Alum, as _Geber_ saith, For air, take fine _aqua vitæ_ which you shall
turn into a Celestiall blew, with a little turnsol; and for fire, the
oil of Been, but for that it is more rare, take of Turpentine oil,
which is made thus, Distill common Turpentine in _Balneo Marie_, there
will mount up together both water and oil, so white and transparent,
the one as the other: but the oil will swim above the water; separate
them by a glasse fonnell, and dye this oil, into a fire colour, with
_Orchanet_ and with Saffern. The three liquors will never mingle,
what ever trouble you use to them; but will separate themselves
distinctly, into lesse then nothing, by swimming one above another:
Of the Turpentine, that remains in the Alembique, you shall extract
it by Sand, in a _Cornue_ with a stronger fire, then by the bath, a
thick red oil, which is most excellent balm: water and oil extracted
by the bath are very serviceable also, in many accidents of Medicine
and Chirurgery; only the white oil will make scars quickly fall away
without pain, or evill impression. But if with the water of the said
Turpentine, you dissolve salt of lead, you shall have yet a more
Soveraign balm. But we must a little better clear this: for sith we
treat here of fire, and of its effects, what hinders but that we may
extend our selves at length upon many things which our long labour
and experience have acquired? This oil of lead, was one of _Raymond
Lullius_, his great secrets: & of many other excellent personages, who
have as it were made conscience to remember it: for this hath been to
them an entry of more admirable works. Some, as _Riply_, & others,
have taken the _minium_ of lead, but it is too easie, & of an uneasie
resolution, as also ceruse & calcined lead. For my part I have found
litharge, which is nothing else but lead, for a pound of litharge,
you shall extract 14. or 15. ounces of lead: put them into powder,
and poure thereon distilled boiling vinegar, stirring it strongly
with a staffe, and sodainly the vinegar will charge it self, with the
dissolution of litharge: Evacuate the clear, and reiterate with new
vinegar, so long till all the litharge be dissolved: Evaporate the
vinegar, which shall be unsavory as the water, untill the salt shall
remain congealed in the bottom. Take thereof a good quantity, and put
thereof within your _Cornue_, as much as it will hold half full: and
put it on the furnace with an open breech: in the beginning with an
easie fire chasing away that which therein may appear a remainder of
strange humidity: And when the white fumes shall begin to appear apply
thereunto a Recipient big enough, and lute it well in the Jointures;
after reinforcing your fire by little and little untill it become a
very great one, and the _Cornue_ buried in the ashes, you shal see
issue as a little continued torrent after the fashion of a filet of
oil, but white as milk, and could as ice, which will come within the
Recipient to resolve into an oil of the colour of an _Hyacinth_, and
odoriferous, as that of _Aspic_. Continue the fire till there comes no
more out of the _Cornue_, and leave it there to settle, al the night
long. So now this secret oil, whereof that which _Raimond Lullius_
never more expresly said was towards the end of his short Epistle, in
these very terms. Out of black lead is extracted the Philosophers oil,
of a golden color, or as it were: and know that there is nothing in
the world more secret then it. That which remains in the _Cornue_, put
burning charcoals upon it, and that will take fire as the match of a
fusee: whence you may draw a fair secret: for as long as it feels not
the air, it will not flame, and it may dissolve againe with vinegar, to
doe as before. But salt of lead dissolved in water, and yet better then
Turpentine, oil will resolve to a greater quantity of oil; and thereof
may see more ample marvailes. Take this oil, which _Raimond Lullius_
calleth his wine, and put it into a small Alembic of glasse; in _Balneo
Mariæ_, and distill therein _aqua vitæ_, which will come in vains even
as that of wine. Draw all out so long till the drops and tears come
to appear in the Chap, which is a signe that there is no more flegm:
which being out in the bottome, there will remain a pretious oil that
dissolves gold and is admirable against wounds, and great accidents,
from within, for it holds the same place with potable gold: Lead having
great affinity with gold, as _Geber_ saith, with which it agrees in
Surdity, in weight, and in that it cannot rust: And _George Riplay_ the
most learned _English_ Philosopher, in his book of the 12. portes.
_There is extracted oil of golden colour,
Or like it, out of our subtill red lead:
When Raimond said, when he was old,
Was much more pretious then gold.
