ANNOTATIONSUPON THECONTINUATIONOFMiraculum Mundi.Explaining and Defending theSECRETStherein contained;As also the TrueAurum Potabiletherein mentioned.
Explaining and Defending theSECRETStherein contained;As also the TrueAurum Potabiletherein mentioned.
It is truly said, that He who builds an House by the Highway exposeth his Building to the judgments of all sorts of men, and to their censure especially who have not skill enough in Architecture, to erect a Country Cottage. The same is wont to happen to those who write concerning things not common or unknown. For you shall presently hear People saying,Who knows whether this be true or not?thereby signifying that they cannot perceive those things which exceed their Capacity; but nevertheless they will not altogether reject them, because they are yet in doubt concerning the truth of them. This their doubting is not to be taken ill, because it proceedeth from ignorance, but not from envy. On the contrary, there is another sort of perverse men, who being puffed up with their own putatitious knowledge, despise unknown things, not out of simplicity or ignorance, but out of a meer diabolical envy to those who have a greater knowledge and experience of things than themselves.
This hath also happened, and doth daily happen to me, especially since the publishing of myMiraculum Mundi, in that I have there disclosed Secrets of great moment, of which the Vulgar, nor yet the bubbles of Envy, have plainly no knowledge; and therefore out of meer Envy, reproach them for Unprofitable and False.
But to stop the mouths of such persons, I intend shortly to build a spacious and well-furnished Laboratory, and in it to place a good Laborious Operator, who being occupied therein with continual Labours, shall shew the Divine Wonders to those who desire to see the same. Which being done, I shall have no farther need to defend my Writings against every Calumniator; seeing that I know there will be those (GODwilling) hereafter, who will defend the truth which they have seen with their eyes and handled with their hands.
In this Laboratory shall be seen not only those Artificial destilling Furnaces, and my Press for Wood, with the circulatory Instruments necessary for the easie making of Salt-Petre; but also those things shall be shewed, which I have treated of in myMiraculum Mundi, and its Continuation, yea, and much more than I have there declared.
Those things also which I have ascribed to myAurum Potabileshall be demonstrated to be the very truth,viz.That crude Mercury, in an hour or two’s time, may be by it converted into pure Gold. Nor shall this only be proved, but also that after myAurum Potabilehath tinged and changed the ☿ into pure and constant Gold, that nevertheless it hath yet great Virtue,viz.that any Arsenick, whether white or yellow, being digested in it for some hours, is so changed, that its poisonous quality passeth into a good Medicine, resisting all Poison. Nor doth it only become a powerful Medicine against venomous and incurable diseases, which cannot be eradicated by purging, bleeding, sweating, and the like Remedies, whilst it Tinctureth the evil Humours in the Blood and other parts of the Body, and changeth them into good Humours. But this also being changed into Medicine, and its Venom converted, sheweth its power in Metals; if it be cast upon melted Copper, then the Copper poured out and proved on a Cupel with Saturn, leaveth behind it some good Silver and Gold. These two proofs are sufficient for the defence of myAurum Potabile. But that any one may be yet rendered more certain, after those two Experiments,viz.the coagulation and transmutation of Mercury into pure Gold, and the conversion of poisonous Arsenick into a safe Medicament, he may yet try a third, and that indeed incredible, with the sameAurum Potabilethat hath been twice used, as before, and this not upon mild or slight Poisons, but upon the most dangerous and indefensible both to Men, Beasts, and all living things, to wit, Mercury sublimate,which being digested for some hours in the saidAurum Potabile, layeth aside all its horrid and formidable Venom, and passeth into a safe Purging and Diaphoretick Medicine, and losing its former white Colour and corrosive Venom, it becomes a sweet red Powder, purging out theGout,Pox,Leprosie, and other detestable diseases, and impregnateth Saturn in some measure with a Golden Tincture. So also white Arsenick, after digestion, putteth off its white colour, loseth its corrosive faculty, and is changed into a sweet and yellow powder.
These Experiments and Proofs ought not to be hidden to the Studious of good Medicines, but to be made manifest to the everlasting and immortal testimony of the Truth, against all ignorant Sophisters whatsoever.
I have, for my defence, the most sharp Sword of Truth, whose edge, if any desire to feel, let him come forth; the defence of the Truth will be grateful and easie to me, although the malice of the whole world should oppose me. I here challenge all those Calumniators who being moved by a diabolical envy, have endeavoured to oppose my most true Writings; let them come forth with their Lyes into the open light, and into the view of the whole World, and shew any Experiment like to those which I here promise to shew, that we may see how filthily or basely they will appear, like the darkness vanishing by the light and splendour of the Sun. If they cannot, as indeed it is not in their power, (for he that hath any knowledge of things never contemneth a good one) nor will be possible for them to do; forasmuch as they know nothing, it is but reasonable that for the time to come they should restrain their virulent tongues, and cease to calumniate those things which they neither know nor understand.
