water for the Hed of^ Ifaacus, 297 106. Another. 098 107. Again another, ig^ 108. A dijfolving Water of Ifaacus for the White. 299 JO9. Another. icji^ I l-o. A lied Water fhining Dayand Night c)/ Ifaacus. 300 111. Another. rT' 3°' 112. Again Another. i .' / ^q^ XXI. Mineral Menilruums Compounded, made of Simple Minaal Menftru- ums zniMermry, the reft of Metals, and ochcr tinging things. 1^. 1 13. The Spirit of Venus, or Spirit of Ver^/grreceofBiSilius. 306 tX/:^.TheWaterofFaradifeofl[a.acus. 310 115. The Mercurial Vinegar of Trifmolinus. 3 1 2 116. The Mercurial Water of "Tn^moCmus. Ibid. 1 1 7. The Mercurial Water of Albertus Magnus, 313 118. The Mercurial Water of VAmceKus. 315 119. The Jf inking Mcnttvuam t»/ Lully, 318 110. The Mercurial green Lyon of Ripley. _ 3*7 121. The Jiinking^nfi'r McvAxuvim of hviWy. ' 317 122 I ] 122. 'thefiinking Solar Menftnium of Lully. Ibid 123. Thiio fathers Vinegar made of the Mercurj of Sliver of l^z^^fXi^. 3l8 XXII. Mineral Menfirmms compounded of the Philofophers Vinegar, and other Simple Mineral Menjirmms^ and things tinging being firfl; fixed. 124. T/;eMenflriium of yenus of KuzcusHolhndus. 322 125. ^Menftruiim^/ ri>TO/o/'irancusHollandus. 324 116. iheCirculatwn majusof Ifaacus. 332 1 27. Ihe Cyl of Vitriol jhining by Nigk, of Trirmofiniis. 335 128. TheCirck/atim majiisofK.\p\ey. 337 129. The Metal!ic\ Acemm Acerrimwn o/Ripley. 33^ 130. Ihe Circuhlum ma]m 0/ Ifaacus, nude of Siiflphur. 339 XXIII. Mineral Me'^firiwms compounded made of Mincr.il Menfirmms com- pounded, and Metaliick .BodicS; and other tinging Things. 131. The Oy/ of Ma.vs cjnd Venns of Bafilius. 1^6 132. The Siiritof Vniverfal Mercury made of Vitriol of 'QzCiiiviS^ 347 133. The Uylof Mars and Venus , acmted with the Siiljhw and Salt c>/SoU/ Bafilius. 351 1 34. The Spirit of Vniverfal Mercury^ acuated with the Sulphur and Salt of Luna of Bafilius". 353 135. The Spvitof Vniverfal Mercwy acujtfd with the Sulphur of Sol and Luna 0/ Bafilius. 354 136. The S i^'it of Vniverfal Mercury acuated with the Sulphur of Sol rfffJ'Mars of Bafilius. " Ibid. 137. The Spvit of Vniverfal Mercury acuated mtb the Sulphurs of Sol, Mars t?//'^/ Antimony of Bafilius. 355, 138. The Spirit of Vniverfal Mercury acuated with the Sulphur of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn of Bafilius. Ibid. 139. A compounded Mercurial IVater for the red IForh^of V.^^cus. 356 140. The Philofophers JVater made of three Spirits (j/Il'aacus. 357 141. The compounded (Vater of Silver of Lully. 3 50 142. The ftinkihg L«//./r Menftruum aottated with-ti^ 'E^nee of^ol of Lully. ■ 160 XXIV. Mineral Menfirmms compounded of vegetable and mineral Men- flruums mixed together. 143. The Vegetable Fire dijfolved in /.he calcinative JV ater of LuWy. 363 144 C 1 144, Ihe Vegetable Heaven di'Jolved in a mineral Mcnftruum of JXuUy. 364 145 . Ice compounded of Vegettbie andMineral Menftr. of Lully. Ibid. 1^6. The Jqua mirahi/if of Kiplcy. . 365 147. 7he Hinkiiig Mcnftruuni acmted with the Sal Harmoniack^ of Lully. ^ - , 3<^ 148. the flinking Lunar Mealtl-uum acuated with the vegetable Sul Harmoniach^ of Lully. 366 149. The Spirit of Mercury }nade with Vitriol^ and the fiery Spirit of Wine of Bafilius. 3<57 i^o.the miM ykcStxmmofVu3icdb.\s. Ibid, The THE PREFACE. TO exempt Diana yr^'w heingexpofed Naked- t^'th^ Petulant Lufl of Vnfatiahle Men , as alfo to' thi Scorns and Contempt of the Ignorant, as a Common Troflitute ; the Adepts have taken care not only to c loath, but cover her almofl with fever al forts of Garments : To this kind of Apparel, Antiquity has heen pleafedj yet not properly enough, to refer an Allegory of the Frocreatio'n of Man, deduced from the Analogy of Seed anciently received, how- ever ill applied to the Mineral iCingdom. Firfl, They reckon Coition ; Secondly^ Conception ; Thirdly^ Impregnation ; Fourthly, Birth ; Fifthly ^ Nutriment : Jf there, fore no Coition, no Conception ; ivithout Conception, no Impregnation ; without which no Birth can be premifed. ■ Which DifpofitioH the Ancient Morienus himfelf confeffeth to have been derived to him from Antiquity. Hermes, whom they Tall Father of the Adepts, in his Tabula Smaragdina, hath de- fcribed to us the Father, Mother, and Nurfe of the Chymical In- fant- No wonder therefore, that fuch an Ancient and Eafie Da- ^rine as this, fhould have found fo eafie an accefs to Poflerity : it would be befides the Intention and Scope to offer thofe things, which might be inferred by us againfi this Analogy of Seed : Here let it fuffice to remember only, that the greater part, as alfo the more an- cient Adepts, comparing the Chymical Magiflery to the Generation of Man, did under the Notion of this Allegory , call their Diffol- vents Menflruums, or Feminine Seed, but the Things which were to be Diffohed, Mafculine Seed. My Son , iaith Lul/y, The Vegetable Menftruum is of the Nature of a WomansMenftrti- ,nm, becaufe a Mineral Menftruum proceeds from it by Diflo- B lution. The PREFACE. lution, (of Minerals and Metals) and is made artificially as Na- ture reqitireth ; for it- hath the property of an incorruptible Spirit, which is as a Soul, and hath the Conditions of a Bo> dy, becaufe it generates and produceth Seed as a Woman ; there- fore we call our D. (Dijfolvent) Menftrual Blood, or Menlh'u- um, becaufe it is Generative and Nutritive , and makes the laid C, and (C) (Metals) grow and increafe, till they be con- verted into M {Sulphur of' Nature, or Phlofophers Mercury) or into Q , {tinHure, or Fhilofophcrs Stone) for as Menitrual Blood perieds the Embryo by nourilhing, and altering one Principle into another, and one Quantity into another, and one Form into another, yet the Principles and Quantities appearing in every Alteration, under divers Forms, differing Irom the firft Forms themfelves, till a certain Subflance appears .in one entire Quantity, dependent upon feveral Matters, which is a Body, with Spirit and Soul, reduced into Adion : And thus it is with our Infant (Philofophers Stone) Lully, Difl'mdy 3. Can. 4. Lib. de EJfenth-iy Wlien K. {Colour) appears ) ellow, then let the Artift know , that the Body of our Infant is formed, made, and compleatly organized, and begins to be prepared for the reception of the vegetable Spirit into it, and Nature ^eontinues in that preparation till the yellow K. vaniiheth away, anda.redK. (Colour) appeareth j and then may the Artifl be afllired that the faid Infant is perfe£f both in Body and Soul : fo that he may let the Fire alone till it grows cold ; which be- ing cold, the Artift will find our Infant round as an Egg ; which he muft take out and purifie (for it is a hard Stone in the mid- dle of many Superfluities, as the Infant of a Woman appears after Birth : Can. 1 1. DijlM. 3. Lib. EJfent.) and let him take and put it into fome clean Glais VefTel, ^c. 3 .Dijlhift. 3 Part Lib. de Ejfent. Parifinus, Ripley, Efpanietus , and other /^/cr Adepts, the Difciples of Lully, had this Analogy of Seed from him, being doubt- lejs the mojl Learned of the Chymical Philofophers. Ot this living Heaven , y^i//; Parifinus, Rz) mwnd fpcaks in his Third Book de ^uintejfentia, in the Chapter beginning , Ccclum ® Mer- curius nofter ; Our Heaven hath the property of an incorrup- tible Spirit, wliich is as the Soul of it, and hath the Conditi- ons of a Body in it, generating and producing Seed, as a Wo- . man. The P R E F A C E. man, and herein it differs from the other Principles (of the Art) It is alfo fenfual, becaufe it is apprehended by fenfe, namely, by light, tafte and fmell, as is declared in the Jirft Di- flindion in the Chapter, which hegimeth, Prceterea eft principium mo'vendi, fcilicct, corpus five forma : And a little after y Jpeak- idg of the aforefaid living Heaven, he faith, And in this point our Underllanding knows that D. ( his living Heaven, or Dif- folvent) hath a Vegetable property, the fimilitude of which, R anci S (Gold and Silver') do tranfmit into the Sulphur of Na- ture, which is the Spirit of Metals, or Stone, or transforming Poyfon, according to the fignification oi Raymund, which fig- nification he ufeth in his Alphahetum figures arhoris VhilofophicXy and therein produceth this following Sentence in Capite de fi-r gura §^intie EJfentia: As the Vegetative part of the Mother or Nurle, tranlmits her Likenefs into the Son, which Ihe gene- rates, which property the Son retains, fo our Mercury. The Intention of the Philofopher {Lullj) is to demonftrate, that the Philofophers Sulphur, or Stone, or transforming Poyfon receives all its benefit by the excitation of the vegetative Vir- tue, which is ill this Divine Vegetative Heaven. The fame Author in the Continuation of his Doctrine, faith. And alfo the Underftanding knows, that the faid Metals R, and S, (^Gold and Silver) retain the property of Menftruum, with which they extend their fimilitudes into exotick fubfiances, tranfmuting the faid fubftances into their own kind, which is the reafon why we call it Vegetable Mercury ; as alfo becaufe it is extrafted out of Vegetables, the fame thing at the end of the faid Chapter he fpeaks afrefh : And our Underftanding alio knows , that principle is as a Woman conceiving the Mans Seed, and bringing forth in the fame form and virtue, as it was in the beginning. From whence we neceffarily conclude, that the Elements of this Stone, namely. Gold, ought to be moved by vertue of a living Quinteflence, and the aforefaid Vegetable Heaven, which way I have fuiSciently proved and demonftrated. Parifinus in Lih. i. Elucidarii, pag^zzi. f^ol. 6. Th. Chjm. Ripley, having the fame Mafter as Parifmus, expounds this Dodrine more briefly, thus ; As an Infant in the Womb of the Mother, does by the concodion of temperate heat, convert B a the The PREFACE. the Menftruums into its own Nature and Kind, that is, into Fleili, Blood, Bones, yea, Life, with all otlier Properties of a living Body ; fo if you ha\'e the Water of Sol and Liitia, it will attra£t other Bodies to its kind, and make their Humors perfect by its intrinfick Virtue and Heat ; Ripl. Lib. de Merc fhil We, [aith EfpanktHs^ to deal plainly and truly; affirm, that the whole work may be perfefted by two Bodies only, that is, Sol and Lma^ rightly prepared : For this is that Generation wliichis performed by Nature with the help of Art, in which the coition of Male or Female is requir'd, and from whence the Off-fpring more noble thanits Parents,is Qx^cdit^iSe^.xo.Arcan. Herm. Sol is the Male, for he yields the active and informing feed : Lima is the Female ; which is called the MatrLx and Vel- fel of Nature, becaufe flie receives the feed of the Male into her womb, and nourifheth it with her Menftruum, Se^.xz. Arcan. Herm. Phil. But the Philofophers do not by the name of Lmia^ mean common Lma^ wliich alio a£ts the parts of a Male in their (white) work ,• let no man therefore attempt to joyn two males together, it being wicked and contrary to Na- ture, nor can he hope for any Offspring from fuch a copula- tion, but put Gohritius to Beja, Brother to Sifter. Conji^io juHget Jiabili, propriamq; dicahit. That he may have from thence the noble Son of Sol, Seff. %}. Arcan. Herm. Phil- 1 would have the Reader know, y^?///; Sendivogius., that Solution is twofold, though there be many other folutions, but of no effect : ihe firft is onh true and na- tural ; the fecond violent, under \n hich are all the other com- prehended ; the Natural is that, by which the pores of the Bo- by are opened in our Water, that the digefted feed may be injefted into its Matrix : But our Water is Celeftial, not Vv'et- ting your hands ; not common, but almoft like Rain : The Body is Gold, which yieldeth feed : our Lma is not common Silver, which receives the feed of Gold. Tratt. lo. Novi Lumin. Saturn taking the Veflel, drew up ten parts of the Water, and prefently took fome of the Fruit of the folar Tree , and put it in, and I law the fruit of the Tree confumed and refolved as Ice The PREFACE. Ice in warm water. This water is to this fruit, as a Woman. Tiie fruit of this Tree can he putrified in nothing, but in this water only ; for no other water can penetrate the pores of this Apple, but this : andyoumufl know that the folar Tree fprang alfo out of this Water, which is extracted from a magnetical virtue out of the Rays of Sol and Lma^ and therefore they iiave great affinity one with the other < In the Dialogue of Mer^ cury. Now here we in this Book intend to treat of this Feminine SeeJy or diffolving Waters of the Adepts. Great indeed^ yea vajl is the Jreafure of our Chymy ; hut altogether inaccelfihle by thofe that have not the Keys thereof; without which the Adepts themf elves conld neither dijfohe nor coagulate Bodies. If you know not the way of dillblving our Body, it is in vain to operate, is the Advice of Dionyfius ZadhiriaSypag.jc)^. Fol.i' Th.Cbym. But he that knows the Art and Secret of Diflblution, has attained to the Secret of the Art , faith Bernhard, pag. 40. fuoe Epiflola. For this caufe it i^^ faith ParifnuSy that the wife men fay. To know the Celeflial Water, which reduceth our Body into a Spirit, is the chief Myflery of this Art , in Eluc pag. ziz. Fol. 1 . Th. Chym. For without thefe Menflruutns things heterogeneous can never he perfelily mixed. Coral, though never fo finely pulverized , can- not he mixed with the pur eft Powder of Pearls : Tea Goldwixetb not with Silver (much lefs with Bodies lefs perfe^} though both he melted together ; the Particles of each do indeed touch one another in their extream parts, heing in a mafs or heap confifting of things heterogeneous, yet they are and do remain ail diflind:, unhkmifhed and unaltered in their Figures and Properties, no otherwife than as a heap compofed of Barley and Oats : But in the more fecret Chymy there is no Body, no heterogeneity, hut what hath its own peculiar Men- flruum,and with which as heing homogeneousto it, it runs into one Con- crete,rejoycingin the infeparahle Properties of either. So long therefore as you interd to joyn Metals with Metals, dry things with dry, with- out the Menftruums of Diana, fo long ( to \fe the Phrafe of Efpa- nietus ) do you prefume to joyn males together, ■ ivhich . is a thing wicked and contrary to Nature. Hearksn therefore to Bernliard , P'% 7') 7- ^ol. I. Th. Chym. Perfwading you to leave Stones and all lorts of Minerals, hkewife a!fo Metals alone, though they are the beginning and our matter. Metals are not only the mat- ter. The PREFACE.' ter^hut are alfo call'd ^_y Lully//;e form of the St one;yet without thefe Menflruums they fignffie nothing. The Form, faith he^ which is the Efficient Principle, Former and Transformer of all other Forms of lefs virtue and power, is defcribed by C , or (C) QMetals') cannot of it felf only be the Magiftery of the grea- ter work, &c. Very commodious it is for that Principle to be known, becaufe hereby the Underftanding knows it to be one of the two Subftances, from which our Intant is produced, ha- ving in it the condition of a male, from which proceeds a fperm in the belly of our D. Q Menftrmim or Dijfolvent, } Lul. Dijl. 5. Lil>. EJf. Heaven or Mercury (^Menjlruutn) is the fourth Prin- ciple fignified by D. It is the Caufe and Principle moving C, and (C) from Power to Aftion, ruling and governing them in its belly, as the Woman the Infant which ilie procreates in her Matrix. And in this point knows the underftanding of an Artift, thatD QMenftruum) hath adion uponC, and (C) ru- ling, governing and reducing them into A£tion, even as the Heavens above do by their motion, bring things Elementary, into adtion, And an Artift is to underftand that of the two fubftances, of wliich our Stone is compounded, and by which it is generated, this, namely, D, (^Diffolvent') is the more prin- cipal. Jhict. In the Book ete Medicinis fecrctis,pag. T,'^6. he goes en ; You muft know, faith /.'e, that hitherto I have not told you the moft fecret thing and matter of the whole Magiftery, which is our incorruptible Quinteflence, extracted out of white or red Wine, which we call Celeftial Crown , and Menftruum, after the fublimations, putrefactions, and final depuration of it J which Quinteflence is indeed the foundation, principal matter, and Magiftery of all medicinal things : My Son, if you have it, you will have the Magiftery of the whole thing, with- out which notliing can be done. But youy My companions, knoiv^ ivhat mean the Menftruums of Diana ; jou know, Ifiy-, they are the highefl fecrets of the more fe- rret Chymy, much more fecret than the Menjlruums of Women ; that the fame qlfo were never acquired hut hy the extream Pains and in- genuity of an Pi.de'pt, mojl eautiouJJy defcriled, and recommended to its principally as the Keys of the Art : Tou eaf/y believe Liilly, fay- ing., Without thefe Menftruums nothing can be done in the Ma- giftery of the Art. Mag. Kit. tag. 329. Or Chriftopher Fariftnus^ That The PREFACE. That the great fecret Hes in thefe Menftruums , infomuch if they be not known, nothing can be done as to the tranfmiating of Metals. Elucid.png. 221. f^ol. 6. Th. Chym. Wherefore I think it enough to declare to you in Jhort^ that //jf/i- Menftruums, ivhich hitherto you have with Jo much Jludy^ to little purpofe fought in the Theoretical Books of Adepts, are now offered to yoUy being found ly me^ in F radical Books, no longer fhroivded with Oifcurity, hut dif- rohedy and expofed naked to the jtght and mderflanding of all men: But you have no caufe to fear the Spirit of Philofophical Wine which you perceive in any Menltruum, // being familiar and mofl gentle^ hecanfe Philofophical. Nor have you need of many Conjurationsy to make it appear to you ; for in all Pages of the Theoretical Books (?f Adepts, it offers it felf willingly and experts you, provided yon. pray to God, that he would gracioufly vouchfafe to open your Eyes; for without his permiffwn or fpecial appointment , it dares not mani- feft it felf to you. By the Menftruums of the Adepts, underftand Mot therefore yours, though they be mojl fecret to you, becaufe J fear they are yet hut vulgar , which diffolving a dry Body, are tranf- muted with it into a Salt or Vitriol, not with a true, hut feeming coalition and mixture, which a fe arching Fire eafily difcoverethy , prefently feparating thefe fame heterogeneous fuhflances again : On the contrary, the un^ioits Spirit of Philofophical Wine does by its Vntluofity mollifie a dry Body, and tranfmute it not into a Salt or Vitriol, hut into an Oyl : It eafily joyns things heterogeneous by its own equal temperament, and is by its homogeneity eafily joyned with things homogeneous to it, hy which alfo it is augmented, according to that of Bernhard : No Water diftolveth bodies, but that which is of their fpecies. and which can be infpiftated in bodies ; for a Diflblvent ought not to differ from that which is dillblved, in matter, but proportion and digefticn ; Pag. 43. of his Epifllcs. "For Nature is not mehorated, but by its own nature ,• ouripat- ter therefore can be no otherwife meliorated than by its own matter .Parmenides faith the fame,!-, de Alchym.pag. jS^.Vol.i. Th. Chym. This Spirit of Phylofophical Wine may he united to all things, and is able to unite all things infeparahly. But they that fuppofe another water, are ignorant and unwife, and will never come to the efre6f,y^i/i7 Pariimus inEluc.p. 222. Vol. 6. Th.Chym. Of which Morienus, pag. $ x.thus ; As to this Magiftery, let Fools leek other things, and feeking err ; for they will never attain to The PREFACE. to the effeft of it, till Sol and Lma be reduced into one body, which cannot come to pafs before the Will of God. Which Arnold, if I miftake mt, thusexprejfeth: Tou kHI fooner joyn the Sun and Moon in the Heauens^ than Gold and Silver in the Earth without our Menftruums. But you that have hitherto defired one only univerfal, immortal^ indeflruilihle Menftruum, I mean, the Liquor Alkaheft. or Ignifa- qua, that undeclinahle word, injiead of one, whereof you never yst knew the Name, Matter, Preparation and Vfe, behold I I offer a~ 2/eat many kinds of univerfal Menftruums, in their Defer ipt ions more clear, in Virtues equivalent, if not better than this your Al- kaheft. What others have either obfcurely, or impertinently faid and mitten of this Liquor Alkaheft, we little regard, as Opinions and Conje^ures. By /-/'e Menftruums of the Adepts, ive intend not all manner ofDiffoivents, prepared without the Spirit cf Philofo- phical Wine, and only corroding, but not in the leaf altering the more minute Particles of Bodies : Nor do we underftand an immortal Li' quor, not permanent with things difolvedin it : But by Menftruum loe mean a volatile Liquor made feveral ways of the Spirit of Philo- fophicalWine and divers things, not only feparating Bodies, but alfo continuing with them , and altering them with the addition of it felf, fo as to he no more two, nor againj what they were before. For out of this Diffolutien (jhe folemn Wedlock, infeparable Vnion and Combination of Body and Menftruum ^ emergeth a new Being, con- taining the unblemifhed Properties of the thing diffolved , and the thing diffolving, not at allfeparable by Art or Nature. Thefe Menftruums / have diftinguift^ed into Vegetable and Mi^ nerals, not as if the Vegetables ivere made of Vegetables only, and the Mineral of Minerals, but every Menftruum, tfhU hath not mani- feft acidity, ailing without ebullition and motion, is called Vegetable, though it be made of meer Animils or Minerals by the Spirit of Phi- lofophical Wine. On the contrary j a Menftruurri becomes Mineral, fofoon as manifeft acidity is mixed either with the Spirit of Philofo- phical Wine, or a Vegetable Menftruunt .; for by adding the acidity, it now diffolves Bodies with violence and efervefcc-nce. I have fubdi- videdboth kinds into Simple and Compound, but not as if the Simple con/jjled of fewer Ingredients, but becaufethey are cf more fimple or lefs virtue. Simple Menftruums tinge Bodies diffolved in them lejsy hut the Compounded more. OF ( o O F Vegetaile MENSTKliUMS. The Firft Kind. Simple Vegetatle A}e?iftrMms made of Phi- lofophical Wine only. ■*■■ I. The Heaven, Eflence, or Spirit of Wine oiLully^ Defer ibe d y Can. i. Viji. i. hib. Ve Qui7ita Ef- fe7itia. TAke Wine Red or White, the beft that may be had, or at ieaft take Wine that is not any way eager, neither too little nor too much thereof, and diflil an A^ua ardens^zs thecuftom is,through BralsPipes,and then redifie it four times for better purification. But I tell you it is enough to reftifie it three times, and Hop it clofe, that the burning Spirit may not exhale, be- caufe herein have many men erred, thinking it ought to be fe- ven times reftified, But my Son, it is an infallible fign to you when you Ihall have feen that Sugar fleeped in it, and being put to the flame burneth awcy as Aqua ardem. Now having the water thus prepared, you have the matter out of which the Quinteflence is to be made, which is one principal thing wc intend to treat of in this Book. Take therefore that, and put it in a circulating Vellel, or in a Pelican, which is called the Vef- fel of Hermes^ and flop the hole very clofe with Oiihanum or Majlick being foft, or quick Lime mixed with the White of C Eggs, Eggs, and put it in Dung, which is naturally mofl hot, or the remainings of a Wine-prefs, in which no heat muft be by ac- cident diminiflied, which you may do, my Son, if you put a great quantity of which you pleafe of thofe things at a corner of the Houfe, which quantity mull be about thirty Load : This ought to be, that the VefTel mav not waut heat, becaufe fliould heat be wanting, the circulation of the water would be im- paired , and that which we feek for uneffeded ; but if a continual heat be adniiniftred to it by continual circulati- ons, our Qaintefl'ence will be feparated in the colour of Heaven, which may be feen by a diametrical Line, which divides the upper part , that is the Qmnteflence , from the lower, namely, from the Fxces, which are of a muddy co- lour. Circulation being continued many days together in a circulating Veflel, or in the Veffeiof Herwes^ the Hole, which you ftopp'd with the faid Matter, muft be opened, and if a wonderful Scent go out, fo as that no fragrancy of the world can be compared to itj infomuch as putting the Veflel to a cor- ner of the Houfe, it can by an invifible Miracle draw all that pafs in, to it ; or the Veiiel being put upon a Tower, draws all Birds within the reach of its Scent, fo as to caufe them to ftand about it. Then will you have, my Son, our Quinteflence which is otherwife call'd Vegztahle Mercury at your will,:;to ap- ply in theMagiftery of the tranfmutation of Metals: But if you find not the influx of Attradion, flop the Veflel again,, as be- fore; and put it in the place before appointed, and tha?ft. let it ftand till you attain to the aforefaid Sign. But this Quinteflence ^us glorified, will not have that Scent, exceptrt Body be dif- folved in it, nor have that heat in your moutlias Aqua ardens .• This is indeed by the Philofophers calfd the Key of the whole Art of Philofophy , ;-.nd as well Heaven, as our Qninteflience, which arrives to fo great a fublimity, that either with it by it felf alone , or with the earthly Stars' (^Metals') the Operator of this work may do miracles upon the Earth. (3) * Annotations. THE twenty four following Kinds ^f Menftruums xv'tllprove^ that amongfl the Diflblvents of the Adepts, mo one is made tvithout the Vegetable Mercury, or Spirit (?/Philofophical Wine ; for it is the foundation^ heginning ana end of them all: Tea it is ac- cording to the various and diJUntl degrees of itsflrength, feme times the leafi, fometimes the greatefl of aM the Menftruums. It is the leafl and weakejl^ when it doth hy its fimple Vn^uofity diffolve only the unduous or oyly parts of Vegetables., hut either reje^ or leave untouched the Remainder being lefs oyly and heterogeneous to it felf: it becomes tkeftrongejl ivhen we temper its TJn^uofity with Aridsy {jhat is, dry things, not Oyly) for fo it is made homogeneous to things dry-oyly, and to things meerly dry. In refpe^l of which Ho- mogeneity , the Menfiruur/!s of the Adepts differ from the common, hecaufe tl.iey do by reafon of the faid Homogeneity , remain with the things diffolved infeparably ; yea, are augmented by them, hut not with the leafl fat ur at ion, tranfmuted and melted into a third fuh- flance, and fo cannot part without the diminution or deftru^ion of their former Virtues. The permanent Homogeneity of Menftru- ums with things to he diffolved, is the reafon why EJfences are made with fimple Vegetable Menftruums , but Magifteries with the fame compounded, andfo thefe operate more flrongly, thofe more weakly. This is it, to comprehend all in a word, ivhich ft^ews us the various kinds of Menftruums diftin^ one from another in fo many fever at degrees, vow to be defer ihed and illuftrated hy our Annotations. But that you may more eajily under ftand the following Receipts and me alfo, I thought it neceffary to preadmonifh fome certain things concerning the Nature and Property of this Spirit of Wine, left you (hould judge amifs of a thing not fufficiently under ft ood. Fir ft, Tou are not to take the Spirit of common Wine, though ne- ver fo much rectified, for the Philofophical Spirit of Wine ; for fo the following Receipts of all Menftruums would he erroneous and feducing. Having occafion (faith Zacharias") for a moft excellent Aqua- Vita; for the dilTolving of a mark or half a pound of Gold, we bought a large Veilel of the beft Wirie, out of which we did by a Pellican obtain great plenty of Aqua vita, which was of- C i tea (4) fen re£tified in many Glafs-Veflels bought for tliat end : then we put one Ma/.': of our Gold,being before calcin'd a whole montli, and four yT/(7ri^j of ^(/«.r x///^ into two Glafs-Veflels, one Retort cntring into the other, being fealed, and both placed in two great round Furnaces : we bought alio Coals to the value of tiiirty Crowns at one time, to continue Fire under it for the fpace indeed of a whole Year. We might have kept Fire for ever before any congelation would have been made in the bot- tom of the Veflels, as the Receipt promifed, no folution pre- ceding ; for we did not operate upon a due matter, nor was that the true water of Solution , wliich ought to diflblve our Gold, as appeared by experience, pag. 783. Fol. i. Tb. Chym. Ripley admonijhetb us of the fame thing, ivho faith. Some think that this Fire ( this Fiery Spirit ef PJjilofophical Wine') is drawn from Wine according to the common way, and that it is refi- lled by diftillations often repeated, till its watry Phlegm, which impedes the power of its Igneity, be wholly taken from it. But when fuch a fort of Water (which Fools call Pure Spirit)though a hundred times re<3:ificd, be cafl iipon the Calxes of any Bo- dy, be it never fo well prepared, we do neverthelefs fee, that it is found weak and infufficient as to the a£t of diflblving a Body, with the prefervation of its Form and Species, Cap. z.fua Medul. Phil. Common Wine (faith he a little loiver') is hot, but there is another fort much hotter, wbofe whole fubftance is by reafon of its aerity moft eafily kindled by Fire, and the Tartar of this un6luous Humor is thick ; for fo faith Raymund: That Tartar is blacker than the Tartar from the black Grapes of Catalonia ; whereupon it is called Nigrum nigrius Nigro ; that is, Black Hacker than Black: and tliis humidity being unduous, doth therefore better agree with the Unftuofity of Metals, than the Spirit extra£Ved from common Wine, becaufe by its liquefaftive virtue Metals are diflblved into Water ; which ope- ration the Spirit of {Common) Wine cannot perform ; which, how ftrong foever, is nothing clfe but clear water raix'd with a kind of Phlegmatick Water, where on the contrary, in this our Unduous Spirit diftilled, there is no Phlegpatick aquofity found at all. But this thing being rare in our Parts, as well as other Countries, Guido Montanor therefore the Grecian Philofo- plKr found out another unctuous humidity, which fwimsupon other ( s,) other Liquors , which humidity proceeds from Wine; to the kuou'ledge hereof attain'J Raymmd^ ArmU, and fome other Philofopliers, but how it might be obtained, laid not. O tortas adeo mentes / afTuetaque falli Artificum vario rerum per inania duftu Pedora 1 cum duns quid mollia vina metallis ? Apta epulis, atque apta bibi fuaviflima vina ? Hie tamen exprelTam proelis torquentibus uvam Accipit, & phialas poftrema in parte reponir, Cujus in extreme roftrum conneditur ore, is^c. Tims facetioujly fings the Poet and Adept Augurellus, Lib. i. ■ Chryf. pag. 206. Vol. 3. Th. Chym. xj hat you take not any Oy I ^though an hundred times reHifiedy in- fiead of the Spirit of Philofophical Wine j for all oyly matters^ whe- ther difiilka or exprejfed , natural or artificial., alone, hut much more mixt ivith other things, as A]kalies,Acids,C^c. do iy diftilling, , digefting, &c. in Bath, Dung, Vapor, &c. lecome thick, pitchy,yea^ . atlength dry, inftpid, black as a Coal, and fometimes like a Tyle, capable of being made red hot ; which is a manifeft flgn, that they ivant rather a Dijfohent, than are themfelves Diffolvents. 3. It IS necejfary to obferve that the Spirit of Philofophical ^ Wine appears in two forms , either like an Oyl fwiwming upon all Liquors, or like the Spirit of Common Wine ( to the Nature of ivhich it comes fometimes nearer, and therefore doth from the Ana" logy borroiv its Name') not fwimming upon watry Liquors, hut mix-r ible with them and its own Phlegm ; yet feparable by fjmple Difiil'^ lation, it eafily by this means leaving its Phlegms behind it ; hut if being reBified, and kindled, it burns wholly away, it affords us the common flgn of per fe^ r edification of the common Spirit, hut however, they are not two, but one only Spirit, differing in degree of purity andfuhtilty. Which to prove, is not neceffary, examples being obvious to us in almoft every Defer ipt ion of //jc Vegetable. Menftruums. 4. Lafily, Diftin^ion mujl be made between- the firfl and fecond Spirit fl/ Pliilofophical Wine, Father and Son. The fir jl doth in Its its preparation require Laborem Sophias, the mofl fecrety diffl- cult atji^ ttavgerous work of aS true ChymiJIry. The fecdnd is eafily wade with the forrtier Spirit according to the Rule of perfe^ Chy- wiflry : An Ellence makes an Eflence, a Magiftery a Magiftery. Differ they do in Order^ not in Nature ; they are both of one Virtue^ though of different preparation: for this., as hath hecn lately faid^is of a more eajie,that of a, mon difficult preparation.Effences they are hoth^fhe former artificiiit^ the ether natural, in Medeihies therefore unequ^il^ though alike in Chymifiry^ as Menftriiums , hut they are eafly di- flmguifhed one from the other by their Epithets. . The firit hath thefe more general Names in the Latine Tongue, Eflentia Vini, Al- cool Vini, Mercurius Vini, Vinum Vitx, Vinum Salutis, A- quaVitx, Aqua ardens, Vinum aduftum, -Vinum fublimatum, (^c Examples -of which you will have in thefe and the like Re- ceipts : Take beaten Gold, and let it be relolved into Liquor by the Eflence of Wine ; Paracelf. in Defcript. Auri Diaphoret. Lib. 3 . de male curatis. Tal^e Flints,and dillblve them in the Ef- fence of Wine, as Salt in Water, ^c. ParaceU. in Defcript. Effen- tice fHiam, cap. i8. de MorbisTartar. pag. 3x7. Take theCrocus of Sol, and the Jlcool of Wine, correfted, tsc. Paracelf. in Tin£l, Croci Solis, lib.de prosparat. pag, 8i. The Alcool of fVine exiccated or correfted, is, faith Paracelfus, when the fuperfluity of tlie Wine is taken away, and the Vinum ardens remains dry and de- phlegmed, without fatnefs, leaving no Fazces in the Vellel, pag. 507. But as to this, you will have many more Examples, efpecially in the following Book of Medecines. The Second Spirit o/Pliilofophical Wine hath its Sir names an- nexed to thefe more general Names, indicating the radix of its Ori- ginal, of which the following Receipts may be for Examples. Take the Leaves of Sol lour fcruples, of the Alcool of Wine drawn from a Pine , from Balm, ana. ^c. Paracelf. in defcript. Balfami Solis, pag. 90. Chyr. major. The Extradion of Mummy is made by mixing it with the Bffence of Wine drawn from Celandine, s^r. Parac. in defcript. TintlnrcC Mumia^^Cap.XO. Lib. 3. de Vita long, pag. 65. Take the Effcrice of Wine drawn- from Celandine, Mer- cury of SatHr.i, &c. Paracelf!,/^. 8. cap. 10. de Tumor/bus, Pa^ flulis, &c. pag. 138. Chyr. major. In theje and the like Receipts he does by the Alcool of Wine, drawn from the Pine, Balm, Celan- dine, \gc. mean the fecond Spirit of Piiilofophical Wine, oY the Effence of thofe things made with the former Spirit, which alfo is if) praiied out of the fifth Chapter of the thirri Book of long Life^pag. 6^.i^xre Paracelius calls the Efences of Herhs the Elixir of Life, or tlie Wine of Health, made from this or that Herh : which (he faith') will be manifefled in the example of Balm. Digeft iJalm (with the firfl Spirit ofPhihfophical Wine) a Philofopliical Month in an Athanar, then feparate lb, as that the. duplicated Elements may appear apart, and the Quinteflence , wlilch istlie Elixir of Life, will prefently {hew itlelf, in Mepitha ibAX^p^ iaLolium yellow, mtineium blackilh, in L«/>a/w thin and white, inCuf- cHta harfli, in others Ukewife to be judgd according to the Pre- fcript of Experience. Moreover that Spirit being ettrafted, and feparated from the other, behold the Wine of Health, ( Ejfence of Balm) in which tlie Pfeudo-Philofophers have ear- mMy laboured fome Ages, yet never acquired any thing. And a good part of them that followed Raytmnd (jjitertding to follow him according to the Letter, under flanding WixereJ or white) emp^ tied fome Butts of Wine in extracting ilie Quinteflence of Wine^ but found nothing at all but burnt Wine, which they unhap- pily ufed for the Spirit of Wine : fufficient it is to have thus ad-, moniihed the Spagyrifi, which way the Quinteflence may be: had in Herbs. s -j'h r.jV.uix i';V.:.n a. .•,■, i^u. 1/ iiMiki This twofold, the firfl as ivell -dsfacoud^ spirit of Wine may h- made not only out of the Vegetable, hut the Animal Kingdom alfo : So is it read of the Aqua Yitx and Phlegm of the Wine of Vrine^ in the i6th. Experiment c/Lully„ and in ParamiroVaracelCi^pag. ^y.Many have diligently laboured to find in man liis own, Health, A^ua vita, Lapis Philofophorum, Arcanum, Biilfamumy Auram potahile, and the like. Which they did rightly j for all thofe tilings are in him, as alfo in the external world. So alfo hath he a defiription of the Liquor of Fkjh, pag. f o^. Take pf the Liquor of Fleih fix ounces, of Mummy, iSc. Here hy Liquor, k&. means the Wine of Flefh, which is proved i>y Paracelfys }>imf}lf i faying. Where and according to tliis it is to be noted, that the Wine of Balm is a Secret in an Aflhma : Here alfo it is to be obferved, that by Pulmonaria, not the Herb, but the Liquor, that is, the Wine of it hatli place in this Cure : In which words, the Liquor and Wine of Pulmonaria, are Jjnonimous. So in Lih. 8. de fumorilus, cap. 3. By the Liquor of Hermodactils. And cap, 9. By the Liquor of Balm ; and lih. 9. cap. 4. By the Liquor Par- ( 8> )'} Parthenion, Audcap.';. By the Liqnor of" Bdellium, &c. The Wines or EJJences of them all ought to he underjiood. Though fteither the firfl nor fecond Spirit can he produced out of the dry Kingdom of Minerals (jhere are indeed fome purely Oyly^ as Ole- um PetrjE, Naphtha, Carbonum foflilium, Succini, Agathis, &c. ivhich are reputed Memhers of this Kingdom., the Okojity of which notwithflanding differs fo little from the 7>n^uoftty of Fege- ' tahles and Animals., that fcarce deferve to he called Subjects there- of^ yet for the fame reafon that the Offences and Liquors of Vege- tables are called WineSy is an Effence of the Mineral Kingdom., fome- times alfo called the Liquor and Wine of Minerals ; Jo tlx Liquor cr Effence of Vitriol or Copper is called Wine of the firll Metal, Cap. 1 1 . Lib. 3 . de Vita longa., pag. 6 f. .r ni ( wA' Being now injirufled by the light of thefe Premifes^ let us come nearer to the Spirit of Wine of LuUy, ivhich we fhall find like an Oyl fwimming upon its Phlegms., deduced not from the Common., but Thilofophical Aqua vitx by Circulation: But all other Ejfences ieing made hy the help of fome certain Effence, this frfi EJfence of Wine alone mufi hy its own virtues emerge its Jelj out of its own fceculencies and impurities : In this refpeB the making of Philofo- phical Wine (jed or white') renders the ivork of all the moft fecret Chymiftrymojl difficult and ahflrufe ; of which we fhall bythe Blef' fing of God) clearly and tridy treat in a particular Book ; namely , our Fifth. Our purpofe at prefent is to profecute the Vfe of this Wine in the making o/ Menftruunis, where we find Aqua vitx the firfl: and weakejl of all Menflruums, which, being by circulation alone reduced into an Oyl, is made much more excellent than before. LullyV Receipt is clear enough ; yet however ive thought it advifa- lle to confirm at leaft, if not illuftrate it with the Receipts of other Adepts. Johannes de RupefcilTa, a Scholar of Lully, had fo great an efteem for the firjl DiftinBion of his Majters Book of Eflence , that he made it his own with a little alteration : He hathdefcrjbed the Spirit of Philofophical Wine after this man- ner: \\. The (?) 2. The EfTence, Soul or Spirit of Wine of Johan- nes c/e Rupefcifa, defcrihed Chap %. of his Book, de. Quhttejfentia. REpute me not a Liar, in calling Aqua ardem a Quintef- ience, and faying that none of the modern Philofophers and Phyficians have ' attained to it, Aqua aniens being com- monly found every where ; for I fpoke true of a certain : for the Magillery of a Quintellence is a tiling occult, and I have not feen above one, and him a mod approved Divine, that underftood any thing of the . Secret and Magiftery of it : And I affirm for a truth,tliat the Quinteflence is Aqua ardenSy and is Aqm ardens- And may the God of Heaven put prudence in the heart of Evangelical Men, for whom I compofe this Book, not to communicate this Venerable Secret of God to the Repro- bates : Behold now I open the Truth to you. Take not Wine too watry, nor Wine that is black, earthy, infipid, but no- ble, pleafant, favoury, and odoriferous Wine, the beft that can be found, and diflill it through cooling pipes fo oft, till you have made the beft Aqua ardens you can ; that is, you di- flill it from three to feven times ; and tliis is the Aqua ardens which the modern Phyficians have not acquired. This water is the Matter out of which the Quinteflence which we intend principally in this Book, is extradled : becaufe when you have your noble water, you muft caufe fuch a Deftillatory to be made in a Glafs- makers Furnace, all entire of one piece, with one only hole above, by which the water mufl be put in and drawn out j tor then you Ihall fee the Inftrument fo compleat- iy formed, that, that which by the virtue of Fire afcends, and is diflilled into the VelTel through the Pipes, may be again ear- ned back, in order to afcend again, and again defcend continu- ally day and niglit, till the Aqua ardens be by the will of God above, converted into a Quinteflence ; and the underftanding of the Operation is in this ; becanfe the beft Aqua ardens that can be made , hath yet a material mixture of the four Ele- ments ; therefore it is by G^d ordained, that the Quinteflence whichwe feekfor, Ihould be by continual Afcenfions and Dc- D fcenfioni; ( 10 ) fcenfions feparated from the corruptible compofition of the fQur Elements ; and this is done, becaufe that which is a fecond timeoroftner fublimed, is more pure and glorified, and fepa- rated from the corruption of the four Elements, than when it afcends only one time, and fo to a thoufand times, and that which is by- continual afcent and dcfcent fublimed, comes at length to fo great an altitude of Glorification, as to be almoft an meorruptible Compound, as Heaven it fcif, and, of the Na- ture of Heaven ; it is therefore called Qminteflence, becaule it is in reference to our Body as the Heavens in refpccl to the whole World; almofl after the fame manner, fo far as Art can imitate Nature, in a near and connatural fimilitude. Circular Diftillation therefore being for many days made irt a Veliei of Circulation, you mufl open the hole which is in the head of the Vedel, which is ind'eed fuppos'd to liave been feal'd with a Seal made of Lutum 'Sapientloc^ compounded of the fi- nefl: Flower and the White of an Egg, and of wet Paper mofir carefully pick'd and mix'd, to prevent the leaft exhaling. And having opened the Hole, if the Odour (|which ought to be fuper-admirable, above all the Fragrancies of the world) which ihall feem to havedefcended asitwere from the fublime Throne of the moft glorious God, be fo great, that fetting the VefTel in a corner of a houfe, it fhall by an invifible fopce. with the fragrancy of the Qmntedence (which is wonderful and highly miraculous^attrad to itfelfall people that enter in ; then have you the QuinteiTence whichyou heard of; to which none of the modern Philofophers and Phyficians (except him that I except^ ed before) have fo tar as I have been able to underftand, at- tained. But if you find not the Odour and Influence of attrafH"- ing men, as I faid, feal the ^'edel as before, and bring it to the heat above defcribed, in order to compafs your defire by Subli- mations and Circulations; namely, in finding out this Quintcf- fence fo glorified, into, an Odour of ineftimable fragrancy and favour glorified to a wonder, and the inflmx of attraftion before cxpreffed ; and not only fo as to yield a wonderful Scent, but alfo to raife it felf more fully to a kind of incorruptibility .• it hath not that heat in your mouth which Aqua arcleMS iiath, nor that moiftnefs, that is, fuch an Aqueity flowing, becaufe the acute heat of t\iQ A^m ardem ; and its. watery moifinefs is by ; Sub- ( «' ) Sublimations and Circulations wholly confumed, and the Ter- reity will remain apart in the bottom : And the Heaven as well as StarSjOf which thi^ our Quinteflence is compouhdfed both as to Matter and Form, are not as that which is compounded of the four Elements; but there is but little of it glorified fo much even to the highefl, fiU'd with fo noble a form, that the power of Matter cannot afpire to any other Form, and fo re- mains uncorrupted, till the Compofition be deftroyed by com- mand of the Creator : Nor is the Quinteflence which we feek, altogether reduced to the incorruption of Heaven ; as neither is Art equal to Nature : yet notwithftanding it is incorruptible in refped of the Compofition made of the tour Elements, be- caufe Ihould it be altogether incorruptible, as Heaven,it would abfolutely perpetuate our Body ; which the Author of Nature, the Lord Jefus Chrifl forbids. Now have I opened to you much of the Secret, to the Glory of the immortal God. Parace^HS extra^s his Efence of Philofophical Wine mt out ef Aqua ardens, hut out of Philofophical Wine it [elf- Thus ; 3. The Spirit of Wine of Paracelfus : Vefcribecfj Chap. p. of the Third Book, of Long Life, pag.6^, YOur Wine being powred into a Pelican, digeft in Horfe- dung, and that the fpace of two Months continually, you will fee itfo thin and pure, that a Fatnefs, ivhich k the Spi- rit of Wine, will of it felf appear in the fuperfides. Whatfoever is under this is Phlegm, without any nature of Wine ; but the Fatnefs alone being put into a Phial, and digefled by it felf, is of moft excellent energy for long Life. Guido ufed the folloiving Method, little differing from the Paracelfian. D z 4. The ( 12 ) 4. The Effence of Wine according to Guidoy Vefcribedj Pag. i. Thefaur. Chym. TAke White or Red Wine, which is better, diftil by Bal- neo till the Matter remain in the confiPLcnce of Honey, which being divided into two parts in a duplicated Cucurbit, mixt with the diftilled Liquor, and joyn together again, and after the digeftion of fix weeks, a green 0)1 will fwim upon the Matter j which feparate through a Funnel. From the Receipts, we think thefe Things follow- ing worthy of Obfervation. I. That the W'mey Red or White^ is not Common ^ hutFlnlofo^ phical^ and that is the only thing that is ohfcure in thefe four Books ; to he under flood not according to the Letter^ hut hv Analogy: hut Aqua ardens, Aqua vitce, Spirit or Eflence of a Philolophical Wine are the proper Names of it. ^. That the Aqua ardens o/Philofophical Wine ^o/'/j/^ y^we things agree with fhe Properties 0/ Common Spirit of Wine ; namely y it goes hefore its Phlegm in diflillation : it is r edified as the Common , from its Phlegm. Laflly , heing reflifed, it is .known hy hurning Linnen^ Sugar^Scc. 3- That this Aqua ardens doth hy Circulation dayly lofe its rtioi- .fhre and fl:arpnefs 5 and is at length converted into a jfwimmingOyl^ ■the Effence and Spirit 0/ Philofophical Wine. £«/ who ever /t^'^- ffr/Common Spirit of Wine, c^AquaVitis, hy tare Circulation into an Oyl i Who., I fay.) hath hy continual Circulation hr ought that Oyl to Drin'efs ; fo as to he fublimeahk as a volatile Salt., and tha^ not hut hyaflrong Fire., as Ifaacus affirms himfelf to have expe' riencedy in the Dejcription of his Vegetable Stone ^ Of which lower in the Third Book. 4. That the Oy], or Effence of Wine may he divers ways made out of Philofophical Wine, 5". That not only the Time, hut alfo the Scent, Colour, &Lc. of /^e Eflence are varied according to the variety of Method : The Effence o/Lully is like Heaven^ that isy of a Sky-colour ,• the Oyl of Guide is green. 6. That ■(.M3 ) 6. That it hath not a Scent fo fragrant, unlefs it bath a Body (efpecially a Metallick or Mineral) dijjolved in it. 7. That this Heaven, the firft of all M&'S\^r\mms, is alfo a Me- Jecine ; and is called the Eflence or Specifick to a long Life. 8. That it 2\ c^iil/ed Heaven for fever al. Re afons hy Lully. Firil, Eecaufe it voorks Contraries i like Heaven. Our Vege- table Menflrmm\ iaith L^Z/fj^'the Celcftial Animal, which is caJi'd Qointeflence, preferves Flelh from corruption, comforts things elemented, reftores former Youth, vivifies the Spirit, digells the crude, hardeneth tlie foft, rarifies the hard, fattens the lean, wafleth the fat, cools the hot, heats the cold , dries the moift, moiftens alfo the dry : One and the fame thing can do contrary operations. The Aft of one thing is diverfified according to the nature of the Receiver ; as the heat of the Sun, which hath contrary operations; as in drying Clay, and melt- ing Wax ; yet the Ad of the Sun is one in it felf, and notqon- trary to it felf! , "v.-'-.tAv:^ t^-.V^ -vA Secondly, Becaufe like Heaven it receives the Forms of alt Things. As the univerfal Form (^the Macrocofmieal Heaven"^ hath an appetite to every Form, fo the Quinteflence {ofThi- lofophicalWine) to every Complexion ; whereby it is evidently manifefl, that the Quinteffence of things is faid to be of that complexion to which it is adjoyned ; if joyned to hot, hot j if to cold, cold, @c. This therefore the Philofophers called Heaven ,• becaufe as Heaven affords us fometimes heat, fome- times moifture, ^f.' fo the Quinteffence in mens Bodies at t;he Artift's pleafure, ^c. Diftin^.i. Lib. Effenfia. To this Hear ven we apply its Stars; which are, Plants, iStones and Metals, to communicate to us Life and Health, Hid. . •, . , Thirdly, Becaufe like Heaven it moveth all things from power tpa£i. Therefore Heaven or our Mercury is xhQ Caufe arid Rrhiciple moving C* (C) (Metals) fi-ora povifertoaft : Andin this point knows the underffanding of an Artifb, that D ( our Heaven") hath adion uponC, and ( C ) ruling and governing, and reducing it into adion ; as Heaven brings that which ism Elemental things, by its own motion into action, ^c For we call it Heaven , by reafon of its motion ; becaufe as the upper Heaven moves the univerfal Form, and firll Matter, and Ele-^ raents , and Senfes, to compound Elemented Individuals ;■ fo D (H) , • D rti6v€s C, • arid[''(C) and the four Elements to M, (_the ^Sul- phur oj N^tifre, vr Fhilofiphers Mermrj) or to Q^(j-he fi'Mure) Diftinh. 3 . fie quarto principio Lihri Ejfentice. 4. Becaufe tike Heaven^ it is incorruptible. Aqua vita is the Soul and Life of Bodies, by which our Stone is vivified ,• there- fore we call it Heaven, and Quinteflence, and incombuftible Oyl, and by its infinite other Names, becaufe it is incorrupti- ble almoft, as Heaven, in the continual circulation of its moti- on, y>dg.' 14 j. Elucid. tejlam. ^.Becaufe it is of the colour cmd clarity ofHeaven.HGaven o|- our Mercury is the fourth Principle in this Art, and is fignifi'ed by D, of'an azure colour and line, and is fignified by that colour, be- caufe it is celeftial, and of a ccleftial Nature, as we faid before in the defcription of it, Dijf. 3 . Lih. Effentia^ "'^^This EJfence Johannes de Rupefcifla r^//^ Humane Heaven, for the folloiving Reafons : We ought to feek that thing which is to the four Qualities of which our Body is compounded, as is Heaven in refpcd: of the four Elements: Now the Philofophers called Heaven Quintef- fence in refped of the four Elements,becaufe Heaven is in it felf incorruptible and immutable, and not receiving ftrange im- preflions, but by the command of God ; fo alfo, the thing which we feek, is in refpeft of the four Qualities of our Body, a Quinteflence, in it lelf incorruptible fo made, not hot dry with Fire, normoift cold with Water, nor hot moifl with Ayr, nor cold dry with Earth; but is it a Quinteflence able to work Contraries, as the incorruptible Heaven ; which, when it is neceflary, inflifeth a moifl; Quality, fometimes a hot, fometimes a cold, fometimes a dry : Such a Radix of Life is the Quintef- fence , which the moft High created in Nature, with power to fupply the neceflity of the Body to the utmoft term which God hath appointed to our Life : And I faid that the moft: High created the Quinteflence, which is by the Art of man extracted from the Body of Nature, created by l-ibrs and PhjT- iidans ai;e altogether ignorant of this Quintefiencej and of tl^ trath-and virtue thereof : But by the help of God I- will here- after declare to you the Magiftery of it. And hitherto'! hav«: taught you a Secret, the Qointeflence, thatisi-jjie humana HesLven, Cap. %. LiL Epfit/a, ''•'-" „■ :.'