Besides the commemorated Purgation of salt, inversion and commutation of common Salt into Alum, Vitriol, Salt-petre, Alkalies, and the like salts mentioned in my Writings, there is yet a more secret purgation and emendation of the same common salt, exalting it into a more noble and far more excellent state, concerning which I do not remember that I have read any thing in any Author, except in Paracelsus, who maketh mention of it in few words, in the Chapter of the Virtues of common salt, saying, The Virtues of Salt consist in its preparation; crude salt only doth this, that it preserveth the goodness of Flesh and Fish. But if it shall become a Sal Enixum, it keepeth all things in their state, safe and sound, for an incredible space of time, it turneth Wood into Stone, as also dust and sand; the Leaves of Trees remain green in it; whatsoever is besprinkled with this salt, refuseth all mutation. It preserveth like a Balsam, and effecteth more, because in process of time it coagulateth all things.
These are the words of that incomparable Physician and Philosopher, concerning his Sal Enixum, but what this name signifies I know not, but I call it Sal Mirabile. He attributeth this to it, that it is able to preserve all things safe and sound for an incredible space of time: Nor doth he erre from the Truth, for he that can prepare such a salt, may not only perform that, but also much more.
The manner of preparing it is well known to me, because I have often made it, and found in it things incredible: Whether my preparation agrees with the preparation of Paracelsus or not, nevertheless all things which Paracelsus ascribeth to his Sal Enixum, and far more, I do in no wise doubt to attribute to my Sal Mirabile; neither is it any matter to me or others, whether I use or not use the same preparation that Paracelsus did, provided my salt performeth the same things which I affirm it can perform. Also I would not give the same name to my salt, which Paracelsus did to his, lest Calumniators and Cavillers should, out of envy and hatred, take occasion thence of calumniating me, and saying, That my Salt is not the Sal Enixum of Paracelsus, which hath already happened to me, when I gave the name Alkahest to my Universal Menstruum: For the proud Sophisters and ignorant haters of me, in their debauched Cups, have taken occasion to cry out against me with loud vociferations, saying, The Alkahest of Glauber is not the Liquor Alkahest of Paracelsus and Helmont; when nevertheless mine exceedeth the Liquor of Paracelsus and Helmont by many degrees. For mine is at hand, and to be seen, by help of which I prepare my Aurum Potabile, tinging Mercury into pure Gold. That Liquor of Paracelsus and Helmont is plainly invisible, and can be prepared or procured by none: A small Bird in the hand, is better than many thousands of great birds that flie in the Air, & can neither be seen nor taken. And this is the reason why I would not call my Salt by the same name, because I would not afford my haters, the wonderful Brethren of Ignorance, new matter of flouting, scoffing, and defaming me; although I well know, that my Sal Mirabile doth not in the least come behind the Sal Enixum of Paracelsus in Virtue, and perhaps also much to exceed it; which in the following Narration I have determined to make manifest.
As Paracelsus delivereth, that his Sal Enixum defendeth all things which are put into it from Corruption, for an incredible space of time, and at length, by an admirable Metamorphosis, transmuteth them into stone; my Sal Mirabile doth not only perform that, but effecteth ten times more.
