There must be two Boxes (as ’twere) made of Boards, each of them of like bigness and capacity, as the Figure (or Letter) A shews. These Boxes are to be so placed, that a Vessel may be set under one end of each Box, to receive in it (if need be) the Lixivium poured into them: Let one of the Boxes or Vessels be filled top full of Horse-dung, Hens, or Pigeons-dung; or else with the Leaves of the Trees, amongst which Fir-tree Leaves are best; then pour thereupon so much of this Lixivium which we shall make a description of by and by, so much as may suffice to moisten the Dung or Leaves contained in the Box or Vessel, and a little to over-top it. The next day (after you have so done) when you judge that all the matter is throughly wetted, let the Lixivium run out by a Tap, the which said Lixivium you must pour into the other Box filled with the like matters, and which stands just against it. Let these things stand thus wetted for some days; In the mean time, the matter contained in the first Box, grows hot, and the useless moisture being most plentifully resolved into Vapours out of the Lixivium, the said matter doth daily get more and more efficacy. As long as you observe the heat of this Box to continue, and the evaporation of moisture to last, so long must it be left in the same positure whereby the Lixivium, thus poured on, may by its notable power consume and dissolve the Dung, or the other matters contained in the Box, and turn them into Water. And here you are to observe this direction. You must always put in new matter instead of that which is turned into Liquor, and so one Box may be always at all times kept full of the matters. But now when your materials being put in the first Box, begin to cool, the Lixivium which now lies in the second Box or Vessel, must be poured upon the matters yet warm, in the first Box, that so it may again contract a heat thence-from by little and little, and so may dissolve those matters. And now whilst these things are thus detained in the first Box or Vessel, the materials that are in like manner put in the second Box do heat each other, and the unprofitable Phlegm evaporateth: Now as long as this second Box vaporateth, the Lixivium must not be drawn out of the first Box and be poured thereinto, but all the matters are to be left to heat or burn (as it were) themselves. And when you perceive that the materials cool, then the Lixivium must be drawn off from the matters in the first Box, and be poured upon them in the second Box; and hereby the matters contained in the first Box will again wax hot, be burnt, and be turned into Liquor. By how much the oftner and longer this repeated pouring on of Lixivium is done, so much the more, and sooner are the materials consumed; from which matters thus consumed, a most excellent Salt-petre may afterwards be made, for the heat makes the matters rot. Now then to make trial (if it be well enough done) take some of this Lixivium boil it away to a sufficient height for Chrystallization, set it in a cold place to shoot, dry the salt you find, being dry, put it on a live Coal, which if you find it burn up, it is a sign that it is full time to draw off, and take all your Lixivium to the intent that Salt-petre may be thereof made by due evaporation and coagulation. But if you chance to find it otherwise, and that the salt does not flame up, the Lixivium must lie longer in the Boxes to be heated and animated by the Air which is magnetically attracted by means of the heat: This labour being rightly ordered, there may be made excellent Salt-petre out of the said matters by the help of a convenient Lixivium, in ten or twelve Months space without any costs, save some small trifle about the Lixivium; neither is the Work so grievous or troublesome, for there is nothing more required but that the Lixivium be several times poured out of one Box into the other.
NB. There are yet, besides the other aforenamed several sorts of matters that offer themselves, out of which, Salt-petre may be made by the help of the Boxes, & a due Lixivium far speedilier & plentifullier; but I judge it not needful to divulge every thing: Likewise there may be made a convenient Lixivium to prepare Salt petre sooner, by and after another manner, to wit, in a dry form, without such putrifying as is done in the Boxes or Circulatories; but even this Artifice too, will I reserve yet a little longer for my Friends.
Nay yet more, there may be (by a yet secreter and shorter method) excellent Salt-petre extracted by the means of such a Lixivium in three hours space, and that with most great profit: And this way of preparing Salt-petre, I do preferr before all the others, and have found it the most excellent (Petre) of them all.
The Lixivium is on this wise made.
Make you a strong Lixivium of Wood-ashes, and when you burn the unprofitable Wood in the Woods into ashes, make by the same labour of your Fire some good Lime of stones fit for such a purpose; Then quench this Calx or Lime with Water, that so it may fall into powder, then pour thereon as much of the Lee of the Wood-ashes now spoken off, as is sufficient, mixt it with a wooden Spatula, and repeat this mixing and stirring it very often, some days following, that so the Lee may be made the stronger by reason of the Lime, and be like Fire, the which has an excellent virtue to putrefy the vegetables and animals, and to turn them into burning Salt-petre. (See the foregoing Figure belonging to this Operation noted at the top page, 1.)
Figur No. 2. Figur No. 1.
Figur A.
