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

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

The second Specimen of Probation.

Recipe one part of white Flint or Sand, with which mix three or four times as much Salt of Tartar, or of any other Alcaly, which mixture put into a Crucible, so that it be not above a third part full, because this mixture in the melting might rise up and run over the Crucible; let it stand half an hour, that it may be well melted, and it will be turned into a white transparent glass. Pour it out and dissolve it in water, or rather in a Lixivium, and the Sand or Flint will be dissolved, and converted into a thick Liquor. In this Liquor digest for the space of an hour or two, half an Ounce of Filings or Raspings or rather thin shavings of Lead, and the Lead will extract the spiritual Gold from the Water of Flints, and will thence grow yellow: Which being taken out of the Water dry, cupel it, and you shall find a grain of Gold. Also cupel another half Ounce of the same Lead, and you shall find a grain of Silver, as is commonly wont to be had from all Lead, from which you may be certain that white Flints and Sand, contain spiritual Gold, which becometh corporeal with Metals.

A Third Specimen of Probation.

Dissolve Saturn in Áqua Fortis, and pour into the solution Salt water, and all the Lead will fall from the Water like a white Powder: mix three parts of this edulcorated and dryed Calx of Saturn with one part of Sand, to which add half so much of the Salt of a Lixivium or other Alcaly; which mixture put into an Iron Crucible, into which you have first put some bits of Iron, which being covered, suffer it to melt for the space of full half an hour, untill the sharp Spirits of Salt which were in the Lead be mortified by the Iron, for then the Saturn is reduced and rendered corporeal, which being poured out into a Cone, the Regulus of Saturn falleth to the bottom, which you may wash with Salt-peter as we have taught above, or purge it from the Fæces on the Treib Scherbe [or Muffle] weigh it exactly by the lesser Probatory Weights, weigh also as much of any other common Lead, which is not melted with Sand, cupel each by it self, and that Lead which was melted with the Sand, will leave a grain of Gold in the Cupel, but the other common Lead leaveth onely a grain of Silver. Which sufficiently proveth that there is Gold in all Sand, none excepted. But I do not assert that all Sand containeth so much Gold as that it may be thence extracted with profit. Because some Sand is poor, other rich, another richer. Therefore whosoever intendeth any profit by this ought before hand to know the difference of Sand and Stones, that he may not lose his labour. The which may easily be found out by experience, to wit, if you do nothing in great Quantities, before you have made trial in lesser, that is, such as may be performed by the lesser Specimens of Probation.

A Legitimate and Infallible way and manner of finding out and proving every Flint, Stone, and Sand, whether it containeth much or little Gold.

Recipe four ounces of Sand, Flint, or other Stones or Rocks, which you have a mind to prove; heat them red hot in a Crucible, and cast them so into cold Water, where they will become tractable, and may easily be brought to fine Powder, to those four ounces of powdered Flints, Sand or Stones, put into a small Glass Cucurbit, pour two ounces of Aq. Regis, that the Sand may be well moistned; set the Cucurbit upon warm Sand for half an hour, and the Aqua Regis will attract to it self the Gold which is contained in the Sand or Flint. To which if two ounces of hot Water be poured into the Cucurbit, and mixed by a strong shaking it together, and filtred through a brown Paper, the Water with the Gold goeth through the filter, and the Sand will remain in the Paper, to which if you pour a little common Water, and let it run through it will take out the residue of the Gold, which yet adhereth to the Sand, which is to be added to the first. Upon this Solution if you pour a Lixivium, but rather Spirit of Urine; that Lixivium or Spirit of Urine, mortifieth the Aqua Regis and precipitateth the Gold which is in it in form of a yellow Powder, from which the Water is to be poured off, and the Sol to be edulcorated with fresh Water, and dryed, and that very warily, because Gold of this sort, when it groweth hot, fulminateth, so that it is shattered into minute parts. To this fulminating Gold if you add a little common Sulphur, and make it red hot in a Crucible, it doth not fulminate. If you reduce such a Calx of Gold mixed with Borax in a clean Crucible, you will find how much Gold that four Ounces of Sand or Flint contained. N. B. Except the Sand or Flint should happen also to be impregnated with Iron, which would render the Sol brittle and pale. For in that case, the Sol precipitated from the Aqua Regia, and burned with Sulphur would not flow with Borax, because the Iron being mixed with it, would adulterate the Probation: But if you cupel such Gold partaking of Iron, with Saturn, the Iron may be separated from the Sol, and the proof will be void of errour. N. B. That Sand and Flints, may indeed be proved another way, but seeing this which we have here prescribed, is easie to be practised, we will rest in that.

