What an one that Artist _Elias_ is, of whose coming in the last
Days, and his disclosing abundance of Secrets, _Paracelsus_ and
others have predicted.
To the READER.
Friendly Reader,
_Although there are very many Causes that might disswade me from
Publishing this Third and the Fourth following Part of the =Prosperity
of Germany= in Print, (because of the inconveniencies and hurt done me
by the perfidious =Farnner=, against whom no body hath hitherto opposed
himself; but all have connived and wink’d thereat; and consequently
have every one left such a perfidious Treachery unpunish’d) and
incourage me to leave =Germany=, a most ungrateful =Germany= as it is.
Yet notwithstanding, the Love to my Neighbours (amongst whom there are
many honest and good Men to be found, who lead a troublesome kind of
Life to get their daily food) hath compelled me. To such therefore as
these are, would I willingly give [or hand forth] a Torch [so to direct
them] that they may for time to come fare better and more easily get
things necessary to uphold Life withal; but yet after such wise, as
that they set their Hands to the Work, for the Gods sell not ought to
those that Labour not, but all good things are sought, and found out by
daily Labour and diligent search._
_Now albeit, that all those things which are throughly handled in this
book are true, and so confirmed by experience as that any one may
easily understand and imitate them, yet notwithstanding, I am certain
that there will be a very many who by reason of their ignorance, cannot
understand them, and apply them to use; because the greatest part of
mankind are too much addicted to laziness, and do for the most part
refuse to apply their Limbs to work, but would rather walk abroad, and
discourse of Arts when they are in their cups._
_I say that these secrets of mine will no ways profit such kind of Men,
for such must first learn in what manner the [necessary] Instruments
are to be handled, and how the Operations are to be rightly instituted
and managed in seemly Order._
_There are abundance of Men who (if they hap to read some Chymical
Writings, or hear others talk of the profitableness of them, (they) are
presently inflamed with such a love, that they will even wholly devote
themselves to Chymistry on the hopes of growing rich. And now when they
have proposed any thing to themselves, and attempt to do it, if they
hap to have a sparkle of Fire light on their hands, or that by reason
of some other obstacle, all things do not immediately fadge to their
minds, they throw away the Tongs, and the Crucibles upon the Ground,
and detest (or curse) the Author, because he hath not Written clear
enough, and that they do not presently extract great store of Gold._
_Let not such as these at all perswade themselves that they can receive
any instruction from these my Writings; for my Writings require Men
that are diligent, whose minds are never wearied with labour, and
who are not sloathful, and impatient of Labour. Now to the studious
(searchers) and especially to such Children (or Disciples) adopted or
chosen by God, all these things will be unto them clear, manifestly
evident, and easie to be imitated._
_For as much therefore as I have spoken many things in the First and
Second Part of the =Prosperity of Germany=, concerning the making and
use of Nitre, I do now go on in God’s Name, and do teach in this third
part, by what easie ways Nitre may be variously made, and be fruitfully
and profitably used both by Noble Men and common Men; so that there is
not a man in the whole World, but may (if he please) get great benefit
thereby._
_The Omnipotent God, the Author and giver of every good thing, bestow
upon us to be able to enjoy and make use of his Gifts, that all things
may tend to the Honour of his most Holy Name, and to the Safety and
Preservation of us all._ Amen
_Of the Preparation of SALT-PETRE._
I shewed in the First Part of the _Prosperity of Germany_, the way
whereby Wood may be concentrated and turned into excellent Nitre, and
which otherwise is every where for the most part consumed by lying
rotting in the Woods, and yields no benefit at all unto any Man.
This Operation is to be done with the help of a certain Press
artificially contrived for that particular business, the due (or right)
description of which, we gave you in the _Continuation of Miraculum
Mundi_. But the circulatory Vessels by which the Lixivium of the
wood (or the distilled Liquor out of the wood) is to be excited and
heated by the Air, have not as yet been described; and therefore we
have determined to do it in this Third Part. This Figure therefore
represents them, and its use; and is as follows.
