|
Take of pure Gold, which is three times cast through Antimony, and of well purged Mercury vive, being pressed through leather, six parts; make of it an Amalgama; to the quantity of this Amalgama grind twice as much of common Sulphur; let it evaporate on a broad pan in a gentle heat under a muffle, stirring it well with an Iron hook; let the fire be modified that the matter do not melt together. This Gold calx must be brought to the colour of a Marigold flower, then it is right. Then take one part of Saltpeter, one part of Sal Armoniack, half a part of grinded pebbles and draw a water from it. Note this water must be drawn warily and exactly; to draw it after the common way will not do; he that is used to chemic preparations knows what he hath to do. And note you must have a strong stone retort, which must be coated, to hold the Spirit closely; its upper part must have a pipe upward of half a span's length; its wideness must bear two fingers breadth; it must be set first in a distilling furnace, which must be open above that the upper pipe may stand out directly; apply a large receiver and lute it well; let your first fire be gentle, then increase it that the retort look glowing hot; put a spoonful of this ground matter in at the pipe suddenly with a wet clout and the Spirits come rushingly into the receiver. These Spirits being settled, then carry in another spoonful; in this manner you proceed till you have distilled all. At last give time to the Spirits to be settled and to turn into water. This water is a hellish, dissolving, strong one, which dissolveth instantly prepared Gold Calx and laminated Gold into a thick solution. This is that water which dissolves not only Gold but bringeth it to a volatility, carrying it over the helmet, whose anima may afterwards be drawn from its torn body.
Note the Spirit of common Salt effecteth the same if drawn in that manner which I shall mention afterwards. If three parts of this Salt Spirit be taken, and one part of Spiritus Nitri, it is stronger than Sal Armoniack water, and is better because it is not so corrosive, dissolveth Gold the sooner, carrieth it over the helmet, and maketh it volatile and fit to part with its Soul. You have your choice to use which you think best and may easier be prepared thus: Take one part of the prepared Gold calx and three parts of the water which you make choice of. Put it into a deep body, lute a helmet of it, set it in warm ashes and let it dissolve; that which is not dissolved, pour three times as much water upon, that all dissolve. Let it cool, separate the feces, put the solution into a body, lute a helmet to it and let it stand in a gentle heat day and night in Balneo Marine. If more feces be settled separate them, digest them again in Balneo nine days and nights, then abstract the water gently to a spissitude like unto an oil in the bottom. This abstracted water must be poured on that spissitude and this must be iterated again and often that it grow weary and weak; remember to lute well at all times. To the oleity on the bottom pour fresh water which was not yet used; digest day and night, firmly closed, then set it in a sand cupel and distil the water from it till it be reduced to a thickness; make the abstracted water warm, put it in a body, lute it, abstract it, iterate this work and make all the Gold come over the helmet.
Note, at the next drawing always the fire must have one degree more. The Gold being come over into the water, abstract the water gently from it in the Balney to the oleity and set the glass into a cool place; there will shoot transparent crystals; these are the Vitriol of Gold. Pour the water from it, distil it again unto an oleity and sat it by for shooting; more crystals will shoot; iterate it as long as any do shoot. Dissolve these crystals in distilled water, put to it of purged Mercury three times as much, shake it about, many colours will appear, an Amalgama falls to the ground and the water cleareth up. Evaporate the Amalgama gently under a muffle, stirring it still with a wire; at last you get a purple coloured powder, scarlet like; it dissolveth in Vinegar into a blood redness. Extract its anima with prepared Spirit of Wine mixed with the Spirit of common Salt, entered together into a sweetness. This tincture of Sol is like a transparent Ruby, leaving a white body behind.
Note that without information you cannot attain unto the Spirit of Salt; if it be not sweet it hath no attractive power; to the attaining hereof observe these following manuals: Take good Spirit of Salt, dephlegmed exactly, driven forth in that manner as ye shall hear anon. Take one part of it, add half a part to it of the best Spirit of Wine, which must not have any phlegm, but be a mere Sulphur of Wine and must be prepared in that manner as I shall tell you anon. Lute a helmet to it, draw it over strongly, leave nothing behind. To the abstracted part put more Spirit of Wine, draw it over somewhat stronger than you did the first time, weigh it, put a third time more Spirit of Wine to it and draw it over again well luted; putrefy this for half a month, or so long as it be sweet, and it is done in Balney very gently. Thus the Spirit of Wine and Salt is prepared, loses its corrosity and is fit for extracting.