But this one thing is also necessary to be known, viz. It is indeed true, that in all Sand and Flints there is Gold, as the above mentioned proofs do witness; nevertheless know that there is a difference between native, corporeal, and solid Gold, and the volatile spiritual first Ens of Gold. For the corporeal Gold is easily extracted by the help of corrosive Waters or Salts; but the spiritual not so. And because corporeal Gold is always elicited by the benefit of the above mentioned Probation it may thence happen, that although in white Sand there should plainly be no corporeal Gold, nevertheless by the help of the aforesaid Probations it would be thence elicited, indeed not much, nor no more than what the Lead which was used for the proof, did contain of Silver: because the Lune in the melting or dissolving hath attracted to it self the spiritual Gold, from the Flint or Sand, so that it is thence tincted and transmuted into Gold. Which is manifest in that the grain of Sol doth not exceed the magnitude of the grain of Silver, which is gotten from other common Lead. But if besides the spiritual, there be also corporeal Gold in the Sand, the grain of Sol will necessarily exceed that of Luna, for the Silver which was contained in the Saturn doth not vanish into Air but remaineth and because it doth not remain the same Silver but passeth into Gold, that change is ascribed to the notable Operation of the first Ens of Gold or spiritual Gold in the Sand. Wherefore who soever intendeth to extract Gold from Sand, Flint or Stones with profit, ought to know certainly before by smaller experiments, that besides spiritual, they also contain corporal Gold. For I have written this Book onely upon the account of extracting from them corporal Gold, leaving the spiritual Gold to Philosophers that of it they may make their Stone. But necessity required that I should lightly touch at those few things. For if according to my prescribed Probations, any one in working should have found a grain of Gold of equal quantity with the grain of Silver, he might wonder in his mind, which way the Silver had made its escape, seeing that he had found Gold instead of Silver. Wherefore I thought it necessary to shew the reason of that, for the taking away all scruple from every ignorant mind. Wherefore whosoever seeketh Gold from Sand or Stones, let him chuse such, from which corporal Gold may be extracted with profit. For they will afford him such profitable fruit, as the white Sand denieth. But that for the performing my Specimens of Probation, I have taught to take white Sand, I have done it for this reason, that I might make it evident to every one that there is Gold in all Sand, but that it cannot be extracted from all with gain. For white Sand or Flint is very often void of corporal Gold, but never of spiritual, by which Silver may be converted into good Gold. I might have passed by this admonition with silence, seeing that those things are not necessary to be known by the vulgar, in asmuch as corporal Gold will abundantly satisfy their desire; but a Philosopher neither wanteth, nor seeketh corporal Gold, but onely spiritual, to prepare of it a Tincture. Add, that to him it is sufficiently known, in what subjects the first Ens of Gold is plentifully contained. Hence, although the first Ens of Gold be also in white Sand, as is manifest by the foregoing proofs, he useth not that, but rather seeketh such Stones for his work, as contain much Tincture. Neither also doth any true Philosopher so tie himself to this or that subject onely, that he will not elicit his Tincture from any other, inasmuch as it is evident to him that the first Ens of Gold may be found in all things in the whole World. For wheresoever there is Sulphur, there may also be had the first Ens of Gold, whence a Tincture may be prepared. But it is evident that in all Vegetables, Animals and Minerals there is Sulphur. For the matter of the Stone of Philosophers, every where offereth it self, so that the poor as well as the rich may attain it without cost, according to that saying of the Philosopher; That their matter is every where obvious, and prepared without money, trod under foot and thrown to Dunghils. So the true Philosophers speak and write. But Sophisters, who falsly assume the name of Philosophers, wandring up and down from Court to Court, where they offer their service for the acquiring the Philosophers Stone, by their lying Fables, perswade credulous Noble men, that the matter of the Stone is to be sought in this or that place or mountain, as in Hungary, Transylvania, the Forrest of Hercynia, Thuringia or Bohemia, or in the Rocks of Sueden or Norway, and elsewhere. Others again perswade credulous Persons, that the Stone of Philosophers, can be made of nothing but common Gold, and therefore require of their Patrons not onely some ounces, but some pounds of Gold, for their own greater profit. One of those Pseudo-philosophers was lately here at Amsterdam, who by perswading certain Merchants, trickt them out of two and twenty Marks of Gold, thence to make the Philosophers Stone. He indeed put the Gold into the Vessel according to his own manner, before those Merchants, giving to it a continuall Fire. But after much time being elapsed, when they expected to reap the Fruit, he, who had plaid the Philosopher, privately withdrew himself into I know not what Countrey, and would not return to take out the two and twenty marks of gold. Therefore the Merchants themselves being about to take them out, found those solar Birds were flown, and had left onely the empty nest. Which empty nest as yet lies in a place in this City, nor doth any one know how to convert it to his own use. But if the Merchant had given to that impostor in hand, onely two, or at the most three ounces of gold, they had not received so great a loss. But as they unadvisedly credited his fine Clothes, and his finer words, so they were intollerably deceived.