..j .. /:; 9. LafilyyThat mofi^ Receipts-rnoH ohfcurey andotherwifehtt.el* ligihkhf^oiWsny are^^ythefcillnftrated' -^^-i t-'iin ;• . . 3;:i? H-.^nJi::-)-) Lor:!';:-.; "_ ~~ ■ /. V^ aj t ii:^iir .bii^nev /isb no; ,^io dasqi srii lo: The Second KIND. 5//^/?/^ Vegetable Menftruums ;z?^& ^/^fe 5'/mV ^/ Philolbphical Wine, and the hotteft Vegetables, Herbs, F lowers ,. Roots, Sec* being C^/f*fi./.»3ioiiiir .2-jl;.;.lja 3ofl:2bij.:/ibx,;o 5. The' Anima Metallica, or Lunaria ' Cgelica J ;of LuUy 5 Defer ibed in Conipofit. Animcz Tranfmut. • t(tZ' ipi. -W 3i Theat. Chyni'. c r- ■ ^' - '- r'l;'":^;„ -(Ui ?nf;ai to c'::ijni.i__p "tuoi ori; :0 ^<-^r^ ,r:h)-: FIrfr you ■ muft Know, that the Matter of our Stone, or of all the Stones of the Philofophers, together with Precioys Stones, which are generated or compounded byArt, is this MetalUck Soul, and our yJ/f;:?/?r««w redify'd and acuated, or the Lunaria Calicuy which among the Philofophers is called Vegetable Mercury^ produced from Wine red or wliite, as is clearly manifell, being revealed to us by God, in our Jiigura Individuorum ., Diftintl. 3. Libri ^uint. Effect. &c. But firll, it is expedient to draw our Menftruum by Art from Death, that is, the Impurities and Phlegm of Wme, by the Office of an Alembick, and to acuate it in diftillation with per- tinent Vegetables ; fuch as are Apiim fyheftre, Squi/Ia, ScLi- trum, CarduuSy Oliandrumy Piper nigrum^ EupLorbmrriy VitkeUa or Flammula, and Pjrethnm, an equal quantity of all, and pul- verized. Then the Menftruum mufl be circulated continually for the fpace of ten days in hot Dung, or Balnea Marine. Anno- C 17 ) Annotations. THE Vh^uous Spirit of V\i\\o(oT^\i\cd\Wm.e attraEls none but the VnBious natural EJfences of Vegetables y as we Jhall ohfer^e belovo in the Book of Medecines. EJfences being thus eX' traced-, as alfo all other Oyly things ^ crude or exprejfed, and all di- JHlled of both Kingdoms, Animal and Vegetable, this Spirit oflVine doth byfimpk digejUon divide into two diftinfl parts, two Oyls or Fats, whereof one is the Ejfence of the thing, the other the Body : The Ejfence fo made we named the Second Spirit of Wine. Both EJfences, this by Divijion, and that by Ext ration prepared, are by longer digejlion made one with the aforefaid Spirit of Wine. For thofe things which are of one and the fame purity, and of a fymbolical Nature, are eafrly mix'd together, and that infe par ably, and fo an EJJence made by an Ejfence, is joyned to that Ejfence. And if we protracl Digejlion further, one of the Fats, namely, the Body lefs Oyly, and therefore left hitherto, is at length received alfo into a fymbolical Nature, by reafon of which mixtion, not only is the ■ Spirit multiplied, but alfo made fitter for the DiJJolutions of dry things, becaufe the Particles of this Body lefs Oyly incline to drynejs ; concerning which way we treat in this Receipt, in the Prejcription of which, the Oyl drawn out of Oyly Vegetables , is by dijl illation . together with the Spirit of Pliilofophical Wine, circulated into a Magijkry Q or double Ejfence, Natural and Artificial ; of which, lower in itsplace^ by which the Spirit of Wine is multiplied, and made more homogeneous to dry Bodies. There is the fame Men- ftruum, but a little other wife defer ibed in his Natural Magick.pag. 358. thus ; Take Nigrum nigrius Nigro, and diftil ten or eight parts of the fame in a Glafs-Veflel, and in the firft diftillation you muft receive only one half j this again diftil, and hereof take a fourth part ,• and the third diftillation you muft take in a manner all, and fo diftil that part eight or nine times, and it will be perfeft, but not rectified under one and twenty Diftil- lations. Take of this Water a quarter of a pound, and acu- ate the fame by diftilling it with the Vegetables, which are A- pium Sylvejlre ; and fo of the reft, of which was fpoken above m Anima Tranfmutationis, in the Chapter which begins, Firjt you r/iujl knoKj, &c. And then put it into a Vcflel of Circulation ill E hot C n ) hot dung, or in the remains of a Wine-prefs with the prefeiva- tion of the Species. Which M'ater is alfo one of the things without which nothing can be effedcd in the Magifler} ot this Art. That Menftruum irhkh ought to h drawn from the Death of Wine by the Office of an Alemhick^ acuated mth the ja'id J'egeta- iles, and at kfigth ciradated, is the Spirit o/Pliiiofophical Wine, which is hy thefe degrees fo exalted, as to he by Lully defcrvedly called the Matter of all the Stones of the Philofophers, and vertuous Stones (that is. Precious Stones^ Anima MetalHca, and Lunaj"ia Coslica, which alfo is called Vegetable Mercury, deduced from Wine red or white. The Matter of which this Menftruum is made, is called Wine in the former Receipt : th Menflruum mufi be extratied from the Death of Wine : But in the latter it is called Nigrum nigrius Nigro. To thefe two LuUy adds a third fynonirt^om, pag. i. Tejl. Koviffnni. Take red Wine, wliich we call the Liquor of Luna- ria and Nigrum nigrius Nigro. By which fynonimous Terms none • but a Fool can underjland Common Wine ; for the common Spirit herefrom diftilkd, is altogether infufficient to perform fuch and fo great things ; yea, all the Arcanums of the more fecret Chymy, which we are felicitous to defcrihe, would be proftituted to all men^ were this one only Word literally underflood : by Wine therefore is meant a Phikfophical Secret hidden from all the une Xpert. It is expedient to draw from the Death of Wine, by the Of- fice of an Alembick, that is, we mufi re^ife fo often till it he- tome mofi pure, without the Faces and Phlegm of Wine, which is hy Lully called the Death of the Spirit. It \s\^faith he') purged from all its Superfluity, and Phlegmatick corruptible matter, which is its Death, and which mortifies its Spirit, which hath the power of vivifying its Earth ,• let therefore the corruptible Phlegm be purged and feparated from it by a fubtil method, which I will tell you : For what reafon ? becaufe if it be not well purged, its Earth will never become white, nor will Ma- trimony be made between the Body and Spirit j and lb that Spirit is call'd the Spirit of the Stone in Apertorio. The Method of ReHification omitted in the former Receipt, is defer the d in the latter, as alfo in Epiflola accurtatoria : This ReSiJcation of Philofophical Wine Sendivogius underflood not, as appears ( I? ) appears hy the Sixth of his EpiftlcSy Brux. XS- Martii 1^45- Where thus : ¥he fecond Article (my Companion) of the Page- fian work, endeavours to repeat the myflerious way of ex- trafting and preparing Mercury, more than needed, the Autho- rity ot Lully being mifunderllood, and the Precepts of other Philofophers ill appliecl,he commanding the tenth part of his Ma- gnefia firfl afcending by diftillation to be faved,as the only ufeful, and truly Mercurial fubftancej but the other nine parts proceed- ing by continuance of diflillation, to be caft away as of no ufc, to this end, that the faid tenth part referved, might at length be reftored to the Earth remaining after compleat diftillation, (which Earthis foolilhly fuppofed to be the Salt and Sulphur of Mercury) and by repeated cohobations, inhumations, digefti- ons and fublimations defcribed by him, united ; but it is a grie- vous Error, for that which Authors declare concerning the tenth part containing the Spirit, and of inhumations in its own Earth , is otherwife referred than to the extraction and preparation of Mercury, as ihall be elfewhere in time demon- ftrated ^ nor for the faid extraction and preparation of Mercury is there any Rule to be ufed befides the bare difliUing of Mag- nefia, whereby the Spirit and Oyl are together elevatetf to a Siccity even of the Faces, and feparation of the Spirit from the Oyl, and redification of the fame Spirit oftentimes repeat- ed : But thefe things we will in their proper place more amply treat of in the Method of operating. Parifinus, a Difcipie of Lully,' will correct Sendivogius, who learnt of Lully to re^ife his Spirit of Philofophical Wine after this manner. TzkeA (Chaos, our FegetahleMexcwcj, in which the four E- lements are found co>f ufed, pag. zji. Vol. fext. The at. Chjm.) and put it in a Veflel to be ddtiiled through Y (Bal-neo, pag. x76.') and in this temperate diftillation gather its B. (Celefiial ardent Spirit, pag. x69. ) continue that diftillation this way and me- thod till you attain to the Signs declared in our Jpertorial,3.nd till you know that the faid B. is diflblved and feparated from its Elemental Nature, continuing this Magiftery even to the fourtli Revolution : Then put this Celeftial fiery Matter into a pure Velfel, and diftil flowly with ordinary fire, and take only a tenth part,- in the fecond diftillation take half, and in the E X third, ( 20) third, two parts of three; and in the fourth, take four parts of five, and more : Then take that laft Celeftifl Water, and diftil it three or four times by the Rule abovefaid, taking tiie whole without any feparation appointed. This obferve, and admire the necelTity of this My fkery and Foundation, and you will underftand the reafon why dull and ignorant men make the worll Bread with the fineft and pureft Flower, becaulethey mix the courfe part with tiie fine .- The fame thing happens to prefumptuous Artifts, who perfwade themfelves that they arc able to find out the beauty of our QuintelTence with the ex- uberated Spirit negligently purified, without an exa£t fepara- tion of the pure from the impure, in Elncid. pag. xjO. Vol. 6. Theatri Chym^ Which way notivithflanding of r edification fo exa^lly to ohferve., there feems to me to he no neceffity ; r edification of the Spirit being good enough^ which ivay foever done, either with fewer or more co- hohatimSy provided it he feparated from the impurities of the Wine, which you will know (^faith Lully ) when it burns a piece of Linnen by reafon of its vehement heat, that is, aselfewhere more clearly, till a Linnen Cloth moiflned with this Spirit, and kindled, le wholly confumed. This rectified Spirit is in difiillmg, fharpned voith the oyly Vegetahles nominated in the Receipt, the Oyls (f which, being tieareft to it, it eafily carrieth with it, and is im- pregnated with the fame, and acuated hy the aridity contained in them : Tet are we not obliged to ufe thefe Vegetables only, and no other, or is it necefjary to mix all of them together, as if one or tivo would not fuffice. The Oy I of any Vegetable, or drawn out of a Vegetable with the help of the Spirit of PhilofophicalWine, or already made, and added to the Spirit of Philofopliical Wine, tvill here fatisfie us. I will give one form or other in confirmation f>f this kind of Menflruums ; of which fort is. ^, The f 21 ) ^. The AquaVitae of Paracelfus, Pag. 508. Tom. I. TAke of the Alcool of Wine exficcated three pounds , of the Flowers of Rofemary, Macis, Lavender, of each half an ounce ; of Cubebs, Cloves, Cinamon, of each tvi^o ounces,' of Maftick, half an ounce,- of both forts of Storax, half a dram of each ,• of Doronicum,. three ounces 5 and coho- batefeven times. The followingZ>fe hefides i^Z'e Alcool of Wmt exficcated, tefli- jiesy that this Water is made with the Spirit of Philofopliical Wine. Take of the Leaves of Gold, Num. zo. of Pearls not perforated, Granats, Rubies, of each half a drachm; digeftfor a Month : Then take of this Oyl tliree or four grains with Malago wine, or the water of Majoram or Sage, this Men- ftruum is Vimm Effatum or Efftntificatum^ or Spirit of Philofo- phical W'lnQ impregnated with the E (fences of the Oyly Ingredients., ivith which Paracelfus diffohes Gold and Precious Stones into a mofl nolle Oyl or Elixir^ which he fays is a Secret againft the fw perfluity of Womens Menftruums. The Defer ipt ion of this Water being clear ^ reijuir'es no other Light : I will therefore propvfe ano- ther Receipt more olfcure. 7. Another Aqua Vitse .of Paracelfus, Pag. 115. Chyr.Mift. TAke of the waters of Melifla, Rofes, Cheirus, Sage, Balfamus, of each one pound : of all the Pcppei-s, Cu- bebs, Ginger, Cinamon, Maftick, red Myrrh, Mace, Cloves, of each two ounces ; of the Juyce of Honey, half a pound j of redifi'd. Aqua Vitx, five pound : Let them be all digefled together for the fpace of nine days, and after that feparated, and diftilled in a Pelican into a Spirit. Then to this Liquor add an Apple roafted and broken , and let them be digefted together with the following Spices upon Aihes for three days; of which take .five grains every day^ The Spices arethefe; Take (22) Take of Cinamon, Cloves, Mace, of each two ounces • of Cheirus,.Anthos, of each half an ounce,- of Amber, two drachms; of Musk, five grains ; of Zibeth, half a drachm ; c\ Ginger, Cubebs, Nutmegs, of each one ounce and half,- of Amomus, two drachms; of Zedoary, two ounces and half; of Grains of Paradife, one ounce and half After Digeftion of them all, feparate, and keep the Matter in Glafs Vellelsvery clofe ftopp'd. From the Dofe it felf of this Prefcription^ it is manifefi that the operation u meerly Philofophical ; for if hy Aqua vitx he would have underftood the Common Spirit of Wine, it would he altoge- ther ridiculous to give only five grains for a Dofe. We meet with -many more Menftruums of this kind, which little differing from the prifline Nature of the Spirit of Philofophical Wine, were lefs ehferved lyfome Adepts ; wherefore Chriftophorus Parifinus, a Nolle Sic\lia.n,doth not very much commend this acuation of the Spi- rit of Philofophical Wine. Some (^faith he ') have made ( the aforefaid Spirit') acute with Vitriol, which v\'ay is very good ; fome with Nitre ; fome with Cinnabar ; fome with thele two, fome with all three ; fome with their Eartli, which way dif- pleafeth me, becaufe a thick Unftuofity and ponderofity \vas hereby introduced; fome ufe Vegetables, as Herbs, Roots, Flowers, and Seeds known to you, which have flrong (^Vege- table ) Mercuries in them ; wherefore they that handled it af- ter this manner, augmented rather its Vegetable Form (Vn^no- fity ) than that they made it more foluble. Parifinus in Eluci- dario,pag. 2^1. Vol. S.Thcat. Chym. For this reafon, Ripley y^/- lowing the fame Mafler as Parifinus, believed theje things to be covered with a Mantle ofPhilofopfy ; for fo he writes in his Me- dulla Philofophix. Raymund faith , it ought to be drawn out from'the Death and Fxces of Wine for the fpace of one hun- dred and twenty days, by continual rotation, in a Balneo of of the hotted Dung, and that it mufl be acuated with hot Ve- getable things, as Piper nigrum, Eitphorlium, Pyrethrum, Ana- cardus, Sauilla, Solatrum, Apium Sylveflre, and fuch like ; tor without the virtue of tliefe things, as he faith, it is not fufitci- ent to dilTohe Metals, except in a long time ; but that nothing ©f doubt or ambiguity may appear, I fay, that all tlicfe things are covered and Ihrowded with a Philolophical Mantle : For his ( 2? ) his RYeaniog Is, tliat in tliis Spirit may be had another refolublc lyknftruumy becaufe without lUch a relblntive Mcnftrmm Solution can never be made : And that refoluble Menftfmm is generated only iTom^ie Merailick kind, and is by our refolutive Mevftru- «w produced into a6t, Ripley ^ f ag. x6%. MeduUFhllof. Ripley did h the refolubk Menftruum produced into ad hy the Menftru- um refolutive ( that is, the Spirit of Philofophical Wine ) r«ean a certain Mercurial Water ; of the Preparation of which lower : where likewife ■ it will appear that hy the aforefaid Fegetahles Ripley thought LulLy intended running Mercury ; yet neverthelefs hii following Menftruum ^roz^fj, that thefe Fegeiaiks have beenfonte- times a'^o taken hy him literally. i'>--T:)>:o yr.rr!/JO/ ^i 'Ij 8. The Aqua Vitae o^ Ripley. Pag.^^^. Viatici. TH E Menftruum being diftilled from thfe firft Fceces, circulate it with the hotteft Species, fuch as are, Black Pepper^ Euphorhium, Pyr^hrum, Anacardus, Grains of Paradife^ and the like, forthefpace of loo days in Balneo; apd attet tliat,diftil onlyhalf of it,and make your putrefaction with it,&c. // is here manifeft that Ripley took thefe Vegetables, Not Ar- gent vive, hecaufe. Circulation heingfnijhed, he diftilled only one half of the Spirit, as the moft fuhtil part of the Vegetables ; in which cafe that Metal (Mercury} though d'ijfohed, would remain in the hottom. But whereas Lully acuates the Spirit hy diflil- ling, and then circulates', Ripley does this hy circulating , and after that diftils. To this Aqua Vitas he fometimes adds Oyls^ or Bffences either *.^- ( 28 ) Metals is alfo called Metallick Aqua /^//(t',becaufe it acjminillreth hfe and health to Metals, oeingfick, dead, (^c. Fourthly, For the Vn^uofity as iveli of the flktalas Menflruum. Of hoth faith Riple}', pag- 1 jo. MedulUt Fhil. There is Ibme cer- tain Similitude of the Trinity to Le perceived in the Body , Soul and Spirit Uf our Work^) The Body is the fabtlance 'or' the Stone ; the Spirit is the Virtue (that is, ti:e Quinrellenxe, which excites Natures from Death} and the Soul is to be talcen for the Ferment, which cannot be had but out of the mofl per- feft Body (Gold) in Sulphur (of Gold ; ) there is a Terreftreity for the Body, and in Mercury (^McnflrHuni) an aereal Itrenity for the Spirit ; and in both a natural Unduofity for the Soul": For they are all fermentable in the Unftuofity of the Body, be- ing mix'd and infeparably united with it throughout its mofl: minute parts, by which Soul is the Stone formed, becaufe no- thing can be any way formed without it. 7. That this Menftruum, is called Vegetable Mercury, produced from red or white Wine. The Adepts have many Mercuries. The Firft is. Common Argent vive, running orfullimed. The Second is, The running Mercury of Bodies, extrafied out of Metals hytW Spirit of PhilflJophicalWine. A Third is, Any Salt Alkali, efpecially fixed ivith the Spirit of Thilefophical Wine. Lully calcines Celandine^ and from thence ex trails a Salt ; of which thus ; Repeat this Magillery fo often, till you have ex- trailed all tlie Saltj which is the Mercurial Part of that Indivi- dual (Celandine.') Thefe things therefore being done, take all thefe DifTolutions (JLixivids) and tranfmit them through a Fil- ter, or Linnen-Cloth, that they may be purged from Terre- ftreity ; then diftilled by Balnea congeal, and the moirture be- ing gone^ovcr, in the bottom of the Vcflel will remain a Mer- cury or Salt, of a wliite colour ', and by this means you will have extracted out of this Matter a Mercury, which hath almoft innumerable Virtues of acuating the Vegetable Spirit, drawn from (Thilofophicat) Wine, fo as to have the power of diflbl- ving all Metals with the confervation of the Vegetative and Germinative Form. /« Magia Naturali, He calls Tartar calcined, and impregnated with the yegetalle Menftruum, ly leingjcur tirr.es difiUled, then refolved ( ^9] refolved per Dciiquium, ctra£led cut of the Caput mortuum cal- cined to the Menilruum, this acuition is referred not to this, but to another Kind. But the Honey feems to have thisfpecial Privi ledge, as //Men- flruums of this third Kind, could be made of it alone ; yet you mufl know that all Oyly Salts, {as areSugar Crijlallized, Manna Criflalli- i zed, crude Tartar of common Wine, die.') do on one (ide prove their affinity with Oyly things, but on the other fide with dry, andfodo by that their Okofity, introduce their own aridity into the Oyly Spirit of Philofophical Wine, but by their aridity temper the Okofity of that Spirit. Wherefore the fame things are to be underfiood ef Su- gar and Manna, as have heenfpoken of Honey ; one Example or two ive will add of crude Tartar, being dryer then the things aforejaid. G 2 12. The (30 12. The Spirit of Crude Tartar o(GuUo. Pag. 51. Thefaur. TAke of crude Tartar twoPounds, of Spirit of Wine three Pounds, Diftill and Cohobate ten times upon its own Caput Mortuutn. Paracdfus prepared this Spirit of Tartar after this manner : 13. The Spirit of Crude Tartar of Prf/i7fe//*«5. Lib. 8. Paragraph, pag. 505. TAke crude Tartar, beat and digeft it feven or eight times in the Jkool of ii^iney and Diftill it into a Liquor, in which is no Alkali. Out of the Receipts we obferve the things following: 1. That the Spirit o/Philofophical Wine hath in dry things no diffblvingfaadty without acuition. X. That this acuition is the Myflery of the Arty leing difficult and tedious. 3 . That it is hefl made with crude Honey , white Sugar-candy, am Manna purified. 4. Thatjiich Menltruums as thefe arefomewhat hard to he made tvith crude Tartar. 5". That Lully iy Aqua Vitae, Parifinus ly the Celeftial and Ardent Spirit, Guido ly Spirit of Wine, and Paracelfus hy the Al- cool ^Wine, meant not common Aqua ardens,ji;/?ic/; if a Man try an experiment with the Spirit of common Wine^ he Vcillby his own Ex- perience find the Truth of the Matter confirmed. 6. That Menftruums of this Kind are the Magiftery of Honey y Manna, Sugar, crude Tartar, mix d with ;S'/'i'A-// ^ Philofophical Wine,//;ry are made extempore,thus : Take of the Efience ^Pliilofo- phical Wine, and the Magijlery of Hony or Sugar^equal parts of each, mix. 7. That thefe Menllruums are Medicaments. 8. That (37) 8. fhat not only the Sprit he, Sal Armoniack in the Plilegme of Vinum of Lotium, (Philofo- phical Wine made ^/Z//wO pafs it through a Filter, and remove the Water by Balneo, and the Salt will remain coagulated and white ; dilTolve again with the Phlegm, and Diftil it away by Balneo. Then take fuch a quantity of Aqua Vita (Spirit of PhilofophicalWineJ' as you have of Phlegm, and pour them to- getlier upon the fame Salt, and the Vellel being covered with lis Antenotorium {Blind Alemhick') fet it in Balneo twenty four Hours i the Antenotorium being taken awa) , and an Alemhick put on, Diftill b/ Balneo with a mod gentle Fire, when the Salt is coagulated, congeal it again, repeat the fame Magiftery, dif- folving by turns after thii manner, and congealing three times j and lo liave ) ou reduced slie laid Salt into a Vegetable Virtue, (4o) by the help of the Vegetative Spirit, by which you diflbived and congealed it. Lully in Exp. 1 6. Sal Almoniack is eafily dijfolved in the Phlegm of Philofophical Wine, andfo is hj this means fooner joyned ivith the Vn&uous Spirit of Philofophicai Wine, than if it ivere immediately cafi into this Spirit, that Trifmofmus knew alfo this Method f and fometimes madeufeof it^appe-ars hy the follow- ing Menflruum. 1 5 . Another Water of Sal Axvioniack. of Trifviofiniis. In Tin^ura Gereton, pag. p8. Aur. VeL German. TAke o^ Sal Armoniack Crudetw'o Pounds, let it be diflblved in Wine (PhilofophicaP) Criftallize it, let the Criftals be diflblved/d'r deliquium j the folution divide into two parts, one of which diftil into the other with a Fire luiEciently flrong, redi- fy the parts being joyn'd together into a ftrong Water of Sal Armoniack. The Sal Armoniack therefore heingdiffohed either in the Phlegm 0/ Philofophicai Wine, Qhat is. Aqua ardens not refli- j^V)tv deliquium, is either hy itfelf or with the addition of new Spirit of iVine, Dijiilledinto a Water ofS^\ Armoniack. this Kind ^/Menftruums is made not o/Sal Armoniack only, but alfo of the reft of the Volatile Salts, thus: 16. The Gelative Sulphur oi Lully. In Exp. 8. TAke of the aforefaid animated Spirit (of Vrine') one part, and of Aqua Vitce pcrl'eOrly re£lif} 'd tour parts,vvhich pour "Upon the animated Spirit, and torthwith (lop the Vefltl, tliat it may not refpire, which VeHel muft be a large Bottle, whicli Ihake and move with your Hands, fo in the twinkling of an Eye or Moment, }ou will fee all the Water converted into Salt ,• but if any part of Phlegm be in the (PhilofophicaV) Aqua Vita, it will be' immediately Icpa rated from the Salt in the Form of Water ; the Aqua Vitce therefore ought to be very well purged from Ui ) from all Phlegm, that, when the w^ork is done, no Matter may remain with the Salt, but be wholly converted, which will be better and more ufeful, and by tliis means you will have the Animal and Vegetable Salt, which we will call Coagulative and Gelative Sulphur, becaufe it hath the property and virtue ot diflblving the two Luminaries, and reducing them from, power to a£t, their Vegetative and Germinative Form being preferved. 'LnWyfometimes Juhlmed thuOffa or Fap ofVrine^in the Ninth Ex- periment following^ thus : There is, faith /;e, ' befiJes, another May of Copulating the aforefaid Animal Spirit with the Vegetable Spirit, namely, thus : Take of tlie Animated Spirit, reiVifi'd as above, what quantity you will, and pour it upon three parts oi o\xx (PhilofophicaP) A- qua Vitce perfeftly redifi'd, which Copulation ought to be made in a Body large and high, to whicli an Alembick may be fud- denly fitted : the faid Copulation therefore being made, you mud have prefently ready lome Cotton-Wooll dipped in Oyl, and very well fqueezed, wherewith the Mouth of the Diflilling Veflel mufl be forthvvitli llopped, and it mufl be let in within the Neck downward, a hands breath, faftened with a flrong Fla- nel thread, that upon occafion you may draw out the faid Cot- ton-Wooll, then put to it an Alembick with a Recejiver, very clofe flopped, and fet it in a Furnace of Allies, giving it at firft a gentle heat ,• but then by degrees increafing the Fire, till it be liiblimed: which fublimation you mufl keep in a Veflel firmly flopped, becaufe with this Salt and other Means you will be able to do Wonders. Parifinus/« his Apertorium, pag. 15:. M. S.S. mei, doth hythk Salt oJVrine acuate his C. or Spirit o/Philofophical Wine, which being acuated, he then Circulates hy the way ufed, and before defer i- hed in the Circulation of his Ccelum melleum. Lully hath alfojome- ttmes ufed the Volatile Salt of Bloody for the making of thefe Men- flruums, as in his twelfth experiment. Take Blood ground (Blood drawn from found and chalerick Men, dryedon a clean Table, that the Phlegm may be feparated frorn it, and then pulveri- zed, Exp. II,) put it in a Glafs Body with a long Neck, and ha- ving fitted an Alembick to it with a Receiver, Diftilfirfl with a gentle Fire, till the moiflure exhale, then encreafe the Fire till theSalt befublimed, whichwUlbe very white, gather it^4•arily, H and f 40 and keep it ; for it is of very great Virtue and Efficacy. You have, my deareft Son, all the Medicines (Salts') which have pro- perties with the two Luminaries, as alfo with the other imper- fed Metals, without which this Art of Tranfmutation cannot obtain its defired end. Tlie Things which I obferve from the Receipts are : I . Tkit hy iVitfe, Spirit of Hlxe, and Aqua VitiC common, k mt weant Aqua Ardens, ivitb which it is impofihle to reduce or dijitl cor/imon Sal Armoniack into a liquid fubftance, and though it vight^ yet that Menftruum mmld be Common^ not Pbilofophical, being made without the Sj^irit <7/Philofophical Wine. z. That thefe Menftruums are made of all Volatile Salts. _ ' 3. That the Menftruums of this Kind are the Magifleries of Vola- tile Salts. Mix the Effence ^/Philofophical Wine with the Magi- flery of any Volatile Salt, and you. will in a moment make a Menftru- um of this fourth Kind. 4. That thefe Menftruums may be alfo made by Parifinus his way c/Ccelummelleum.^^wf/y by Circulation, and therefore called Cir- ctdat[tms,commo»Sa\ Armoniack Circulated, SaltofVrine, Blood, Harts-horn, &c. Circulated, or the Water p/Sal Armoniack Cir- cidatedy the Water of the Salt ofBiood Circulated, &c. 5". That it is very uncertain what Philofophical Menftruum Trif- mofinus meant by Spirit of Wine : For divers Menftruums have heenhythe Adepts fignifed by thefar/ie Name of Spirit of Wine ; for the mofl part they meant the fimple Spirit ^Philofophical Wine, fometin;es the fame acuated after a different manner, that ii, th fm- fle Vegetable Menftruum. So Baftl in his Book of Conclufions, pre- pares the Oyls of Metals with Spirit ofWim ,• by which he declares himfelf to iMve meant not the fmple Spirit, but a fimple Vegetable Menltruum, /;/ the preparation of the Oyl of Mercury, he commanding this open Metal to be by the Spirit of Wine, re^ify dfirfl with Salt ef Tartar, (which Menftruum we fhall have in tbe following Kinds) reduced into an Oyl; with the reft of the Metals being more compact ^ Jo more require : Sometimes alfo they did by the Spirit of Wine in- tend Vegetable Menftruums compounded ; yoLuUy, amot^gthe other Names of Circulatum majus, reckons up alfo Aqua Nwx. This Menftruum, faith he, the Wife Men called by almoft innumerable Names, the Acetum acerrimum, wliich converts Gold into a Spi- * nt ; ( 43 ) rit ; this is Aqua Sicca, Aqua Solis, Aqua Fitoe, in Bsf> ^S- feny Minerat Menftniums alfo the Adepts more than often call hy the Name 0/ Aqua Vit:E. ^0 Albertus in luo Compofitode Compo- fitis, pag. 939. Volum 4. Theat. Chym. Diftills a Mercurial Mimral Water ; of which thus : Behold, this is the AquaFita, the Acetum Philofophorum, and Lac Virginis^hy which Bodies are re- folved into the firfl Matter. Though therefore it he uncertain to Divine ivhat Spirit of Wine out ofjuchavajinumher of Menftruums Trifmofinus intended; yet Jhall we not much err from the Truth, if we take any Mcnftruum whatfoever, either Simple or Compounded, Vegetable or Miner al,in- fteadofthn Spirit', for we may with all promifcuoujly perfe^ the fame Philofophical Work, differing only in degrees, as being jhonger or weaker, which common Spirit of Wine makes altogether impo^ihky and fallacious : Tet notwithftanding Dire^ions there are, which may in this ambiguity make us more certain ; as, I. Any ambiguous, or unknown Name of any Menftruum, is eafily known by its Synonimds, if there he any in the fame Book, or other Writings of the fame Adept, as for Example: If in the Defer iption of the Bahamum Samech of Paracelfus, you know not what the Circulatum minus is, the Synonimds (produced hy Paracellus himfelf Lib. 10. Arch, in the Defiription of the Circulatum m^- jus,(jvhere it is called Vt'vnmm Ens Salis, and Arcanum Salis) de- noting moreover the Nature, yea, and preparation of the Menftruum, delivered here perhaps lefs clearly (qaatenus Menftruum) hut elfe- where more plainly under the Title <7/Eflence or Primum Ens) do put it out of alldouht, that it is the Arcanum of common Salt. Bm Ifaid, Synonimds in the Writings of the fame, not of another Adept, hecaufe oftentimes others intended another thing hy thefe Namesyea that Name which hath in one Book the fame fignification with the refl, hath commonly in another, though of the fame Author, a fignification different from them ', and therefoi'e that Synonymum mufl, if poffihle, he had out of the fame Book, which muft then he compared both with other Writings of the fame Author, and alfo with the Writings of other Adepts/^ confirm the meaning of the Author aheut the identity of the Synonimum, which was doubted of. z. But if there be no Synonimds in Books (f the fatne Author, it is not convenient for this unknown Name to be explicated by the Wri- tings of other AdQ^ts,becaufe the Adepts themjelves have fmne times H X alfo (44) alfo erreel^ in giving an explication either letter than was fitting, or altogether contrary, to an ohfcure Name and Flace ; yet is it nut on^ ly laivftti, hut neceffary alfe, to ohferve what they fay, efpeciaUy the Scholars or Followers of the fame Author • for though they jlexv not the Authors Meaning, yet do they their oir.nas to that Matter. " ^. Butif Synonimiis cannot dijcover the Name, Jome exprefioi? Hfed in the Receipt xvlll perhaps explain it more eafily, provi- ded it he rightly examined h\ an indufirims Objenuer of thofe Receipts ,• as, ' ■ I-. If it he not known, whether the Adept means a Mineral(^Acid^ of Vegetable Menftruum, // mufi be enquired by the Particulars following : Firft, iVhether that MehHruum dffclves Bodies with force or heat, for then it mufi be Mineral, this Sign betraying the acidity of Minerals Salts : becaufe Vegetable Menftruums difjolve Bodies al- ways fweetly, andflowly. Secondly, Whether the diffolution digcfledfor a time be convert- ed into a Black Colour, or Black Powder fvimming upon the Men* rtruum,y<)/- thatfignifies a Vegetable Menftruum, ^becaufe the diffo- tutions of Mineral Menftruums ds contain Bodies twice dijfolved, once with the Spirit o/Philolbphical Wine, ivherewith they become Black,then. with the corrofive or acid Spirit of Salts : Therefore the Black Powder and Colour ' are Signs of a Vegetable dijfolutiony whereto is added a Milky Opacity, common indeed to both iVlenftru- unis, for all weak or weakened Menftruums, containing as it were their aridity lefs diffolved and precipitated, as alfe Vegetable diffc- lutions longer digefied after blacknefs, do becomeOpacous and Milky, and fo continue, till they are made diaphanous and mofl clear, by drawingof the Phlegm, the acid part, or the Spirit y/«mz/Menftruum, hecauje this cannot he dsne ly any Veget able Men&mvim, though fieverfofirong. z. If it he not tnown^ whether either the frmple'lr 'coWijounde^ Vegetable Menftruum is to be taken^ ive ohferve the things follow^ ing as to the ufe of-them : ■ ■ Filft, If inthediffolution of a Metallic k^r Mineral Body, a White Body orjome refidue he left, then may ye know it to be ajjmple /^^ge- /ij^/e Menftruum, hecauje it extra&s only the Tindures or, fences of things, diffhlvingtheOleofity, hut not the Aridity of thitigs^qn the contrary Vegetable Menftruums cornponnded-t as. alfo Minev^(Men~ ftruums, which are Jlronger tham the Simple, M^dfffol'ti£Jh£^hole Body, not leaving any Faeces. ' ^\^ , ^''^^y^ /^^ ^^V. iiecondly, If the whole Body (fa thing dijfolwd 'be. tur tied into Oylyfwimmimupon the Menftruum, that was a Vegetable Menftru- um compounded, for that only are they able to do : Thejmple Vege- table Menftruumsare not jhengenough, hut:MischtlM£n^M\!iix\s are too Jhong ; thofe therefore dijfol've not the whole Body, hut thefe diffolve not only the whole Body, hut reduce it, being diQ'olved into Oyl, not one only, but twofold : So //^e-Temperatum of Paracelfus, (^a Menftruum otherwife fufficiently unknown^ is by nje known, to he //^e Circulatum majus, or a Vegetable Menftruum compounded, he- caufe h reduceth Metals by it into a fwimming Oyl, or Magifieni^x Thirdly, If in the diffolution or digeflion of the. thing, dijfol've d, you fee it made Black, or caji forth a B^ack Powder, Jay it was -pim- ple Vegetable Menftruum, becaufe Vegetable Menftriiums'tTJw- pounded<. and Mineral, as beingjlronger. do'^liett.er retain their, l^dy djjjohed.mthem. ,- . r (^ -^^ ^ CH?i^ODhn^ 3 • But the doubt, whether the ftmple VegetabU Menliruura,, ,e Salibm Armoniac, &c. and mCLru- fura Teftamenti^ otherwife called Vade mecum, in the Chapter which begins, Partus FeraTerrce. There you may read from firft to laft the Magiftery of making and purifying, together wjth the Virtues aiad Energiesof this Salt ?. And know, my Son^ that whatfoever we Write in that Chapter,' we mean that Salt and nothing elfe: Read and Perufe that Chapter, becaufe no- thing can be done in the Magiftery without that Salt, for that its the thing with which we acuateour Menftrmm^ to diflblve as Gold, and Precious Stones, a ndPearls,asw^ell for humane Mede- cines, as for a Metallickand Lapidifick Magiftery, asd to make Pearls and Precious Stones. In which Receipt ^/Lully, we have the Volatile Salt of T^irtit given us freely^ hitherto fought in vain, with very great pains and cojty of which the Theoretical PhUofophers have in their Theories ex- hibited netbing hut what is moft ohjcure. Ifpcak,7^/^/; Sendivogi- us, all things openly ; the Extra(Stion only of our Sal Armoniack, or Philoffiphical Mercury, I have not fo openly revealed : Send, in Epilogo T.'i.' TraU.. pag. 337. Now, out of his fecond Experiment alledged, we have the following Defer ipt ion of Sal Arnioniack, or Volatik. Salt of Tartar, thus : The. Volatile Salt of Tartar of LuIIy. ^:^' ^\i'*\ • OM of the Secon(J E}(J^eim -, . , ,, ,v,.r _,. ,-:. ..,„.,,;^ ^- ^ TAke thebeft Tartar, pulverize, sand put it in an Earthen Veflel not glazed, to calcine the fpace of three Days,- or till it be White : Which being ilone, difToive it in the Aqua 'Fi- toe, firftdiftill'd (jn the Spirit of V\A<:i'iQ'^\\it^\'^\\\t, not yet refii- /yV)thus; namely. Put this individual, beiiig calcined and White, ( 49 ) White, into an Urinal, and pour in the Aqua Vitcc fo, as to be fe- ven Fingers above it, and cover the Veflel with its Antemtori- um {Blind Alemhick) and fet it on a Furnace of Allies to fimper two Hours, then pour that which is dilTolved into another Vef- fel carefully, but that which remains undiflolved dry : then again pour in new Aqua Vita^ and again boyl it upon Aih^s : empty the diflblution again, as before, and keep it with the other former dillblution : the matter remaining in the Veflfel, dry again,and take it out of the Vellel, becaufe it mufl be again calcin'd, to be the more eafily didblved ; which being calcm'dl, dilToIve again with new Ajna nta, and boyl it upon Allies : this dillblution keep with the other, as above, and repeat this MagiHery fo oft, till all this individual be calcined, and diflbl- ved : then put all the diflblutions in an Urinal, fitting an Alem- bick with a Receiver to it, and clofmg the Joynts very fall, di- ftil by Balneo, till the matter be congealal, or till no more will diftil by that degree of heat, thenremovethe Receiver, and flop it to prevent reipiring, and then let the Urinal upon Allies ; and if any corruptible part (Thlegm and unprofitable Earth') remain with the matter, let it be burnt, and the Veflel having remain- ed t.\\'o or three Hours, in a Fire fomewhat remifs, and not any thing more diftilling through the beak of the Alembick, let the Veflel cool, and then pour the fame Water {Aqua Vita, or Spirit <>/Philofophical Wine) which you kept before ftopt in tlie Re- ceiver, upon the matter again : This matter therefore being dif- folved, diilil the Water again in Balneo, as before, which ha- ving taken away, the Receiver you muft keep well flopt from refpiring : then fet the Urinal in Allies, and dry the matter ; be- ing d/yed, dilfolFe it in again with the Water which you kept in the Receiver ,• and if you fee the diflblution is not clear and dia- phanous, you muft tranfmit it fo often through a Filter or Lin- nen Cloth, and fo oft diflblve and congeal it by turns, as be- tore, till it be free from all Terreftreity, and appear clear and fplendid : then may you be afllired, that the impure and cor- ruptible part is feparated, and you will fee the whole matter tranfmuted into an Oyl. But now, moil dear Son, you mufl: proceed to the compofition of our Mercury^ and Sal Armoniack^ the Powers and Virtues whereof are fo many and fo great, as fcarceto be comprehended within the ex prellion of Man. The I way ( 5° ) way of which operation is thus : You muft know the weight of the Salt or Oyl, which you beheld in tlie lottomofthe Veiiel depurated, and pour to it fo much of our Spirit (^that is J^ua .Fi/^ reclif) 'd lo, as to burn a Cloth lleeped ink; as will be four Fingers above it, or let there be fix parts more of the weight of the Aqua Fita-, than is the Salt or 0\l : the whole being mix'd together, put into an Urinal with a Cover or A»' tenotorium well luted, that it lefpire not : putrifie in Balneo the fpace of two Natural Days, then take off' the Antawtoriton, and put on an Alembick, with a Receiver, clofe the Joynts well, and diftil in a Furnace of Afhes with a flow Fire: which ditlil- lation muft be continued till the Beak or Head difcover no Veins, but fuddenly after the Veins difappcar, lay afide the Receiver with the diftilled Water (5/'/>/? pf Philofophical Wine ) and flop it clofe, for now comes the animated Spirit (^Spirit of Wine im- pregnated vcith the Effefice f/ Tartar) which hath the pmi'er of vivifying its Body '^or Caput Morttw.m'- then continue the fame difliilatiO'n, in the end augmenting the Fire, that if anyi part of Phlegm remain, it may exhale and be removed by that degree of heat : Laftly, the VelTcl being cold, take out the matter and grind it : know tlie weight of the matter, and pour to it four parts 0^ Aqua Fita more than is the Earth (Caput mortuuw) and covering the Veflcl clofe u ith its Antemtoriurr.^ putrifie ?s be- fore, then putting an Alembick to it with a Receiver, well lu- ted, diftilias before, in a Furnace of Afhes : the Soul being with its Spu-it gone over, v/ith the fame Signs of VeinSj as before, ap- pearing, repeat the fame Magiflery three times : For then will you have the Spirit peri'eftly animated, and the Body exanima- ted and calcined : Tiiis Spirit with the Soul (of tartar') is indeed capable of difpofing every Phyfical operation, but in this place we will life it for the vivifying of the calcined Earth : Take therefore the aforefaid Earth out of its VefTei, and grind ir, then put a little of it upon a red hot plate, which if it melt like Wax without fume, is a f.gn of perfedb exanimation ; it this fign ap- pear not, this Magiftery muft be reiterated, till you have obtain- ed that fign, Xlien know the weight of the Eaitlr, upon whicli pour a fourth part of tlie animated Spirit, and the Nt^eX being covered clofe with \X.s Antemtorium ^ fet it in Balneo tv.o or three days to be congealed, or till it be congealed ; which done, re- move. (51) move the Antemtorkw^ putting on a Head, and diftill in a Fur- nace of Allies without a Receiver, that if there be any part of PJilegm, It may be from thence removed, for that which comes out from this diftillation will be infipid, of no favour or efteem in the Form of Rain Water : Then again pour on a fourth part ofthe animated Spirit, as before, and congeal inBalneo, as be- fore, then diftil the Phlegmatick moifture by Allies, as before, and thus repeat the atorefaid Magillery, till the Earth hath drunk up and attracted to it all its animated Spirit, and attain'd to fuch a fign, that if you put a fmall quantity of it upon a Fire- hot Plate, the major part iume away, which will be a fign that the matter is dilpofed for the fubliming of our moll precious Mercury, which hath the power of diflblving any Metal what- focver \\ irh the prelervation of its Vegetive and Germinative form. Take therefore the aforefaid pregnant Earth, and put it into a Bolt-head {S'M'matory^ with a long Neck, which you muftlute very well with LutumSapie>iticc, and the luting being dryed, fet it with the matter into a dillilling Furnace, admini- ftring in the beginning a gentle Fire, till the Bolt-head grow hot, whofe Mouth muft be (topped with Cotton-wooil, and con- tinue that gentle heat the fpace of fix Hours, then augment the Fire fomewhat fix Hours more ; but if it begins not by that de- gree of Fire to fublime , increafe the Fire gradually to a more violent degree, till it begin to fublime, which Fire continue the fpace of twenty four Hours, at the expiration of which time, the Veflel being cold, take from thence our Sulphur fublimed {the Fegetahle Sulphur of Kiture) our Mercury {Vc^etaUe) our Heaven {dry) our Sal Armomack {Vegetable) our Stone not yet fermented, and call'd by many more other Names, whofe fa- culty is to acuate its Spirit (o/Philofophical Wine J as lliall be made appear by the Experiments hereafter following : 77.'/'? Volatilization of the Salt of Tartar is fufficiently tedious, yet eafieand ckilr, according to the tenour ofthe Receipt. In the follow- ing kind /jf Menrtruums, we /hall have divers examples of making fiich Sal Harmonlacks, wherefore we will thither rejerve thoje things which are to le admonifhed about this way of making the Vo- latile Salt o/Tart'ar. LuUy mixefh three pounds ^f this Volatile Salt with fmr of tSe Spirit ut here it is read Sal Armoniack, perfectly fulli- med ; hut that they are Synonyma's, is even now manifefl hy the Receipt of Lully ; For whatfoever Salt, either fixd or volatile, is joyned with the Spirit c/ Philofophical Wine and fuhlimed, is called our Volatile Salt, our Sulphur of Nature, and our fiSli- med Mercury, which may he ufed promifcuoufly as Salt Philofophica//y fuhlimed ; for both thofe Salts {of Tartar and Sal Armoniack) irere hy Baiilius ma^e perhaps out of one and the fame matter : But this his Menftruum is notfo ftrong as the Coslum Vegetabile of Lully ; though prepared out of ihejame Salt of Tartar jujl as that : For BafiUus diminifheth the virtue of this Salt, hy adding the Spirit df common Wine : Lully accomplift:eth the fame work, hut ivith the Spirit of Philofophical Wine .- yet Bafllius fometimes alfo made his Menftruum y/roAigf/- than the Cceluni Vegetabile of- Lully, hyfeparating the Spirit of common Wine from the Philo>- fophical Sal Armoniack, which indeed he performed two ways : Firfl, hy kindling the ViQn'i\r\\\xmjn a Copper Veffcl defign'd for this ufe,to hurnaway ihe Spirit of common Wine, hut leave the Ve- getable Sal Armoniack hy it felf, reduced into a liqidd fuhftance. Jhe way is this. i5>. The C 54 ) i^. The Fiery Spiiit of Wine oiBafiliu^. In the Place 06 above. TAke the antecedent Spirit of Wine, being fit for this pre- paration of the Fiery Spirit, make an Inftrument of Cop- per, wliich may be taken up in the middle, below and above the Holes, aa alfo above the middle of the Veflel, put on an Alem- bick with a Pipe, let them be all oi Copper, except the Recei- ver, which mull be of Glafs, which put in a wooden VelTel into Water, and cover it above with wet Cloaths, in the uooden Veflel let there be a paflage, by which the Water, when hot, may fly out, and cold be poured on : all things being thus pre^ pared, the Spirit of Wine prepared is put m through the lower Holes, fo as to touch the Holes, then is it kindled, and the Mer- cury is driven upwards through the middle Holes, and refolved by the coldnefs of the Water, and pafleth outofthe Alembick into the Receiver : Thus is the true Spirit of Wine prepared, but in the work never ceafe from refrigerating, and pour on new Aqua nt£e,k{\. it burn too low. In the Addition or Appendix of manual operations, Bafilius defcriled this Spirit thus : Take Wine burned {jather Wine to he burned, made of the Sal Armoniack of Tartar, and Spirit of Common Wine') which put in a ftrong Vel- fel that can endure the flame of Fire,and kindle it with a Match of Sulphur, and foithwith apply an Alembick of Iron or Cop- per, with a large Receiver, and the true fiery Spirit ot Wine is refolved and diflilled into a Liquor : this is the true airy and fiery Spiiit of Wine. Secondly, He impregnates Cs-lx Vive, or Qjjck himey with the Menflruum defer ihed in Numb. 18. from which he difillsa Men- llruum yet Jironger, called Spirit of Calx Vive. Calx Vive, faith he, is ftrengthened and made more fiery by the pure and not fopiiifticated Spirit of Wine (made cfSz\ Armoniack and Spi- rit of Common ll'ine very okencohohztcd, to which Calx add the Sal alkali of Jar tar, the dryed Fxcesof the fame Salt being alfo added, tioni whicii, being thoroughly mix d, diftil the true Spiritns GebemieKS, or Spirit of Hell^ in which are great Myfle- nes hidden : the method of acquiring this Spirit I have told you, ( 55 ) you, which obferve, keep, and accept for a faiewel-Gitt. Bafi- Ihs in Rcpet. Lnpielis, iv Caf. de Cake viva. M&tli, faith he, ■ it the End ot this Book, De MeeiicinufupernatHralihus. I told you o!'tlie Virtues and Qual.ties of Precious Stones, but there are alfo ibund many Stones defpicableand ignoble, yet of great Vir- tupjis Experience teftifies J though the ignorant and unskilful will fcaicegive Credit to thefe fayings, and cannot conceive thofe things with their dull Brains, yet will I demonftrate it by an Example of Calx vive, which Calx is according to the judg- ment of the Vulgar, of little value, and contemptible in obfcuri- ty ; yet neverthelefs there is powerful Virtue in it, which ap- pears in the application of it againft mod grievous Difeales : but its triumphant and tranfcendent efficacy being in a manner unknown to mofl Men, for the fake therefore of thofe that in- quire into Natural and Supernatural Myfteries, do I difcover the lecretsof this Book ; as a farewel alfo will I reveal the Myflery of Calx rive, and declare firft the way of diftilling the Spirit of it, which work does indeed require an expert Artift, well inform- ed before, in this preparation. 