Because the Volatile and sulphureous Spirits of Salts are of great
efficacy in Medicine, and principally when their Phlegm or aqueous
humidities are removed from them, the which thing every one can’t bring
to pass, I have therefore judged it worth while, even for the sake of
the Sick, to discover an easie way of so doing, by my _Sal. Mirabilis_
as follows.
Fill a Glass Cucurbit half full with _Sal. Mirabilis_, pour thereupon
the Volatile Spirit of Vitriol, Niter, or common Salt, and distill
thence by B. the most subtile Spirit, the which will come off, and
leave the unprofitable Phlegm behind with the _Sal. Mirabilis_, the
which (by heating red hot) you may again render fit for new operations.
XL. _Another and easier way, yea even almost an incredible and
miraculous one of freeing Wine, Ale, Vinegar, Brandy, and all
other moist liquors from their unprofitable Phlegm in a moment of
time, by my =Sal. Mirabilis=._
The precedent coagulation of moist liquors ariseth from that most great
driness which lies hid in the _Sal. Mirabilis_. But this way we now
deliver, proceedeth from the concentrated cold of moist Fires, which
Fires we have treated of in the first Century, and ’tis thus.
Take one pound of the abovesaid _Sal. Mirabilis_, put it in a strong
Glass, and pour thereupon two parts or pounds of the con-centrated and
cold Fire of some Salts, whether it be of Vitrol, or common Salt, or
Salt Peter, whose Fire excells the Fires of other Salts; and let them
lie quiet for some hours, and there will be made an Icy mass of them
both, the which you shall in the Winter time set out in the Snow or
in some cold place which by how much the colder so much the better;
where the longer it abides in the cold, the more will the cold Fire be
con-centrated, and consequently so much the greater matters may by such
a con-centrated body be effected.
XLI. _The receiving or catching the breath of Men, as they sit in
some warm Stove, and the changing it into the form of Ice._
If thou hast a mind to create a kind of admiration amongst thy Guests
or Friends when they are with thee, and to give them some profitable
recreation, you may accomplish your desire the following way.
Carry with thee a Glass full of the moist Fire of Salt, and which
is coagulated by the _Sal. Mirabilis_, and hath stood some hours in
the cold, into the warm Stove, and hang it up over the Table by a
thread or small line, when your Guests are set at the Table, and when
they ask you what this signifies, you may tell them that you will for
their Recreations sake, shew them some pleasant diversion; after they
have made an end of eating and drinking. Upon this they will all of
them have a desire to see those tricks and ever now and then cast up
their eyes upon the Glass. But after that the Glass has there hang’d
a minute or half minutes space, the breath of the Men that sit about
it will presently apply it self to the Glass, and stick on to the
outside thereof like Snow, and cover it all over; and thicken more and
more, insomuch that in a short time it will have a thick and hoary
beard, all about consisting of natural Ice; and will so long keep on
its encreasing as the con-centrated cold lasts in the Glass. Then at
length the Glass growing a little hot, after the internal cold of the
con-centrated Fire is consumed, that Icy beard begins again to melt and
being resolved, to distill into a Water, for the receiving of which
distilling drops some Vessel is to be set under. This is a wonderfull
Distillation of Men’s breath, which coming out of their mouths in their
discoursing, is reduced by the concentrated Fire of Salt into Ice, and
at length, again into Water by the heat of the Stove.
This so speedy an operation or transmutation of a moist and watery
vapour into natural Ice, seems indeed at the outside view to be but a
vile and unprofitable thing; but if it be but well minded by the sight
of the internal mind, it not onely begets a most great admiration, but
withall opens the most excellent knowledge of natural things.
Such as greedily hunger after Gold will say, what benefit comes from
these tricks? had Gold but distilled from the Glass we would have saved
it, what need we any Water? or if it had been noble or generous Wine,
we could have prized such an ingenious knack, and drunk it off. Take
away that filthy Water and bring us the gallant Wine. Such discourse
as this, let one of thy Friends purposely utter, being thereto first
suborned by thee, that so thou maist the more delight the rest of thy
Friends that are ignorant of these things, by thy presently satisfying
him that is so desirous of Wine, saying, that if thy Friends and Guests
do desire better Wine, thou art ready to draw it them. Upon this, thy
Guests will diligently listen and desire to see what better Wine thou
wilt draw them out of thy Celler. The chiefest of these will well know
that thou hast not in thy Cellar such variety of Wines.
In the mean while, have ready some small Glasses which contain some
Ounces, filled with the concentrated Fires of Salts, and well shut and
strings tied ready unto them; now when thou hast a mind to give them a
relish of thy Art of bettering Wines, and rendring them more generous,
command a Cann of common Wine to be brought thee, and give it to thy
Guests to drink. But now when they shall perceive that it is the same
sort of Wine they had formerly, and that thou hast not given them any
better, thou shalt satisfie them by the following way.
