R. of common salt two parts, dissolve it in a sufficient quantity of common water; pour A. upon the solution; put the mixture into a glass Body, or a glass Retort well coated, or else into an earthen Body or Retort. If a Body, set on an Head, and begin to destil with Fire of sand, encreasing your Fire gradually; with the first heat comes off the unsavoury Phlegm, which gather apart; when the Liquor comes forth sowrish, change your Receiver, and receive the sowre Spirit: Continue the operation till no more spirits will arise, then let out the Fire, and permit the Vessel to stand in sand till all is cooled, when cold, take it out, and if it be unbroke, fill it again with the aforesaid matter, and proceed as we taught: The Phlegm is not to be cast away, but must be kept, that in it may be dissolved Salt (because it is better than common Water) for another destination. Thus from every pound of Salt you will have ℔ j. of the best and most pure spirit. Dissolve the salt remaining in the Body or Retort (if neither be broke) in Water, filter and evaporate the Water, let it crystallize, the Crystals will be white, endowed with wonderful Virtues, to be declared here following.
Note, If the Glass be broke, there will be no necessity of dissolving the Salt, it will be enough to take out the dried Sal Mirabile, and reserve it for Use.
Note, This destillation may be performed in a silver Body, for so doing, we shall be free from all danger of breaking; yet the Vessel must be made of very pure Silver, void of all Copper, lest those most sharp spirits do attract the Copper from the Silver, and so the Body become altogether porous and soft. Although in the salt is no property agreeing with silver, yet every destillation it raceth off some of the silver, which that you may save, gather the white Powder left in the Filtre, after filtration of the dissolved salt. Dry this Powder, moistened with a strong Lixivium, and melt it in a Crucible into silver; yet you must not institute this melting of the silver per se, because it hath acquired such volatility from the spirit of salt, as it will fume all away.
And although every destillation some quantity of the silver be raced off, yet you may destil the same matter some hundreds of times in the same Body, before you shall need a new one. Thus we shall have the less need of Glasses, and sooner perform the destillations, because a strong Fire may be given at first, without fear of breaking the Vessel.
A yet more compendious way is, when we set the Body alone upon a Trivet, and by putting Fire under it, extract the spirit; for so we shall need no Furnace, unless we will, for better constringing the heat: Nor will any great quantity of Coals be spent in such extraction, because ℔ j. of salt may be destilled with two or three ℔ of Coals.
This spirit being of it self sufficiently clear, and of a grateful taste, needs no rectification.
Yea, it is able to effect more than we ascribe to it in our Writings. Also the remaining salt effects other incredible things, besides those we ascribed to it in our Treatise of the nature of salts.
Plainly, after the very same manner as we have taught spirit of salt to be prepared, so may also be made Aqua-fortis and Aqua-regis. Instead of salt, take Nitre, and you will have Aqua-fortis; and if to a solution of Salt and Nitre, equal parts, you add a sufficient quantity of B. you will, by help of Destillation, acquire Aqua-regis.
Therefore since the infallible Basis and Foundation of Medicine and Alchymy is C. or else D. it is now known to us, which way, and for little Charge, we may produce large quantities of this Medicine; whereas in the vulgar way great Costs and Labour is required; and the more easily we can obtain it, the more abundantly profitable will it be to us, especially when we intend to bestow time in the transmutation of the more vile Metals. Wherefore its principal Use is directed to the Preparation of F. as is said most easily. Hence also the spirit of salt and Sal Mirabile may duly be used in true Medicine and fruitful Alchymy.
Of a Lyon and Panther is produced a most sharp-sighted Lynx; yea, of a Lyon and Eagle is genited a most potent Dragon, vomiting Fire, flying on high, and carrying up in the air an Horse, with a man sitting upon him. Although these can do very much, yet they could not preserve the most noble Art of Alchymy from being accounted unprofitable and neglected by evil-minded and ignorant men. Yet at length an unsatiable Gulo consuming all things, being genited of a Dog and a Wolf, restored the same to a due splendour. This dares to demonstrate the species of Metals to be mutable, contrary to the opinion of Aristotle, and by this means plainly shew and confirm, that Alchymy is most profitable, and contemned without cause. Alchymy stands obliged to this, because by the same it hath recovered its pristine and truly royal honours; to this, because it both acquires favour and praise.