20. I'he Spirit of Calx vive of Bafilius. In F'me Lib. de Med. Su^ernaUir, TAke of Calx vive what quantity you will, grind and pre- pare it on a Marble into an impalpable Powder, whereto pour of the Spirit of Wine (^Menflruum in Numb. 1 8.) fo much as the pulverized Calx is able to imbibe, no Spirit fwimming upon the Calx. Then apvly an Alembick, lute well, and put a Re- ceiver to it, abfliaft the Spirit from it in a moil gentle Balneo ; . this abftraftion muff be repeated eight or ten times : this Spirit ftrengthens much the Spirit of the Calx, which is thereby made more fiery. Take the remaining Calx out of the Cucurbit, grind it very well, and add to it of the Salt of Tartar. QJlkalf) i3t tench part, and as much as all of the Earth of the Salt oi Tar- tar, or matter left in extraffing the Salt of Tartar, and well dry- cd, diflil rhemall being v.eil mlxd out of a Retort well luted, three parts of which mvifl be empty, in a Receiv<:r large and fii-m : Take notice, tlint the Receiver, irltb \s*hich the Beak of tbe. ( 50 the Retort is put, muft have a Pipe one Fingers breadth, to which another Receiver is to be applyed,in which muft be a little quan- tity of Spirit ofWine (^Menjlruum in Numb. i8.) then diftil with a loft Fire, and the Phlegm wilkfcend into the firft Receiver j the Phlegm being di{lilled,incrcale the Fire, and then will come a white Spirit, in the Form of the white Spirit diftillcd from Vitriol (J'Jj'dofophkar) which will not defcend into the Phlegm, but through the aforefaid Pipe into the other Receiver, there joyning it lelf with the Spurit of Wine, even as Fire is eafily jpyned with Fire. Take notice, ifthis Spirit of Cj/a- be not rightly prepared or impregnated with the like Spirit of Wine,bY the aforefaid cohobations, it is in diftilling mixed with its Phlegm, extinguiflied, and lofeth its Virtue ; fo difficult a thing it is to drive deeply into Nature , llie referving many things to her felf : This Spirit being now inix'd \\'ith the Spirit of Wine,take away the Receiver, pour out the Phlegm, and keep the Spirits of the Crf/x and ir/wf wearily : Obferve, boththeie Spirits are feparated not without difficulty, for they embrace one another, and in diftillation afcend together : Wherefore, if you kindle the Spirits being mix'd and united in a Glafs Veflel, the Spirit of iVine is burned, but the Spirit of the Cals rcmxains in the Glafs, which keep diligentl)-. This is a great Arcamon^ few Spi- rits do exceed its efficacy, if you knew the ufe of it, its quali- ties can fcarce be defcribed by way of Ccmpendhm. This Spirit diflblves Crabs Eyes, and the hardeftCriftaJs : thefethree diftil- lcd together through an Alembick, and many times cohobated, make a Liquor, 'threedropsof which taken in warm Wine, do' break and diftblve the Gravel and Stone in Mans Body, tliis Liquor expells the very root or caufe of that Difcafe without any pain to the Patient : This Spirit o^Cals at the beginning is of a Sky-Colour, but being gently reftified apjicars wliite, tran- fparent and clear, leaving fome tew Fxces behind it : This Spi- rit diiTolves the moft fixed Jewels, and Precious Stones, and on the contrary fixeth all Volatile Spirits by its tranfcendent heat : This Spirit overcomes all Symptoms whatfoever of the Foda- gj-^, though never fo knotty and tartarous, all which it diflbh'es and radically expells. IfSp'rit ofW/»e, acuated with Fegetalk Sal Harmoniack he kindled^ the Sprit of common Wins is hurled, hit the Sal Harmoni- ack f S7 ) zc\ibeingtncomhuftihle, afcends in the Form of a Liquor , an J is called the Fiery Spirit of Wine ^/Bafilius, hut the fame Spirit of Wine joyned with the Sal -Harmoniack being ahforhed by the Calx vive, and then diftilled into itfelf and then kindled, the Spirit of com- mon Wine is indeed confumed by the Flame as before, but the Spirit of the Calx, or rather the Vegetable Sal Harmoniack afcends not as before, but remains in' the bottom of the Glafs becaufe more di' gefted, and made more fixed : But for the greater elucidation of thefe Spirits, we thought good to add another Defer iption of the Spirit ef Calx. 2 1, The Simple Spirit of Calx vive oiBafilius^ In manualibus Operationibus. TAke pure. Calx vive, burn it in a Potters Furnace with a moft flrong Fire, to reduce it to an exa£t maturity ,grind it very fine upon a Marble, and put it in a Cucurbit, pour to it Spirit of Wine made of Thilofophical Tartar (as I iliall teach in my methodof making Aurum potabile) that the Calx may be made like thin Pap ; this being done, diftil from thence the Phlegm, till the Calx be dry, pour on new Spirit of Wine, and draw of: repeat it fix times, then grind the matter very curi- oufly, and put it in a Cellar to be dilTolved per deliquium, and within ? few days a Liquor will run fromit,which being gather 'd and diftilled by a Retort in Sand, fir ft fends forth a Phlegm to be kept by it felf, after that a Spirituous Liquor, which alio keep apart : Now take Criftals pulverized, nyx them with the fame weight o^ Five or Mineral Sulphur, burn thismatter, continual- ly iurring it, till all the Sulphur be burned away, then reverbe- rate in an open Fire the fpace of three Hours ; this done, pour the aforefaid Liquor to this matter. Take alfo Crabs Eyes, to wiiich alfo pour the fame Liquor of quick Lime in another Glafs, let them be digefted fourteen Days in a heat ftrong enough, and from both will afcend an humidity upon the fuperftcies, which decant finely intoa little Glafs, and reftifie in Balneo, and a Li- quor will remain in the bottom ; three grains of whicli admi- niftred in Wine have produced verv great and admirable efieds. k' This CsS ) This Medicine cures alfo radically the Stone or the Bladder and Kidneys, as vveli in Men .i,-, Women. The Spirit of Wine made of Philofophical Tartar, ivhich Baalius fromifed to give in hn method of making Aurum poiabile. nU con- firm all the afore fud ''lenrLruums f/BaliiiUs ; for thfc .iremcJe of S'aJ HarmoniacrC, or the Volatile Salt of Tartax ieing divers ways prepared ; lut this Spirit /-/Philofophical Wine is acuated with the Salt of Tartar, not indeed the common AlcaU ; hut that Ieing reduced together with the Spirit of Philolophica] Wine into a liquid fubfiance : for we are to he admonifhed that it is not always necejfarj to make th Ccelum or Heaven c/Lully, and the refl of the Menfiruums of this kind, with the Salt 0/ Tartar, as Ieing Philofophica/Iy Vola- tilized, hut that fometimes alfo the fame Menftruum may he made of the Salt of Ta.rtzr without the fuhlimation or redu^ionofit into the Vegetable Sulphur of Nature, by cohchatingonly the Spirit of ^hx- lofophical Wine upon Salt of Tartar, till it afcend by dijiiib.tion in the Form of a Milky Liquor. It is thus done^ 2 2. The Tartarifed Spirit of Wine o^Bafiliu'S. In manal. Operatio7i. THe firfl thing to be known is that the Philofophers Tar- tar, u'herew ith the Lock is opened, is not like common Tartar, as moft Men imagine,but is another Salt, though ! j^ring- ing from the fame Fountain : This Salt is the only Key to open, and diilblve Metals, if prepared as foUoweth. Take the Alhes of a fruitful Wine, and draw a Lee or Lixivium as ftrong as may V be o\x\ of them with hot Water, which evaporate by boy ling it to a drinefs, that the matter may remain reddilh, which rever- berate in_a re^'erberatlng Furnace three days, or thereabouts, with an open Fire, till it become white : then dillolve it in Spring- Water, fuffer it to fettle, decant the clear, filter to fepa- rate the Fasces, being filtred, coagulate, and you will have the white Salt oi^ Tartar, liom which the true Spirit is diftilled after this manner : Take Spirit of Wine rcdifi'd to the highefl de- gree, and altf^ether void of Phlegm, (defer ibed in Numb. 1 9.) and pour it to the Salt of Tartar in a Phial with a long Neck, fo as to be three Fingers above it,lute an Alembick to the Phial, fit ( 59 ) a Receiver to it, and digefl with a gentle heat, then draw off the Phlegm mofl fot'tly, and the Spirit of Tartar is opened by Vir- tue ot the Spirit ot Wine, and by reafon of reciprocal and admi- rable love they both afcend together ; the Foeces remaining, if any be, as alio the Plilcgm mult be caft away ; thus will you have the true Spirit of Wine, wherewith Aurum potahile is made. This truly is a mojl Noh'k Menftruum, fo as for its excellency ts dejerve a higher Place than this among the Simple Vegetable Men- ftruums ; whereas it ought to have been more rightly transferred to thefevetith Kind of Menllruums ; hut it uerj much at prefent Illufi- ratingthe Menftruum.s r/f Bafilius, and fo of greater utility here than there f ive will not remove it from hence, jet will we add fome examples more clear offuchfort o/Meniluums. Thus it is done^ 23. The Vegetable Acetum acerri??mm^ or Ignis Acfcpti of Riplev^,made oiTartar calcined. Pag.:^^i. Concord. Raym. is^ Quid . TAke the Tartar of Wine, and calcine it to vvhitenefs. Take of this calcined Tartar on^ Pound, and being pul- verized, put it in a great Glafs Cucurbit, and pour to it half a Cup, or a little more of the ftrongeft Spirit of (Philofophical) Wine., flop the Mouth very clofe, and let them ftand in cold Water twenty four Hours, then put a Receiver to it' and diftil in Balneo with an eafie Fire,yet fo as to-be diftilled ; which eafie diftillation mull be continued, till the Phlegm afcend, which mufl be known by the tafte, then let it cool, and again put new Spirit of Wine to the aforefaid Tartar ^ the fame quantity as be- fore, doing all things as before : which work you mufl repeat fifteen times, but when the VelTel is opened in every Imbibition, above all things have a care of the fuddain fume of this Ignis Adepti : This work lieing in fifteen times compleat, lay aftde three ounces of this fiered Tartar for a part, to multiply the Mercurial Oyl, as lower will appear. Take the other part of this fiered Tartar, and diflil it in Sand with a mod ftrong Fire, which Fire being fo diftiUed hatha white Colour, and is our K z Natura Natura igmta, our Mercury^ our Aqua Fitce, laflly the Key of our Science. Tim Menftruum is the fame, a.f to the Ingredients and Virtue^ with the VeqetaUe Heaven o/ Liilly . hut it muji he Circulated like that Heaven, in order to loje its milky and duski/h Colour, and ac- (juire the diaphaneity and clear nefs c^ this. This Receipt hath alfo Johannes de Rupefcilla, which it is convenient to compare with tfjis, efpecially . he varying fomeivliat ' in Circumflances, hy diffolvin take away Corruption, v\"hich remaining, it can never be joyn- ed with its Spirit extracted trom the moft precious, and its near- eft Individual, which is the beft Wine, freed from all manner of Humidity and Corruption .- Then- Circulate it in a Circulating Veflel, and fo reduce, it into a Quinteflence, and it will forth- with embrace its Spirit : this Circulation we performed at firft in ( i2) ifi thirty days,but afterwards com pkated the fame in forty days, which Circulation was much better than the the firft, becaufe the longer it is circulated, the more is it purity'd, and adepted for any of our Phyfical Operations, which order when need re- quires, you alfo muft obferve. Menftruums of this kind may he clivers ways made not only out of the Alcali of Tartar, hut other fixd Alcalies may he alfo taken in- Jfead.ef thatyos proves the fo//owingMen{^rmm. 26. The Simple Vegetable Menftrmim produ- cedf rom the three Individuals oiLully. In Experim. 25. TAke Jcina VitcQ fo acute, as to burn a Linnen Cloth, which tranlmit again through an Alembick, that it may be pertedly reftify'd : Then take the Salt of Celandine, Salt of Mans Blood, Salt extrafted from Honey, as you have them above in their Experiments, all which Salts put together in an Urinal (Cucurhit') and upon every Ounce of thole Salts pour four Ounces of the aforefaid Aqua Vit(s^ cover it with its Ante- wftorium, (hlind Head^ then having a little time digefted put on an Alembick, with a Receiver. annexed, lute the joynts welj^ and diftil in Aihes, fuffering the Salts to go over together with the Water : If any thing remain, pour to it again its diftilled Water, and when all is come over, pour in new Salt again, to wit, one Ounce, and pafs it through the Alembick as before. ■ Thirdly, add again another Ounce ot Salt, as above, and diflil, repeating this Magiftery three times, every time adding new Salt : Thefe things being done, Circulate this Water in a Veflel deep and narrow the I'pace of fifty Natural Days, but obferVe that the Veflel refpire not. Circulation being fimihed, you will- in the bottom of the VelTel fee a Sediment like the Ur.ne of a' found Man, which will be white ; empty the Water wanl}" in- to another clean Vellel, and be carelul that the Sediment pafs not over with the Water, but remain in the bottom of the Vef- fel: flop the Vellcl of the Circulated Water fo as notto-re^ fpire, and keep it in Balnco. " - !-:»» Portu- laca Marina, Apium Syiveftre, Squilla, Euphorbium , Pyre- thrum, Rofmarinus, Herb Mercury, Solatrum, Oliandrum, ^c. with all which you may acuate the Vegetable Mercury drawn from Wine., either joyntly or fever ally. This fort of Menftruums is made not only out of the Alkalies^ Vegetables J hut alfo out of Mineral Salts, fuch as common Salty Sal Genunac, Alum, ^c Thus it is made. 27. The Circulatum Minus, or Water of Salt Circulated of Paracelfus Lib. 10. Archidox. TAKE the true Element of Water, or inflead thereof another Salt which hath not been as vet boyVd to plain Drinefs, or alfo Sal Gemmce putrified ; pour two parts of the water mix'd with a little Juice of Rapbanusto it, putrefie in acu- rate digeflion, the longer the better ; let it afterward congeal, L tad (66 ) .andputrefie again for a Month; then diftil in a Retort, tlie remainder urg^ with a ftrong Fire, that it may melt ; reverbe- rate in a Retort, with a continual Fire, dillblve uppn a MarLle the water flowing from hence pour to it, and p\itrefie again • diflil again even to an Oleofity ; joyn it Mirh the Spirit of (Thilofophical)Vl'me .fmd. that which is impure \M^ fall down, which ieparate \ but let the pure !?e criflali?ed 'v^ a cold place • p.o.ur Oil again that which is diftilled, and cohobate fo oft' till a fixed Oyl remains mthe bottom, and nothing fweet goes over ; Digell: moreover for a Month, then diitil, fill the Arcamm of Salt pafs over through the Alembeck : Nor let long labour grieve you, for this is the third part of all the Arcamms, which are hidden in Metals and Minerals ; and uithout which nothing can be made ufeful or perfed. Thejanie Circulatum hath Paracelfus defqr'iled in his Treatife of reducing Metals into their firfl matter or running Mercury ; (which is the fourth Treatife in Rofario novoOlimpico Benedidi Figuli( ivhich Defer ipt ion we thought good to compare with this, that they may illuflrate one another. Take, faith he, Sal Gemmce moil finely pulverized ; put it in a flrong Crucible, and increaf- ijig the Fire by degrees, melt the Salt, being melted, keep it ip for the fpace of three Hours ; the Salt Joeing cold,pulvcrize it again, and melt it in a nev/ Crucible, according to the aforefaid method, and fo proceed five or fix times ; then to the pulveri- zed Salt, pour fo much of the hot Juice of Raphanus that it may be diflblved (mix the Salt, an(l fqueete it^ mth . lo. Arch'id. pag. 38.) Digeft them a month together in Horfe-dung ; then leparate the dif- folving water by DiftiUaiion, and pour it on again, and fepa- rate, as before, and tiiat fo oft, till the Salt be converted into 0)l. tlm way of making the Effhce of Salt with the Circula- tum minus, u much better, and more exquifite than that former preparation performed by the Spirit ed, putrijyd and difiilld it with new Spirit of Philofophical Wine, or fome Simple Vegetable Menftruum, fo often, till he had diflilt d the whole into Spiritual Water of Salt. . The third Branch con fills in the Redudion of the Effence of Salt ift- ■ to the Arcanum of the fame ; for the Natural (that is. Saline,) Ef- fence of Salt, doth by being cohohated fomt:times with the Spirit of Philofophical Wine, afcend together with it, becomes fweet, and is. tranfmuted into the Arcanum of Salt, or Artificial Effence, of which Arcanums more in the fecondBook of Medecincs. Common Salt therefore difii/Ied with the Spirit of Philofophical '^rme through an Alembick, ts //;e Circulatum minus 0/, Paracelfus, //;f Aqualahs cjrculati, //jf Primum ens falls, the Arcanum falis, the Aqua lol- vens, /^^ Spiritus falls diftillatus, the Matrix and Center of Me- tals and Minerals, ^c. It is called Circulatum, by reafo?i of the Cir- culation (70) eulation or Digefiion of the EJfence of Salt for a Month with the Spirit ofPhilofophical Wine, or which is more probable, hecaufe of the com- mon CircHlatiott of all the Vegetable Menftruums /^r the /pace of 30) 40, or 60 Days, after the Menftruum was already made, Jo that this Circulation, though omitted in our Receipt, muji be under- Jiood in thefe Circulatums of Paracelfus : It is not therefore called Circulatum minus, as if common Salt had lefs Virtues in diffolving^ tlMH the other Salts, hut hecaufe it hath thofe only, and not the tjuali- ty of tinging [uper added, as the greater Circulatums: after the fame manner as Salt is moAe a Circulatum, may alfo ^^itriol he made a Circulatum, Alum a Circulatum, Tartar a Cir- culatum, ^c This way oXkt, faith Paracelfus, is the Arcanum or Magiflery to be made of Vitriol, as alfo of all other Salts, Lih. 10. Arch. Cap. 3 . Pag. 3 8 . Laflly, As thefatine Effence of Salt lefeth its faltnefs, and he- comes fweet by being digefted and cohohated in the Spirit of^\\Ao- fophical Wine,' fo the Common Spirit of Salt well mixed and .di- gefiedwith the Spirit of Wine, becomes a fweet Menftruum. tk u thus done : 28. The Sweet Spirit of Salt of Bafilms. Lib. Panic, fub Sulphure Solk iS' Rep. 12. Clav. TAke of the Spirit of Salt wholly deplilegmed one part, of the beft: Spirit of Wine free from all Phlegm, or the Sulphur"bf Wine,made as Iflmll tell you lower {the Defcription of which we lately had in the precedent Pages') one half part, fir an Alembick well luted, and'diftil ftrongly, fo as that notliing re- mains : To the Diftiliation add one other half part of Spirit of> Wine,- and diftii, and that repeat three times , putrefie iifteen •days, or till it become fweet, which muft be done in a gentle Balneo,- thus will you have the Spirit of Salt and VVmewithT\ out any corrofion for extractions. But though this Menftruum may deferve its Praifes, yet it can fcarce he reckoned amongft Menftruvims of this Kind, where we dij- courfe not of acid Spirits, hut fixed Salts ;Jt tn^fi therefcr-e he con' fidered as an Appendix of the circulated. S^lt,:,to.]tJj^.-^/^Ji,ratirv of which it will not a little conduce. Fro;n ( 7« ) Froin tlie Receipts' we obferve, 1. //;jever hy it felf, hut mixed with Vegeta- //(? Sal-Arraoniack, or Fhilofophkal Salt ofliin^t Qhat3S,'jpitk the 5/)/W/of Philofophical Wine) 'volatilized; which Salt, heitig brought into a licpAid fuhflance hy virtue of this Spirit, is his Men- ftruum ; for he feparates again from thence the Spirit ofQam." raon Wine, either by Flame, or hy quick Lime. 3. That the greater quantity of Sal Armoniack is joyned with the Spirit of Philok)^\\icz\ Wine, the flronger are thefe Menftru- ums made ; wherefore Bafiiius his Menftruums of this Kind, from which all the common Aqua ardens is feparated, are to he reputed among the hejl. 4. That thefe Menftruums are the Magiflery of fi'xeT'SaTtT,1>y Paracelfusca//'^f/;e /f/}Circulatums, or Arcanum of the Alkali of Tartar, Beans, Wormwood, as alfo common Salt, Alom,Nitre, &c. 5-. And therefore that thefe Menftruums are Medecines. 6. That thefe Menftruums may he made feveral ways ; as thefe o«/ p//A-'£' Sal Armoniack p/Lully, hy the method ■ ■ ■ . — -^ 8. TMt thefe Sal Armoniacks are fuhlimed with a very ftrong fire. 9. That (70 p. That thefe Salts are called Harmoniack, hy reafon of the Harmony ar Perfeilion of their mixtion. So have you , faith Lullj^ the formal Harmoniack mixtion of all the Elements ; wherefore wonder not, if we call it Sal Armoniack ; for fo it is called, becaufe of its exalted and fublimed property the pure and firft Matter of Nature, Lih. Mercur. pag. iss- ID. That the volatile 5^/^ 0/ Tartar, the volatile Salt <7/Worm- wood, Carduus Benedidus, &c. common volatile Salt (4v Para- celfus caU'dSaX enixum) are rightly term' d Sal Harmoniacks, Plii- lofophical Vegetable Mercuries, and Sulphurs of Nature, ^c. II. that the Spirit of Salt, Nitre, Vitriol, Aqua fortis, ^c. are hy being cohobated with the Spirit of Philofophical Wmtmade facet. The ( 73 ) The Sixth KIND. Simple Vegetdk Menftruums made of the Spirit and Tartar of Philofophical Wine. 2p. The C(elum Vinofum o( Parifinus made of the Salt of Philofophical Wine. In Appendice Eluc. Pag. 271. Vol. 6. Theat. Chym. TAke the Phllofophers firfl Matter, called Chaos (Fegeta- hle Mercury^ the Philofophers Wine) diftil its Spirit {ar- dent) and Watery Element (Phlegm) in its convenient Vellei, as we fliall teach in its proper place, till its Body remain in the bottom like melted Pitch, which by two diftillations wafli with its Watery Element, then pour its Spirit to it, four Fingers above it, mixing the Matter well, till it be well united, and fet the Vefiel to dilUl in Balneo with an eafie heat : then put it into PutreFadion fix Days in a convenient Veffel, and diftil in Aihes, {the animated Spirit) then take other Spirit, (ardens) and that being poured to it, put it again into Putrefaction fix Days, and fo repeat this Magiftery, till you fee that the Spirit has imbibed and extraded the Soul out of the Body, an infallible fign of which will be, when you fee its Earth hard and dry : for then may you be afiured, that the Body is for its health-fake dead, \A hich you may vivify and make incorruptible, and it will no more fear Death, nor Corruption in this World. Now takethe aforefaid Body, firft weigh it, then put it in a convenient Veffel, and pour to it an eighth part of its Spirit {animated Spirit) M which f 74) which extracted its Soul, then put your VefTel in a Fire of dige- ftieft, (which we fhah fpeak of atterwards^, and continue tlie Eire tUl you- fee that tlie Earth hath in^bibed its Liquor : then open your VelTd^ put on an Alembick, and gather that httle fweat, which wiil have the tafte of hot Water : Imbibe now your Matter for a fecond time with a feventh part of the afore- faid Spirit, wliich contains the Soul, and proceed in the. metlio- il^^ipg of the aforefaid Magiftery : Now for ^ third time im- bibe with a fixt part, for a tourth time imbibe with a fifth part, for a fifth time imbibe with a fourth part, and do not multiply the weight of the aforefaid Spirit, but continue it fo, obferving the aforeiaid Method, till the Matter, which hath drunk up its Spirit, and is again united with its Soul, be white. Take now the aforefaid Earth, and put it in convenient iublimation, the lower part of the Velfel being luted below the Matter, and make the pure part fublime from the impure, and fo will you have our Mercury, which is clear and fhining as a Diamond. This is that which the Philofophers do by divers Metaphors, call the firft Vegetable Matter, Sal Armomack, our Mercury, our Sulphur of Nature, whereas notw ithftanding 'tis one and. the lame thing. Take the other Simple Spirit, which you firfl: ex- tracted out of your Ch.ws, that wliich hath not extraded its Soul, and make it more pure and fubtil by the w-ay following : Take of the Vegetable firft Matter QSal ArmomacF) which you made before, one Pound, and put it in a convenient VelTlI in Balneo, till the Matter difiblve it felf (^^r deliquium) then put- ting to an Alembick, diflil the fuperfluous Water, then pour on three Pounds of the aforefaid Simple Spirit (ardens) and the Vefle-1 being conveniently flop'd, as will be manifefted below, put it into Putrefaction for one Natural Day, after the manner following : Get you a Brafs Veflel, about one fpan and a half broad, and three fpans and a half long, which towards the Ori- fice muft have a Copper Bottom pierced with many Holes, the Cover whereof, which is to go into the Ve/Iel, and (top it well, muft have one or two Holes .- but the Glafs VefTels, which you would put to that Copper Veflel, ought to be conveniently co- vered : in the lower part of thofe Copper Veflels of Putrefaction muft be common Water, thofe Copper Veflels put upon a Fur- nace, making a moderate Fire under, by the ftrength of v\'hich the ( 7S ) the fume or vapour of the Water will afcend, and heat tlie Vef- feJs, in which your Matter is; the whole work of our Supream Magiftery will be matured and prepared by this Method, then diftil conveniently in Ailies with a heat, fcarcc unlike to the Iieat of the Sun, till you have drawn all the Juice from it, then didolve the Matter by pourins to it of the aforefa id Simple Spi- rit three parts, in refped of the Matter, which remained in the Vcffel, after the aforefaid Juice vvasabftrafted from it ; Repeat the Magiftery a fourth time, proceeding andobferving all things cxadly as above : So will you have the Spirit of your Chaosy whicli is by the Phiiofophers called fire depurated^ reduced from power into aft with the Virtue of the Vegetable Matter. Take therefore a Glafs Vellel, ftrong, able to contain the mea- fureof a common Urne, pure and long, whofe Neck muft be ftrong, and two fpans and a half long, whofe Cover muft be ano- ther Glafs, called Antemtorium., with a Neck turned downward, containing the fourth part of a common Urne, to be put into the aforefaid VelTel : Into this Circulating Veftel put four Pounds,and no more, of the depurated Spirit, which you brought from power to action, by Virtue of the Vegetable Matter, as I taught you before. Circulate in Balneo, or Dung the fpace of fixty Days, and when Converfion is made of the Spirit deduced from power to adion by the firft Vegetable Matter, then this you will thereby know, that in the bottom of the Veflel will be a Sediment, hke the Urine of a found Man: Jhenwill you fee a Quintellence brighter and clearer then a Diamond, which ex- ceeds tiie Stars in fplendour, fo as to be doubted, whether it be contain'din the Glafs or not: which you muft dexteroufly fepa- rate from its Sediment, and keep in a Veflel clofe ftopped in a cold place : This is that Virtue which the envious have Iiidden, and obfcured by innumerable Metaphors, calling it Spiritus Vz- vuSf Aqua Argenti viv/. Aqua VitXy Aqua Celefihy Aqua D/a»a, Anima Mmftrui Vegetabiln, Fumus, Vent us ^ our Heaven, Menflra^ ' a I Blood, Vrinefuhlmedy Menfiruur/i, cur Water of Sulphur^ our B/eJfed Stone, giving it-infinite other Names, which we mention not here, but have by Experience icen and known them to be one and the fame tiling. M z Anjiota- ( 7eath (Phlegm) the height of four fingers above it, agitate ; that the tin^-tire, or unftuous fuperfluous part of it may be di(Tblved, let the matter fettle, decant the tincture, to ■ theremaining matter pour new Phlegm, agitating and decanting fo oit, till no more tinfture afcends, and the Earth remains white, fparkling like a Diamond, which dry in the Sun or fome flich heat ; being dryed and pulverized, pour to it of C, that t^^ its (ardent') S^int^ fomuch as willfwim upon it thefpacc of four Fingers, digeftinablind Head three natural Days, then diflil with a flenderheat of Allies, till the Veins difappear, take away the Receiver, ftop it well, put another to, diftil away all the Phlegm with a Firefomewhat ftronger, cool theVeflel, take out theMatter being hardened, pulverize, and putting it in the fame Veflel, pour to it of C the breadth of three Fingers, lute, and putrefie three days, take a^^-^ay the blind Head, diflil through an Alembiclr, till the Veins afcend, then change the Receiver, as before, repeat thefe Operations, till the Earth remain white, and fume not upon a hot Plate : Now take a Phial, put the aforefaid Earth into it, lute well the Neck of the Phial, and let it to di- geft, or calcine rather in Alhes, and you will have your mofl precious Earth now fit to receive its Spirit (animated) or Soul, with the conservation of its radical moift'ure. Take this Earth, put it in a round Veflel, a hands breadth deep, broad about the Orifice, and imbibe it with its Soul, or animated Spirit, as we fliall declare, cap. L. thus have youfo full an Inftrudion of this Matter, that 'tis impoflible for you to err, if you be a faithful Ghriftian. I promifed (he goes on cap. L.) to give you full di- region for the making of all forts of Sulphurs for our Magiftery, that is, Mineral,Vegetable, and Animal Sulphur. Wonder not, that I did firft fublime, and vivify the Mineral Sulphur of Na» ture, I doing this, to give them in order, and that you might the better attend your Pradice and Theory : though I know, you are not ignorant, that no difi!bl\Jtion can be made without either Vegetable or Animal Sulphur. Now to our purpofe j Take the Vegetable Earth prepared, as I taught you cap. F. im- bibe it with its animated Spirit, giving an eighth paft of it, (in refpe^ of the Earth) cover the Vellel with a Blind Head, digeft eight days in Balneo, then lay afide this Head, and d raw ot all. the" (So ) the infipid moifture in a gentle heat of Alhes, or of the Sun : tlien imbibe with a feventh part, digelling ia Balneo, and djftil- ling in Aflies, asbefore ; then imbibe with a fixth, then a fifth ,• laftly a fourth part, and with this quantity repeat the reft of the imbibitions, till the Earth hath dranli up two parts and more of its weight : Then take the Earth out of the Veflei, pulverize, and put a little of it upon a red hot Plate, if the greateft part of it fume away, put the powder into a Sublimatory, and fublime the Philofophers Sal Armoniack^ gi"ving the beginning of Vegeta- tion to both the terrtftrial Lummaries (Gold and Silver) u ith- out which, neither the Vegetable nor Animal Work, yea nothing at all can be done in this ivlagiftery. Thu Volatilization of the fixed Earth the K6e^ts performed other ways alfoy not always ohferving the order of the aforefaid weights of the animated Spirit., in the refufcitation or impregnation of the dead Body: For fometimes they imhihed this exanimated Earth with an eighth part of its animated Spirit fo oft., till it hecame animated agaiMy and was made Volatile. Thus Lully made his. The Vegetable Sal Artnoniack. o( Lully. Lihro de materia Vegetabili inpradlica quart a, TAke excellent Wine either red or white, diftil by the Rule of Art an ardent Spirit, burning Cotton, evaporate the Phlegm till the Matter remain thick, as melted pitch, to which pour of the ardent Spirit fo much, as to fwim four Fingers above it : digeft for a week in Balneo, then diftil the animated Spirit by Allies, to the Earth pour new ardent Spirit, repeating fo oft, till the Earth remain dry, and in the Form of powder : More- over, you muft from the Earth diftil an Oyl in Aflies with a Fire fufficiently ftrong, fo as that the Earth being laid on a red hot r'iate,cafts forth nollime. That Oyl, as alfo the Phlegm are of no value in the prefcnt Work. Calcine or Reverberate the faid Earth in a dole Vedcl, to which pour of the animated ardent Spirit an eigth part in an Alembick, digeft in Balneo three days, tlien gently draw off'the fuperfluous moifture,, being infipid as common Water, imbibe as before, and continue fo oft, till the Earth (8i) Earth in a clofc Veflel, to which pour of the animated ardent Spirit an eighth part in an Alembick, digeft in Balneo three days, then gently draw off the fuperfluous moifture, being infipid as common Water, imbibe as before, and continue fo oft, till the Earth be made Volatile, which you will know, if a little of it put on a red hot Plate be almoft wholly evaporated : This impregna- ted Earth fublime with a fubliming Fire the fpace of twenty four Hours : The Volatile and fublimed Salt fublime by it felf yet twice, which is to be with the ardent Spirit diffolved, diftilled, and forty or fifty days Circulated into an Odoriferous Liquor. Soyyietirr.Ci thsy hnpregnatad the B^'irth from the heginning to the compleat fatitrity of it-, ivith a fourth part of the att'mated Spirit^ thus : The Vegetable Sal Armoni ac i^of LuUy. In Apertorio fuo. TAke ofthebeft Juice of Lumria, that you can find, one Pound or two, and put it into a Veflel with an Alembick, the feams being well joynted and luted, fet it in a little Furnace, and underneath make a Fire of one wiek, and with fucha gentle heat let the aforefaid Spirits be diflilled, and fo long, till it be- gins to make Veins : When therefore the Phlegm begins to fhew Veins, then is it a fign, that the Spirit is diftilled, which contains in it all the perfeftion of Life, and then take that diftilled Spirit, and keep it very choicely in a Glafs well flopt with white Wax, then put another Receiver under the Alembick, and receive the fecond Water, becaufe it retains yet fomething of the aforefaid Spirit, though not fo flrong as the firft : diflil from that fecond Water fo long, till nothing elfe comes but Phlegm, which is no otherwife then as common Water, tafling a little, if it has yet any Virtue, than may you diflil yet^nore, but if it be as the other Water pure in tafte, then lay afide the Receiver with that fecond Water, and put another Glafs to receive all the Phlegm, diflil- ling fo long, till nothing more diflils, and then let all the Phlegm be poured away, becaufe it is that, which brings Death to our N Precious ( 82 ) Precious Stone, and this the vulgar knows not, but we know. Now have you the Earth, which remained in the bottom ot the Veflel black, hke melted Pitch : For that calcination of tlie Earth cannot be done with a flrong Fire, as Sophiflers believe, but it is done by its own Spirit, winch keeps it fi-om burning,be- caufe its Spirit draws the .b<>ultroni its Body, and repels its fu- perfluous Phlegm, and mortifies the Earth, and then vivifies it: Now therefore calcine the aforefaid Earth in this manner ; Take the lecond diftiUed Water QAjua ardens mix d with Phlegm) and pour it upon the black Earth {Pitdi) in its Vellel, and mix well, till it be.diflblved, becaufe the Earth is prefently diflblved. Then put on an Alembick, and lute weii, and diltii the Spirit with one wiek, as I told you before, till you fee Veins, then again feparate the Receiver oi the Alembick with the Spirits, and let it apart, and put another Receiver to, and diflil on, looking if there be yet any Spirits there, if not, then the Water which is diftill'd, hath a tafte lilce hot common Spring Water, which put away again, becaufe fuch Water is Phlegmatick, which caufeth Death to our Stone : And after the whole diftillation take the Veflel with all the Matter, which you will then find more hard than before, and this is the reafon , becaufe that Spirit hath attract- ed the Aereral Soul to it from its Body, it being the place in which the Soul is contained : that Operation repeat fo oft, till you fee your Matter calcined in the bottom in the Form of a black Powder, or even fo long, till you fee no more Phlegm arife, fo as the laft Water to be of as great virtue, ftrength, fmell and tafte, as the firft : And you mud not be ignorant, that in the third diftillation thofetwo Spirits (Jlland well retVify d^ are to be mixedtogether upon their Earth, folong, till the Earth and Spirits have thofe figns aforefaid, namely, the Earth be calcined, and the Spirits yield no Phlegm. Then take the Earth, and with it a fourth part of its weight of the Spirit, and put the Mat- ter into your Veftel, which we call Retsntoriim, and place it in a Furnace, continuing an eafie heat lb long, till the Spirit be alto-, gether coagulated in the Earth. Know Son ! that the Body, which was Dead, puts on white Garments, as, if God pleafe,you lliall fee, when you try the things aforefaid. Son I this muft you repeat with new Spirit fo long, till you fee the Earth altoge- ther' white as Snow : and then is the Earth big and impregna- ted (83) ted with Eternal clarity, which will bring forth an Infant, ac- cording to this way : When the Earth is very white, then Son !' take it out of its Veflll, and grind it into a moft fine powder, and this do upon a Glafs Plate, then again put it into a Veflel, luting the Joynts of it well, and fet it on a little Furnace, and kindle a Fire, continuing it for thirty Hours, and in the corners and fides of the Vellel you will find our Infant, born and refufci- tated in the likenefs of a powder, mod white, mod fair, and in fuch clearnefs, as the Body of Silver : Keep it therefore in high efleem, becaufe it is your Terra foliata, and it is called the Spirit of fublimed Bodies,converted into "terra foliata ; fo winto the fame the Soul, ^c. - ' -•' - - , ■ ' Sometimes they impregnated this Earth withvat oi^rving any iveight-^oss thus : Another Vegetable Sttf^'^mrii^e^^^ji,,^^, ^ TAke Wine r^d or white, putrify it in Balneo twenty days at lead, that the parts of it may "be difunited, and >tHe/ better feparated,then by diftillation of Balneo,witha moft gentl© Eire draw off the A({Ha ardens, which put in reftification fo oft^ till nothing of the Plilegni remaips : then draw off the Phlegm- by diftiliation with a Fire of Afhes, till a certain matter remains in the bottom of the VelTel like liquid: Pitch, andthefiid Phlegm- put apart :. theat%He the^f^id mattfii-,andpoui;to itof the Phlegm \g much, as tq f^vimifpur Fingers ^ove it, and put it for two days in Balneo, then one day in a Fire of Arties, that it may boyl leifurely, and you will find the Phlegm much cobured^ uUiich empty intpiaoother Veflel : fet it in Balneo again for-two dsiyswith ne>yPMegn;i,and;f«tf ojae;day:in:Ai}i?s,;t1ien^n>pt^k into another Veflel, and thus proceed till the Phloem wiU'.bfe no^ more coloured^ andif l^hlegm be wjanting, then takethe colour- ed Phlegm,and by diflillation dm-W',^ffoja€s halii, wa thii^-dpak-- of it by Baineo, and operate with it as before ; but when that Phlegm is no more coloured, then will there remain in the bot- tom of the Veflel an Earth almoft white, the Phlegm having at- 5ilT N z traded (84) tra£ted all the Oyl out of it : if you would feparate them afun- der, put tnem indiftillationofBajneo, then the Phlegm only riieth, and the Oyl will remain in the bottom or the Vellel moll red. Take tins Earth, and pour to the fam.e otMcrcury, (J^egetahle, or Aqua ardens) fo as to fwim t\\ o Fingers above it, and put it in a Fn'e of Alhes for one natural Day, fo as to boyl gently, then draw o^iJiftH) the Earth by a Firs of Allies as be- fore, and put it apart : And of new Aqua ardens pour to the faid Earth fo much, as to fwim two Fingers above it, and fet it in Afliesfor a Natural Day, then draw it off by diflilling in Aihes as before : and thus proceed till tliere be no more Spirit {elfe- where called Soul) remaining in the Earth, but all pafs'd over with the Aqua ardens^ which you may know by the Earth re- maining in a moft impalpable powder, and putting it on a Fire- hot Plate it \\\\\ yield no fmoak, which will be a fign, that it is without Spirit (Sout) : which Earth put then into digeflicn in an Athafior, and there let it Hand ten days in a continued Fire. Then take of the Aqua ardens, in which the Spirit (^Soul) is, and pour it upon the faid Earth, f\\ imming one Finger above it, and put it in an Athamr for one Natural Day : then fet it in Balneo, and by diflillation draw off the Aqua ardens without the Spirit {Souf) the Spirit remaining in the Earth, then pour on other Aqua ardens ; and thus reiterate, till the Earth hath drank up all its Spirit, which yon will kno\\' by putting the Earth upon a red hot Plate, becaufe the greateft part of it will tuininto Smoak ,• which Earth digeft for fix Natural Days in an Athamr^ then put it in Afhes, increafing the Fire, till by the fubUmation thctVegetable Mercury rifeth at the fides of the Veffel, and in the bottom remains the Terra dammta, which is not an ingredi- ent to our Work : Which Mercury gather fpeedily, and whilft it is new ,• after its rifmg, mix it with its Water for two days, and it becomes a Water which hatli wherewithal to diffolve all Metals with the prefervation of their Form, and this Water we call Vegetable Menftruum: . Animal Sal Armoniacks may alfo be made the fame ivayas Vege- tqhle Sal. Armoniacks thus is made. );I»vor n/ n&/: -'i^. ■.,i.U 7, as alfo the Phlegm of this Wine to he of no Virtue in the prefent M'ork : never thelefs in this accurtation p/Sal Armoniack,/;^ not only ujeth thefaid Oyl, and in- aeed(johich you may wonder at^for the abbreviation., of a moft tedious labour, hut alfo affirms that Sal Armoniack thus prepared, is of the fame Virtue with the refi. Sometimes he ufed alfo the Water or ani- mated Spirit, together with the Oyl, for prefent abbreviation^ thus :. Another Vegetable Sal Armoniac^hy the Accurtation oi Lully. Lib. cfe materia Vegetabili i?i pra^ica feptima, TAkethe bed red Wine, diflil the ardent Spirit, according to Art, fo as to burn Cotton, after that the Plilegm,. up- on the matter remaining in tlie bottomof the Alembick, being thick as liquid Pitch, pour the Phlegm half a foot above it, let it boyl three Hours, decant the. tinged Phlegni,^ pour on other, re- peating. ( ?I ) peating fo oft, till no more will be tinged, if you have not Phlegm enough, you mull draw off the tinged Phlegms in Batneo, which being evaporated, a Vegetable Oyi will remain in the bottom of the Glafs, the tindture being drawn out of the Phlegm, the mat- ter will remain like a dry Earth, upon this dry Earth pour of the ardent Spirit the height of four Fingers, let \t boyl two Hours, that which is in the mean timedilldl'd pour again to the Earth, let it fettle two Hours, then decant the animated Spirit from the Spirit or Soul of the Earth, pour new Spirit upon the Earth, doing as before, three times : The Earth being black and calci- ned, put into a Glals with a long Neck, and pour the Vegetable Oyl {aforefaid^ to it, digetl in Aihes ten days, then decant, and put it into an Alembick, to which add a fourth part of the ardent Spirit animated, digeft in a vaporous Balneo for twenty four Hours, then continue ths fuperaddition of the other three parts of the ammated Spirit every twenty four Hoiirs, then diflil away the fuperfluous, infipid, and ufelefs Liquor gently by Allies, and augmenting the Fire by degrees, fublime the Volatile Salt, ^c. Hitherto of the various preparations of Vegetable Sal Armoni- acks. We will now proceed to the other part of theQce.\\xvs\ Vinofum, namely, the fever al ways of reducing thefe Salts into a liquid fuh- fiance. The Adepts did for the mo ft part diflil through an Alembick one part' of Vegetable Sal Armoniack with three parts of the Aqua ardens, to which Liquor they added again one part of the aforefaid Salt, and diflilfd, and that they repeated three, and fometimes four times, to make the weight of the Salt and Water equal ;for the great- er the quantity of the fame Salt , the ftronger is the quality of the Menftruum, then laftly they circulated the Menftruum, thereby to make it more pure and excellent : But though this Method was more inufe among the Adepts, ji?/ either their curiofity or fedulity found out alfo other ways ; fo inflead of the Aqua ardens, wherewith they prepared the Vegetable Sal Armoniack, as well as the Men- ftruum, they fometimes took Aqua ardens circulated, or the Heaven , or Effence of Philolophical Wine , defcribed in Numb. I. It is thus done. O z 31. Cceluja CsO 3 1 . Ccehtm Vegetahile o^Lidly Circulated. Lih. cfe materia Vegetahili in pra^ica quint a. TAkc the beft white Wine, diftil tlie ardent Spirit till it burns Cotton; put this Spirit into aCircuktory two thirds empty, ftrengthen the Mouth with Wax, and Buiy it in hot Dung,with its Mouth down ward, for the Spirit to be circuhi- ted and digefted the fpace of forty five Days, or till it fwims above more pure and clear, (/» the Fonn of an Oyl, Jce the Hea^ T/fTT-, or EJfence of Philofophical Wine, iwNumb. i.") having feen this fign, take out the Glafs warily, and with a Needle perforate the Wax, that the impure may flow out, then fuddenly turn up the Circulatory, that the pure or more fine may remain, ^hich we call the ardent Spirit circulated, which is of a moft delicious Sent : now take the refidue, from which the Spirit of Wine was drawn, and diftil the Phlegm ; and upon the matter remaining rdfe melted Pitch, pour the faid Phlegm, fo as to fwim four Fin- gers above it, digeft two days in Balneo, decant the tinged Phlegm, and pour on other, and th.it repeat fo often, till the Phlegm will be no more tinged, which is a thing ufelefs in this operation: Now the Earth calcine in a Reverbei atory, "puhe- rize, put it in an Alembick, and imbibe with an eighth part of the ardent Spirit circulated, digeft in Balneo, and diftil fome cer- tain fuperfluous moifture by Aihes : continue this imbibition, digeftion, and diftillation, till the Earth be impregnated with the dry Spirit, which was in the ardent Spirit circulated, of which the fign will be, if it doth almoft all evaporate, being a little of it caft upon a red hot Plate : This impregnated Earth being put into a Sublimatory, fublime according to Art into a Volatile Salt, which digeft in Balneo two days and more, with fix parts of the ardent Spirit circulated, decant the difiblutioa gently, and if any thing remain undifi"olved, proceed with it as before, this diflolution circulate thirty days, and it will be a Quinteflence to be compared in Virtue with the Aurtan potab'ile of the Ancients. As thcfe Menftruums are made either weaker orflronger accord- ( 93 ) iftg to the variety of weighty fo alfo are they mors or lefs pure, by longer^ or Jlorter, or altogether negletled circulation, for fame Men- ilruums there are of this kindywhich the Adepts circulated not : For an Example take the following- 3 2. The lefs Vegetable Menftmum oiLully. Lib. de materia Vegetabili in pra^ica prima. TAke the bell Wine (red is thebeft) 1:wo pounds of it, put into a Cucurbit with a blind Head, and luting the joynts well, put it in Balneo, to putrify kindly the fpace of forty five days, then fit an Alembick to it, and augment the heat, that the ardent Spirit maybediftill'd, which reftify thrice by it fel^or till it is free from all Phlegm,and burns Cotton ; keep this ardent Spirit well ftop'd in a cold place : take the matter remaining in the firft diftillation, and draw off the Phlegm, till it remain thick like liquid Pitch, upon which pour of the Spiritus ardens fo much, as to be the fpace of four Fingers above it, digeft three days in Balneo, then diftil gently by Alhes three days, and by- Virtue of a flronger Fire, the ardent Spirit will carry over the Soul with it, which it could not do in Balneo ,• keep the diftil- lation : To the remaining Matter pour new Spirit, doing fo often, till all the Soul be come over, and that you will know, if by being projefted in a imall quantity upon a red hot Plate, it yields no Iraoak, becaufethe matter is now deprived of its Soul, which we call dry Earth, which imbibe v^ith an eighth part of the animated ardent Spirit, digcft for three days in Bal- neo, then diftil gently in Allies the fuperlluous Liquor, being infipid as common Water : make the fecond imbibition with a feventh part, and fo continne doing as before, till the Earth be made heavier by a fourth part of its weight, and it will be dif- pofed to a redu6fion into a Volatile Salt by tlie way of fublirna- tion : This Earth therefore being well pulverized, put into a Sublimatory, adminiftring Fire according to Art, and that which you find fublimed wJiite as Snow, is the Volatile Salt, which keep in a Vellel well llop'd : Take of this Volatile S.ilf' one part, of the ardent Spirit fix parts, digeft in Allies, and the dificlution! ( 94) diflTolution is the Vegetable Quinteflenceapt to diflblve the per- fe£t Bodies of ^o/ and X-««j, to make an £//x/r, and other Me- dicines precious and gratetul. yegetahle Sal Armoniack dijfolvdin Aqua ardens (one part of the Salt to fix of the Spirit') makes the prefent Mendruura ; hut the following is prepared from Sal Armoniack refohed per deliquium. 33. The Vegetable M?7//?r*az7/^ey ^f/i- quium of Liilly. Lib. de materia Ve^etabili in Praciica fecunda. TAke the bed white-Wine, putrify it in Balneo tvi'enty days, or longer, then diftil the Spiritus ardens according to Art, till it burns Cotton ; then draw ofFthe Phlegm, till the matter remains in the bottom of the Vellel thick as liquid Pitch, to vvliich matter pour fo much of the Phlegm, as will Iwim four Fingers above it, digefl: in Balneo two days, and in Aflies one day, decant the tinged Phlegm ; pour new Phlegm to the mat- ter, doing as before, till no more will be tinged, and the matter remains at the bottom of the VefTellikea white Earth, upon this Earth pour the height of two Fingersof the ardent Spirit, digefl for a day in Allies, and the Soul which isin the Earth, will en- ter into the ardent Spirit, decant the ardent Spirit being anima- ted, pour ofTthe ardent Spirit again upon the Earth, doing it fo oft as before, till the Spirit draws out no more Soul, and the Earth remains in the Form of a nioflfine powder, beingdefpoii- ed of all its Soul, which you will know, if it fmoaks not upon a fiery Plate ,• this Earth digefl ten days in Aflies, then put it in Balneo, andpourof the tinged Phlegm fo much, aswillfwim two Fingers over it, diflil in Balneo, caft away the diftillation as a thing of no Virtue, then again pour the tinged Phlegm upon the Earth, repeating as before, till no Phlegm remains, and the Earth is impregnated with all the tinfture that was in the Phlegm : This done, imbibe the Earth with the animated ardent Spirit, digefl with an eafy heat in Balneo, till the Earth is well dryed, then again imbibe, and fo oft as before, till the animated ardent ( 9S ) ardent Spirit is absorbed by the Earth, and is made Volatile, which you will know, if a little of it cafl upon a burning Plate fumes away for the moft part ; then put this matter into a fub- limatory, and fublime witli a fubliming Fire, and that which is fublimed, is the Volatile Salt of the Vegetable matter : put that Volatile Salt into a Phial, digefl in Balneo for a day, and it will be r.educed into a Water, which we call Vegetable Menjiruum^ which is a wonderful dilTolvent for the radical diflblving of the two Luminaries. Thefe Menflruums the Adepts made fometimes not of Vegetahle: Sal Armoniack, hut hj theivayfoUoiving. 34. The Vegetable Mercury of Lully. Lib. de Mat. Vegetabili in pra^icafexta. TAke the beft odoriferous Wine, put it in a Circulatory large enougii, flop the faidVeflel very well with Sulphur melted, and putrity in Balneo twelve or fifteen Days, thendiftil the Spirit and Phlegm according to Art, till the Spirit burns Cotton ,• upon the matter remaining like liquid Pitch pour fix parts of the Phlegm, digeft two Daysin Aflies, Ihaking the Vef- fel now and then, decant the Phlegm being tinged, pour on other, and doing as before, till it hath extrafted all the tin£ture, anda.black Earth remains at' the bottom of the Alembick : put the tinged Phlegmin an Alembick, and diftil in Balneo, and that which remains at the bottom of the Veflel will be the Vegeta- ble Oyl, pour the ardent Spirit to the height of four Fingers up- on the black Earth, diftil by A^vis, and that which is diflilled will be theardent Spirit impregnated, to the matter pour new ardent Spirit, repeating as betore three times, and in the laft in- creafing the Fire about tiie end: Calcine the Earth with a Fireof Reverberation into whitenefs, out of which extra£l the fixed Salt with a little of the Phlegm,the fixed Salt being pulverized, put in an Alembick, pour to it the animated ardent Spirit about two Fingers, diflil gently in Balneo the infipid and ufelefs raoifturc, repeat as belbre, till the animated Spirit afccnds with- out diminution of its Virtue, and then will you have the fixed Salt acuated, which put in an Alembick, and pour to it tlie V^gttabk, (96) Vegetable Oyl three Fingers high, digeft in Allies for a day, in- creafe the Fire, and diflil whatloever can akend j the diftillation keep warily, becaufe it is the Vegetable Mercury : But if any of the Salt remains in the Alembick, you mufl repeat the fame operations, till at length all the Vegetable Mercury palfeth through the Alembick, which will cxtrafttheTin6l:ure of Gold, being calcined with common Mercury and Salt, and laftly with Sulphur, which is an excellent Attrum potahile. Sometimes they prepared thefe Menftruums hy cohohation ulone^ tvitbout any imhibitioH: For Example. 