turned into an Alcool, by the first degree of Calcination, then by the
second degree of Sublimation, must get an easy, and light flux. And
lastly, by the degree of Putrefaction, and Distillation are made a
fixt, and incombustible Tincture, and of an unchangeable colour.
[Sidenote: The Tinctures of Men.]
Now the Tinctures of Mens bodies are, that they bee tinged into the
highest perfection of health, and all Diseases bee expelled from them,
that their lost strength, and colour bee restored, and renewed, and
they are these, _viz._ Gold, Pearles, Antimony, Sulphur, Vitriall, and
such like, whose preparation wee have diversly taught in other books;
wherefore it doth not seem to us necessary here to repeat them.
[Sidenote: Of Dying and Painting.]
Wee shall write no more of Tinctures, seeing every extracted colour may
bee called a Tincture, which doth indeed tinge things with a permanent
colour, which doe not go into the Fire, or preserve colours fixed in
the Fire.
All these are in the hand, and power of the Dyer, and Painter, who
prepares them according to his pleasure.
[Sidenote: How many degrees of the Alchymists fire there be.]
It is very necessary in this book to know the degrees of Fire, which
many wayes may bee graduated, and intended, and every degree hath a
peculiar operation, and one produceth the same effect, as another, as
every expert Alchymist, by the daily experience, and exercise of the
Art knows.
For one is as living, and flaming Fire, which reverberates, and
Calcines all bodies: Another is the Fire of a Candle, or Lamp, which
fixeth all volatile bodies: Another is a Fire of coals, which cements,
colours, and purgeth Metalls from their dross, exalts Gold and Silver
to a higher purity, whitens Copper, and in brief renews all Metalls.
Another Fire is of an Iron plate made red hot, in which the Tinctures
of Metalls are proved, which also is profitable for other things.
The Filings of Iron heat after one fashion, Sand after another, Ashes
after another, a _Balneum Mariæ_ after another, in which manifold
Distillations, Sublimations, and Coagulations are done.
_Balneum roris_ after another, in which there are made many Solutions
of corporeall things.
Horse-dung after another, in which the chiefest putrefactions, and
digestions are made.
[Sidenote: The Celestiall fire.]
And after another fashion works the invisible Fire, by which wee
understand the rayes of the Sun, and that which is manifested by a
glasse, or Crystall, and shews its operations and effects, of which
Fire the Ancients wrote nothing at all; and by this fire the three
Principles of every corporeall thing may bee separated.
This Fire is of such wonderfull force, that by it Metalls may bee
melted, and all fat, and fluxible things, may upon the table without
any Fire bee together with all combustible things, reduced into coales,
and ashes.
Therefore after I have proposed, and opened to you the degrees of the
Art of Alchymie, and the degrees of the Alchymists Fire: I will yet
further shew, and declare to you in generall, various Transmutations of
naturall things: of Metalls first, secondly of Stones, and thirdly of
divers things in generall. The transmutation of Metalls therefore is a
great secret in Nature, and it can hardly bee done by reason of many
impediments, and repugnancies. Yet it is not against Nature, nor Gods
ordination, as many falsly affirm.
[Sidenote: The Transmutation of Metalls into Silver and Gold.]
But that the five lesser, and impurer Metalls, _viz._ ♀ ♃ ♄ ♂ and ☿
may be transmuted into the greater, purest, and most perfect Metalls,
_viz._ into ☉ and ☽, it cannot be done without the Tincture, or
Philosophers stone.
Now seeing we have before sufficiently opened the secrets of Tinctures
in the seven degrees, and described them there, it is not necessary
that wee spend any further labour in this, but rather bee satisfied
with those things, which we have wrote in other books concerning the
Transmutations of Metalls.
[Sidenote: The Transmutation of Iron into Copper.]
Now there are other Transmutations of imperfect, and impure Metals, as
the transmutation of ♂ into ♀, which may bee done divers wayes.
