The works of the highly experienced and famous chymist, John Rudolph Glauber

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

Know, that this Philosophy is demonstrable by many uncontroulable reasons; which Philosophy I do not my self only embrace, but also many more have done, ’mongst whom the most famous Sandivow is not the least, who writ, That in the Earths center is a vacuity, in which nothing can rest, the which thing even the reason or order of Nature seems to evidence, in whose middle point a void place is necessarily requisit, into which all the vertues of the Stars may pour out themselves, may mutually operate upon each other, and excite a marvellous heat, permitting neither delay or quietude for any thing in that place: but from thence, even the unbroken vertues of the Stars are by little and little enforced to go back unto the circumference, where joyning themselves to the most pure earth, they exclude a metallick child; so that you need not wonder, because of that most intense heat that sways there, when as all the Asterisms, the Sun, the Moon, the other Planets, with Starrs innumerable, do into that place inject their powers with all their might. If you consider but the solar magnitude only, being by Astronomical Calculation 64 times the bigness of the earthly globe (omitting to speak of the other innumerable huge bodies, that jointly cast their influences into the belly of the earth) what an unspeakable furious heat thinkest thou that all these will give, which in the center of the earth muster up their vertues, and make them manifest and efficacious: Consider a little how much one pugil of the Sun-beams can do, being taken in a concave glass, or a metalline ring well polished, or any other instrument, and straightened into the center for a concave-glass rightly made, having but the Diameter of a span, doth easily burn wood, or any combustible body; but if the Diameter be two spans, it melts with the Sun, Lead, Tin, Bismuthum, and other metals easily fluxible; if 4 or 5 spans, then it melteth Copper and Silver, and so mollifies Iron, that it may be wrought upon the Anvil. If now experience evinceth this thing, that a little handful of the beams collected and strengthened into a point, be of so great force as to melt even metals, and to fume away ☿, ♁, and Arsnick, Auripigment, Koboltum, and other volatile and immature metals of like kind; what thinkest thou would be, if the beams were congregated the compass of 10 or 20 fathoms, doubtless they would burn up all other metals, except Gold, like a flame, and elevate them into fume? And what are 10 or 20 fathoms, if compared to so many thousands of thousands which are attributed to the Sun, whose heat (passing by to speak of the other great Starrs) if it were congregated into one place, (which is so done in the earths center) what an incomprehensible burning heat, thinkst thou, would be there? verily nothing would be fixt enough to resist the burning; and indeed there is nothing in reality that doth resist it, whence necessarily that point is vacuous wherein nought can rest or remain.

Thou wilt object, that I speak of many things, but prove a very few; for who was ever there, and beheld such a Cavity? I Answer thus, that albeit, there be no ocular Testimony of this thing, yet naturally Phylosophy affords Testimony sufficient, whereby ’tis in very deed demonstrated, that such a place there is: now none denies, that the Sun and Stars by their motion do inviron the terrestrial Globe, and imprint their beams thereon, which being granted (for no sober man will contradict this) it also follows, that those hot and invisible beams do by an innate force and vigor go forwards, until they are somewhere stop’d, and a further progress prohibited them; which thing is done in the middle most point of the Earth, or all the Phylosophers are altogether Lyers, who unanimously believe, that the heat is carryed directly forwards, and not backwards: but behold an apparent Example of this thing: Put a Coal upon some thick brass, or iron plate, and thou shalt see that the side under the Coal will first wax hot by the penetrating heat; take off the Coal and try with thy hand, and thou shalt find it hurtful by the overmuch heat; try also the under side of the Plate, and thou shalt find it to be but gentle warm, and after a little delay, try yet once again, and thou shalt find that the heat is gone directly forward, and that the underside of the Plate is hotter than the upper part, whereupon the Coal lay.

Hence thou maist clearly perceive, that the heat never goes backwards, but is carried directly forwards; which being so, thou shalt be enforced to confess nolens volens, that in like manner the Astral heat sticks not in the Superfices of the earth, but pierceth even to the very bottom center.

Well, but thou wilt again object, If the Sunbeams descends through the earths thickness, even to the very center, Whence is it, that the whole earth grows not hot thereby, or at least so warm as it is on the surface? for ’tis found by experience, that the digg’d-up earth is not warm, but cold, and no heating beams are therein perceptible. Take this for an answer, That the dispersed beams of the Sun do not display their efficacy, but only in those places where they are collected and become sensible; a hint of which you may observe in the earths surface it self; where a speedier passage being not permitted, but through the hardness of the stones, and its own density, there being a stop and obstruction, the heat becomes duplicated, and manifestly augmented, insomuch, that in all very hard rocks and clifts there is sometimes created so great a heat by the continual Conflux and Condensation of the Sunbeams, that if accidentally, wood or fuel be laid thereto, it burns and flames up, which never happens in a thin and porous Aire (how near soever to the Sun) it being uncapable of stoping those beams; for by how much the higher you ascend into the Aire, by so much the more intense shall you find the Cold to be; insomuch that the most Touring Mountains, altho’ posited in warm Countries, are alwaies covered with Frost, Ice, and Snow, when as in the bottom of those Hills, the Ground is very warm, and brings forth varieties of Fruit, although it be more remote from the Sun: The cause of which Cold in the Tops, and of Heat in the Bottom, only consists in the reflection of the solar Beams, which are stayed and multiplied below; which thing cannot at any rate be done in the Fire that is above.