A true Philosopher wanteth not so much gold for his Medicine, inasmuch as if he bringeth but one half ounce to perfection, it may suffice for his whole life, and may be in his own power to do the same again as often as necessity shall require, so that he will have no need to run up and down from one to another who are greedy of gold, to blemish the noble art of Chymistry, and bring it into hatred with the whole World.

Some years since, when I had written of the Prosperity of Germany, and from a good intention had taught how Wine and Corn might be concentrated, and in case of necessity, might be commodiously carried from one Countrey to another, and there safely kept in Garrisons or Fortresses for future use; fearing that at sometime while the Shepherd slept, that most ravenous Wolf the Turk might break into the German Fold, and cut the throats of what Sheep he could not carry away. Against which, Farner with his accomplices, hath set forth notorious Libels, and hath every where traduced me for a false Prophet: Whose Calumnies I have not opposed, because he hath sheltred himself under the protection of Princes. Moreover, this Farner, with a consort of ruiners of fame, or good name, have reproachfully wounded my Honour, by falsely accusing my Writings, and traducing them for Lyes: And seeing that almost all of them abide in great Men’s Courts, and have not put their names to their invective Papers, I have not indeed been able to reach them. But yet at length those Men of darkness, who have concealed their names, that they might give the greater reputation to their slanderous Papers, do come to be more and more known to me. Besides at last the event hath shewed those things to be true, which I had predicted should happen; to wit, that the depraved Christians should be chastised by the Turks and Tartars. But it is to be pitied that also Men of better note, should be ensnared and captivated by the common judgment, by reason of that Company of the Devils attendants. For the unerring truth declareth, that the righteous scourge of God, will not be taken away from us, before such spoils of a Man’s good name be restrained by the Magistrate.

Now, to return to our purpose, to demonstrate, that not onely Gold, but also somewhat more rare; to wit, a true Tincture is hidden in Stones, and by the help of Art may be extracted from them, which the Ancients have hinted at in these words: Auro quid Melius? Jaspis, &c. And that there is much Tincture contained in the Jasper, I have long since inculcated in other places of my Writings. Paracelsus highly commendeth Red Talck, Granates, Antimony, and Lapis Lazuli, adding that Tinctures or the first Ens of Gold, may be gotten from them by the help of sublimation. Moreover the first Ens of Gold, may also be found in other Stones, especially in the Hematitis, