Dissolve one or two whole Lots of Copper in melting it by Sal Mirabilis, which Solution will yield thee a Salt enclining from a green, to a black colour.
Into the same Pot which contains your Copper dissolved by the Sal Mirabilis, put three or four Lots of bits of Iron, and adjoyn them to the Copper dissolved in the Sal Mirabilis, and force it with the Fire, so that they may be kept in flux together for one half hours space. By this means the dissolved Copper will adhear to the Iron by precipitation and exalt some particles of the Iron into Copper. All being well molten, pour it out into your Cone that the Copper may settle in a Regulus. The Sal Mirabilis and Iron being turned into a Scoria, are usefull for the inriching of Litharge, in the strong melting by blast, with Gold and Silver.
N. B. If the Mercury of Saturn be mixed with these, or else with those other Scoria’s which were left by the Gold and Silver and are far better, and so be melted together with a strong Fire, the Lead will be bettered and that by an encrease not to be contemned, and will abundantly pay for the labour and costs. But yet I would not put any one upon the undertaking of this work; except he be well versed with meltings in Crucibles and without them, by the Bellows upon Hearths. For I write not these things for young Beginners, but onely for such who well know what belongs to the Art of melting.
But yet that he may have some manuduction into these labours, I will declare the general use of the Sal Mirabilis in the emendation of Metals.
LXXII. The universal use of Sal Mirabilis in the emendation of Metals.
Though the wonderfull Salt of Art dissolveth all Metals, and conjoyneth them in a spiritual manner as it were, and renders them efficacious to better each the other in the Fire, yet is there a difference to be observed in that thing, by him who desires to follow the nearest way, and to decline all diversions, or goings about. For example.
He that has a mind to dissolve and conjoyn the Metals, Gold, Silver, Lead, Copper, Tin, and Iron, by the Sal Mirabilis, that they may display their virtues in operating to the perfection of each other, must take for the Gold, Iron, Copper, and Tin, such a Sal Mirabilis as being prepared of common Salt doth easily dissolve those Metals. But now the same Salt used about Silver and Lead, would effect nothing as to their Solution, because there is no familiarity or friendship between common Salt, and Lune, and Lead, for it is an enemy to those Metals, kills them, and reduceth them to nothing.
N. B. But when those Metals are by the help of Salt reduced into their Mercuries, then may it come so to pass, as that they may be conjoyned with Gold, Iron, Copper, and Tin; for without a foregoing preparation, they enter not into the Salt, unless the Lune and Saturn be dissolved in that Sal Mirabilis which is prepared of Niter, and be adjoyned to the Solution of Mars and Venus; of which Solutions the one doth very willingly embrace the other, insomuch that one Metal doth easily operate upon the other, and consequently a profitable graduation, fixation, and emendation succeeds.
But now if you would have your Metals, not constant in the Fire, but volatile and made flying, then, that Sal Mirabilis is to be used, which is made of Salt Peter or Kitchin Salt, by the help of Sulphur.
This is the universal use of Sal Mirabilis, serving for the Solution, Graduation, Fixation, and contrariwise Volatilisation, or the conversion of all Metals into a volatile nature. But the special Solutions, Fixations, or Graduations of them by the Salt of Art, require an addition of some Vegetable Sulphur, which being adjoyned to the Metal, yields some help to the Sal Artis in the Graduation of a baser Metal, which help the conjunctions of Metals that be of a sulphureous nature, do not at all need; though indeed ’tis better if you help them with some Vegetable Sulphur. For Sulphur and Sal Artis are like Male and Female, they bear a mutual love to each other, and beget a rich Off-spring; when they lovingly court each other in the Fire, even alone and without the addition of any Metal, and are brought unto perfection. So then, thus by these operations may gain and profit be divers ways, and in divers manners gotten, as well particularly, as haply also universally, (but this last way I am not as yet acquainted with.)