CHAP. X.
Of the Nature and Property of that Fire, which lies hid in Tartar, or the Stony Fæces of Wine.
Tartar is a Salt, which in Fermentation separating it self from the Wine, adheres partly to the sides of Wine Cask, and partly resides with the Dregs in the Bottom. This Salt or Tartar, although it is numbred among Salts, yet it is of another disposition than all other Salts; because they may be dissolved in cold Water, but this Tartar cannot be dissolved, except in boiling Water onely. No Man hitherto was willing to open the Cause of this hard Tye. But I, seeing Death daily approaching nearer and nearer, was not willing to carry it with me to my long Home, therefore I chose rather to leave it behind me for Mankinds sake. And thus it is with Tartar. Tartar contains in it self a peculiar Sulphur by which the Salt is so bound or fixed, as it cannot like other Salt be dissolved in cold Water. For if the Sulphur be separated from it, it is easily dissolved in cold Water, like other Salts. Yet so soon as such Sulphur is taken from it, the secret Fire which lay hid in it, is also taken away: and thenceforth it can no more serve instead of a secret Fire, by which Metals are ripened into Tinctures; but is rendred onely fit to perform its Office in medicine. Touching which, for brevity sake we shall here make no mention.
The method of depriving Tartar of its tinging Sulphur, that it may be dissolved in cold, is thus: By burning two Pound of Tartar, reduce it into a white Salt, upon which, if you pour Water to dissolve it, it will become a Lixivium. Which Lixivium pour upon one Pound of Tartar, and boil them together in an Earthen glazed Pot: Then the Lixivium dissolves the Tartar, and separates the binding or fixing Sulphur from the Salt. Then pour on one part of common Tartar, boil them together yet once, filter the boiled Liquour through Paper; then in the bottom will remain the Sulphureous Fæces, and the Water of Tartar pass through yellowish; upon which Water pour distilled Vinegar to mortifie the Lixivium. This being done, the Vinegar will also be coagulated with both Salts, and be changed into one Salt; which Salt in Medicine and Alchymy is of great use and benefit; touching which if I should here write more I should be too tedious: but (GOD willing) the manifold use of it shall be shewed in my Third Century. For here my purpose is not more at large to speak of the matter. [vide Helm. Fol. 183. and Basilius p. 240.]
That feculent Slime, which adheres to the sides of the Filter you should not cast away, but endeavour to fix. For then you will find some admirable thing, and more than here I dare discover. Because that is the genuine Coagulator of running Waters, which it hardens, and is joined in a singular familiarity with metals, and especially with Sol; as I with admiration have experienced. For in a few hours it tinged Sol with whiteness, and turned it into brittle Glass; whereas otherwise Sol is an Enemy to every volatile Sulphur. I do not believe there is any other thing in Nature second to this wonderfull Sulphur; which is endewed with a potency coagulating and hardning running Subjects. For nothing, except Sulphur onely, can be found, which coagulates and tingeth. Mercury and Salt tinge not: but Sulphur doth that. Consider I pray, how great power common Sulphur hath over Mercury, since four Ounces of it can coagulate a Pound of running Mercury into hard and red Cinnabar. Also four Ounces of common Sulphur can coagulate two or three Pounds of Oil into a Liver-like Mass: and one Pound of Oil reduce ten Pounds of Lixivium into hard Soap. Likewise one or two half Ounces of the volatile Vapour of Sulphur in subterranean Veins, can coagulate serene Water into hard Rocks and Stones, as also all sorts of minerals and metals. So, that little Sulphur which is found in Tartar, can render much sower Wine or Water hard as a Liver; as is known to those that labour in Wine and Vinegar.
I once purposed and endeavoured to extract from Gold its Tincture by the benefit of Salts, among which Salts Tartar also was; whence my Gold came out white and altogether brittle as Glass. But I, being willing to prove whether my Gold was constantly white or no, cupellated that with Saturn; and then I found my Gold not to remain white, but to have received its pristine yellow Colour. That whiteness proceeded from nothing else, than the tinging Sulphur of Tartar, and because the Colour was not fixed, therefore in cupellating it vanished away:
Note: Hence, when I had broken small a little of this tinged white and brittle Sol, and cast it upon a little vulgar Mercury made hot in a Crucible, it presently had ingress, and coagulated the Mercury into an heavy white Body, which when I exposed to a cineritious Examen, all the Mercury vanished, and the Sol onely remained in its Colour. The Reason hereof was because the aforesaid Sulphur of Tartar was not fixed. Yet thence I observed, that it might be fixed with Sol into a constant Redness. If any one hath convenient time and place, he may more profoundly search into this Work, because in it lies a great Arcanum. But how otherwise from Gold its Tincture is to be extracted, shall afterward be taught. Enough of that at this time.
But there remains this one thing to be spoken, viz. that whosoever knows how to conjoin the Sulphur of Tartar with the Sulphur of Metals, send to fix it with them, may certainly obtain the Tincture: As Ripley clearly intimated, when he said, He saw a red Toad so long and so often drinking of the Juice of Grapes, as until his Bowels burst. If you do more seriously think of this (and GOD judge you worthy of his Grace) you will experience wonderous things; if not, then conclude thou wast not worthy of those Secrets. So much may suffice for this time to be spoken touching the admirable Sulphur of Tartar. More elsewhere of it, if GOD will.