XLII. _A momentary operation of rendring any common Wine more
generous, and exceedingly bettered by the cold Fires of Salts;
and that in the presence of many Men._
Command one of those Glasses prepared for this purpose to be brought
unto thee, and let it down by the thread into the Glass full of Wine,
which being done, the con-centrated cold that lies in thy little Glass,
which thou hang’st in the greater one of Wine will draw to it self
the watery and unprofitable parts of the Wine, and change it into an
incipid Ice. And by how much the longer you leave that little Glass in
your Wine, so much the more Water will be drawn there out of, and the
Wine will be made the more generous thereby. But the sooner you take
it out, the less Water will be separated; so that out of one Cann of
Wine you may by this means give your Guests several sorts of Wine to
drink, or rather may let them better the Wine themselves even according
to their pleasure. For by this operation the unprofitable Water being
drawn out of the Wine and turned into Ice, is separated and taken
away; part therefore of the Water being taken away, the remainder must
necessarily be much more efficacious and more sweet than it was afore,
when it had Water conjoyned as yet with it.
A Master of a Family using this Artifice may make for himself and his
Guests, divers Wines though drawn out of one Barrel.
Now such a secret is not onely full of Curiosity, but also of profit,
and may prove helpfull and do much good several ways. I could if need
required declare a thousand conveniencies, and Commodities proceeding
therefrom. But because I judge it needless to spend time in declaring
them, I will at present mention onely some few, remitting the rest
to the following Centuries, in which shall be made mention of them
according as the [matter and] time requires or permits.
XLIII. _The amending of any midling or smallish Ale in the Winter
Season, as well at Home as Abroad._
It sometimes happens that a Master of a Family hath but onely one sort
of Wine or of Ale in his Cellar, the which he is accustomed to drink,
and puts not in his Cellar any better Wine or Ale either by reason
of poverty, or else because the Cellar lies open to every body, both
Men-servants and Maid-servants, and they will to the best Tap, and so
he fears it will be too chargeable.
But forasmuch as old Men’s Stomachs, when they sometimes feed on
Stock-fish dried, or on Martelmas Beef, or Fish, by reason of its
debility through old Age, cannot perform its office of Concoction:
The Ale or Wine may by the help of this secret be presently rendred
stronger, especially in the Winter Season, in which Season a warmer
and stronger draught of Ale and Wine is more beneficial than in the
former months, and then they can better brook the want of the same. But
some may object and say, where shall I get such a concentrated cold as
may enable me to extract the Water out of the Wine? hereunto I answer
that there will be many that will prepare it for time to come and will
spare it to others; and yet no body needs so great a quantity thereof
neither. If a Master of a Family hath but one onely half pound of the
same, he may use it his whole life time, if he but keep it so as that
the Glass break not and spill it. For when he hath taken away the Water
of one or two Pots of Ale or Wine, let him remove the Ice from the
Glass, and set it again in the cold till he needs it. For such a cold
concentrating Magnet always keeps its virtues, and is never corrupted,
but always fit for the effecting of many wonderfull things.
_N. B._ If you have not those fires of Salts the heavy Oil of Vitriol,
Oil of Salt, or _Aq. Fortis_ may be used hereabout; but yet these Oils
do not in any comparison perform what those concentrated Fires of Salts
are able to effect. But however they demonstrate the thing it self
though they bring no great store of profit, and this any one may easily
understand.
For there is a great difference betwixt the watery and not watery
Fires of Salts, any common and simply bare Water cannot become so cold
as the Water of any Salt, and this Salt-water cannot be so cold as a
common Spirit of Salt, nor can this Spirit by any means arrive to that
degree of cold as a concentrated Spirit usually attains to. So a skin
of Leather is never so cold as Wood, nor Wood as a Stone, nor a Stone
as an heavy Metal; the difference proceeding from the thickness of the
compaction, for verily any thing will concentrate the more cold or heat
and fix it with it self, by how much the compacter and thicker body
it shall be of. For it is the property of a concentrated cold to kill
a thing and to make it hard and stiff. Contrarywise a concentrated
heat gives a speedy life, and correction, and emendation, and this
experience it self teacheth.
O happy Man is he that can make a Metalline Salt as compact and thick,
and heavy as a Metal, and can by conserving it a due time in the heat
of the Fire, that the heat may by little and little and gradually be
concentrated and fixed therein, make it fusile. Without doubt such an
one would get a Tincture that would cure the most grievous Diseases,
and change the imperfect Metals into perfect. For it is the Fire onely
that begets a maturity to any thing, and by how much the stronger and
greater the Fire is so much the speedier and better amending of any
thing may be expected.