I do not wonder that those Slanderers, attempting the coagulation of Mercury into Gold, have erred, seeing that it hath sometimes happened to my self, that I have erred two or three times together, and could not effect that Transmutation, until the cause thereof was known to me: For if through too much haste the humidity of theAurum Potabileshall exhale or evaporate too fast, the Mercury being dried up, cannot be sufficiently penetrated, nor throughly tinged.
An errour also may be committed, if the glass containing the Mercury and theAurum Potabilegrow hot too fast, so that the Mercury with theAurum Potabileboil, and leaps, disperseth it self by too much motion, and exhibiteth it self in form of a powder, when it ought to remain in the bottom, concreted into a round mass. So will he also greatly erre, who shall use Mercury that is not pure and clean, but adulterated, and defiled with many sordes or impurities, which Impediments deny ingress to the Tincture, and render the trial uncertain and precarious. Therefore it is necessary that the Mercury be first well ground with Salt and Vinegar, in alignum vitæ, or Stone or Glass Mortar, and by a diligent washing freed from all its blackness, whereby it more easily admitteth the Tincture. I have found that Mercury very fit for this Operation, which is sublimed by theFulmen of Jove, into which myAurum Potabilehath a swift Ingress, and tingeth the whole of it.
Truly it shews the great ignorance and boldness of those Calumniators, to dare to spread such false clamours and rumours, saying,That Mercury cannot be indeed tinged into Gold by myAurum Potabile, but that the Gold which was before in myAurum Potabileapplieth it self to the Mercury, and in some sort coagulateth it, but doth not render it fixt and constant. But this is indeed a very rude and ignorant Assertion, which every one but meanly versed in the handling of Gold and Mercury, is able to detect of Folly.
For if common Gold, dissolved in Water, would readily coagulate Mercury, what should we further seek or desire? But this is greatly wide of the matter, seeing that in all such Solutions the Gold in digestion adheres to the injected Mercury by precipitation, and passeth with it into a whiteAmalgama, the Mercury constantly persevering in its pristine Nature, not admitting the least transmutation into Gold, the which exceedeth not the knowledge and capacity of Rusticks, but is difficult to be understood by those putatitious Doctors, who believe such things to exceed all Belief.
It is well known, that the purest Gold hath no more of perfection than what it needeth for its own defence; that hath not the least power to amend any other metal, and to render it fixt and constant, much less that it can coagulate Mercury, (the derider of all Alchymists and Sophisters) into Gold. Of both is made a whiteAmalgama, but not hard yellow Gold constant in the Fire. He that believeth not me, let him make trial himself, and he shall find it answerable to my words. Besides, all corporeal Gold refuseth solution by fixt Nitre, of which myAurum Potabileis prepared, the which, if it were yet possible, the Gold would not be hid in it, but the solution would be yellow, and would colour the skin with a subrubid or blackish colour, which myAurum Potabiledoth not. Therefore its tinging Virtue consisteth not in corporeal Gold, but in a golden Tincture, from the firstEnsof Gold, converted into an Astral Essence, by the benefit of Art. By a like reason theAstrumofLunaimpresseth Mercury with the nature of Silver, theAstrumofVenustransmuteth it into Copper, theAstrumofMarsconverteth the same into hard Iron, theAstrumofJupiterof it maketh Tin, and theAstrumof Saturn investeth it with the nature of Lead. For Mercury is transmuted into that Metal, whoseAstrumit shall receive. So theAstrumof Mercury changeth all the metals into a runningArgent-vive, although this transmutation brings little or no profit. Nevertheless, I intend to prepare theAstrumsof all the metals, and thereby to shew the power of Nature and Art to the studious of the Truth, and so to manifest it to the World. TheAstrumsof metals being extracted from their firstEns, they are no longer metals, but their tinging Anima’s, which at length with Mercury, become corporeal metals.
This is the true and genuine Foundation, upon which the whole structure of myAurum Potabileis built. Therefore, as pure Gold, cannot render Mercury partaker of its own golden nature; so neither Silver, nor Copper, nor any other metal, will communicate its nature to Mercury, but being precipitated, attracteth it to it self, but in no wise changeth it. Hence the Philosophers say, That the Tinctures of Metals are not to be sought in the metals themselves, but in their firstEns.AsBasil Valentine;
Quod prima Entia non efficiunt,Hoc Aurum & Argentum non faciunt.