35. The re<5tified Aqua Vit<^ ot Lul/y. In poteftate Divitiarum. TAke Wine, feparate the Spirit- warily, as foon and as purely as you can, becaufe you will never feparate it fo warily, but that it will contain in it fome of the pureft part of this Phlegmatick Sijbftance,or Water : this Spirit being once fe- parated,is called Mercury, that is. Aqua ardem, the llgn of which is, that if you dip a Linnen Clotli in it, it will turn mto a tlame (Jffirji kindled) and not be burned, but if you feparate often times, (je^ifj) it is called Lunar i a rectify 'd, that is. Aqua ar dens re£lify*d, whereof the fign is, that a Linnen Cloth dippdin it, burns all away : Separate now all the fupcrfluous Phlegm, till none at all remains, and at the bottom will refide a Pitch ; then mix the Lunnria^ that is, the Aqua ardens redify'd, with that fubflance made like foft Pitch, Ihaking it well, till it be in- corporated, and fet it 10 diftil, and that which goes over, is cal- led Man's Blood ve£f ify'd, which Akhymifls feek for. Tiiat Blood isalfo called Air or Wind,and of this thing ijpakethe Philofopher, when he fald Wind carryed him in its Belly : from the remain- iler il'parate the (iiperfiuous Oyl (^called above VegetaUe) by di- llilling it through a Glals Alembick, till nothing remains, which Oyl keep apart" till I Ihall tell you ; but the refidue will be a -lubflance black and dry, which reduce to a tine powder, and -mix by little and little with the re^Vify'd Man's Blood, and let them (land together for the fpacc of three Hours, and tiien di- ftil . {97) ftil, and then this Water is called Aqua ignea re£iijicata^ or Fiery Water reitify'd : then calcine the Caput wortmmina. Furnace of Reverberation, till it be made like Lime, and this Calx or Lime mix with the Fiery Water redlify'd, and diftil feven times, and then is it called Aqua Vita; re£tity'd. T'/j^y^'w^MenllruumZu/^/jParacelfus in his S^j^^yf, de Elixire Vi- tae, and the Author of the Appendix of the third Volume o/Thea- trum Chymicum. Thefe. Menftruums differ not from the afore- faid made ofS^\ Armoniack, hut only in preparation ; in thoj'ethe whole Earth of the Philofepliical Wine is hy its own Spirit redu- ced into a liquid fuhftance, with which is performed -the Jame iVork, hut after another manner : Hitherto ought to he referred the Men- ftruum of Gmdo, made thus : '~~' 3^. The Circulatum minus of Guido. In Thefauro Chymiatrico. TAke of the Spirit Q^^Thilofophicat) Wine one pound, of the Salt o^{thefame~) Wine four ounces, mix,the Joynts being well luted, diftil through an Alembick in Balneo, pour back the diftillation, and cohobate four times, and it will be prepared. LuUy reduceth his Sal Armoniacks with feme difficulty into a liquid fuhftance : hut Guido dijlils the Salt of Philofophical Wine hyfour cohohations into the fame Menftruum : the caufe ofahhreviation is to he fought in the preparation of that Salt, which is twe-fold, common orfecret; of the common, faith Gxndo thus : The ardent Spirit of Wine being diftill'd, draw off the Phlegm, till the matter remains in the fublta nee of the thinner fort of Honey, which will in a cold Cellar yield Criftals like Nitre, which are called the Salt of Wme,which take out and keep ; the remainder evaporate a little while, and take more, ^c. Of the fecret way of making this Salt, faith Guido alfo, pag. 8.Thef. Take of the Salt of Wine, and Spi- rit of Wine, of each four ounces, digeft the fpace of eight or ten days, draw ofF gently in Balneo, and the Phlegm only will af- cend, and you w ill have fix ounces of the Salt ot Wine, to which Salt add again an equal quantity of its Spirit, and digeft again ten days, and draw ofFthe Phlegm, pour new Spirit to the re- maining Salt, and proceed as above, and thus mav you increalb P ' ' the C98 ) the Salt of Wine as you pleafc : This latter way ofmakhg the Salt of Wine^ is not only the multiplication^ and addition oi well of the quantity^ as quality of it, hut moreover is aljo the volatilization of it : It is no wonder therefore^ that the Salt, whofe half part was Spirit of Philorophical Wine, Jhould fo eajily afcend with the fame Spirit ,• yet is it to he well ohfervd, left we temper the aridity of the Salt of Wine too much, with too great an addition of Vn^uojtty, and inftead of a Mendruum rai Virtues of living things ; the unnatural is an occafional Fire, which iscalledamoiflFire,made artificially by Philofophers : it is alfo called a Fire of the firfl degree,which is for the meer tem- perance of heat called Balneo, Stove or Dunghill ; in this Fire is made the Putrefaftion of our Stone : elemental Fire is that which fixeth calcines, and burneth, and is nouriihed by things combuflible ,• Fire againft (or contrary to) NaturCjdiifolves vio lently, breaks, kills, and deftroys the governing power of ti>;~ Form of the Stone : for it diflblves the Stone into the Water of a Cloud with the deftru(bion of the fpecifick Form : but it is termed Fire contrary to Nature, becaufe the operation of it i:> contrary to all natural operations, as Raymond affcrts : for all things that Nature hath made, this Fire deftroys, and brings to Corruption, vinlefs the Fire of Nature be added to it, &c. Med. Phil. pag. 135". Wherefore alfo there are four Fires in our art, namely, the Natural, which is the Menftruum Sericonis -, the un- natural, that is,HorfeDung, or f^jndemia, and the like : the ele- mental, viz. maintained by Wood and other ccmbuftibletlijngs; and the Fire contrary to Nature, that is, all corrofive Waters, made of Vitriol, Salt, and fuchlike things. Plat ic pag. 342. hut of thefe in another place., namely, the f fib Book. '4! That thefe Salts are to he ufed prefently after the fuhlimation of them. f. That Philofophical AqniiYkXy though never hetter refiifyd^. yet contains in itfome certain fipsrfiuous moifiure, which it es pells, either hy heing circulated hy itjelf as in the preparation of LuUy's Heaven-j or irnhthed-hrthTtigs fixed; asifi fhs.may's cf'rra^jngfljefaid. Salts. 6. That ( 102 ) 6. That a Menflmum made of LuUy's fTeaven, with the Effeme or Oy/(?f Phil ofophical Wine, is no ftrotiger than the reft^ as to the preparation of if-/;^ Sal Armomack, though it may he J cone r made with this Oyl, than fimpk A(\m ardens, hut as the Sal Armoniack already made is mixed, and again circulated not with the thin Phi- lofoj?hical Water, hut with the Oyl or Aqua Vit:E circulated. 7. That the divers ways of fuhliming thefe Salts do moft clearly difcover to us as well the Nature of that Spirit of Wine, as of thefe Menftruums, and moreover commends the incomparahle Experi- ence tff LuUy in thefe things. 8. Animal Menftruums, tho extracted out of the Vrine, and sther parts of Man, are neverthelefs not proper lyfo called, fo long as the matter of that Spirit of Philofophical Wine was Vegetable, and only acuated with an animal thing : yea the very Spirit \ • < >• Eifewhere inftead of Tartar fired {that is, the Spirit o/Philofo- phical Wineyrjv?*/ /« /'k Salt 0/ Tartar, or Vegetable Sal Armo- niack made of the Salt 0/' Tartar, but not yet fi'.bUrr:ed)'^\v\tY fame times afed fome fimple Vegetable Menftruum, with which he made the exalted Water of Mercury^ asfolkweth. ^ 43. Tiie ( "4 ) 45' The exalted Water of Merfury oi'Ripley, Cap. 1 2. Philorcii. TAke Nigrum n'lgr'ius ftigro, and diftil an Aqua ardens, and fortify it with Pepper-, Rquilla^ Pjrethrunij Euphorhium^So- latrum, Anacardus, grains of Paradife^ Staphis-agria, and the like in acuity : but this is a great fecret. Take the Water of the fifth fortification, and diitil, pour it upon Mercury fo, as to fwim two or three Fingers above it, flop the VelTel to prevent exha- ling, put the Mercury in Balneo to difibive for a Month, tlmt which is diflblved of it empty into another Veflel, and keep : pour new Water upon the Mercury not dillblved, and proceed as before, thus continuing, till you have one Pound of Mercury diflblved : Then put the dilTolution together in Balneo the fpace of fifteen Days, and after that diflil, and that which afcends keep apart in a Veffel, not to refpire, and upon the remaining Faeces pour new Water, and proceed by Balneo as above, and this Work continue, till all the Mercury is exalted : But this is not tlie Work of idle and {loathful Men. Now this Water thus ex- alted is by the Philofophers call'd by many Names, for it is Lac Virgim, Aqua roris Maii, and Aqua Mercurii. Nigrum nigriusnigro, attd Philofophical Wine,u.'j^»y,,yet tmjl we declare ivhat he weans hy the MefciinaHVatcr cxtraded~hy the Magijfery of three y^t^lsythe Defcfiptlon of ivj^ich M'4^% The Mercurial Water by three VelTels blbV t>ili 'io rrc;- i»v£x/?m/;/.- -r^. TAke ^/'jwy?; Mercury, which is brought in Bladders \\ith the, ijeal oi Spain, that it may not be adulterated; fub- liii^fit il)^s,:''Take Vitrpl dryed froni all Phlegm, and common SalipfeJ^red, tind/leerepitated, or fiiil burnd m Fire ; joyn the Meixury with thefe tw^o, grinding Very well, then fublime in a Veflel,at firft with a gentle Fire, then increaiethe Fire, till it be perfectly fublimed : tlie Veflel being cold, gather the fullim.atii on carefully,, and-be,\yare of the funic5,,lDeing Venomous ,• im- bibe tlie fubllmatldn very well with the OylofTartar(^/= ri'e/i- quimrij and quick Lime, tlien put the matter into a Retort, and adminifler Fire, till Mercury vive is gone over into tiie Receiver; fublime again a§ before, vsfiththefame new Matters, then as be- fore vivify by a Retort^ ,,i;-hus,repeat the Magiflery four times : Then ta.' a {hort time diftil into the Receiver ; but on?;' part in the hkenefs oF Water ; feparate the Water from the Mer-" cury, and keep it, but that which remains quick, caft again into the faid Veflel as before, fo oft, till it be througli the iharpnefs of the Fire all converted into Water, empty the Receiver every; time into another VefTel, and keep it v^ell flopp'd : Then take of this Water four Ounces, and of the Oyl or Salt of the Jitjl Eicpe- rment {Salt of T^iXt^.x imp-egnated with the Spirit ofFhilolbphi- cal Wine^ one Ounce, make it go over together M'ith the faid Salt, diftilhng that Water in Allies with a molt gentle heat at firft, , then in the end increafingthe Fire, till more will not diftir;'. Then take new Salt, or Oyl of the fame firfi Experimettt^ arid' joyn it with that Water a little before diftilled, and make it go over again, diftilling by Alhes as before ; but this Magifiery you mud repeat five times, mixingone Ounce of the laid Salt or Oyl oHhe firfl Experiment tyevy time with three Ounces of tlie ,. faid Water, diftilling as before in Allies, with the fame degree " of Fire, and the lame weight as before, as well of the Water, as of the Salt or Oyl : And by this means will you b} the help of God, have a Mineral and Vegetable Water united together, which hath the power of diiTolving Mercury, and all Metals, efpecially the two Lurninaries : For the mukipUcation of this-, Water you mull proceed thus ; Take one Ounce of Mercury purged, and five Ounces of the faidlharp Water (now preparedy, joyn thefe two together in a fmall Cvicurbit, lute it well, then^f will the Mercury be forthwith diflblved, which diflblution put'! in a little Urinal, with an Alembirk and Receiver, the jQynts/ well luted diftilling in Allies, and it will all come over into a'. Water, foine Terreftreity of no moment being left in the bot- tom of the VelTel : Then may you this way multiply the faid^ Water as much as you will,, viz. by taking five parfs of it^- and one of Mercury purged-, dillblving fiift, and diililling t'hrough an Alembick as before. He revivifies Mercury full imate^ to he purged bft^er the'rcommonr way., by the Oyl of Tartar ^ and quick Lime,; being noiy^p^ifrifdy hc:\ gent vive, altering it exceediagly ; then he puts it into divers Alu- dels, joyned together, and to the Receiver^ and made red hot, in or- der to be converted into a Mercurial Water : The way cfdijiilling hy Fejfels red hot, I find in many places to have been much in ufe among the Adepts, but ivhether they contrived this way for the abbreviating^ or more exquifite way of operating, or for what other cauje, J know not. Bafilius, Lib. pai acularium, iri ^p2imc\.\\.Sohs,diJiils not Mercury, but Gold often extinguif!:ed in the. Philofiphical Aqua Vitae through a hot Veffel into a red Liquor. Take of Aurum fulminans, faith he, one part, of the Flowers olSulph'or three parts, calcine with a gentle Fire till the Sulphur be confumed, the red hot matter ex- tinguifli in the Spirit of Wine, acuated Nvith fome drops of the Spirit of Tartar (jhe Vegetable Menftruum made of the Salt of Tartar') decant tlie Spirit, and the powder dry at the Fire, to which being dr} ed, add again three parts of the Flowers of Sul- phur, calcine and quench as before : This Work repeat fix times, that the powder of the Gold may be made like Butter, foft and fat, wliich muft be caretully dryed, becaufe it melts m ith a little Fire, this powder being a little lieated put into a Retort with a Pipe, and made red hot, and the Pipe being prefently ftopp'djdiftil the red drnps falling into good Spirit ot Wine put before into tlie Receiver. If the Cold being divers times extinguifhed in the Spirit ^Philo- fophical W irie is made foft and fat, why might nst this be alfo done in common Mercury, digejled according to the Receipt, in the fame Spirit oflV.ne .•* Butjupp(fe hvWy proposed it only to himfelf to re- duce hx^pat vive into a commcnacid Liquor, yet does he out of this, with the addition of the Salt of Tartar cfthefirji Experiment .,make a Vegetable Menflruum of the Fifth Kind, with which he diffolves common Argent vive, and reduceth it into a Mercurial Water : then he diffolves common Mercury by this Mercurial Water, and draws it cfffo, as to remain i» the Form of an Oyl ; which Oyl of Mercury be- ing diffolved in the I 'egetable Heaven, he circulates, and being cir- culated, calls it the incalcinated Mcnfirimm. If inftead cf the Oyl ef Mercury you take crude Mercury reduced into the truefirfi matter of Mercury, and acuate the Vegetable Heaven with this Mercurial oal Armoniack, you will make the fame, yea a much better incalci- «.gh more compall^^an Exam- ple of which we have in the Lunar Menftruum ofLully. 48. The ( m3' ) In Experimento 2/^. TAke common Mercury, and wafli it with Vinegar j when the terreftreity ol: 4t is takeii-away, let ic riin thrduJfTd Goats Skin^ then put it: into thofe your Veilels, of which you had a Form before, Qu Nt^h. 46.) pvtt the Mercury in thofe Veilcls,and diftil with repetition, till it tm;ns all into Water, as I taughe you abbVe j tlien take four Ounces of this "Mercurial Water, knd therein diffoK'eorife'GiUflt'eof the Vegetable Mercu- ry of tWefeconJ Bxpef-metitX^Sa'lt-'-^ Tartar fiihlimefiy or Ve^etahk Sal Armoniack madeof the Sdh of Tartar) pafs it tlii'ovigh an Alembick together with the aforeiaid Mercurial Water, then in ev'ery four Ounces of the Watery dillblve one Ounce of Mercury as beforfe prepared, ijkit is f-'egefai^e}, '^i^trify eight days, then diftil by A.llies, increafe the Fire at laft, that fo it may pafs into thatM'hich was diftilled, in which diflblve halF an Ounce of Silver cupellated, then p\itrify three Days, thendiftii in Afhes, and laftly increafe the Fire a little,- that all the clearnefs, or Whitenefsof the i«»rt -may go over b}'"' an airy refolutionin this diff illation. . ci-^gn.-i yj ,.i He extra^s not the whole SiWer^^-'odt the more Volatile part of it, {called in the mays of making Sal Armoniack, animated Spirit') h the Menflruum cf three Fejfels already defer ihed in b^umb. z6. with ihe-T!kfcriffion of it there d^-lared,you -may ex plain thofe things which are fnore ehfcure in the. p)*^ent Reui'pt. He fowetimes jqyns the animated Spirit ofLuniydftdtfJe ^Mrriated Spirit of Sol toge- ther, and hy circulation reduceth thein into aH admirable Menftru- r\my itfttr^this Ma^h& i • - ' \^. -.ntj /., r,ojiui6iijb 3ii-^ras:'-. .q., ^, ;TliS 5?-... IK c':oij:jioiiib-j3ffio tjiii-r , Jiu 'Jio 3d ?« hum ijo-r v-sfri^r:!/! ?hU -u'l -\ ■^^pX^i'yv ,J£9C!'J1 ( 124 ) 4^. The Circulatummajus or Acetum aceni- vium ot Lull). In Bxperime?ito 25. TAke the ample Vegetable Mevftrmm of three individuals, defer ihed before in Numb. i6.) then take Luna^ calcine it with Mercury, then take principal care to remove all the Mer- cury from the calcined Luna^ and the fame way calcine Sol with Mercury^ then let all the Mercury be taken wholly from it : thefetwo Bodies put into Glafs Dilhes each by it feU apart, and to them each by it fclf apart pour clarifyed Honey, mixing the Calxes of the two Bodies very well with the Honey upon Alhes fo as to hoy 1, then take the Honey from the Calxes, by wafhing them in hot diftilled Water, and the Calxes will remain in the bottom of the Veflel,then mix the Calxes with the Honey again, boy ling as before, and mixing with a Spoon as before, and thus repeat your Work three times as well in the Calx of Lum^^sSol : Then take thefe two Bodies being calcined and wallied, and put them into a Veflel of folution feverally, and pour upon them of the former coelificatcd Menjlrunm {of the three indi-vidmls) io much as will fwim three Fingers above it, cover the Vellel with a blind Head, luting the Joynts well with' wax gummed, that ■it may no way refpire, fet it in Balneo for a Natural Day, fo as to boyl gently, then for two other Daysput it upon Allies, and let it boyl gently as before, then empty that part of 5(?/, which was diflblved into another Veflel by it fclf, which folution will be of a yellow Colour : So alfo take out the dillblution ot'Lum by it feif apart, and pour it into another Vellel, each of which diflblutions keep in each Veflel as before in Balneo, butthediflo- lution of Lufja will be of a Sea or Green Colour ; il^e undiflbl- ved Earth as well of Sol as jL««^ dry upon Allies : Which done, pour again to each, of the new circulated Mcnfirmms, and the Veflel being covered with a bhnd Head as before, fet it in Bal- nco, and make it boyl gently as before, and continue the fame boyling upon Afhes, laftly decan^'the dillblution of each Body as belore into its Vefl!el, wherein the other diflblutions above weie kept by themfelves apart : But this Magillcry you mufl; repeat. (' 125 ) repeat, till all the So/, and all the Luna are diflblved ; thefe dif- folutlons putrify by themfelves apart the fpace of foity Days, after putrefaction put the diilblutions feverally into two Urinals, with Alembicks and Receivers flopp'd, and the Joynts being well luted, diflil firfl: the whole Menjlruum in Balneo, but the Bodies will remain in the form of anOyl, tlien again pour upon them fo much of their AVater lately aiftill'd, as to fwim three Fingers above the Matter, cover the Veflel with a blind Head, and putrify twenty four Hours, then take away the blind Head, and put on an Alembick with a Receiver,and luting the Joynts, dillil with a gentle Fire in Allies ; laftly increafe the Fire fome- what, that the air {jhe animated Spirit) may pafsover into the Water,laft of all iikewife force it with a flronger degree of heat, till the Fire (the Soul being more vifcous) afcends over into the air J the Veflels being cold, pour again the new referved Water to the remaining Matter, the animated Spirit of each Body be- ing firfl luted in its Receiver, to prevent rcfpiring, cover the Urinal again with a blind Head, putrifying as before, and laflly diflil in Allies as before, laft of all as before, increafe the Fire ; thus repeat the Magiflery, till both the Bodies of Sol and Lum are by an airy revolution tranfmitted feverally through tiie Alembick : But if thefe Bodies will not entirely come over by diftillation (a little indeed will remain, which keep for the reft of the Experiments} then take the animated Spirit di Sol, reiSli, fyit oftentimes by it felfin Arties, but be fure not to takeaway any of the Terreftreities, which will every reitification remain in the bottom of the Veflcl, but rather pour back the difliUed Water always to the fame Fceces, till you have performed the Work feven times com pi eat : Andobfervethefame order in r edi- fying the Water of animated Luna referved before. This done, joyn thefe two Waters together, which Conjunftion is called the Conjunftion of Father and Mother, Male and Female, Man 3.nd Woman: And thus will you have the Menjlruum majus,the Anir mal. Vegetable, and Mineral, being joyned together, and thele three reduced into one fubftance you muft circulate fixty Days in a Velfel fo luted, as not to rcfpire ; Circulation being com- pleated, you will have the Menjlruum majus brought to adion, thepowerof which is fo great, as not to be related : This there- fore is that admirable Menjlruum'^\\ic\\ difTolves allBodieSj with the ( 12^ ) the prefervation of their vegetative and tranfmutative Form : This, I fay, is that Mevfiruum containing in it lucn odour and fragrancy, that nothing can be compared to it : This lailly is the refoluble Menflruum, which is by the Wife call'd by almoft innumerable Names, the Acetum acerrmum^ which converts Gold into a Spirit : This is the Aqua Sicca, Aqua Soils, and Aqua Vitce- J Parifmus mads this Menflruum, (ivhich he otherwife caBs thegre^^ter Mercury, or compounded Menflruum) by this rhethod. 50. The Circulatum ma jus of Parifmus. In Apertmo. Cap. G. TAke of tlie befl calcined Luna three Ounces, of Sol alfo cal- cined according to Chapter H, Qn which the Cakimtions of Metals are after the commcn ivaydefcriled^ twoOuncesioe^ch, being put by its lelf in its Glafs, pour of Circulated, or the fim- ple Qninteflence (^f«j W Mv//' Honey, or the Calum mellifluum defer ihed in Nimh. 10.) the heiglit of four Fingers, the Vellels with their blind Heads put in Salneo two Days, andinAlhes two more : uhen you fee the Waters in fome meafure tinged, decant them, and the diflblutions keep by fhemfclves in Balne^ well {lopp'd,to the undidolved Calxes pour again of E^digeffing, decanting, and repeating fo often, till the Bodies of 5c/ and Lma be reduced into a liquid fubflancc, then diflij the Compofition QDiJolutiofi) of Sol, and the Compofition. of Z««.r in Balneo, and the Bodies will remain in the bottom of the Glafs like an O} I'j but to the Waters drawn from the faid Luminaries in Balneo, put Vegetable Sulphur, according to the weights of the 5c/ and Luna, and it will in the fpace of two Days be dilTolved" in Balneo ,• fofoon as the faid Sulphur is difibived iti every of its Veflels, pour every one to its Metal! ick O) 1, but to avoid Er^ tor, you mud know that your difTolved, Sulphur is tkat whlclj we taught the preparation of in Chapter L, namely, that wliicii is extraded out of (fhilofophicuP Wine, other Wife called, S,al Armoniack, put the Veffelsin Piltrefaftipn cigl;t Days, then draw ofF the Waters in" BaltK^o every, oilc %'it.,fejf,^ ^ A^ pour of new Water the heightof tiro' Fingers, cover'tlie'VelTels with blind Heads, and digeft for a Day in"i5alneo,"t lien put on common ( 127 ) common Akmbkks, and diHil the Waters gently in A/lics, f-hea incre-afe the Fire, that the air may alfo afceiid into the Waftgtfr^"' tfeie Vdl^ls tcing cok!, p oiir new Water to ea^h f^* mainder, cover them with bKnd Heads, digeft in Dalneo for a Night, then diftil m Alhes, and this repeat as before, till yoii have eiftraded all the Liquor of tlie two Luminaries ; keep the Earths, and if a little of it be caft upon a red hot Plate, and burns not, it isan infallible fign, becaufe the faid Earth is depri- ved of its Soul ; keep thefe two Earths mix'd together in dige- flion of Alhes, for the receiving of their Mercuries, {the dijiil- kd Airs or EJfences) as w-e fliall teach in Chapter.L. {in the way of milking the mineral Sal Armoniacks, or Metallick of Gold and Siher\ Now take the Liquors of both the faid Luminaries, , that is, their Souls or Mercuries, already pafsd through an Alem- bick, and joy n them together, diftilling through an Alcmbick in Alhes ; if any flimy Earth remains, add it to the former Earths referved, tmd this do fix times, always removing the flimy Earth : . Take a large Vellel or Cucurbit, with an Alembick made all of a piece, in which pour your compounded Menftrutm, flopping the Mouth with a Glafs Stopple, luted with the white of an Egg, quick Lime, and courfe Paper, which being dryed, lute then with our Bitmiert, made of an equal quantity ot Pitch, Wax, and Maflick, and Circulate in a Sophical Balneo, as we fliewed you at Mr. Angela's Houfe in the Famous City of f-^enice, when we made the fimple Circulated ^(?;//?r«^»?, and let it be Circula- ting forty Natural Days, which being expired, you will fee our Menflruum or Mercury clearer thanCriital, and more odorilerous ■ than any Perfume: This Menjlrimm^ my Son ! hath tlie power ofdiflblving the two Luminaries, and reducing them fromi pow- er to a£Hon ,• and you mud know that by this alone, yet with the addition of its red or white ferment, you will by Circula-- tion make particulars of great projeftion : This is that which our Captain Raymmid Lully, in his Epiftola Accurtatoria,(poke&i\. laying. Having dilTolved Sol, and drawn the Water from it in Balneo, then know the Gold is made Spiritual, and irreducible into its former Body, to which if you add a hundred parts of common Mercury, it v.'ill congeal it into true Gold : Moreover, my Son ! if the laid Gold congealed into a Gum be diffolved in, fome Water, and given to a Patient of what infirmity foever, he ( 128 ) he will in a very few Days return to his good temperament ; it removes whitenefs of hair, and all other figns of Old Age, re- ftores former Youth, and preferves health even to the time pre- fixed by the Eternal God : Know alfo, that (hould I defcribe aJI the Miracles (and indeed they may well be called Miracles) and ail the efleds performed by this Mercury, which, as I remem- ber, I fufficiently declared to you by Word of Mouth, and ex- plained the various Sayings of our Captain in the Book of ^^uin- teffetice then, &c. • Frora the Receipts we obferve. 1. That thefe Mm^m^xms are flroyiger than all th. ciKtecedent^ as heing acitated with better aridsy or ary things, and therefore do not extract the Effences , hut dijfohe the whole Body into a Magiflery. 2. That thefe Menftruums are the Magiflerics of Metals and Miner alsy and therefore Medecines. 3. That they are made wany feveral ivays now known to us. 4. That the Sal Armoniacks of Metals are made the fame ways M Vegetalle Sal Armoniacks. 5. That every aneof them is proper^ called Philofophers Mercury ^ or Mercury of the Mercury of Gold, Silver^ Jron,&c. fuhlinied ; the Mercury of Antimony, common Sulphury &c. Juhlimed, hecaufe like common Mercury fuhlimedy it is moji eajdy refufcitated hy hot Water or Vinegary into the running Mercury of Gold, Silver y Iron, Antimo- »yy &c. as we fhall he better affuredhy Examples of the following Books. 6. Thatfimple Vegetable Menftruums, rf^o as being permanent iVa- ters, continue alfo with things Metallickyand flick moft perfect ly to them, uot for Medicines only, hut alfo for the making of precious Stones, yea Tin£lureSy as well particular as univerfal : As to the Jjmple Vegeta- ble MenftruumSjfx/'rj// the Effences of Vegetahles^and the fame com- pounded, that they do make Magifleries for a Medicinal ufcywe fhall e.t- jdyagrei;hutfor the unthious-^andmoft mflamahle Spirit (f Piiilofophi- cal Wine, made of combuflihle Vegetables and Animals y toheacon- jiitiitive to anyChymicalTinBureyJeemstobe anajfertion altogether Paradoxical', for which caufearewe to be admonijhed.^that the Adepts rejciled every Combuftible Vegetable and Animal, as a thing ujelejs for for their t injures, hut never defpifed the purify d Elements of Ve- getables and Animals., wade incombujiihle^ or acquiring incomhufii- hility in the procefs it felf though they have declared them to he (without the ferment of the Stone^ infufficient^ as alfo Metals alone without thefe Menftruums, heingtherefore mix'd with Metals., they make tintlures as well particular as univerfalfor Metals^ Witnefs Ripley, faying : If you have a mind to make Gold and Silver by thePhiloiophical Art, you muft for that purpofe take neither Eggs nor Blood, but Gold and Silver, which are Naturally and Prudently, and not Manually calcined, for they produce a new Generation increafing their Kind, as all otfeer Natural Things : But luppofe a Man might with benefit effeft it in things not Metallick, in which are Colours found in Afpefl pleafant, as in Blood, Urine, Eggs, and Wine, or in half Minerals taken out of ' Mines, yet would it be neceflary for the Elements of them to be firft putrifyed, andjoyn'd in Matrimony with the Elements of perfect Bodies. Libra, iz. portar. portu. i. The Elixir., he proceeds, is not to be made of Wine, as Wine, nor of Eggs, Hair, or Blood, as meerly Eggs, Hair, or Blood, but of the Elements only, and therefore we are to feek, in order to obtain the Ele- ments in the excellency of their fimplicity and redification ; for the Elements, faiesthePhilofopher Bacon m his Speculum, are the Roots and Mothers of all things living: But the Elements of the things aforefaid are not Ingredients tothe making of fZ/xirj, but by the Virtue and Commixtion with the Elements of Spirits {whereof he recites four, Argent vive, Sulphur, Arfenick, and com- mon Sal Armoniack,') and Metallick Bfdics, and fo, as Roger Bacon faies, they are Ingredients, and do make the great Elixir. Mid. Fhil. Chym. Cap. 3. Vie, faith he further, take neither of the firll Principles, they being too fimple, nor of the lafl, they being too grofs and fecualent, but only the middle, in whichis thetindure and true Oyl, feparated from any unclean Terreftreity, and Phlcgmatick Water ; therefore faith Raymund thus : The un£ti- ■ ous Liquor is the near Matter of our Phyfical Argent vive : And fhmagh thofe Bodies, in which thofe Mercuries are hidden, be (old openly by Apothecaries at a low Price, according to the laying of the Philolopher in this manner : Our Sulphurs we have from the Apothecaries at a mean Price, yet il^ you underlland not the Arc of feparating the Elements, 'according to the Do- T drine ^ine of Ariflotky in is EpifUe to Akxaneler, in t^e Boot of the '"Secrets of Secrets, M'here he iaith, Separate the lubni ^rom the grofs, the thin iVoni the thick, and wiien } ou have drawn Wa- ter out of Air, Air out of Fii^e, and Fire out of Eartli, fken have you tlie full Art : except, I lay, you underftand this, } c« will do "iittle. or nothing in my Work. Pufilla Mcbyw. Pag. ipS. It ''upper t. litis not to this place to prove tkeje tbitigs hy mme Examples^ it is ekough to have , mfianced thefi few. hy tcay af axticipation^ the following Booh tr- eating more copioufly of this, Tryjlj, ■ 7. 1 hat the Name (^Hcll Fire} //jf Moaftruum ^Trifmofiniis, %wepiriier and common Name of Mercur hi M&n^-w^ms : for ■mcjl ■ ^ifj'jf Adept's do ajf.rm Mercury to he of a mr]l hot yea Fiery Nuture : fomeftii d;ny-, accounting it the coJdeJi Metal. Among/} the Affirmers was the great Paiacclfus,y2i'>/»2; ; We find 'Mercur} to be inwardly of the greatefl heat, and no way to be %aglilate(5,\.'but by the greateft cold. Lilro. 6, Archid. magic. 'H'/hoeva: think Mercur) to be of a moid and cotd Nature, are convinced of an open Error, it being of its Nature moft hot and moift, by reafon of which it always and perpetually iloweth ; for if it was of a moift and cold Nature, it woukl be like fiozen Water, and be alwaies hard and folid, and it would be neceiia- ry to melt itby the heat of Fire, as other Metals, wliich indeed it requires not, having a Katural Liquation and Flux through its own heat, uhich keeps it in a perpetual Fluxion, and makes it ^uick, that it can neither dye, nor be congealed. Cirlitm Thd. Sefi. de calore mere. pag. 114. No Name can be found for this Liqaefa^lion QFluxion of Argent ^ive') much lefs tlie Original of it, by w hich it may be ca!ied, and no heat being fo vehement, as to be equivalent to it. Hell Fire ought to be compared to it. ■CiElum Thil.cm. i.iai. Bafilius taught the fame, faymg : The fiery Spirit of Sulphur being invifibly incorporated in Mercury, therefore it prefers it felf in Fluxion, not to be coagulated, igTr. For Mercury is a meer Fire, and therelbre cannot I e burned by any Fire ,- no Fire toucheth it fo, as to dellroy ir,tor either, ^c. Curms triumph. Antimonii, Pag. 40. : - And Send ivogius : I Mercury am Fire, ^c. MySpiritan^tihe Spirit of Fire love one another, and fo far as able, one accomt^a- niesrhe other, Ki)c. If any Man knows the Fire of my Hearty lie fees Fire is my Food, and the longer the Spirit of my Heart ears Fire. ( i3> ) Fire, the Ritter it will be, the Death of which is afterward the Life of all things, &c. I am Firc within, Fire jis my tqod..D/aUg. Mercurii Pag. '^is- J^oium: ^. fheat. Chym. '' '^^ -^^ ?.?"f-' ^ - Ripley did by the moft lootthbigs o/Lullv {acmthg the Vegeta- hle Menftruum, without the Virtue of which things^ it would mt he able to diffhlve Metals, hut in a lovgtime^i under jland Mercury : I am, faith he, fore d tp (ay, t;hat ail thefe things which Raymond fpeaks (ff things rriofi hot "; a;r6 covered with a Plrilqfophical VeiL for his Saying is, Thar diflblution muft be made with Spirit 6f Wine, but his intention alfo is, that in this Spirit ((?/ Philfophi- cal Wine) may be had another refoluble Menflruum, which \^ only of the Metallick Kind. Medal: Phil, P^g. i^8. For that is Raymund\ Water, which Mary the Prophetels fpeaks of, ffyin^, Make your Water as a running Water, by Divine ■Irafpiratiorl extradted out of the two Mineral and Vegetable, Zaih^tb (^Mer- curies^ that is, circulated together into a Criflalhne Water, ^^^ becaufe, as faith i?.yw/^;/rt', there being i{i Mer-cpry ' 5f. pi&int 5'f Igneity,by the power of wHtchis diflblutiohmiSe, it'is i-eqiii- fite to animate it with the Water of Vegetable Mercury , other* wife it can difTol've nothing : And this is the Water containing all thofe things which you want, and by Virtue thereof ard Pearls made.And this VegetableWaterbein^ compounded, doth by Virtue of the Mercury QMrneral^ prefently diiiclve'alt' Bp- dies, and by reafon of its Vegetabihty (Fcgei^^/e Menuntum") levivify every Body, and by its attraftive Virtue, (^Syrnholical Nature^ produce an Oyl from every Body, and Mercury draws toirfflr its like, thatis,the-Mercury ofa Body. Of this ^z- ter, Mth i^-jyw<"W, in Compendip Art. Tranfm. ad Regcm Roher- tttiw : Yoirknow, moft Serene Prince, tliat our Stone is made of vh^\f\s^.\\\X Arge-nt vive ■aXoac^ that is, compounded of Vegeta- l-fe anel' Mineral: And therefore faid the ancient Philofophers, the Stonels made of onfe,^h:r{2only, that is, Armn v'tvCy Viatic. Merciirial Waters are' cd!kd\^^^ Qz\\Q.Vi'(\±, hy reafon of thk Fiery Nature o/Argent vive, the corrofwe- Specifick wa< hecaufe of The Mercurial Water calt d by Paracelfus Ignis Gehenna:. Lihro. de S:pecif. 'Pag. 29. , The t^ifculatum majas, prepared from Mercury, ht. calfi ali-viifgFire^ woft'extresfnjFiK'ejandc^ieJlint Fhe. ■ ■ ■' ' T ^ If ( 1^2 ) If you would bring into zQ:ion, Jakh be, (the Life of Jf:tmo- »y hidden in itsRegnlus) you mull refufcitate that Life witli its like living Fire, or MetalUck Vinegar, \\'ith which Fire many o( the Phiiofophers proceeded feveral ways, but agreeing m the Foundation, they all hit the intended Mark, ^c. Yet tliat Fire, or Corporal Life in common Mercury is found much more per- feft and fubhme, which manifcftly proves by its flowing, that there is a moil ab folate Fire, and coslellial Life hidden in it; wherefore whoever defires to graduate his Metallick Heaven (jhe Arcanum Lapidis, or AHthnonii) to the highetl:, and reduce it to aftion, he muft firfl extrad the firfl liquid Being, as the coeleflial Fire, QuintefTence, and Metallick Acctumncerrwimi out o£ih.eCoY^orzl L'ikf(c/}mtn Oft Me nwy) &.C. Lihro- lO. Archid. Cap. 6. Pag. 39. Amongflthe Denier s^ who judge Mercitry to he of a cold Nat me, is firft Bernhard, illuftr ions for Learning as well as Linage, faying : Whereas Mercury is compounded of the four Elements, they therefoie being heated by tlie common and general Caufes, the Natural heat is excited by its own motion, by fuch motion as this are the Fire and Air in Mercury moved likewife, and by lit- tle and little elevated, thefe Elements being more worthy than the Water and Earth- of Mercury, neverthelefs moiflneis and coldnp^is are predominant,^c. Lih. Alchym. Pag. y66. Volum. i. TlJeatichym. Argent z'ivc being mofl cold, may in a fliort time be made moft hot, and may the fame way be made temperate with things temperate by the Ingenuity of an Artifl. £////. adThomarti, Pag. ')']. Art.Aurif. Arnoldns de Villa Nora in the Book, call'd ^^y^ww, IS obferved to have declared, that crude Mercury, that is. Argent vi'V£, which is by its Nature cold and moifl, may by fullimaticn be made hot and dry, then b) revivi- iicatioii made liot and moill like the Complexion of.Men, &c. The faid Arnold, though a Reverend Dcftor, and Ingenious in other Sciences, yet perhaps handled Experiments in tljjs Art without the Doftrine of Caufes ;but he faith, that in the iii fl Purgation, the crude Spirit {^Argent vive^ is fullimed w ith the lefs Minerals and Salts, and that Mercury it fclf, which is in its Nature cold and moi{\, may le made a Pow der by Nature liot and dry, as he faith, this is indeed of no benefit to our Philofo- phical Work : but fuppofe a Man may make fuch a Pow der, as he 4' I ( ^33 ) he fpeaks of, out or Mercury, namely, dry and hot by fiibhma- tion with faline Things, yet thefe Purgations are vain and im- pertinent, yea hurtful as to the perfc£ting of our Work, ^P'c.And if it be iaid by way of inftance, that as by Purging the impuri- ties of Mercury, thefaid AmclJ dry^^ it by fubUmation, foalfo, as you fay 77;(7»7,3i,moiftened it by revivification, and made the Mercury hot and moid, fuitable to Iiis ow'n Qmmatte) Body in Nature, this indeed impedes not my Reverend Dodlor, nor im- pugnes the Truth of the Philofophical Art ; yea rather the Error appears in this Natural Art : For, as it is clear, Arnold teach- eth, (if you regard the found of Words}that Mercury being thus dryedjby hot Water, into wliich it is caft, is revivifyed, and he faith, made hot and moid, whereas whenfirfl: fublimed, it was hot and dry : But what Philofopher can truly fay, that Mercu- ry, or any other Metal, is by fimple Water, though never fo hot and boyiing, changed as to its internal quality in Nature, acquires moiftnefs Natural to it felf, and fo is revivifyed ? In this revivification therefore Mercury requires nothing, forafmuch as common Water decofts not, nor alters it, becaufe it enters it not, and that whicli enters not, alters not, becaufe every thing to be alier'd raufl firft be mixed : Some fuperficial impurities of Mercury, fuch Water may indeed walh away from it, but can- ' not infufe a new quality into it : For fuch a Nature a^ Mercury had when reduced into Powder, and mortified by fublimations, fuch a Nature exaftly will it keep being revivifyed by Water : This I am willing to fay with Reverence and Honour to the faid Arnold, but I confidcr and defend the Truth of Nature arid Experiment. About the end of his Epiflle ?c Thomas. But he it what it will, it ccnjijls not ivith our Prudence to adhere to any Opinions ^ of what Authority foever, but to Truth alone ; in which refpefi we Jay Argent^ive is neither cold, nor hot, yet that being of e after diffolutioii-than the reft of the Metals, it is mvjlfitfor this kind fl/Men(truums ; and that the Mercurial Waters prepared from it, may by Chymical Liberty be called HtW-YxxQS, though be fides thefe Waters the Adepts call alfo other Menflruums InfernalFire, of which fort is the acetum acerrimum f/ Ripley in the Fifth Kind: But the following Arguments taken out of the Text it felf do proz'e., that Arnold, Lully'5 Mafter, was as to his reducing 0/ Argent vive into thejirfi Matter or EJfence, not fufficiently under food, end mif- chjer%cd (134) ^Iferved hy Bemhard, taking Aqua fervens/(7r common hojlhg Wa- ter : Arnold divided the Second Book of his Rofary into four Principal Works ; vchjch ^r^,Solution, Ablution, Reduftion, and Fixion, as appears hy the firft Chapter of the aforefaid Book : Of thefirfl Work, nar/iely, the Diflblution of the Stone, in tie fccond Chapter, thus : You muft didolve die Stone (Gold or Silver') being dry and thick, into Argent vive, that it may be reduced into Its firfl Matter ,• and all this is done by Argent vive only, it alone having the Power of converting Sol and Luna into their firfl Matter ; but Argent vive having a terreftrial and aduftible feculency in it without inflammation, and fubftance of aqueity, you muft of neceflity take away that which is fuperfluous, and lupply what is wanting, if youdcfirea compleat Medicine ; Int the Earthly feculency is to be wholly taken away by fuflimati- on, &c. This fuhlimation or depuration of Mercury he defcrihes in the third Chz^^tQV foUoiving : The Craft (U''ay) therefore of re- moving the Earthy fupertluous lubftance from it, is to fublime it once or twice with P^itrum (Jltriol formerly fo c^j/W^' and Sij Mercurial Wxit€r\.mt permanerit^ made diaphamui with Aqua fortis, or any other vulgar Menftruum, and not alfo againfl ike mofl clear Mercurial Water rf Thomas deBononiajf/'fw the Arguments afcrefaid had ken of great ftrength ; hut now the ebje^lions. againfl the lirnpidity ^/"Menltruums as irell of this as other Adepts,;,7r^ of no 'validity. . The fame Earth., which heinglefs than well dijfchedj is the caufe of opacity in Beni- hard's permanent Menftruum, /^f7;f/'jy^wf^.v.i-i:7/). d/£olvedJstl:e caufe of limpidity ivith Thomas, injp/ff'ating and coagidating'ihe iVater, ai well, if not letter, thanif it hadleen lefs diffohed. The diaphaneity of Meniknmms is defended ly LwWy, Parifmus, and rriojl of the [Adepts : Lully proclaims his Cttlum Vinofi^ ta le clear, hright, and refplendent as the Stars of Heaven.. hT'efi. mvif.pag. 8. Of which very Menftruum Parifinus Y/lvifj, in App^n- dice Elucidafii, pag. 7."] 1,. Vol. 6. tkeat. Cbym. Then will., you fee a QuiniefTence brighter and clearer than a Diamond,. ;whi£h 'exceeds the'fplehdbroTthe Stars, fo as to be douU$fici,i'*'bi5tfcr k be contained iiO-the^Glafs, or no. ' . : Tiie; (%A ) The Tenth KIND. Vegetable Menftruums compounded made of Vegetable Menftruums compounded, and Metallick Bodies, 5 2 . The Neapolitan Menftruum of Lully. In Exper. 13. TAke Luna, and calcine with common Argent vhe, that is, by amalgaming, and then giinding the Amalgame with common Salt prepared, then evaporate the Mer- cury with a mod gentle Fire, then take away the Salt with hot Water diftiUed, and fo you will have Lma calcined. Take the calcined Z.«?/<7, and pour to it four parts of the Mercurial Water (^defcriled hy the three hot reffels before in Nimh. 46.} and the Velfel being covered with its Antenotoriuwkt upon Aflies, fo as to boyl gently, and you will perceive a Green or Sea Colour, which Liquor pour warily into another VciTel, fo that theFa:ces be not difturb'd, the Matter remaining at the bottom dry with an eafte Fire, like the heat ofthe Sun : Then know the weight of the faid Calx, and pour again four parts of the faid Mercurial Water upon onepaitof the laid Calx, and the Veflel being cover- ed with its Antenotoriutn, as above", let it. boyl again gently, the dillblution pour into another VeiTel as before, and jdyn it with thefirft diflblution ; but remember to keep the faid di/Tolved Matter continually in Balneo, till the whole Work of diflblution is compleated j repeating the Magiftery fq oft, .till the whole Body of Z.«».7 be fully diflblved and decanted Qver, which has indeed hapned to vis at thefccond time, and fet it in putrefaction fourteen ( 145 ) fourteen Days : Then put it in an Urinal, with its Receiver and Alembick, very well luted, and diftil in a Furnace of A/hes, then increafe the Fire, that the Soul of the Body may afcend in- to its Water : The Veflel being cold, examine the weight of the Earth of L««^ remaining in the bottom, for I believe of one whole Ounce there will not remain above two Eights (Drachms) of the Body not difTolved, the rell will be perfedly dirfoived, (that is, diftilled;") But if more of theundifToIved Earth remains, then pour to it fo much of its Water lately diftil- led, as to be three Fingers above it, and the Veflel being cover- . ed with an Atitenotormmj put it in Balneo for a Natural Day, then taking away the Antemtorium^'a.ndi putting on an Alembick with a Receiver very clofe, diftil by Ailies ; at the end of the diftillation increafe the Fire as before : This repeat, till the ■ who!e Body of Lma be pafs'd througli the Alembick by an airy revolution ; and thus will you by the Help of God have a Menftrimm, with which you may diflblve Sul. Annotations. • Hitherto wc have hy Argent vive acuate^ either the Spirit of Philofophical Wine, or Menftruums made with this Spirit^ which hadfo good a faculty of diffolving, that mojlofthe Adopts le- iyig content with thefe Mercurial Waters, dejijled from inquiring af- ter flronger Menftruums. The MercurialWater, ivhich Luliy terms {jloriom, he faith, is fufficient, yea, a properyitvAxwwvato make the- ^^hilefophers Mercury, or Metallick Sal Armoniack, out of all Me- tals a>7d Minerals. You muft ktiov^ , faith he, my Son! that in the Truth and Faith of God, no Sulphur of Nature of any Metal can be fublimed without this Water of common Argent -vive. Teft. Novif. Pag. iz. But in this i enth Kind o/Menftruums, the Adepts made yet other Menftruums, adding moreover divers Bodies, according to the intended feveralufes to the aforefaid MercurialWuters: Lully, to make a more Nohle Menflruuhi/i//- the diffolution of Gold, added Silver to the Mercurial Menllruum : If perhaps he wanted a Men- ftruum/or Pearls, he joyned Pearls with the MercurialMenilmum : If he had a mind to make Aummvotzhik, he prepared a Menflruum X out vut of Gold and Silver^ asntorefuitaile to this pHrpofe^yet ivithjhrne Mercurial Menftruum, andfo of others, as you mil olferve in the fclloivjug Examples. 53. The precious Menfinmm for Pearls oiLully. In Comp. An'nnce tra?}fmut. Pag. Vol. 3. The at. Chyvi. ''"T^Ake the Liquor o^ Lunar ia of the third or fecond redhfica- I tion (Vhilofopbical Aqua ardens reclifycd') pour it upon Argent -vive, fo as to fwim three Fingers above it, and putrefic three Natural Days, and a great part of it will be diflbh'ed with the Water of Ltwaria, which decant, and pour frelh Liquor up- on the Fxces, putrefie in Dung or Balneo, and repeat till all the Mercury is reduced into Watetjthenjoyn all the diftiilations to- gether, and draw oft in Balneo, and when you fecit in a manner thick, fo as to be half a Pound of the Water of Mercury and Argent vhie, (Vegetahle and Miner aP) putrifie fix Natural Days, then put in Pearls, and they will within ten Hours be diflblved, tlien exuberate thembytheway, which I taught in the exube- ration of'Mctals,ti]l they be converted into a SaK^Harmoniack, or Sulphur J^atura of Pearls) whereof diflblve one Ounce in a Pound of its Menjlruum aforefaid, and diftil four times, then put in Pearls, and they will in half a quarter of an Hour be diflbl- ved, by reafon of the greater fabtilty of the Menftruum. As Sd- verisJoynedtotheMercurialMeniknmm made ly the three Fire- hot Vefels,for //jf Neopolitan Menftruum, (jvhich tnayhefo calfd, lecaufe it was reveal' d to Lully at Neapolis l?y Arnold de villa nova)yo this Menftruum for Pearls is made of the Sal Armoniack cf Pearls, and the Mercurial Menftruum, or Glorious iVaier of Mer- ■ cury, which if they he Circulated together a convenient time, you will make thereof aQodiwri pcrlatura. 54.' The ( '47 ) 54- The Mercurial compoundecf M(?«- firujim of Lully. In Exferim. 34. TAke three Ounces of Lumy and three Ounces of Sol, cal- cine them feverally with Mercury, as in the former Ex- periments, {in the Neopolkan Menftruum) then evaporate it from the faid Metals, being calcined, put them feverally in di- ftinft folutory Veflels,and put upon them fo much of the incal- cinated Menftrtmn (jiefcrihed before in ]>limh.i\s-) ^^ will fwim four Fingeps above it : cover tlie Veflel with an Antenotoriumy putrifie inBalneotwo Days, and two Days more in Allies with a heat like that of the Sun, decant the dillblution, and dry the remainder : being drycd, pour upon them of the incalcinated /T/';7/?/7^«w again as before, putrifying in a clofe Veflclin Balneo, then upon Alhes, and emptying the Teveral dilTolutions (of Gold and Silver^, into their feveral VeHels as before : If any thmg re- mains undiflblved, diy anddifiblve as before, till all the remain- der be fully diiToh'cd, then putrifie bothdiflblutions twenty Na- tural Days, being putrifyed, take the dillolutions, and put them feveraily into their Urinals with their Receivers, and having luted the Joynts well, diftil the Waters of both Cflletali) in Bal- neb; in the bottom of the VelTels will remain the Bodies like melted Honey .or Oyl, pour.uponthofe(^0)'/j-) again of their own Waters (■7?if,Menfeuumwwv dmiva from the Oyls) diftilled only by Balneo, fo as to fwim three Fingers above the Matter, cover both Veffels with their .^;'rff«o/vr/«(W J, and- putrifie fbr 'a ■Natural Day : then take away the Antemtoriuws, and put on Alembicks, 'lute well, and diftil upon Alhes, laftly increafe. the 'Fire','- that the Soivl or Element of Air may pafs over into both tlieir diftilled Waters,'^f Lum ■ this Riednefs' Or Fire is not^ne* ceHSry : Diftilfetiori 'beie^^ compleated, let the VelTels cool,'take X z one ( h8 ) one for the other : Then again to the Earths (of Gold and Sil- ver^ leftjn dift illation) pour their Waters diflilled by Balneo as before, and having put an Antenotorium to it, putrifie as before, then diftilby A!hes,each VefTel having its own Receiver, where- in you kept theSouls of thofe Bodies, and thus repeat the Magi- ftery till the Earths are cxanimated and deftitute of radical moifture : Then take thofe Earths, grind well, and joyn them together, then put them in a Glafs Egg, and keep them in hot Afhes, till I tell you what to do with them : Then take the ani- mated Spirit of £/.