For when through age he was near death,
He thereof made, his potable Gold,
Which revived him; as may bee seen.
This is that oil and vegetable Menstruum, &c._
In regard of the burning water therout extracted, more inflameable then
the most fine powder of a harguebuze, it dissolves silver into subtill
Crystalline flakes, which melt at the fire of a lampe, as easily as
butter, and are fix as silver in the same proofs of fire: further see
that which the said _Riplay_ sets down in his marrow of _Alchymie_:
The body being prepared, put upon this water to the thickness of your
thumb which wil straight boil above chalks of the body, without other
external fire, by dissolving the body, and by elevating it, in the
shape of ice, with the drying of the said water: and so let it bee
reiterated, by removing that which was elevated. But to abbridge (for
this _Aqua vitæ_ is in very small quantity and very uneasy to make) if
you passe two parties of water of the departure, that dissolves the
silver upon one party of the salt of lead, this will do the same effect
for the transmutation of metals, but not within a mans body, where it
must not in any case bee applyed, except after great sweetning, that is
to say, a _demi sextier_ of the dissolution of strong water, to make
evaporate three or four pails of water, running down within by a filter
to the measure that elevates the strong water with the spirits and
malignity of this fire against Nature. Think not that I would stay my
self here so precisely, nor restrain to the Text of Saint _Mark_, nor
upon that, which dependeth upon the religion in this regard, although
our principall aim tends thitherward, that wee would not enlarge by
the same means to the works and progresse of nature, whose principall
key is _Alchymie_, to mount from thence to the _Architype_ the Creator
by means of the _Caballe_. But we would not likewise here so reveal
occasions to abuse this divine Art, to the ill turnings of perverse
ignorants, who to gain a piece of silver would make no difficulty
to deceive the world one way or other, as wee could do in revealing
unto the means of blanching copper, to the likenesse of silver,
with Iscicles accompanied with a Metalline of Orpiment, the which,
as yellow gilded as it is, and its red elevations as rubies, being
notwithstanding bruised in a copper morter, and sublimed upon burned
brasse, passeth within the head of the _Cornue_, white as silver; But
if it be well governed, with the foresaid Isicles would make indeed
great alterations upon the Copper which men may wel misuse, wherefore
we will forbear to speak thereof any further. We may too well say,
that the preparation of this body, that _Riplay_ intends silver, is
to calcine and reduce it into salt, which is done after this manner.
But if in the dissolving there be _aqua fortis_, it sufficeth to
calcine it. Take then silver plates of the bignesse and thicknesse of
a riall and put them in a Cruset, or a little pot of _Paris_ earth, not
leaded, bed upon bed, with prepared Salt, that is to say, dissolved
in common water, afterwards filtred, congealed, and decrepited, and
leave it 10. or 12. houres with burning coals, (it would be better in
an oven of reverberation) draw it from the fire and cast it yet all
hot into an earthen vessell, leaded, full of water, salt will dissolve
it self therein, and that of the silver which shall be calcined will
goe to the bottome: Let them reside well; and separate them warily,
by inclination: after put again the plates to bee recalcined with new
salt, and reiterated as before, evaporate the water, or the salt if
it be dissolved, and that which remains shall be as good as new, to
the third or fourth reiteration, all your plates will find themselves
reduced into chalk: which you shall easily dissolve in distilled
vinegar, for silver, lead, and iron, are not of hard resolution, nor
also Copper to take it in _Roche_ of _azur_: Tin much more, and Gold
more then all the rest, for that its calcination, is very uneasie.
