And as to the Concentration of Minerals, thus stands the Case with them; they are either to be fixed & subdued, as ’twere by the help of Salt-petre, that so they may not so suddenly fly away in fume in the fire, and be burnt up, but may abide the fire and suffer themselves to be molten; or they are to be reduced into bodies by the help of Metals, that so they may come in use, and that by augmenting the Metals, as Lapis Calaminaris does, or they are to be purifyed, separated, and made better, as shall be mentioned of Sulphur, Antimony, and the others, that so those kind of Minerals of which there lies to and again, at present, great quantities, wholly neglected, and profitable to no body, may hereafter be of use and benefit.
And first of all, as to the fixation of the Minerals, the way of proceeding is thus, viz. The Mineral is to be powdered, and to be mixt with equal weight of burning Salt-petre, and so to be fired, that the combustible and volatile part of the Sulphur may be forc’d away, and the Mineral may afterwards brook the fire the better, and be molten and forced downwards (per descensum); which operation I have treated of in the explication of my Miraculum Mundi, and therefore think it needless to repeat the same thing again here. By this mean therefore may Arsenick, Auripigment, Cobolt, Zink, Bismute, and other Volatile Minerals be in some sort fixt by the inflaming and burning up with Salt-petre, so as afterwards to endure the fire, and to yield forth the good they have in them. There’s also another way of imbodying Volatile Minerals, viz. by the benefit of Metals; if the Metals and Minerals are joined together in a due measure, and be likewise united together by the virtue of a Cementing fire; then doth the volatile Mineral penetrate it self into the Metal, and becomes Metalline, and doth also encrease the Metal, as is evident in Calmei or Lapis Calaminaris, which being joined with red Copper and cemented, enters into it, augments and encreaseth it, and turneth it into Brass; whereas there cannot be any Metal educed out of the Calmei by the usual way of melting. In like manner may all Arsenical minerals be (by cementation) introduced into Copper, & made corporeal; and these do not colour the Copper yellow as Calmei doth, but make it white, nor is the Copper rendred maleable thereby but britle; but yet ’tis not without profit; for if that white Copper be handled after a convenient manner of taming or over-mastering it, then the Gold and Silver that was in the Arsenick, betakes its self into Regulus’s, which are to be depurated in a Test or Cupel, or else by the help of Salt-petre; but there cannot any metalline body be made out of Arsenick, Auripigment, or Cobolt, by bare melting. The way of proceeding with it is thus; The Copper is to be cut into small bits, and to be moistned over with Linseed Oil, and the Arsenick, Auripigment, Cobolt or any other Realgar is to be powdered and strewed thereupon, and so a bed of Copper, and a bed of Arsenick to be put one a top of another in a melting Pot; then the Pot is to be well covered and fenced with Lute, and placed in a circulatory fire, and the fire is to be put nearer and nearer to it, until the Pot is through red hot, then let it cool, and you shall find that the Arsenick hath gotten ingress into the Copper, and makes it black and brittle. The Copper thus burnt, may be reduced into powder, and burnt with good Salt-petre, whereby the Volatile Gold and Silver which was contained in the Arsenick, is made corporeal, and abides as constant upon the Test as other fixt Metals do; so that by this means permanent and good Gold and Silver may be gotten out of every sort of Arsenick, Auripigment, Cobolt, and the other volatile, venomous and base minerals.
NB. This kind of operation is very dangerous to those that are unskilful, and who being unversed in the Chymick Art, have not learned to take heed to themselves. And therefore it behoves every one to beware of doing ought rashly or heedlesly. He that knows not how to carry himself (or his business) warily, let him forbear to meddle at all with this labour or process: But as for one who is better versed, and pretty well experienc’d, he may set about this work safely and will gain by it: Because there is oftentimes found Arsenick and Auripigment that hath in it much hidden volatile Gold and Silver, and which cannot be retained in the common way of melting by Fire, but will totally fly away: But now if it be imprinted in the Copper by Cementation, and fixt in the same by Salt-petre, and then precipitated by means of Lead or Iron into Regulus’s, it will render all that fixt which afore was unfixt and flying. But as concerning such a Cementation and Fixation to be done by Nitre, will be manifested by the following process.
