Of the Tincture of Gold,
Or the True
AURUM POTABILE:
What it is, and how it differs from the false and sophisticated Aurum Potabile: How it tis be Spagirically prepared; And how to be used in Medicine.
Of Aurum Potabile.
There is no man that can deny, that the true and ancient Philosophers did study long life, and the conservation of their health. Whence it came to pass that they did diligently seek out the subject of preserving health, and prolonging life: wherefore by the help of fire they did practise the separations, and proofs of all vegetables, animals, and minerals, seeking out their powers and vertues: Who found out the greatest harmony of all things as well in the heavens, as on earth, betwixt the Sun, Gold, Man and wine. For it cannot be denyed, that the life of all things proceeds from the heat of the Sun; wherefore they sought to unite gold the terrestrial sun or body fixed and perfect, caused by the rays of the sun, with man by the help of spirit of wine.
But haply there will be some, whom this my narration may offend denying that gold is the Son of the sun, or a metallick body fixed and perfect, proceeding from the rayes of the sun; asking how the solary immaterial rayes can be made material and corporeal? But they are very ignorant of the generation of metals, and minerals. And although I am not now resolved to write of the generation, and original of metals, yet endeavouring to demonstrate that there is a vivifying power of the sun to be found in gold (destroyed and volatilized) and to be prepared into a most wholesome medicine for man, I will not omit for the sake of the ignorant and incredulous, to demonstrate the truth by one or two examples, which although I could demonstrate by most certain and firm reasons, yet for brevities sake I am now resolved to omit them, recommending to the searcher of the Nature, and propriety of metals, my treatise De Generatione Metallorum, which without doubt will take away all scruple from him; objecting only against him that oppposeth the truth, two questions and reasons which are to be confuted: and the first is, whence comes that increase of both the quantity and quality of any viscous, mineral liquor, that hath been exposed long to the Sun in an open glass vessel? Whether from the Sun, or elsewhere? But thou sayest, that that encrease comes from the air, the vehicle of all things. I answer, if from the air, whether was not that air impregnated by the Sun? and whether there be any thing in the air, which it received not from the stars? But place this liquor in a cold Cellar, in a moist air, and thou shalt by experience know that no weight is added thereto, even as in the Sun, or (in his stead) fire: that Liquor will draw some phlegmatick moisture which will be easily separated by heat, the weight of the former liquor being left. This may be shewed by this Example: dissolve some sulphurous metal, as Iron, Copper, or Zinck, with any acid spirit, and at length take away the spirit, make the remainder red hot; yet not too much, but as much as sufficeth to take away the spirits, which afterward (its weight being observed) put in a crucible on the fire, but take heed lest the metal run over, but at length let it darkly glow with the crucible, for the space of three or four weeks, which done, take it away again, and weigh again the metal, and thou shalt find the evident encrease of the metal, which thou shalt perceive more evidently by this way, as follows: Put copper, or some sulphurous metal, with 16 or 18 parts of lead in a well-burnt cupel; made of the ashes of wood or bones, in a tryed furnace, (the weight of the cupel, copper, and lead first exactly observed) and cause the copper to evaporate by fire with the lead, which done, take the cupel when it shall be cold, and again weigh it, and thou shalt find it far more weighty, so that its weight (though much of the lead goes into air in the cupellating) not only exceeds its former weight, but also of the copper and lead by the said cupellation; therefore it is justly demanded whence this Encrease proceeds, whether the heat of the fire was not coagulated into a metallick body by means of that melted metal? Therefore it is probable, that if you knew the metallick matrixes in the surface of the earth, in which the beams of the Sun and heat of fire being received, may be coagulated, metals may as well be generated in them, as in the bowels of the earth.
But thou repliest it is probable the heat of vulgar fire to have something metallick in it, which comes by attraction of the melted metal in the Cupel, but not in the Sun-beams.
He that will thus try the truth, let him put a cupel very well burnt in the beams of the Sun, together with copper and lead, to which let him apply a hollow Looking-glass, so that it may be operated upon by the Sun-beams gathered into a center, and may thence be made hot: But thou must continually hold the Looking-glass in thy hand, that thou maist turn or direct it to the Sun, according to the course thereof, lest the cupel wax cold, the beams of the Sun being turned away, but if it be rightly observed, the work shall be done no less than in a furnace of fire with glowing heat.
You must have a Looking-glass at least in diameter two feet, nor must it be too deep; but be in depth the 18 or 20 part of the globe, that so it may the further cast the beams: it must be very artificially smoothed, that it may more exactly gather the beams to the center. Now the preparation of these burning-glasses is not of this place, but in the fourth part of our Furnaces, where we have taught not only how they are to be made of metals, but also of glass, and how polisht and used.