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

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

The most learned and most witty Helmont wrote egregiously concerning this Sulphur; but yet not so clearly as that any one could out of those his writings get a perfect knowledge of the same. Nor indeed is it expedient that such kind of Pearls should be cast under the feet of swinish Men. There is no Writer (as far as I know) that hath mentioned any thing concerning this matter, clearer than Isaac Holland in his Ch. De Amausis, where he teacheth, that he who hath gotten the art of changing Metals into transparent Glasses with their peculiar colours, hath purchased a notable secret in Metallick affairs. He alludes (by way of likeness) to the bodies of Men brought to a clarity or brightness after this life, and thus declares his Doctrine and says; The souls of Metals do shine forth through their Amausa’s, or clarified bodies, clad in their proper colours, even as the Souls of Men shall hereafter shine in the other World, from [or through] their clarified bodies. And further he saith, that when such Amausa’s [or Glasses] are reduced into their former bodies; then the Amausa’s of Copper and Iron become fixt, that of Silver becomes Gold, and that of Gold becomes Tincture. The Said Authour hath not clearly expressed the manner of accomplishing this, but in my opinion (without prescribing ought to any one) this is the nearest way of attaining to such an operation, viz. of getting the souls, or the pure Sulphurs of Metals, viz. If the Metals be first reduced into Amausa’s, or transparent Glasses, out of which their souls are easier extractable than out of their gross bodies. But now, for such an extraction here is such a menstruum required as doth not work upon all the whole body, or dissolve it, but doth onely attract there out of the colour and purest Sulphur, and leaves the body behind white. But where shall we find the description of such a menstruum? none speak of it openly, but many mention it obscurely; nor indeed is it so necessary that such an Arcanum of so great moment be manifested to every one.

But however, this in brief you are to be admonished of, that like draws its like and extracts it. If a mercuriality be to be extracted out of the metallick masses [or bodies,] then ’tis expedient to use a mercurial menstruum, for like rejoyceth in its like. So sulphureous essences are extractable by sulphureous menstruums, and not by mercurial ones. For Water doth willingly associate it self with Water, and Oyl with Oyls. And forasmuch as all the Philosophers write that the Sulphur or tinging Soul in Iron and Copper, doth as to goodness and nobleness equalize the Sulphur in Gold, it will be needless (in my opinion) to take Gold, but to bring Iron and Copper to that pass, that they may become transparent Glasses, from which their colours may be extracted. But if so be that any one is minded to prefer Gold before these, and to extract the tincture hence from, he may do as he pleases, and will find in many places of my writings a manuduction, [directing him] to the transmutation of Gold, (and so of the other Metals too) into transparent bodies, which thing is highly necessary. For there is not an easier way of extracting the tincture out of Metals, than by first reducing them into transparent Amausa’s. Now the menstruum serving for this extracting of the Sulphurs out of the metallick bodies is to be so prepared, that it dissolve not the body, but extract onely the Sulphur or pure Soul there out of. Such menstruums Paracelsus himself makes mention of, and affirms, that with them the skie-coloured Saphyrs, the red Rubies, and the yellow Jacynth may be so deprived of their colours, as that there remains no more of them save onely the white bodies. Besides, that white Crystals may (by the help of tinging sulphureous Spirits) be died with various colours. Verily ’tis a secret of most mighty concernment, to have the skill how to prepare such a menstruum as will penetrate the most hard Stones and most compact Glasses to extract them, and withall to communicate to othersome various colours, without the corrupting, breaking and destruction of any of the bodies, the which thing seems in my opinion very likely to be true, though as yet I know not how to do it. That which I have tryed by my operations I can write and teach, viz. how all the Metals may very easily (yet one more easily than another) be changed into fair transparent and most delicately coloured glasses, and how out of these glasses the pure and tinging metallick souls may be extracted, viz. by such menstruums as are sulphureous, subtile, not dissolving, but onely extracting.