If plates of Iron bee boiled in water of Vitriall, or bee cemented with
calcined Vitriall, or being red hot be quenched in oyl of Vitriall.
These three ways Iron may be transmuted into very good, and ponderous
Copper, which indeed flows well, and hath its weight as well as any
naturall Copper.
[Sidenote: The Transmutation of Iron into Lead.]
Plates of Iron may bee as it were reduced, and transmuted into Lead, so
that it bee as soft as naturall Lead, but doth not flow so easily: and
the processe is this:
Take Filings of ♂, and so much of the powder of Borax, mingle them well
together, put them in a crucible, and into a wind furnace, let there
bee made a strong Fire, but so that the ♂ doe not flow, but stand as it
were in a Cement for a whole houre, then encrease the Fire, that it may
bee red hot, and flow: then let the crucible cool of it selfe, and thou
shalt find the regulus of Lead in the bottome of the crucible, soft,
and malleable, as naturall Lead can be.
[Sidenote: The Transmutation of Copper into Lead.]
But to transmute ♀ into ♄ the processe is this:
First of all bring Copper with ☿ sublimate, and fixt Arsenick to bee
white, yea as white as ☽, then beat it small. Take this, and the powder
of Borax, of each a like quantity, and first cement it, then let it bee
melted into a regulus, and thou hast a true regulus of Lead.
[Sidenote: The Transmutation of Lead into Copper.]
Now on the contrary, it is easy to transmute Lead into Copper, neither
doth it require much pains, and it is done thus:
Take plates of Lead, strow them over with calcined Vitriall, or Crocus
of Venus, cement them, and then melt them, and thou shalt see naturall
Lead, transmuted into good, ponderous, and malleable Copper.
[Sidenote: A Metalline mixture like Gold.]
Now if this Copper, or any other Copper be beaten into plates, and
strowed over with _Tutia_, or _Capri Celaminaris_, and be cemented,
and lastly melted, it will bee transmuted into an excellent reddish
_Electrum_ like to Gold.
[Sidenote: To make English Tin out of Lead.]
If thou wilt turne ♄ into ♃ make plates of ♄, strow them with Salt
Armoniack, cement, and melt them, as abovesaid, so will all the
blacknesse, and darknesse bee taken away from the Lead, and it will be
in whitenesse like fair English Tin.
Now as you have in briefe heard of some Mutations of Metalls, so
also know, that there are Transmutations of Gemmes, which indeed are
various, and in no wise like.
[Sidenote: Oyl of Sulphur transmutes Gemmes.]
For you see how great Transmutations of Gemmes there lies in oyle of
Sulphur. For any Crystall may bee tinged, and Transmuted in it, and
in time bee exalted with divers colours, as to bee made like to the
Hyacinth, Granat, or Rubie.
[Sidenote: To Transmute the Loadstone into great strength.]
Know also that the Loadstone may be transmuted into a tenfold greater
power, and vertue, and it is done thus:
Take the Loadstone, and heat it very hot in coales, but so that it bee
not fired, which presently quench in the Oyle of _Crocus Martis_, made
of the best Carinthian Steel, that it may imbibe as much as it can.
Thou shalt by this meanes make the Loadstone so powerfull, that
thou maist pull out Nailes out of a wall with it, and doe such like
wonderfull things with it, that the common Loadstone can never doe.
Moreover, in Transmutation of Gemmes you must know that the world is
placed in two degrees of Tincture, and Coagulation.
[Sidenote: To transmute the white of an Egge into Amber of any Colour.]
For as the white of an Egge may bee tinged with Saffron, and then bee
coagulated into a faire yellow Amber: with the smoke of a Pine-tree
into blacke Amber: with Verdegrease into green, like _Lapis Armenius_:
with green juice into Amber, like the Emerald: and with the Azure
stone, into blew Amber, like a Saphir: with the Wood called red Wood,
into red, like a Granat, or Rubie: with a purple colour, like to an
Amethyst: with Ceruse, like to Alabaster.
