_Sheweth how great harmony, familiarity, and love, there is in
Wine, with Mankind and Gold._
It is evident, even from the Writings of all the Philosophers, that
Wine and Gold is a wholsome remedy for Mankind, but yet not in such a
gross state, and without any preparation, as they come forth out of
the Earth, but they are to be destroyed, and their most pure parts to
be extracted, and again conjoyned. To obtain this knack, there have
been used many _Menstruums_, and one more excellent than another. The
common Spirit of Wine hath no familiarity at all with Gold, because of
its unripe and combustible Sulphur, from which Gold is wholly averse,
as being its enemy. This thing I have in several places of my Writings
made mention of, and have also taught it in this very Treatise, that
Gold being dissolved in _Aq. Regia_, and precipitated with the Water of
Tartar, yields most curious fine Atoms, which cannot be done any other
kind of way. For the common gross Wine, and the common sulphureous and
unripe Tartar are enemies to the Gold, the which is evidently manifest
by this preparation of the most subtile Calx of Gold, caused by the
pouring of the Water of Tartar thereunto, whereby ’tis precipitated
unto the bottom.
The certainty of the truth of this thing may be thus tried, if a
little Gold being dissolved in _Aq. Regis_ be put into a glass full
of Rhenish, or any other sharpish Wine: The Gold will be presently
precipitated, by the Tartar which is in the Wine, into a tender and
shining Powder, but it will not in a moment of time settle to the
bottom, but by little and little. And yet if you put the Wine in a
Vessel over a fire of Coals, and boil it, then will it be speedily
precipitated. From whence ’tis evidently apparent, that Wine being as
yet not at all separated from its impurities, doth as it were differ
from Gold, with a deadly hatred, and yet carries hidden in its bowels
a substance most friendly to the Gold, the which will, in the end,
manifest it self so to be, when the more gross parts are separated from
the more subtile.
_Basilius_ teacheth its preparation by a peculiar proper instrument,
wherein (as I judge) the Spirit of Wine is to be kindled and burnt,
that so by the burning up of the Sulphureity, the Mercurial Salt may be
separated and caught in a cold Receiver. And with this very Salt (saith
he) may a Tincture be extracted out of Gold, which seems very probable
to be so, if one could but get or catch that said Mercurial Salt. Many
indeed have attempted this labour, but perhaps not a man hath found an
answer to his expectation, where the defect lies, God knows.
Others have mixed Gold with _Alkalies_, and have taught the extracting
of a Tincture by an Alkalizated Spirit of Wine, which way, though they
may doe somewhat, yet it is not the genuine way.
Also some have by distillation gotten a certain fiery Spirit out of
Tartar, and therewith endeavoured to conquer Gold. Here indeed is an
appearance of some kind of possibility, but yet this Spirit is not to
be attempted for that, which unlocketh all the bowels of the Gold; and
that for this reason, because it doth as yet abound with combustible
Sulphur, to which Gold is a bitter enemy. But now if you would duely
joyn Gold with Wine, then must all the combustible Sulphur (of the
Wine) be first separated from its Mercurial part, and the Mercury of
the Wine is to be brought by distillation into a notable fiery Spirit;
if this be not done, there will be no great matters effected with it.