The spirit is not unlike unto the spirit of sand: the Caput Mortuum, which looks greyish, must be well calcined in a crucible, so that it melt, and then pour it out, and it will yield a white transparent Mass, like as flints and crystals do, which in a cold moist cellar will turn to a thick liquor, fatter in the handling than the oyl of sand. It is something sharp like unto oyl of Tartar; it cleanseth the Skin, Hair and Nails, and makes them white; the spirit may be used inwardly for to provoke sweat and urine: externally used, it cleanseth wounds, and healeth all manner of scabs in the body out of hand. What further may be done with it, I do not know yet: But how to bring Talck, pebles, and the like stony things to that pass, that they may be dissolved with spirit of wine and reduced into good medicaments shall be taught in the fourth part.
To make a spirit, flores, and oyl out of Tin.
If you mix two parts of the filings of Tin, with one part of good salt nitre, and cast it in, as you were taught to do with other things, then the sulphur of Tin will kindle the salt nitre, and make a flame, as if it were done with common sulphur, whereby a separation is made, so that one part of the Tin cometh over in flores and spirit, and the rest stayeth behind, which if it be taken out, some of it in a moist place will turn into a liquor or oyl, which externally may be used with good success in all ulcers for to cleanse them. It hath also the vertue, if it be pertinently applyed to graduate and exalt wonderfully all the colours of vegetables and animals, which would be useful for dyers. The spirit of it mightily provoketh sweating: the flores being edulcorated and used in plaisters, do dry and heal very speedily.
To make a spirit, flores and a liquor out of Zinck.
In like manner as hath been taught with Tin, you may also proceed with Zinck, and it will yield a good quantity of flores, and also a spirit and oyl, almost of the same vertues with those made of Tin: and these flores corrected with salt nitre, are better than those which are taught to be made by themselves in the first part of the book.
To make a spirit, flores and oyl of Lapis Calaminaris.
Mix two parts of salt nitre with one part of lapis calaminaris and cast it in, and it will yield a sharp spirit very useful for separating of metals, and there will come over also a few yellow flores. The rest remaining behind is a dark green Mass very fiery upon the tongue, like salt of Tartar, and if it be dissolved with rain water, yieldeth a grass green solution, which being not presently coagulated into salt, the green separateth it self from the fixed salt nitre, and there falleth to the bottom a fine red powder, and if it be edulcorated and dryed, and given from one grain to ten or twelve it causeth gentle stools and easy vomits, better than prepared Antimony; for lapis calaminaris and Zinck are of the nature of Gold, as in the fourth part shall be proved: the white lixivium or lye, from which the green is precipitated, may be coagulated into white salt, like unto salt of Tartar; but if you coagulate the green solution, before the green be separated from the salt nitre, then you will get a very fair green salt, high in colour and much more fiery than salt of Tartar, whereby special things may be done in Alchymy, which doth not belong hither. And if you desire to make such a green salt for to use it in Alchymy, you need not take so much pains, as first to distil a spirit out of the mixture, but take three or four parts of good salt nitre, and mix it with one part of lapis calaminaris, and let this mixture boyl together in a wind furnace, till the salt nitre be coloured green by the lapis calaminaris, then pour it out and separate the green goldish salt from it, and make such good use of it as you think fit.
But if you will extract a good Tincture and medicine, make it into powder, and extract it with spirit of wine, and it will yield a blood red Tincture, both in Physick and Alchymy of good use.
Further you are to take notice, that among all metals and minerals, which I know (except gold and silver) there is none found, out of which can be extracted a greenness which is of fire-proof, but only out of lapis calaminaris, which deserves to be well considered and further thought upon.