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

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

And besides, the ingratitude it self of men doth sometimes make others slow and fearful of administring and affording a mutual help; forasmuch as very many, when they are rid out of their incumbrances, do refuse to restore those things, or by labour to requite or make amends for the things by which they were delivered out of their Straits.

Hence it comes to pass, that he who does a friendly good turn, for such an ingrateful man, loseth his Money, and by reason of that so ill placed formerly, abhors the lending his helping hand again.

Now, that such great inconveniences may be removed, and the Vine-dressers somewhat holpen, so as that they might every year sell their wines at a beneficial price, and may never be oppressed with that foresaid detriment; it may very conveniently be done by the help of this concentration or condensation, by evaporating the Must to the consistence of Honey, the which may profitably be carried into far distant places, in which no wine is accustomed to grow, and be there sold. Such now as buy up such Must thus condensated by boiling, do now know how by dilating it with Water, to reduce it again into good wines. This Artifice therefore being so laudable, will be helpful to both, to the Vine-dresser, in yielding him presently ready Money for his Must, and to the Merchant, in easilier furnishing him with Wine, and quitting him of so much Charges in the Carriage.

But that the business may be yet the better and more clearly understood, let us see by making computation, what the benefit and profit of this condensation is.

Let us suppose then, that a Wine not ripe remains acid and weak, and that a Franconian Urn, or half an Hogshead of Frankfort measure, yields scarce a Florin, or a Doller at the utmost. Such a Wine as this will not quit the Costs of the Carriage, though but for 12 miles; [a German mile is three of ours.] for it degenerates by the carrying it, and becomes mouldyish, as ’twere, and turns sowre, so that the Huckster can’t sell the same, and he’l have a care how he buys such wines another time; and the Vineyard-keeper is even enforced to keep them to his great loss, forasmuch as all his safety or dependance is built thereupon.

As for the Rich men, tho’ they have some acid wine, they are not undone by the loss, for they have still by them other better wines, which they mix those worser and more acid wines withal, and so sell them off; or else they keep such thin wines till the Autumn comes, with more plentiful and riper Grapes, and to the Must proceeding from them, do they pour this thin Wine, and let it work therewith anew, and by this means it becomes vendible. But yet the Gain arising hencefrom, is sufficiently poor and mean: For by how much the thinner the acid wine is than it ought to have been, tho’ it be mixt with good Wine, yet doth this become so much the worser; nay, it sometimes happens, that both are corrupted and lost; for as much of help as the acid Wine gets from the good wine, so much of goodness doth depart even from the good wine. So that such a kind of bettering after what manner soever it be instituted, cannot be very profitable or advantageous.

For example, that I may be the better understood, let us instance in two pieces of Gold, each of which should be the value of 25 Imperials: Let them be put in the Balance and examined, and being examined, let one of them be the due weight, and let the other be less in weight or price the value of four Imperials. If now you are minded to take so much away from that piece which is of current weight, as to make them both of alike weight, you may indeed so do, but yet you are no waies benefited thereby, but rather suffer loss: Forasmuch as you took away from that piece that was of due weight, and added unto the other piece that wanted of weight, so much of its value is departed, and both pieces will be unfit to go in payment, as wanting their due value and weight. What profit therefore can hence redound unto any man? Even so is the case with the Wine, for if one should get some two load of wine, and could sell one of them for 20, and the other but for 10 Imperials, and yet should not be accounted of as vendible Wine, and now the Merchant should mix that thin wine with the better, that they may both be equal, would not that better wine become worse, and that thin wine be rendered not much the better? For my part therefore, I cannot see that such a kind of meliorating can bring much profit.

But as for my bettering and correction, it is always profitable, whereby the acid wines are not corrupted by the acid, but the good and superfluous humidity only is separated by the benefit of Art, and the good part being condensate in it self, and by it self is reduced into a narrower compass.

NB. He that is so minded, may separate from the sweet Must, a fourth part only, or a fifth or sixth part, by evaporation, and presently bring it to such a pass, as to work or ferment; for they become so much the better, by how much the more water hath been consumed by evaporation: If the Quintessence of wine be added to that working Must, the wines become the better, and the more generous. This kind of way may be made use of in those places in which the wine doth for the most part remain acid; for there needs not this Art to those Vines that Nature hath ripened.

Besides, the wines may be condensated to the thickness of Honey, that they may be thereby rendered the fitter for Transportation. Six Hogsheads, or Oma, of Must, may be so condensated, that one Hogshead will hold them; the which (if need be) may again by the apposition of 5 Hogsheads of water, which quantity it lost in the condensation, make 6 Hogsheads of wine of the very same goodness and efficacy as it would have been of before the condensation, if it never had been condensated, but been presently put out of the Press into the Barrels, to have fermented and work’d into wine after the usual manner.