•;/(?, andre£lifieitfeven timesin Aihes, then take the animated Spirit of 5()/, and after the fame manner re6Vi- iie it feven times in Aihes; the limofitics {remaining Ear tlj) which the Spirit of .gf/^ti^/e Menftruum, without tvhich it, cannot he made) digeft them for a Month, and you will have a C'eleftial rather than Terreftrial extradion, draw off the extraftion in Balneo, and the Phlegm being taken away, in the bottom WiiU imain a ponderous Oyl, diflblving all Metals in a momeiM;;j ^y.whiclxadd of the Spirit of Wine {Philofpphi^idyiit: fiery Spirit ( H9 ) of Wine of Baftlius) three parts, Circulate in a Pellican to a Blood rednefs, and incomparable fweetnefs ; being Circulated, pour it upon Tartar calcined to whitenefs, and diltil the Spirit of Mercury with a ftrong Fire, the Spirit of Wine remaining " with the Tartar. ' We miifi diftivguifi) between this Spirit^ and another of the fame i^ame^ left one he taken for the other: For BaCilius prepared alfo a Spirit of Mercury from the white Spirit of I'itriol, of which jou may read in fever al places, in the Bock de particuiaribus, efpecially in the particular of Luna; a Dejcription <}f which Spirit is hiver among the A//»ifr^/Menftrumiis, lecati/e it is acid : But the other, namely, this cur Spirit of Ale > airy, is moflfweet and fragrant, which you have alfo in the particular cf Luna, as alfo in the Jeventh Chapter of the Book de rebus nat. & fapernat. where he difolves the Crocus of Luna in the white Spirit of Fitriol, as alfo in the mojl fragrant Spi- rit of Dlercury. Parifinus/or Alchymical TinBures made a Mercurial compounded Menltruum, o//j/iCirculatum majus, and the fir jl or middle ful- fiance of common Argent vive, tlms : $6. The incalcinated Menftruum o( Parifinus, Cap. G . Apertoris. TAke of the Circulatum maji4s(defcriled before in Numb, ^o^ one Pound, of Mercury prepared, as W€ lliall teach in the tenth Chapter, two Ounces, mix, and obferve that true putre- fadion be made with this Menflruum : But when iirft it is incal- cinated, that is, mix'd with fuch Mercury, it is no more ufed for Men s Bodies, but only as Medicines for Metals,now the faid tenth Chapter is this, as followeth: Of reducing common Mercury into the fir fl Matter or Middle Subflance. Now my Son ! we will give you full inflruftion and demon- ftration of decodting and reducing common Argent vive into its firfl Matter, or middle fubftance, and as in the foregoing .Cljjiptprs we declared the m ay of reincrudating the two Lumt- '^' • ' naries, ( ISO ) naileS, fo now we will demcnflrate the ways and means of de- co£]:in" the laid Mercury. Iiril:, we will teach the way of di- ftinguilhing good Mercury from bad, fophiflicated and corrupt- ed which way is, to take common Mercury, brought out of Spain in Skins fealed, orif you cannot have this, lake any other, and put a little of it in a Silver Spoon heated lb, as to make the Mercury evaporate, and if the remainder of it be of a white or citrine Colour, 'tis gcod^ but if of another Colour, bad, and not at all fit for our Work, becaufe fophifticated : Then take of Roman Vitriol two Pounds, melt it in a glazed Vcllel, being melted, add one pound of Mercury, and as much of common Salt prepared, flir and fliake till they be all mix'd, evaporating the moifture with fuch a heat as that of the Sun ,• tJien take out the Matter, grind, and put it in a Sublimatory, and fublime the Mercury by the uiual degrees of Fire : The Veflels being cold, take cut the fuLlimation, to which being put into a Retort, pour of the Vegetable Water without Phlegm {Thilofophkal A- qm Vitm rcftifyd) about three or ibur Fingers, let it boyl in Bal- neo two Hours, then diftil in Allies, that the Vegetable Water' may afcend ; then cover the Retort with Alhes, and increafing the" Fire, x\\c.Mcrcury. i^ireWillakcndfiuto the Aqm ardevs^. de- cant the Water Irom the Mercury, which 2 gain fublime with new Matters, and thatfk-'titnes, alwa}s calling away the Far- ces : But take notice that theie levcn fubiunations mull ahvays be tranfavSled in Aludels, becaufe you will no other way fgj-a- rate the aduilible powder alcenHing m the Aludels : And te in- ftruft you,' that you may notti-'r, I w'iilmor'e dtftinftiy repeat the method of thefaidfeven Sublimations : The \\'ay is this, to •take a Glafs Vefiel like one of the narrower fort of Cucurbits, with its blind Head, perforated in the upper part of it, into thrs put two parts of Vitnoi vxry well pulverized, ofXlcfcury one part, and of Salt prepared one part, mixing all well,the Matter being now geiitly dr}t;d, put on -a blind Head; or 'rather an Aludel, yet obfeivingnot to xov-er the Cucurbit with Allies ( '51 J the faid Veflel for its u!e. Now mix new Matters with your foblimation, and fublime as before, and this repeat feven times,- then grind the fublimation into a mofl fine Powder, put it in tlie aforelaid Cucurbit with its blind Head, or Ahidel, and alfowirh its common Alembick, becaufe of the operation diliering irom tlie, former ; the fubhmation being put into a Cucurbit, pour to it of the fimple Animalor Vegetable Menjlrmm (jhe A>fim:>.l Menflruum defcr'iled in l^umh. 37. or Vegetahle in Numh, xp. hut here alcve he order d him to take I egetabk V/nter recti- fy d, that IS, Aqua ardcns) fo much, as to be three Fingers above It, cover it with a Hind Head, and digeft in Aflies twelve Hours, then taking of the blind ilead, pat on a common Alembick, and draw off the Meiiflruum in Ealneo, lay afide the Alembick again, and put on an Aludel, fet the VeHel in Aihcs fo deep, as- to cover the Matter in the Glafs, give Fire by degrees, till all the moifture is exhaled, the Hole m the upper part of the Alu- del flop with Cotton, increafe the Fire, that the Mercury may be fublinied : Sublimation being ended, and the Veflels cold, take away the Aludel, and \\'hat you find fublimed in it, is not for our purpole,' for it is that aduft part, which isno Ingredient to our Magiftery : Then gather the fublimation from the fides of the Cucurbit, which will be clear as Criflal, and have a care that it be not mix'd \i'ith its Forces, grind, fift, and put it into the fame Veflel, being cleanfed from the Faeces, and pour the Moifirmm dravi'n off in Balneo to it, cover the Veflel with an- . Aludei, digeft tuxlve Hours as before, lay afide tlie Aludel, put on a common Alembick, diflil in Balneo, lay afide this Ailem- bick, put on an Aludel, and fublime in AflieSjthc Farces, as alfo the adufiive part being caft out of the Aludel, gather the mid- dle fubfiance out of the Cucurbit dexieroufly ; with this method you muft fublime feven times, or till it leaves no Fa;ces in the Cucurbit : Having obtained this fign, take the faid fubftance, grind, and put it in a Glafs Veflel, pour to it the fimple either Animal or Vegetable Menftrium^ the lieight of three Fingers, cover the Veflel with a bUnd Head, digeft gently two Days in Allies, then decant the dilTolution into another VefTel, and that which remains in the VefTel, dry \\'ith a temperate heat, like that of the Sun, to vyhich pour new MenflniHin, covering the Veflel with a blind Head as before, and repeat the fame rhethod, till ( I50 till all the difTolvible pfirt is difTolved, and in the bottom of the Glafs will remain apf indiflblvible Earth, to be cad away, as no- thing worth : Now take away diflblution, that is, your decan- tations, and diflij in Bulneo, and the Meyijlrmtm being diftilled, put on an Aludej, and in AihesfublimetheCriftallinellibltance, which may truly be called the firfl Matter of Mercury ; this is that middle fubftance, with which we incalcinate our Menjlru- um^ (Circulatum majus, defcrihed in Numb. 5'0.") and make infi- nite particulars, as we have tanglit you before : This alfo is called the Mineral Stone. Now, my Son ! will you be able to proceed by infinite ways, yet following thefe which I have fliew- ed you ; and remember, that Mercury thus reduced, is that, -which our Captain Raymond fpeaks of, making mention of the JVIineral Stone, as alfo in the lafi Chapter of his Book, fiam'dVade mecum, and in many other places of his Volumes. This is that Mercury which Arnold de Villa nova; treats of in h^is Rofariim, and we declare to you, except Mercury be reduced into the firft Matter with the faid Vegetable or Animal Water, it is altoge- ther impolhble to do any good with it, by reafon of its great Corruprion, occafioned by the crudity of it. From the Receipts of this Kind we obferve: I. 77.;j/-MenAruums may and ought to he made according to the ilejigned ufes, for they are de fired not only to diffclve Bodies pro- mijcuoujly, hut rightly alfo^ that the tintiures of things diffolved may not by any Heterogeneous tinflures of the Menftruums be inquina- ted^ hut rather illujlrated. z. That thefeMtn^ruwrnsheing once compounded, the oftner the Compojition is repeated by adding new Matter, arc endowed withfo much a greater Virtue ; whereas on the contrary it is manifefi, that common Menftruums are this way debilitated. 3. That thefeMcrxdrnums are mojl fragrant, and of exceeding fweetnefs and rednefs, yet neverthelefs called Acetum acerrimum, which diffolves Gold into a Spirit. 4. That thefe Menftruums d;-^ the E (fences or Magijleries of Me- tals made by Magi(leries or Effences, and mis d together into com- pounded Citculatums. f. That ( «53) 5". That thefe compomAci Circulatums may be made not only (f Gold and Silver, hut alfo of imperfe^ Metals and Mifterah. 6. That Sal Armoniack may he made of Corah., and other aridsy Oi well as Pearls. 7. That VznCmws his firfl Matter of Mercury is an Effence ra- ther than a Magiftery, it is indeed fooner prepared than the Mercu- rial Sal Armoniack of LuUy, hut is not of the fame, hut lefs Vir- tue. 8. That Parifinus defends Arnold de villa nova in his way cf fuhliming Mercury, (defer ibed in the Rofarium) againjl his Confort Bernhard. 9. That this fir fl Matter of Mercury is a? oyfon\ ivhereforeVari- finus tlje Author gives caution that it is not to he ufed for humane Medicines, hut Metals only, yet if this incalcinated^Xtn^tnxyxa he Circulated as the reft, it becomes harmlefs , and an excel- lent Medicine. The ■) rjo ■ '-mP i!:>'^ ■' hj;.. :■<: t^-^V/ i^;-)--' (vi54) The. Eleventh KIND. Vegetaih compounded Menftruums gra^ duated, made of the compounded Vegetable Menftruums, impreg?iated with the in- fluences of Heaven and Earth, 57. The Etherial and Terreftrial Waters of Me- tals of Lully for the making of Pretiotis Stones. Canon,. 43. dijiinSl. i. Lib. Quint. Elfen. TAke the Water of Mercury, made by the way, which we declared in our QNov/jimm') Teflamentum, and in Lilro Mercuriorum {the Mercurial Menflruum, or Glo- rious iVater of common Argent vive, defcrihed hejore in Numb. 44.} and in that Water, Soni you muft dLH^blve one half Ounce of the pureft Luna, after the filtred dilTolution, feparate the Water from the Fxces (diftil the Menflruum /a-om the Si her through an Alemhick') in which the linwfity of the Silver wiJl afcend : This Water, Son ! refolves all other Bodies, and Argent vive it felf, by Virtue of which,' Son / Pearls are reformed by the way which I told you in our Teftamentum, and in the Compendium fu- per Teflamentum & Codicilium tviffam Regi Rohertc. .The fecond Water is thus made :Take half an Ounce of Lead, and of the aforefaid Water as much as-fufficeth, when you fee the Lead diflblvcd, feparate the Water by filtred diftiUation ■ Qiltre the dijfolutioH of the Lead) and throw out the Fxces, as .1 nothing nothing worth,thendiftil the Water by Balneo (AravoofftheT^err flruum in Balneo) and keep the Fxces (the dijfolved Lead) for occafion. The third Water is thus made : Take of Copper one Ounce, and diflblve it in as much of the firfl: Water as you pleafe, and let it reft in its VefTel, in a cold place, for a Natural Day, then feparate the Green Water through a Filtre, and pour out the firft Prices, {that which remains in the Filtre mufi he cafl away) then diftil the Water through an Alembick, and keep the fecond Fxces. The fourth Water is thus made : Take one Ounce of the pu- reft TinofCornwa//, which is purer than any other, and diflblve it in a quantity of the firft Water, and diftil (through a Filtre) that Water (dijfolution) with its limofity, and the Farces which remain caft away, then diftil the Water through an Alembick, and keep {the rejidue, or Tin dijfelved) the fecond Fteces. The fifth Water is thus made: Take of the pureft Iron one Ounce, and diflblve it in a fufficieat quantity of the firft Water, then diftil through a Filtre, and caft away the Faeces, diftil the Water through an Alembick, and keep the fecond Fasces. The fixth Water is thus made: Take of the pureft Gold one Ounce, and diflblve it as I told you in my Teftamntim^ that ')Sy with pure Lunaria (jhejiwpk Fegetalk Menftruum without Ar- gent vive and Silver) mix'd with fuch a weight of the fifth Water (mow prepared from Iron) and do, as you did with the other. You may alio, Son ! diflblve allthofe Metals in this order : leaving made the firft Water, in it diflblve the Metal, wiiich we commanded you to diflblve after the fecond way (to wit Lead) then do with, it as we told }'ou before. In this fecond Water diflblve the third Metal, (Copper) and in the Water of the third Metal diflblve the fourth Metal, (Tin)zn6. in the Wa- ter of the fourth Metal diflblve the fifth Metal (Iron^ and in the Water of the fifth Metal diflblve the fixth Metal v Gold.) Take which of thofe Waters you like beftto diflblve a Metal. Son / thefe limofities of Metals are called QuinteflenceSj or Mineral Mercury, which the Philofophers efteemed in the Al- chy mical work (in Akhymical tinBures) and the lapidifick, (in the making ofPretious Stones) and in the Medicinal Work (in the Y 2. prepa- ( «50 preparing of Hfedkines.') But Son ! in the Alchymical Work thofe QuinteHences ought to be morefubtil, and to be done b} divi- ding the Elements as we (iw the third Book of this Folume'j, iliajl dcckre, but in (n!aki»zPretious')Stoncs,t\\Q Quinteflence {^cifore- y^/W) are not fo, in fucli a Ilibtil Matter, but in Medicine either of them {this two-foUl vcay of preparing) may be ufecf. Having fpoken of the QuintelTences oi' INIinei als {pfMetallick Waters^) how we are to make them, it is now convenient to fpeak of the divifion of tliem in general And my Son ! do thus ; When your Metals are diflbiv ed, you muft di\'ide every Water fleingfirft fltred ^ ami difii Heel from its remainder^j and every di- vided Water {now diftiiledj into two parts, and one part of every part you muft put withits own Fxces {the rew.uning Mftal.whicb the Water had left in difiillation) into a Glafs Alcmbick, and di- ftil a I,/w«i er,t\izt the perfecting of Metals isfrom a certain fituation of one or more Starrs winch we know not, we anfwer, that we regard not this fituation and motion, nor dio ( ^el ) alfo ir irneceflarily requifite for us to know it : becaufe there is not any fpecies of things generable and corruptible, butGenera- tion and Corruption may be dayly and in every inflant made from the individuals of it : And it is therefore manifefl:, that f.ich a poficionof the Stars is every Day good, and able toper- fe£t, and fimply to corrupt all the fpecies whatfoever of Indivi- duals. It is not therefore neceffarily expedient for an Artift to expeft ths place of the Stars, though it might be ufeful ; becaufe it is fufficient for him only to difpofe and adminifler the way of Nature, that She, whg is wife, may difpofe the fituations of thofe able Bodies agreeing: For Nature can perfect nothing without the motion and pofition of the Planets. Wherefore if you dif- pofe, and duly confider the Artifice of Nature, whatfoever may be the contingents ofthisMagiftery,it will be perfected un- der a due pofition by Nature agreeable to it, without the confide-' ration of ic : For when we fee a Worm produced from a putri- fied Dog or other Animal, we do not prefently confider the po- fition of the Stars, but the difpofition of the ambient Air, and other caufes conducing to putrefaction, befides that pofition: And from fuch a confideration we know fufficiently, that Worms are produced according to Nature : For Nature finds convenient I'laces for it felf, though we may be ignorant of them. Sumna perfe^. Lih. l. parte, z. Cap. ll. Petrus Bonus of Ferraria hath the fame Opinion of Influences. As to the ninth rtafon, faith he, we fay it is true, that Forms arc introduced into things below, by the motion and light of Cele- flial Bodies, and by their partjicuiar Pofitions and Afpeds ; but it is not nccefiary for us to know, nor can we know them, but in aconfufed manner, as in lome things by the Sun, who is the caufeofthefour Seafons of the Year ,• Sowing, Reaping, and Planting, being done at certain Seafons ,• and m fome Animals, as Horfes, Afies, and Flav.'ks, Conjundions are made in order to Coition and Generation at fome certain Periods of the Sun ; but in fome thefe things are done at any time indiiierently, as in Man, Pigeons, Hens, \£)c. Wherefore if we would generate a Worm out of putrifying Flefh, v/e do not confider any pofition of the Stars, but only the difpofition o; the ambient Air, and other caufes of putrefaction : Likewife, if we put Eggs in Dung, or fuch alike place for the pre duction of Chickens, ttie Form will Z be ( 162) be given at any time in the place and time predeftinated by the Celeflial Powers, without our confideration herein : After the fame manner in the Generation of Lime and Vitriol, and Gold, and Silver, or Sulphur, and Cerufe, and Minium, and Cinabar, likewife in the Compofition ofTheriacIe, and other Confefti- ons, becaufe thefe things may be done at any time, and any hour ; for the Celeftial Virtue is very common to all things, and is circumfcribed by the Virtues and Difpofitions of thofe things, which are the fubjed of it in things Elemented and the Ele- ments themfelves, becaufe, as afore faidj^the Celeftial Vertues do operate in the whole Nature of things capable of Generation and Corruption continually according to the difpofition of the Matter, either properly or commonly : Wherefore laid Lilium^ The Work is not caufed by the motion of the Powers above, be- caufe it maybe done at any time. And Rajis in 70. inLihroRe- prehenfwnis : Time operates not any thing in this; and adds becaufe fliould time operate in it, it would be of no efleem amongtl the People. If therefore all contingents in this Magi- ftery concur rightly in their time, their Form will be introduced under a due Poifition and Afpeit of the Stars, at the time prefix- ed in the Matter, without any confideration herein : And there- fore faid Tlato^ According to the merit of the Matter, are the Celeflial Virtues infufed, ^c. But as to thofe things, in which an accidental, new, and hidden Form is infufed by the Celeflial Powers, as is manifefl in Arte Imaginum Cakft/um, it is neceffary for us to know andobferve the determined Pofitions and Afpedls of the Celeftial Bodies, according to the time propofed : Becaufe fuch a Form is imprinted by fuch alone, and at fuch a time and no other, as appears in the Books of Aftrology concerning the EleftionofHours, Images, and Wars, Buildings, Journey, ^c. Wherefore Alchymy being no fuch Art, therefore is it not expe- dient for a Man to know thefe things. Margar. pretiofa^ Pag. 211: Vol. S- Th. Chym. The ( 1^3) The Twelfth KIND. Compounded Vegetable Menftruums mojl highly exalted, made of compounded Vege^ talk Menftruums graduated. 58. The Etherial and Ccleftial Limes of Z&!//k, for the making of Alchymical Tinctures. In Tejlam. Noviffimo. r. rii i. TAke the Sulphur of Gold,(//;^ Philofophers Mercury made of Gold, or Sal Armoniack of SoV\ put it'in a Glafs Veflel, and pour to it as much as it weighs of the Celeflial Ve- getable Menftruum{the Caelum Vinofum (^/Lully defcriled inNum. 30.) which you know already ; put it in digeflion of Balneo fix Days, then diilil by Balneo j then pour on new Mertjlrmm ac- cording to the weight of it, anddigeft in Balneo fix Days, then {Qt it in Aflies one Day, diftilling all that can be dillilled, and put it with the other dillilled before : And again pour on new Menjiruum, and digefl: and diftilas before ,• and continue the re- petition of this Royal Magirtery, till all the faid Earth, or Sul- phur is emptied of its Air, which is done in two and twenty times, if you know how to operate : Then take all the diftilla- tions and put them in Balneo, and diftil the whole Menflruum, and fee if all the Air remains in the Form of a Liquor, then will you know that the Earth is emptied of its Air, but if not, repeat with new Menftruum in Bafneo, digefting and diftilling in Aihes as before three times, and then will all our Sulphur be freed from its Air : Then take the Air which you kept, and upon it put its whole Metijhmmy which is that with which you emptied Z z the ( 1^4 ) the Air, and pour it upon the Earth of the Sulphur of Gold, and put it in digeftion in Balneo eight Days, then diflii all the Men- flruum in the faid Balneo for one Day, and another in Alhes, draw ofFall the Air and Fire, as much as you can, namely, in another Receiver, \\hich you will know, when the Air begins to change the reddilli Colour. Keep that Fue apart, and again put the Air with" the Mefifrrmm drawn from it, or w ith other, and put it to the Earth in Balneo, and digeft fix Days, and in the laid Balneo diftil all the Menjlrmm for one Day, and the Fire \n Alhes, fepa rating then every one by it felf as you did before,, and keep the Fire in Balneo : And again put the Air witli the Me>iftrnum upn the Earth, in \\'hich is the Fire, and digellasbe- tbre, and this Magiftery repeat, till the Earth isM'dl emptied of its Fire, whicii is done in ibrty times or repetitions. TJien mull yoU' fublime tlie Earth after this manner ; Take that Earth which remained after the feparation of the Air and Fire, and put it in a Glafs VeiTel, and pour upon it of the Vegetable Mcnjtru- j^/M, according to the quantity of the Earth, and let it in B?.lnco for a NaturatDay, then another Day diftil in Aflies ,■ and again- put of tlie faid Menftrunm according to the weight of the Earth, and digeft in Balneo the fpace of one Day, and diftil in Aflies another Day, and again repeat, digefting in Balneo, and diftil- !ing in A Hies, till all the Earth, is converted into an impalpable Powder : Then take that, and put of the Menftrunm upon it ac- cording to its weight, and digeft in Balneo twoDays, then diftil Ml AfhesoneDay, and put the diftillation m Balneo : Then take the Earth, and put again of other Menftruum equal to its weight,, digeft two Days, and diftil as before ; proceed in repeating the inhumations and diftillations till tlie Earth has pafled through the Alembick together with tiie Menftruum • That Earth being t|ius mixed with tlie Mfnjlruurfi^ is called Argent vizie exubera, ted according to the intention of the Alcyhmifts : put therciorc thofe diftillations wherein is thatEartli, tobediftilledby Balneo, and draw ofTtiie Me»ffruii»i^and the Earth will remain dry and prepared in the bottom of the Vellel, which keep : Thus Son ! have you the Elements of the Sulphur of Gold divided with the help of God. Then muft you have the Sulphur of Silver, Qhe Philofophers Mercury prepared from Siher, or ike Sal Armoniack i^Luna) and feparate the Elements from it, fcparating the Air with ( i>^5 ) with tli€ Mcnflrual Water, and the Fire witli the Air and Wa^ ter, and the Earth fubhming with the Menjirmm^ and caufe it to pa(s through the Alembick with tlie fame Menflrimm. Thus have you, my Son! the Elements of the white Sulphur, and the Elements of the red Sulpliur feparated and divided : Now take the Menflrmm or Water with v\ hich you feparated the Ele- ments of the Sulphurs of Gold and Silver, and lor e\cry Pound of the MenjlruHm in whicli }ou diflblvcd the Gold, diilolve one Ounce of Gold ; and in tlie Me^flruum wherein you diifoiv-'d the Silver, an Ounce of Silver : and put either of them by itlelf in a Vellel of Circulation in B;.lneo or Dung, the fpace of fifteen Days, a 1x1 there it \\'ill be ftrengthened into its Mcnftrual Na- ture : This Water,Son- ! we call Elemented .¥^^/y»Vi!/*/;f, or Water wafiied and drawnfrom t!ie Fxces of the Earth. Now take the two Elements, namely, the Air and Fire of the Sulpliur of Gold., put them together into aGlafs diflilling Ve(rel,and diftilm Aihes with a moft temperate hear, till } ou have three parts of five diftilled in tlie Receiver, then let it cool, and that which is dU flilled receive by it i(i\\\ and diftil it feven times, and keep it apart, then diftil that which you left ; when you have diftilied three parts of five, continue diftillingthe two which remained, till you fee the Fire congealed at the fides of the Veflel, let it cool till tlie Fire be congealed : And that Fire which you diew. ofTtill the Fire was congealed, Q:e means tkit which afcends as yet tnoifi before the full imat'wi of the Matter from thefe two parts left') Is called the fecond Air and Tindure, and wc call it our Secret, and our Trcafure, and the Vapour of the Elements ; This, my Son ! you mull redify by feven diftillations or recVifications, and the Earth, vvhichafter the dillillation of the firft and fecond Air you drew out oftheVelTels, in which you diftilled the hrfl and fecond Air, put in the Fire to be congealed, and that Earth, is called Fire : Now Son ! prepare this Fae after this manner. Put it in a diftilling VefleL, and upon it pour its own Water, ^ which is that wherewith you feparated the Elements of tlie Sul-. phur of Gold, when we commanded to reduce it to a fifth Spirit, in the Veflel o^ HermeSy and faid, Take the Water wafii'd from, the Fxces of the Earth (othenvife the Elematted Menftruum of Sol) five parts of its weight, that is, five Ounces of the faid Water (^Elemented Menftruumo/Go/^) to cne Ounce of the iatd ■ Fire J f ^66 ) . Fire, and digefl in Balneo eight Days, then diftil in Aflies mofl gently, and again put new Water, namely, five parts, digefl and diltil as before , repeating tins method feven times, and fo you have the Fire and Earth (of the Sul- ^hur of Gold) calcined by Philofophical calcination j and they are the two Elements of the red Sulphur prepared for the de- fert Limes. And take notice, that you muft put the Earth of the white Sulphur, which you calcined and prepared after the reparation of the Elements of the red Sulphur with the Earth, which you drew from the Air mix d \^ ith the Fire, and put both u ith the Fire congealed. Now Son ! take the Earth ot the Sul- phur of Silver, wliich remained after the feparation of the Ele- ments, and prepare it, as you did in calcining and preparing the Earth of Gold, after the feparation of the Elements fuLlimed together with the Meftflrmm, and reduced into an impalpable Powder, and carryed through the Alembick with the fame Men- firuum. You may alfo prepare the Earth of the Sulphur of Sil- ver with the Metifiruum^ that you ufed in feparating the Ele- ments of the Sulphur of Silver : Then have you the Earths of the Sulphur of Gold and Silver prepared by themfelves, which you will know by the fign given } ou, that is, putting a little of it upon a red hot Plate oiLma, the greater part will tume away : -Then take thofe Earths in equal weight and ounces, and put them in a preparing VelTel, then take the Metiftruum^ with which you prepared the Elements of Luna^ and in one Pound of it, put one Ounce of the Vegetable Sulphur, which we jliewed you how to make from the Earth of Wine '(Fegeta- ^/f Sal Armciiiack made of the Z:.;r//? r;/ Philofophical Wine j and diftilling, make the v. hole pafs through the Alembick, and then Will you have tiie Menftruum^ with which you txtradedthe Ele- ments of the Sulphur of Luna, animated and acuated : Then Son ! you mull mix and prepare the Earths of the aforefaid Sulphurs {ihat is of Gold and Silver) tcgetlaer, allowing of the faid Men- flruitm, now animated and acuated,a tburth parr of their weight, digefling and drying, as is done in the making of the Sulphur Qoft^tjture, orSzl Armoni'^ck} till they have diank up four parts of the faid MeKjlruum, and aredilpofed, to fublimation, which you muft fublime with a Fire of the fourth degree: And ob- ferve that all thofe preparations and diftillations of the Earths are ( l6l ) are to be done in Balneo : And thus. Son ! have you our SuU phur or Matter, or Vegetalle and Metallkk Earth in one Kind united^ for the makingof the Glorious, High, and Virtuous Stone, which will transform common Argent vhe into perfeft Sol or Luna^ without the help of Fire, but as the Eye of a Bafilisk, which, kills Animals by fight alone : But it is your intereftSon ! toufe great diligence, and exquifite Ingenuity in making the Roots of this high and lofty Tree, \\ hich Roots we call dejert Limes, in which the whole Virtue of Heaven and Earth relating to this Magiflery will be infufed : Andtiie way is this. Take of the Vegetahlcf and Mineral ) Earth or Sulphur, which you united in cm Kind, by lublimation, which is that which you cali'd the Earth of Sulphur in one Kind nnited, put it in a Glais VeJel, and pour lb much as it weighs of the Menjlruum, with which you feparatedthe Elements of the Sulphur oi Luna, and prepared the faid kind of Earth, and put it in a Philofophical Bal- neo three Natural Days, and in that time it will be all diflblved, which being thus diflblved, put in a common Balneo, and diilil the Menjlruum, and the Earth united to its kind wilt by fublima- tion remain as an O) 1, which we call the Philofophers Oynt- ment ; and it is one of the Secrets, which we take care to have concealed : Then, Take of that O} 1 or Oyntment aforefaid ten Drachms, and of the redify'd Air of the Sulphur of Luyia one Drachm (not one. Ounce : And of the Air of the Sulphur ofSoX one Drachm) and di- (lil in a Fire of Allies, and that which is diftilled, which is almofl all, is called the Terreftrial defer t Limes, keep it. Take of the Element of the (^Fire) Sulphur of Gold already prepared and congealed ten Drachms (not twenty) and of the Element of the Air (^Sulphur) of Luna one Drachm, and of the Element of the Air of the Sulphur of Gold another Drachm, and put all in Afhes, and diftil ; that which is diftilled from it, which is almofl all, is called the Ether ial defer t Limes-, keep it for occafion. >< Take of the Element of the Fire of the Sulphur of Gold one Drachm or two, and reftifie it again thus, pouring upon it five parts of its own Menjlruum, which is that, with which you fepa- ratedthe Elements of the lame Sulphur of Gold, and put it to digeft in Balneo for one Natural Day, then diftil in Alhcs what you can : And again pour the faid Menjlruum upon it, digeii and difti|. (,166 ) diflil by Afhes, and repeat, till it be all pafs'd over by a Fire of Alhes. Then take its weight of the faid Vegetahk Earthy united . aHdfuhlmcd together [^prepared aho-ve^ and you muft unite them •together {ivith the dijiilkd Element of Fire') and not diftil, butfo :lay it afide, and it is called theTerreflrial^f/frif Lmes^ CofGold') jiot vaporized. Take of the faid Einh(^in one kind united) one Drachm, and of the Oyl ot the Air (of/^e Sulphur) of Luna one Drachm, mix them together, and \ou\vili make the fam.e Magiftery, as you did with the precedent Gold, and it is called the Terreflrial de- fer t Limes lunificated (not) vaporized. We do now think good to Ihew the way Ol celificating and preparing thofe (Limes) in order to receive the Virtues of Heaven and Earth, and the way is tliis : Take Brafs or Iron Cages, and let them be like thofe wherein Parrots whillle, but the twiggs muft be clofer, fo that no Earth, neither Celeflial nor Xcrreftrial can enter, but only the vapour of Heaven and Earth, which you will have by Influence. Take the Limes {above mentioned^ Terrejlrial defert) made of ten Drachms of the Earth or Sulphur united, wliich is that vvliich you united with the Earth of the Sulphur of Silver, and reduced into an Oyl or Oyntm.ent ; and of one Drachm of the Air (of the Sulphur) of Lwta, and one Drachm of the Air (of 5i'/}mix"d,and that Limes put in aGlals Veflel with a long Netk exaftly Sealed with the Seal of Hermes^ and pur it in the Cage, and fet it one Arm or two deep, and let it fiand a Year and halt, or atlead a Year, covering it well with Earth, and keeping it from all dangers, and in that time v.ill it be made a powerful Water, with wonderful fixative Virtues of the Stone, and it hath admirable Virtues acquired from Heaven, which it attrafted trom the Vapours of the Earth. Son ! depend upon this. Take the Limes (above declared, Etherial defert^ which you made of ten Drachms of the Fire of the Sulphur of Gold, and of one Drachm of the Air of the Sulphur of Luna, (and one. Drachm of the Air of the Sulphur of Sol) and put it in another Glafs Vciielwiih a long "Neck Hermetically Sealed, and put itin another Cage, and hang it in the Air on a Tree, or any private place, free trom all Wind, Dull, and Danger; leave it a Year and half, or a wliole Year at leafl, as we laid of the other, and fo ( lis ) fo will be made a clear Water endowed with the Virtue of hardning, fixing, congejiJing, penetrating, and makiag tlie Stone Volatile, and is called the Mercury of Air of moft acute penetration. Take the (Terreftrial defert) Limes of Gold not vaporized, nof celificated (neither diftilled throt^gb an Alemhick, nor circula- , te4') which is that, that you made (by meerly mixing) of onCr Drachm of the Element of the Fire of the Sulphur ot Sol^ and) of one Drachm of the Earth (united in its Kind) and that (take alfo the Terreftrial defert Limes Imnficated^ not vaporized) which you made out of one Drachm of the Earth of Sulphur linited^and one Drachm of the Air (cfthe Sulphur) of Lum, and put thoft' Limes every one by it felf in a Glafs Veflel Sealed, as was faid- ©f tlie otlier, and put it in the Earth the depth of one Arm for a whole Year in a Cage, and in that time will be made a Water of wonderful Virtue in joyning Bodies, and content your felf with this. . . pTake the Limes which you made out often Drachms of the Fire or Air, and one of the Earth j and take that which re- mains of the Air (of the Sulphur) of Luna, becaufe you took but three Drachms of it, when you made the Limes, and let it hang in the Air in a Glafs Veflel Sealed, and in a Cage, as you did with the other, and there will it receive theCeleilial Virtues, which are the means of Conjuni^ion between the Limes of t% Earth, and the Limes of the FirCfZnd other Limes alfo. Take the fecond Air (the Menflruum Elemented, in which were dijfolved the Air and Fire of the Sidthur of Gold, and gently drawn off, that is, three parts only from five of it) which is that, which you drew from the Fire congeled, which we calfd Philofopjii- cal Oyl, andPhilofophical Treafure (not that, ivhich is alfo called the rhilofcphers Oyntment, made of the Earth united in one Kind], lut that which was calfd the Vapour of the Elements) and put it by it felf in another Glafs Veflel well Sealed, and put it in the Air near the other, which you put for a whole Year. Take the Menftruum with which you feparated the Elements of the Sulphur of Luna (and that Menfl:ruum, wherewith you fe- parated the Elements of the Sulphur 0/ Sol) and put in every Vef- fel, wherein is Menftruum of Luna (and the Menftruum of Sof) one Drachm of S^ilpliur (or Vegetable Sal Harmpniack) a^d fet A 3 " u r 176 ) it in BaIneo,then in Afhes, till you have made it all go over with every Menftrunmhy itfelf: Then tzc\\ Menflrmmhtm'^ thiisredVi- fy'd or animated, put in a Glafs VeiTel Sealed by themfelves in their Cages,and hang thsm in the Air near the other, for a Year . Take the Oleagineity ofLnmi(^tbefirft,or^rftJ/r^ whichis that, whicli you drew from the Earth of JL/w^, when you pre- pared it for the making of the Sulphur of Lti»a, which we commanded you to keep, and fa id it fliould be for the making Qoftbe Sidphur of Nature) put it in a Glafs Veflel Scaled in the Air, and there it will be made a Fluxible and Virtuous Water of wonderful penetration: And what we faid of the white Oyl, we fay alfo of the red incerative Oyl (of Sol.) And now Son I you have the Stone {Menflrtium) divided into eight parts, three in the Earth, and five in the Air. Annotations. THe ten foregoing Kinds of ypgetalle as well Simple as com- pounded Menltruums, the Adepts made ly temperingthe uniiuoHS Spirit o/'PhilofophicalWinc,u7//;w^«}'yor/i of dry Bodies^ and hyfuch means produced Menftruums adapted equally for every tdje, and permanent and infeparahle^ they being of the fame Nature ivith the things that were dijfolved. In the Kind immediately ante- cedent weJheuJdyou, that all the aforefaidMeni\ruunis, ivhether fimple or compound., exalted wiih fo great Labour to the highefl degree by tempering them ivith dry things, may be raifedyet higher,, and augmented in their Virtues : For what Art cannot do, Nature can ; ivhat the Earth cannot do. Heaven can : For Menftruums perfeBcd ly Art, do, by being expofed to the Influences of the Hea- vens, attain to very great and incredible Virtues by Nature : In the eleventh precedent Kind, ive had Menftruums/or Pretious Stones, made of the fimple Elements of Metals: In this twelfth, he takes the Sulpliur of Nature,Sal HarmoniackjOA- Mercury oftheperfe& Me- tals Sol and Luna, inflead of crude Cold and Silver, and by expo- fmgthe Elements of them to the Heaven and Earth, feparates them much more Nobly for the befl of all Akhymical t injures. From the Receipts we obferve : I. That Limes in their Compofitions are indeed clear, but Cloud- ed with a wearijome mult ilocut ion, and difguifed by fo great a va- riety ( 171 ) r'lety of operatmiSi hefides alfo in refpe^ of time made mofl tedioas mi purpofe to deter youngs and unadvifed Pra^itioners. 1. That thefe Limes differ from the former Etherid and Ter- reftrial Waters infnenefs of preparation ; thefe Elements are of the SalHarmoniack or Philolophical Mercury of Sol and Luna ; iut thofe Elements of a crude Metal. For,jC7/^ Luliy, Limes for AI- chymical Tinctures ought to be of a purer Nature, than thole which are for Pretious Stones. 3 . That thefe Limes are Effences graduated, expofed to the In- fluences of the Heaven and Earthy and confequently are Medicines. 4. That the Sulphurs Naturx of imperfeh Metals do alfo ly the fami method yield Limes, asjlrnng in their kind^ as /Z'^, Sulphurs l>i-a.imx of Gold and Silver in their kind. Hitherto have we treated of FegetaUe Menflruums, now follow thofe which are called Mineral : But before we proceed further, we are to take notice that hy Vegetalle Menltruums are meant alfo Ani- mal Menllruums : For all the Vegetalle Menflruums already al- leadged, are not called Vegetalle in refpeii of Ingredients ; for he- fides Vegetables., Animals alfo, and Minerals were made ufe of in their preparations ; hut hy reafon of the Spirit of Philofopliical Wine produced chiefly from a Vegetable un^uofity ; ivhich Spirit, if you knew how to extraSl out of feme Oyly Matter of the animal King- dom, as the Adepts have more than often done : Tot* might with this Animal Spirit tranfmute the aforefaid Vegetalle Menftruums, in- to Animal Menllruums, which neverthelefs you cannot apply to Mineral Menftruums ; for thsugh there are alfo in this Kingdom thin Ojls, fwimmif>g upon ivatrijh Liquor Sy as Oyl o/Petre, Pit- Coals, &c. Tet thefe are extraordinary Oyls of this Kingdom , pro- duced either hy exorlitancy, or defe^ of Nature. And therefore fuch Oyls as thefe the Adepts referred to both the Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms, for they are of one and the fame Nature ; where- as the Oyls of Minerals and Metals are more dry and mafc dine., then to produce our feminine SQcd or Menflruum .- Now to recite the parts of Animals, and the way of ext racing this Spirit p/ Philofopliical SN'mefrom them, is not proper ts this place, but belongs to a peculiar Book, namely^ our fifth (jr eating more copioufly oftheje things') to he ' pahlijhed in due time, when God permits ; wherefore nor mention- ing Animal Menftruums, we proceed to the Mineral or Acid Menftruums. A a i Of \ ( 17.". ) '."iW O F Mineral MENSTRUUMS. The Thirteenth KIND. Simple Mineral Menftruums w/zi^ tf tbe Matter of Philofophical Wine only. ^p. The Green Lyon of Ripley. Liho AccMt. Pag. 383. TAke the Green Lyon without diflblution in Vinegar {en fometime the Cujlom is) put it in a large Earthen Re- tort, which can endure the Fire, and diltil it the fame way as you diftil Aqua fcrtis, putting a Receiver under it, and luting the Joynts well, that it may not relpire ; then diftil firft with a gentle Fire, till you fee white fumes appear, then change the Receiver, flopping it m ell, and diftil with a great Fire fo, as Aquafortis is diftilled, thus continuing twenty four Hours, and if you continue the Fire the fpace of eight Days, you will (ee the Receiver alv\ays full of white I'umes, and fo you will ha\ e the Blood of the Green Lyon, which v.'e call Secret Water, and Ace- tum acerrimurn^ by which all Bodies are reduced to their firft Matter, and the Body of Man preferved from all infirmities. This is our Fire, burning continually in one Form within the Glais Vellel, and not without : Our Dunghill, our Aqua Vita?, our Balnea, our Findema,o\xx Hjrfe-Be/Iy, w hich effects wonder- ful things in the Works of Nature, and is the Examen of all Bo- dies dillolved, and not dillblved ; and is a lliarp Water, carrying Fire in its Belly, as a Fiery Watery for otherwile it would not have ( 173) have the power of diflblving Bodies into their firfl Matter. Be- hold ! this is our Mercury^ our Sol and Lumy which we ufe in our Work. Then will you find in the bottom of the Veflel Fas- ces black as Coals, which you muft for the fpace of eight Days calcine with a gentle Fire, ^c. Annotations. Hitherto ive have wixd or tempered the un£tuous Spirit f>f Philofophical Wine mth things Oyly, Dry-oyly, Oyly- dry, and purely Dry, ajid reduced them to divers Kinds of Vege- table MenftruJms ; in ivkiJo ive have exhibited Menftruums everj n\iy ahfolhte ciTid perfect in Smelly Tafte., and Colour incomparahle^ dijfolving without hijfing or effervefcence, and permanent with things diffhlved : NowfoUow in order., thofe which are called AJineralMen- flruums, which thou^ they he ofajiinkin^^ Smell., of an acid or cor- r olive Tajlc^ and for the moft part of a miLy and opake Colour., ,and diffolve Bodies with very great violence and corrojwn., yet never the- lefs having the fame Spirit c/ Philofophical Wine, as'the Veget able Menftruumsj^r //?£■//• Foundation., are therefore as permanent as they^ yea better than they as to the abbreviation of time ; for the acidity cf Mineral Salts (for ivhichcorrofive or acid Menftruums are cal- led Miner a) Icannot dejiroy the l^ature of the Spirit of Wine, ncr the Nature of the Vegetable Menllruum, but by corroding makes if}€ particles of dry Bodies more apt to unite themfelves with the Oyly Spirit (?/" Philofophical Wine j hut if that acidity betaken away, it becomes that which it was before, namely, either the Spirit of Philo- fophical Wine, or a Vegetable Menilruum. The method which we ufed in the Vegetable ISAcniivMXxms, we will as near as ive can obferve alfo in thefe Mineral Menftruums .- In the Vegetalle we extratled from the Philofophical Wine an Aqua ar- dens, from which ive did by Circulation feparate an Oyl or Efjcnce of TVtne, which u cur Spirit of Wine, which then by acuating divers ways we reduced into the precedent Kinds of Vegetable^cniiruvimS'; hut in the Mineral we will begin with Philolophical Grapes, the Matter it felf of?]\)Xoio'^\\\<:2.\ Wine, which is eljewhere called Green Lyon, Adrop, ^c. Though the Difcourfe of this diaper appertains not to this place, yet if any thing prefects it,felfto us either in the ' Receipts ( 174 ) Receipts thewfehes^ or elfeivhere^ which may tend to a more clear manifeflation ofit^we mil not conceal it ; lut on the contrary have de-^ ter mined to illuflrate and explain things fo^ as not only to make you more a (fared of the afe and necejfity of this Spirit promifed tojou^ hut moreover alfoy thatyou may have fome certain notions beforehand of its Conception, Suhjiance^ Nativity, &c. For the elucidation of this Receipt, ive will propound feme other Receipts of the fame Matter, that being compared together, they may he made the plainer : Inthefirfl place ive willpropofe a Menftruum made indeed not of the Green Lyon itfelf, hut of the Green Lyon diffolved with an acid, and reduced into a certain Gum. 60. A Menjlruum made of the Gum Adrop of Ripley. Libro acairtationum. Tag, 381. TAke Adrop, that is, the Green Lyon, which we fp oke of before, and diirdve it in diftilled Vinegar for the fpace of leven Days, fliaking well the Veflel whicli the Matter is in, three times dayly, then empty the dilTblved Liquor, and diftil through a Fihre three times from its Freces, till it be clear as Cnftal, and evaporate the Vinegar with a gentle Fire, till it be thick as Bird-Lime, which you cannot ftir by reafon of its Vil^ cofity, and being cold; take it out of the Veflel, and keep it ; and again make more of it, and this do, till you have twch^e Pounds of this Green Lyon or Adrop reduced to the Form of a Gum, then have you the Earth extracted from the Earth, and the Brother of the Earth. Then take a Pound of that Gum, and put it in a Glafs Veflel of the bignefs of a Bottle, well lu- ting the Joynts of the Alembick with Glew made of the white of Eggs and Filings well mix'd together. This Receipt in the Treatife oi the Philofophical Adrop (tvhich is in thefisth Volume o/Theatrum Chymicum, and injcribed to an anonimous Difciple of the great C«/<^^ demcnte, hut differs not from the Books of Ri^Xay ,r\zmt\y ,iheprejhit de Accurtationibus,W the ClavisaurexportiC, the greatejlf>art of which n afcriled to the Famous Dunftan, Archb/Jhop of Odnterhury') is altogether the fa/re as to the Senfe, though theje Words run better in the Tranfl.ttion thus : ( 175 )" thus : Now take three Pounds of the aforefaid Gum, put it into a Diftillatcry able to hold about two Meafures, and putting on an Alembicif, lute the Joynts with luting made of Ale, the white of an Egg, and Wheat-Flower, Pag-ssz- f^olim.6. fkeat. Chym. Which is confirmed ivith the Frocefs or Receipt of the C la- vis aurex portae, were thus : Put three Pounds of this Milli Qthic^- ncd or Gumn (l)into a Giafs Pag. 257- Clavis aurece porta : and di- ftil in a Sand Furnace, and let the Sand be the thicknefs of two Fingers under the VefTel, and fo round about even to the middle of the Veflel, or till the Matter be covered : put a Receiver to - it, makingatfirft a gentle Fire, but not luting the Receiver, till the Phlegm be gone over, and this continue, till you fee fumes appear in the Receiver white as Milk ; then increafing the Fire change the Receiver, (lopping it well, that it may not evaporate, and lo continually angmentthe Fire, and you will have an 0}i moft red as Blood, w hlch is airy Gold, the Menftri^im fmens^ the Thilofophers Sol, our Tin£lure Aqua ardens, the Blood of the Green Lyon, our unftious Humor, which is the lafl confolation of Man's Body in this Life, the Philofophers Mercury, Aquafoluti- va, which dilTolves Gold with the prefervation of its Species,and it hath a great many other Names : And when firil the white fumes appear, continue your Fire twelve Hours, in which fpace ifthe Firebefirong, will all the Oyl be diftilled, which keep well ftopp'd to prevent refpiring. This Menftruum differs from the precedent, forq/much as in this;, the Green Lyon is dijfohed in Vinegar, but in that, it is all dijii/kd alive, hut they are both clearly enough defn-ihed in themfelves ; yet the Matter of the Menftruum remaining more ohjcure, and lefs in- telliiihk to the Reader, we have found out four Reajons i« Ripley, ivhy it is called Green Lyon. ., Firft,yrf//^ he^ by Green Lyon-, the Philofophers means the Sun, which by its attraflive Virtue makes things Green, and go- verns the whole World. Tra^. de. Adrop. Phil. Pag. ^J^7. Vo- lum-fexti Thcat. Chym. and elfe where : The Green Lyon is that, by which all thing's became Green, and grow out of the Bowels of the Earth by its attradive Virtue, elevated out of the Winter Caverns^ whofc Son is moft acceptable ta us, and fufficient foj ..skltheE/bcirs, which are to be made of it ; for from it may be .iHidthe;|iowerof the white and led Sulphur not burning, whkh is C «70 is the bed thing, faith ^W(?»/fe, that Alchymifts can take, there-^ by to make Gold and Silver. But thefe Words may fuffice a Wife Man to know and obtain the Green Lyon. Medulla Phil. Pag. 139. Secondly, It is moreover alfo called Green, becaufe that Mat- ter is as yet fliarp and unripe,.that is, not yet fixed or perfeded by Nature, as common Gold. The Philofophers Gr sen Lyon therefore is green Gold, Gold vive^ which is not as yet fixed, but left imperfect by Nature, and for this reafon hath it the Virtue of reducing all Bodies into their firft Matter, and ma- king thofe Bodies which are fixed Spiritual and Volatile. Tra^. de Adrop. Pfig- 5'47. Thirdly, It may aifo be called Lyon^ becaufe as all other Ani- mals give place to a Lyon,{o all Bodies yield to the power otGold vive^ which is our Mercury. 7rj^. Adrop. Pag- s^'i. Fourthly, This Noble Infant is called Green Lyon, becaufe when it is diflblved, it is cloathed with a Green Garment. Yet out of the Green Lyon o^Yooh (Fttrioiyis with a violent Fire ex- tracted that which we call Aquafortis, in which thefaid Lyon ought to be elixirated. Medulla Philof. Pag. 139. Jljefe things fpoken of the Green Lyon, are alfo to he underflocd of Adrop, heing a Synonymous term of the fame Matter : Take, faith Ripley, Adrop, that is, the Green Lyon. Now as to Adrop he declared as followeth : Adroy\ faith he, is Gold and Silver in power but not in fight, as Rhafis faith, and our Gold and Silver, according to the Philofophers, is not common Gold and Silver, for our Gold and Silver are airy, which in order to be well fer- mented, ought to be joyned with the beloved (^common Gold,') Forafmuch as the Philofopher faith. That Adrop in its profun- dity is airy Gold, and Adrop it felf is called Leprous Gold. And. to thefe "Sayings feems to aflent Guido, the Greek Philofopher, fpeaking of the Mercurial orMenflrual SpiritQthe Spirit or Blood of the Green Lyon) wliich is extra<^ed out of the Natural Adrop by Art, where he writes : And that Spirit is Sol extraded out of the Philofophers Solary Water, Arfenick, and Luna: And in the fame place prefently adds ; The Body is the ferment of the Spirit, and the Spirit the ferment of the Body, and the Earth, wherein lies the Fire, dries, imbibes, and fixeththe Water ; and the Air, wherein lies the Water, (^the Air which lies in thclVater, it ( 177 ) it ought to h read according to the Do£iri»e offeparatitfg the Ele- ments) walheth, tingeth,and perfefteth the Earth and Fire j and fo Guidos Saying, that they tinge and perfect, ought to be un- derflood, that the Stone (jhe Menftruum drawnfrom Adrop, or the Green Lyon) is fufficient for the compleating of it felf into an Elixir, and that no Exotick or Heterogeneous Matter, as he affirms, is or ought to be introduced to it, but all the. parts of it arc co-eflential and concrete, becaufe the Philofophers meaning was to compleat that work in a Ihort fpace above the Eaith, which Nature Icarce pcrfe£leth in a thoufand Years under tlie Earth : Unskilfully therefore according to the Opinion of the Philofophers, as Gnido faith, do they proceed, that feek to obtain a ferment from common Silver and Gold for our fele£t Body : For that Matter, in which is Argent vive clean and pure, not (moftjrs ill read) throughly brought to perfection by Nature, is, as Guido affirms, after compleat purification, a thoufand times better \\\\n the Bodies of Sol and Lma vulgarly decoded by the Natural heat of the Sun. Concord. Lully & Guidon. Pag. 323. A certain Philofopher faith. He goes on Difcourfing of the fame A- drop ; A fume {ji^hite) is drawn from its own Mines, which if rightly gathered, and again fprinkled upon its own Mines, will there make a fixation, and lo the true Elixir will in a ffiort fpace of time be produced from it : And certainly without fhofe Liquors or Spirits, that is, the Water and Oyl of Mercury (JMen- finmm) this Alch}micalBody which is Neutral ot Adrop, is not purged : And that is the Alehymical Body, which is called Le- prous Body, that is, hX'Xck.Qit the beginning of the Work) in which, as Ciith Vimentius in his Speculum Naturale, are Gold and Silver in power, and not in afped j which in the Bowels of it is alfo airy Gold, to which no Man can attain, except the unclean Bo- dy be firft cleanfed, which is without doubt after its compleat dealbation, and then it is a thoufand times better than are the Bodies of common Gold and Silver decoded by Natural heat ; The firft Matter of this Leprous Body is a vifcous Water infpifla- ted in the Bowels of the Earth ; Of this Body, according to the Judgment of Vincent lus, is made the great Elixir for the red and white, the Name whereof is Adrop, otherwife ealled the Philofophers black Lead, out which /fjywW commands us to extrad an Oyl of a Golden Colour, orfuch X^QiRaymmd adds, B b But C 178 ) But this Oyl is not neceflary in tkc Vegetable Work (jiamelj, for the iuceratioti of the Ve^etahle Stone) becaufe folutions and co- agulations are there foon made ; and if you can fcparateit t'rom its Phlegm, and alter that ingeniouHy find out the Secrets of it, you will in thirty Day she able to perteftthe Philolbphers Stone: For this Oyl makes Medecines {linllures) penetrable, fociable, and amicable to all Bodies, and in the World there is not a great- er Secret. MedulFhil Chjm.pag. 131. Ripley hath here recitea various Synonimas oj this Adrop : We for a time will follow /7.'e Green Lyon by the way 0/ Piiilofophical Lead, as we are dire^ed hyR\\AQ.y inthefevery Words: Firfl, un- derhand, when Avecem laith, that Gold and Silver are in Lead by Power, and not by fight, and they are left by Nature crude and half codlred, and therefore that ougiit tobeperfedly fupplyed by Art, which is left imperfeftby Nature, and by way of a fer- ment digefting and cofting that which is left crude : For a fer- ment therefore take perfedGold,for a Yitlk. (^pauhdum^not paula- tirn) of their fixed fubftance (^thofe fsed Bodies') willidraw and convert much of Bodies not fixed to the perfedionofGold and Silver. And thus will Art help Nature, that in a little fpace of time that maybe doneabove the Earth, which is not in a thou- fand Years done under the Earth : And by this means you will underfiand, how Lead contains in it the greateft Secrets of this Art : For it hath in it Argent vive^ clean, pure, odoriferous, not brought by Nature to perfedion : And this Argent vive is the Bafis and Ground-Work of our pretious Medicine, "as w ell for Metallick as Hum.ane Bodies, fo as to be the Elixir of Life, cu- ringall infirmities: Which the Philofopher meant, faying, There is in Mercury whatfoever Wife Men feek : From this are the Soul, Body, Spirit, and Tinfture drawn: Moreover alfo in this Mercury is the Philofophers Fire, always burning equally with- in the Vefiel, and not without : It hath alfo a great attradive Virtue and Power in diflblving Sol and Luna, and reducing the fame into their firft Matter : With this Mercury are to be dif- folved the Calxes of the perfedt Bodies in congealing the afore- faid Mercurial Spirit, ©c. Pupilla.Pag.zc^s- But have a care that you operate not with {common) Saturn, becaufe commonly it is laid, Eat not of the Son, whofe Mother is corrupted, and believe that many Men err in Saturn. Hear what Avicem faith' Saturn ( ^19 ) Saturn will be always 5iftrHHms wherewith we calcine perfect Bodies naturally, but no unclean Body is an Ingredient, one excepted, which is by the Philofophers commonly called Green Lyon, wliich is the means of joymng the Tinftures between ,S^/"and Luna \wii\i perfection, as Ge^e-r liimfelfattefteth, Lihro. ^z. por- tar. P.ig. iz. To manifeft this tiling to you, you mull know, that it is one of thofe, which are of thefeven DzysQPlanets') and the meaneft of the fame, out of whofe Body is artificially ex- trafted Blood, and a vaporous Humor, which is called the Blood of the Green Lyon, from which is produced a Water, called White of an Egg, and Aqua llta, May-Dew, and by many other Names, which to avoid prolixity, we now omit. Phil. Cap. 3. Pag. 190. The method of extrading the Blood of the Green Lyon out of cal- cined,. Lead, or Philofophical Minium is this thatfolloweth. 