About which these things come to be considered.
Here _Farnner_ saies my _Panacea_, for the greatest part, is prepared
of _Antimony_; besides, there are yet two other subjects, from which a
purer Sulphur may be extracted, than that which is drawn from Antimony:
Which vain fancies he may vend, or what else he will, I can’t hinder
him, seeing I have taught him to extract nothing but a pure Medicinal
Sulphur from Antimony, by the benefit of a singular Liquor, which I
call _Alkahest_. He adds also, That he can extract the same Sulphur
from all sorts of Metals and Minerals (except ☉ and ☽) and after
_Glauber_’s way convert them into Tinctures.
I declare against this his first Position: _Farnner_ here saith,
That _Panacea_ may be prepared from Antimony for the most part, and
promises to communicate it to any man that desires it, for a certain
price, to wit, thirty R. Dollers. But thou hast seen, gentle Reader,
how strongly he bound himself, by his Obligation given to me, to
keep secret those things I had taught him, and communicate them to
no man, under the Penalty of Disgrace, and the forfeiture of all his
Goods. I confess indeed, being cajol’d by his frequent solicitations,
I taught him the way of preparing the _Panacea_, but from no subject
but Antimony. This _Panacea_ of Antimony _Farnner_ exposes to sale,
for thirty R. Dollers; and moreover has taught that Preparation to
many, from whence great profit hath redounded to him; when yet this
was not lawful for him to do: But he shall be forced e’re long to
give his Reasons for so doing, and I will one day see if I can have
a remedy for this evil. I will now only shew how wicked he has been
to me: Wherefore I am compelled to expose those secrets he had of me
and every where makes common, to the view of the whole World, that
no man shall need to give Money to _Farnner_ for ’em, or any other
reward, but may come to the knowledge of them for nothing: for if that
knowledge is divulg’d by _Farnner_, who unjustly, by the publication
of it, endeavours to heap up to himself Fame and Riches, I may well
communicate them to all men faithfully, that every man may save his
money: But because this _Panacea_ is prepared by the benefit of a hot
and Saline Liquor, which I call _Alkahest_, therefore ’tis necessary
that he who desires this _Panacea_ should first know the Preparation
of the Liquor it self, without which he can effect nothing. Indeed it
grieves me, and I am very hardly brought to discover and divulge to the
World so excellent a _Menstruum_, by which so many rare Medicaments may
be prepared; and I had never done it, had not this perfidious _Farnner_
chang’d and adulterated it and its use in the Preparation of the
abovenamed _Panacea_ of Antimony and others, from Minerals, Animals,
and Vegetables, and by prostituting and communicating it to all men. I
think him, indeed, a Boar out of the Forest, broke into my Garden of
Flowers, that has with his snout routed up all the many Fruits, which
with much sweat and labour I have planted; but the deed will once be
rewarded.
Now follows a very short Description of the Preparation and use of
that Liquor, needfully requisite in Vegetable, Animal, and Mineral
Medicaments: And though I might teach another and far better way of
preparing it, yet there’s no necessity for throwing all my Pearls
before Swine: It is sufficient, to my sorrow, that I cannot recal those
which this unfaithful _Farnner_ has sent abroad, and am forc’d to
behold their destruction with the greatest trouble.
_Of the Preparation and Use of a certain secret Universal
=Menstruum=, with which one may institute an Anatomy of all
Vegetables, Animals, and Metals; correct them, and from thence
prepare good Medicaments._
Of this _Menstruum_ the Modern Philosopher _Helmont_ makes mention
in some places of his Writings, and attributes wonderful Effects to
it, which he exhibits in the Preparation of Medicaments, and gives it
the name _Alkahest_; which name _Paracelsus_ also remembers; but in
few words, it is the same as if we should say _Alkali est_; for when
the Letters _l_ and _i_ are joyn’d with a dash, it produces the word
_Alkahest_. But what moved _Helmont_ to call it _Alkahest_, we shall
not here dispute: I indeed believe he did it, thereby to demonstrate
its Nature and Essence; for in German _Alkahest_ is as =Al gar heis=,
or =Al zu hees=; but in the _Brabantick_ Idiotism, which was the Mother
Tongue of the Author, it sounds =Althohees=, that is, very hot, and so
the name answers to the Essence; for this Liquor is nothing but a meer
fiery Water, by whose immense and Secret heat Vegetables, Animals, and
Minerals, if they are put into it a certain time, are forthwith purged,
ripened, and made better, so that they become excellent and wholesome
Medicaments, which without this fiery water cou’d not be done. This
_Menstruum_ then, is nothing but an igneous Liquor, prepared of urinous
Salts, which is endowed with those Virtues which are attributed to it
in my Treatise of Flints.