These things which I have here briefly declared are of greater moment,
dignity, and weight than any one can believe; and besides there’s no
doubt but that there will shortly some step forth, who will without
any fear testifie the verity of Art, by changing imperfect Metals and
turning them into pure Gold; so common will Alchymy become in this Age,
which was neither heard of nor seen before in this World. Nay more, Men
will make this Art so familiar unto them that they will not much esteem
even of particular Tinctures.
But why God permits such things to be done, is to us wholly unknown,
thus much we see onely, that doubtless there will follow some great
change in the World; happy shall they be who having the fear of God
before their eyes, and are of a pure mind, cannot be hurt by the Devil
nor Sin his Mother.
XLIV. _Wherein this secret is beneficial to those that travel in
the Winter Season._
Necessity doth sometimes enforce old Men to undertake a Journey in the
Winter, which, if no urgent hast forceth, may be so ordered that at
Noon and Night quiet rest may be always taken in such a place in which
is plenty of Meat and Drink.
But if so be that an urgency of occasion requires a going on forward,
whether one ride on Horseback, or in a Coach or Waggon, and that either
the Snow render the way difficult, or some Wheel of the Waggon be by
chance broken, and so the journying Person hindred from coming to the
place aimed at in the appointed time, he is sometimes by this means
constrained to turn aside to a poor Peasants lodging, or if his fortune
be a little more favourable, he is necessitated to Inn in some poor
Village, where he can neither meet with Wine or good Ale; he now that
thus journieth may out of the poor Wine or Ale make himself better Wine
or Ale, and the better provide for his health if he hath about him,
such a magnet in some small Glass that attracteth Ice to it.
XLV. _What profit those that sail in the Sea may have by this
secret._
It may so happen that a Man taking Ship with hopes of arriving in a
short space of time to the end of his Voyage, though he has some little
of good Wine or Ale, may be enforced if the Wind prove contrary to stay
longer upon the Sea; his good Wine therefore and his Ale being spent,
he may make that small Beer in the Ship which the common Marriners
drink of, better, and preserve his own health.
XLVI. _How by the help of this secret the unprofitable Phlegm of
Brandy made of Corn may be taken away, that so it may become
equal to the spirit that is made of the lees of Wine._
To the effecting of this business there is required a greater Magnet,
which may remove that Phlegm then needed to the Wine or Ale, because
Brandy is of an hotter nature than Wine or Ale, which do more willingly
let go their wateriness than adust Wine is wont to do.
XLVII. _By what means the superfluous waterishness is to be taken
away from the weaker or waterisher Vinegar, that so it may be
made stronger._
The waterishness of the weaker or more aqueous sort of Vinegar doth
suffer it self to be more easily extracted by the help of that
Ice-attracting Magnet, and the rather because it, _viz._ the Vinegar
puts on an Icy form much sooner than any other Drinks.
XLVIII. _It may be quæried whether or no this bettering of Wine, Ale,
Vinegar, Brandy, and other Drinks, and rendring them stronger and
sweeter, may be done in great plenty, or whether it is to be accounted
of as a curiosity onely?_
For answer, verily it is a most excellent secret most aptly satisfying
the curious inquiry of mortal Men, which the World as yet never knew,
and yet it can effect such unheard of things, which it is not necessary
that they should be divulged.
As touching the plentifull separation of Water from Wine, Ale, or other
Drinks [in great quantity] the same may be done and that with profit,
and in some places bring no small gain to him who knows how rightly
and artificially to accomplish the same. I have done enough as to my
affairs in laying it open; we must not boil meat for the slothfull and
thrust it into their mouths. Let them get it themselves if they will,
and rightly take care of their own matters.
XLIX. _Whether or no likewise a great quantity of cold Fires out of
Salts may be easily prepared._
For answer, yes, so great a quantity of them may be prepared as a Man
would wish for, or as his necessity shall enforce him to desire. But
because such cold Fires of Salts are the effecters of admirable and
incredible things which the World never knew of, therefore the copious
preparing and getting of them deserves to be concealed. Let therefore
every one be content with those things which I have published in the
first Century: haply in process of time more may follow.
L. _How my =Sal Mirabilis= can free watery Oils of their
superfluous humidity._
Mix one pound of this my _Sal Mirabilis_ reduced by warmth into a fine
Powder, with ten or twenty pounds of good Oil Olive, or new Linseed
Oil; the _Sal Mirabilis_ is to be commixt warm with the Oil, and
being well stirred about with it, draws to it self all the Water, and
settles to the bottom of the Vessel, from which the clear Oil is to be
separated by pouring it off; and all the Water and impurity of the Oil
is to be severed from the _Sal Mirabilis_, that so it may be recovered
and be again profitable for such like operations.
