Mix such an Earth as contains therein Gold and Silver with the Water of Vitriol, which I have afore described, and make it up into balls somewhat bigger than ones fist, which throw orderly and by little and little into my first Furnace, or into my second distillatory Furnace, and draw off the Spirit by Distillation. The dissolved Gold and Silver remaining in the Sal-Mirabilis is to be extracted out of those balls broken small, with warm water, and to be reduced by Lead, after the afore described manner.
47. By what Artifice Gold may be plentifully and easily extracted out of Granates, Agates, Saphires, Rubies, Sand, or other hard Minerals which suffer not themselves to be tamed neither with Lead, nor with sharp Waters.
It is certain that all Granates, what Colour soever they are of, or what place soever you meet with them in, whether you have them out of Rivers, or wash them out of Sand or fat Clay, or that you find them in the high Mountains and Rocks; they always contain in them much Gold: but by reason of their Glassy nature, they cannot by any means be extracted with Aqua Fortis or strong Waters, nor can they by reason of the hardness of their bodies fusion be molten with Lead. Hence it is, that as hitherto they have never been so handled as to have their Gold extracted out of them with profit, and therefore are they neglected as unprofitable, unworthy, abject, and contemptible Minerals, whereas notwithstanding it is a thing feasible for a man to enjoy their Gold and Silver with a little labour, and as it were without any trouble. But now what course must we take to doe this, seeing they elude the sharpest powers or efficacy of all strong or sharp Waters, whereby their heart may be penetrated, and Gold may be extracted out of their bowels? I answer; They are to be overcome by Concentrated Spirits, and which are reduced to the form of Salt, as also by a fusile Salt of Lead, and be so divested of the Gold they contain in them, and without this will the victory over them hardly be obtained. For Spirits being reduced to the form of Salt, doe abide the fire most patiently, and perform a double labour; one by their Acrimony, the other by a strong fire, insomuch that nothing can escape their power, and therefore all things are tamed and subdued by them, and doe afterwards readily obey the virtues or power of Saturnine Salt, and yield forth their Gold by fusion.
48. A Demonstration, above the reach of any Confutation, shewing that more Gold and Silver may be gotten out of the Oars or Minera’s of Gold and Silver, by the hitherto prescribed ways, by sharp Waters or Salts, and in a manner without Costs, than is wont to be done by many Expences, and by the fire of Melting.
I believe it is not unknown to any one that is but a little acquainted with the knowledge of the Minera’s of Gold, that the Gold cannot be gotten out of them without the addition of Lead, or the help of some matter rendring the fusion more easie. And now when such Oars contain but little Gold, and contrariwise much Lead, or matters requisite to promote fusion are of necessity to be thereto used, how can it be, that that little portion of Gold or Silver should recompense or defray such great expences? Therefore such poorer Oars have hitherto lain as cast-aways, as being uncapable of bearing the Expences of reparation, and so are not put to any use, nor are at all profitable.
But admit that the Oars do contain as much Gold and Silver, as that the Costs of melting may be repaid by them; yet such a fusion, compared with this invention of mine of Extracting Gold and Silver with Waters and Salts, is as if you should compare Water with Wine, or the night with the most brightsome day, which have no comparison.
For, first of all, the common melting of Metals is accompanied with far greater Expences, than that Extraction of mine with Salts, which verily needs but a very little charge. Then farther, it can never be, that all the Gold should be so perfectly Extracted out of the Oars, but that some of the same will abide in the Scoria’s; besides, the volatile Gold and Silver, which must necessarily be blown off by the vehement blast of the bellows, and the acuteness of the fire, and so be lost.
Now amongst all the conveniencies that arise from the Extracting of Gold and Silver out of the poor Mines, that is none of the meanest, viz. that not onely all the fix Gold and Silver are conserved by the Salts, but also the Volatile too, and this latter is made fix and constant in the fire, together with that former fixt part, whereas by the Fusing fire it is all of it lost.
N. B. For the Waters of the Salts doe make the volatile Spirits of Gold and Silver, and which otherwise would vanish away fix and constant; for by a strong blast and force of fire are they rendred yet more fugacious. Hence comes it to pass, that [there is but the] one half part of that Gold extracted by the fire of the usual way of melting, that the Waters of Salts get out of the Oars. Upon this account my Invention doth not onely yield this commodiousness as to get both the fix and volatile Gold and Silver together, without any detriment out of the Oars, but also gets not a little in sparing Coals, (not to mention this, that one man does more in the Extraction of Gold and Silver by Salts, than three men are wont to doe in the common way of Fusion.
By what hath now been said, it is evidently apparent, what a deal of benefit and profit this invention will bring in all places of Germany. For this Extraction may be used commodiously and profitably, not onely in all Minera’s or Oars both rich and poor ones, but also may be used in Extracting the Gold and Silver out of all colour’d Flints, wherewith all Rivers, Brooks and Fields do abound.