_An Admonition._
Here it is to be noted, that this _Menstruum_ may be prepar’d of more
than one Subject; for Nature is Copious, and sets before our eyes many
various Ingredients, from which, by the help of Art, divers things may
be effected; as may be evidenc’d in this admirable Liquor, which may
be made not only of the common _Sal terræ_, or _Salt Peter_, but also
of the fix’d Salt of all Vegetables, and especially of Tartar; ’tis
no matter of what Subject it is prepared, for it has still the Same
Virtues that are ascribed to it, forasmuch as, if a right Preparation
be made, the common _Sal terræ_ and the fix’d Salt of Vegetables are
of one and the same Nature and Essence: For the genuine _Sal terræ_,
or _Salt-Petre_, may be made of Salt of Tartar; and of _Sal terræ_, or
Nitre, a fixed Salt, like Salt of Tartar; of Spirit of Wine, Salt of
Tartar; and of Salt of Tartar spirit of Wine: of Wine-Vinegar, Nitre;
and of Nitre, corrosive Vinegar. So those Salts partake of either
nature, and will be manag’d at pleasure; neither are they undeservedly
by the ancient Philosophers, called Hermaphroditick Salts. Wherefore
it is not for any one to be offended at its base original, and
accordingly undervalue it; ’tis no matter wherein the good consists,
’tis sufficient to say it is good, and may be converted to good uses:
Good things ought to be so much the more esteem’d, by how much the
more mean and base their original may have been, for Nature and true
Art use both base and abject things in their Works, and nevertheless,
their desires are accomplished: But on the contrary, the vain reason of
Man in his labour aims at nothing but Sublimity and specious Notions,
and therefore brings nothing to a good end, but destitute of a happy
success, finishes his fruitless labours with great damage.
To conclude then, take this advice; Be not offended at this wonderful
Liquor, because of its mean original, but let the Work praise the
Work-man.
_Now follows the Preparation._
If any man will prepare this Menstruum of Salt-Petre, he must extract
and coagulate that Salt from the earth with common water, and adding
coals or some other vegetable Sulphur, fix or calcine it so long, till
it be resolv’d in the Air into a fiery liquor, then the preparation
is finished. But because that sort of earth, from which this salt is
extracted, cannot be found every where, in its stead, you may take
Nitre well cleans’d, which must be melted in a Crucible, upon which
you must cast a small quantity of coals and that so long, till the
coals upon the flowing Nitre will take fire no more, but remain dead
upon it, for then your Nitre is fix’d and prepar’d, so as from it,
this so admirable water may be made, which is made after this manner;
While the fix’d Nitre flows yet in the Crucibele, pour it into a brass
mortar that in that it may cool, then beat it to powder, and spread
it on a Glass table plac’d in the Cellar, or some other moist place,
that there it may flow; so you have that fiery water which is endowed
with so many wonderful virtues in the preparation of medicaments of
vegetables, Animals and Minerals, of which I made mention before. But
if you wou’d make such a liquor of _Tartar_, which will be best for
preparation of Medicaments of vegetables and Animals, then you must
bring common _Tartar_ made pure by Calcination, Filtration, Solution
and Coagulation, and by flints purg’d from all impurity, into a fair
and bright Salt, mixing six or eight parts of the purest _Tartar_ with
one part of flints well pulverated, which mixture you must melt in a
cover’d Crucible, and pour it into a brass Mortar to cool: This bright
and white fiery mass you must reduce into powder and put it into a
Glass body, and pouring rain water thereon, boil it upon hot Ashes,
for then the rain water will dissolve the _Tartar_ only, and leave
the Flints at the bottom, like a Mucilaginous matter which draws to
