Fill thou a Glass Retort with common Tartar, and distill forth the
volatile spirit and oyl, the which thou shalt separate after a due
manner. Great virtues are in this oyl, whereof I have made mention in
the second part of my Furnaces. The spirit is to be rectified in B.
that the fiery substance onely may depart, and the unprofitable flegm
remain behind; the rectified spirit is to be poured on the fixed Salt,
(residing in the Retort, which must be first calcined by a strong fire
and made fiery) and from thence again distilled, that the fixed Salt
may retain the rest of the unprofitable flegm, and the spirit attain
the greater fiery virtues for the performing of wonderfull effects in
medicine, the which my writings do teach.
XXIII. _Another manner of extracting or drawing forth a far more
stronger fire out of Tartar._
Dissolve thou that Alcalizated Salt from which the spirit was
abstracted in rectifying in a little water, that it may become a very
sharp _Lixivium_ or Lye; pour one pound of this _Lixivium_ on two
pounds of white Tartar in a Gourd, and that being reduced into powder,
put on a head which being well luted on with clay, set it in sand and
kindle a fire by degrees, if thou shalt rightly work thou shalt obtain
a most subtile fire, one drop whereof doth burn the tongue, as if it
had been touched with a burning Iron.
How wonderfull things may be effected by this fire, I have already
shown in other places of my writings.
XXIV. _A manner of drawing forth as yet a more vehement fire out of
Tarter._
Take of crude Tartar and the _Regulus_ of _Mars_, or the purest
metallick part of iron, the _scoria_ being separated, equal parts, the
which thou shalt mix by beating together, put them in a crucible with a
cover so well fenced with clay that it may admit of no air, keep them
in a bright burning fire for the space of an hour, then take them away.
From all these particulars it is made known to every one that a
vehement fire lies hidden in vegetables readily serving for the
effecting of many admirable things in Medicine, Alchymy and other arts,
from the declaring whereof the shortness of time and this treatise,
commands us at this time to cease. But moreover we must see whether
living creatures also are potent in the same fire, and in what respect
any one may be made partakers of the same.