But before I enter upon the description of the Virtues lying hid in my Sal Mirabile, I think it necessary to indicate, That Salts of this sort do every where occur in the Earth, and being dissolved by Water, are carried to the superficies, and such Fountains are enumerated by Gerogius Agricola, shewing in what places they may be found, and that all things put into them are in a short time converted into a stony matter; which other Writers also testifie, and especially Celsus in his Book De rebus metallicis. Nor is there any reason why any man should doubt it, seeing that Fountains of this sort offer themselves in our Germany, although few judge them to be of any moment. There is such a one in a certain place of Helvetia, which in a certain space of time converteth all Wood cast into it wholly into Stone. And the Inhabitants of that place do very often make trial of the thing by Experiments, by cutting some Wood, and reducing it to the figure of a Whetstone, and putting it into the water of the said Fountain, in which, being converted into a stone, they afterwards use for the whetting of Sythes, and other the like Instruments. I my self have seen whetstones of this sort, and had them in my hands, from the figure of which it sufficiently appeareth, that they were first wood, and have been converted into stone by so wonderful a Metamorphosis. The matter is out of all doubt, and there are many Fountains obvious in other places, of the same Nature. I have not seen that in Helvetia, but I have seen the Infant of Basil with Dr. Exius, who is yet living. To this Infant, in a very large Glass, standing upon a low settle, the Signior Exius had poured a certain peculiar Liquor, which had preserved it plainly uncorrupted and unhurt, to that time that it was shewed to me. And they told me, that the Infant was by the Liquor changed into stone; but I, seeing I did not touch or handle it, cannot affirm that for certain; but I saw it sitting with a full body, as if it had been but new born, since which time it is now above Twenty years, and then it had been Ten or Fifteen years in that Water, in which also it yet remains, as I have lately heard. But no man knoweth what water that was which the Signior Exius had put to that Infant, whether he took it from a Fountain turning wood into stone, or whether he made it by Art. There is a Fountain of the like nature and property in Austria at Neapolis Viennensis, a fenced City about eight miles distant from Vienna; I being a young man, long time since travelling towards Vienna, fell into a burning Feaver, known by the name of The Hungarian Disease, which seldom any stranger escapes, and having somewhat recovered my former health, came to the said Neapolis, and suffering a Relapse, was constrained to stay there. And the Disease had so debilitated the Appetite of my stomach, that it neither desir’d nor digested any Food. The Inhabitants advised me to go to a Well of almost an hours Journey from the City, situated near a certain Vineyard, and to drink of the Water to recover my lost Appetite. Following their Counsel, I took a great piece of Bread with me to the Well, nevertheless I gave but little credit to their words, who told me, that I would eat all that piece. Coming to the Well, I eat the crumb of the Bread sopped in the water, and it relished to me very pleasantly, who before at home loathed the greatest Dainties. I took up the same water with my hollow crust of Bread, and drank it, which so excited my Appetite to eat, that at length I also eat up my Cup, which I had made of my Bread; returning home much better and stronger, I declared to the Inhabitants the event, succeeding according to my wish, who affirmed to me, that if I would continue the use of that water, the faculties of my stomach would be throughly confirmed. I asked them what kind of water that was? They answered that it was water of Salt-petre, which I believed, being then unskilful in such things, but afterwards I found the contrary: For it could not be the water of Salt-petre, seeing that in no wise conduceth to the stomach, but rather occasioneth nauseousness and loathing. It might be, that the water of the said Fountain being evaporated to a Cuticle, might shoot into Crystals like to Salt-petre, but notwithstanding was not true Salt-petre, as wanting all burning, and not taking flame, which they might easily have found, if putting a little of that salt upon a burning Coal, they had tried it after the accustomed manner of trying Salt-petre: For now it is certainly evident to me, that that Fountain contained that Salt which Paracelsus called Sal Enixum, and I Sal Mirabile; and also that it is the nature of that to shoot into long Crystals, and yet not to conceive flame. That Well is enclosed with wood, in which many water-Mice have their Habitation, which presently will seize and swallow any crumbs of Bread cast into the water. I asked why a Well of so great moment was enclosed and fenced with wood, and not with stone? They answered, That could not be done without damage, for the wood being taken away, which had now passed into a stony nature, it would come to pass, that the sand falling into the well, would choak it up. The wood which did not touch the water was now rotten, as I then very accurately observed, being a young man of 21 years of age.