Take the Ruby-red prepared Gold powder, put of this prepared Spirit of Salt and Wine so much that it stand two fingers breadth over it, set it in a gentle heat and the Spirit will be red tinged; this Spirit must be canted off. Pour a new Spirit on that which remaineth on the bottom, set it luted into a gentle heat, let it be tinged deeply, then cant it off; this work must be iterated (till) that the body of Sol remain on the bottom like Calx vive, which keep, for therein sticketh more Salt of Gold, which is effectual in ways of Medicine, as shall be showed anon.
Those tinged Spirits put together, abstract them gently in Balneo and there will be left a red subtile powder in the bottom, which is the true tincture animated, or Sulphur of Gold. Dulcify it with distilled rain water and it will be very subtile, tender and fair. Take this extracted Sulphur of Sol as you were taught, and as much of the Sulphur of Mars, as you shall hear anon when I treat of Mars. Grind them together, put it in a pure glass, pour on it so much of Spirit of Mercury --- let it stand over it two fingers breadth --- that the matter may be dissolved; see to it that all dissolve into a Ruby-like Gold water, jointly drive it over, then it is one and were at first of one stem. Keep it well, that nothing of it evaporate; put it in separated Silver calx, being precipitated with pure Salt and afterwards well edulcorated and dried; fix it together in a fiery fixation that it sublime no more; then take it and melt it in a wind-oven; let it stream well; then you have united Bride and Bridegroom and brought them unto Gold of a high degree. Be thankful to God for it as long as you shall live.
I shall hereafter at large set forth how this extracted Soul of Sol may be made potable. I will now set forth how the white solar body shall further be anatomised, and that by art its Mercury vive and its Salt may be obtained. The process of it is thus.
Take the white body of Sol, from which you have drawn its anima, reverberate it gently for half an hour, let it become corporeal, then pour on it well rectified honey-water, which is corrosive and extract its Salt in a gentle heat. It is done in ten days space. The Salt being all extracted, abstract the water from it in Balneo, edulcorate the Salt with iterated distillings with common distilled water, clarify it with Spirits of Wine, then you have Sol auri, of which you shall hear more in its due place and of the good qualities in hath by way of medicine upon man. On the remaining matter pour Spirit of Tartar, of which elsewhere because it belongeth unto medicinals. Digest these for a month's time, drive it through a glass retort into cold water, then you have quick Mercury of Sol; many strive to get it but in vain.
There is one mystery more in Nature, that the white solar body, having once lost its anima, may be tinged again and brought to be pure Gold, which mystery is revealed to very few. I shall briefly declare it, as also about the universal Stone of the Philosophers, how it resteth merely upon the white Spirit of Vitriol, and how that all three principles are found only in this Spirit and how you are to proceed in and to bring each into its certain state and order.
Take the philosophic Sulphur, which in order is the second principle and is extracted with the Spirit of Mercury; pour it on the white body of the King, digest it for a month in a gentle Balny, then fix it in ashes and at last in sand, that the brown powder may appear; then melt it with a fluxing powder made of Saturn; then it will be malleable and fair Gold as it was formerly, in colour and virtue nothing defective. But note, the Salt must not be taken from the Solar body.
There may be prepared yet in another manner a transparent Vitriol from Gold in the following manner.
