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

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

Christ saith in certain places, salt is good, or it is a good thing: When the Earth wanteth salt, being dead, it bringeth forth no Fruit; the same is Dung, when destitute of salt.

Here I have the eternal Truth Himself my Witness, reproving my impious Farnnerian Enemies, who endeavour to refel my Miraculum Mundi with their false Calumnies and Cavils. In which Book I have demonstrated by most manifest Arguments, that the Earth is rendered fat and fertile, not by Dung, but the Salt which is in it. These Calumniators being convicted by the true testimony of this witness of their shameful Lyes, must without doubt bridle their venomous Tongues, and for time to come, cease to tear me with their savage Teeth. The Truth may indeed be pressed, but never quite born down; for GOD at length will bring it to light, although for some time it may be pressed and perplexed by Satan the Father of Lyes, and its capital enemy.

In another place Christ saith, None is good but God. Also in another place, Salt is good. This is truly a most efficacious testimony, and famous praise, by which Salt is extolled.

Salt is also taken for Understanding and Wisdom, and for that reason a rude and ignorant man is called dull and insipid, and in the same sence a speech is said to be unsavory or witless, as if having nothing of salt, it were unhandsome and stupid; whence the vulgar Proverbs are wont to say, How heavy and insipid is this man? How dully and unsavourily doth he speak? Also that usual saying, That which relisheth, nourisheth; and so on the contrary, where there is no savour, there is also no nourishment. There is nothing can be brought forth in the nature of things, without the medium of salt; yea, Man himself is not born without the Sun, Man, and Salt. Therefore a certain Philosopher saith very appositely, The vigour of salt is fiery, and of a Celestial Original. The sun and salt are the Parents of all things, which procreate all things, and without which nothing is procreated; Bread and Flesh, which are seasoned with salt, afford more Virtues than all other Foods which are not salted. Salt being added to Wine in its fermentation, rendereth it stronger and sweeter.

NB. That nevertheless the salt here spoken of ought not to be common and vulgar salt, which doth not give a good relish to Wine. Empty Hogsheads may indeed be purged by common salt dissolved in warm water, so that every ill taste or smell may be drawn out, and the wine preserved in its vigour. Moreover salt exceedeth wine in corroborating the heart of Man, and is therefore in many things to be preferred before it. And he that knoweth how to conjoin true salt with wine, and in the same to dissolve the Sun of the earth, (which is Gold) may from it extract a Royal Medicine, as is shewn in other places of my Writings.

For any man of understanding may easily see, that if the noble virtues of these three things Corroborating the heart, to wit, Gold, Wine, and Salt shall be joined together, what a noble Medicine will proceed from such a Conjunction. Paracelsus hath not without reason determined with the Philosophers, that no true Aurum Potabile, can be prepared without Salt. If there were no Salt in the Earth, neither Herbs, nor Grass would be brought forth for the food of Animals, nor the life of Man sustained. All Animals also do therefore desire the Salt of fruitfulness, concerning which, you shall find more, in the description of my Green Liquor. The Combination of Gold and true Salt, restoreth decaying seeds to their pristine fruitfulness, and also restoreth to half dead and barren Trees, their faded greenness, if that Medicine be applied to their Roots. On the contrary, common salt before preparation, is hurtful to Vegetables, and killeth them by its Corosion, but after preparation it exceedeth dung in fatening them: Nevertheless, there are some Vegetables, which are able to bear the Corosive power of salt, viz. those which grow spontaneously upon the Sea shore, as the Herb Kaly, of which the Ancients prepared their Sal Alkali; for being burnt it leaveth a very sharp salt. Also all those Fruits which are of a sowre, or bitter Taste, or have sowre, or bitter Rinds, do equally bear the Corrosion of salt, as Olives, Limons, Oranges, Lentisk, and the Palm, which also rejoiceth in common salt; as on the contrary, the Vine, Grain, and Fruit-Trees are delighted with the sweeter Sun; concerning which, more hereafter.