LI. _The way of taking off the mustiness or stink from a Vessel
corrupted or grown musty by lying, that it may be again fit to
put more Wine into._
Smear over the inside hollowness of such a Vessel with the concentrated
moist Fire of Salt, that it may be every where wetted, and sprinkle
thereupon so much of the _Sal Mirabilis_ as will stick thereunto.
For so that cold Fire of concentrated Salt, with the attracted
_Sal Mirabilis_ will become hard and not run, and stick on to the
Vessel; and that said Fire will in a few days space burn up all the
mouldiness and stinch, just as if the common Fire of Wood had been
used thereabouts. The Vessel being washed with boiling Water is again
rendred fit and convenient to put Wine into.
This operation is not here taught for some stinking Vessels sake that
is not worth the while, but to this end, that other secrets of greater
moment, and which are profitable, may be learned thereby and known.
For under these operations lie hidden many wonderfull things, and such
as the greatest part of the Readers will not consider. But to what end
is it to light up a Torch before such Men, that are left by God in
blindness and darkness, and hath not vouchsafed to bestow on them any
Eyes.
LII. _The manner of preferring all kinds of Fruits, Eggs, Onions,
and other moist Fruits of the ground a long time from corrupting._
The sweet or dulcified _Sal Mirabilis_ is to be well dried by the help
of the Fire, and being put in some Vessel with Fruits, Eggs or such
like, with a thick and close laying [or bed of one upon the other] doth
by its driness so preserve all things, and by its attracting virtue of
all corrupting humidity, that for a long time they feel not the least
corruption.
LIII. _Question. Why doth the =Sal Mirabilis=, which Corn has been
macerated withall afore its sowing, and some whereof is mixed
with the Earth, [or sown] attract the Rain, coagulate it, and
hold it with it self longer than other Salts?_
For answer, this is to be imputed to its most great driness which it
abounds withall.
LIV. _The preparation of the =Sal Mirabilis=, so as that it may
become an universal Medicine for all Vegetables._
The _Sal Mirabilis_ as it is of it self, is by reason of its corroding
virtues which it as yet retains plainly unfit for the multiplication
of the Vegetables, for that being so used would prove more hurtfull
than profitable. Upon this account it is necessary that to one part of
it be added two parts by weight, of the best _Calx-vive_, which being
moistened with Water and made up into Balls, are to be well heated red
hot for an hour, that so all the corrosivity being introverted the
_Sal Mirabilis_ may be Alkalizated, and used to the Vegetables for an
universal Medicine; for it conserves its attracting force, and loseth
it not in the heating red hot.
LV. _What’s the reason that Wood lying long in the Water wherein
=Sal Mirabilis= is dissolved, is turned into an hard Stone?_
For answer, this operation is to be ascribed to the incredible
astringent property and nature, that the _Sal Mirabilis_ is endued
withall.
LVI. _To reduce an half dead Tree to life again by the help of =Sal
Mirabilis=, that it may revive and begin again to sprout out._
Mix with the digged up Earth, with which the Roots of the Trees are
covered, one, two, three or more pounds of the _Sal Mirabilis_,
according to the bigness or littleness of the Tree, and again, cover
over the Roots with the same, and pour upon the Earth it self, some
Rain water, that being thereby moistned, the Roots may the better
partake of the Salt that is mixed with it.
By this means, the Tree will attract to it self the Medicine or good
nutriment out of the Salt, and will be cherished and refreshed just as
a piece of bread or other food being given to an hunger-starv’d Man
restores him his strength again.
LVIII. _How by the help of =Sal Mirabilis= most hard and insoluble
subjects may be very easily dissolved._
Let the nature and property of a Char-coal of Wood be considered, the
which is such, as that if it be kept in the greatest Fire for many
years, and all external air kept out from it; it will neither ever
melt, nor ever lose ought of its body, but will come out again in the
very same form as it had at your putting it into the Fire.
So likewise a Wood coal is able to endure an hundred, yea a thousand
years in the Earth, Water, or even the most sharp corrosive Waters
unhurt. This so most sharp a tryal, neither Gold nor Silver though
they be the purest and most constant are able to undergo. And although
a Coal be thus durable, yet nevertheless will I dissolve it in half
an hours space, and convert it into a red fusile Salt, which is
dissolvable with Water, and yields a wonderfull liquor which is the
effecter of incredible operations both in Medicine and in Alchymy.