Of the Death, or ruine of all things. What Death is.T
he death of all naturall things is nothing else but an alteration and destruction of their powers, and vertues, a predominancy of that which is evill, and an overcoming of what is good, an abolishing of the former nature, and generation of a new, and another nature. For you must know that there are many things that, whilst they are alive, have in them severall vertues, but when they are dead retaine little or nothing of[Pg 36] their vertue, but become unsavory, and unprofitable. So on the contrary many things, whilest they live, are bad, but after they are dead, and corrupted, manifest a manifold power, and vertue, and are very usefull. Wee could bring many examples to confirme this, but that doth not belong to our purpose. But that I may not seem to write according to mine own opinion only, but out of my experience, it will bee necessary that I produce one example, with which I shall silence those Sophisters, who say, that wee can receive nothing from dead things, neither must we seek, or expect to find any thing in them. The reason is, because they do esteem nothing of the preparations of Alchymists, by which many such like great secrets are found out. For looke upon Mercury, crude Sulphur, and crude Antimony, as they are taken out of their Mines, i.e. whilest they are living, and see what little vertue there is in them, how slowly they put forth their vertues, yea they do more hurt, then good, and are rather poison, then a Medicine. The preparation of Mercury Sulphur and Antimony.But if through the industry of a skilfull Alchymist, they bee corrupted in their first substance, and wisely prepared (viz. if Mercury be coagulated, precipitated, sublimed, dissolved, and turned into an oyle, if Sulphur bee sublimed, calcined, reverberated, and turned into an oyle; also if Antimony bee sublimed, calcined, and reverberated and turned into oyle) you shall see how usefull they are, how much strength, and vertue they have, and how quickly they put forth, and shew their efficacy, which no man is able to speak enough in the commendation of, or to describe. For many are their vertues, yea more then will ever bee found out by any man. Wherefore[Pg 37] let every faithfull Alchymist, and Physitian spend their whole lives in searching into these three: For they will abundantly recompense him for all his labour, study, and costs.
What the Death of man is.
But to come to particulars, and to write particularly of the death, and destruction of every naturall thing, and what the death of every thing is, and after what manner every thing is destroyed; you must know therefore in the first place, that the death of man is without doubt nothing else, but an end of his daily work, the taking away of the Aire, the decaying of the Naturall balsome, the extinguishing of the naturall light, and the great separation of the three substances, viz. the body, soule, and spirit, and their return from whence they came. For because a naturall man is of the earth, the Earth also is his Mother, into which hee must return, and there must lose his natural earthly flesh, and so be regenerated at the last day in a new celestiall, and purified flesh, as Christ said to Nicodemus when hee came to him by night. For thus must these words bee understood of regeneration.
What the destruction of Metalls is.
The death, and destruction of Metalls is the disjoining of their bodies, and sulphureous fatnesse, which may bee done severall ways, as by calcination, reverberation, dissolution, cementation, and sublimation.
Calcination of Metalls is manifold.
But the calcination of Metalls is not of one sort: for one is made with Salt, another with Sulphur, another with Aqua fortis, and another with common Sublimate, and another with Quicksilver.
What Calcination with Salt is.
Calcination with Salt is that the Metall be made[Pg 38] into very thin plates, and strowed with Salt, and cemented.
Calcination with Sulphur.
Calcination with Sulphur is, that the Metall bee made into thin plates, and strowed with Sulphur, and reverberated.
Calcination with Aqua fortis.
Calcination with Aqua fortis, is that the Metall bee made very small, and dissolved in Aqua fortis, and precipitated in it.
Calcination with Sublimate.
Calcination with sublimed Mercury is this, that the Metall bee made into thin plates, and that the Mercury bee put into an earthen vessell narrow towards the top, and wide at the bottome; and then let it be set into a gentle fire made with coales, which must bee blowed a little untill the Mercury begin to fume, and a white cloud goe forth of the mouth of the vessel, then let the Plate of the Metall bee put into the top of the vessel, and so the sublimed Mercury wil penetrate the Metall, and make it as brittle as a stone of coal.
Calcination with Quicksilver.
Calcination with Quicksilver, is that the Metall bee made very small, and thin, and be amalgamated with Quicksilver, and afterward the Quicksilver bee strained through Leather, and the Metall remain in the Leather like chalke, or sand.
Divers other sorts of mortification of metalls.
Now besides these mortifications of Metalls, and destructions of their lives, know also that there are yet more. For rust is the death of all Iron, and Steel, and all vitriall, burnt brasse is mortified Copper: all precipitated, sublimated, calcined Cinnabar is mortified Mercury, all Ceruse, and Minium of Lead is mortified Lead; all Lazure is mortified Silver: also all Gold from which its tincture, Quintessence, Rozzen, Crocus, Vitriall, or Sulphur is extracted, is[Pg 39] dead, because it hath no more the form of Gold, but is a white Metall like fixed Silver.
A two fold preparation of Crocus Martis.
But let us proceed to shew how Metalls may bee yet further mortified. First therefore of Iron, know that that is mortified, and reduced into Crocus this way. Make Steel into very thin plates: Make these plates red hot, and quench them in the best Wine-Vineger, doe this so often til the Vineger hath contracted a considerable rednesse, then distil of the Vineger, til there bee nothing but a dry powder remaining. This is a most excellent Crocus Martis.