61. A Me?iflruum made of the red Lead of Ripley. In pupilla Alchym. pag. 303. TAke of Lead calcined or rubifyed, or the bed Mimurn, that is. Mineral Antimony, prepared, what quantity youpleafe, yet with this confideration, that you muft have fo many quarts of diftill'd Vinegar, as you have pounds of the aforefaid calcined Lead : To this Vinegar pour the aforefaid Lead in a large Earth- en Vellel well glazed, then for the fpace of three Daysftir the Matter ftrongly with a Wooden Spatula fix or fcven times a Day, cover it well fromDuft, and let it not be put to*he Fire by any means during all this time, after which leparate all that is clear and criftalline by a Filtre into another Velfel, then put it into a Brafs Skillet to a gentle Fire, that all the Plilegmatick B b z Water ( i8o ) Water may evaporate, till a very thick Oyl is left in the bottom ot the VeQhl, \\'hich lutier to cool ; w hich being done, the Matter will become like Gum, fo as to be cut \Mth a Knife, hereof put four Pounds into a Glafs Cucurbit with an Alembick, the Joynt being well luted with a Pafte made of the Scales of Iron, Flower, and the whites of Eggs well beaten together : put the Veflel in a Furnace of Sand, and not in Afhes, and let the Veilel be buried in the Sand even to the middle of it, and let the Sand be two Fingers thick under the bottom of the Velfel ; then put a Receiver to it, but nor lured, till you have drawn out all the Piilegmatick Water with a moft gentle Fire, which Wa- ter throw away : When you lee a ^\■hite lume appear, then lute the Receiver, which muft be two foot long ,- which being drawn out, ftrengthen the Fire as much as you can, and continue it till you ha\'e diftilled all that can be extrafted in twelve Hours, and fo will you have the Blood of the Red L)on, moft red as Blood, u liich is our Mercury, and our Tmcturenow prepared, to be poured upon its ferment, that is, uf^on the Calxes of moft pure Gold, ^c. But if you would ufe it for the white Work, %ou muft diftil your Mercury three times with a flow Fire, alwavs refervingthe Fxces apart in every diftillation, and then will you have your Mercury moft white as Milk : And this is our Vir- gins Milk, wliitensd Menfiruum, and our Argent five Philofophi- cally exuberated ; with which by Circulation make an Oyl out of the Calxes of Luna, and proceed in all tilings, as you did with the red Mercury upon the Calxes of Gold, and you will have a white Elixir, which will convert any Metal into perfect Luna : But the Golden Oyl ought to be pertecfed and tempered, and well united with artifical Balfom, by the way of Circulation, till out of them is made a moft clear and refplendent Golden Liquor, which is the true Aumm potalile, and Eltxir of Life more pretious for Mens Bodies, then any other Medicine of the W^orld. The like Menftruum Ripley hath in bis Medulla Philofophiae Chymicie. 6i. The ( iSi ) 62. The Simple ftinking Menjiruuvi o£ Ripley. Medulla Phil. Chym. pag. 1 70. TAke the fharped Juice of Grapes, and being diftilied, difToive into a clear Criftallinc Water, the Body being well Calcined to a Rednefs, which is by the jPbilofophers called Sericon; of which make a Gum, which is like AUum in tafte, and is by Raymund called Az/)quean Vitriol. Out of this Gum with a flow Fire is drawn firft a weak Water, which hath its tafle no fharpnels, no more than Spring-v/ater ; And when a white Fume begins to appear, then change the Receiver, and Lute ilrongly, that it may no way expire.; and fo you will have your Aqua ardens. Aqua vitie, and ^ refolvitive Matjimum , which before was refolvible: This is the Potential Vapour, a- ble to diflblve, putrifie, and alfo purifie Bodies, divide the- Ele- ments,, and by its attra£l:ive Virtue exalt its own Earth into a wonderful Salt: And they that think there is any other Water, befides this which we fpeak of, are miftaken in this Work : this Water hath a moft fharp tafle, and partly alfo a ftinking fmell, and therefore is called ftinking Menftruum ; and it being a very Airy Water, it therefore ought to be put upon its Calxes in lefs then an Hour after it is diftilied or rectified ; but when it is poured upon the aforefaid Calxes, it begins to boyl up, and then if the Veflel be well ftopp'd it will not leave working , though no Fire be adminiftred to it from without, till it be dryed up in the Calx ; \^'herefore you muft apply no greater quantity of it than fcarce to cover the Cabces, then proceed to the full compleating of it, as in the work of the compounded Water. And when the Elixir is reduced to a purple Colour, let it be diflblved in the fame Mr^ftruum^ being firft rectified in- to a thin Oyl, upon which fix the Spirit of our Water by Cir- culation, and then hath it the Power of converting all Bodies into moft pure Gold, and to heal all Infirmities of man's Body, more than all the Potions o^ HtppocrMes and Gakn^ for this is thetrue Aurum Potahile, and no other,which is made of Arfificial Gold Elemented, turned about by the Wheel ofPhilofophy, ^c. The fame Menftruum is had in the Vade Mecum p/Ripiey, 63. The 6^. The Menflruu7?i of Serkon of Ripley. In Fade Mecum, commonly called the Bofom-Book. TAke of Serkon ox: Atitimofiy thirty Pounds, out of whicli you will have twenty Pounds or thereabout of Gum, if the Vinegar be good ; diflolve each pound of that Serkon in two mealures (a Gallon) of Vinegar twice diftilled, and having ftood a little while in digeftion, ftir the matter often every day, the oftner the better, with a clean if ick, filtre the Liquor three times, throw away the Farces, to be taken away as luperfluous, being no Ingredient to the Magillery, for it is the damned Earth : Then evaporate the filtred Liquors in B.ihjeo Marra i\ith a temperate hest,and our Serkon will be coagulated into a Green Gum, call'd our Green Ly oh, dry that Gum well, yet with care, left you burn the Howers, or deftroy the Greens of it: Then take the faid Gum, put it in a ftrong Glais Retort well luted, and with a moderate Fire diftil a weak Water to becaft away.- But when firftyou perceive a white fume afcending, put to it a Glafs Receiver large, and of fufficient capacity, whoic Mouth is exadly joyned to the Neck of the Retort, which muft be \'ery well luted, lelf any of the fume be loll or evaporate out of the Receiver : Then incrcafe the Fireby degrees, till a red fumeaf- cends, and continue a Ihonger Fire, till bloody drops come, or no more fume appears : Then abate the Fire by degrees, and all being cold, takeaway the Receiver, and forthwith (fop it, that the Spirits may not exhale, becaufe this Liquor is called our blefled Liquor, to be kept in a Glafs Veflel very clofc ftop- ped : Then examine the Neck of the Retort, wjiere you will find a white and hard Ice, in the form of a congealed Vapour, or Mercury fublimate, which gather catefuliy, and keep, be- caufe it contains great Secrets, of which losver : Tnen take the Places out of the Retort, being black as Soot, which are called our Dragon^ whereof calcine one Pound, or mere, if you plcale, in a Potters, Glafs- n>akers, or Phlk^fophical Furnace, into a white Snowy C^alx, v\iuch keep pure by it felt, it being called the Bafis and Foundation of the Work, Man, our white fixed Earth, or Philofophers Iron ; Now take the refidue of the Fajces, c 18? ; Fseces, or black Dragon, and fift it on a Marble, or any other Stone, and at one ot the ends light it with a live Coal, and in the fpace of half an Hour the Fire will run over all the Fxces, which it will calcine into a very Glorious citrine Colour ; thefe citrine Fxces didolve with diftilled Vinegar, aiter the aforefaid manner, filtre alio three times as before, then evaporate the dif- Ibi'ution into a Gum, and diHihhe Menjirmm, which is now cal- led Sanguis Draconisy or Dragons Blood, and repeat this Work in 'all things as before, till you have reduced all, or the greater part of the Fa:ces into our Natural or Blefled Liquor, all which Li- quors pour to the firft Liquor or Menflruuw, called the Blood of the Green Lyon ; the Liquor being thus mix'd, putrefie it in a Glals Vefiel the fpace of fourteen Days : Then proceed to the reparation of the Elements, becaufe in this Blefled Liquor you have now all the Fire of the Stone, hidden before in the Fxces ; which Secret has been hitherto kept wonderfully clofe by the Philofophers : Now take all the Menflruum being putrifyed, put it in a Fenice Glafs of a fit fize, put an Alembick to it, and lute with Linnen Rags dipp'd in the white of Eggs ; the Receiver muft be very fpacious, to keep in ths refpiring Spirit, and with a temperate lieat feparatethe Elements one from another, and the Elementof Air, which is the Oyl (jirdent Spirit, containing a little white Oyl at the top) will firft afcend : The firft Element be^ ing diftilled, re£tifie it in another Veflei fit for it, that is, diftii feven times, till it burns a Linnen Cloath, being dipp'd in it and kindled,- then is it called our r edify 'd Aq^a ardens, which keep very well ftopp'd, for otherwife the moft fubtil Spirit of it will vaniili away : la the rectifications of the A^ua ardens the Air will afcend in tjie form of a white Oyl, fwimming upon tlie Aqua {ardens) ■^nd a citrine Oyl will remain, which is diftilled with a ftronger Fue : Mercury being fublimed, and reduced into Powder diilblv'd^^r dtliquium, upon Iron Plates in a cold place, pour a little of the Aqua ardemto the Liquor being filtred, and it will extract the Mercury in the form of a Green Oyl fwim^- minga-top, which feparate and diftii by a Retort, and there will afcend firft a Water, and then a thickOyl, which is theO\ I of Mercury : Then diftii the Flood or Water of the Stone into another Receiver, the Liquor will be whitilli, which drav/ off in Balneo with a moderate heat, till theic remarns in the bpr(;om of ^ ths: the Cucurbit a thick Oyly fubflance, like melted Pitch, keep this Water by it felf in a Glafs well iiopp'd. Take notice, when firit the Liquor rifeth white, another Receiver mufl: be put to, becaufe that Element is wholly diflilled : Two or three drops of that black liquid 0}1 being given in the Spirit of Wine, do Cure any Pbyfon : Now to this black and liquid Matter pour om Aqua are/ens, mix them well together, and let the mixture fettle three Hours, then decant, and filtre the Liquor, pour on_ ntw Aqua ar^ens, and repeat the operation three times, then di- ftil again inBalnco with a gentle heat, and this reiterate thrice, and it will come under the denomination of the redlify'd Blood of Man, which Operators fearch for in the Secrets of Nature : Thus have you exalted the two Elements, Water, and Air, to the Virtue of a Quinteflence ; keep this Blood for occafion : Now to the black and liquid Matter or Earth, pour the Flood or Water of the Stone, mix them well together, and diftil the whole, till the Earth remains very dry and black, which is the Earth of the Stone ; keep the Oyl witli the Water for occafion : Reduce the black Earth to a Powder, to which pour the afore- faid Man's Blood, digefl three Hours, then diftil in Afhes with a Fire fufficiently llrong, repeat this Work three times, and it will becall'd the rectify 'd Water of Fire, andfo have you exalted the three Elements, namely, Water, Air, and Fire, into the Virtue of a Quinteflence : Then calcine the Earthbeing black and dry, in the Dottom of the Reverberatory, into a moll white Calx, witii which mix the Fiery Water, and dillil with a llrong Fire as be- fore ; the remainingEarthcalcine again, and diflil, and that fe- ven times, or till the whole fubflance of the Calx be pafs'd through the Alembick, and then have you the redHfy'd and truly Spiritu- al Water of Life, and the four Elements, exalted to the Virtue of a Quinteflence ; this Water will diflblve all Bodies, putrefie and purge them : This is our Mercury, our Lunary, but who- foever thinks of any other Water befides this, is ignorant and foolifli, never attaining to the defired efleds. This Menflruum 7i matJe of the fame Matter as the precedent Menflruums. For Green Lyon, Adrop,PhilofophicalLead, Mi- neral Antimony, Airy Gold, Mercury, ^c. are Symnirnds of one and the fame Matter : This Matter hehig diffhlved in d'lftiltd Vinegar t and again infpijfated into a Gumy in tajie like Alum^ n hy Ripley ( i85 ) Ripley /« the Defcription oftlye antecedent Menftruum in Numh. 6%. called LuUy's Vitriol of Azoth, or Vitriolum Azoqueum : lAJly in praclica TeJiamentiyCaip. 9. Pag. 1 5-9. Vol. 4. Th.Chym, makes a Menftruum of B. C. D. By B# he meant the [aid Green Lyon, or common Argent vive, which as he fays elfewhere, is more common to Men, than vulgar Argent vive. B. faith he, Pag. 15-3. of the faid pra^ica, {xgm^ts Argent vive, which is a com- mon fubftance confifting in every corruptible Body, as appears by the property of it, ^c. ByC. he intended common Niter. C. faith he, fignifies Salt Peter, which hath a common (acid') Na- ture, and like Argent vive by the property of its ftrong (acid') Nature, Pag. 1 5-4. 4. Volum. aforefaid. Bj D. he mderftood Gum Adropj made of the Green Lyon. D. faith h, fignifies Azoqueatt Vitriol, which corrupts and confounds all that is of the Nature and BeiQg of common Argent vive. In the fame place. Both G. and D. he calls the purer mediums. Cap, ^S. Theor. Tefl. pag. 96. You mail know Son ! faith he, our Bath, you may wa(h the Nature of (Phil) Argent vive fo, as Nature could never do, that is, to make Argent vive a compleat Elixir. But (Phil.) Ar- gent vive and Metals being both in Nature, and in your Work, ■extreams,and extreams not being able tojoyn themfelves, vvidi- out the Virtue of a middle difpofition, v\'hich is between the foftnefs of Argent vive, and the hardnefs of Metal, becaufe there is by realbn of that middle difpofition a Natural complyance, which is the caufe ot Conjundion between Body and Spirit, as it i? in ev^ery thing generated, or in capacity of being generated : In Nature are many mediums, whereof two are more pure, and more vifcous, the Green Azoquean Vitriols, with the llony Na- ture, which istlieSalt and Nature of Stones. By the help jny Son ! of this contemptible Matter is our Stone, wliicii we liav.e "^o much fought for, proQ-eated^ ©"c. \ With the other of thefe mediums, C, the flony Nature, Salt Pe- ter, Salt of Peter, or Niter, we have no bufnefs at prefent ; hut he- ifigfoliciteusofD. Gum Adrop, <)r Z-/;^ Azoquean Vitriol ^/LuUy, itvoill he worth while to confult LuUy himjelf : Of which the Phf- hfopher. Cap. 5-9. Theor. Teftamenti, thus : Son! faith he, the Azoquean Lyon, which' is C2\\Q6.(Azoquean) Vitriol, is by Natuic made of the peculiar fubftance of common Argent vive, which is the Natural Root, from whence Metal is procreated in its own C c Mine. ( i80 Mine. By common Argent vive, he meant not the Vulgar hut Thilofophical Argent vhe, the natural Root as ivell of Metals as Minerals, When we fay common Mercury, faith he, we fpeak of that,which the Philofoj^hers underftand, and when v\'e name the Vulgar, we fpeak of that which is known to the Country- men, and fold in Shops. Cap. i . Lib. Mercuriorum^ ivhich the following Synonjnta's of this Mercury, namely, Chaos, Nature, Origo, Green Lyon, Ardent vive. Unguent, Oyl, Paflure and Liquor of great Value, ^o alfo teflifie in Cap. 45-. Iheor. Tejl. pag. 75 . Vol 4. Jh. Chym. This common Argent "vive, or Green Ljcn, mufl he purged from its Superfluities, before the Aroquean Vitriol 0/ Lully, or the Gum Adrop of Ripley can be made of it. You mud faitb he, my Son/ being a Student of this Science, be ftedfaft, and not fearch after this or that, bccaufe this Art is not perfected with many things ; and therfore we. tdl ] ou, there is but one only Stone, that is Sulphur, and one onl} Medicine, namely, the composition of Sulphur, to which nothing is to be added, only the Terreflrialand Phlegmatick Superfluities taken away, becaufe they are and ought to be feparated from our Argent vi- ve, which is more common to men, than Vcilgar Argent vive, and is of greater Price, Merit, and ftrongcr Union of Nature, from which and the firft forms of it, it is necellary to feparate, by the known degrees of leparation, all tliat belongs not to the Sal Armoniack of Metals, ^c. Cap. 18. Theor. t eft. pag. 33. Volum 4. 7h. Chym. We fay there is but one only Philo- (bphical Stone ( volatile not yet fixed, or matter of a Menftru- um ") extrafted from the things aforefaid by our Magiftery. And therefore when it comes new ly into tf.": World, you muft not add any other Powder, or any other Water, nor any thing incongruous to it, more than that, which is born in it, being radical to its own Nature, and the Mother of it, which feeds and carryed it, that is Sulphur, which formed the Stone in :a Celeftial Colour: But before you cxtraft (^i/?//) it {^the Stone } throughly, purge, and cleanfe it from all its Phlegma- raatick, Terreftrial, and corruptible Infirmities, which are contrary to its Nature, becaufe they are the death of it, with which it is furrounded, which do mortifie it^ vivificative Spirit. Cap. 7. Theor. Teft. pag. 10, of the faid Volum. It is to be di- ligently ( »87). ligently noted, that one of the two aforefaid Natural Principles (^Sulphur and Argent vive } is more truly Natural in the whole, and through the whole lubflance of it, as well within as with- out, and tliat is the pure Sulphur, hot and dry, introducing its form, that is, according to which the form of a Metal pur- fues a pure effeft : But the other ( Argent ■vive') is unnatural, that is inwardly natural, and outwardly againfl Nature ; but the internal natural part is made proper andalfo con-natural to it felf, becaufe it comes by its own Nature, but the external part is added to it by accident, and is to be naturally feparatcd from it after the corruption ( F«/r//^^w«) of it; wherefore it is manifeft that fuch Argent vive is not in the whole fubftance of it naturaljin the firfl reception of it,nor is depurated to the full, unlefs it bedepurated by the Ingenuity of Art.C. $.p. i o. Codicilli. As to this Furi^catioH of Argent vive., or the Green iL)'*?;/, Rip- ley thus : Wherefore faith he, this Mercury ( the corrofive Spi' rit of common Vitriol ~) is by Raymond called. Our Fire agaiaft Nature; Neverthelefs the fame thing happens in fome mea- ftire to this Mercury ( the acidity of Vitriol } as alfo to the o- ther ( Vegetable Mercury^ or Green Lyon ) which is our natural Fire: For both of them are hidden in the middle or center of their Bodies, that is, between the Phlegmatick Water on one fide, and Terreftrial CrafTitude on the other fide, nor are they obtained without the great Induftry of Philofophy, and io thole parts- can avail us nothing, except only their middle fub- ftance : For faith Raymond., We take neither of the firft Prin- ciples, becaufe they are too fimple, nor of the laft, becaufe they are too grofs and feculent, but only of the middle,- wherein is the Tincture, and true Oyl, feparated from unclean Terre- ftreity,and Phlegmatick Water : Therefore faith Raymond iXwx'i', The unftious Moifl:ure,is the near Matter of our Phyfical Argent .vive, pag. iS^. P/^pilla Akhym. Argent vive, or the Green Lyon, is purified ly common Vitriol^ as thus : When the Argent vive is put in a dry Vitriolated Vapour ( Spirit of Vitrinl~) which is a fliarp Water, it is pre- fently diilolved by the Incifion and Penetration, caufed by the Iharpnefs, being manifeflly ftrong,andindillblvino,is converted into tlie N.itare of Terreftiial Vitriol, not takmg a MetaliGJf, nor a ckar Cm ouglit to b^ Elixirated ' For dl Alcliyrrii- CalGold is ma- dple^ is afubftance praduccdlVom its Mine, ffndih it, hfor&^nfcar tothcNature of Metals, whicllisby feme called -(r<.7/c^/^:*i'^> and Azoth'Vitretts QMefmrj Vitrielated^or' Atc'cptean Vitrior)'^\\vd\''i& the Earth and Mine ot Metals, and is by another Name caile3 VrifmSy of lliining white and red within Black and Green opeil- iy, having the -Colour- of a Venomous L/2ar7ih'e, -the Matter. aforetaid. impregnated with the Md hot and dry fulphurous Vapour {ofcontmon Vitn- oiy in its refolution congealed into a Lizard, in which (^Azoth Fitriolated)is the fornifand fpecies of the ftinking Spirit in its mixtion, the Mineral lieat of which is multiplyed, which is the Life ofMetali and is figmftcd by E. Cap. 3; fbedr. fell am. Pag. I a. ffplumt.^: Jheat. Clym. And a little after : In tlie Work of Naimeis'ArgeKfvive, but not fuch as is found upon the Earth, nor will be, till it be firfl; turned ihto an.a'poftematedand veno- mous Bbod. In the fame place : "You mufl know Son! that by Artand Nature Argent vive is.coifrgealed by-ah acute Wateif, uuderlland thereforePhilorophically,ibecauie if it.were not flTarp and acute, it codd not penetrate, .which isthe firft a6fcionin difiblufion, aftervvhich dilfolution it is returned into art a pofte^ mated Blood, by: the mutation of its own Nature into another. Son \< there are two things, which ought to flick together by the agreement of contrariety, one pure, the other impure ; tlie im-- ■pare recedes, Fire being an Enemy , by reafonof its Corruption ^ . the; t|ie other remains in Fire, becaufo of its purity, being tranfmu- ted Into Blood, and this is our Argent vive, and oar whole Se- ciret, ' cloathcd with a tripartite Garment, tliat is, black, white, and red, and that alone we want for the purpofe ot our Magi- (lery, Argent vive containing all that is neccflary for a Quintef- fepce. There is in Mcrcur}- whatfoever Wife Men fecKj for under the fliadow of it lies a fitth fubflancej for tlie fubftancc of it is pure and incombulliLle ;, and all of it is nothing elfe but Gold and Silver (^not common Metals, lut airy^ being in Mercur) , or the Green Lyon) melted and tufed within and without by Virtue of the Yire (jigiiinj] Nature'^) and afterwards purify 'd and feparated from all its Original Blemiih and Pollution ,• lor that Gold which isincombullible, remains fufed and liquid, and im- parts itsGolden Nature in the faid Mercury, ksc. dip. 6x. Theor. TeJl.Pag. 103. Volume^ ^. Th.Chjm. Out of this Philofophical Minium, calcined Lead, or Sericon only, the AdeYitlure, otherwife fall'dthe Blood of the Green Lyon, the Adepts did by retlifcation ahnc prepare two Mercuries, namely,red and white : LJpon this occafion,/////^ Ripley, I will teach you a general Rule : If you would make thewhite^//.v/r, you muft of neceftity divide your T'md:in-cf(he Blood of the Green .Lyon^i into two parts, whc; .of one nraft be kept for the red Work, but the other diftiifd with a gentle 'Mre ; and yoii will obtajn a white Water, wlv.h is our whit Tini5luie, our Eagle, our Mercury aird Virgins Milk : When .'ou have thefe two Tinftures, or the uhite ;uid red^Mcrcury,"•yctn^ ill be atle to praclife upon their own Earth, or upcntlic Calx of Metals,- for the Philofophers fa}-, we need' not -care v.'h-.t Iviftance the Earth is of, ^c. Adr. Phil.p.^j^i Fcl:6 7hcat. ("f. Kogtr Bacon ■ wade a two-fold Mercury thu^ .- ' ":' ^ . Ytix; f 15^ ) erfliix: for/OvIsrh f!i ira-ii - - •.•\\i>iv- ;< '■ r .■ 64; ^ The Gnen Lyon 01 Roger Bacon, A Kayrnundo GanfriJo in uerho ahbreviato cfe _ (Leone Viridi. Pag. 264. Thejauri Chjimia '- •■Saconk. ■ .'-;r ;' • , . :- T He abbreviated moll true and approved Word of hidden things being manifeftedjl have in a flaortDilcourfe abre- viated to you in the Work of Lu>ia and Sol } ja the firilplace earneftly requiring the Readers not to expofe to Noble' a Pearl to be trodden upon by Dogs or Swine ; for tliis is the Sqpret of all the Ph'.lofophers Secrets, the Garden of Delights, Spices, and all Treafures, into which he that hath once entred, will want no more : Now that Word, not without caufe defired by many Men, was firft declared by our eminent Do6bor Roger Bacon j afterwards J. Fryer Raymund Jeffery^ Minifter General of the Order ofthe Fryers Maiors, took careto explain the Word,with as,much brevity as I could, to the Sons of Philofophy. In the Name of Chrirt then,take a great quantity of tlie flrongeft Vi- negar diligently diftilled through an Alembick, in which diflblve a good quantity of the Green Lyon, beingdiirolved,diflil through a Filtre, and keep ic inGlafs Cucurbhs well ftopp'd : If any re- markable part ot the Lyott remains undifTolved, diflblve it with the aforefaid Vinegar, and diftil through a Filrre, and beiirg dif- folved, joyn it with the other Waters before rcferved in the Cucurbits, then take the referved Waters (diflclutions) and diftil them ah in Balmo Maria, applying Alembicks to them well luted, that the Cucurbits may not refpire, put Fire under, and receive all the Waters, which will be diftilled, but have a care that the diflblved Lyon be not altogether congealed in the Cucur- bits, but that it may remainliquidor foft ; then take all the Cu- curbits, and put all that is in them into one Cucurbit, which lute well with its Alembick, and put it in a Furnace of Alhes, as is fitting, and put a gentle Fire under, becaufe of the temper of the Glals, and becaule of the Heterogeneous moifture, which is in the Lyon to be rooted out: And take notice, that mull be always ( 19$^ ) aJbKfaysxfebis wittr.ai-gentlQ Jviue, ^]mt wttea the Heterogeneou* laiailhire is gone over^ flrengtlien tlie-Fire ,by littleand little, and have an Eye Gontinually to the Beat of die Alembick, if a red Liquor begins to go over,' but if it does noit jet go m'er, con- tinue the afordaid Fj.ie tiilit dothjbut when jou lee the red Li- quor diflil, changetheRec^vtf forthwith, and lute it well to the Beak of the ,Alembi.±, and then ftrerigth^n the Fire, and you wuil have the Blood of tlie Lyon exceeding red, containing the foul' Elements, very odoriferous and iTragiant Qajter due putre- fidian) keep it therefore in a good Phi^-l w-cll fsopp'd: Then take the Blood,and put it inaPhialclofeftopp'dto p.utrefieapd digefl, in hot Dung, changing the Dung; every five ;Da}s, there to be digefted for tlie fpaceof fifteen or fixteen Days^ and this is done, that the Elementary parts may be difiblved, and be fitt^ tobe divided into the four Elements, and that by diftillaticn -, being putrify d fifteen or fixteen Days, take it out, and put it into a fit Cucurbit, to be diltilled with a gentle iFire in Balneo Maria; but it is enough for the Water to boyl with the Fire, take the Water {Jiftilkd') and the F^ces, which you find at the bottom of the Cucurbit, keep carefully the Water which you diflilled, diftil feven times; always refei^vtqg the Fceces which it makes, with the other Fa:ccs relerved before j and io you will have a li)lendid Water, clear and wliite as Griftal, and very ponderous, which is laid to be the Philofophers Mercury hidden by all the Philofophers, and cleanfed and purified from all its fuperfiuities, mod choice, and naoft pretious j keep it therefore warily and wifely in a Pliial well ftopp d .- Then take ah the Fa:ces of the Mercury, aslhavefaid, belore referved, grind them well on a Marble (with the Phlegm of diftiltd Vinegar) dry rthem in the Sun,, and grind iigain, from timefto time imbibing them with tile's Watbr of dilT-iird Vinegar upon ithe Marble, and drying in the, Sun,, and, repeat the operations of grinding, imbibing, and dr.yir^, till all the bla^irknefs and fuperfluity is driven out of th?. Ficces^, which you. will know thus : If the Fa:ces be red, or red- diih, oi'Citrinc hyjhe a^brefaid imbibitions and ablurious, then, \tiig)WclliiQne;j£utifthe.ybe yet, bjaclc, repeat the contrition^, imbibitkiiS6,andldefic,cations»tiJi you have tiie;%n.albrelaid)'jand tlitfeh keepThem -. .Then take a yGfefs CuciH:l)ir5, wjierein put flie aforsefaiid Farces ai),ove.preiiJ3t'.ecl» wii^h a g9,9^l,q^a;a()itj of diQ:jU'4 D d Vinegar, Vinegar, and fet it in a Furnace, that is, in Baltieo Maria, put Fire under, and continue it in courfe, till the Fxces aforefaid be throughly diflblved by Virtue of the Vinegar and Fire, and being well diflblved, take the Cucurbit from the Fire, and diftil them through aFiltre as is fitting, all that Water (^diffolution of the /vrcfj-) being thusdiftilled (^jiltred') put it in anew Cucurbit, well flopp'd ; but if any confiderable part remains in the Filtre to be diflblved, take that part, and fct it again upon the Fire, as you did the firft Faeces, in Balneo Maria:, till it be diflblved, that you may diflblve thofe Fxces which remained with the Vinegar, as you diflblved the firfl Fxces in Balneo with Vinegar in a Cu- curbit, then diftil through a Filtre as before, and put it \^ ith the other Water diftill'd betore,which you referved ; then take that new Cucurbit, in which you put the aforefaid Fxces diflblved anddiftilled before, and lute it well with its Alembick, fct it on a Furnace in Balneo, give Fire, and diftil as is fitting ; I ut have a care that the Faeces be not throughly dryed, but let them be moift or liquid : Then take down the Cucurbit from the Fur- nace, put it upon Allies fifted and well prefs'd, and give it a gen- tle Fire for the tempering of the Ghfs, and extracting the He- terogeneous moifture, which it hath from the Vinegar, and fee often to the Beak of the Alembick, if a Golden or Ruddy Liquor diftills, if not, continue the Fire till it does ; being diftillcd, pre- sently change the Glafs being very clean, and lute it very well to the Beak ot the Alembick, tlien ftrengthen the Fire, receive the Ruddy Oyl, and thus continue the Fire, till all the Liquor be di- ftill'd, and fave the Forces becaufe they are the Fire, but the Oyl aforefaid the Philofophcrs us'd to call their occult Sulphur ; which you muft reftifie thus : put it again in a Cucurbit, put on an Alembick well luted, then fet it on a Furnace in Aihes, ad- minifter a gentle Fire, till it diftils, receive the Liquor which di- ftills in a Bottle well ftopp'd with the Beak of the Alembick,and the remaining Farces fave, becaufe they are the Fire : joyn that Fire with the other Fire referv'd, and fo putrefie by diftilling it feven times, and referving the Fxces, it makes, as I faid before, andfo you will have your Air or Sulphur well depurated, clear, bright, and perfeftly purified, and of a Gold Colour, ^c. The Blood of the Green Lyon lei^g Fifteen Days putr iff d, ^z- toncohohated Seven times hy Balveo^jinto a clear and potiderous Wa^ tery ( iP5 ) tety which he call'd the Philofophers Meratd eating, the white ^r red Grapes of Diana, the W me of which heing purified, is the mofl fecret Se- cret /if all the morefecret Chymy^ as king the white or red Wine of Lull}', the Ne6lar of the Ancients, and their only defire, the pecu- liar refrefhment of the Adopted Sons ; hut the Heart-hreaking, and Stumhling-hlock of the Scornful and Ignorant, But heforewe depart hence,I will prefent ycu(^i.x^ce\{v&x\i) with another Difh, and that not unfauory, which is, that the Virgins- im'lk, or white Mercury (ptherwife the white Wine of Luily ) extracted out of the Green Lyon is hy Paracelfus that Glue of the Eagle, or Green Lyon, fo carefully fought for : For Eagle and Green Lyon are to the x-idepts Synonymds of the fame thing: For thus Ripley hefore : You will obtai'n the white Water, wjiich is our white Tindure, our Eagle, our Mercury and Virgins- milk. Confequently therefore, red Mercury (or the red Wine of Lully) is the Bloo'd of the Red or Green Lyon: For the fame Ly- 0H is called fonietimes Green Qn his Touthful Eflate) fometimes red (in his more grown Efiate^ and therefore the Blood is fometimes faid to he of the Green Lyon, fometimes of the Red .• So Ripley (/■« ^/^f Menflruum defer ihed in Numh. 6i.) faith; Take the Blood of the Red Lyon being mofl Red, as Blood, which is our Mercury, and our Tindlure now prepared to be poured up- on its Ferment, that is upon the Cakes of the pureft Gold ; alfo elfewhere; The Blood of the Lyon of a Rofcy Colour. But let US hear Paracelfus himfelf 6^. The ( 198 ) ^5- The Green Lyon oi Paracelfus. Aurei Velleris Germ. p. 41. TAke diftill'd Vinegar, wherein diflblve the Green Lyon, putrefie, filtre the Solution, draw off the Liquor in Bal- neo to an Oyiinefs ; this Oyl or Refidue put in a Retort, diflil away the moilture in Sand with a gentle Fire: Then increafe the Fire, and the Green Lyon, being compelled by the ftrength of the Fire will yield his Glue, or Air; To the Caput mortmrn, pour its Phlegm Qhe moifture drawn off^ putrefie in Dung (or Balneo") and diftil, as before, and agam will afcend the Spirits ; force it flrongly, and there will come a tenacious Oyl of a Ci- trine Colour: Upon the Caput mortuum pour again the firft di- ftill'd Water, putrefie, filtre, and diftil, as before .- Laflly with a moft ftrong open Fire, and there will come over a Bloody Oyl, which is otherwife called Fire : The remaining Earth re- verberate into whitenefs, ^c Hitherto we have had the ft inking Menftruums made c/'Azcquean Vitriol only, j:t fornetimes the Adepts have added common Vitriol to it, thus. ^6, The ftinking Menftruum made of the Gum Adrop, and Common Vitriol of Ripley. Pag. 357. Viatic i. TAke and Grind the Gum made of Sericon with diftilfd Vinegar, and as much of Vitriol evaporated, and firft - diftil the VVater with a gentle Fire, then with a ftrong; receive the Oyl (blood of the Lyon') which feparate from the VVater, till you have the pure Oyl by it felf. Sometimes tnftead of common Vitriol, they added common Nitre to the Azoquean Vitriol; thus Luily in Pra^ica Teftamenti made his ftinking Menftruum. 67. The ( ^99 ) 6 J. The ftinking Menftruuvi made o( Azpquean Vitriol, and Nitre of Lu/fy. Cap. p. Pra^. Teftam.p. 1^9-^^^' 4- The. Chym. TAke one part of D, (D, f.gnifies Azoquean Vitriol, which deftroys and confounds all that h of the l^ature and Being cf common Argent vive^pag. i5'4-) and half a part of C, (C, figni- fies Salt Peter or Nitre, fag. i 5-4 of the fame Volume') which being very well ground, fifted, and mixed together, put in a Glats Cucurbic in a Furnace, and putting on an Alembick, in which the Spirits are by refolutioa diflilied and condenfed; lute the joynts of the Vellels with linnen Cloath, impalted and ileep- ed in luting, made of VVheat-£ower,and the whites of Eggs, that the united properties of the three Mercuries, namely, Salt- ilh, Vitriolick, and VVatry, being joy n'd and united together, may be preferved .• And oLferve, that the faid Powders put in- to the Cucurbit exceed not the weight of eight Ounces,- and to abbreviate the time, put ofthe like Powder into two other Cu- curbits, according to the weight of eight Ounces in every Cu- curbit, and place them upon little long Furnaces, fo as I fliall declare in the Chapter of Furnaces,- put not above three Cu- curbits upon one Furnace, for the Fire cannot adminifter equal heat to more, as the mixtion of Nature requires; and let the faid Cucurbits be placed the diflance of five or fix Fingers one from another, and let the bottoms of the Cucurbits be luted witli Potters Clay mix'd well with hair; put fine Aihes well fifted and prefied the thicknefs of five Fingers under them, and to the Beak of every Alembick put a Glafs Phial with a long Neck at ^ the end, becaufethe Receiver of thofe Phials mufl not feel the ■ heat ofthe Furnace, nor the Water ofthe Phialsflow back,, nor the Spirits recede or fly away : Then muft you provide a good quantity of Saw-duft, whereof take two parts, and half a part of the husks of Grapes, or the powder of dry Fiie, and mix it with the faid Saw-duft, and with this Corapofition fill your Furnace, then light your Fire at both ends, and let it burn ; for you C '^^^ ) you mud make no other Fire, till you fee fix, or ten, or fifteen; or twenty drops of Water diftil, and when twenty have diftill'd, make your Fire with fmall Wood dry, ajid fo by little and Tmlc make the Fire flame directly to the Matter j and fee when it di- ftils,thar the Water be clear, and wliera it is at fifteen Points, and the Water dear, and tlieiiimqsfubtil, continue tb.at Fireequaliy : And if you fee it returned from fifteen to twelve Points, or k{Sy (trengthen the Fire, and continue it according to the Point of its diflillation, and then thirdly, ftrengtiien jour Fire one Point further, and continue it till nothing more difiillSjand then letthc Fire go out, flop your Furnace, and let the Matter cool ;. and if the Water be clear, without any diil;urbcd Colour, or without muddinefSjtake and keep it,and ftop the PhiaJ with warm Wax, that nothing may refpire, nor the Air enter, becaufe the Spirits wliich are fubtil, would prefently be corrupted by the Air. Re- member, v\'hen you begin to make the Fire of dry Wcod, that your VelTels mud be covered with the aforefaid Pafte, and wrap- ped about with Linncn Cloaths, and the Phials v\'ell luted to the Beaks of the Alembicks with the fame luting, putting a Qui]] between the Beak of the Alembick and the Phial ; tor \\ hAil the Fire operates, the Air will for the moil part go out and re- fpire, when it hath not a Receiver to retain it, for it is hot, and the fubjeft uh'ch retains it, is not able to endure an exceeding heat, and therefore it requires fome ])lace w herein it may re- ipire ; when therefore you hear it blow, open the Quiil-liole for it. O Father I how have you made the practice tlius tedious .' Son! That you m.ay be acquainted with all things both fmall and great, and that you ma} have both a general and particular knowledge of Fires, and other operations, as alfo of all Ibats of luting; becaufe it is not our intention to fpcakany more of them, there being nothing difficult to the wife, circumlpecit, and intel- ligent, aftd that you may hereafter fay, that theftinking Men- flruum is at your command, which is a mean thing,by which all Bodies are in a jhort time converted into their firit Nature, and it is the pure and prosper Original of a wonderful and moft com- modious thing, but} ou mult know how to apprehend it with a clear Underftanding, ^V. :'jq nD .o -i/wjii adi ic T/xMe Menllruuin hath Lully i« iisWagia-Nltiitdisi Miib w ca//eJ . - -il . ii . 68. The ( 201 ) ^8. The Water calcining all Bodies oiLuUy, Magios Naturalk. Pag.^^p. TAke of the Earth, that is, D. (0/ Azoquean Vitriol) five Ounces and a half, and of the Water, that is C. QofSalt Peter and Niter) two Ounces and a half, the Sum of which is the weight of eight Ounces, and being all mix'd, grind the Mat- ter fine upon a Marble, then put it in a glafs Veflel with an Alembick upon it, and diflil the whole fubftance, firft making a gentle FireofSaw-Duft, taking two parts of it, and one part and a half of Coals fmall or ground, and a little dry Bran, and light the Fire, and let it kindle of it felf, till it begins to dillil from one Point to twelve (rivf^/)/) Points, and then you muft begin to ftrengthen the Fire with fmall Wood, making the Fire of the Flame right under the Matter, and fo continue the Fire till it be returned to twelve or fifteen Points, or alfo to fewer, and then continue the whole Fire according to the Points of its diilillation, and after that ftrengthen the Fire one Point further, and continue it till the Alembick lofeth its Colour, or no more diftils ; then ceafe, and let it cool, gather the Water, keep it in a hot and moift place, and have a care that it refpires not : And remember to have a Quill in the luting of the Beak of the Alem- bick, and the Neck ot the Receiver, that you may fometimes •draw it out, that the Receiver may have vent, for the heat is there fo quick, that the Veffel containing the Matter cannot en- dure it, wherefore it is requifite fometimes to be opened and fometimes Ihut : Take notice, that this Water, though made of a contemptible thing, hath the power of converting Bodies into their firft Matter, which being joyn'd to the Vegetable Virtue is of rnuch perfection, and muft be put into pra6bice prefently after it is diftill'd, that the Spirit which is fubtil and of a ftrange Nature, may notbe.loft by the Air. the fame Menftruum is defcrihed intwUy^sClavicula under this Titley 69, The ( 202 ) 6^. The Stinking Menflruum for the difTolution of the Calx of Gold and Silver, in order to the reducing them into Argent uim. Cap. 15. Clav. Pag. 2pp. Vol. 3. Th. Cfjym. TAke of Vitriol two Pounds, of Salt Peter one Pound, of Cinabar three Ounces CJ do not mderftand ly what Error Cin^har has crept in among the other Ingredients of this Menftru- um,/or it isaconjlitutive notofthu^ hut of the following Menflruum for the diffolving of the Philofophers Stone; efpecially LuUy himfelf 7»Cap. zo. Claviculx, fpeaking of the extrading of Mercury from a perfed Body^ having wade no mention ofCinahar^ ivhereas mtwith- flanding in the fame place he gave a Defcription of this Menftruum in thefe fevoWordsy faying: Put of our {linking Menftrual, made of two parts of red Vitriol, and one of Salt Peter, and let the aforefaid Menflruum be firfl diftilled feven times, and well refti- fy'd) let the Vitriol be rubified and pulverized, then put in the Salt Peter and Cinabar, and grind all together, then put the Matter in fit Veflels well luted to be diftill'd ; let it be difliU'd firfl with a gentle Fire as the Work requires, and as they know how that have done it : Let this Water be diflill'd very often, calling away the F^ces which remain at the bottom of the Cu' curbit, and lo it will be your beil diftilled Menflruum. Sometimes they added common Fitriol to the Azoquean Vitriol and Nitre : It is thus done. •JO. The Stinking Menflruum made of Azoquean Vitriol, common Vitriol, and Niter oi Ripley. Cap. i.Pag. 143. Me Jul. Phil. Chyni. TAke Vitriol made of the fowreft Juice of Grapes, with tile Fire of Nat jre and Sericon (^Azoquean Vitriol^ joy n'd together in one mafs with Natural {common') Vitriol a little dry- ed, toge iier with the 6W N//er, and out ofthefe diftilaWater, which will Hrft be weak and phlegmatick, not colouring the Veflel, which throw away : Then will afcend a white Fume, which ( 203 ) which will make the Vefiel look like Milk, which muft be ga- thered, till it ceafeth, and the Vtflel is returned to its former colour : For that Water is the Stinking Menjlruumy wherein is our Quintellence, that is, the white Fume, which is called the Fire againll Nature, without which our Natural Fire could not fubfift, whereof we will fay more in its proper place : And thefe, namely, the Mineral and Vegetable Water, being mix'd toge- ther, and made one Water, do operate contraries, which is a thing to be admired ; for this one diflblves and congeals, moi- fteneth and dryeth, putrefies and purifies, diflipates and joyns, feparates and compounds, mortifies and vivifies, deftroyeth and reftoreth, attenuates and infpiflates, makes black and white, burneth and cooleth, begins and ends. Thefe are the two Dragons fighting in the Gulf of 5:)': {iL.i' • 'On;;37;^j .; i_,i»M/' •, ; il.it 5o»?f of ?^e. Adepts '»r//^(ffi»*/, Adrop-, /i^^iAtrop ; Jy ivhich Name they have been pleas.d fd fignrfie the Matter ^ thefe Men- ftruums to be as it were the' Gate of all the mofl fecret Chymy : •; ' for for Atrop, l^ the inverfion of the Letters is read Porta., a Gate: Thus Robertas Valenfis in Gloria Mundi , pag. 305-. That you may attain (^ faith he ) to the true foundation, I will once again repeat it to you, and call it the firft Hyle, that is, the beginning of all things ; it is alio called the only Holy ; appre- hend what Elements are in it by thole, which are repugnant ; the Stone of the Philofophers, of the Sun, of Metals, the fugi- tive Servant, the airy Stone, theThernian Stone, Magnefia, or the corporal Stone, Marcafite, the Stone of Sal Gemmte, the Stone of Children, the golden Stone, the Original ol worldly things, Xelis, alfo by inverfion Silex^ a Flint, Xidar^ by the fame inverfion Radix, Atrop, by inverfion, Forta^ a Gate ; and it hath alfo as many other Names, yet is but one only thing. To Robertus Lully feerris to incline, who has been pleafed to call every alteration of the Azoquean Vitriol, or Matter of the Men- (Iruums of this Kind, the firfl Porta or Gate of the Work ; thus he calfd the diffolution of the Matter the firfl Gate. In our whole Magiftofy, faith he, there are tliree principal .Spirits neceflary, which cannot without the confummation of their refolution be manifefted, and they are otherwife called, three Argent vives. And becaufe Refolution is fo often ufed for the Firfl Gate of our Magiftery which we will declare ; the faid Refo- lution is divided into three principal parts ; The firfl is Corpo- ral, and is called in the Latine Tongue Recfage ( that is, Ana- grammatically facere G;butlyG,he means Sulphur aqueum. Cap. J. The. left. pag. 1 1 5. Fol. 4. Theat. Chytn. or our Mercury, Cap. xo. PraH. fejl. pag. 170. ef the fame Volume. ) The fecond is Ip.iritual, and called Agazoph. The third is fpiritual and cor- porsjlr and C3\\Q<\Vhridrugat.&cc. pf^y^M the Matter in the Refolution of it appears black, this Black- ■ ftefs X f<''' which fome have call'd it Lead ) he would have to he afign of the firft'Gate. In the firft Reiolutton, faith he, lies all the danger, and therefore I give you notice, that you muft ■ have the Sulphurs of fimple Argent vives deftroyed by heat, in ■ fuch manner and form, as that their adive property may not be expelled by extraneous heat, and that it may not be fepa- rated from its moift Subjedl-, which appears wholly black, full of a noble Spirit :Thac Blacknefs demonftrates the fign of the firfl Gate leading into our Magiikry, and without it can no- thing ( 207 ) thing be done, becaufe it is the Fire of Nature , which is to create the Stone, and which cannot be manifefted without the corruption of its Body, Ca^. x8. theor, Tejl.pag. <^i. f^ol. 4. Th. Chym. Laftly, He calls the Defiillation of this Matter the firft Gate alfo. The way of preparing the Stony, and fermentable Spi- rit is, to take the Juice of Lumry, and extraft the fweat of it with a fmall and gentle fire, and you will have in your power one of our Argent vlves in Liquor, in the form of a white water, which is the ablution and purgation of our Stone, and its whole Nature : And that is one of the moft principal Secrets, and is the firft Gate, as you may underftand by the Reafons aforefaid, ^c. C ap.(). Theor. Teft.pag.xi. of the fame Volume., Being perfwaded hy thefe and the like Quotations, I may affirm^ that Atrop is to he written rather than Adrop, becaufe lefides the Blacknefs or Fhilofophical Leady Atrop ftgnifies the beginning or firft Gate of the Work. II. That in the Adeptkal Chymy are many Green Lyons, to be necejfarily d'flinguifbed one from another. By the firft the Adepts meant the Cosleftial Sun, governing the whole World. Thefecond is Argent vive, more common to us than commcn Ax- gent vive. The third is called Argent vive diffoliled into a Green Colour. , The fourth k Adrop, Azoquean Vitriol, Philofophers Lead, ^c. .. A fifth IS the Stinking yiQtAx\mm,ptherwife called the Blood of the Green Lyon. A fixth is the Gi:ecn Lyon of fools, Roman Vitriol, Verdi- greece, &c. The feventh is extraordinary, namely, common Me rcuryJuhVimed^. IX. That there are alfo many Saturns. The firft is common Lead, theimpureft of Metals, and confequently the moft remote of all in our Art ; which to prove hy the Sentiments of the Adepts is a thing fuperfluous, finding almoft- every where amongfl the Adeptsafolema caution for us to beware of this devour^ er of Metals and Minerals, Saturn. Have a care^ faith RipleYf (to britigoneWitnefs for all) o^ operatw^ mth. Saturn, becaufe it is commonly (aid. Eat not of the Son, whofe Mother is defiled, and believe me, many Meaerr in Saturn^. Hear, what Avicenne faith, ( 20a) faith, Saturn will be alWays 5 ) one of the greatefl Secrets of Nature, and the true principal perfection. Codicil, cap. c^i. pag. loi. So in many places of his The- orise Teftamenti majoris, he means Vitriol by bis Male ; in thefe efpecialiy : The Fire of our Male, pag. 50. The Virtue of the Male, pag. 94. The Virtue of the Sperm of the Male, pag. 108. The Heat (7/"r/7(f Male, pag. yz. The Female ( Venus ^ is in this cafe the Male, and is not fo hot as the true (^fecond ) Male, Gold, Pag. 73. Vol. 4. Theat.Qiym. ThisMzle. alfo Efpanietus wew- tioneth in the making of his Menfiruum. Take, fairh he., the winged Virgin compleatly waOied and cleanfed, impregnated with the fpiritual Seed of xht frjl Male, &.c. Se^. 5-8. Arcani Hermer. Phil. Paracelfus, the letter to exprefs the Mafculine Nature of Ve- nus, calls it Metallus, a Nom of the Mafculine Gender^ as Me- tallus primus. Take, faith he., the Coralline Liquor, I mean that which is very diaphanous, to which add a fifth part of the f^itr/oloi Tenus, digell them in Balneo for a month j for by this means the Wine of the /rjl Metal feparates it felf aloft, but the feculent part of ( this) Wine, the Fitriol of Venus re- tains ( he means the refidue left in the estr action of Vitriol ) and lo that fr ft Metal (^Metallus primus') is made a pcrlpicuous, di- aphanous, and truly red Wine, ^c. Cap. iz. Lib. 3. De Fita longa, Pag. 65". As the Adepts calid Venus the fir ft Metal (Me- tallus primus) in the Mafculine Gender., fo alfo they changed Sa- turnus (Saturn) a Nom of the Mafculine Gender., into Saturna, a Noun of the Ferhinine Gender., to ftgnifie not common Lead, hut Venus, leinga Feminine Nuun, of Copper. \ hz\e, faith Ripkj, a dear and beloved Daughter , named Saturna, trom whioa Daug'itcr are both the white and red Elixirs aflhredly procrea- ted ,• if therefore you defire this Science, you muft extradl a clear water from, iier, ^c. Sometimes to dejcrile ly Saturn, not only Venus, hut alfo the Fhilofophical preparation of (Lo\>^tv (that u, to he performed by a Vegetable Menftruum '. they made it a Vegetable or Herh, that fo they might diftinguijh that which ivai\ from that which was net prepared; 77'«j Flamel /« /w Summary.- Some unskilful men, and unlearnefl Chymiits take common Gold, Silver, and Mer- cury, and handle them 10 ill, till they vanifli away by fume, and thereby endeavour to make the thilhfophers Mercery ; but F f " they ( 210 ) they do not attain to that, which is the firft Matter and true Myne of the Stone : Butif they would attain to that, and reap any good, they miift betake themfelves to the feventh Moun- tain, where there is no Plain, and from the top downward be- hold the other fix, which they will fee at great diftance. At the top of this Mountain you-will find a triumphant Royal Herb, which fomc Philofophers call a Mineral, fome a Vege- table, and if pure and clean Broth be made thereof, the better part of the work will be hereby accomplilhed, and this right and fvibtil Ph'dofophkal Mercury muft you take. This Place is thus read in Chortalaflaeus, pag. 313. Vol. 6. TheatChym. Afcend therefore the Mountain, that you may fee the Vegetable, Sa- turnine, Plumbeous and Royal, likewife alio Mineral Root, or Herb, take only the Juice of it, and throw away the Husks. The (211 ) The Fourteenth KIND. Simple Mineral Menflruums made of the acid or [aline Eflences ^/Salts. 7 1 . The Water or Oyl of Salt of Paracelfm, Cap. 3. Lib. 10. Arch. Pag. ^8. T Hough there be many ways of extrading the primum Ensof Ssik, yet this (wet hod of waking Salt circulated, the Circulatum minus of Salt^ the diffohing Water, the Water or Spirit of Salt circulated, defer the d above in Mumh. ^7.) is mod commodious, and expeditious, and after this is that otherway, which we mentioned fpeaking of the Elixir of Salt, namely, that new Salt being mix'd well with the diflolving Wa- ter, which is the diftilled Spirit of Salt (circulated) muft be pu- t e led, and fo long diftilled, till the whole fubftance of the Salt isdillblved, and reduced into a perpetual oleofity, the Body of Phlegm being drawn neatly from it. This way is alfo taught the preparation of the Arcamm or Magiftery of Vitriol and Tartar, as of all other Salts. Annotations. WE take notice that the Menflruums of the antecedent Kind are made of the untlmus Matter oj Philofophical Wine, purged, diffolved, and uolatiliixd with an acid ; in the prefent we jhallohferue the contrary, namely, that the acid or f aline Ellences of Salts made with the mduous Spirit of Philofophical Wine, are Menftruums of this fourteenth Kind. Paracelfus in the prefcriheU Receipt rednced Salts ly cohohation alone ^ with the Water ef Salt F f 2 circtilated ( 212 ) circulated into a liquid ful fiance or Ojl, hut the Oylnia.de of common Salt:, ky ^^■'^ method aforejuid, he commends before the rejl to his Dif- CfpleSyfor the extraaions oj Metahick Bodies. Certainly, faith he., there cannot be a more Noble and better way, than by the Wa- ter or Oyl ot Salt, prepared as we have clearly defcribed in Al- chymia {and in Lihris Chyrurz^cis.') For this Water fundamen- tally and radical!