Quod prima Entia non efficiunt,Hoc Aurum & Argentum non faciunt.
Quod prima Entia non efficiunt,Hoc Aurum & Argentum non faciunt.
Quod prima Entia non efficiunt,
Hoc Aurum & Argentum non faciunt.
Which is to be well regarded by him who desires to attain his wishes.
From all these things it appears, that myAurum Potabilebeing made of the firstEnsof Gold, by Art, into an Astral Tincture, ought to be an excellent Medicine; as also, that it is such, I have largely demonstrated: For if it were not better than a common Solution of Gold, it would not change Mercury into true Gold, neither also would it have the power of transmuting a most potent Poison into an excellent Medicine. Without doubt, such Medicaments, which by the help of myAurum Potabile, from most violent Poisons, are changed into so salubrious a nature, as Antidotes, do powerfully refill other Poisons and pertinacious Diseases, and may be used in Physick with great admiration. What would it profit, if the Body should be purged by an hundred stools, and at the same time the Disease doth not consist in the matter of stools, but still keeps its place, and gives no way, except it be attacked in its own quarters? Neither will it avail anything to let all the blood out of the body, if the fear of the Disease be not in the blood. Yea, if it were there fixed, and the whole mass of blood wholly corrupted, it would be in vain to undertake to amend the same by bleeding; for all the blood cannot be drawn out, without peril of Life. And if, for example sake, two or three pounds of twenty should be left in the body, to be amended by sanguifying Meats and Drinks, and good Blood to be encreased, yet the event would not be answerable, because the encreasing blood would be corrupted by the former. E. g. An Hogshead of sharp Vinegar, out of which, if you should draw all the Vinegar, leaving only the fæces or Lees, and should by degrees pour into it noble and generous Wine, the Wine would be plainly corrupted by those few fæces. Even so it is with those fixed Diseases, which have taken such deep root in the humane body, that they cannot be taken away neither by Purging, Bleeding, nor Sweating, nor by outward Anointings. Therefore they are to be tinged and amended in those places, to which they pertinaciously adhere, by the help of Tinctures or Astral Medicines, as above is done with Mercury, and Mercury sublimate, that remaining there, they may put on a better nature and quality, and no farther molest the humane body. And this is the true and genuine way of Curing radicated and incurable Diseases. Yet I would not be so understood, as if I condemned all Purgation; for Purging being used at a due time, brings no small profit. Blood-letting also being seasonably used, wants not its utility; but being often abused, is the cause of great mischiefs, and not seldom hastens on untimely death.
Moreover, the following Experiment, for the trying the Truth of myAurum Potabile, is not to be contemned. Rub someArgent-viveupon a small Silver Plate, and what is superfluous, and doth not adhere, wipe off with a Linen cloth, after the manner of Goldsmiths, (or Gilders) who gild with theAmalgamaof Gold and Quick-silver: Digest the Silver Plate in myAurum Potabile, for half an hour, or an hour, then take it out, and you shall see with how, fair a Golden Colour it will be gilt. For in this digestion the Mercury is not so heated, that it can vanish in smoak, and therefore adhereth to the Silver Plate, and is tinged by myAurum Potabileinto the best Gold. Now try the same operation with another Silver Plate, rubbed over withArgent-vive, and digest it in a solution containing corporeal Gold, to see if that Plate will be gilt like the other. For the Plate coming out white, you will see a very great difference.
I could here add more such Experiments, if I thought it needful. If Goldsmiths (or Gilders) could gild their Silver Vessels, by such a coction (or digestion) in a solution of corporeal Gold, without doubt they would soon leave the common way of gilding by theAmalgamaof Mercury and Gold, because by its poisonous Mercurial fume, affecting the bodies of those who handle it, it is wont to cast them into dangerous and lasting Diseases. But because they can effect nothing by such golden solutions, they are forced to supersede their Use, and to acquiesce in the old usual way.
These few things of myAurum Potabile, which is the Fourth and Last Article in myContinuation of Miraculum Mundi, I am constrained to publish for its defence, that every one may know I have not attributed too much to it, but that it can perform much more; the truth of which I am ready to exhibit. Therefore this is a Medicament most worthy to be presented to Great and Noble Men, as a precious Gift.