But for as much as these kinds of menstruums are not (as far as I know) described by any one, and yet are the producers of such notable effects; I could not omit the discovering of something concerning them, for the sake of such as are Students in true Philosophy, and after some sort shew that kind of extraction, which is to be accomplished by the help of our con-centrated spirits of salt, or of our moist Philosophical fires.

LXI. How a vegetable subtile sulphur is to be so actuated by the nitrous moist fire, that it may extract the fixt sulphur of metals, or their pure tinging soul.

First of all, the oyls of the vegetables are to be exalted by distillations, and often repeated rectifications to the highest degree of purity and subtilty, and afterwards to be once rectified by some con-centrated nitrous fire, that so being already of themselves subtile, they may get a fiery vigour endued with a faculty of seizing upon metallick sulphurs, and of extracting them out of the hard and compact bodies. For any vegetable oyl how subtilly soever it be prepared, hath not any power of entring into the metals, and much less of having any ingress into their glasses, nor can it extract in the least, though such bodies should be covered with it for a long season. But now if an artificial operation shall have sharpenedw such an oyl with those most subtile spirits of salts, and have rendred it more acute and penetrative than those con-centrated spirits of the salt do lead in the sulphur, and bestow on it a power of attracting to it self its like.

And albeit that such con-centrated spirits do when per se, and alone, wholly dissolve metallick glasses and make no separation at all, no, nor do not extract the least particle of any sulphureous substance, yet the case with them is vastly altered, when such fiery spirits are artificially united with most pure sulphureous oyls; insomuch that they bestow on them a faculty of working upon metals, and of extracting from them a most pure sulphur; nay farther, they purchase these oyls a capacity not onely of extracting the colours out of metals, but also out of other things. Now we have taught at large in our second part of Furnaces, the manner of rendring the oyls of vegetables subtile; and as for the nitrous fire requisite to this operation, the way of con-centrating it is to be found in this Book a little before, so that ’tis wholly needless to repeat the same things over again which have been afore treated of. And thus far is my knowledge come, viz. how (by the help of oyls animated and actuated by the aforesaid means) to extract the most pure soul out of metallick Amausa’s, or those hard and glassy subjects: But how such a sulphur is to be brought into a tinging medicine, I (professing not my self so great a master) do not as yet know. Neither is it at present needfull to exceed the due bounds by so large a treating of such worthy things; for things wonderfull may be effected by this menstruum both in Medicine and Alchymy, and in other arts, concerning which we shall (God willing) presently add somewhat more.

And whereas I have made mention here of clarified bodies, and con-centrated spirits; I judge it worth while also to shew what difference there is betwixt those con-centrated spirits and clarified bodies as the Chymists call them.

The clarified bodies therefore are nothing else save bodies purged and mundified by the operation of the fire. For the fire is the ultimate examiner of all things, as being endued with such a power by which it burns up all things, reduceth them into ashes and powder, and out of the ashes makes glass; that being the utmost or ultimate thing whereunto all things are reduced. If therefore there be in any thing any good, which being burnt in the fire is by fusion or melting, turned into transparent glass, it doth manifest it self in its utmost or ultimate essence, and shine forth in its brightness, insomuch that every one may see what lay hidden in its life afore thus burning it. For example, I take wood, an herb, or an animal, I burn it and transmute it into ashes; these ashes I melt and turn into glass. Having thus done, there appears no colour visible, for the glass is white, and that because the sulphur is consumed in the burning; and the mercury is fled away into the air in smoke, as being two principles which are no ways able to resist the force of fire: But the salt, as being a contemner of the fire remained in the earth of no efficacy.

But now a metal being by the fire turned into ashes, though part of the sulphur and mercury hath in the combustion and vitrification flown away into the air, yet notwithstanding the best part remains; and this is the reason why such metallick glasses are coloured according to the metals nature and property, and which (afore thus burning it) was hidden. We will yet farther evidence it by an example.

If I burnt copper or iron, and reduce it into ashes, and do by melting it turn it into glass, then the copper if per se and no other thing added unto it, yields a green glass, and the iron yields a yellow coloured glass. But if there be made an addition, then are produced glasses of other colours, as for example.