The Second Rule.
Of Jupiter and his Nature.
Whatsoever thing is manifest, (as the Body of Jupiter for example) the six other Corporeal Metals are therein hidden spiritually, and one more profound and remote than another. Jupiter partakes not of the quintessence, but of the nature of the four Elements, therefore his fluidity is manifested by a little heat of the Fire, and his coagulation in like sort perfected by a little cold, and hath communion with the rest of the metalline Fluxes.
Wherefore by how much one thing is in nature like to another, by so much the readier is it united thereunto, if they mutually touch one another; that also which is nigh, is more efficacious and sensible; for that which is afar off, doth not enforce, nor is that which is remote, how great soever it be, much feared. Hence ’tis that heaven is not desired, because ’tis far distant, nor seen by any one; neither is hell feared, because it is far off, whose form none hath known and seen, nor felt the Torment, and therefore ’tis valued as nothing. Those things then that are absent, are little regarded, or plainly rejected, being constituted in a thick place, for by the property of the place every thing is deteriorated or meliorated; which thing may be proved by many Examples.
By how much therefore Jupiter is farther off from ♂ and ♀, and nigher to the Sun and Moon, by so much the more Golden or Silver-like is he in his own body, and seems more great, potent, pellucid, sensible, more fair, pleasant, notable, palpable, more true and more certain than elongated, or at a distance. On the contrary, by how much the more he is elongated, by so much the more vile and abject he is in the matters aforesaid: for things present are alwaies more notable than those which are absent: by how much any thing visible is nearer, by so much a thing invisible is more remote. Therefore it behoves the Alchymist to study how he may place Jupiter in a spiritual Arcanum and remote place, in which are Sol and Luna; and that he may take Sol and Luna from far, and bring them near, into a place where Jupiter existeth corporally, so that the Sol and Luna may also be corporal and truly present before his eyes in the Examen. For there are various labours and modes of transmuting metals from their imperfection, into a perfect state.
To mix one with another, and again to separate the one from the other pure and sincere, is nothing else but a genuine permutation made by the labour of Alchymy. Note, that Jupiter hath much Gold, and not a little Silver. Put to him Saturn and Luna, and the Luna will be augmented by the rest.
Glaub.] Although I do not certainly know the reason why Paracelsus beginning with Mercury, passeth next to Jupiter; nevertheless it is very probable that he would thereby point at some singular Mystery. Here he repeateth the former sentence, saying, Every visible metal hideth in it self the rest invisibly, from which if we would reap any good, their invisible and spiritual Gold is to be taken and brought near, or to be visible; and on the contrary, the visible to be removed afar off and made invisible. But how this ought to be done he doth not teach, but leaves the Reader to search it out in his seven Canons or Rules, which are very difficult to be understood not only by a rude Tyro, but even by one well exercised: And seeing that not one in a thousand understands them, it is no wonder that his Writings have been had in Contempt.
Without doubt he aimed at our good, supposing he had written very clearly, and directed his speech in such a manner, as if he had to do with one that is skilful in the metalline nature, without having any respect to the common blindness and ignorance, whereby he received great thanks, and was highly esteemed of by all.
But what shall we say or do? ’Tis bad meeting with wicked proud men, as thou most clearly writest; yet because the unexercised, if they have even once erred, they wrack and abuse the Writer with meer slanders: Hence it comes to pass, that many desire rather to be silent, and leave unto fools their own toys and vanities: But the Case being with more accurate examination considered, it seemeth evil to be revenged on the Innocent as well as the Guilty.
As for Tin, if thou searchest into its nature and property, it is a pure (compared with the other metals) unripe metal, abounding with very much combustible Sulphur, whereby it obtains its liquifaction and corruption in the fire: which being removed (and it may be done with a gentle fire) it loseth its metalline fluidity, and very much resembles unmelted ashes, whereto if you add another sulphur, whereby that ashes may turn into a metal; and again convertest it into ashes, repeating this labour until all its combustible sulphur being burnt up, it refuseth to go into ashes, by Calcination, and then melt it, ’twill easily give forth its gold and silver in the trial (im abtreiben.) Now, in the being mixt with Lead, it causeth a strife in a strong Fire, and getting uppermost, turns into ashes, that is to be imputed to the combustible sulphur, whereby it so being melted with Gold, Silver, Copper and Iron, it makes them brittle like to Glass, but being dispelled of that Sulphur, by roasting or calcining by Incineration or Cementation, or any other way, it doth not any more make them brittle (which thing to do is full of difficulty) but is melted with them, and most easily separated with, Venus (last sich sehgern) she knowing how by her kind and flattering words to perswade the two old men ♄ and ♃, mutually to abide each other in the fire; Gold and Silver will also do the same thing; but because they are precious and easily flow out of the Crucible, and the Work may perish, it is sufficient to use ♀, which also will give from it self its own hidden Gold and Silver, and not to take these metals which are purified with great labour, and drown them afresh in impure metals, and destroy them.
There are also other waies of purging ♃, from his superfluous sulphur, viz. a Nitrous fire. If filed ♃, being mixt with Nitre, Sulphur, & Sawdust, be kindled, part of the tin is elevated up into flores, and a part remains reducible in a strong fire, which is to be so often handled the aforesaid way, till all the substance be reduced, into flores and ashes, the metallick form and nature being most plainly destroyed; after this, let the flores be gathered out of the Receivers, and the ashes elixiviated or washed, and by the help of a good Flux be reduced into a metal, which is to be again filed, sublimed, and burnt, as before, until all the Tin remains like Scoria, and will not sublime; which being melted with Lead and separated, (mit Blen amstieden und abtreiben) thou shalt find gold and silver shut up in its bowels.
