Flowers of Iron and Copper.
Take of the filings of Iron or Copper, as much as you please, cast them with an Iron laddle upon burning coals, viz. scatteringly, and there will arise from Iron a red vapour, but from Copper a green, and will be sublimed into the sublimatory vessels. As the fire abates it must be renewed with fresh coales, and the casting in of these filings be continued, until you have got a sufficient quantity of flowers, and then you may let all cool. This being done take off the sublimatory vessels, take out the flowers, and keep them, for they are very good if they be mixed with unguents, and emplasters: and being used inwardly cause vomiting; therefore they are better in Chirurgery, where scarce any thing is to be compared to them. Copper being dissolved in spirit of salt, and precipitated with oyl of vitriol, edulcorated, dryed, and sublimed, yields flowers, which being in the air resolved into a green balsom, is most useful in wounds and old putrid ulcers, and is a most pretious treasure.
Flowers of Lead and Tin.
You need not reduce these metals into small crums, it is sufficient if they be cast in piece by piece, but then you must under the grate put an earthen platter glazed, and filled with water, to gather that which flows down melted, which is to be taken out, and cast again into the fire, and this so often until all the metal be turned into flowers, which afterwards are again, the vessels being cold, to be taken out, as hath been said of the flowers of Mars and Venus. And these flowers are most excellent being mixed with plaisters and oyntments in old and green wounds, for they have a greater power to dry, than metals calcined, as experience can testifie.
Of Mercury.
This is easily reduced into flowers, because it is very volatile, but not for the aforesaid reason, because it leapes in the fire, and seeks to descend. And if you desire to have the flowers thereof, mix in first with sulphur that you may pulverize it, and cast it in mortified. And if you cast into a red hot crucible set in the furnace, a little quick Mercury, viz. by times with a ladle, presently it will fly out, and some part thereof will be resolved into an acid water, which is to be preferred before the flowers in my judgment; but the rest of the Mercury drops into the receiver. But here are required glass vessels, because the aforesaid water is lost in earthen. And this water without doubt doth something in Alchymy: It is also good being applyed outwardly, in the scab, and venereal ulcers.
The flowers of Zinck.
It is a wonderful metal, and is found in the spagyrical anatomy to be meer sulphur, golden, and immature. Being put upon burning coals doth suddenly fly away wholly; it is inflamed also, and partly burns like common sulphur, with a flame of another colour, viz. golden purple: and yields most gallant white, and light flowers.
The use.
Being given from 4, 5, 6, grains to 12, they provoke sweat wonderfully, and sometimes vomit, and stools, according to the offending matter. The vertues thereof being externally used are also wonderful, for there are not found better flowers, for they do not only speedily consolidate fresh wounds, but also old, such as always drop water, in which cases they excell all other medicaments. For they are of such dryness, which hath joyned with it a consolidating vertue, as that they do even things incredible. They may be used divers ways, as to be strewed by themselves, putting over them a stiptick plaister, or being brought into an unguent with honey to be put into wounds; which unguents in deep wounds may be boyled to a hardness for the making of small suppositories, which are to be put into the wounds, which must afterwards be covered with some plaister, and preserved from the air. Being applyed after this manner they cure fundamentally, being mixed with plaisters also they do wonderful things.