So all Liquors, especially Metalls, and Mineralls, may bee tinged with
fixed colours, and afterwards bee coagulated, and transmuted into
Gemmes.
[Sidenote: How counterfeit Pearls are made.]
So also may Pearles be made like true Pearles in form, so that for
splendor, and beauty they can hardly bee discerned from the true: And
they are made thus:
Cleanse the white of Egges through a spunge, as purely as may bee, then
mingle with it the fairest white Talke, or Mother of Pearle, or Mercury
coagulated with Tinne, and brought into an Alcool, then grinde them all
together on a Marble, so that they become a thick Amalgama, which must
bee dryed in the Sunne, or behind a furnace so long, untill it bee like
Cheese, or a Liver.
Then of this masse make Pearles as big as thou wilt, which hang upon
the bristles of a Hog, and being thus boared through, dry them as
Amber, and then thou hast finished them.
If they are not beautifull enough, anoint them over with the white of
an Egge, and dry them again, and they will bee most goodly pearls, in
form like the naturall, but not in vertue.
In the like manner are Coralls made, with which men endeavour to
deceive one the other as with Pearle. The processe is this:
[Sidenote: How counterfeit Coralls may be made.]
Take Cinnabar, grinde it on a Marble, with the white of an Egge, for
the space of an houre, then dry it, as Potters doe their Earth, then
make it into what forme thou pleasest: Afterwards dry them as much as
may bee, and noint them over with the white of an Egge, as thou didst
Pearle, and dry them by themselves again.
So thou shalt have Corall like to the naturall in form, but not in
vertue.
[Sidenote: A Golden or Silver varnish.]
Thou must also know, That the white of an Egge may bee of it selfe
coagulated into most cleer Vernish, in the coagulation of which Silver,
or Gold may bee strewed.
There are also many other, and various Transmutations of Naturall
things: Whereof those which I know, and have had experience of, I will
by the way set down, and briefly declare to you.
[Sidenote: How wood is made a stone.]
And first of all know, That any Wood, if it bee put for a certaine time
into the water of Salt Gemme, is turned with much admiration into a
Stone.
[Sidenote: Coales of stones.]
Also Stones in the Ætnean fire are transmuted into Coales, which are
called stony Coals.
[Sidenote: Glew of skins.]
Also Glew is boiled out of Skinnes.
[Sidenote: Paper of Linnen-cloath.]
Of Linnen cloth is made Paper.
[Sidenote: Silke of Flax.]
Of Flax boiled in sharp Lie made of the Ashes of Wood is Silke made.
[Sidenote: Feathers may bee Spun.]
Also the feathery parts pulled off from quills, and boiled in that
Lie, may bee spun, and weaved like Cotton.
Any Oyle or Spermatick mucilage may bee coagulated into Vernish.
Any Liquor into Gumme, &c.
All these are Transmutations of Naturall things, of which Science wee
have spoken enough, and there wee shall here make an end.
[Illustration: *decorative divider*]
OF THE
NATVRE
Of Things.
_THE EIGHTH BOOK._
_Of the Separation of Naturall things._
[Sidenote: The Chaos the Matter of the World.]
In the Creation of the world, the first separation began from the foure
Elements, seeing the first matter of the world was one Chaos.
Of this Chaos God made the greater world, being divided into four
distinct Elements, _viz._ Fire, Aire, Water, and Earth. Fire is the hot
part, Aire the moist, Water the cold, and Earth the dry part of the
greater world.
[Sidenote: What separation shall be here spoken of.]
But that you may in brief understand the reason of our purpose in this
8^{th.} book, you must know, that we doe not purpose to treat here
of the Elements of all Naturall things, seeing wee have sufficiently
discoursed of those Arcana in the Archidoxis of the separation of
Naturall things: whereby every one of them is apart, and distinctly
separated, and divided materially, and substantially, _viz._ seeing
that two, three, or foure, or more things are mixed into one body, and
yet there is seen but one matter. Where it often falls out, that the
corporeall matter of that thing cannot bee known by any, or signified
by any expresse name, untill there bee a separation made. Then
sometimes two, three, four, five or more things come forth out of one
matter: as is manifest by daily experience, in the Art of Alchymie.
