11. Flowers of Minerals and Metals; for Twenty R. Dollers.
But if any man will explore another man’s nature, let him permit him to speak, and he shall easily know what temper he’s of; but especially that, of all things, may easily be discern’d in a drunken or angry man, who can very hardly conceal his internal blemishes. In like manner we may see by Farnner that he endeavours to hide his lying Proceedings in my name. What if I had seen his way of preparing metallick flowers, what profit or loss should I sustain by it? He glories of those things which merit no praise. He promises to make metallick Flowers under a frixatory Cover, when yet Flowers can’t be made under it, for they are not Flowers when the metals are burnt under a frixatory Cover, into a Calx, or reduc’d to ashes, there is, and so remains a heavy Calx: but the Flowers of metals shou’d be brought to a very light sort of Flowers by Sublimation; as is describ’d at large in the First Part of my Furnaces.
Farnner indeed, with his Shop, leaving his filthy knife, should rather have gone to the Chymical School a little, than (being ignorant of Chymical terms) sold his heavy Calxes or Metals to other men for light Flowers, and despised Glauber’s way of preparing Flowers, which yet has been reprehended by no man. These his Flowers, with his Coral Flowers, are course Meal, which don’t deserve the name of Flowers, but Cream. Indeed, if Farnner had not so vehemently inveighed against me, I had not display’d him thus, nor deign’d his vain Proceedings one word of answer.
Yet ’tis no matter, though good men are sometimes in this life bark’d at, and provok’d by mad Dogs, since it often happens that by this means excellent things are made publick, which otherwise would lie secret.
12. The Quintessence.
Here you may see, candid Reader, that wicked Farnner’s endeavours tend to disturb the quiet of all good men, and destroy my well-grounded and yet irrefutable Writings by his foolish Opinions, which he shall never be able to do, no more than a little Whelp is able to attack an armed man, whom by his barking he cannot hurt.
My Tract which I writ of the Essence of Vegetables, and printed at Norimberg, under the Title of The First Part of the Spagyrick Pharmacopæa; neither Farnner, nor any man else, could reject or contemn; but that little Tract will defend it self.
I have made publick many and excellent inventions, but no man can shew one place wherein I reprehended and brought into contempt other mens Works, as this Farnner does. If he would act as a good man ought, and had any thing against me, he should speak it to my face, and not abuse me so wickedly behind my back.
13. All acid Wines.
It troubles me Indeed, that I communicated this excellent secret of encreasing the Virtue of acid Wines, and making them better, to Farnner. What he writes, that he found out those things, is a pure Lye, which he had of me; when nevertheless he is not afraid to tell so impudent a Lye, as that he had found out a better foundation of that Secret, which is most notoriously false; for neither he nor any other man, nor I my self, can find any thing better than the pure Essence of Wine, conducing to that Work; which Essence of Wine, by the strength of its innate fiery Nature and Property, all sorts of immature Wines may be ripen’d in fermentation, and turn’d to a brisk Staple, and good Wine, in which lies all the Art.