_Describing that artificial Philosophick Distillatory Furnace (of
which the little Book of Fires treats) by the help of which in
the space of one hour, all Chymical Operations at one time, the
secret Fire mediating, may be demonstrated so, as was never yet
described by any Man._
Get a Furnace made of good Earth (which in burning will be rendred as
compact and solid as Glass; such you may find about _Colen_, _Sibburg_,
_Freichiem_, or _Waltenburg_) in its Diameter, at least two Foot broad,
but rather (if that well may be) three. Prepare a Vessel like the
Hemisphere or half-Globe, having three or four handles, to be hanged up
by, fill that with cold Water, and your Recipient or Blind-head will
be perfect. Then fit to it a plain Pan of good Earth, the breadth of
three or four Thumbs, and a Thumbs breadth high. This Pan fill with
common Sulphur, mixt with some other Mineral Subject, as _Mercury_,
_Auripigment_, _Arsenick_, or _Antimony_; which you desire to fix,
either particularly into _Sol_, or universally into Medicine. Kindle
the Sulphur that it may burn, then this Sulphur will calcine and fix
that subject (in the Fire continually burning,) which was put in to
be fixed. If in burning the Sulphur be deficient, it must be supplied
with other Sulphur. If the Sulphur should happen to be extinguished,
you must kindle it again, that it may constantly burn and never go out.
It will not easily go out, if you prevent the extinction, by putting a
little Cotton in the midst of the Pan. When the burning Sulphur, with
its penetrating and ripening Fire, penetrates the subject added, then
the volatile Mineral at first cannot bear patiently the vehemency of
the Fire, but a part of the same is elevated upwards with the fiery
Oil (fixing all Mineral subjects) which concretes round about to the
Vessel, and again distills down upon the burning Sulphur into the Pan,
so as it excites no small admiration in the Beholders. The motion of
this Oil, which is so often and long driven upwards and downwards;
Philosophers have named their Distillation, Ascent, and Descent, also
Cohobation and Circulation: but the Sulphur continually burning, they
called Calcination and Solution. For, in this operation, two very
potent Fires act. The flame of Sulphur is a strong fixing Fire, but
stronger yet is that fiery Oil continually distilling. By the help
of both which _Stygian Fires_, the volatile subject in the Pan, is
in a short space of time (unless it was very impure before) without
any diminution of its weight fixed into a fixed Medicine. It is to be
admired, with how great virtue, either Fire is endewed, for fixing
volatile Metals; also it is pleasant to behold, how (when any drop
of that Oil of Sulphur driven upwards distills down again upon the
burning Sulphur) the flame that ascends then, will be red as bloud,
which otherwise from Sulphur onely ascends yellowish. The repeated
Distillation of that into the under set Vessel was by Philosophers
called Inceration: But when the whole resided in the bottom without any
ascending fume, that was by them called Fixation.
These operations I have performed with my own Hands, and seen with my
own Eyes. More at this time I dare not publish; for more than enough is
already spoken to impious Men. Which indeed I should not have done, if
this excellent Philosophick Work had not been made too common already,
or (to express my meaning more plainly) if it had not fallen into
the hands of unworthy Persons, to me most ungratefull. For indeed I
permitted onely some few of my Friends to see this Philosophick fixing
Furnace; yet the knowledge of it was by them so far divulged, as I
repented I had ever communicated it. Nevertheless, instead of that, not
long after by God was given to me a certain other, far better and more
elegant gift, for he shewed me such an Instrument, as would far more
commodiously than the former, receive the ascending sulphureous fume,
so as none of it should be lost. Therefore this divine gift shall by me
be more warily kept than the former.
[Illustration: The Explanation of the CUT.