[Sidenote: What Electrum is.]
As for example, you have an _Electrum_, which of it selfe is no Metall,
but yet it hides all Metalls in one Metall. That if it be anatomized by
the industry of Alchymie, and separated: all the seven Metalls, _viz._
_Gold_, _Silver_, _Copper_, _Tinne_, _Lead_, _Iron_, and _Quicksilver_
come out of it, and that pure, and perfect.
[Sidenote: What Separation is.]
But that you may understand what Separation is, note, that it is
nothing else then the severing of one thing from another, whether of
two, three, four, or more things mixed together: I say a separation
of the three Principles, as of Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, and
the extraction of pure out of the impure, or the pure, excellent
spirit, and quintessence, from a grosse, and elementary body; and
the preparation of two, three, four, or more out of one: or the
dissolution, and setting at liberty things that are bound, and compact,
which are of a contrary nature, acting one against the other, untill
they destroy one the other.
[Sidenote: How many kinds of Separation.]
Now there are many kinds of separation, many of which are unknown to
us; those, which wee have experienced out of elementary, dissoluble
naturall things, shall in this place, according to their kinds, be
described.
[Sidenote: The separation of the Microcosme.]
The first separation of which wee speake, must begin from man, because
hee is the Microcosme, or little world, for whose sake the Macrocosme
or greater world was made, _viz._ that hee might be the separator of it.
[Sidenote: The body of man after death is twofold.]
Now the separation of the Microcosme begins at his death. For in death
the two bodies of Man are separated the one from the other, _viz._ his
Celestial and Terrestial body; _i.e._ Sacramental, and Elementary: one
of which ascends on high like an Eagle; the other falls downward to the
earth like lead.
[Sidenote: What the Elementary Body is.]
The Elementary is putrefied, consumed, and becomes a putrid stinking
carkase, which being buryed in the earth, never comes forth, or
appeares more.
[Sidenote: What a Sacramentall Body is.]
But the Sacramentall, _i.e._ Syderiall, or Celestiall, is never
putrefied, or buried, neither doth it possesse any place. This body
appears to Men, and also after death is seen.
Hence _Ghosts_, _Visions_, and _Supernaturall Apparitions_.
[Sidenote: Whence the Cabalisticall art.]
Hence by the ancient Magicians, the _Cabalisticall Art_ took its
beginning, of which we shall treat more at large in the books of
Cabalie.
After this separation is made, then after the death of the Man three
substances, _viz._ _Body_, _Soule_, and _Spirit_ are divided the one
from the other, every one going to its own place, _viz._ its own
fountaine, from whence it had its originall, _viz._ the body to the
Earth, to the first matter of the Elements: the soul into the first
matter of Sacraments, and lastly, the spirit into the first matter of
the Airy Chaos.
[Sidenote: The separation of the Macrocosme.]
[Sidenote: Three parts of the World.]
What now hath been spoken of the separation of the Macrocosme, the same
also may bee understood in the greater world which the great Ocean hath
divided into three parts, so that the universall world is severed into
three parts, _viz._ _Europe_, _Asia_, and _Africa_, which separation is
a certain representation of three Principles, which can be separated
from any Terrene, or Elementary thing. These three Principles are
Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, of which three the world was made, and
composed.
[Sidenote: The separation of Metalls.]
The next thing to bee known is the separation of Metalls from their
Mountains, _i.e._ the separation of Metalls, and Mineralls.