Take good Aqua Regis made with Sal Armoniack one pound, id est dissolve four ounces Sal Armoniack in Aqua Fortis, then you have a strong Aqua Regis. Distil and rectify it often over the helmet, let no feces remain behind; let all that ascends be transparent. Then take thinly beaten Gold rolls, cast formerly through Antimony, put them into a body, pour on it Aqua Regis, let it dissolve as much as it will or as you can dissolve in it. Having dissolved all the Gold, pour into it some oil of Tartar or Salt of Tartar dissolved in fountain water till it begins to hiss. Having done hissing, then pour in again of the oil. Do it so long till all the dissolved Gold fallen to the bottom and nothing more of it precipitate, and the Aqua Regis clear up. This being done, then cant off the Aqua Regis from the Gold calx, edulcorate it with common water eight, ten or twelve times. The Gold calx being well settled, cant off that water and dry the Gold calx in the air where the Sun doth not shine. Do it not over a fire, for as soon as it feeleth the least heat in kindleth and great damage is done, for it would fly away forcibly that no man could stay it. This powder being ready also, then take strong Vinegar, pour it on, boil it continually, over the fire in a good quantity of Vinegar, still stirring it that it may not stick unto the bottom, for twenty-four hours together, then the fulminating quality is taken from it; be careful you do not endanger yourself; cant off the Vinegar, dulcify the powder, and dry it. This powder may be driven per Alembicum without any corrosive, blood-red, transparent and fair, which is strange and uniteth unwillingly with the Spirit of Wine and by means of coagulation may be brought to a solar body.
Do not speak much of it to the vulgar. If you receive any benefit by my plain and open information, keep these mysteries secret to thy dying day. I will impart unto thee this arcanum also and entrust thee on thy conscience with it.
Take good Spirit of Wine, being brought to the highest degree, let fall into it some drops of Spirit of Tartar; then take thy Gold powder, put to it three times as much of the best and subtilest common Flowers of Sulphur, grind these together, set it on a flat pan under a muffle, give to it a gentle fire, let the Gold powder be in a glowing heat, put it thus glowing into the Spirit of Wine, cant off the Spirit of Wine and dry the powder against a heat. It will be porous being dried. Then add to it again three parts of Flores Sulphurii let them evaporate under a muffle, neal the remaining powder in a strong heat and put it in Spirit of Wine; iterate this work six times and at last this Gold powder will be so soft and porous as firm butter; dry it gently, because it melteth easily. Then take a coated body, which in its hinder part hath a pipe; lute a helmet to it, apply a receiver, set it freely in a strong capel; let your first fire be gentle, then increase it; let the body be almost in a glowing heat, then put in the softened, well dried Gold powder, being made warm, behind at the hollow pipe. Shoot it in nimbly. There come instantly red drops into the helmet. Keep the fire in this degree so long till nothing more ascendeth and no more drops fall into the receiver. Note, in the receiver there must be of the best Spirit of Wine into which the drops of Gold are to fall.
Then take this Spirit of Wine, into which the Gold drops did fall, put it in a pelican, seal it hermeticé and circulate it for a month; it turneth then to a blood red Stone, which melteth in the fire like wax. Beat it small, grind among it lunar calx and melt it. Then you find (as) much good Gold as the Gold powder and the spirit of wine together with the moiety of the added lunar calx did weigh, but one moiety of the lunar calx is not tinged and is as good as it was to be used. If you hit this rightly, then be thankful to God. If not, do not blame me; I could not make it plainer.
Now if you will make this Vitriol, then take the powder formerly made, boiled in Vinegar; pour on it good Spirit of common Salt, mingled with Saltpeter water and the Spirit of Salt of Nitre. This Saltpeter water is made as Aqua Tartaris is made, using Saltpeter. Gold is dissolved in this water, which being done then abstract the water to a thickness and set in a cellar; then there shooteth a pure Vitriol of Sol. The water which stayeth with the Vitriol must be canted off, then distil it again to a spissitude, set it in the cellar and more of the Vitriol will shoot. Iterate this work as long as the Vitriol shooteth. If you are minded to make the Philosophers' Stone out of solar Vitriol, as some fantastic men endeavour in that way, then be first acquainted and ask counsel of thy purse and prepare ten or twelve pounds of this Vitriol, then you may perform the work very well, and the Hungarian Vitriol and others digged out of the mines will permit thee to do it. You may extract from this Vitriol also its Sulphur and Salt with spirit of wine, which is all easy work.
Can't find what you're looking for? Have an idea or a question? Let us know in the Discussion Forum
|
|
|
|
| Need to ask me a question? Something missing, broken, or incorrect? I make every attempt to reply to all email. Click here to send me an email. |