NB. But you are carefully to observe, that one mineral must help another in the separation of their Gold and Silver (if you would undertake this Labour for profit): For so each will produce what it has in more abundance, and thou wilt have a greater reward for thy pains and costs. For example, I prove and try Auripigment or Arsenick, and find that it is auriferous, and I have a mind to perfect it and turn it unto my use; hereupon do I look for such Copper as is likewise auriferous, (and indeed there’s plenty enough of such every where): Into this Copper do I introduce my auriferous Arsenick by Cementation, and that I may not need to cupellate (or blow off) the same upon a Test (for the very Labour of so doing will cost more than the gains will be of that separation) I do precipitate the Gold that is therein into a Regulus, which Regulus being purified, I obtain the Gold that was contained in that Arsenick and Copper, neither is there any need of cupellating all the Copper. But that the precipitation of the Regulus may be the more commodiously done, I proceed on this wise. I find out some Antimony of a good sort, and which is of a Golden nature; likewise such Iron as hath Gold in it, both which, viz. the Iron and the Antimony, may easily be gotten, and then I set on the separation which I thus institute.
First of all I implant the auriferous Arsenick into the auriferous Copper (if such may be had) then reduce I these into powder, and fire them with an equal admixt weight of burning Salt-petre; by this means the Arsenick is made a little more fixt, and suffers it self to be the better dealt withal in the fire, but if you are well skilled in this kind of labour you may spare your Salt-petre and may melt down your Copper (burnt with the Arsenick and powdered) with an equal weight of Antimony. And if of its own accord it lets fall a Regulus out of it self, then there needs no precipitation, the Regulus may be laid by, and that which remains may be likewise precipitated into a Regulus with common Iron; and this (last Regulus) is also of use, as shall hereafter follow: But if not (that no Regulus falls) then that Mass may again be put into a Crucible, be molten, and a little Iron filings be cast in to make it settle; the which must be stirr’d about with a red hot Iron rod, and when it’s well molten, ’tis to be poured out into an Iron Cone; which being cool, the Regulus may be knockt off, in which Regulus will you have the Gold that was in the Arsenick, Copper, Antimony and Iron. This Regulus must be cupellated either by Salt-petre in a Crucible, or with Lead upon a Test; which done, you will have the Gold that lay hid, and shut up in the afore-mentioned Minerals.
But now, if one hath a mind to make that separation yet more compendious, and to have greater benefit thereby, he may add to that Copper burnt by the Arsenick, some Silver burnt with Brimstone, and so melt it with the Antimony, and by the means of Mars precipitate them into a Regulus, then the Silver will so much the better draw to it self the Gold out of the Arsenick and Antimony, and yield (in the separation) greater benefit.
NB. If so be a man be not skilful in this operation, let him forbear his Silver a little, and add some Silver to the Regulus by melting them, and then afterwards purifie the Regulus by Salt-petre; for so the Gold that is in the Regulus associates its self to the adjoined Silver, and inricheth it with no little increase, viz. according as the Minerals have had more or less Silver, in the making their separation.
And this is such a work as seems sufficiently able commodiously to sustain life; but it requires an experienced Artist, not a giddy headed fellow. Neither have I written this process for those who are not as yet well versed in Pyrotechny, but for such who are well skill’d and dexterous; and although this kind of operation needs no great store of Art, yet notwithstanding, every one will not rightly perfect it, and therefore do I warn such as are not well skill’d in Pyrotechny to desist from this labour, and betake themselves to some other, and set themselves about doing such things in which haply they are better skill’d, and not to lay the blame on me, when they are frustrated of their expectation, as if I had not dealt faithfully and sincerely in my writing, but let them rather impute it to their own preposterous rashness and unskilfulness; and what loss soever they bring upon themselves, let them impute it only to their own (misconceptions).
