But as concerning the melting and reduction of the ♄ which contains in it the ☉ which it caught, it may easily be done, but ’tis by the benefit of a* Mentioned in the Second Century. peculiar* Tigil or Pot, the making of which is known only unto my self; which said Tigil or Crucible lasts a long time, and doth not at all let any thing of what is thereunto put, run out, because it has its cover made of the Lute of Wisdom.
But now again here may arise another doubt, and it may be demanded, how we may have so much Spirit of Salt for the moist way, or so much Salt and Nitre for the dry way, as is requisite to make this extraction of the Metals. Salt-petre is chargeable, and the Spirit of Salt will be difficultly gotten in such plenty; and haply they will stand us in more than the Gold thereby extracted would be worth? To such I answer, It is not so precisely necessary to buy Salt-petre for this work, seeing that the said dissolvent when it hath done what you would have it, both in the dry and moist preparation, may be again turned by the help of common Salt and other mean Subjects, into excellent Nitre: so as we may thence have more Nitre, than it was afore. And farther, as concerning the Spirit of Salt it may be made in great plenty, insomuch that (by the benefit of one Furnace) there may be daily made 50, 60, 70, yea 100 pounds thereof, and out of every pound of Salt may you extract a whole pound of rectified Spirit of Salt with the help of two or three pounds of Coals: So that, that Spirit will in a manner cost nothing at all save Salt and Coals, which doth again after it hath been put to its appointed use, yield more Nitre than the Salt and Coals cost. This operation therefore may be done without any costs as it were. The things I here mention are true, although I well know that scarce one of a hundred will believe what I say; however I matter it not, but it is sufficient to me that I know these things, and can exhibit (or demonstrate) them to any Friends.
Albeit that this be a most easie Labour and of no expences to extract volatile and fixt Gold out of Ores, Sand, Clay, according to the prescribed rule; yet I question not but that many men that are given to slothfulness will desire here, a yet easier way, whereby they may heap up a great deal of Gold without any trouble at all. To such as these, I verily could shew an easier way of extracting ☉ out of the Minerals without melting, did I not count it wholly an unbeseeming thing, to detect all these secrets both to Friends and Enemies alike without any distinction. I will not be at all wanting to communicate my more secret way to those who deserve well, & thankfully acknowledge towards me and mine, the benefit they have received.
But yet, that the knack may be in some sort manifested, and it may be somewhat known by what means ☉ and ☽ may be gotten even out of the Ores and Minerals themselves, I will a little stretch out the thred of my discourse, and will in some sort delineate the very work it self.
You are therefore to know, that all those Minerals which contain fluxile (or unripe) or volatile Gold, whether they be stony or not, do for the most part contain in them some Iron: Now then, when a man would thence extract the ☉ by the Spirit of Salt, it cannot be but that together therewith the Iron would be dissolved too, to the doing of which there is much spirit required: And albeit you may make the said spirit most easily according to the way by me delivered, yea and may besides, by the addition of some even the most mean matter again make excellent Nitre, so as that the Nitre thence extracted shall be of more value, than the costs expended about the operation; yet notwithstanding, this business is not void of all kind of labour and trouble, and it requires diligent men (not drones) of which sort there’s more scarcity than plenty. But now this which we treat of at present, may a beardless Country Boy of about some 10 or 12 years old perform: It requires but little Fire, and all the (Metals) may be extracted in great plenty. Which to do, you must know that where the Metals (or Ores) are sulphureous, that Sulphur must be taken away by the force of the fire, for else the Spirit of Salt leaves all untoucht.
NB. However it is your best way not to force away by the fires violence the Sulphur out of the goldenish Flints, because that so, there goes off part of the Spiritual ☉: but rather extract every such aureous Sulphur with a strong Lixivium made of fixt Nitre, and precipitate it with ☿ dissolved, and so the aureous Sulphur goes to the bottom, and is to be edulcorated, and ♄, ♀, or ☽ is to be thereto added, and so they will seize upon the volatile (Gold) and the ☉ is by the means of the Lixivium made in some sort fixt, and is to be separated by destilling of the ☿: The edulcorating waters do again yield Nitre. So that the extraction requires no costs at all, at leastwise but very little.
NB. When we have extracted the aureous Sulphur (by the help of fixt Nitre, or some other very strong Lee of Wood-ashes,) out of the Flints, and have precipitated it with the solution of the ☿, and edulcorated it, and sublimed it by a Retort, there is thence made an elegant (or delicate) Cinnabar, which by the addition of the filings of Silver may be changed (by Cementation) into fixt ☽ which ☽ is aureous, by reason of the volatile ☉, which was permixt with the Sulphur. Whereas otherwise, other Cinnabar is by this way (of proceeding) wont to yield only ☽: For the filings of the ☽ thereto added, become volatile, and vanish away into the Air, for the Cinnabar hath extracted the soul thereout-of, and hath by it made it self fixt; so that there redounds no profit at all thence-from, save only that the possibility of nature is laid open. But now when the Cinnabar of this place (or mentioned in this place) is mixed with fusile ☽, edulcorated and precipitated with Salt, or with the Calx of ♄, either alone or else both mixt together (viz. the ☽ and ♄) they do greedily betake themselves into each other, and there ariseth thencefrom a black stone, which being kept in an apt (or suitable) Fire by degrees, and that for a due time, doth daily more and more acquire a fixity: Yet do I believe that it needs a long time, to make it wholly fixt: which thing seeing I have not as yet any experience of, I will not here mention ought of certainty concerning it, perhaps some particular Tincture may thence be extracted, because that the subjects which constitute it are excellent ones, for as Sulphur is said to be the Father of all the Metals, so is ☿ called the Mother. What may not a burning Sulphur not unlike the common Mineral Sulphur that is in all Metals, be extracted by Art out of any Vegetable? which (said Sulphur) I have implanted in mercurial subjects more than once, and have fixed it in them; yea and by the help thereof have so extracted natural Gold thence-from.
Verily it is to be wondred at, that this science or skill hath been hitherto unknown to the Inhabitants of the world, and that no body hath commited the same to writing.
But indeed all men may cease to admire, when they shall consider that the Great and Blessed God bestows his gifts, and the knowledge of Nature to such only as it Pleaseth him, viz. to such as bear an humble, and pious Mind; and contrariwise denyeth them to such as are impious and proud.
And here falls in a thing highly needfull to be known; by him especially, who would effect ought in Chimistry with profit (and that is this, viz.) That there can be no bettering of the Metals at all (be it either in the universal or in a particular way) but by the benefit of Sulphur (which is the father of all the Metals) & this both in the moist and in the dry way. (NB. The Spirits of Salt, of Nitre, Vitriol and Sulphur, serve instead of a sulphur though a moist one, and perform their office in the moist way.)