Arsenick likewise is a good Fossile, or profitable Mineral, and is put to many Uses. It also hath its singular, or distinct Veins in the Earth, whence it is taken; it is forced out of the Ore by Ascension, and Descension, and is purified for use: It is found white, yellow, and red. Also some silvery Minerals or Ores do in their solution, or melting; yield much Arsenick, which the Melters of the Ores do catch in Chimneys or Funnels made for that purpose, and keep it for use; concerning which, you may read in George Agricola’s Writings. So likewise, Cobolt yields Arsenick, and so do some Golden Minerals, or Ore; that which is separated from a Minera of Gold, per descensum, is very red, and auriferous; and this, those that deal with Metals, have experience of; which, if they separate not from the Gold Ore afore they melt it, it carrys away a great part of the Gold, and hides it in its Belly in the melting, so that they would not have so much Gold as there is in the Ore. For indeed, such a kind of Arsenick, is an unripe Gold, as shall be hereafter proved: So then, there lies more hidden in that Contemptible, and Venomous Arsenick, than any one will easily perswade himself to believe. There are also Medicines prepared out of it, but such, as serve only to be externally applied, in inveterate, and virulent Evils, as the Cancer, and Fistula. It is also used in Colouring and Dying Cloaths, concerning which, you may peruse my other Writings.
Of Auripigment.
This Mineral is in a manner of the same Essence that Arsenick is of; but this does not come forth of Minera’s, or Metalline Ores, but hath peculiar Veins of its own, in which it is generated; it is an unripe Mineral, and doth for the most part also contain Gold. It is exceedingly Poisonous and Volatile, and therefore it is but little used, save only by Painters. It can be fixed by Nitre, and it makes Copper white, and brittle, as Arsenick doth: And it suffers it self to be sublimed out of its yellowness, into Transparent Rubies, which are used for Ornaments sake.
Of Cobolt.
Amongst all the Minerals that are to be found Cobolt is the most poisonous; it’s an unripe silver, and it ofttimes yields in melting good silver, yet one sort more than other; some also there is which hath not any Silver at all, and is used about the sky-colour’d Smalt, to help make it, with an addition of Fusile Sand, and Potters Ashes. But when they meet with that which has Silver in it, they separate it thencefrom by Fusion; besides, it may be so fixt by the help of Salt-petre as to yield permanent Silver, as shall anon be spoken of.
Of the Silvery Marchasite.
The silver Marchasite, or Wismuth, is a known Mineral; it’s every where found to and again in the silver Mine-pits, as well as Cobolt is, but yet it is much more fixt than Cobolt; neither is it of so poisonous a Nature. It is gotten out of its Ore, or Minera, most easily by a small flame of wood fire, and is used by the Pewterers to make their Pewter hard, sounding, and fluxile. Likewise, out of its scoria or drossy parts, is the blue Smalt also prepared, which the Potters use to glaze their Pots, and the Glass-men to make sky-colour’d Glasses. It doth very frequently abound with much silver, and ’tis rare to find any that is wholly void of silver: And if it holds so much silver, as is of more value than the Marchasite can be sold for (as ’tis barely Bismute) they separate it, if not, they leave it in it. For if an hundred weight doth not contain 20 or 30 Lots, or half Ounces they do not separate it, because the Marchasite will yield so much. But now, the Silver may be gotten out of the Marchasite, by Salt-petre, so as that the remaining Marchasite shall lose nothing of its goodness nor be at all spoiled, as I have shewed in the Explication of my Miraculum Mundi.
Of the Golden Marchasite.
The name of Marchasite is proper to every unripe Metallick matter (and is) of as many sorts as there are Metals; hereupon the matter which has Gold in it, is called the Golden Marchasite; that which has Copper, the Coppery; that which has Iron, the Irony, and so that which abounds with Sulphur, is called the Sulphureous Marchasite. But now there is Sulphur in all the Marchasites, and sometimes Arsenick too, but (the Golden ones) have more of Gold than the other Marchasites have; Besides, out of all kinds of Marchasites proceeds (for the most part) a Vitriol, which shews the nature of that Metal, which the Marchasite contains; one while Copper, sometimes Iron; ’tis rare to find a Marchasite that hath no Metal at all in it; if it hath nothing of Gold, Silver, or Copper, yet has it Iron, and gives out of it self a Vitriol useful for Dyers, and which such as prepare Aqua-fortis cannot be without.