Which _Geber_ knew very well: the compleat calcination of Sol, is most
difficult: He renders the causes thereof. But it would be too long to
dilace upon all these things: wee will content our selves, to trace
some shadows of that which our perquisition and labour hath enabled us
to acquire, by the space of 50. years of one side, and another, and
proved more then once, not to speake unadvisedly: All which secrets
are revealed as is said; by the Fire. And not by mervails, since it
analogically discovers the spirituall: _Thou hast tried me with fire,
and in mee, there is found no iniquity_; said the Prophet, _Psal._
16. There where you see, how hee couples fire with iniquities, as
if it were it, that revealed them as well as hee did the impurities
of mettalls, where it doth the same operation, and effect, as salt
doth, in corruptible things; for although metalls, bee the permanent
substance of all others, by reason of their most strong composition
which doth not permit them easily to cast away out of their radicall
form any alteration which men may make them indure in powder, chalk,
salt, water, oil, glasse, Isicles, and infinite others: which happeneth
not to one of the other elementaries, Minerals, Vegetables, Animals;
the which being once changed from their primitive form, they cannot
again reintegrate or be put together. By means whereof, to speak of
fire without metals, which are its true subject, it would bee as to
propose to an Artist furnished with necessaries and instruments, but
had no stuffes proper to imploy them, so that would remain to him
unprofitable. In metalls then there may be revealed and considered
the fairest secrets of nature, by the help of fires action. Which if
in some more particularly then in others, she hath shewed a will to
recreat, yea to put in evidence her greater knowledge. It seems this
was in stones and metals, then which nothing could be presented more
fair or agreeable to the sight, nor more profitable and necessary, at
least in regard of Iron without which mans life would irksomely passe
away, shee receiving so many commodities thereby. But pretious stones
beyond the simple contentment and pleasure of the eye, have nothing
wherewith men may know to draw out profit or succours in any one of
our businesses. And if they be once deprived of their naturall shining
form, they never return thereto again, as mettals doe, so puissant
and indissoluble is the assembling of their elementarie parties, and
their mixtion one with another. Wherefore wee must not marvail if so
many good spirits have travelled all their time to meditate upon this
subject, and their divers transmutations, having been there unto drawn
rather out of those fair considerations which they found therein for
their spirits contentation, then for any sordid and greedy desire of
gain, which hath made the ignorant so obstinate, who have so cried down
this divine Art, sister germane to the _Caballe_: for that which the
_Caballe_ is divine and intelligible things, into the profound secrets
whereof, shee penetrates, _Alchymie_ is in naturall and elementary,
which shee reveals unto us. _Geber_ saith some man cannot know the
composition of a thing, that is ignorant of its destruction; which
destruction is perfected by the separations caused by fire.
Nature then taketh great pains, care, and pleasure, to labour in
metals; and puts in them a very great length of Time, to bring them to
the last degree of perfection, which settles in Gold, the most perfect
and incorruptible substance of all others, and the homogeneall and
equall in all his parties: whence it is taken for distributive justice,
for mingle a party of Gold with 3. or 4. hundreds of silver, or Copper,
leaving them melted together to sport never so little within a little
Cruset, every portion how small soever it may be, of silver or copper,
will suck up its equall part and portion of gold. It is moreover so
exactly depured, that it cannot be altered or corrupted by any thing,
that is either in the earth, water, air, or fire, nor by any corrosive
or poyson that you can apply thereunto. It is not corrupted by clay,
nor burnt with any burning thing: nor mortified or devoured, by any
green colouring, or dividing water, there is nothing in it superfluous
or defective: There are (saith _Hermes_) seven Metallick bodies, of
which the most worthy and principall is gold, attributed unto the
Sun: from whence it hath its name, for the same that the Sun is to
the stars, gold is toward the elementary bodies, what thing soever
burning it can bee, cannot burne it, the earth cannot corrupt it, nor
the water destroy nor alter, because its complexion is tempered in
heat, moisture, coldnesse and drinesse, and there is nothing in it
superfluous or deficient. By reason whereof, I finde that those are
farre wide of their accompt, which to keep themselves from poysoning,
would serve themselves with vessells of gold to eat and drink in; for
gold respects no more poisons nor venomes, then it would doe of capon
broth: So do silver, pewter, copper, lead & iron, which would therewith
change immediately. Even as a fearful man, and of small resolution,
who at the encounter of a Serpent or other venemous beast, would grow
suddainly pale, and come to change colour: The care, curiosity, and
assiduous travell of infinite, rare, and meditating spirits, by the
space of 4 or 5000 years, have found in metals secrets without number,
and yet knew not to do so well, but that they have left much more to
enquire into, and to search after: although there be but seven in all,
comprehending therein running quick-silver.
Wherein it is wonderfull, that Nature so copious and abundant in all
her procreations, which are divers, is pleased in this respect with
so small a number. Metals then, being such whose regiment depends on
fire; which is one of the proper visible symboles to represent the most
hidden secrets, and mysteries of Divinity; invisible, and imperceptible
to our senses.