As for the Third Process in the same Work, which is offered to Physicians and Citizens, that they may by an easie labour obtain good Medicines for Mankind, and an honest livelihood; it is openly and clearly described, so that in it not the least thing is hidden or concealed, I cannot force any to believe or try the matter; I have enough to do with my own affairs; but if in my Youth I could have obtained such a Manuduction, as I have hitherto and still do administer to others, I should not have been forced to the searching out of Nature with so great charge and labours, heavy stinks, and great danger of my Life, as I have. I here again assert that which I have often asserted,viz.That by the fulminating of Salt-Petre with Tin and Mercury, much Gold and Silver is acquired; which thing I have often done, and as yet can do it, and do promise that in due time I will demonstrate it publickly in my Laboratory to Friends. The other point, in which I have taught how Rich men may augment or improve their Gold and Silver, much safer than they are wont to do by putting it to Usury, I have truly and candidly revealed, and have kept back nothing. NB. But that there are other waies of acquiring Riches, without great Cost and Labours at the Fire, the troublesome Exercise of Merchandise, or other things, disturbing or hurting the mind, I do in no wise deny. For the like things are every where obvious, in divers place of my Writings, especially in the 2, 3, and 4 parts ofThe Prosperity of Germany, where mention is made of an Excellent Work, by means of which an honest livelihood may be obtained in tranquility, without noise, meltings, and blowings of Bellows, and that by the help of a certain Water extracting Gold and Silver from Sand, Earth, Clay, Stones, and Minerals, without great labour and costs. And although there should not be at hand any such Earth, Sand, or Stones, which contain Gold and Silver, from which these cannot be elicited by common melting; (yet there is hardly any place in the World, where these matters do not occurr) nevertheless there is no want of Lead and Tin, from which two at all times, and in all places of the World, Gold and Silver, by the help of the said Water of Salt-petre may be extracted; which is an excellent and profitable Art, the which, lest it should die with me, I have already shewed it to some Friends.
I also here promise, that in my publick Laboratory I will shew and demonstrate various Secrets. But let no man perswade himself that I will do this to all men, without descrimination, or admit every unknown Person to this demonstration, but only those whose Piety and Candour I my self have long known, or such as shall be recommended by them, or other known Friends.
Moreover, besides my publick Laboratory, I will also have a private one, in which shall be shewed to my Friends the more curious and excellent things which I have mentioned in my Writings.
There shall be shewed rare and hitherto unknown Wonders of Nature, as Vegetable and Mineral Plants. As for example.
Vegetables of a Metallick Nature; of which we have spoken in the Treatise ofThe Nature of Salts.Herbs springing up or growing out of hard Flints, yea, out of pieces of Iron.Metals in a few hours growing up like Vegetables, by the help of a certain Water; concerning which, see my Description of the Liquor of Flints, inThe Second Part of Furnaces.Metals in a few hours space, like Herbs, without the addition of any foreign matter, growing up, so that they lose nothing in the trial of the Cupel.
Vegetables of a Metallick Nature; of which we have spoken in the Treatise ofThe Nature of Salts.
Herbs springing up or growing out of hard Flints, yea, out of pieces of Iron.
Metals in a few hours growing up like Vegetables, by the help of a certain Water; concerning which, see my Description of the Liquor of Flints, inThe Second Part of Furnaces.
Metals in a few hours space, like Herbs, without the addition of any foreign matter, growing up, so that they lose nothing in the trial of the Cupel.
Also divers manual Operations, and Compendiums not common in the Destillation of excellent Spirits, profitable both in Alchymy and Physick, such are Spirit of Nitre, Spirit of Salt,Aqua-fortis,Aqua-regis, and the like, by which they are so easily and swiftly destilled, that with two or three pound of Coals, by a Body and Head, in Sand, every hour may be destilled one pound of spirit, and that so pure, sweet, and clear, that it needs no rectification.
But seeing that this is a thing unheard of, and therefore will be look’d upon by the common Chymists as a thing incredible, I cannot forbear here only to point at the way, by which it may appear possible to be done.
Suppose that I have need of some pounds of spirit of salt, and want the opportunity of preparing it in a long time, by the force of fire, I use the following preparation. Instead of a great and continual fire, I use a separatory Art, severing the pure from the impure, dissolving common Kitchin-salt, or salt-petre, in common Water, and adding to the solution put into a Cucurbit a separatory sulphur. The Cucurbit, with a Head or Retort, (by which also the Destillation may be made) being set in sand, I kindle a fire, by which the water containing the salt may boil, and so by the sulphur, in the boiling, the pure parts are separated from the impure; the purer parts are rendered very fugacious and sweet clear spirits; the grosser, more earthy and fixed salt remaineth in the Cucurbit or Retort, of a very wonderful Nature and Property. And after this manner, from one pound of salt or salt-petre, may easily be destilled one pound of spirit of salt, or spirit of Nitre. From a pretty large Cucurbit, in ten hours, may be made ten pounds of spirit of salt, or spirit of Nitre, which two spirits being mixed together, make anAqua-regia. The quantity of your spirit in each Destillation will be greater or lesser, according as your Cucurbit is larger or smaller. He that desireth to makeAqua-regiaby the same destillation, must dissolve equal parts of salt and salt-petre in Water, and destil by a Body or Retort.