To deal plainly with you, that labour is conjoyned with some difficulty; but yet if any one be diligent and well exercised in the Pyrotechnical Art, the operation will succeed in such an ones hands very pleasantly; nor will he want a worthy profit, especially if he takes such Minerals as are richest, and use them about this separation. But some perhaps will say, Whence shall I have those so good Minerals? Who demonstrates to me, which are auriferous, and which are not auriferous, which are good, and which are to be rejected, that so least being deluded in this, I should lose all my labour? I would have such a one know, that if he has not gotten so much skill and experience as to prove a Mineral, whether it be auriferous, or not, he is not at all fit to take upon him this Labour of separation, and he were far better advised, if he wholly abstained from setting about it. But yet that I may not omit ought which may seem to be desired from me, I will over and above add here in this place, what way Minerals may be proved by, whether they be auriferous or not, and ’tis on this wise to be done; all Realgars, as Arsenick, Auripigment, Cobolt, and others of that kind, are first of all to be implanted into Copper by cementation, then are they to be molten, or throughly purged and subdued with Lead (like as you do with a crude Mineral); after this, there comes out a certain little silvery Pellet, and this you are to prove as you would for Gold. Now according to the moreness or lessness of the same, so is the business to be ordered, and compute to be made, whether or no the said Mineral is worth the pains of separation as aforesaid. Likewise the Copper it self may be cupellated with Lead alone, and then the remaining silver Pellet be proved for the Gold, with Aqua-Fortis; but as for the Antimony, and Iron, they may be well melted jointly together in a Test under a Cover or Muffel, or in a clean Crucible in a Wind Furnace, with this observation, that there be used twice as much Antimony as Iron, and so a Regulus will settle, which is to be purged or tried with Lead in a Test, and kept flowing till all the fugacious parts are evaporated, which done, there is found a silver Pellet, which is to be proved with Aqua-fortis, how much Gold it has.
NB. This probation, or trial is to be accounted of as a certain and lawful trial, but such though as you may easily err in the doing of, and so may have nothing, though it had in it a good part of Gold; for the Antimony will not easily suffer it self to be vanquished, or go off, but it will break the Test, or Cupel, and the little Pellet which is the probatory Globulus betakes it self (by reason of the fierceness, or eating penetrativeness into the Test) so that the Proba or trial it self, may most easily become fallacious, and yield no certain discovery. Which to remedy, the business is to be thus managed, after that your two parts of Antimony shall have been well melted in the Crucible, with your one part of Iron, there must be put thereinto a little dried Salt-petre powder, and the Pot, or Crucible must again be covered over, and care taken to make them melt well together; then are they to be poured out into an Iron Cone first smeared over with Wax, and when ’tis cold, the Regulus is to be knockt off from the Scoria, to which must be added twice or thrice the weight thereof of Lead, and the Regulus of the Antimony doth in the melting-pot separate it self by Salt-petre from the Lead, and the Lead is to be afterwards cupellated, and so that goes all off, and the true weight is had. But albeit, that this description be clearly enough delivered, yet certain I am, that one in ten will not understand it aright, and therefore it is behoveful, more fully to inform, and clearly to shew the Reduction of that Regulus into scoria by Salt-petre. To make this trial or proof ’tis not needful to take a huge vast pot to fill with Iron, ’tis sufficient to take of Iron 100 l. of the smaller probatory weight, and 200 l. of Antimony, both which are to be molten together, and to be precipitated with a little Salt-petre, for so the Regulus doth the better separate it self from the scoria’s, the which is then to be washt and purified by Lead and Salt-petre. This Regulus that comes from the Antimony and Iron, put with three times its weight of Lead in a clean Crucible, and make them well to flow in a wind Furnace, but cover your pot close that no Coals fall in, and so hinder the work, then take off the cover and throw in a little powdered Salt-petre, and again cover the Crucible, and above all things have a care that there fall not in any Coals, and let them lie and operate a little upon each other, then the Salt-petre imbibes all the Antimony, Iron, and Lead, and thereby becomes hard. This being done, some more Salt-petre is to be again cast in, and you must make them flow together, and so all the whole parcel of Antimony, Iron, and Lead, betake themselves into the Salt-petre, and pass into scoria, but part of the Lead remains whole or free, and is not scorified, and therein will the Gold be, which the Antimony and Iron had immixed in them, which if it be blown off on a probatory Cupel, or Test, under a Muffel, there will then remain the true weight.