If therefore all things and Gold it self, as also Silver, Pearls, and precious Stones, are after an invisible and occult manner hidden in Salt, and may by the help of art and nature be rendred palpable and visible; why also might it not come to pass that the most excellent Medicine and most precious Pearl of the wise men might be allured forth out of the same Salt? Truly common Pearls are bred out of Salt waters, wherein if the first matter of Pearls were not, after what manner or sort should they bewray themselves out of the same? Therefore that it may evidently be made manifest, that by the operation of art, also Pearls may be extracted out of Salt which do far excell those Pearls, which by fishing are drawn out of the depth of the Sea, in beauty, virtue, efficacy and excellency; I will prescribe as much indeed as hath been granted unto me, for demonstrating the possibility of the thing, a certain manner whereby every one shall be able to take to him a firm and sure foundation of weighing or considering of the matter more exactly.
XV. An operation of alluring forth a Philosophical Pearl out of Salt.
Dissolve thou in common water, as much of common Salt as thou wilt, by how much the greater plenty thou shalt take, by so much the more thou shalt obtain.
In like manner dissolve in aq. fort. one or two Ounces of Silver, pour this solution of Lune on the dissolved Salt, and stir both the dissolutions up and down divers times, that it may become white and like unto Milk. For Silver cannot well indure the Salt, but departing from it is precipitated to the bottom, and there resides, in the form of a snow-like Powder, which by the effusion or pouring off the water is to be separated and dried.
This silver powder hath extracted a spiritual and philosophical gold, or the said precious Pearl out of the Salt Water. Because Diana hath known no less how to fish Pearls in the Salt Sea, than to hunt wild Beasts in the green Woods: But that Pearl is made corporal and visible in manner following.
XVI. How the Pearl being attained is made visible.
It is to be noted that that silver powder being thus by it self, and without an admixture of other fixxed Salts, doth very hardly by fusion return into its former form of silver, but that it flows like Salt, and pierceth any vessel whatsoever, yea doth depart into a smoak. For the spirits of the Salt do render the silver so fluid and volatile; that it is made altogether mercurial; and therefore its more tender and noble part may be separated from its more gross part by distillation, if this could be done by glassen, or earthen, or metallick vessels.
When this mercury of Lune is melted in an open crucible, it vanisheth into smoak. It being put into a Glass Retort, refuseth to yield to the fire, the which being too much increased makes the glass to melt, and destroys the glass together with the silver. If earthen vessels be used, the same mercury pierceth the same unhurt like oyled Leather, when it departs, the Salts also depart into smoak, and do leave little grains of silver adhering to the vessel, whereof in this respect there is made a loss, which renders the sublimation void.
Of Iron vessels also here is no use, because of the Salts that are admixed with the silver rising up against the Iron, they dismiss the silver reduced to its ancient body, and besides a little spirit of salt they send forth nothing, so that no separation is made, but the pure and impure do remain co-mixt.
For the sake of avoiding those discommodities I have tried many ways and manners in vain, and at length I took notice, that if such a matter be added to the most penetrating mercury of Lune, which may so hinder its efficacy of solving and co-melting, that it may be changed into a porous lump, than that, through the benefit of fire there might be an easie separation thereof, which without this help doth most difficultly exist.