This is indeed an excellent Compendium for all those that need a great quantity of those Spirits. Gold, Silver, as also all the other Metals, may be dissolved withoutAqua-fortis, orAqua-regis, and the like spirits, by the help of certain salts dissolved in water, which truly is also a famous Invention. So also it is with those other rare Experiments above mentioned; as for example, If a metal ought to grow in height, something contrary is to be added to it; for this, while it flieth from its contrary, arising out of the mass, groweth up as well in the dry as the moist way.
If we would have an hard Metal or Flint bring forth an Herb; the Metal, whether it be gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, or lead, are first to be reduced into a tender Powder by salts, and that Powder being put into an Earthen Vessel, is to be moistened with a certain peculiar Water, and the seeds of the Herbs to be sowed or set therein, which after they are grown to perfection, are to be no longer moistened, but the powder is to be exposed to the Rays of the Sun, which again becoming a metal or an hard stone, plainly like to another metal or stone, containeth the inhering Roots of the Herb, and causeth the Ignorant to admire how an Herb should grow out of a piece of Gold, Silver, Iron, Copper, or an hard Flint. This is also certain, and not to be doubted, that the said Herbs so growing out of the Metals, do obtain the nature and properties of those out of which they arise.
Although these Experiments of Herbs thus growing afford no profit, yet they are noble Operations of Nature and Art, having more in them than they promise at the first sight, therefore I have not here brought them in vain, inasmuch as they are of no small moment.
But that I may here (at least) mention somewhat of this growing faculty of Vegetables and Metals, be it known to every one, that in my publick Laboratory shall be seen the seeds of all sorts of Herbs, and especially of Grain, as Wheat, Barly, Oats, and others,viz.by what means they may be so prepared, as to acquire a swift faculty of growing, and that one grain may produce ten, twenty, or thirty strong stalks, with full ears, and fruit an hundred fold.
In like manner shall be shewed to some Friends, how Salt-Petre, as the only promoter and helper of the growing faculty, may be sowed it self, so that it shall recompence the labour an hundred fold; for salt-petre multiplieth it self, and groweth up out of common salt, like other Vegetables; whence that old Proverb of sowing of salt might perhaps take its Original.
It behoveth that I here make mention of yet another wonderful thing concerning the growing faculty, to be shewn (God willing) in my private Laboratory. And it is this, that Gold and Silver do grow, are encreased and multiplied out of gross Saturn, even as the seeds of Vegetables, out of a dunged and salt Earth, so that in fifty ounces there is daily an augmentation of one ounce, if not of two. He that shall be here a good Husbandman, and skilful in ploughing of Saturn, and rendering him fertile, and of sowing or planting in him a fit seed, he will have a plentiful Harvest, answerable to the seed which he sowed, and will easily gain three or four times as much.
Therefore, because the growing faculty of Vegetables, Animals, and Minerals, or Metals, taketh its rise from the only and Universal Salt of the Earth, and this from the Salt of the Sea, and the Sea Salt, from the Sun, if the Divine Goodness shall grant me Life, I will shew to my Friends, how by small labour and charge, the Universal Salt fatness, fit for the rendring all barren and sandy ground fruitful, instead of Dung, may be copiously separated from Sea Salt. Yea if need require, I can easily demonstrate, that also the natural Seed of Gold, the true Universal Medicine may be prepared of the same, or that it may be acquired from the visible Ocean which is known to every Man. But seeing that belongs not to this place, we referr the Reader, desirous of such subtile knowledge, to the Treatise of the Nature of Salts, where he will find those things which will satisfie his desire.
These, and the like Experiments shall be shewn in my Laboratory, among all which, that is the most excellent, by which a Man, without the incommoding of another, and with great quietness and Tranquility, may honestly get his Food and Raiment. There shall be also demonstrated those fourArcanumstreated of inthe Continuation ofMiraculum Mundi, and many other things treated of in my Writings, which many believe cannot be effected. That so I, by giving an occular Demonstration, may vindicate my Writings from the Injuries and Reproaches of the ignorant, and also leave behind me somewhat for the good of Posterity.