The Prophets also, were willing to serve themselves for the most
part of their parables, and similitudes, ænigmaes, allegories and
figures; where they have covered and hid that which they would not
so openly declare, for they have very seldome expressed themselves,
as did _Esay_ in his 5 Chapter, where he interprets that the vision
of the Lord of Hosts, whereof he there brought a parable, was the
people of _Israel_, and the men of _Judah_ his delectable plant. And
in another passage many waters, are many nations. Moreover _Ezekiel_,
23. having spoken of the two sisters _Aholah_ and _Aholibah_, he set
downe that this was _Samaria_ and that _Jerusalem_. God by the mouth of
_Moses_, in the 28. of _Leviticus_, and in the 28. of _Deuteronomy_,
threatned the Israelites, said, if they come to mis-know him, and do
not keep well his commandements, that he would make the heaven over
their head brasse, and the earth under them iron, which are the two
most terrestriall metals, and most hard and rebellious to melt and to
handle, opposing them to the durity of this people, as it is there
said. _I will bruise the pride of your hardnesse, and will make heaven
over you as iron, and earth as brasse, your labour shall consume
unprofitably, your earth shall not bring forth its seed, nor the tree
yeeld any fruit._ For metals produce nothing, but are barren; the Poets
of their side have used many sorts of Metaphores, and figures, as in
the 6. of the _Æneid._ an iron voice, for a strong and resounding
voice, and _Hesiod_ calleth the infernall dog _Cerberus_, χαλκεόφωνος,
a voice of brasse, because it is the most sounding metall; _His voice
shall sound as brasse_, _Jer._ 16. and _Origen_ upon the 25. of _Exod._
Brasse is taken for a strong and thundering voice, because of its
resounding. Although I should speake with the tongue of Angels, and
have not charity in me, I am as sounding brasse, and as a tinkling
cymball. _Pindarus_ hath appropriated to Heaven the Epithet of χάλκεοσ
οὐρανὸς Heaven of brasse, in the 10. of the _Pythians_; because of the
firme solidity of the firmament, as the word importeth. _Homer_ doth
the same in the 3. of his _Odes_, calleth it πολύχαλκος, most brasse,
as _Euripedes_ and _Anaxagoras_, make the Sunne a fired iron; for the
Greek Poets ordinarily doe put fire and brasse one for another; the
same doth _Homer_ in many places, as in the 4. of the _Iliads_, where
_Apollo_ to encourage the _Trojans_, remonstrates unto them, that the
Greeks have not impenetrable bodies, of stone, or of iron, that they
should be able to resist blowes of cutting brasse, without hurting
them. These are manners of speech, which are not very strange amongst
the Prophets, who have thereby figured out the most part of their
solutions, under which some mysteries were shadowed; which if men would
take altogether raw according to the letter, without allegorizing
thereupon, they would find themselves farre from their reckoning, as
the Martyr _Pamphilus_ said well in the defence of _Origen_, speaking
of those who to shunne allegories were constrained to stumble at gross
impertinencies. They think it of this sort, said he, for that they
would not admit of allegories in the holy writ, by reason whereof, as
subjecting themselves to the literall sense, they imagine and invent
to themselves fine fables, and fictions. And indeed how could a man
take according to the letter that of the 33. of _Deut._ speaking of
_Aser_? _Thy shoes shall be iron and brasse_, for he would not say
that _Aser_ was shod with iron and brasse, but he would understand
thereby his force and power, denoted as well by the two metals, as
by the shoe; I _will extend my shoe against Idumæa, strangers are my
subjects_; These are all allegories and figures, as also in the 60.
