The manner of Distilling.
In the first place, let there be some burning Coals put in, which afterwards must be covered with more until the Furnace be full almost to the pipe, which being done, let not the uppermost cover be laid over its hole (that the heat and smoak may pass that way, and not thorow the pipe, and receivers, which will thereby be red hot; and this will be a hindrance to the distillation) until the fire be sufficiently kindled, and the Furnace be throughly hot; then cast in, with an Iron ladle, of the matter prepared for distillation as much as will cover the Coals, which being done, stop the Furnace very close, by pressing down strongly the upper cover upon its hole or sand, which is put in the lower part of the hole, being a place made for that purpose. Now let him that casts in any thing thorow the middle hole, presently stop it with a stopple of stone, and that very close, for by this means all those things which were cast in, will be forced, after the manner of a thick Cloud, to break forth through the pipe into the receivers, and there to condense themselves into an acid spirit or oyl, and thence to distil into the dish set under, through the pipe whereof they do yet distil down further into another glass receiver. The Coals being burnt out, and all the spirits being come forth, you must cast in more Coals, and more materials, until you have got a sufficient quantity of Spirits. In this way of distilling, you may at your pleasure cease, and begin again without any danger.
When you will make clean the Furnace, you need do nothing else, then draw out the Iron bars that lye on the cross bar, that the Caput Mortuum may fall down, which afterwards may be taken away with a Fire-shovel, which being done, you must put in the bars again, and lay them on the cross-bars as before, upon which you must cast burning Coals, and upon them others, until there be enough, then on them all, being well kindled, cast your materials.
When you go to make clean the receivers, and to begin to distil another thing, you need not remove them, but only pour pure Water into them, viz. by their upper receiver, by the descending whereof the other are purified.
And by this way, not only out of Vegetables, and volatile Minerals (incombustible) but also out of fixed Metals and Stones, spirits, oyls, and flowers, are drawn forth wonderfully, easily, and in good quantity, which otherwise could never have been done by the vulgar art of distilling.
Now, in this Furnace are distilled only such materials, which being distilled, yield an incombustible humidity, as common Salt, Vitriol, Allom, and other Minerals and Metals, each of which doth yet require their peculiar manuals, if operated upon.
Now, because this Furnace doth not serve for every matter, because the materials to be distilled are cast upon burning Coals, which are things Combustible, I have determined in the second part to give another, viz. a lesser, unlike to this, yet convenient to distil all combustible things that are endued with volatile spirits, as Tartar, Harts-horn, Amber, Sal Armoniack, Urine, &c. There are, by the help hereof, made most subtile, volatile, sulphureous spirits of Salts, and Minerals, as of common Salt, Vitriol, Allom, Nitre, Antimony, and of all other Minerals and Metals, which otherwise, without this Furnace, could not have been made, with which spirits, wonderful things are performed in Medicine and Alchymy, as in the Second Part shall be demonstrated more largely.
Now I will shew you a way to make other Receivers belonging to the first Furnace, and indeed, such as are more fit for some Operations, as the former were more fit for others: wherefore let him that will operate, chuse these, or the other, as he pleaseth.
As therefore the former being erected upwards by a wall, or ladder, by which means the spirit might ascend from one into another so long, until being refrigerated and condensed might again drop downward into the dish that is annexed thereto: so these are a contrary way set and placed collateral in a vessel filled with cold Water to condense the spirits, by which means you need not so many receivers; also they must not be fashioned like the former, as to be open above, and below, but only above like pots that serve for boyling: but this you must observe, that by how much the deeper and larger they are, by so much the better they are.
Also you must joyn them together by the help of earthen pipes, being so distinct, that the spirits may be kept back, being yet hot (and not refrigerated) from passing out of one into the other, but being forced through the middle of the separation of the pipes, may go to the bottom of every receiver, and thence arise by another pipe into another receiver that hath a double cover like the former, where again descending to the cold bottom, remain refrigerated and condensed. Now three or four of these are enough (whereas of other, thirteen or fifteen are required) a regard being had of their Greatness.