XLIV. Another easie manner of plentifully extracting gold, and silver out of poor minerals, it being of little or no cost.
Mix thou the mine or minerals with the requisite waters, fill with the same of good earth, set them near each other in a great put it in and distill the spirits, which pay all the charges, and which supply gold and silver without any costs, the which is to be received by lead.
XLV. Another more easie manner of extracting gold and silver out of minerals.
Mix the mine or mineral with the requisite waters, and moisten it by degrees, cast the whole into the spirits depart into a receiving vessel, and in the time of distillation, the gold and silver are dissolved by that dissolvant, the which being extracted, remain with or among and are rinced by water out of the mineral, so that they are attained without costs, and the spirits being collected in the receiving vessel, do recompence all charges.
XLVI. An easie operation of plentifull extracting gold and silver out of fat white Clay or Potters-earth.
Although gold and silver be extracted out of minerals by moist waters, by a troublesome operation as we have taught in the beginning, yet such an extraction brings no small profit, because they may be freed from those waters by precipitation; and those very waters do readily serve for the making or preparing of Salt Peter. With a fat Argilla or white Clay, the matter goes otherwise, because the spirit hath crept into the fat earth, and scarce a half part is received, unless the earth be first deprived of its fatness by making burning bright, it being that which doth also require its own peculiar labour.
Seeing that therefore in all places of the world, wheresoever earth is found, such fat white Clays containing gold and silver do plentifully offer themselves, and none hath been hitherto found, who hath indeavoured to extract and bring them to use, especially whenas they contain but little of gold or silver, not able to defray the charges of the lead bestowed.
I could not but open a very easie way of performing that thing with no small profit, the which is perfected by the following labour.
Mix such an earth containing gold or silver, with or of that greater one, and cast it by degrees into my first or second Distillatory Furnaces, and draw forth the spirits by distilling, that the solved gold or silver may remain in From that which is broken by a Mill or grinding is washed off with hot water, and is reduced by lead as is shewed before.