The works of the highly experienced and famous chymist, John Rudolph Glauber

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

Therefore I doubt not but that seeing this little Book offers the Countrey such great benefits and Commodity, there will not onely be some of the Vulgar sort, but also many of the Noble ones [or Magistrates] be found, to whom the reading of the same will not be a tedious thing.

And now I return again to speak of Alchymy, openly disclosing my Opinion concerning it, and firmly averring, that Salts onely have power to wash, maturate, and perfect the unripe Metals.

But some of ther may here say, if Alchymy be the fusing of Salt, by what means can it possibly ever be, that Gold and Silver should be gotten out of Salt by melting? If there were Gold in it, cannot it be gotten forth easier than by melting in the Fire? I answer, you are not so to understand it, as if huge heaps of Gold could be gotten by a bare fusing and melting of Salt. No! no such matter. But when the Metals have Salts adjoyned to them in a due manner, and so undergo a melting Fire, they do (in that fusing) display their virtues upon the Metals, and do so bring them to a maturity as to yield forth Gold and Silver. For Salts are the universal ripening Agents, both in the dry and in the moist way, as is clearly evident from the third and fourth part of the Prosperity of Germany, so that there needs no more to be spoken as to this.

But yet, that these things may not seem new, or altogether absurd, I say, that in all Salts there lies hidden spiritual Gold, but yet it cannot be extracted from them without the addition of the Metals. For all the things that are, are generated, encreased, and sustained by the Sun, (and amongst these may be reckoned up the smallest Vegetable) do contain the fugacious beams of the Sun hidden in them, which said beams may by the benefit of Art be made corporeal and fixt. This I taught and demonstrated more prolixly in the second part of my Miraculum Mundi. I will teach the same in the first Century of my general Appendix, which said Appendix shall illustrate all my Writings with more clear notes; and I will evidently show the way, by which true and natural Gold is to be gotten (by the benefit of a certain precipitating matter, out of Sea Salt, both by the dry and by the moist way. This Operation brings not any considerable profit, but doth in very truth show the possibility of the thing. But he who knows the way of conjoyning true and due [or proper] Metals with legitimate [or suitable] Salts, and of handling them in a due and true way of Fusion, will get Gold and Silver out of all the imperfect Metals, and that with no small profit; and this shall be demonstrated in my Laboratory this present Summer by God’s help.

And for the more evident proof hereof, it seems worth while to adjoyn a Story out of the Journal of William Litgou of England, [rather Scotland] who Journying through Italy, testifies that he saw in Trapundia, a City in Sicilia, much Gold excocted or drawn out of Sea Salt; which thing, seeing it agrees with my Opinion, and confirms what I say, I will add the Words of the Authour himself as they are in Latin.

“The fourth City of Sicily, is Trapundia, scituate in the West-side, and opposite to the City Biserta, seated on the Barbarian Coast of Africa, which yields pure Gold, which is exported by the Merchants into Italy, Venice, Dalmatia, and Greece. It is excocted in some Artificially made Salt-pits by the more vehement beams of the Sun, which Pits are filled and emptied every month. Now the Salt here on the Sea-shore, has a colour like the redness of a Ruby, or Corral: The City is almost the one half of it imployed about working thereupon. The Gold it self being purged is distributed throughout the whole Christian World.”

These are the words of the said Authour, I know nothing of the certainty of the thing it self, he that is desirous to find out the truth of this Relation may easily do it. As for my self, I easily credit this Relation, because of the Mount Ætna which always is burning in that Island, and because of the Sulphur too, which all the Land of Sicily abounds withall. And verily it seems a thing altogether likely, that when the Inhabitants of this Island upon the Seashore, make Salt of the Sea Water for their necessary use, by digging Pits in the Earth after the manner of all those hot Countries, and letting in the Sea Water, and that the warm beams of the Sun separate [or any of] the unprofitable sweet [or insipid] Water, in Vapour, and that that Water of Salt is endued with a notable sharpness; it extracts the Sulphur out of the Earth which is there in plenty every where, and it renders this [Sulpher] by the help of the heat of the Sun, constant, corporal and fixt, so as that it can be afterwards molten in a melting Furnace into Gold. If now the most hot beams of the Sun, and Salt Water can change common earthly Sulphur into Gold, why may not the same be done also by the benefit of Fire, Salt, and Art.

That all Gold is at first naturally generated of a pure Sulphur in the Earth, no body will indeed deny. That any Sulphur may by the help of Fire and Salt be fixed and changed into natural Gold, daily experience witnesseth, not onely in my own Laboratory, but in my Disciples Laboratories too, the which, visibly demonstrates, and even by manual Operation confirms the truth of those things which I have mentioned in the second part of my Miraculum Mundi, hereabouts.

That which is mentioned in the old Hymn of the Ancient Church-Fathers, viz. who made Gold of Rods or Twigs, and Gems of Stones, seems to the ignorant altogether as Paradoxal, new, and incredible: and from which ’tis gathered that St. John the Evangelist made Gold of Sticks of Wood, and Gems of common Stones: I can in a few words demonstrate that both are true.

Dissolve common Sulphur, or any Vegetable in common Salt, this Solution will make the Sulphur of a red colour. Keep this Solution for at least one hours space in the Fire, you shall find a little of the Sulphur changed into Gold; to the red Salt, adjoyn the Calx of Saturn, melt them by Fusion into one Body, and reduce the Lead by a Cupel, you shall find a grain of Gold, it yields indeed no profit but demonstrates the certainty and possibility of Art. But if any one shall be skilled in managing this Operation in great quantity (as shall be done this Summer in my Laboratory) he will not complain of loss, but will always get profit.