it self all the impurity of the _Tartar_, which before, by the common
solution and filtration cou’d not be taken away, and so keeps it,
that the Salt of _Tartar_, is by this means freed and purg’d from all
impurity: then you must filtrate this solution, and draw the water from
it by a limbeck, that so that Chrystalline fiery liquor may remain
in the Glass: And this is that preparation by which vegetables and
animals are reduced into the best medicaments; but to prepare metallick
Medicaments, and especially for the making them better, liquor of
_Tartar_ is not to be added, but only liquor of the Salt of fix’d
Nitre, which is not prepared by coals, but by the Regulus of Antimony,
and that after this manner;
Put three parts of clean and pulverated Nitre to one part of Regulus
Martis, put this mixture into a Glass wash’d clean, and by a prudent
increase of fire, make it boil a little in a Fixatory Furnace, and
in this degree of fire, leave it five or six hours, then take it out
that it may cool, then very finely pulverize it, and pour upon it rain
water, and the Nitre, which by the Regulus of Antimony comes out fix’d,
wash out; and lastly abstract the water, so you will produce a fiery
liquor fit for use in metallick operations.
NB. This fixation may be as well made in cover’d Crucibles, as in
Glasses, and is good enough, only the management of the fire must be
observed, neither let the heat from the begining be too intense, least
your Nitre evaporate before it be brought to a fixation, but keep a
gentle fire, and it will effect the fixation in conjunction with the
Antimony.
_The Praxis. How by the mediation of this liquor Vegetables,
Animals, and Minerals may be converted into good Medicaments._
Take an herb, root, or seed, beat it very small in a stone Mortar, then
put it into a glass, and pour upon it so much of this fiery Menstruum,
as that the herb may be sufficiently imbrued in it, afterwards set it
upon sand some days, or boil it, that of the herb and Menstruum may be
made a thick liquor, which done put to it as much spirit of Wine, well
dephlegmated, as there was of Alkahestick Liquor, and well mix them,
in a small heat, lest the spirit of Wine evaporate; so long digest
it, till the separation shall be made, and your Alkahest, with the
fæces, will go to the bottom, but the spirit of Wine, with the Essence
and Virtue of the Herb, will stay at the top, which afterward, though
never so much stirr’d, will not mix, but each remains still in his own
place: pour all that whole matter into a wide-mouth’d Glass, and there
let it settle; then separate the Medicine which the spirit of Wine has
extracted from the Herb, with a gentle inclination from the Alkahestick
Liquor, which retains with it self the fæces of the Herb, so you will
have the Virtue and Essence well corrected and perfectly ripen’d in
the spirit of Wine, which abstract from the Essence of the herb in a
Bath, and the Medicine which remains like a red juice, and endowed with
great Virtues, keep and use it as it is ordain’d by God and Nature.
But the Alkahestick Liquor, mixed with the fæces of the Herb, Calcine
in an earthen Vessel, that all the relish and scent of the Herb, which
remains in it, may be exhal’d from it, and afterwards dissolve it in
Water, and filtrate it, and draw it to a fiery Liquor, so it will be as
good as it was before, and you may put it to the same uses as often as
you please.
Animals are to be bruised after the same manner in a Stone Mortar, and
with the Alkahestick Liquor digested, and by spirit of Wine separated,
and in Vegetables the labour is the same.
But Metals in their proper Corrosive Menstruums must be dissolv’d
precipitated, wash’d, edulcorat’d, exsiccated, and then lastly with the
Alkahestick liquor poured on, digested, dissolved, and with spirit of
wine separated and reduc’d into a potability.