These beams having first passed the superfices of the Earth, where they were a while joined and multiplyed, are by little and little debilitated, and return to their simplicity; whence it comes to pass, that that part of the Terrene Globe, which is furthest distant from the Centre, hath as little heat, as the Aire on high: but if it were possible to ascend higher, and nearer to the Sun, the heat would by little and little be encreased, and be found greatest at the Sun it self: In like manner may a Comparison be made about the Earths heat, which near the Surface is very faint, but nearer the Centre, more and more encreasing; (there being its Seat and Collection) so that the middle Earth, between the Sun (from whom the heat flow) and the Centre, where the whole being gathered together, is repercussed, may deservedly be esteemed the coldest part; of which truth, a certain demonstration is readily produceable.

For when in the hottest day of Summer, watry Clouds are elevated by the Winds, higher than ordinary, they are made pure Ice by the force of a most intense Cold, which fall down in little bits of that form or shape, which they were imprinted with by the Aire, to the great detriment of Vegetables; and is by us call’d Hail, and so cold, that we are not able long to hold it in our hands, and usually lies some daies in the Suns heat ere it melts by the warm Aire, and returns into Water.

Now then if there were not a great Cold in the middle Region of the aire; whence is it, that those Clouds are so frozen; and who knows how great the Cold is, where the Aire, in its own middle point, is most of all cold; doubtless it is so great, that no living thing is able to live therein the twinkling of an eye, but would incontinently be transmuted into a stone, even as we have frequently perceived the earthy Exhalations born up on high into the middle Region of the Aire, to have been there coagulated, and compacted into the most hard stones, and so to have fallen down; and not only stones weighing some pounds, but also metals too, and chiefly iron of a great weight, representing the shape of many conglomerated drops, have been in that part of the Aire condensed out of dry Exhalations, and thrown down thus concreted; the which thing others have handled more at large; whence ’tis sufficiently evident, that the Sun-beams, in such places as they can freely pass through, without any impediment, give not any heat from themselves: but only where they are detained and fixt, and by how much harder the detaining matter is, by so much it causeth a better heat. Thou also seest that Wood, or any porous Body never contracts from the Sun, so great a heat, as a stone doth; nor doth a stone, so much as a metal, although all placed the one by the other, to the Suns heat; the cause of which diversity, doth alone consist in the pores, of which some bodies have more, some less; thereby granting a more speedy passage to the heat; for ’tis (as I have often said) the property of the heat, to hasten directly forwards, as long as ’tis not impeaded, and extreamly unwilling to go back. A Testimony whereof, as well the Kitchen Fire, as the Solar, or Fulminous Fire affords unto us; for if any body sitting near the Fire, hath casually in his pocket, any metal, be it a key, knife or money, the heat (easily penetrates the thin Garments) lights upon the metal, whereto it adheres and augments; and gets so much heat, that sometimes it cannot be held in the hand; but the cloathing, although nigher the Fire, is scarce gently warm; the same thing usually falls out in Thunder, whose Fire, because it flyes very furiously, if it hath not room to pass the pores of solid withstanding bodies, it dissipates and dissolves them in a moment, and leaves porous bodies whole, which Lightning, often melts the sword in the scabbard, or money in the purse, the Receptacle of them being whole: It also breaks the hollow and marrowy bones of Animals, the flesh remaining whole and sound; the Cause thus, for that this fulminous heat most swiftly penetrating, is deprived of time to penetrate, and warm a metal by degrees, and will not return backwards, contrary to its own nature, and therefore subdues and conquers the weaker Element by force and power; for Fire only is the most potent of the Elements, and knows not how to yield to the other three, but they are compelled to stoop to it, with which priviledge the said Fire is from God endued, even from its very infancy.

In the same and like manner is it with the Sun’s, Moon’s, and other Stars heat, and occult Vertues, which by their efficacy, hasten on forwards so long, until they meet with that which they cannot penetrate, where making a stand, and heated as it were together, are compelled to go back, searching after a place to rest, and become corporeal; for the chiefest heat being in the Earths Centre, gives not any delay to any thing, but continually drives back, what flows thither, into the porous and moist Earth, where the Beams being sublimed and hidden, may cloath themselves with a sensible Corporeity, and proceed from one degree to another, until they are well concocted into perfect Metals, no impediment intervening.

But let me not be mistaken by any one, as if it ’twere my Opinion, that in the Centre of the Earth, the fiery place is constitute, of which the Scriptures make mention; for I have nothing to say as to that place; nor desire to know ought concerning it. This place which I describe, is discovered to us by natural Phylosophy, but that place the Scripture makes mention of, I leave to Theologists, by which they may terrify the wicked Multitude, that they precipitate not themselves rashly, and by Troops thereinto.

And now because the Hellish fire is here mentioned, I cannot omit to blast the most unsound Opinions of some putatitious Doctrines thereabouts: There are in many places found Mountains, belching forth, with huge force, flames, fumes, ashes, and stones: In Europe, is the Hill Ætna of Scicilia; in Island, is Hoctu, behind Norway; there’s also Vesuvius, adjoining to Naples, and many more other places in other Parts of the Earth; some part of which continually burn and fume; others at certain times and intervals; which places, many account for the fumings of Hell.