} extraas out ot all Metalhck Bodies their Na- tiiral Liquor or Sulphur, and a moft excellent Crocus as well for Medinnal as Ch\mical Operations: It relblves and breaks any Metal whatfoever, converting it out of its ownMetallick Nature into another, according to the various Intention and induflryof the Operator. ManualedeLap.Fhil.pag.iiC). It m!i therefore he worth ivhile to ex p tain the ivay of making this Oyl of Salt more clearly to you : Firftfor the illuftration of the Re- ceipt ive will pr 0^0 fe the Defer iption of the Oyl of Salt aiteadged by the Author himfelf in the eighth Book of his Archidoxes, which in the. Elixir of Salt, Pag, 31. u-e read thus: Take Salt accurately prepared moft white, and moft pure. ; put it into a Peliican with fucha quantity of the diUbWing W^ater, as to exceed the weight of it fix times : Digeft them, m Horfe-Dung together tlie fpace of a Month, then feparate tie dilTolving Water Ly di- ftillatton, pour it again to it, and ieparate as before, and .that lo oft, till the Salt is converted into Oyl-. By comparing the Receipts it appears, that Sea-Salt newly mads is nop to be underftood ly new Salt, but the fame exqiiiftely purify ed :■ Then- it is clear, that the weight of the Water of the circulated Salt emitted in the Receipt of the tenth Book, ought to he fo deter- wined, as to be fix times more t^jan the weight oj the Salt : More- over, the time and place of putrefaction .omitted in the former procefs are defcribed in the other, that is, to be digefied a Month in Horfe- Dung : Befides it is from the Receipts vbjerved, that all the Salt is not converted into Oyl, the Body of the Salt heingdrawn as a Phlegm from the EiTence. Laflly,that the Oyls of Vitriol and TartaK may be alfo made by the fame methvd. The Receipts being- thus compared, are not only without ailobfcurir ty,but do by the exuberance of their Light give Light aljo to other Troceffes, being other wj/e lefs intelligible. So this Qyl of Salt, as the Eflence or primum Ens of Salt explains that more obfcure Defcri- ppion of the Ellence of f^'^\x.s,given in Libro 4.Archid.P.ag.i4.Take ( 213 ) Salts, ?.n.d calcine them throughly ; if they be Volatile, burn (^fyhlme) them, attrer that refolve them into a tenuity Qer deli- quiuYn) and diftil them into a Water {through a Filter?) This Water putrefy (not hy itjelj, hut as the Drfciples of the Art ought to under jiand and know^ with the Water oj Salt circulated) for a Month, and difl:il by Balneo, and a fweet Water willaicend {the Body of the Salt hy the way of a Fhlegm) which caft away: That which W' ill not alcend, digeft again {icith new dijfohing Water^ another Month, and diflil as betore, and that fo oit, till no more fweetnefs is perceived. By tliis way you have now the Quin- teflence of Salt in the bottom, (Jike an OyC) fcarce two Ounces out of a Pound of the burned or calcined Salt. One Ounce of this Salt thus extrafted, if common, leafoneth Meat moie tlian hah^'a Pound of anotlier ; for tlieQmntedence of it remains only, and the Body is drawn from it by liquid folution. This way is . the Qointeflence of all Salts fepara ted,. ,^, This Procefs heinq^ thus enlightned ly the rayes of the am'ecedht, ufleils no fwall Light upon the faid Receipts, namely^ that farce two Ounces are acquired jrcm one Fcund of the Salts. ^ In Clavi Archidoxorum, Lib. lo. Fag. :}7. paracelfus has d^~ fcrihed the ElTences ^Saks in thcfe Words : .The \va) cftxtiaft- ingthe Quinteflence of Salts, as Vitriol, Sjlt,.i^'atre^ TaiTarji^e, is this : Cohobate with its own Liquor or Water ver\ olrer, pu- trify with the Phlegm, and then draw oH'tiie Body in the iorm of Plilegm even to the fixed Spirit : This .bpiut dillohe in its own Water, and by a ftrong heat feparate the pui e trons , fLe impure with the Spirit of Wine. This Dcfcriptionjsrnojt oljxure.^ hut made clearer hy thofe ajorefaid. The rneaning qj farjiti-i^j^.s ^ this : He putrefies the Salts., and cohohiites them.Jo cfren,w4tl^^tl.ej}^ ewn Liquors or Waters, that is, with their, own CircuiatUirsj- common Salt with commofi Salt circulated ; Nitre with Nitre ^i, cu-^ lated ; Vitriol with the Water of Vitrei circulated; /^hur.e wi.'.1\ the Water of Alume circulated, /he diffohingW^jterof Alun.c, i. Circulatum minus of Jlujae, &c. till they remain at the hot torn. j,^ the form of an Oyl, which Oyl heingeither acidot faline,- ea/ily.nuAy^k. a/i effervefcence with the unctuous /S^iri/- ived, neatly feparared, and pulverized, muft be put into a good quan- tity of the redify'd w;ater of the Fire of Nature ( Spirit of ThilofophicallVine^ that in that Veffel wcdl ilopp'd it may by the adminiftration of external heat, together with the excita- tion of internal heat, bedilTolved into an O3I,, which willfooa be done, ^c. When the Menflruum (^of Sericon, in Ntimb, 63. } is poured upon the rbrefaid Calxes (of Metals^ it begins to boy 1 up; and if the VclTcl be well llopp'd, it will not leave Working, though . i;.;)^ external Fire be adminiftred to it, tiflit be dried into the Catx^', M'herelbfe you miiift not put a greater quantity of it thaa ycSl to cover the Calxes. In the fame place pag. 171. For in this Operation the lels of the Spirit, and th^. morg C 217 } more of the Body is put, the better and fooner will be the dif folution, which is made by the congelation of the Water. You mud have a care therefore, as it is faid in the Rofary^ that the Belly be not too moift, bccaufe then the Matter would not receive drinefs : And this way muft be obferved, till all the water be dried up. Ths f.ime Place, pag. i6r. J. That alltke jharpnefs of this Met a/lick PoivJer may ht ivajh'd away with fweet water. That the Menftruums oj the Adepts are permanent, is manifejt hy the ways of making them; but more clearly b\ the Vfe of them in the Receipts of the following Books : However V\xvzci in reafon thy pould remain ivith. Thus the Simple Vegetable Menftruums do continue Kith Eflences, hut not with their relin- quijhed white Bodies ;. ivherem the Compounded Vegetable Menftruums being futable to the/e Bodies, do dijjfohe them wholly in the making of Magtfleries. Fsurthly, Tea though fydryMenftruum is either an Eflence, cVi'rt Magillery, and one Eilence prepares another, eajily entring Mid mixing tkemfelves radically one with another, yet fo longcu they are of different kinds or degrees^ are they loth fe parable again, nor do they continue ; till one being newly ex trailed, is raijed to tl^e far^e degree as the other, then do thej flow together at length into a mixture not to be feparated by Art or Nature. Fifthly, As to thefe Mineral Menilruums , ycu haze obfer- ved , that the Acidity of them admits of the J. me rea- fen with the Phlegm or Aquofity of the Vegetable Mcnfiruums, fefar as it is maiji, and therefore to be feparated in the fixations of things: But as it conffts of the dry Particles of Mneral Salts, [J;ut Salts they are dry things dijfohed in Acids) it will fall un- der two feveral Conftderations. Jn the firfl:, the Acidity of the Menilruum being perhaps in greater plenty than is necejj'ary, or fiicking about the fuper fides of ^the thing diffolved, is eafly waflxd away with common iVater. But in the fecond,the fame Acidity being more artificially mixt, and alforled by the Aridity of the thing diffolved, is made the caufe of %'eneno]rty, and nowjanntt ie altered but by \^egctable Menftruums tranfmiiting it. Paracelfus commands the wajh- ing not of the Oyl o/Sak, but tlie fl:arpnefs of the Salt, which penetrates not into the fubftance of the Metal, and is eafily ivafl:ed away, but the VnHuofety of tht Salt being throughly mixed with the unthoHS Spirit of Philofophical V/ine • and now united to the Vnlluofity of the Metal, common Water camict touch nor feparate. But an Acid received into the bowels of an Arid, he corrects again tvith the Spirit of Philolophical Wine, that it may not become the caufi of venenofity : Tet there is a place in Paracelfus, ivhere hefeems to have e[lablijhed a particular-Decree againjl the perma- nence of Menftruums. Many feveral ways, faith he. Lib. 4. Archid. de E(fentia,pag. ii. are found, N\hereby tiie Quintep fence may be extracted, viz. by Sublimation, Calcination, by A(iua fortiffes, by Corrofives, by Sv^'eet, by Sowr, ^c. It may be ( 2ip ) be done which way yon pleafe : Where tlils is withal to b'-- obferved, that every thing added by way of mixture, to the Quinte^flence, for the necelTity of cxtradion, muft be again taken away, and fo the Quinteflence remain alone, not mix'd, or polluted with any other Matters : For the Quinteilence can- not be cxtra£ted fi-om Metals, efpecially Gold , which cannot be fubdued by it felf alone; but fome fit Corrofive muft be made Ufe of, which may afterwards be feparated from it again ; fo Salt ( dijfolved ) in water, is drawn again from the water left void ot Salt : Whereas notwithftanding it muft be confi- dered, that every Corrofive is not jfit for this purpole, bccaufe they cannot all be feparated : For if Vitriol or Alumc be mix'd with water, neither can be feparated from it again without detriment or corruption, but will leave fome fharpnefs behind them, becaufe they are both watry ; and two likes concur to- gether, which ought not to be in this place : Wherefore it is to be advifed, not to put watry to watry, or o} ley to oyley, nor reftny to refmy, but a thing contrary muft feparate the Qjin- teflence, and extrad it, as waters extraft the QuihtelTences of things oleaginous, and the oleaginous the Quintellences of wa- try things, as we may learn by the Quintedences ot Herbs : The Corrofives therefore >are to be feparated again after the feparation and extraction of the Quintedence, which may eafily be done ; for oyl and water are, feparated with eafe ; but oyl cannot be drawn i'rom oyl, nor water hkewife from water without mixing, .which being left, would indeed infer very great detriment to the Quinteilence: For a Quinteflence ought to be clear and pure witliout any mixture, fo as to have an uniform fubftancc , by virtue \^hereof to penetrate the whole Body. ■ Left ths Effcnce jhould he defied hy things added for thenecejity of extraliion, be comivands no iVatry Matter to he extratled-h\ d n;^7/r)'Menft'ruuni,tf« oyley hy an oylcy^a refmy hy a refny^hut hy Jvnie contrary, this Rule, if .underftood according to the Letter, is erroneous , for it takes away ail the perma:/r//'o/ Philofophical Wine) \\hich their poderity obfer\'ing and corfidenng, quickned their Wits,and found out Aqua forti.^, which did muc:i abbreviate the uay to them. Cap. 77. Lib. I. Oper. r/iin. pug, 358. ot the fame Vo- lume. To make the prefent ^/w^^/Menftruums, the Adepts diffohed this Spirit of Philo'bphical Wine, not in Vinegar and Aqua Ibrtis cnly, hut in any acid Spirit net tinging, as of Salt ^ Sulphur^ ike. It is thus prepared ; -6. Tiie ( 225 ; J 6. The Spirit of Salt of Bafilim. Lih. panic. i?tparticul. SqIps. TAke of the Spirit of Salt accurately dephlegmcd one part, of the bed Spirit oi (^Philojophical) iVme without any Phlegm, or of the Sulphur of Wine half a part, the Veflels being luted, diftil with a ftrong Fire, fo as that nothing remains. If you add new Spirit of Wine to the diflillation, and digefl for fome time., it becomes fiveet : It is therefore re^uifte to dtjfohe the Spirit of Wine in the Spirit of Salt without digeftiott., left ihe acidity orhrackiftmefs of this Spirit he loft. Gu'ido fotnetimes took his Cir- culaturn either minus or majus, infteadofthe Spirit 0/ Philoibphi- cal Wine, into which he diftil led the Spirit of Salt. jj. The Spirit of Salt of Guii^o. Pag. 7. Thefauri Chym. T AkGohhc lefs Vegetixhle Menftruum Qn Nu'mh. 36.) or the great (jn Numb. 58.) one Pound, put it in a large Recei- ver. Then take of common Salt^ or Sal Gemma y of* the Stone of Trz/o/vjof each four Pounds, diftil in an Earthen Retort with an open Fire, firil gentle, till all the Phlegm is drawn oifj then put the Receiver with the Circulatum to it, and diftil the Spirits, till not a drop of the Oyl of Salt afcends, and you will have an acu- aPted Menftruum. To make thefe Menftruums flronger^ theyfowetimesfep.irated or drew off the Acid from the Oleofum,//;d'2f- the Spirit o/Philofophi- cal Wine might remain in the form of Oyl or Ice, thus : 78. Aquafortis mix'd with the Spirit of Wine of LiiUy. hi Ehcidat. Tefiam. pag. 1 47. Artk aurifer. TAke of Vitriol one part, of Nitre one part, of ,^,luii!e a fourth part, mix them all well together, and difal u ith a gentle Fire, till the Liquor is gone over, then gi\'e a ftronger, and laftly raoft ftrong, till the Alembick grows white, lor then i;- H h the ( 'tis ) the Aquafortis prepared. Then take of the aforefaid Water one pound, put it in a large Cucurbit, and pour it upon four cfcincesof A(iua Vitus. QAqua ardens^ four times diflilled, and put an Alerabick on with its Receiver, then will it make great noifes, boyling exceeding violently without Fire ; and there- ibre the Waters ought to be mixed by little and little. Then put it into a lefs Cucurbit, and put on an Alembick with its Receiver, and diflil the Water in Balneo, that a Matter may remain alone at the bottom of the Vefiel in the form of Ice ; pour back the water, and diftil again, and this repeat nine times, then will an Oy I or. Matter like Ice remain in the bot- tom. This Menftruum of Lully is clear ^ and therefore requires not our Explanation. But it is defer ihed by an Anonymous in Rhena- nus, thus \ * 7p. Ac{iici fortis mixed with the Spirit of Wine of an Anonymous Author. Libro de Princifiis Natnr- fill the Aqua fortis upon the Spirit of Philofophical Wine, as fa- racelfus advifeth. 3. That Aqua fortis mi>^d with the Spirit o/Wine, may he ta- ken inftead of Vinegar mix' d with the Spirit o/Wine, or Spirit of Salt mixd with the Spirit of Wine. ^c. in Chymical Works efpe- cially. 4. That the more thefe Menftruums are ahjlra^edfrom the Acid dehilitated in diffolution, the ft ranger they are made. 5. That the Adepts iifed alfo corrofrue Menftruums or Aqua fortis. There are fome, not only common ignorant Operators, but Adepts alfoy who not knowing the Preparation and Vfe of thefe Menftruums, have written againji thefe corrofne Menftruums. Fools, faith Bernhardy do out of the lefs Minerals make and ex- traft corrofive waters, into which they caft the Species of Me- tals, and corrode them ; for they think them to be diflblved by a natural folution ; which folution doth indeed require per- manence together, that is, of the diflblvent and the diilblved; that from both, as the Mafculine and Feminine Seed a new- Species may refult. Verily I tell you no water diflblves a Metallick Species by a natural reduction, but that which con- tinues in matter and form, and which the Metals themfelves, being diflblved, are able to re-congeal. Which Quality is not in Aquafortfffes^\xt is rather injurious to the Compofition, that is, of the Body diflblved, ^c Yet thus they think they diflblve, miftaking Nature; but they difTolve not, becaufe the Aqua for' ////^j being abftrafted, the Body melts,as before; nor will that water be permanent to it, nor is it to that Body as radical Moi- fture : The Bodies are indeed corroded, but not diflblved, and Hh z fo C "8 ) to much the more alienated from a Metallick Species. Where- ibre fuch fohitions as thefe are not the foundation of the tranf- mutative Art, but rather Impoftures of Sophiftical Alchymifts, who think this facred Art lies in thefe things, (^c- Epifl. ad ThojiL de Bomn'ia, pag. 60. Artis Aurifer. So in the Regeneration of Metals, faith SendivogiuSy Vulgar Chymilts proceed amifs, they diflblve Metallick Bodies, either Mercury, or Gold, or Sarurn,or Luna,and corrode them with Aqua fortijfes^znd other heterogeneous things not requifite to true Art, then they joyn and force them together, not knowing that man is not genera- ted from the Body of a man differed, ^c Trait, b.pag. 488. Vol. 4. 7h' Cbjm. Some do ly Art corroding \Vaters make. In which Metalline Species they calcine ; But then the Liquor doth the Earth forfake, Ij^or ly mans Skill together they vcill comhine : This way to Fools ive leave, for nothing fit. But for to waft ones Thrift, beware of it. Page 41. of the fecondPart of the Marrow of Alchymy. Thefe and the like Exprejfions they reflet againft our Mineral or Acid Menflruums, whereas they were written hy the Philcfophers agai/ifi Common not Philofophlcal Aqua fortifies. In that Point, faith Lully, they ignorantly err, imagining the Bodies of Me- tals to be diflblved, and as I faid beiore, reduced to their firft Matter or Nature with Common Aqua fortiffes ; but if they had readout Books, they would certainly know that thefe Liquors are repugnant to the intention of the Philofophers, (gc. Comp. Anim. Tranfm. pag. 194. Vol. Of- Th.Chym. Parifinus, a faitlful Difciple of Lully, explains his Meaning thus : Thofe things that are objedtedby us againft Aqua for tifes, namely, that they are of no efficacy in the Art, and nevertheiefs are taught by Lully, are to })e otherwife underftood : For he this way puts a difference between the Fulgar and Philofophical Aqua fortiffes, &c. And ilierefore Raymund rejedting Iharp Waters, means the Aquafor^ tiffes of reparation, but not thofe of the Philofophers, Cap. 6. Lil>. I . Elucid. pag. %o6. Vol. 6. Th. Cbym. But it would he meerly fuperjlmus for us, either hy Authorities or Arguments to illuftrate that which the Menfkruums themfehes will demonftrate. The ( 22^ ) The Sixteenth KIND, Simple Mineral Menftruums made of Philofophical Vinegar , and Vola- tile Salts , as Common Sal Armo- niack. Urine , ^c. 80. The Oyl of Sal Armoniack. of Quido. Pag. 1 1. Thefaur. Cbymiatr, ^'« %Akt of the Oyl of Salt (the Menftruum defer ihed in Numh. I 71.) half a pound, of ( Common } Sal Armoniack four jk ounces. Diflblve the Salt in the Oyl , cohobate the Diitolution three times through an Alembick. Annotations, IN the attecedent Kind^ the Spirit o\ Philofophical Wine wcu diffolved in Acids ; l^ow to make thefe Oyley-acid Menftru- ums Jlronger , the Adepts added to them Salts, that is, Arids difohed in Acids, and Criftallized. In this prefent Kind they took Volatile Salts, as being ofeafier preparation., in the following : ti^cd Saks, lecaufe of Jlronger virtue. In the Receipt of GuidOy there is nothing either difficult or dark, unlefs you will ohjeil againfi the Ingredients, ivhich cannot he hotk common, hecaufe Guido /«!- limes Gold PhilofophicHJy vcith this Menftruum. Whatfcever alfo you read in the Books of Pradical Chymy , under ft and always according to the Letter ( ive need not admonifl^ you to except the Terms of Art ) iff, that -which is prmifed in the. Preparation and ( 230 ) '^nd ufe trtay he performed j tfmt,feek an Analogical finfe not in the method and ufe of preparation^ hut in the ingredients ; according to which Rule either the OylofSa\tj or Sal Armoniack, or ioth ought to le Philofophical^ hecaufe Gold cannot be Philofophically fuhlimcd with Common mtn^nwxms. 77;? Oy/ o/Salt e/^Paracellus, as alfo the Spirit or Oyl o/Salt ^BaflUus, wherewith he extra^s the Sulphur ofSoly do prove the OylofSa.k to be a Philofophical Menftruum, Cap. 6. de Rebus nat. & lupernat. Probable it is that Guido meant the fame Oyl, for otherwife the Name of Oyl had been improperly attributed by a Philofopher to the thin and common Spirit of Salt. But if you think rather that Gui- do meant the common Spirit of Salt by the Oyl ^Salt, you mufi hj Sal Armoniack underfland not the common^but Vegetable Sal Har- moniack {jhe Spirit «/ Philofophical Wine dryed withfome Salt, and then fublimed') for fo you might alfo make a Menftruum of the fameifnotofflronger Virtuey afpecies of the following Eighteenth Kind : But if both the Oyl of Salt and Sal Armoniack be Philofo- phicalf a Menftruum will be from thence produced yet fironger than hoth the precedent : Here you may deviate fromt he true and genuine fenfe«Menftruums, may he truly called Philofophical., with a caution or two to he ohferved. I. That the Receipt niufl he of feme known and not fufpe^ed Au- thor^ not of every fmoak-fellerypromifng great and many things with- out a Foundation^ wherefore every Receipt wanting its Authority, though it mayfeem like a true one^ yet we think ought to he rejected asfufpicious. ^. That the Receipt muji not he alone, defer ihed not in one hut di- vers places hy the fame Author, or at leafl moft clear in its ingredi- ents : For the fame Names have onefignifcation with one, hut ano- ther with another Adept ; fo long therefore as it is not known hy col- lateral places, what an Author means hy his Matters, fuch a Mans Receipts we declare uncertain. 3. That the Receipt mufl import a competent Rule in operating, that is, declare whether Matters are to he volatilized in part or in the whole, hut whatfoever are more ohfcure and concife we lay afide ai imperfeB. The / 253 ) The Seventeenth KIND. Simple Mineral Menftruums made ofFhi-- lofophical Vinegar ^and fixed Salts not ting-' ing, as well Vegetable as Mineral. 82. The Aqua Comedens of Varacdfm. Lib. 10. Arch.pag. 37. BY ^:dfoyfoofier than that, and in ufe isftronger, oj: a Mineral ^cn- Itruum. Dijfolve the Arcanum of Saltj or Salt circulated in any Acid not tinging ; for example^ommcn Vinegar dijiill d,Spirit of Ni- ter, Sulphur, Salt,&ic. and it wiS produce the Eating Water bj Jim- pie mixtion ; on the contrary, if •>,ou weaken, or take away the Acid of the Eathfg Water, either by precipitating it with common Spirit of Wine, commoH Water, Sic. or digejiing it by it felf, ^ou will have the Arcanum of Salt, or Water ef Salt circulated. That which has heenfaid of common Salt, is alfo tebeunderftood of Niter, Alume,and all other Salts net tinging. The Receipt of the Eating Water is clear cf it felf, except that in the Latin Tranflation, a Sails Nitri Spiritu is read arr.ifs, the German Authors own Writing having it a Sale coinmuni, Von gemeinen Saltz : The Error it is requifite you fh'Ould Correct. Menftruums of this Kind are made not only of Mineral Salts not tinging, but alfo of Vegetable Alcalies, thus : 8 3 . The fixative Water of Trithemiu^. Pag. 37. Aurei Velier. Germ. TAke Aqu-tfertis mix'd with the Spirit of Wine, (defcribed above in Nurr.b. 74-) whereto add of the Oyl of Tartar per dehquium half a Pound, diftil the Spirit, throw away the Phlegm, and diflblvc the remaining Earth or Salt in the Spirit. Keep the folution for the fixing of things ; but for volalilization the Salt (f Tar tar tfiufi becohobatedfo oft^ till it afcends asthe com- mon Salt in the Eating Water. Hereto is referred the Menflruum, called 84. The ( 235 ) 84' The Aqua Mirabilis of Ifaacus. Cap. 2p. 2 Oper. Min. is pag.^i. Manu6 Phil. T ^Ake old Urine, diflil with a weak Fire, then a (Ironger, __^ that whatfoever can, may afcend; redifie the deftillation, taking away all the Fatnefs or Oyl, till it leaves no Fseces be- hind It. The Caput Mortuum lett in the bottom, calcine the fpace of two hours, but without fufion of the Salt^ draw all the faltnefs from the calcined Matter, with common Water ; evaporate the Liquor to a thin skin, that the Salt maybe Cri- flalized, repeat fometimes, that the Salt may be made moft pure, which diflblve in the diftilled Urine. Then take* of this regenerated Urine fix pounds, of diftilled Vinegar, and Spirit oi (^Philofophical ) Wine\ of each three mealures, of Common Salt two pounds , of Sal Armoniack and calcined Tartar^ of each half a pound, diflblve them all together into an Aqua Mir ahilis. Tke like Water almoji hath BafiUus, lut that he dijlils his through an Alemlick ; the Defer ipt ion of which followeth. 85. The Refufcitative Water of Bafi/ius. Pag. 8 1 . Currus Triumphal^ Antim. TAke of the Salt of Mans Urine clarified and fublimed, of Sal Armoniack , and Salt of Tartar^ of eacli one part, mix the Salts, pour ftrong (_ Philofiphical ) Vinegar to them, lute with lutum fapientia;, digeft the Salts for a Month in a con- tinual heat, then diftil the Vinegar by Allies, till the Salts re-^ main dry, then mix them with three parts of Venetian Earth, force them with a ftrong Fire through the Retort, and you will have a wonderful Spirit for the making of Running Mercury out of Antimony. The fame Water yse find alfo, pag. 39. of his Ma- nual Operations. The Adepts have fometimes ufed fome crude Oy ley Matter in- ftead of the Spirit of Philofophical Wine in making thefe Men- li 1 ftruums: flruums ; thus Paracelfus 'volatilized four Salts into a Menftruum of this Kind tvith Wax diffolved in Aqua fortis. 8^. The V^^^t^voiSallakm of Faracelf LibrO de redutiione MetaUorum in Argentum vi~ Tjum, five Tra^atu 4. Rofarii novi Olympici Be- tted . Figuli^pag. 24. TAke notice there is no fiiorter Method of reducing Metals mto Mercury, known to us, than that which we uled in our Book de putrefafiione quatuor Saiium, which ue there called Sa/Iahrum, as thus ; each of thofe ( Salts, as lov:er ) mult be converted into a pure AVaterorOjl (^per deliqumrn') which being mixed in equal weight, are called Lac Veterum, or Milk of the Ancients : Which Thilofcphical Milk put into a ftrong Receiver, anddiflil the Sj'irits ot calcined Vitriol, cal- cined Alume, and the bed Niter, ana, five times upon it, and the mixture will be called Flying Eagle, carrying Metals in its Talons aloft ,• fuch a Metal' being iublim'd, grind to powder, from which draw the Spirit of ftrong Wine being poured to it the height of a Finger, three or four times gently in Balneo, and you will have a quick or running- Metal as common Mer- cury. Now the Eagle is made volatile thus : To the Fhilofo- phers y^///X- acuated with the laid Spirits^ or Eagle, pour Wax, being very well liquefied and purged, about the thick nefs ol a Finger, diftil the Phlegms togctner with the Spirits by a Cu- curbit in Balneo, which Matter muft be cohobatcd lo olten, till they are all coagulated or well mixed -, and you w ill have the Phtlofophers Borax, which we wrote of in our Book dtvir- tuteVitnoLi, wherein the /Wj/z/f £^g/£' abfconded it itif with its Feathers, namely. Spirits. Nov,' take the C six of what Me- tal you pleafe, made ot Aqua partis, one parr, of the t lying Eagle half a part, mix, putiehe nine days, the longer the bet- ter, then fublime th.- Matter upon Sand in a Cucurbit well lu- ted, and all the Mecrl } ou took will afcend, wherewith pro- ceed as before. SalUbrum defcribed in the Book mentioned, ( de putrefatlione quatuur Salitm ) Take Sal N,ter, Sal Gcmntce, common ( 237 ) comMoft Salt, Pot-Afhes, an equal quantity of each, diffolvt every one by it felf, and purge it trom all Terreftreity ; ou of all being mixed together, make a clear and tranfparent Wa ter, which again coagulate in a clean VefTel, and you will fin the Salt of another colour, namely, yellow, penetrating, an fweetning, di!l()lving and fixing : Love and efteem this Salt, becaufe there are many Secrets m it ; lor it fixeth tlie Volatile, and vivifieth the Spirit being dead ^ and mollifieth the Lard and friable, and freeth from any Leprofie and Po} Ion, fixeth Arfenick, and moreover is the promoter of many iamous works to a happy and defired End. /« the prjl place, let us achmmjh you to levcare of this aiid fuch like Menlfruums r,for a Mjjiery lies in theje Receipt s, whuh to oh- fer've is necejfary^ lefi you hegin to dcult the Truth of tl. em after many mojl dangerous Experiments tried in tam : fw jou Begimers let this fuffice ', th.it it is iwpojjille fcr Viax^ cr atiypther oylej Matter to jupply the place of the Spirit of PhilolCphical Wine. There would be no need of this Spirit in the whole Art, if crude tyley things could perforr/i the fame as this moft pure and moji un- tluous Liquor. No tnan lut he that is expert in the Mcth'id of preparing the Spirit (^/Philofophical Wine, can make thefe Men- ftruums, ix'hereoi all the refl may he made hy any Ideot, if he hath hut the Spirit of this Wine given him. The Ade}-ts do in thefe Receipts loth prepare •nd acuate this Spirit of VVme ; no wonder therefore that they either wholly omitted the M\flery, or not Jufi- ciently exprejs'd itin their Compoftions ; for ivhich reafon alfo tl.efe- Menftruums ,(7/ Philofophical Vinegar, or an Acid mix'd with the Spirit r?/ Philofophical Wine, but the Menftruums of this Kind are fironger than they, the Spirit c/ Philofophical Wine being fubli- med into a Vegetable Sulphur or Mercury, is made better, as be- ing acuated either with i^^Alcali, or fame fixed Arid, and for this reafon being dijfolved in an Acid, it yields alfo a more noble Men- flruum. Uaac in our Receipt mixeth Vegetable Sal Harmoniack ivithfo much ofSA Niter , for the Vegetable Salt to be by fubfe- guent diflillation dijfolved in the Mineral Acid of Sal Niter ; but becaufe this way of diffblving., is by reafon of the fudden ebullition (f the oyley and acid, too dangerous , he durft not therefore lute the Receiver clofe to the Beaky but the like effervefience appearing in the difii'Iation , of common Sal j^.rmoniack , and SalNiter, we muft prove y that by Sal Harmoniack Ifaacus meant not the Common, ^^i" Philofophical ; which we prove fir jl by the Zife c//^eMenftruum : Of which faith Ifaack thus ; Diflblve your Sol'vci the Water made, and put it in Balneo, v\ itha glafs Alembick upon it ; kindle the Balneo no more than that you may endure your hand in it, and lute the Receiver very firmly to tlie Beak, and a httle Iwle being made above in the Alem- bick, put a glafs Funnel therein, whereby other Aquafortis may upon occafion be poured in, and keep the Balneo in that heat aforefaid a day and a night, and when you fee your Aq^ua fort is brought to a fmall quantity (^hy difiilling') as it \vt&- when you didolved the 5 J in it, pour'Vo it new Aquafortts* and let it gradually diftil a day and a night in Balneo,, and* v/hen it is thick again, pour Aqua fortis again to the Matter, dping in all refpe^ts as before ; repeat it three times, always K k pouring ( 242 ) })ouring to it new Aqu^ fortis, but the third time diftil it dry C to ficcit\- ) then let the Body cool, and take the Receiver from the Beak, and ftop it firmly with way, remove the A- lem.bick from tlie Pot , and then take a Drachm or Scruple of the Matter out of" the Por, and put it m a glafs Phial, pour cQitimon diftilled water to it, and fee it on a Fornace in Alhes, and let the water boy 1 half an hour : Then let it cool of itsown accord, and fi:and a day and a night, and a Powder will iettle in the bottom of the VefTel ; pour ott the top of the water gently, and fhe reft evaporate v/ith a -lukewarm heat, to dry your Povv:der : Being dry, take it out, and heating a filver Plate, put a httleofyour Powder upon it, and look ear ncftly whether the Powder fumes nor ; if yovi perceive it fume, have a care of your fdf, for the fume may kill you, &c. pag. 397. of the fame Volume- Thcfi he gees ok. Cap. x^. fayhig , Then put your Matter or Powder in it ( the jullming Feffel } with a large and clean Alembick upon it v ery well luted, fo as to be certain tiiat no Spirits can pierce the luting,- for the\ are fub- til bevond defcription, and Jhould they penetrate, and}ou re- ceive the fume, you would die. Lute alio -a large Receiver to the Beak 01 the Alembick, and let the luting be in every place throughly dry .- Then put Fire under the Fornace, fivfl a very fmali Fire , and fometimes increafc it by degrees, till your Matter begins to fublime, w hich it will do with a little hear ,• and when you fee the Matter afcend, di!'gently obferve to Iceep the Fire in the llime degree, that it may fublime very gently, winch will be eafily done ; for the Matter is fublimed,. and alcends with a very little Fire, pag. 401. of the fme Fo^ jm kime. ^^ -] Gold diffohed in this Aqua fortis^ Ifaack, and once or twice ^| Qohobated^ then wajhed with common Water, lecorties fciclatile, as to afcend ivith a very fm,iill heat into a moji poyjonotfs Suhlimate;, if any man does the fame hy as eafie a Method Kith ccrr.mon Aqua Regis made of Sal Armoniack and Niter, vce declare he needs yfotMtn^xxxwms of this Kind^ hut that common Sal Armoniack W infufident for fuch a purpofe, even, the Novices of vulgar Chy- iitifirj have long Jince experienced. ■■ Befides the ZJfe of this Menflruum, the Encomiums of Sal Harmoniack, which agree not in the leafi tvith the Common of the ( 245 ) - the fame t^ame^ Jo prove the excellency of this Menflruum. Now, faith hey we have a mind to teach you how and which way to joyn Soul, Body and Spirit together, fo as to enter one into the other,- for a Congregation of Contraries cannot be fo» as to remain together without a Medium ( vohich lefore in cap. 1^6. he called S-A Harmcniack or dry Water ) Take an exam- ple from the Dyers that dye Cloaths, ^Sc Thus it is with our Stone. Though we have rightly prepared the Body, Soul arid Spirit, if they enter not into one another, they M'ill neither now, nor at any time ever rem.am together without the Medi- um of our dry Water. Now Beloved, where now fliall we find this Water } For Geler faith, Our water is not Rain-water. Afiflotk faith, Our water is a dry water. Herwes faith. Our water is gathered out of a filthy and ftinking Menftrual Matter. Danthyms faith. Our Water is found in old Stables, Houfes of Office, and ftinking Sinks. And Moriems, Our water fprings in Mountains and Valleys, and Fools underfland not the^ words, but think it Mercury ; it is not Mercury, it is a dry wa- ter, which caufeth all Mineral Spirits, Soul and Body to enter and mix together, and when it has joyned them together, it departs from them, and lets them remain fixed. And this wa- ter is found in all things of the world. For if this water wxs not, in vain fliould we endeavour to make the Stone ; For how fliould we make one of our prepared Matter enter into an- other ? As the Apothecaries gather their Herbs togetlier, fo ought we to do either in the Vegetable, Animal, or Mineral Kingdom, to make a perfe£t woilc or Quinteflence, we ought to have a dry water out of every diflindt thing. A dry water therefore is in all things, to make themfelves perfedl. There- fore, (aith Galen, AH things have their own Medicine to make the Stone either in the Mineral, Animal, or Vegetable King- dom, without the addition of any exotick things. Wherefore when we wbuld make the Stone, or any Fixation, we ought to make that conjundion \\'ith our dry water, as was faid of the Dyer and Apothecary. Therefore is it, my Beloved ! that fo many fall into Errors, becaufe they do not underfland nor follow Nature : Therefore did I mention the Dyer and Apo- thecary, for 'ycu to underfland Nature, by that rude way, that you may in your own mind perceive that no conjundion K k X can ( 244 ) can be made without a Medium.. Wherefore all the works above cited are good, but thofe two things are not there na- med, the Spirity that is, and Dry Water^ weights and way of joyning, wherein confifts our whole Art : wherefore I conjure you never to reveal this Secret ; for all the Art that is in the world is comprehended in it, to make the perfe£t work in a fliort time andlittle pains, Cap, 147, 148,149. 2. Oper.Min.pag. ^x^y 5x5. yd. 3. Theat. Chjm. Ripley hath iefcrihed thp fame Water thui ; 88. The Aqua Regis of Ripkjf. Pag. 34pi- Viatici. MAke a corrofive "Water of Salt Pettr and Harmoniack, and put not above four Ounces in the Deftillatory , and draw a water with a flow Fire, wherein diflblve and make the Oylo^ Soly^c. This Water Bafil Valentine calls the Kings Bather?/ which thuSy in the elucidation of the fecond Key : Take notice. Friend ! and ■fenoufly confider, becaufe here lies the principal Secret ; Make a Bath, have a care that no ftrange thing enter into it, left the Noble Seed of Gold be radically deftroyed after the diflolution of it : Exaftly therefore, and with care examine the things which the fecond Key informs you of, that is, what Minerals are to be taken for the Kings Bath, wherein the King ought to be difTolved, and his external form fubverted, that his Soul may appear without blemifli : To this purpofe will the Dragon and Eagle, that is loiter and Sal-Armoniack ferve, out of which being united, is made an Aqua fortit, as you will be informed in my Manuals, where I ihall treat of the Particular .of SoL. 89. The C 245 ) S^. The Kings Bath of Bafilius. , Lib. Par tic. in Particul. Soli 5. TAke of Salt Feter one part , of Sal Harmoniack , one- ' part , of Flints pulverized half a part, mix, and di- ftil. Take notice, that this Water muft be carefully and exadly diftilled ; for it cannot be diftilled by the common method': He that is expert in the operations of ( the more fecret ) Chymy , will know what is to be done. Ob- ferve, you muft have a ftrong earthen Retort well luted, in the upper part of which muft be a Pipe halt a fpan long, and two fingers broad ; put a great Receiver to it, lute well, and in- crcafe the Fire by degrees till the Retort grows red hot : Then put in a fpoonful of this Matter through the Pipe, and fudden- ly flop the Pipe with a wet Cloath, and the Sphiti will pafs impetuoufly into the Receiver; the Spirits being affwaged, put in another fpoonful of the faid Matter, thus proceeding, till no Matter remains, and you will have Aqua Cehemea, or Hell- water, diflblving the Calx of Gold in an inftant intoa^ thick folution, which we mentioned in the third Part, as alfo in the fecond Key, not only diflblving Gold, but reducing the fame into volatibility, ^c. This Kings Bath is Jefcrihed alfo hj Bafilius in Revelatione , Manualium Operation um, thus ; 90: A Philofophical Water for the Solution o^ Gold of Bafilius. Lahore primo Revelation.. Man. per at TAke of Salt Feter ^ ^ndiSai Armoniach, of each two parts of Stones wafhed one part, grind them together, and by a Retort (with a Pipe) diftil the Water into- a large Receiver putting in two or three ounces through the Pipe ; the Receiver; muft be a big one, and lie in a VeiTel tuU of cold Water, and xoi vercd.. { 1\6 ) ■vtrcd witli wet Linnen Cloaths, that the Spirits may cool ; fer it will be very hot, ftop the Joynts of the Retort very clofe kindle a Fire, and the Retort being hot, caft in three ounces ot Matter, the Pipe being fuddenly ilopp'd, the Spirits will pafs through, and the Receiver will grow white,^ and drops tall : V/hen the Spirits arefetled, put in three ounces more, flopping the Pipe immediately, proceed as beiore, changing \^xy often with wet Linnen : Continue this Operation till you have water enough; which flop very well, that it may not evaporate ,• it is the true Water and Mineral Bath for the King. That Baillius as well as Ifaacus ufed the Sal Harmoniac not common Sal Armoniac, for his Bath, the Vfe of the fume doth al- fo prove. Take of this Waterthree parts,of the Calx of Gold one part, mix them in a Cucurbit, put it with an Alembick upon hoc Aflies to bediflblved; if it be not wholly diffolved, pour out the Water, and pour on new, and that till all the Calx is dif- folved in the water, bdng cold, white Payees fettle in the bot- tom, which leparate ; put all the water together, and digeft for a day and a night in Balneo, then removing the F;Eces, digefl the fpace of nine Days continually, dilTil the Water, that the Water may remain in the bottom like 0}i, ^c. diftil fo often, till all the Gold has pafs'd through the Alembick. h the fame place : This ukCIjohs Bath redu-ceth Gold and all otJ:er Metals into Oyls, hecaife it is made of the Oyly Spirit of Pkilofophical Wine, coNcentratedy and drjed injome Vegetable Alcali ; and Spirit of Nitre., whereas on the contrary Sal Armoniack, or common Aqua Regis, cannot tranfnute Metals hejond its Jjuine Nature, for that Oleitj ivhich it hath not, it cannot giue. \ii^z.casfor want of a Re- tort with a Pipe, perhaps nqt leing at that tirre known, fuflained no fmalllofs of Spirits in diftiHing this Menftruum, which Bafilius did hy help cj tbefaid Retort endeavour i6'repair,-thcughthat alfo not vciih out fame di faculty. The later Adepts, Grinot, Trifmounus, and Paracelfus chfer- ving the difficulty ofdijlilling^ and the lofs of Spirits made it letter, who by a plain but better method dijjohtd the Vegetable Sal Har- moniack in Spirit of Nitre or Aqua fortis,:, ,H;^/^.o«r any lofSf dan- ger, or delay. :: ?;.; 'jriu ;^r > ,: ' : :■ 91. Tilfi ( H7 ) P I . The moft ftrong Aqua fort is of Paracelfus. Lib. 3. Arch, de fepar. Elem. fag, 7. TAkeSal Nitre, Vitriol, and Alumc, in equal parts, which diftil into Jqua fvrtis^ this again pour to its Fxces, and repeat, diftil in a Glais, which y^j-w^t/orm clarify with Silver, and dilTolve Sal Armcriiack in it. That Paracelfus rehher hy Sal Armoniack meant the common^ is alfo demonflratccl hy thsuje ^t/"//'? Menftruum,'ip/'ir/^ he thus de~ fcrihes : Thcle things being done, take a Metal reduced into Plates, and there rcfolve it into Water, in tlie fame Water, then feparate by Balneo and pour on again, this repeating, tiil you find an Oyl in the bottom, of Sol or G^^/^/ a purple, oi Lu\ta a ia- zurine ; of Mars red and very dark ; of Mercury white ;' of Sa- /«r« livid and lead Coloured J o'c Ferns altogether green ; of Ju- piter yeWow ; in tlie lame place. ' Whoever d/Jfohed Metals pro- mifcmufly with common Aqua regis, both Silver- apd Gold into an Oyl, either purple or lazurine >■. Not to J^y any thing of the reduttion of all Metals into two Fats red and white., the Ejjeuce thereof, and the Dead Body. It is therefore clear from the effed that Paracelfus dijjolved Sal Harmoniack /» Aqua tortis for his mofijhong Aqua fortis. ,..' .;a.j .ijf,:; , :: nor- In making /Zv} Menftruifrn' Giirdb-4//(/i- the weigh^ ojf/hd^al Harmoniack ir^vcZ; Paracelfus omits. . V; - ,. . 5>2. The Aqi^a Regis of Griic/v. Pag. 22. Thejauri Chym,. Tx'lke Vitriol, common Salt, and Nitre, diftil into Aqua fortis, take one Pound of this, four Ounces-, of i^PM^'r phicaP) Sal Harmoniack, and diftil yet bxitt-:^' ^rfi ,]n:;„jqf3t ^^^ -,"* Solomon Tnimo^m^j^s fometimes diffolvedr Petals in comtnvn Aqiia fortis, and to thefohttion added Sal Har-moniack. Thus he. vslatilif ( 248 ) volatalized Silver, h'mgJijfohed in Aofi^ fortis, with the afore- faldSdt. Lib. 8. Tinft. quinta. pag. 8i. Aurei velleris Ger- man. Take of pure hum tour Ounces, diflblve it in common A([ua fortis, draw off" the Phlegm, to the remainder add fix Drachms oi Sal Harmoniack, and pour on new A^ua fort is y draw off again in Afhes to an oleity, this repeat four times with new A^aa fortis, then urge it ftrongly, and the Lma will afcend toge- ther with the Aqua fortis. Sometimes he volatilized GoU and Silver together with this Men- ftruum. In Tindura Regis Julaton. pag. i6. Aurei veller. Take of the filings of Gold of 5^/ Harmoniack,&zch. two Ounces, to which put four Ounces of the beft Silver diflbived in eight Ounces of Aqua fortis, draw off to an Oleity, pour on new Aqua fortis, and repeat three times with new Aquafortis, and the Gold will afcend with the Silver through the Alembick. Lully made his Aqua KQgxs by dtJfohingFegetahk Sz\ Harmo- niack in the acid Water of Mercury fullimate. ;93. The Aqua Regis of La/fy. In Exp. 1 7. TAke Mercury being twice fublimed with Vitriol, and com- mon Salt prepared, each time with new materials, grind, andif there be one Pound of fublimate, take the whites of nine new laid Eggs, which whites beat fo long, that it feems to be Water ; then mix the wMte with that fubhmate, and put it in a Retort with a long Neck, joyn a Receiver to it very clofe, gi- ving it a Fire()f Ail?es at the beginning moft gentle, till it diftiJs by that degree : The diftillation ceafing, increafe the Fire, and at lad give a mbfl violent Fire, and l>y this means part of the Mercury will turn into Water, and pait into running Mercury, which running Mercury being gone over fubliine again, then grind and joyn it with the diftilled Water, anddiflil again as.be- tbre, repeating the Magiflery, till all the fublimate is gone over, and converted ilJto Water: Wherefore you may the fame way multiply it as often as }ou plcafe, alwa) s putting new fublimate 60 the Water, and diftilling till it be converted into Water. Isfow ( 24P ) Now take this Water, put it ia a fmall Urinal (Cmurhit) joyn- ing,a Head to it with a Receiver, then diftil by Balheo, till the „ wiiitefeems to be gone over mixtwith it, which you will thus.'"' know ; take an Iron or Copper Plate, upon which let one drop of the diflillation fall, if it boyls and feems todiflolve, takeaway die Receiver, joyning another very well luted^ and" didil by Alhes, and again by Aihes repeat this Magiftery feven times : And thus you will have a Mercurial Water, which will ferve you in many operations : Take now one Ounce of the Salt of the fecond Experiment (Volatile Salt of Tartar ^declared in Numh. 17.) and four Ounces of this Water {the add Water mw difliL led from Mercury fuhlimate') mix them together, and the mixture Will prefently bediflblved j being dilTolved, diflilby Alhes with a gentle Fire luting the Joynts well, in the lafl place increafe the Fire, that all the Salt may with the Water pafs through the ' Alembick, then again put one other Ounce of the Salt into the fame Water, and by" diftiUatidrf pa1s~irall over as b"eft5re," aiid* ' thus repeat this Workof diflillation four times, in every diftilla- tion adding an Ounce of the faid Salt to that Water : Then will you have at length a Mineral Water vegetated and acuated, with the augmentation of Virtue and Power proceeding from the faid moft precious Vegetable Salt, without which is nothing done. Our Annotations upon the Receipts are : f. ^ That the Menftruums ofthu Kind are fimpk Vegetable Men- ftruums ofthejixth Kind, diffolved in Acids. Take away the Acidi- ty, and it will be a Menftruum again ofthefixth Kind. X. That thefe Menftruums are better made o/'Aqua fortis, it he- ing an Acid ftronger than the reft : yet that they may be alfo made of'anf other Aeid lefs ftrong, as-dijlill'd Vinegar .,8 pir it ofSjiltyStd'^ phiir^ &:c. 3. That thefe are the befl of all the fmple Miner alMcn^rwvimSy both in the facility of making, and excellency of Virtue. 4. That it is much at one, whether the Metal be firfl di(folved in common A<\\i^ hms,and then the Vegetable Sal HarEioniack added y or the faid Salt fir ft, and then the Metal. L 1 5-. That ( 250 ) 5". That thefe Aqua regifles differ from the comnton^ in that they diffolve all Metals prontifcuoujly, Silver as well as Gold^ and reduce the fame mt into a Calx y lutOjly which cannot be /aid of common Aqua regis. 6. That Metals diffolvedin thefe Menftruums and fuhlimed^ he- come the great eft Poyfens belonging to this Art. The ( 251) The Nineteenth KIND. Mifieral Menfiraams compounded of the Philolbphers Spirit of Wine, and Acid Spirits tinging , Spirit of Vitriol, Batter of Antimony, &c. P4. Spirit 0/ Vitriol mixt with the Spirit ofWinc ofLuWy. Epift. accurtatoria, pag. 327. TH E Spirit of Fitriol is more dry and thick, than the Spirit of the ^uintejfence of Aqua ardens^ and great affinity there is between the Spirit of Vitriol^ and the Nature of Gold, becaufe they are both derived from the fame Principles withjMinerals : The Spirit therefore of Vitriol being joyned with the Spirit of Aqua ardens, infpiflates it, and makes it fuddenly adhere to Gold, fo as to be fixed with it ; and believe me, this is a very excellent way of Abbreviation. Annotations. THis Difference you mayohferve hetween the Simple and Com- pounded Mineral Menftruumsj The Simple dijfolve only, hut the Compounded do hoth dijfolve and tinge things diffohed ; for thej are in a wonderful manner exalted hy things tinging, and made mairy degrees letter, fo as to have enough to ferve themfelves, and ethers alfo, and therefore may defervedly he called graduated, as well as graduatory Waters. Hitherto we have treated of the Simple ; In L 1 z thu ( 252 ) Nineteenth Kind, we are to confider them jas Comfiouytded, of two Sprits, Oyky and Acid tinging^ as in the prefcrihed Receipt of the i^jrirs o/.Philofpphical Wine and Vitriol mixd together, and in- timately joyned by two a- three diJlULitions. The Preparation ismoji eafie, in which notwithjlanding it will not he impertinent to take no- tice of this one th;ng ; that both Spirits muft he without Phlegm, and exquijitely reiiifed according to the Advice of the following Anon)ir.us. A burning Oleity is made out of Wine, therefore it participates with Sulphur,and herein is indeed the greateft vir- tue of the Metallick Nature, which it drew and conceived from the Earth ; and as this Oleity, the Spirits that is, are much more agil than the Spirits of other things; therefore their Virtues are much more agil than the Virtues of other things : but yet you mud know that thofe Spirits [jas faith tlie Text of Alchymy, and as indeed the truth is) wliich comeout of Vegetables and Animals, conduce not to Alchymy as they are in a ^^egetable Nature, but it is requifite for them to attain to a Metallick Nature by many depurations and diftillations, and then they are ferviceable to it : Therefore is there one on- ly Hone, and one foundation necelTary to the Art, namely, the Metallick virtue, though fometimes Vegetable and Animal things are taken, yet they do not remain in a Vegetable or A- nimal Nature, but are tranfmuted into a Metallick and Sul- phureous Nature, which contains a Metallick Virtue. Where- upon , faid Ferrarienfis, cap. zo.fmrum ^^ajiionum : It is im- po/Tible to coagulate Argent vive, without Sulphur, or fome- thing that hath a fulphureous Nature, becaufe Sulphur is the coagulum of Argent vfve, and if there be fulphureities in Wine, having a burn.ng faculty, it argues there is a Metallick Nature in it : wherefore fome do operate in Wine and Gold or Silver, to'extra£l out of tlie Wine its moft fubtil Spirit, ftrengthning tiie virtue of Gold with it, that fo the Spirits may be fixed with it, by whicli confequently the Tindure of the Gold is di- lated and multiplied, and of a certain there is a very great co- herence or participa'^ion between the Spirits of Wine and the Spirits of Gold, tliey being both of a hot Nature, and there- fore the Spirits of VVine are infeparably fixed with Gold ; yet it is to be noted, that the Spirits of middle Metals, as Vitriol^ &*£■. are oi larger fixation, and more nearly allied to Gold, both fpnnging { 253 ) fprlnging as it were out of one Fountain, namely, out of the Mines of Metals, than, the Spirits of Wine, which proceed from a Vegetable Nature ^ though the Spirits of Wine are more agU and fubtil. Some therefore do compound the Spirits of them, fo as to joyn the Spirits of Vitriol with the Spirits of Wine, to infpiflate one with the other, and to make them more eafily united to Gold : But he that intends to operate with thefe things, mud take the llrongeft Spirits, and the purell Matters, fo that the Spirits muft be exadly purified before they are fixed with Gold or Silver. Anonym, de Principiis Natur. ^ Arte Al- chym. pag. 30. Syntagm. Herman. Rhenani, Not only the retlified Spirit 0/ Vitriol, hut every Acid Spirit is here effe^ualy provided it he tinging^ and mixed ivith the Spirit is only being kept {not Oyl, ( 255 ) Oyl, hut Oyls, hecaufe they are two, U'hite and Bed) which mufl: be put into a glafs Cucurbit, the 5/cf/« being added, as before, and the Caput mortuum pulverized ; diftil them again together as before ; then pour the diflillation back to the Fasces, and let it be putrified again tor a Month, and diflilled again : Then the Colours being evacuated or leparated ( the Red from the White ) keep the Red, and redifie it as is requifite, in which let Plates of Luna be digefted a due time, and then reduced by cupellation. Paracelfus fomet'mes made this Oyl or Fire of Sulphur hy it. fslf without other tinging things for the graduating of pretious - Stones as well as Metals. It is come to that, faith he, pag. 200. Lib.de Sulph. that the Spirit of Tranfmutation hath given his Receipt ot making a Liver or Lung out of Linfeed Oyl and Sulphur: The diftillation of this Lung or Liver is done many ways ; but it is found by operating, that this Liver yields a. Milk nothing differing from common Milk, being thick and . fat ; it yielded alfo a red Oyl like Blood : This Milk and that. Blood confounded not their Colour and Effence by diftUJation, but remained diftinfb and feparate one from the other, the White fetlingto the bottom, and the Red afcending to the top: Now Art has been folicitous in making Silver out of the White or Milk, and out of the Red, Gold ; but to me it is plain that never any thing could be either by the Ancient or Modern Philofophers done with the White or Milk ( of Sulphur } I do therefore affirm that Milk to be dead, and nothing contained in it : But as to the Red Oyl which yields the Liver, obfervc, every Criflal or Benl being firfl vsell poliihed or purified, (Sc. ( See the fourth Book concerning the Vje of this Oyl in the Grada- ■ tions of Pretious Stones ) exalts Gems even to the highefl de- gree, yea higher than they can be exalted by Nature .