Staying in the same City the following winter, I found, that the Moors or Marshes about the same, which rendered it so strong, were never frozen into Ice by the cold of the winter; which is an Argument that a certain peculiar salt is latent in that water; which is the reason that the Planks or Piles fixed into the Marshy ground, upon which many, yea, the greatest part of the Houses of that City, do stand, or are set, in a long progress of time, are changed into meer stones, and afford a firm Foundation to the Houses built upon them.
From all those indications I have hitherto conjectured, that all the Springs about that City abound with that sort of salt which Paracelsus calleth Enixum, seeing that in the said Marshes I have seen the Grass green all winter, which is a certain indication of this kind of salt there existing. The watery Animals which are in the Fountain and Marshes near to the City, confirm the conjecture, among which the number of the water-Mice is not small, which cannot live in all waters; and the shell-Fish, or Tortoises, which are every where in an incredible quantity, in the water flowing about the City, and watering the Marshes and Gardens, although wont to be esteemed by great men among Delicacies, are here of no account at all; and for that reason both the Citizens and Countrymen put two or three of those shell-fishes into the vessel in which they save the washings of their Dishes, to give to their swine, saying, that this sort of Animals abiding in their wash, conduceth much to the fattening them. And from these things it appeareth, that water-Mice and Shell-Fish of this sort, do delight in sweet waters, tempered with a certain salt. Any man that hath a mind to take the said Shell-Fish, or Tortoise, goeth into the Meadows or Pastures in a morning, which are watered with this kind of water, where they wander about in the wet Grass, seeking their Food; and also in the evening after sun set, when they return again to feed. If they perceive any body in their way, they presently betake themselves to the water, and in their entrance into the water, they retract their four feet, which with their head and tail (like to the heads and tails of Serpents) they hide and secure in their shell, which is so hard, that it can scarcely be broken with a strong and heavy Hammer. The Inhabitants, when they will boil them, prick them with some sharp Instrument, at the feeling of which, they again put their head and tail out of the shell, which they presently cut off with a knife. The body being boiled in water, the shell openeth of its own accord, out of which the Fish being taken, is purged, and prepared with Butter, Wine, and Spice, and is not much differing from Veal, nor of an ingrateful taste, and therefore reckoned amongst delicate Foods, by those who are given to feed daintily. Truly, I am perswaded, that Animals of this sort are not to be used as Food, but are rather profitable to the health of Mankind, because they abide in pure waters.
These few things my Experience hath administred to me concerning these Waters, by which Wood is changed into Stone, yea, not Wood only, but also the skin and bones of Animals. I have also seen half a Loaf of Bread turned into a Stone; whence any man may conjecture, how great a fixing power is latent in the said salt, concerning which there is yet more to be said.
This Transmutation of Wood into Stone will put all the Brethren of Ignorance to the blush, who with their ridiculous Mockeries laugh at and deny the wonders of Nature of this kind, that by the operation of Art emulating Nature, a Body should be spoiled of its fugacity, and be transmuted into a constant and incombustible body. All Wood being burnt by the fire, is consumed, leaving nothing behind it except a few salt ashes, which nevertheless being transmuted into a stone by a fixing water of this kind, retaineth its pristine body, and cannot be consumed by any fire. This is an infallible Argument, most clearly refelling those Ass-like Deriders of Art. Can these Belweathers be more clearly refuted by any other Argument or Testimony? I speak these things, to the end that they may be brought to a more easie belief, and not to be amazed with so great admiration, when they shall in the following Treatise hear me affirm, That any subtile Spirit of Wine, by the help of this kind of Water, may be changed into a fixed Salt, constant in the Fire.
Seeing therefore it may come to pass, that by such a Transmutation any fugacious Spirit of Wine may pass into a fixed and constant Salt, Who will deny, but that the same constancy may be afforded to fugacious Metals, by a water of this kind? But by what means such an operation, which seems impossible to every man, may be effected, may be worth the while to indicate in few words, seeing that it happened to me casually, not seeking it, and which I my self at that time should not have believed, although any one had seriously affirmed it to me.