But Minerals which may be pulveriz’d need not be dissolv’d and brought
to a calx, but ’tis sufficient, that after pulverisation with the
Alkahestick liquor poured on, they be digested, and by spirit of wine
separated.
Nevertheless, you may also at your pleasure render metals brittle and
frangible, _viz._ By the help of the Regulus of Antimony, so that they
may be pulveriz’d, then pouring your Menstruum upon them, dissolve,
digest and convert them into Medicine: Which method is certainly good;
You may also proceed another way with metals prepar’d by Antimony,
_viz._ Mix them with three parts of pure Nitre, and in a Glass or
earthen vessel, by the dry way dissolve, digest, fix, and by spirit
of wine prepare into Medicine, which also will be good, for it is
more profitable to operate by the dry than by the moist way, as it is
customary to be done in vegetables and Animals.
And this is the shortest method of reducing Animals, Vegetables and
Minerals by the Alkahestick liquor to the best Medicaments.
But how imperfect metals or Minerals, which otherwise in a Cupel or
Cineritium trial, leave no gold or silver behind them, are to be
brought to maturity and fix’d, that afterwards in the Cineritious
trial, they may give a perfect gold and silver is done another way,
whose process is this:
Mingle and melt so much (Regulus) of Antimony with the imperfect metals
or minerals as may render them friable, that they may be pulveriz’d,
with these mix three parts of the purest Nitre, and this mixture close
stopt up, put upon a fire in glass or earthen vessels to fix for some
hours, afterwards take it off, and as they are melted pour them out,
that they may give the regulus which is to be taken away, and with lead
put into a Cupel and reduc’d to dross, then that gold and silver which
the imperfect metal or Mineral got in the fixation, stays in the Cupel
which may be examined by the lesser weights of probation, whence it
will appear how great a fixation so little time will produce.
This is the plenary and fundamental instruction of the use of _Tartar_
purg’d by flints, to extract the essence of vegetables and animals
and of Nitre fix’d by coals and Regulus of Antimony, which begets a
penetrating, correcting, bettering or ripening and purifying fiery,
but not corrosive, virtue, which goes beyond all things, penetrates
and corrects as above written, I have attributed to it. But least the
ignorant of natural things should esteem and proclaim this a corrosive
liquor, we will prevent them, and shall endeavour to demonstrate, that
this liquor is no way a corrosive, but an enemy to and destroyer of all
corrosives.
Like loves its like, with it is mingl’d, and immutably stays with it,
as may be seen in spirit of Salt, Vitriol, Alum, Nitre, Vinegar and
other corrosive spirits when they are mixed. But unlike things if they
are join’d, are contrary to themselves, and fight against each other,
and forcibly withstand one another so long, till the strong o’er comes
the weak and kills and destroys it or produceth another substance from
it: that may be seen if this fiery liquor of _Tartar_ or Nitre be
mix’d with a corrosive Spirit, for it can not consist with it, because
contrary to it, then which of these is the stronger, destroys the
weaker and takes its nature to it self.
And this difference arises from the unlikeness of the nature of either
liquor, for one corrosive does not destroy another, as also one fix’d
urinous liquor does not destroy another urinous liquor; because one
contrary fights against another contrary, but not against his like, so
’tis true, as hence may be fully demonstrated, that this fix’d liquor
of _Tartar_ or Nitre is not corrosive, but only a fiery water and a
perpetual enemy to all corrosives, and both kills and takes away their
corrosive faculty from them. But some will say that the corrosive
Spirits of Salt, Alum, Nitre, Vitriol and such like are fiery waters:
I confess it, but yet with this distinction, those Spirits are indeed
hot waters, but not vivifying, but rather cold and killing fiery
waters, which no way ripen, purge or correct Vegetables, Animals and
Metals, but destroy and kill all things they are mix’d with. But the
fix’d liquor of Nitre or _Tartar_ is contrary, and ripens, purifies and
brings to perfection all it is mix’d with, which is impossible to all
corrosives, whence it is as clear as the Sun, that it is no destroying
corrosive, but a correcting fire.
Now follows another Clause of _Farnner_’s Epistle.