By vertue of this separation many things come forth out of one matter,
as you see out of Mineralls come forth, _The drosse of Metalls_,
_Glasse_, _Sand_, _Piipitis_ (_see Transcriber’s Note_), _Marcasite_,
_Granatus_, _Cobaltum_, _Talke_, _Cachinna_, _Zinetum_, _Bisemutum_,
_Antimony_, _Litharge_, _Sulphur_, _Vitriall_, _Verdegrease_,
_Chrysocolla_, _the Azure Stone_, _Auripigmentum_, _Arsenicke_,
_Realgar_, _Cinnabar_, _Clay of Iron_, _Spathus_, _Gyphus_, _Ocree_,
and many more like to these, as also the _Waters_, _Oyles_, _Resines_,
_Calxes_, _Mercury_, _Sulphur_, and _Salt_, &c.
[Sidenote: Of Vegetables.]
Vegetables in their separation yeeld, _Waters_, _Oyles_, _Iuices_,
_Resines_, _Gums_, _Electuaries_, _Powders_, _Ashes_, _Mercury_,
_Sulphur_, and _Salt_.
[Sidenote: Of Animalls.]
Animalls in their separation yeeld, _Water_, _Bloud_, _Flesh_, _Fat_,
_Bones_, _Skin_, _Body_, _Hairs_, _Mercury_, _Sulphur_, and _Salt_.
[Sidenote: What a good separator ought to be.]
Hee therefore that boasts himselfe to bee able to separate all naturall
things after this manner, must of necessity have long experience, and
perfect knowledge of all naturall things.
Moreover, hee must bee a skilfull, and well practised Alchymist, that
hee may know what is combustible, and what not; what is fixt, and what
not; what wil flow, and what not; and what things are more ponderous
one then another: also he must be experienced in the naturall colour,
smell, acidity, harshnesse, sowrenesse, bitternesse, sweetnesse, the
degree, complexion, and quality of every thing.
[Sidenote: The degrees of Separation. What and how many there be.]
Also hee must know the degrees of Separation, as of Distillation,
Resolution, Putrefaction, Extraction, Calcination, Reverberation,
Sublimation, Reduction, Coagulation, Powdering, and Washing.
[Sidenote: What distillation separates.]
By Distillation is separated Water, Oyle from all corporeall things.
[Sidenote: What resolution.]
By Resolution are separated Metals from Minerals, and one Metall from
another, and Salt from the other Principles, and fat, and that which is
light, from that which is heavy.
[Sidenote: Putrefaction.]
By Putrefaction is separated fat from lean, pure from impure, putrid
from not putrid.
[Sidenote: Extraction.]
By Extraction is separated pure from impure, and spirit, and
quintessence from body, and thinne from thick.
[Sidenote: Calcination.]
By Calcination is separated watery moisture, fat, naturall heat, odour,
and whatsoever else is combustible.
[Sidenote: Reverberation.]
By Reverberation is separated colour, odour, what is combustible, all
humidity, aquosity, fat, and whatsoever is inconstant, or fluxil, in
any thing, &c.
[Sidenote: Sublimation.]
By Sublimation is separated the fixed from the volatile, spirituall
from the corporeall, pure from impure, Sulphur from Salt, Mercury from
Salt, &c.
[Sidenote: Reduction.]
By Reduction is separated what is fluxil, from what is solid, a Metall
from its Minerall, and one Metall from another, a Metall from its
drosse, fat from what is not fat.
[Sidenote: Coagulation.]
By Coagulation is separated waterishnes from humidity, water from Earth.
[Sidenote: Powdering.]
By Powdering are separated powder, and sand, ashes, and Calx, Minerall,
Vegetable, and Animall one from the other, and all powders, which are
of an unequall weight are separated, and by winnowing, as chaffe from
corne.
[Sidenote: Washing.]
By washing are separated ashes, and sand, a Minerall from its Metall,
that which is heavy from what is light, a Vegetable, and Animall from
what is Minerall, Sulphur from Mercury, and Salt, Salt from Mercury.
[Sidenote: The Preparation of Metall is manifold.]
But passing by the Theorie, we will now fall upon the practise, and
come to particulars.
You must therefore note, that the Separation of Metalls is the first
by right, and wee shall therefore treat of it after this method, and
manner.