- Here alfo note, that all Silver put into it a due time, at length grows black, and lesves a goldfen Calx, yet not fixed before its exaft time, but a volatile and immature thing ^ but if it hath its • time, it performs all things feafible, w hereor- no more muft ■■ be here declared. Thus therefore obferve of Sulphur, if it be taken into degrees, the more lubtil, clearer, higher, and of quicker operation it is, the higher and better it is: 1 his way areMetals and Stones made. He .that is af oat to attempt it, mufl.-; ( a5(?- ) ; muft not think,' but know himfell able j for it is, as to Opera- tion, tlie; moft dangerous Labour in all Akhymy, and there- fore requires notable Experience, and repeated Pra£t-ice,nor muft he proceed by Hear-fay,but by much Experience, &c. Tet not being fat'tsfyed with thejtrength of this Oylin this twelfth gradation J he was m/ling to exalt it yet higher with other tinging things^ as Flores ^ris, and Crocus of Mars, hy which Paracelius. meant not Common but Philofophical Medicines. We perceive, faith he. Lib. 4. Archid. de EJentiis, pag. 1 6. Verdegreafe is accoun- ted the Qointeflence oF Knus, whereas it is not ; but the Cro- cus of Fenus is a Quinrellence fo to be under ftood. Flos Mr is is ^ . (common') tranfmutation with a thick and fabtil fiibftance toge- ther, extraded out of the whole Complexion of Copper, where- fore it can be no Quinteflence ; but the Crocus o^ Fenus, as we have taught, is a true Qjintelfence, it being a potable thing, without corrofion, and in mixtion divided from the Body, very fubtil, yea more than I am minded here to write, to avoid pro- lixity. ' So alfo the Crocus of Mars and the rud of it has hither-,,. to been efleemed a Qainteirence,it not being fo ; but the^true). Crocus of Mars is the Oy I of Mars, (which is fometimes in a dry form under the Name of an Efence, and called the Philofophical Crocus o/Mars in thefecond Book of Medicines. From the Receipts we obferve. I. That common Spirit of Vitriol, Butter of Antimony, Arfenick\ fin, &c. mix d with the Sjjirit 0/ Philofophical Wine, are Fhilo- fophical Spirit of Fit rial, Philojophtcal Butter of Antimonj, &c. z. That the Menfirutms of this Kind, are the fame with the Menflruums of the Fifteenth Kind; but with thi, difference, name- Ijy in thaty Philofophical Vinegar not tinging is prepared, but in this, Philofophical Vinegar tinging; becauje theje are made of the Acid Spirits of things tinging, that is Metals and Minerals,- but thoje of the Acid Sfirits of things not tinging, that is Vegetable Suits, and fame Miixrals, ivhoje ary part was neither Metal, nor any coloured B dy. 3. That theJe MenJIruums are not only diffolviug Waters, but al- fo gradatory, lecauje prepared with things tinging. 4. That thefe Menjtruums are the Ejjences of things tinging^ or Magijleries diffolved in an Acid, and conje'iuently Medicines. 5. That ( 257 ) 5'. That thefe Menftmums, may he alfo made pf crude Oylsi provided a Man knows the way of preparing the Spirit ^Philofo- phical Wine. 6. That the fame two Oyls of Sulphur Q whereof the Red is an Effence^ after the way of Paracelfus, that is, the heft ) which Pa- racellus elfewhere prepares with the moft flrong Aqua fortis, dc fcrihed before in Numb, ^i^ are here made by the fame Author ^ of a crude oyly matter. y. That Vegetables and Animals affuch^ and crude ^ are not Ingredients in Philofophical Works., hut as they are made irtcom- hujHhle^ and reduced into a Metallick Nature. The faid fepa- tziionyfaith the Author of Via. Vcritatis, pag. z^-^. You muft well obferve, for from hence the Aacient Sophi took occa- fion to inquire into the Three Natures ( Three Kingdoms ) namely, the Vegetable^ Animal^ and Mineral; and they fb much learned from it, that the reparation of Natures is nothing elfe but a defeft of codion in Nature : Then they confidered them fomewhat further, how (for inftance) thofe Eflences, which were moft weakly coded by Nature, miglit be fuccoured in a Natural way, with common Fiie, that tlie Eflences which are now combuftible, may by their Liquors (which the Anci- ents through envy called Mercury, and are black, feparated from the Eflence) be made perfe£t by Art, fo as that the Ef- lences may remain with the Liquor fafe and fecure from burn- ing, and tlie Liquor not be able to feparate it felf from the Ef- fence: This the Ancients called our Sulphur; for according to this preparation, the Elfence is no more Fegetahle^ nor Ani- mal, but now by codion made a Mineral Effence^ and there- fore called Sulphur. Ani afterwards, pag. z6^. he thus pro- ceeds. One Nature is more coded by its moifture with its Elementary Fire, than another, whereofthe Vegetable Nature is in codion the leaft, becaufe the EiTence of it iseafily burn- ed, and the Liquor alfo is moft eafily feparated from the Ele- mentary Fire, by the help of common Fire. The Animal Na- ture is m codion not much unlike the former (Vegetable Na- ture) tlie Eflence of it being likewife eafily burned, andthere- M m fore (258) fore the Mineral Nature is in codion the higheft, becaufe the Metalick Liquor will be raore and better united by coftion with the Elementary Fire, than the other two atorelaid Na- tures : Wherefore alfo, Metals do refift common Fire, better than the other things comprehended under a Vegetable and Animal Nature, as you may ke by Metals put into t-ire, wiiidi do not Flame as Wood; tor the ElTence of it is not ib cofted with Liquor, as the Metabck moifture with its Ellence; and the conjLinftion vot the Liquor with the Edence is not Me- talick, but fimply Vegetable, which is confumed in a black Fume. But when the Eflcnce hath attained to coflion by Na- ture, then It remains not a Vegetable, but is now made a Me- talick, and IS now confumed in a wiiite Fume by common Fire, no otherwile than as you fee in perfeft Metals, when they are melted in Fire, dilperfe a white Fume from thtm. Now confider, /ii/^/; Chortalalieus, or the Author of Area ar- cani Artificiofillimi, i« /;w Cabula Chymica, pjg. 369. Fol. 6. Th. Chym. by way of advice ; how the aforelaid Speeches of Vegetables and Animals are to be taken, neither of them muft be rejected; for they differ one from the other no otherwife, than that the Vapour is purer, and of greater quantity in one than the other ; but you may make tiie more impure, like to the pure Vapour, for they may by fubtil management be fo reduced, that tliofe tw o, that is, the Animal and Vegetable^ in a Watry Body may be taken together with the Mineral Spirit or Vapour, and then the Mineral Spirit feparated !rom the reft w ith great difcretion, whi'-h thoigh it llies\s it lelf in a fmall quantity,^ is not- wittifranding of the greateft Virtue, and clearer than the L^giit at Noon: In ti;is ftatewill that vSpirit if you pleale bnng the Animal and Veget.ille Spirit, ib as to be like it felf. This is the Foundation of tae whcle Art, that is, for the Vegetable or Animal Spirit to leave its combuftibi- lity» and Leocme Incojiuptible, and Immortal: This is the Key to open all Gaitts; heie }ou have the true firft matter or Gems, and Me. ah: Yet if I confider this thing right- ly, it is not ti\e firil Mrtter, but a three! old extradtion Oftl ol the firll matter ox Gemi ; and therelore you ought to ( 2S9 ) to praif^ God Eternally, and give him thanks in riialdng you worthy of this matter, and vouchfafing yon fo much underftanding, whciely to obtain to your ufe that which is the deepelc in the Earth. I proceed m this fir ft matter j which if you make Liquid, and open bj: the incombuftiLle Vegetable Spirit inot common) you will Le able to difTolve Gold, Silver, all Minerals, and Gems in it, and make it melt like Ice in warm Water, deftroy, mortifie, and re- new it again; by this means I fay, vifibly obtain,, fee, touch, and pcrcetve an Vftrai Spirit (as a Lanthorn, wheiein the Eternal Fue, and Virtue of the higheft Star of Eternal Wifdom dwelleth^ you wjU I fay, with your Eyes behold an inconfumpnlle Fire, IhiningN-ght and Day; Sun, Moon, Stars, Carbuncles, and a Splendor exceeding all manner of Fire; and oMerve the perfection of the vs hole Firmament in it. O man, my Creature/ how great a Pivine Gifr, a^ that which is above all the Heavens, moft ex«.ellently clear, and is moft deep in the Earth, may you in a few Hours time obtain, whereas Ihe hath been a vaft time tmploy- • ed in it, and in fubtilty is far inferior to you, (^c. The fame Author oj this firjl matter in his Ruflicus. pag. 308. of the /aid Volume^ thus : Th& Doftrine certainly is very wor- thy of Obfervation ; for many Notable Men, do herein err, thinking they have the firft matter, when they have ob- tained the Philofophers Mercury, or Salt of Metals: For the firft matter is made when the Man and Woman are joyned together, witnels Count Bernhardt laying : Then is the Conjunction called the firft Matter, and not before ; that is, of the Stone, and all Metals; concerning which fee Turha: For before this is done, we do according to the fcuidation of Nature, and with good reafons delervedly ifject Animals and Fegetahles. zsx.\\in<^s extraneous, and con- trary and inefTeCtual to our Work, and our Stone we place rightly among Minerals. 8. That both Spirits ought to he rxarily mixed ^ lecaufe cf the danger of overmuch e^eriejcence. M m z 9> 9: That thefe Menflfuums are hy digefthn made/west, mdcal^ ltd the [met Spirit »f Fitriol, fweet Butter of Antimony. 10. That the Spirit ef Philofophical Wine is fometimes not expreffed in the Receipts of Menftruums ; hut it appears hy collateral places, and neceftty repires it to he under flood. The ,; ,1.:; i Wi<\ ■■ i7i ( 26l ) The Twentieth KIND, Mineral Menftrmms Compounded of the Spirit' of Vhilofophical Wine, and other tinging things ^ Vitriol, Cina^ tar. Antimony, Lapis Hamatites, &c, ^8. Oyl of Vitriol of Bafilius. Cap. 6. Se^. 2. Libri cIeCo?iclufio?iibus^ TAke Hungarian Vitriol, diflblve it in diftilled Water, coagulate, criflallize, repeat five times, and fo purge it from the Salts, Alume, and Niter : This Vitriol thus purged, diftil with the Spirit of QPhilofophkal^ Wine to a red Oyl, which ferment with Spiritual Gold ; add to it, its part of the Mercury of Stibium, and you have a Tm- 6lure for Man, and reducing Lum into Sol. Vifitando Inferi- era Terra, Re^ificando^y Invenies OccultHm Lapidem, Veram Medjcimm. Annotations THE Antecedent Mind contained Mineral Menftruums, compounded of Acid Spirits containing a Metalick Tintlure in them; in thu prejent we uje the Bodies oj thefe Spirits, to make the Menftruums a degree letter. For a Tin^ure, for Example ex {262) extr-icieefoutofthe ^ry part or body of Vitriol difii!k(t, with the Spirit of l-^iiiloiophicai Wine is a» EjfcMce^ which leing in thejame ^ifiaiaTii-n d/jjhlved in its own Acid }\irt, produced a Menftru- um of this Kind; whereas in the Precedent Kind, that fmalL quan* tity of Cupper, d.-Jfdved or contained in common Spirit of Vitriol, and elevated with a violent Fire', is h\ the Spirit of Philolbplui- cal Wme reduced riot into the fj/'ence, hut Magiftery, little ejjedw al as well through the Jmalnejs of its quantity as Tintiure : This prefent Oyl of I itriol is not the le.ijl ejieemed among ti e Secrets of Bafilius, and therefore we will a little more exuCtly consider his woji clear defcription, that ly his more abundant Light, we may Illu- ftrate darker places. Fif'jf, l^'^hhus bids uf purifie Roman l^itriol by divers Jolutions, and coagulations ; which purification is neccffary tofeparate the Vitriol from Jlrange Dujl, Drojs, and other imper' tinent Offals; yet this we think Superfluous, when the Vitriol is pure- ly criflallized, for the Terejtreity fetling in the dijfolution of Vi- triol ^ is not Foeces, but Copper, lejs d.jfolved than the refi, and left by the Acid, being too much diluted with common Water : The Vi- triol being purified, he enjoyns to be dijtillcd with the Spirit of I'Vine into a red Ojl. He reduced not only Natural Vitriol, but alfo Artificial Vitriols made of Metals into JuchOyls. The Sugar or Vitriol of Saturn he dijlills together with the Spirit ofl&'ine into a red Oyly curing Me- lancholy, the French Dijeafe, 6rc. Coagulating and fising Mercu- ry, but J ij fixed with the Mercury of Mars, tinging thirty parts of Mercury into Gold- Libro de Conclu. Trctl. x. Sech v. Cap. i, de Sul- phure Saturni. The fame way, faith he, is a red fweet O} 1 tin- ging Saturn into Gcld,to be diftilled out of Sugar or Vitriol of Jupiter^ in the toUou ing Chapter, which he repeats in Sed. i. Cap. 2- de Vitriolis Suturni ^§ Jovis. Argent vive he difjulves in Aqua forris, and being reduced into Crifial or Vjtriol, di fills with the Spirit of Wine redhfyd before with the Salt of Tartar (the Mcn- ilruum delcnbed in Numb. i8.) into a Jweet Oyl, curing the French Fox, Old Thiers, Palfie, &c. to be joyncd to Martial Tin- ^ures in the Tranfmutation of Metals. Sefi.z. Cap. 5. de Vitriolo Mercurii : The more fixed Metals, Gold and Silver he d if I ills in Bal- neo Regis ( in Numb. 89 J through an Alembick, which, the Men- Itruum being drawn off, he reditceth into Volatile Vitriols, to be di' d'tflilkd with the Spirit of Wine i»ro Oyts. Se£i. 2. Cap. i. DeVt' triolo Soils et Luna. The more dry Metals, Iron and Copper, he prefer ihes to he d ill illed into the Jarr.e Ojls, but omits the way of di" flilling. Sefi. i. Cap. 3.De Sulphuribus Mirtis & Veneris, Secr.z. Cap. 3. De Vitnolo Martis. Cap. 4. De Vitnolo Veneris; hut the following Kind ^Menftruum will prove that they are to he diflilled Kith Phtlofophical Vineqar : By thefe places compared together., we are better affared of diver's things .- Firjl that the Ojl of Vitriol is not any common Acid if Vitriol, though drawn out of Vitriol tnofi exijuijhely purify d, for thcjame Oyls may be made with the Vitrt" ols of all /Metals by the fame Spirit of Wine. Secondly, that common Spirit of Wine is altogether ujeiefs to this Work ; but that the Plii- loioplucal, or Mcnftruum rather defcribed in Numb. i8. is meant hy Ba.ilius by the Spirit of Wine. Moreover, that the Vitriols of Saturn and Jupiter do yield fweet Oyls, hecaufe made cffome weak Acid, namely, common Vinegar, which is eafily altered or tranfmu- tcd bj this Fhilofo[)hical Mcnftruum. But that the Oyls of the 0- ther Metals, being made with Jlronger Acids, either Fhilojophical Vinegar, or Mineral Menftruums do remain Acid, efpeciady the prefent Oyl of Vitriol, in the dijl illation of which, the Spirit of Pliilofopliical Wine, or Vegetal le Men{\ruum is diffolved hy the Natural Acid, or comnm Oyl of Vitriol, and withfuch a prevalent Acidity, afcends in the form of a red Oyl. Lafily, that this Oyl cf Vitriol is commended to us by Balilius<3j a Menilruum fo be fer- mented with Gold; which we would have y OH take fpecial notice of ; for BafiliLis hath here and there in his Bsoks difcovered many nota- hie things concerning the Meuftraum of Vitriol, but mofl rarely ad' vifed the difitlUti. n of it with the Spirit of Philofophical Wine ; yet without which all Proceffes and LabourS^all Endeuvocrs and ex- periments are vain, and of no importance in the more Secret Cliy- my. For the making this Oyl of Vitriol the Adepts fometimes diffolved it in the Spirit of Pliiloiophical Wine; which afterwards being cri- flallized, they called I 'itriol corrected or graduated. Of this cor- redion or graduation of Vitriol Paracellus, thus : Tlie Defcription ot Vitridl, faith he, is to be direded to Medicine and Alchymy : In Medicine it is an excellent Remedy : In Alchymy it is good lor man}' other things; but the Art ot iVledicine and Alchymy., con- fills ( a?hen you have calcined it , put it into a Retort well luted : Diflil it at firil: with a flow Fire , then increafeit , and the White Spirit of Vitriol \\'\\\ appear in the form of a horrid Fume or Wind, and palseth into the Receiver fo long as any of the fame Matter is in it : And take Notice , that in this Wind arc hidden all the Three Princi- ples , proceeding from one and the fame Habitation •■> it is not necefsary therefore to be always diving in pretious Things , becaufe by this Means a nearer way to the Myfte- lies of Nature lies open , and is obvious to all Men apt to learn Art and Wifdom. Now if you can well and purely leparate and free this Expelled Spirit by the way of DiftiUa- ticn , from its terrene Moifture , then will you find, in the bottom of the Glafs Treafure , and the Fundamentals o^zW-XhcPhilofophers ^ hitherto known to few , which is a Red Oyl ponderous as Lead or any Gold whatfoever, as thick asElood, of a burning and fier^^ quality , which is the true Fluid Gold of the Philofiphers, v,hich Nature coni- pafted of the Three Principles , in which are found Spirit , Soul, and Bodj , and ilh Phihfophical Gold , that (^Spi- rit ofPhilofophical Wi,2e) excepted, with which the Dilsolu- tion of it is performed, d^f. Onahar tke Adepts fohietimcs added to the Vitiiol thuf. Q:9 100. The ( 2^4 ) 100. The Mineral Mcnftruum of Ifaacus. Pag. 5^. Martin Philof. TAke of the Rontnn Vitriol ■c?\cmcA to Rcdnefs . and Cruahcr an equal quantity, mix and pulverize, then YO^v A<^uaV)tie to them., diftiU and cohobate Up- on the Lapitt Mortfiit/fi three or four times. The fame Menftruum hath LuUy in Magia Natural/ , but iffjicad of the Caput mortuum , I.e takes ficw Species in every Reiiifiiation. loi- ThtSimVmg Men ft r U21771 oi Lu/fymadc - .,r-. o( Vitriol 3ind Cif?a!)ar. '^ '.' r' Fag, 371. Magi d^ Naturally. Fter the Fourth DilVillation of the Water aforefaid QAqtta Vit£ or Ardetts madx of Philofophical Wme ) Di.ftill feven times with an equal weight of good O- iiahar zwdi Vitriol , putting in new things every time con- ffantly, and drying the Matter of the Stone (J^itnol and Ci- nabar)V7c]!i in every Diftillation , l*efore you pour in the Aqua (J^it<£) Sec. 102. The fame Sdiikinf^ Menftnuan oiLully. Epijh Accurtatoria Pagy^2j. THe Vegetable Stone being Diftilled (the Vegetable . , Menftruum tfr rrt/^er Aqua ardens , or the Spirit, Nitcr j thus he r./adcthif,ra/J'd/ ■'^' : ^--h"- v'H ■:; ■p--; ■ '^ ■ . 'v I o 3. The Stinking Meifflruum o^Luliy made of com- mon F//r/o/, Chiabar , znd Niter.' ■''■•^■^ In Clavicula. Pag. 2^^. Vol. 3. Th. Chyvi. TAke of Roman Vitriol calcined to Rcdnefs tlirec Pounds, of Salt Peter one Pound, t»fCinabar three Ounces, grind all together upon a Marble, then put the Matter in a thick and ftrongBody (^CucHr^it') and pour Aqua V/tce (even times Redify'd upon it, and put it in Horfc Dung fifteen days , the Ve&d being well Sealed : Then Di- ftilwith a foft Fire, till you have all the Water in the Re- ceiver, thenincreafe the Fire till the Head (^^Afemhick ) be fed, then ftret^gthen the Fire till the Head ( AlemhicJi^) bs white , thv'n let tlse Velsel cool , take away the Receiver.'; Seal itvety well with W»x, ami keep it for occafion : Take Notice that the Menjirtatm ought to be feven times j-cftify'd bv'Diftiilkition , ■ every time cafting away tiie Fcce?, before it- bc^ miftlciire oij r esmrmsiio mr.^s U12 n- . : '^'Befiiles the Ingredients ofAqn'uFdi'th' lincl Cinahar^ I.e fittie-^ times adds olfiTurtar c&kinedthuf^ - -• ' • O o 2 IC4. The 10 4. The Stinking Mp«/?rz^?^;7/ of /.///Ty made of Vitriol, Niter , Ahwie, Tartar, And Ci?iabar. hi Exferimento 16. TAke AquaVitiS fo hot as to bnrn a Linnen Cloth, then take Vitriol free from all Phle2;rae, fo as to Boyl upon Fire without Liquefaftion (Vitriol cahind the common vpay) the beft Sal Niter , Roch Alume dephlegmed and dwed , one Pound of all the aforefaid , of white Tartar calcined , and Cinabar of each half a Pound , grind and fift every one feverally through a Sieve ; then mix , and put the Matter into a Retort , pouring the aforefaid Aqua Vit ( 2^7 ) fhe Vefscls cool , and keep the Receiver with the Water very clofe flopped. Then take the farne Mineral dried, and prepared as before , in the fame order and meafure , which grind together , and put into a Retort , as before, and pour the Water a little before Diftilled upon it , fit a Receiver to it , the Joynts being very well Luted , as before, and ha- ving dried the Luting , put Fire under , the Diftillation be- ing compleated, take again New Materials of the lameWeiglit. and put them again into a Retort with their own Water, and Diftil , as before, with the fame Degrees of Fire ; which being done , and the VefTel cold , take away the Receiver , and keep it carefully with its Diftilled Water firmly ftopped ; For you will have a Phyfical Mineral Water , or Stinking Me}iliniHi>t with its Form : This Water hath the power of Calcining, and at the fame time difTolving all Metals with the prefervation of their Vegetative Form : Many Experiments we have liercwith both feen and done. Ifaacus HoUandus to augment the (irength of thefe Menftru- ums , did rather addfome tinghig Minerals to the Vitriol^ than the Acidity of Niter and Alume. Thus he prepared a Menftru- um cal/cd^ 105. The DifTolvino; Water for/ ^ei?^^, of the fii'ft Defcription oilfaacns. Cap. 102. Oper.Min. TAke of Roman Vitriol fix parts , of Lapis Haematites , Crocus Martis , Onabar , Bis ufium , Mineral An- timony , of each one part , being well dried , mix , and putting them into a Retort , pour four Pounds of Redi- fy'd Aqua Fit7 fever al vayj cxp vidcf!t i Jenfnu! ivhhii is called I lo. A ivayj cxprcjs «, yei tr.at it ts to be imderftccd Vi ad ojlbeu:^ ;..- evidef?t by the formr Receipts of Diffolvhig \¥dhrf : The Menfn warns fill err ihg fit ay he -Exdwplc^^ iif the firfl place thut C 3^0 ) 1 1 o. A Red Water Shining Day and Night of the Firft Dcfcription oi Jfaacm. Cap. 153. tib.2. Ofer, Min. Pag. 528. VoL ^ . Th. Chjm. TAke the Crocus o^Mars^ Antir/tony as it is dnggeout of the Mines, Red Arfenrck^^ of each one Pound , of Jif- rjpigmoit one Pound , of Roman Vrtriol three Pounds , of Sal Niter as much as the weight of all the reft : Grind all to- gether into an impalpable Powder 5 mix one Pound of Sal Armoniack^wnh. them , and being well mix'd , put the Mat- ter in an Earthen Vefiel , not glazed within , fiichas can well endure the Fire , and having put on an Alcmbick , with a Receiver ftrongly luted , diftil Aqua Fortk^ as it fhouldbe, firft with a frnall Fire , then increafing the Fire by degrees , and a White IVntcr will diftil, which beiiig diftilled , the A- Icmbick will begin to be Red or Yellow 5 thenpreiently take away the Receiver , and add another, foundly luted , and increafe your Fire till a White Spirit goes over ; it is the .9^/ Arnronuck^ which goes over laft of all, and Itrengthen the Fire fo long , till the Alembick be altogether clear : When now the Red Spirit goes over , nothing (^ofSalAnuomach^ ) goes with it , and 10 foon as it is gone over Qhe White Water) the Spirit and (^drj) Water (^or Sa.1 Armoniack^goovQv together, then the Alembick becomes Whitewithin , as if it was full of Snow , and then increale the Fire till the Spirit and Water are driven through the Eeak by Exhalation , as a Man cafts forth his Breath by force ; fo the Spirit and dry Water do breath through the Pipe of the Alembick into the Receiver, and incrcafc the Fire , and the Spirit and dry W'atcr being gone over , the Alembick becomes clean , cka: white, and. . tranfp;irent ; then let it cool , and take it from the Fire, put the Water into a Glals , and ftop it clofe. Take tiie Caput Morttiuiu ^ grind it to a fine Powder , putitinprre clear Water for two hours, let it fettle, pour off the clear , and pour it upon pure clear Water again , a^ before , and let it boyl an hQur,as before 5 then let it fettle again, add it again to (3^0 to the former , caft away the Feces , and that which you poured out (the Solution^ evaporate, and a yellow Powder will remain , weigh it, add as much Sal Niter ^ and mix them together, put them into a Glafs, pour your Diftilled Water (j)r Menflrmtw') upon it , put on an Alembick ftrongly luted all over, adding a Receiver, and leave it three days upon thee Fornace (jo D/gcjl) befo) e you put Fire under, then kindle your Fire , and Diftill firft with a fmall Fire, thenfometimes a greater , till the White Spirit is gone over, then ceafe, and you have a Red Water fhining Day and Night , which dillolves fixed Luna^ as Lu»(i is commonly diflblved , and it will take a ThiUtirc as the pureft Sol that ever was feen , yea , it tingeth all Jr/>//e Metals of the colour oiSol. III. kV^ed Water Oiewing Light by Night of the Second Defcription oflfaacus. 'Cap. 44. Oper. Mm. Pag. 458. Fol. 3. Tb.Chym. TAke o^ Roman Vitriol three Pounds , of Cittabar^ Verde- ,{^)-e/c,Cc?v//ft',of each haifaPound, o^Crocus Martk^ La- pk hd:»iatites of each four Ounces, of Sal Niter as much , as the whole Mafs (fivcPonf/ds") pulverize and mix them well to- gether •■) divide the Mafs into three parts,p.nd oi one part make an Aqitafortif , which pour upon the powder of another part •-, diftill Aqiiafortis again , and pour it upon the third powder , and diftill Aqua fortis again 5 which being done, pulverize all the three Caput Mortunmy. Take the Water of Sal armoniack.) which I ftall teach you below to make ( but we have already dcclard it in Nuwb. Si. J wherewith grind the aforefaid powder fo fine , as that a Painter may paint with it , then dry it in your Dry Stove in glafs DiOjcs being dried , grind it dry upon a Stone, and put it into an earthen Pot , and pour the Aquafortis (before diflilled) up- on it 5 diftill firfl with a gentle fire the fpace of twenty -four hours , then increafe (the Fire) as yet 24 hours more, then increafe till it begins to fliine , theji keep it in the fame P p fiery (302 ) .fiery brightnels ^k hours more , then let it cool , take it away from the Fire , and ftop the Receiver well : Then ■grind and pulverize the Caput Mortuum upon a Stone with Vinegar diftilled , and extraft the Salt or Element of Earth out of the Feces •■, put the Salt into a Glals , pour yout A- qtiafortfs Upon it , the Alembick and Receiver being very clofe, put the Glnfs in Sand in a Kettle with Water (in Bal- 7ieo) diftill all that will diftill , when no more diftilleth, let the Balneo boil a day and a night whether it drops or no : Then let it cool , remove it from the Fire , put it in Afhes, iife firft a weak Fire for 12 hours , then increafe the Fire yet 1 2' hours more 5 then let it be moderately hot , and let it be fo for fix hours ^ then let it cool , take it from the Fire , and cover it well , and having taken away the Feces or Salt , grind them very fmall with Ditlill'd Vinegar, put it into a Stone Jugge , and a good part of the Diftillation be- ing poured to it , put it in Balmo , doing as was taught be- fore 5 fee if it hath yet any 'Feces , and make the Salt clear 5 put it again in a Glaft , pour on the ^^«^^r^«r again, doe- very way as before , three or four times , and all your Mat- ter or Earth will diftill with the Aquafortk , then take it from the Fire, ftop clofe , and keep it well : For you have a pretious Water , above all the Vv'aters that ever I heard of 5 and believe me in good fiith I have feen and done alfb my felf wonderful things with this Water : This Water I have reduced to a Red Chriftalline Stone , which would give light by night , fo as that my Friends might fee to eat and drink by it. Keep it well for ufe , and efteem it as the moft iccret Water of all you have. The Method of mahjng fiich Shining Menftruums is better perceived by the foUoreivg Water. 112. A 112. A Red and Shining Aqua jortk of the Tiiird * Defcription of ijaacm. Cap. 72. I. Oper.Min. Pag. 354. Vo/. 3. Tk Chym. TAke of Vitriol clarified and purified from its Feces, of Sal Niter ^ an equal quantity, diftill an ^^//^^r/^^- out of them according to Art , then take the Caput Mortiium out of the Glafs , and reduce it to a fine Powder ^ then grind it upon a Stone , then put it in common Diftill'd Water , and draw out all the Salt , then filter it , that you may have it clean from Feces 5 congeal again , and being congealed . make it an impalpable Powder , aud put the Powder into a Glafs , and then poUr that Aquafortis again upon the Powder which you diftilVd from thence , and di- ftill again all that will diftill : Then take out the Caput Mor- tmtm again , grind it to Powder as before , and do in all things as before ; this Operation repeat, till you have diftil- led all the Salt within the Aquafortis : Then have you an ex- cellent Red Water ftiining by night like a clear Fire 5 then reftifie that Water in Balf/eo, oftentimes diftilling, and pour- ing on again , fo as at laft to have all the Diftillation in Bal- 7ieo : Then is your pretious V/ater prepared , by which you may multiply and open your CPhilofbphical) Stone. Thefe IVlenftruums are little diferejit , yea almoft the fame with the former of Ifaacus , as to the Ingredients as well as Method of preparation , but' the addition of the Spirit of Pl^ilofiphical ' Wine rohich Ifaacus prcfcrihed ?'.' thofeDiJJolving Waters ^ niufh of nece\fity he underftodd inthtji'his Aqua fortiles 5 for without this Spirit all thefe Waters would be common , of no Fertue and Vfe. P-p'.a . - From From the Receipts we obferve : 1. That all Tinging Bodies vphatfoever being tit her natur al- ly or artificially difihlvcd in an Acid , and reduced into Salt or Vitriol by the help of the Spirit of Philoibphical Wine, do yield the pre/tnt Mcnftruums, b)i tlefetnro Methods f, either by rcpeatedCohobation , orSi>ftple Diflillation 5 but in thk lat- tirrrayit k necefjary for //fc Salts or Vitriols of the faid Bodies to be firji graduated , that k , by various Difiolntions and Coa- gulations Joynedn-ith the iS/z/v/^ tf/Philolbfhical Wine , and then d/Jiil/ed^ where Caution muji be had , lell in thk gradati- on of the Vitriol , the Act d^ be by Opti-ations kf necefiary than convenient debilitated'-) for fo you rtill cfily prepare Menftru- imis unexpectedly of the Eighth injiead of this Kind. 2. That thefe Menftruums differ from Menftruums of the Eigith Kind , theje being Acid , bi/t tboje Sivect. Drfiolve a. CoKjpoJinded Vegetable Menftruuni of the Eighth Kind in Di- fli lied Vinegar., Spirit of Sulphur^ Conmion h(\Un¥on\s ., &c. and yon rrill ini mediately have a Menftruum of this Kind 5 on the contrary , debilitate the Acidity of thefe Mendruums., and they vcill be tranfmnted into Menftruums of the Eighth Kind. 5, That /^•fy'e Menftruums arv tkeEffences of Things tinging diffolved m an Acid. 4. Tl:at Hungarian Vitriol ( Copper naturally diffolved in an Acid ) tho artificially purged from Heterogeneous Salts and Feces , does neverihelef tt^ nell ,is other things ting- ing , require the Spint of PhilofophicalWine ., in order to be reduced into an Oil fo excellent in Medicine as well as Alchimy. 5. That it k even much at one by n^hat Acid Copper or any 0- ■ ther tinging Body is reduced into Vitiiol , provided it be afteV' irards graduated , that k , ??iixed rcith the Spirit of Phihjb- phical Wine : Wherefore you mufi once for always take notice, that not only in the Writings */ Gokl mix , proceed, as before , repeating , till all the Calx of Saturn is difiblved 5 put the Saturn being thus diflolved in Balneo , evaporate the Vinegar with a flow Fire, the Saturn will be reduced into a Mafs , which move to and fro till it be dry •■, it will be of a Honey Colour, rub it on a Marble with Difhlled Vinegar, like Soap , put it again in the Stone Jugge , being very well mixed , in a warm Balneo the fpace of five or fix days 5 flir it every day with a Wooddeo Slice , flop the Glafs , let it cool , pour off what is diflblved into another large Stone Jugge, pour otiier Vinegar to it, mix very well, put it zgMn in Balfieo ^ pour off, and thus proceed , till nothing more will be diflblved , which you may try by your tongue , for if the Vinegar be fweet, it is not enough diflblved j or put a little in a Glafs Cucurbjt,and kt (3") let it evaporate , if any thing remains , all that will be Gold is not difiblved, and that which remains in the Jugge, or Fe- ces, if they befweetupon the tongue, and you find yet fome- thing in the Cucurbit that is not enough diflblved , you may diffolve it by pouring new Vinegar to it. Thefe Solutions coagulate , as before , diflblve in Diftilled Vinegar , as be- fore 3 theie Coagulations and Solutions continuc,till no more Feces remain in the bottom , but are all things diffolvcd into a clear and limpid Water j then is Satftrn free from all its Le- profie, Melancholy, Feces, Blacknefs, and Supei-fluities, and is pure , as (now, being exempted from all filth ) fufible as Wax , and fweet as Sugar , d>"c. Take half of the Purged Saturn , put it in a Stone Jugge , and pour to it four Pounds of Diftilled Vinegar , put on an Alembick , and diftill the Vinegar in Balnco, but the Alembick muft have a hole in the top , through which pour liew Vinegar , diftill , as before, pour on new and draw off , and that rill the Vinegar be drawn off as ftrong as it is poured on , then is it enough, be- caufe the Matter hath imbibed as much of the Spirits of the Vinegar , as it needs, and as much as it can retain : Take the Jugge from the Fire , and the Alembick bei,ng taken oflf, put the Matter into a Glaft that can endure the Fire , put an A- lembick to it , put it in a Copel with Alhes in a Fornace , make firfl: a gentle Fire , increafe it by degrees ; till your Matter goes over of the Colour of Blood , and thicknefs of Oyl , fvveetnefs of Sugar , and of a heavenly finell ; if the heat diminiflieth , keep it while the, Matter diftills , jncreafe ' the Fire , till the Glafs begins to be Fire hot , keep it in this heat , till nothing more diftills f, let it cool by it felf , take away the'Receiver , and ftop it very v/cll with ^Wax , beat the Matter (Caput morttiHiiJ') in an Tron )Viortar, ,with .^. Steel Peftle, and then grind it upon'^Ma^lVte with DiftiU'ci Vine- gar Q^nicgar mixcl ivith the Spirit ofPhrhfophical Wine^ put it in a Stone Jugge two parts full , difrill by Balneo , pour on new Vinegar , diftill as before , repeat j,^, till the yine^r diftills with thefameftrength as; it i^^s pouijed on , let thqfn cotil, diftill "the Matt% 111 a' ftVoiig Clafs pfoji Afbe^ as be- fore , firft with a gentle Fire ,_ tjfxcn a ftronger ,; as ypu did before , a Red Oil M"ill go over',' as before , x^c. beat the Q^q 2 Matter, ( 312 ) Matter , and proceed again , till the Matter will retain no • inore of the Spirit of Vinegar in the Difliillation in Balneo ^ then take the Matter , diftil what will diftil in a glafs Cucur- bit upon A(hes , till you have diftilled the Matter into a Red , Oil , which is the noble Water of Paradiie , by which all Fixed Stones may be refolved , and the Stone made perfed. This Water of Paradife the Ancients call'd their fharp, clear, Vinegar , ^^c ' Metals fimctimcs are »ot reduced i»to graduated Vitriols but hy repeated Cohobation made Menftruums of this KincC Thm 115. The Mercurial Vinegar of Trifmofinm. Libro Moratofan five OlIo Tin^urarum in Secwida Tin^ura, Pag. 7 p. Aur. Veil. Germ. TAke Argefft Vive purged the common way , put it in an Alembick , whereto pour very (harp "^^inegar ( Vinegar mix'd rrith the Spirit of Philofophical V^tne defiribcd before i); Numb. y2.') three Ounces of Vinegar to^ one Ounce of Mercury ^ draw off fix times in Balneo , then force it to afcend into the Receiver , being diftilled , redifie it, and it will be prepared. Sometimes' injlead of Philofophical Vittegar he ufed the fh'ongcft Aqua Fortis dcfcribccl in Numb. 73. 11^. The Mercurial Water of Triffjiofimts, Likr. 0^0 Ji7i^urar. inThi^ qi^arta. Pag. So, , Aurei Veil. Germ. ^Ake of Roman Vitriol , Sal Niter, of each one Pound, and a half, of (Vegetable) Sal armoniacl{^foui Oun- ch , of Tiles pulverized one Pound , out of which diftil Aqua fort fs by the Rule of Art. Take of Venetian Mer- ( 313 ) Mercury fublimed ( you muft have a care of its Venemous Fume.) four Ounces , put it in a Cucurbit , pour the faid Aqua forth to it , draw off ftrongly , that the Mercury may be well mixed with the Aqua fort is , and it will be pre- pared. Albertus Magnus f re fared the fame Mercurial Water tht^f, 1 1 7. The Mercurial Water of Albertus Magnus. Libro Compofitum de Compofitis. Cap. 5. Pag. P37. Fol. 4. Tb, Chym. TAke of Roman Vitriol two Pounds , of Sal Niter two Pounds , of Alume calcined one Pound ; being well ground and mix'd together put the Matter in a fit Glals Phial , and having luted the Joynts very clofe, that the Spirits may not evaporate , diftill Aquafortis after the com- mon way, firft with a weak Fire, lecondly a ftronger, third- ly with Wood , that all the Spirits may go over , and the Alembick turn white ; then put out the Fire , let the For- nacc cool , and keep the Water carefully, becaufe it is the Diflolvitive of iMna , keep it therefore for the finilhing of the Work , becaufe that Water diflblves Luna , feparates Gold from Silver , calcines Mercurj and the Crocus of Mars, C^c. This is the firft Philofophical Water (" Common Aqua fortis ) and hath one Degree of Perfeftion in it. . Take of the firft Water one pound , diflblve in it two Ouncts of (Z^^- gctahle") Salarmoniack^ pure and clear , which being diflol- ved , the Water is presently otherwife qualified , and other- wife coloured , becaufe the firft was of a Green Colour, and the Diflolvitive of Luna , and not of Sol ^ and prefently af- ter the putting in of the Sal armoniack, the Colour of it is turned to a Citrine ,. and diflblvcth Gold, Mercury, and Sul- phur fublimed , and tingeth a Manx Skin of a' moft Citrine Colour , keep that Water ( Philofophical Aqua Regis') a- part. Take of the fecond Water one Pound , and otMer- curjr fublimed with Roman Vitriol , and common Salt five Ounces ( 314 ) Ounces and .1 half , put it to theTecond Water by little and little gradually , feal the Mouth of the Glafs well, that the Virtue of the Mercury put in may not fuddcnly exhale ; put the Glafs in Afhes temperately hot , and the Water will pre- fcntly begin to v/ork upon the Mercury , diiTolving it and incorporating •■> and let the Glafs ftand thus in hot AQies, and in the diflolution of the Water , till the Water appears no more, but has wholly dilTolved the Sublimed Mercury : Now the Water afts always upon Mercury by the way of imbibi- tion , till it diliolves it totally : But take notice , if the - Water cannot wholly diflblve the Mercury put in , then lay V afide the Mercury that is diflolved by that Water , and that which is not dillolvcd at the bottom dry with a gentle Fire, grind , and dillolve it with new Water as before , and thus repeat this Order , till all the Sublimed Mercury is diflolved into Water : And then }oyn all the folutions of that third Water, into one, in a clean Glafs, and ftopthe Mouth of it well with Wax , and keep it carefully : This is the third Philofophical thick qualified Water in the third degree of Perfedion , and is the Mother of ^^// by which Bodies are reiblved into their firft Matter , which is called by infinite Names. The Signs of this Water arc thefe , if a Drop be caft upon a Cop- per Plate red hot ,, . it will prefently penetrate , and leave a White Imprefti on , it fmoaks upon Fire , is coagulated in the Air (3'5) Air after the manner of Ice : and when this Water is diftil- led , the Drops of it do not enter continually as other Drops, but one is diftilled one way, another another way •-, this Wa- ter afts not upon Metallick Bodies , as another Ihong Gorro- five Water , which dilTolves Bodies into Water , but if Bo- dies be put into this Water, it reduceth and refolves them all into Merc If rji , as you (hall hear hereafter. Paracelfus »tade this Water by the following Method. 1 1 8. The MecLirial Water of Paracelfus. In Appencfice Mamialjs de Lap. Phil. Pag. 1 39. TAke of MercHvy feven times fublimed With Vitriol^ Sal Niter^ and Alume , three pounds of (VegetabW) Sal arffioniuck^{\M\xneA three times with Salt , clear and white , one Pound and a half , being ground together and alcolizcd, fublirac them in a Sublimatory nine hours in Sand : Being cold, drawofftlie Sublimate with aFeather, and with the reft fiiblime , as before : This Operation repeat four times , till no more fublimes , and a Black Mais remains in the, bottom flowing like Wax ; being cold take it out , and being ground again , imbibe it often in the Water of Sal ar- »/tf«/, r^nd when. nothing will diftil with this laft degree of Fire, 'rool the Vcfh fel , take away the Receiver with its Diftilled Water', and keep it well ftopp'd. R r Ilaacus Ifaacus HoUandus ntade a Mercurial V^zxtx fimetimis with the Mercury /j //le Men- ftruum of common Argent Vive 5 thk Mercurial Menftruum h^ts been indeed more in ufe than the oti.er by fome Adepts., bt- caufe of the more eajie way of operating upon the Open Body of Mercury , tho it be lef powerful than the reji in Point of Tinging. ■}. That there are divers Kinds of Stinking Menftruums : The Thirteenth Kind taught us how to diflil the moji Stinking Menftruum of all., out of Atrop : For there the Oyly Matter of the ( 32' ) the Spirit of (Philofophicar) Wine being dijfolved in Vitriol, is in its Diji illation purged from all its Putrid Feculenries ^ but the Tncnticth Kij/d treats : the Dijhllation of ^ Menftruum it k made Milky ^ bccaufetloe Acidity of the faid Vinegar being debilitated by the Aridity of a Body diffolved , cannot retain the TJn&iot^s Spirit of Philofophical WineT^ rvell as before , but in the precipitation of which the Diflilled Li- quor becomes Milky j fir this reafon the Adepts fcmetimes ad- ded common Vitriol and Niter to the Azoquean Vitriol , that the faid Spirit might the better be diffolved. In a word : The greater quantity of Philofophical Vinegar , or any other Mine- ral Mtn^knmm fir onger than this, is made nfeofin the making /e;, G//'. 7. PA//. Cupri Stillicidium {the Green Lyon of Foots ^ or common Vitriol graduated ) and put it, being ground into a Philolb- phers Egg, and proceed upon it by the way of Putrefaftion, as was declared in the Procefs of Rebis , and continue the Stone upon the Fire , till after blacknefs and whitenefs, it is turned into a red Powder, which many call Vitriol Rubifi- cated. .But, ( 527 ) But here riJethJoMe doubt , in that the Red Colour of this Calcined Vitriol ^feems to be by Ifaacus himfelf called Volatik, not in the Icaji fixed. This Matter , faith he ^ will remain red for ever, and not fixed, for if it (hould be fixed, it would be altogether corrupted,for it muft be Dillblved into Water, and dill illed through znAlembick^, Cap. 6$. To difperje this Cloudy you mujl kfwrv , the meaning tf/liaacus »■, /A ftign, there is not the Philofophers Stone ^ nor is there a true Stone. It may be a Medicine, or other Stone, of which fort are many wherewith Projedtion is made, but it is not the Phi- lofbphers Stone , which we here Difcourfe of. When the aforefaid Stone is perfeft and prepared , it ought to remain in that State forever, Cap. 127. i. Oper. Miner. Pag. ^oj.Vol. 3. Th. Chym. As to the Permanence of the red colour in the Philofophers Stone , he declares the following Notions : In Multiplication , faith he , no blacknefs intervenes , nor do any Colours of the World iliew themlelves , nor any Whitenefs , nor in Subli- mation does ;my thing (hew it f.lf befides rednefs , nor in fix- ation does any Colour Ihew its felf except its own , that is, an egregious redncis : For the Stone hath no other Colour but redneis , for it is one only fubftance , one fingle matter, and as the Heaven invincible : You muil alfb know, tho it were fublimed, it would not be deprived of all its fixity , for when the Stone is made and prepared in the urm.oft vertue of it , then can it not be changed out of its ov/n Ellence into another , for if the Stone could be changed or drawn out of its own Efienceinto another Eilence or Katuij^ , it would not S f 2 be ( 3^8 ) be the Philofophers Stone, nor one fingle Matter, nor a glo- rified Body ; no, no, underftand my Difcourfe rightly, &c. Cap. 72. I. Opcr. Min. Pag. '2,'^^. of the fame Volume. Ifaacns being perhaps perftvaded of an unalterable conflancy ofredncfs obfirved in the Multiplication of the Stone of higher Degree or Kind , concludes the Philofophers Stone to be alto- tjether and abfolutely immutable : which Opinion to defend m every part , he has fooncr ventured, to deny the volatilization it felfoftke Stone , than give way to the altering of fixity in Alul- tiplication : .You muft know, faith /jc, if the Stone werefub- limed , yet would it not be deprived of its fixity. Tea , he has chofen rather toprevert his own Senfes (for he himfelf hath in the fame place taught how to volatilise the Philofo- phers Stone , with fo me fnning Menjiruum) and the Senfe of the Word Fix ( tho upon this Term depends one half of all the Operations in the more fecrct Chymy ) than relinquip} this fallacy derived from a Varalogifm. The Stone, faith he , may be fo often opened as aforcfnid , and after that fublimed, and again condenfed fo as to unite its parts , which we call Fixation ; we term it indeed Fixation, but it is not Fixation, but only Ccnden/htion , fo , as that all the fubtil parts of it are again forced into anllnicn joyntly together,as they were at firft , and the Stone will again exped Fire, ?nd we maya- gain irake Projeclion with it , as we did before. Cap. -jo: re ad J ^^ 74, 75. Chapters of the fame Book,. What we have againfl this Opinion., wc will refcrve for the Third Book^'-i in the meantime it will be requifitc for you to ob- Cerve this one thing : That the Matter of Calcined Vitriof \ being Difiolvcd , put the Sohuion in a Glafs Vefiel , put on ■M\ Alembic k., ict it in Sifted Alhcs , give firff a gentle Fire , Diftil the Aqua Fortis from it, then the Mercury will fublimc upwards into the A/cwbirk , when it will fuhlime no more , take it away •■> take the Mercury out of the Alembick^ , put it in a Glafs with a long neck , as you did with the Vitriol , put it in a Vcilel with Sifted Afhes , li^ht your Lamp under it , fo leave it, till it be perfectly red , as hath been taught of Vitriol •-, Dillolve , Congeal, being clean , Difiil it into a red Oyl , as hath been faid of /^/-r/V?/, but all the ^crcury diftils into Oyl , foas to leave no- Earth. The Menftruurn iw/icdiiitely aniccedcfjt 7;/ Numb. 125,7/ it! all things clear , except the firjl Branch of it , ivhehein is o- nntted the neceffary Dijfolntion cf Vitriol m Philofophical Vinegar, before t/.c Calcination of it into rednvfs or fixation. Thejirjl Menftruum oflL is Kind is irnpcrfcet , not indeed in this., hit in another Branch , infomuch as it is not therein de- clared ., that Vitiiol mufi afiertheCalcinationofit., be again Diffolved in Philofophical Vinegar. /;/ this prefcnt third , Thoit be /aid , that it ought to be made accordiirg to tie rule of the precedent Mcnftruums , there is no mention at all made of Philofophic.il Vinegar, yet rrithout it , Vitriol can neither be fxed into rcdncfs , nor when fixedj:e again Volatalizcd or Di- fiilled. The Receipts therefore n/ufi be lompared as often as the Adepts have either through too much fear or envy left us them imperfeli : It is enough^ if by comparing them together ^ ire can pick^out their meaning or intention , being not fully enough ex- . preffed in every circum (lance., the terms being either too obfcure^ or altogether omitted. Bodies in this Kind are to be fixed ., ■ and then volatilized /;; Mineral Menftruums,'^^ -Mercury and Antimon}', ( 333 ) Antimony , wtke Nitrth Kind^ are firjl fixed ^ and then di- fiilkd in the greater Circulatums by 'vegetable Menfiruums: This light horrorv'd from the faid Ninth Kind ^ trill dijpel all the Obfcurities and Doubts of this Kind. Vitriol therefore purged ivith common ^Vatcr by Solutions and Coagulations , mitji firji be graduated^ that is fever al times diffolved in Philolbphical Wnegar and coagulated according to the Receipt in Numb. 1:5, as Mercury // diffolved in the Water of Salt ^ circulated in the Ciiculatum ma jus <7/MercUry. This Vitriol being graduated in a cloje Veffel , mujl ie fixed into a mofi red Porvdtr ^ and being fixed , then dijfolved and coagulated in Philolbphical Vinegar , that it may again become volatile , (« Mercuiy being fixed in its ^2v»Circulatum , is again made volatile by virtue of the Spirit ofVhWo^bY^nczW^mQ. At lafi the V'miol is to be Difiilled into its Spirits. Now by know- ing the method , it is manifefi that the myflery of the Receipts confifls in //^eVinegar,/*/// to remove all fcruple from thefe htoji excellent Menftruums , n-e rvill prove by the very words of Ilaacus himfelf ^ that he meant not a common but Philofbphical Mcnftruum. Have not I taught you , faith he , how to draw all Metals through the Alembickj, fo as to Diftil wholly into Oyl , leaving nothing 5 but that alone does the ftrong Spirit of Vinegar, and makes them (Metals J to be perfedly leparatedand rectified from their Feces, within and without, as I taught you , and that the infide fhould be outward, and "the outlide inward , and then they are fo refolved and fub- til,that the Elements cannot be feparated one from another 5 if you fought all the means in the world , you would not be able to£'parate thefe Elements, by realbn of their fubtility , cleannefs and refolution ; an-d when they have the fubtil pe- netrating Vinegar with them ,they pafs all together thrOug-h the Ale mi ick^w'nhihcPlnegar-^ but if you fliould put them to fire, andanySpiiit of Vinegar (in fufiuient quantity ) was prefent , they (the Metal and Vinegar J would be forth- with fixed together f> and becaufe the Vinegar iscopioully in their clenn, open, fiibtil Eody , they dillit into Oyl, rnd the -Spirits of the Vinegar are fixed with the Body : Now you -muft know that the Spirit ot Vinegar is mbiC'Subtil than .ill 'things in the World , yea, a thopfim-'timf s m.cre fubtirthan T t the ( 334 ) the Qjiititejfence oiAqtfa Vit£ , it cannot be contained in any Vel'els , but it is eafily half fixed , and therefore it eafily fixeth the tiling to which it is applied , as it is demonftrated in the Vegetable (IVork^) where the Difcourfe is of Wine , and tbe iN'atuie ot it, where you will befufficiently intrud- ed what Vinegar is , and the Spirit ot it, how all things are dillolved and afccnd. Cap.yy. 78. 2. Oper. Mifier. Pag. 477. J-W.3. JLc<-