These Vitrifications also, which he exposes to sale at Ten R. Dollers,
are of no moment, for they are prepar’d of Glass of Lead, Tin-Ashes,
and Flints, and Wood-ashes.
In _Holland_ this Preparation is very common: whether _Farnner_ is
excellent at it or no, I much doubt; How then shall he teach others?
And if he does excel, who will be the better for it? For no man studies
these Curiosities, or so much as looks after them, or covets them.
_But although =Glauber=, &c._
Here _Farnner_ again vomits at me a mighty heap of his infernal Lyes,
which are as noisome as any dead Carcass, as if he intended to infect
me with their venom; but these stories do not at all agree with his
other; for here he saies, Although he had with a great Sum of Money
purchased certain Secrets of =Glauber=, yet he had made no Examen of
them, but he was forc’d to convert them to other uses. In the beginning
of his Calumnious Paper, he thus writes: =A Specification of those
Chemical Secrets which the under-written= Farnner =learn’d of= Glauber,
=and in the Trial found True=.
Here any impartial man may see what to judge of this double:Tongu’d
Monster. Here he denies what before he confess’d; he both calls them
_Glauber_’s Secrets, and here affirms, that they never succeeded to his
purpose: which if true, Why does he prefix my Name to them, if he never
made trial of them? But if they have succeeded, and in the trial he has
found ’em true, as he above confesses, Why does he here deny it? Can
the same thing be True in one place, and False in another? Certainly I
can refute such horrid Lyes no way better than by his own words. For if
I should say, See here, there, or in that place thou lyest, he would
not care, but answer, He did not lye at all, but spake the truth; and
I might represent a Contest between two scolding Women, one whereof
calling the other Whore, and the other throwing back upon her the
same things; but this will do nothing; wherefore I shall take another
method.
In the first Obligation he gave me, he expresly saies, That I had
communicated, demonstrated, and shewn him some Secrets: But if they
were not for his use, why did he give me a valid Obligation, to keep
those secrets from the publick? Not bent to these things, Why did he in
all his Letters (which he sent me, and which are kept safe to confirm
what I say) confess, and profess, that he, his Wife and Children, were
bound to me, and that he wou’d come to me, that with his he might serve
me all my Life.
If none of my secrets have succeeded to him, Why did he give me long
since a new Obligation to be grateful to me? as I have demonstrated
from his obligations and extracts out of his Epistles.
NB. What! Cou’d he not make trial of those things he had of me, in
eighteen Months time? But if the trial has prov’d the truth of those
things, and he has bound himself to me by a new Obligation; Why then
does he dare to say, That none of those things which I communicated to
him, prov’d successful? Why two years after? Now he is alienated from
me, and having broken his Promises of coming to me, and working with me
in my Laboratory, (being married again) is an Excuse for his absenting
himself, yet he asks me to communicate to him more secrets, and then
he’ll come. _NB._ But if the first secrets have not stood the Test, why
does he desire more of me?
For he might know over and over in two years time, whether my Writings
wou’d conduce to him or not.
In one Epistle, in which he boasts of killing a man, he writes thus:
Wherefore I again and again intreat you not to cast me off, but do to
me according to your wonted Favour. I will on all occasions, as I have
promised, in my place, satisfie you; neither will I cause that any
thing should therein be desir’d; for which reason also I will effect it
both better and sooner.
From these and the like words, which in two Epistles he us’d to me, I
could collect nothing of Fraud, and perhaps at that time he meant none.
But when he had kill’d that Man, and married another Wife, all his
Promises and Obligations were to no purpose. And from that very time,
all his endeavours have tended only to do me what hurt he could, and
he daily hates me more and more; which at last appears more publick in
these his lying Calumnies.
Indeed, I am apt to think the Devil and _that Murder_ had possessed
his Heart. NB. For his Epistle to me witnesseth, that for fourteen
daies together he had sought occasion how he might catch that man with
his Wife, and bloodily revenge himself upon him; I suppose, by the
instigation of Satan, whereby both the Man was kill’d in his Sins, and
the Woman with many wounds compell’d to a lewd kind of Life; of both
which Crimes _Farnner_ is yet guilty in his own Conscience, and (unless
a speedy Repentance follow on his part) he will never be freed from
them. But if in a sudden passion he had done it by chance, he might
merit some excuse.
But to endeavour it fourteen daies together, is nothing but a Devilish
Revenge and Cruelty, which can by no means be excus’d in a Christian,
though he do it never so secretly.
But besides, he uses evil Arts; for he drew my Servant to him
by Flattery, and receiv’d him into his intimate friendship,
notwithstanding he knew I turn’d him away for his infidelity. What he
writes, that he bought his Secrets of me at a great price, is a pure
falsity. Indeed he forc’d a small Reward upon me, half of which I gave
him back again, and what I kept he got over and over by communicating
my Secrets to other men, so that he has fully receiv’d what he gave me;
and by this his communicating to others, (which was done unknown to me)
he broke his Promise; which nevertheless for Peace sake I passed by.
Wherefore, if he will confess the Truth, I am sure he can never say
that he bought all those Secrets I intrusted him with, at so great a
price.
Hitherto we may believe how much Money has come to him; for since he
has sent abroad his institory Letters five months ago, (nay, as I am
told, two years ago) before I could know it: he could not chuse but get
money by it, when forthwith he with my perfidious Servant proceeded
to that insolence, as in a knit Society with some of _Frankford_, he
caused his Calumnies to be every where spread, and sent abroad, not
only throughout upper _Germany_ and _Belgia_, but also into _France_,
and other Foreign Countries, to get Money. Yet, according to my hopes,
this institory Ware-house (by the Grace of GOD) will soon fall.