I remember to have read, that in the Island Sardinia, near the City Catar, so great a quantity of salt hath been digged up, that it was given to the Inhabitants for their necessary uses, for nothing, and the rest was sold to Foreign Sailors and Merchants to be Exported. And the Countreymen so abounding with salt, gave it so largely to their Cattel, that they wonderfully abounded in Milk, whence they made most excellent Cheese, which was sold all Europe over, but whether it be that which we call Parmasan, I know not. But it appears, that so great a plenty of Milk and Cheese proceeded from salt only, which is also very agreeable to the Truth. The same Author (whose Name is Bernbardus Comesius) also taketh notice, that in the West-Indies there is a City standing in a sandy and barren place, abounding with a great multitude of Fishes, which are there taken. And the Inhabitants cast the Heads of the Fishes into a pit, or hole in the Earth, sprinkling them well with salt, and after a certain time taking them out, they plant or sow in every Head, a Corn of some Grain, and cast the same into the sandy Earth, and those Grains growing, do again bring forth an hundred fold. That this might be so done, is not dissonant to the truth, seeing that the Heads of the Fishes preserve the salt in the Earth, that it cannot be washed away with the Rain, nor the Grain be deprived of its Alimentary Juice. But such ways of sowing Grain, are tedious and laborious. I have a far other preparation of salt, which without much cost and labour, rendereth a great quantity of it fit to make sandy ground fruitful, and yet is not washed away by the Rain, salt is to be rendered sulphureous, that it may generally and universally nourish.

N.⁠B. Here some may say, if a sulphurous salt be the effecter of Fertility, how is it that the Mare Mortuum, or dead Sea of Sodom, abounding with sulphur and salt, doth neither bring forth Fish, nor contribute any thing to fruitfulness? I Answer, because the said Sea is full of bitter and Vitriolate Minerals, which by their Venom are hurtful to all Fish, and Vegetables, and also Fishes themselves cannot live in Waters which are too salt, which is to be observed. For every thing that is too much, is turned into a Vice. But what Fertility salt imparteth to natural things, may be learned by Fish, many thousands of small Fishes at once, proceeding from the Spawn of one Fish, which is not granted to Birds and Animals. It was not in vain that God would have King Pharaoh Dream first of seven fat Kine, and afterwards of other seven lean ones, descending from the Earth into the Sea, thereby signifying fruitfulness to draw its Original from the Sea. Joseph being illuminated by God, both by Divine and Natural light, understood this, and interpreted the Dream: To wit, that it was in the power of salt. Salt is insignized with the Title of the Fountain of Philosophers. Hesiod, Homer, Plato, Pythagoras, and other Philosophers, deliver that of all things, salt is most affine or near to God. I assert, that by the help of salt, many become the chosen Sons of God. If the Earth should want salt, there would not thence proceed any fruits affording necessary Aliment for Men, whence Mankind would perish, not being able to draw its Nourishment and Multiplication from the Air, but is constrained to take it from the Earth. Salt becometh Milk, Honey, Sugar, Wine, Bread, Flesh, and passeth into all those things which we want. Salt is all in all things, the beginning and the end of all things which God hath created.

But some man may here ask; whether therefore do all things arise from salt? Whether it be necessary that salt in the seeds of Herbs, should be changed into Herbs, in the seeds of Animals, into Animals, and in the seed of Metals, into Metals? Whether such degrees may not be sooner passed by the quicker progress of Art, correcting the more slow advance of nature? I answer; yea, it may be done, it is possible for Art to bring salt to its highest perfection, by a far more compendious way, than nature can. But by what way that may be done, is not proper to shew in this place. This I would have you to know, that wonderful Generations do arise from the Sun or Fire, united with salt, which otherwise would not appear. For Example, in the Months of June, July, and August, fill a wooden vessel with common water, and expose it to the Rays of the Sun, that it may night and day receive the Astral Influences, and be dried up, being dried up fill it again with more water, and so keep the Vessel always full, in which at length, from the salt contained in the water, there will be brought forth Vermin of all sorts without any seed; such as is accustomed to be brought forth in other putrid Waters, as Frogs, Toads, and Serpents.

NB. That the Vessel must be made of Wood, not of Metal, least the water should suck in a Vitriolate Juice which is adverse to the life of Animals: Also beware that nothing of Iron or Copper fall into the Vessel, and corrupt the Operation. Or fill the same Vessel with sand, and moisten it with water, then subject it to the Sun beams, and when it is dry, moisten it again, repeating the Humectations, and by this Operation you shall see various and unknown Herbs to come forth and be produced, without any seed, as is manifest from other places of my Writings.