Likewise pour fixed Nitre (the liquor of it) on the filings of Tin, digest it its time, supply the evaporating moisture with new Liquor, that it may be alwaies moist, but yet let it not be too wet, but like thick water. This Liquor dissolves and takes away the combustible sulphur of the Tin, and fixeth that which is incombustible, and makes it capable of enduring the fire; so that being melted with Lead, and purged (aensieden und abtreiben) it yields its gold and silver.
Another separation is thus instituted; Reduce Tin with common ♄ or Regulus, ♁ j. into Glass or Amausa, which keep a good while in Flux in a strong fire, (forget not the inceration of Nitre or salt of Tartar) by which labour the purer parts of the ♃ being gathered together, do give a Regulus, the impurer parts separating themselves with the Lead and Salt into Scoria, the Regulus being purged (abgetieben) thou shalt have the fixed gold and silver in the Cupel.
But ’tis to be known, that these Operations may be done without Copper, but yet will yield more ☉ and ☽ if Copper be added; not only for that the ♀ it self gives forth its ☉ and ☽, but because Tin of it self, without the admixtion of ♀, doth not willingly let go its own ☉ and ☽. But in seeking of shelter amongst its own ♀, and withdrawing it self to the Scoria, is there hidden (the Labour being finished) the Scoria can no more attract it into it self.
♀ therefore is as it were a Receptacle, wherein the Sun and Moon collected and separated out of the mass, can defend and hide it self, and is by Chymists called a Bath or Balneum.
In the 4th. Chapter, which treats of ♀, a more large account is given of this labour of metalline Glass. Moreover gold and silver may be separated out of tin in this wise.
Melt common Lead in a Test (treib scherben) under a Muffle (een muffel) and being throughly hot, cast in a little ♃, and it will incontinently have Ingress, but will forthwith ascend and kindle like burning sparks and go into ashes; which must be taken off with a crooked Instrument, and more new Tin put in; which being burnt, let it be taken out. Repeat this labour so long, till all the Lead be devoured as it were by the Tin.
Put these ashes on a Test, under a Muffle, and let them be yet well heated by the fire for an hour; so that if any grains of ♄ remain, they may be made ashes, and the calcined ashes of the tin may be the better fixed. Reduce these ashes, and ’twill become a metal, which let be again made ashes upon a Test; repeat this labour, until in reduction it refuseth to go into a metal, but remains a Scoria and a metal destroyed; which put into an excellent Crucible, and by a Flux made of Tartar and Nitre, let it melt its due time, and the fixed Tin, together with part of the Lead, will go to the bottom into a Regulus; which being washed (abgetrieben) makes manifest the gold and silver hid in the Tin on the Test. This Labour is neat, easie, and but of small charge, especially where wood and coals are cheap, the Scoria, from which the Regulus is separated, is not to be thrown away, but kept for other uses, of which we shall presently speak.
Now he that promiseth Gain unto himself from this small work on a Test, is deceived, because hereby is only found how much ☉ and ☽ is contained in an hundred weight of ♃, and what costs are expended in its melting, whereby may be computed what gains may be expected every day, nor indeed is this work (thus done under a muffle) so profitably accomplished, as ’tis in greater Furnaces, where being a greater heat of fire, a more plentiful gain is promised. And although because of many various Imployments my self never tryed, yet I will briefly delineate and describe how a large Return may be made, according to Calculation, computed by a smaller quantity.
An hundred of Tin requires 10 or 12 C. of ♄; (the work being wisely handled) the price of the Lead, ♃, Coals and Labour, being summed up, and being substracted from the ☉, there seems to remain but a very little to defray the charges. But if you look thereinto a little more narrowly, you will find a recompence and benefit arising thence, not to be despised, especially if you use Lead impregnated with ☽, which by reason of not considering the benefit and gain, remains unseparated therefrom. Likewise you may use a golden ♃, such being often found as contains as much ☉ as the ♃ costs; and you may also meet with ♄, which contains as much ☽ as the Lead is worth, but not separated by the Refiners, because they are ignorant of this separation, which by the usual way cannot be separated with profit: and that your Labour may be the more beneficial, you may add to your ♃ some golden or silver stones and minerals, as Marcasites, ♁, Arsenick, Auripigment, Cobolt, and various Pyrites or Kisij (which because of the small quantity of their included ☉, are never wont to be melted) & let them be scorified, which yielding also their gold and silver, do bring in a greater profit; but especially if these Minerals having been first melted with Copper, are by the benefit of Iron (or melted with Iron) brought into Regulus, and their Gold reduced to a narrow compass, which Regulus being thrown into the Lead, together with the Tin, let be made into Scoria, and then their ☉ is gotten without much charge, and is depurated by the Tin. But now, if you would have this separation profitable, it is not to be done in Crucibles, but in well compact Furnaces or Hearths, whereon the bright flames running, let your metals be throughly heated or calcined, and your Calcination, Incineration, or Annihilation being accomplished, let Reduction be made in an acute Furnace, (im Stichofen,) of which thing my time permits me not to give any larger account; its sufficient to have experienced the truth thereof in a lesser quantity; any one may try his fortune in Metallick Operations.
Now, although there are more waies of separating ☉ and ☽ from ♃, yet what I have already declared seems sufficient for this time; the following Chapters, wherein the nature of the other metals is treated of, will manifestly open what I have decreed to discover concerning them.