CHAP. I.

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.

The Explanation of the CUT.