There must be two Boxes (as ’twere) made of Boards, each of them of
like bigness and capacity, as the Figure (or Letter) A shews. These
Boxes are to be so placed, that a Vessel may be set under one end of
each Box, to receive in it (if need be) the Lixivium poured into them:
Let one of the Boxes or Vessels be filled top full of Horse-dung, Hens,
or Pigeons-dung; or else with the Leaves of the Trees, amongst which
Fir-tree Leaves are best; then pour thereupon so much of this Lixivium
which we shall make a description of by and by, so much as may suffice
to moisten the Dung or Leaves contained in the Box or Vessel, and a
little to over-top it. The next day (after you have so done) when you
judge that all the matter is throughly wetted, let the Lixivium run
out by a Tap, the which said Lixivium you must pour into the other Box
filled with the like matters, and which stands just against it. Let
these things stand thus wetted for some days; In the mean time, the
matter contained in the first Box, grows hot, and the useless moisture
being most plentifully resolved into Vapours out of the Lixivium,
the said matter doth daily get more and more efficacy. As long as
you observe the heat of this Box to continue, and the evaporation of
moisture to last, so long must it be left in the same positure whereby
the Lixivium, thus poured on, may by its notable power consume and
dissolve the Dung, or the other matters contained in the Box, and turn
them into Water. And here you are to observe this direction. You must
always put in new matter instead of that which is turned into Liquor,
and so one Box may be always at all times kept full of the matters. But
now when your materials being put in the first Box, begin to cool, the
Lixivium which now lies in the second Box or Vessel, must be poured
upon the matters yet warm, in the first Box, that so it may again
contract a heat thence-from by little and little, and so may dissolve
those matters. And now whilst these things are thus detained in the
first Box or Vessel, the materials that are in like manner put in the
second Box do heat each other, and the unprofitable Phlegm evaporateth:
Now as long as this second Box vaporateth, the Lixivium must not be
drawn out of the first Box and be poured thereinto, but all the matters
are to be left to heat or burn (as it were) themselves. And when you
perceive that the materials cool, then the Lixivium must be drawn off
from the matters in the first Box, and be poured upon them in the
second Box; and hereby the matters contained in the first Box will
again wax hot, be burnt, and be turned into Liquor. By how much the
oftner and longer this repeated pouring on of Lixivium is done, so much
the more, and sooner are the materials consumed; from which matters
thus consumed, a most excellent Salt-petre may afterwards be made, for
the heat makes the matters rot. Now then to make trial (if it be well
enough done) take some of this Lixivium boil it away to a sufficient
height for Chrystallization, set it in a cold place to shoot, dry the
salt you find, being dry, put it on a live Coal, which if you find it
burn up, it is a sign that it is full time to draw off, and take all
your Lixivium to the intent that Salt-petre may be thereof made by due
evaporation and coagulation. But if you chance to find it otherwise,
and that the salt does not flame up, the Lixivium must lie longer in
the Boxes to be heated and animated by the Air which is magnetically
attracted by means of the heat: This labour being rightly ordered,
there may be made excellent Salt-petre out of the said matters by the
help of a convenient Lixivium, in ten or twelve Months space without
any costs, save some small trifle about the Lixivium; neither is the
Work so grievous or troublesome, for there is nothing more required but
that the Lixivium be several times poured out of one Box into the other.
NB. There are yet, besides the other aforenamed several sorts of
matters that offer themselves, out of which, Salt-petre may be made by
the help of the Boxes, & a due Lixivium far speedilier & plentifullier;
but I judge it not needful to divulge every thing: Likewise there may
be made a convenient Lixivium to prepare Salt petre sooner, by and
after another manner, to wit, in a dry form, without such putrifying as
is done in the Boxes or Circulatories; but even this Artifice too, will
I reserve yet a little longer for my Friends.
Nay yet more, there may be (by a yet secreter and shorter method)
excellent Salt-petre extracted by the means of such a Lixivium in three
hours space, and that with most great profit: And this way of preparing
Salt-petre, I do preferr before all the others, and have found it the
most excellent (Petre) of them all.
_The =Lixivium= is on this wise made._
Make you a strong Lixivium of Wood-ashes, and when you burn the
unprofitable Wood in the Woods into ashes, make by the same labour of
your Fire some good Lime of stones fit for such a purpose; Then quench
this Calx or Lime with Water, that so it may fall into powder, then
pour thereon as much of the Lee of the Wood-ashes now spoken off, as
is sufficient, mixt it with a wooden _Spatula_, and repeat this mixing
and stirring it very often, some days following, that so the Lee may be
made the stronger by reason of the Lime, and be like Fire, the which
has an excellent virtue to putrefy the vegetables and animals, and to
turn them into burning Salt-petre. (See the foregoing Figure belonging
to this Operation noted at the top page, 1.)
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Hie sitzt der Haen, vund brütet den Basi: liscum aus.
A. Sen die 2 Kasten. B. wie die Kasten in wendig anzusehen. C. der
Mist, oder die Holtz: blätter, wormit die Kasten gefullet. D. Der
Sumpff, oder das Geschir, daerin die Lauge abgezapff et wird. E.
die Pump. F. der Man, der die Lauge aus dem Sumpff auff die Materi
in den Kasten pumpet. G. der gelöcherte bodemin den Kasten. H.
der vnteste bodem, wor, auff die Lauge sonder aus zurinnen stehen
bleibet.]
_Here the Cock fits that hatches the Basilisk, by the top of the
Chest._