of _Esay_, _For brass I bring thee gold, and silver in stead of Iron,
brasse for wood, and fire for stones_. Marke well how the Prophet
observes the relations opposing brasse to gold, and iron to silver;
and againe, brasse to wood, and iron to stones; for as gold excelleth
silver, and trees stones, it is the same in the metallique order,
brasse is more pretious then iron. But all tends to denote that the
heavenly mysticall _Jerusalem_, which is the Church triumphant, so
much more excellent then the Jewish Synagogue, which was but a figure
thereof. And certainely hee that would looke more narrowly thereinto,
the Prophets never spake any thing improperly, even to the least trade
or mechanick arts; for in their ravishments they saw things in their
reall being, within the _Zipheret_ or supercelestiall Sunne, which
is a clear shining looking-glasse, a living source of all Idea’s, as
Idea’s are of formes. This is furthermore well to be observed, for the
regard of metals, which they associate commonly iron and copper for
their affinity; will iron make a covenant with iron from the North? and
brasse? for iron is easily changed into copper, by means of vitrioll,
by putting them bed upon bed in a descensory with a strong fire of
bellowes, so long till the iron grow liquid and melt into copper,
having first moistned them with a little vineger, wherein there should
be dissolved sal niter, or salt peter, sal alcali, and salt of tartar,
with verdigrease. Otherwise put of vitriol in powder, and distill the
water in a cornue, that which shall remaine calcined in the bottome,
impost it with its water, and therein quench the glowing gads of
iron, or filings of iron, you shall find them by little and little
reduced into copper: Otherwise yet, dissolve vitrioll in common water,
evaporate the water, and calcine the congelation that shall rest in the
bottome; dissolve that in the like water, and it will become green,
evaporate a part thereof and put the rest in a cave for a night, and
you shall see greene flakes. Make them red in the fire, after dissolve
them three or four times with distilled vinegar, drying them every
time, and the flakes will become red, dissolve them againe in the same
vinegar, and therein quench the gads or other iron work, as above said.
In briefe, that by the means of vitriol, iron is converted into copper,
as we may see in penknifes steeped in inke made of copperas or vitriol.
These flakes here are an entry to a higher work, and of more things for
Chirurgery and Medicine. But all these practises (you may say) are long
and troublesome and rather chargeable then gainfull, and profitable.
Also our intention here, is not to stretch to gaine, this booke is
not to get bread, but to penetrate into the secrets of nature: from
thence to mount and elevate his spirit to spirituall things, whereto
sensible do serve as a stair or as _Jacobs_ ladder; and there are no
rarer considerations and observances, then in fire, and metallique
transmutations: Copper on the other side, is changed into steele; if it
bee true that some _Rabbines_ quote, upon that passage lately alledged
out of the 15. of _Jeremiah_ 12. Iron and Brass, the Prophet (say they)
calleth Iron mixed with Brasse, Steel, which sheweth (for we must
disdain nothing of theirs) that Damake Steel was composed of Iron and
Copper, that is to say, of Iron halfe covered in Copper, and softned
to restrengthen it the more by means of lead. Whereupon make what
_Abuhali_ sets downe in a Book of the nature of things.
Make a little long trench within a barre of iron, and cast thereinto
melted lead, then make it evaporate with a strong fire as of a
coupelle. Put againe therein new lead four or five times, and the iron
will grow soft, which you may afterwards make hard againe quenching it
in forge water, to make lancets, and other subtill cutting irons, yea
that shall cut other iron, without splinters or gapping. And indeed we
have found by experience, that to temper well a harnesse against the
shot of harquebuse, we first sweeten it with oils and gums, with wax
and the like incerative things; and after we harden them by frequent
extinctions, in waters that make it fast againe. _John_ the Grammarian
expounding this place of _Hesiod_, they wrought in brasse, for iron
was not yet knowne, was forced to relate the word χάλκος to the people
_Chalybs_ in _Scythia_, who (saith he) first found out the use of iron
and steel: the Poet _Lucretius_ in his 5. booke imitates _Hesiod_ in
this kinde,
_Antient arms were hands and nails,
Stones and fragments of tree boughes,
And flames and fires, were first knowne,
Afterwards the force of Iron and Brasse,
But the use of Brasse, before Iron._
Steel furthermore is made of the most pure and subtiliate iron; for
that it participates lesse of the earthinesse, then iron. The artifice
of it, is sufficiently knowne, and is common in forges. But to come to
that of _Damas_, you must first resweeten it of its too much bitter
tartnesse, and after it is reduced into filings to make it red in
a cruset, and quench it many times with oil of Olives, where there
hath often times been quenched molten lead, suddenly covering the
vessell, for fear lest the oil take flame. There are yet other secret
observations, which our intention is not to reveal all; it is enough to
have attained to the maxims.