But some will say, whence shall we have such Minerals that yield ☉, and that bring such great profit? We have said before, that such Minerals or Ores containing such Iron, are every where to be found: Nor can you light on any common ♂ which has not ☉ therein, which may easily be extracted from thence, and that with most great profit. This now is known unto most (Refiners) that there is plenty of corporeal ☉ to be found in the Iron that we commonly use which (said corporeal ☉) is far surmounted (as to quantity) by the volatile ☉; but if a man would separate it thence by the help of fusion and the addition of ♄, it requires too much costs, and therefore men never attempted any other way of extracting it.
All Germany affords this sort of Iron (that is thus endued with Gold) in a most plentiful manner, & I could shew very many places in which it may be found, if some pregnant (or notable) causes did not prohibit me from so doing.
But that all men may know, that I tell the very truth, and do not like a vain man tell you of great Treasures, and that they are every where to be found in Germany, and yet notwithstanding by reason of their not being known are not of any use; I will show some of them with my very Fingers as it were, which haply in respect of othersome that I know not of as yet, will be but a very few, and these very vile or poor, too.
First of all then, all the Iron that is in the Pine-bearing Mountain and about it, doth contain both fixt and volatile ☉; and this I have often experienced some years since, when I lived at Kitzing in Franconia, and extracted thence from by the help of a melting Fire excellent ☉: For as then, the manner of extracting ☉ from thence by waters only, without any melting fire, was to me unknown: For at that time those most eminent Men Mr. Christopher Herbst, the chief Physician of the Prince of Arsparch, and Mr. Adam Renningen the said Prince’s Lieutenant, and chief of his House, (or Governour) in the Castle of Blassenburg near Culmbach, presented me various kinds of minerals, to try what was in them contained: And amongst these Iron ones I find all of them to be endued with Gold, which might be exceeding profitably extracted thence by the afore-disclosed moist way. There were likewise given me such like conditioned stones and metals (or ores) which were found near Bamberg, of which we have said somewhat afore. The truth of this thing is the more confirmed by the Lord Fleishman, Governour of the Province of Bamberg my singular Friend, who wrote unto me some few months since, that an excellent Gold-mine is found in the Province of Bamberg, but yet that the Gold thereof cannot at all be separated from the Iron by the force of Fire; which volatility of Sol I signified to him in my answer might most easily be amended.
Now like as all the Minerals and the Iron it self which are found near the Pine-bearing Mountain, are very much endued with Gold, so those which are found in Misnia, Saxony, Thuringia, and Bohemia, do abound with ☽: both of which may be extracted thence by the way by me delivered, with very great profit. I know by good experience that in the Hungarian ☉ and ☽ Mine-pits much volatile Gold and Silver is forced away into the Air through meer ignorance.
Certain I am, that the Metals (or Ores) throughout all Carinthia and Styria do possess much volatile and fixt Gold; especially the Iron Metal (or Ore): For I have many a time made experiments of that thing.
Moreover, the Hircinian Wood, Brunswick, and Hassia yield such kind of Minerals. Nor is Suevia destitute of such Iron as is impregnate with ☉; and amongst other things I think good to declare, that some few months since, a certain Basilian Ruler sent me a potion of such kind of Iron; withal relating, that the lesser experiment did there yield ten Crowns of Gold, and that an hundred weight was of this Iron sold for nine Florins price. Which Iron when I had tried by the help of a fusing or melting Fire I got a sufficiently great quantity of ☉, but in proceeding by my moist way, I got twice or thrice as much.
Such kinds of stones as these are found in plenty throughout all Germany, to which may be reckoned the red and black Talk, the Irony Talk, black and red Granates, Smiris, Hæmatites, and the like, which always are endued with ☉, if not with fixt, yet with volatile Gold. So that now it is manifestly apparent, that in those places where ☉ is digged, all the stones are repleat with volatile Gold at least, if not with fixt ☉ too: like as all the Iron that is digged in Spain doth of a certainty besides volatile Gold contain also corporeal Gold. Nay more, there are not only found such stones that have Gold in them in those hotter places, but also in most cold places too, witness Norway; where you may meet with whole Mountains consisting of Iron, Talk, and Granates; out of which there has not hitherto been any ☉ gotten by the help of a melting fire with any profit; though I my self have found ☉, in the lesser experiments.
Last year Mr. J. W. brought me various Ores out of the County of Eysfeldein, that I might try what they contained. Amongst others, there were some little grains of Iron round like a Pease, though somewhat lesser, thus generated in the Earth naturally: This Earth as I was informed, is altogether black, one handful of which contains 10, 15, 20 Grains: wherefore it is not improbable that all the Earth of that place is repleat with Iron; these little Grains are so very tractable, as that they may be made into Plates with an Hammer, and contain much Gold.
Such a kind as this of black Iron grains (yet not so round or tractable as those but now spoken of) were brought me from Saxony, which are endued with plenty of Gold, but volatile; they are easily pulverisable, and (as was related to me) are to be found near the Mountain which the Germans call Geyersberg, where also is gathered a Tin stone, which doth also contain Gold, such as Misnia yields more plentifully. Out of 100 weight of this Tin, I found that 10 or 12 Crowns of Gold might indeed be extracted; but this work requires such costs as far exceed the price of that which is extracted: and therefore they sell off the Tin, just as ’tis digged out, to avoid the expence of extracting the ☉.