[Illustration: *decorative divider*]
_Of the Separation of Metalls from their Mines._
[Sidenote: By fluxing powders.]
The separation of Metalls from their Mines is done divers ways, _viz._
by boiling, and melting with fluxing powders, such as are salt Alcali,
Litharge, salt fluxile, the drosse of Glasse, Salt Gemme, Salt Petre,
&c. Let them bee put in a Crucible, and melted in a furnace; so will
the Metall, or regulus fall to the bottome of the Crucible; but the
other matter will swim above, and become drosse. Thou shall boil this
Metalline _regulus_ in a reverberating furnace so long, till all the
Metall become pure, and freed from all its drosse; by this means the
metall is well digested, and as I may say refined from all its drosse.
Many times one mine contains more then one Metall, as Copper and
Silver, Copper and Gold, Lead and Silver, Tinne and Silver, you shall
know it by this, if the Metalline Regulus after Reverberation in a
melting pot bee sufficiently after the true manner dissolved. For in
it are all imperfect Metalls separated, as are Iron, Copper, Tin, and
Lead, and so with a double quantity of Lead to the Regulus being put to
it, they all goe into a fume, and only fine Silver, or Gold are left
behind in the pot.
[Sidenote: By Aqua fortis.]
[Sidenote: By Sulphur.]
[Sidenote: A wonderfull power of Sulphur in separation.]
Also two or three Metalls mixed together may bee separated in _Aqua
fortis_, and extracted the one from the other. If two Metalls or one
bee resolved, the other will fall to the bottome like sand, and be
precipitated: and be after this manner separated. Also Metalls may be
separated by flowing after this process: Make metals flow, and when
they are in flux, cast into them the best flower of Sulphur as you can
get, _viz._ an ounce to every pound of the metall, and let it burn,
and by that means it wil draw up the lightest metall to the top, the
heavy falling to the bottome. Then let them stand together till they
be cold. And so in one Regulus two metalls are found, not as before
mutually mixed, but one separated from the other by the Sulphur, as by
a partition, as Oyle divides two Waters, that they cannot bee joined
together or mixed: Sulphur therefore is a singular Arcanum worthy of
great commendations.
[Sidenote: By Quicksilver.]
Fixt metalls, as Gold and Silver, because they cannot wel bee extracted
with Fire or _Aqua fortis_, must bee amalgamated with Quicksilver, and
so separated and extracted, the Quicksilver being afterwards extracted
and separated by a certaine degree of Distillation from the Calx of the
metals, _viz._ Gold, & Silver.
After this manner also may other metalls, not only Gold, and Silver,
but Copper, Iron, Tin, Lead, &c. as also whatsoever are prepared out of
them, as red Electrum, the white Magnesia, Aurichalcum, calcined Lead,
Laton, Brasse of Cauldrons, and whatsoever metalls of this kind are
transmuted, bee with Quicksilver, but first being powdered, abstracted,
and separated from what is heterogeneous. For the nature, and condition
of Quicksilver is this, that it wil bee united, and amalgamed with
metalls, but yet with one sooner then with another, according as the
metall is of greater or lesse affinity to it.
In this consideration fine Gold is the chiefest, then fine Silver, then
Lead, then Tinne, then Copper, and lastly Iron.
So amongst transmuted metalls, the first is part with part, then Ash
coloured Lead, then Laton, then Brasse of Caldrons, then red, and the
newest white. Although for the first course Mercury may take no more
then one metall, with which it is amalgamated: yet that Amalgama is to
be strained hard through Leather, or Cotton cloath. For by this means
nothing but the Quicksilver will passe through the Leather, or Cloath:
and that metall which it did attract remains in the leather, or cloth
like Calx, which afterwards thou maist with salt Alcali, or some other
salt reduce into a metalline body by melting.
Now by this Art Quicksilver is much sooner separated from all manner of
metalls, then by Distillation, &c.
By this processe with Mercury all metalls may after calcination, and
powdering be by a skilfull, and industrious Alchymist extracted, and
separated one from the other.