There is also another way of making Crocus Martis, which doth partly exceed the former, and is made with farre lesse costs, and pains, and it is this.
Strow upon the plates of Steel, Sulphur, and Tartar, being both in a like quantity; then reverberate them, and this wil produce a most excellent Crocus, which must bee taken off from the plates.
Also you must know, that every plate of Iron, or Steel, if it bee melted with Aqua fortis; will also make a very fair Crocus; so also it is made with oyle of Vitriall, spirit of Salt, Allum water, the water of Salt Armoniacke, and of Salt Nitre; as also with sublimated Mercury, all which mortifie Iron, and bring it into a Crocus; but none of these latter wayes is to bee compared to the two former, for they are only used in Alchymie, and not at all in Physicke; wherefore in this, use only the two former, and let alone the rest.
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The mortification of Copper.
The mortification of Copper, viz. that it may be reduced into Vitriall, Verdegrease, The Vitriall of Copper is made two wayes.may bee done many wayes, and there are more processes in it, yet one far better then another, and one more profitable then another. Wherefore it is most convenient here to set down the best, and most profitable, and to bee silent in the rest. The best therefore, the most easy, and exactest way of reducing Copper into Vitriall is this.
Let plates of Copper bee dipt in spirit of Salt, or Salt-Petre, and let them bee hanged in the Aire until they begin to be green, which indeed wil quickly be, wash off this greennesse with cleer fountaine-water, dry the plates with some cloath, and wet them again with the spirit of Salt, and Salt Nitre, and do again as before, so long until the water bee apparently green, or much Vitriall swim on the top: then poure away the water, or evaporate it, and thou hast a most excellent Vitriall for medicine. In Alchymie there is not a fairer, more excellent, and better Vitriall then what is made by Aqua fortis, or Aqua regis, or spirit of Salt Armoniacke. And the processe is this.
Let plates of Copper be melted with one of the aforesaid waters, & as soon as the greeness is extracted, and the plates dryed, let the greeness be taken off with the foot of a Hare, or some other way as you please, as Ceruse is taken off from the plates of Lead: let them bee again wetted as before, until the plates bee wholly consumed, thereby is made a most glorious Vitriall, that thou canst not choose but wonder at it.
How water of Salt-petre and Salt-armoniack is made.
The water of Salt Petre is made thus. Purifie, and powder it; afterwards dissolve it of it selfe in a blad[Pg 41]der, put in boyling water. So thou shalt have the water of Salt Petre.
The water of Salt Armoniacke is made thus: Calcine Salt Armoniack, and dissolve it in a Cellar upon a Marble, and this is water of Salt Armoniack.
Verdegrease may be made two wayes.
But to make Verdegrease out of Copper, there are divers wayes which it is not needful here to recite. Wee shall describe only two, but with a double preparation, viz. The one for Physicke, the other for Alchymie. The processe therefore of Verdegrease to be used in Physick is this.
How verdegrease to be used in physick is to be prepared.
Take plates of Copper, which wet over with the following matter. Take Honey, and Vineger, of each a like quantity, of Salt as much as wil serve to make them up into a thick past. Mixe them well together, then put them into a reverberatory, or Potters furnace so long as the Potter is burning his pots, and thou shalt see the matter that stickes to the plates to bee very black, but let not that trouble thee. For if thou settest those plates in the Aire, all the black matter wil in a few days become green, and become a most excellent Verdegrease, The Balsom of Copper.which may bee called the Balsome of Copper, and is commended by all Physitians. But neverthelesse do not thou wonder that this Verdegrease becomes green in the Aire, and that the Aire can change the black colour into so fair a green.
Aire changeth the Colours of things burnt.
For here thou must know that daily experience in Alchymie doth shew, that any dead earth, or Caput Mortuum, as soon as it comes out of the Fire into the Aire, doth quickly get another colour, and leaves its own colour which it got in the fire. For the changes[Pg 42] of those colours are various. For as the matter is, so are the colours that are made, although for the most part they flow from the blacknesse of the dead earth. For you that are skilful in Alchymie see that the dead earth of Aqua fortis comes black from the Fire, and by how many more ingredients there bee in it, by so much the more variously doe the colours shew themselves in the Aire: sometimes they seem red, as Vitriall makes them: sometimes yellow, white, green, blew: sometimes mixt, as in the Rainbow, or Peacocks taile. All those colours shew themselves after the death, and by the death of the matter. For in the death of all naturall things here are seen other colours, which are changed from the first colour into other colours, every one according to its nature, and property.
The preparation of Verdegrease to be used in Alchymie.
Now we wil speak of that Verdegrease which is to bee used in Alchymie. The preparation, and processe of that is this.
Make very thin plates of Copper, strow upon them Salt, Sulphur, and Tartar ground, and mixed together, of each a like quantity in a great calcining pot. Then reverberate them twenty foure houres with a strong Fire, but so that the plates of Copper do not melt, then take them out, and break the pot, and set the plates with the matter that sticks to them into the Aire for a few dayes, and the matter upon the plates wil bee turned into a faire Verdegrease, which in all sharp Corroding waters, waters of Exaltation, and in Cements, and in colouring of Gold, doth tinge Gold, and Silver with a most deep colour.
How ?s vstum, or Crocus of Copper is to be made.
Now to turne Copper into ?s ustum, which is called the Crocus of Copper, the processe is this:
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Let Copper be ma............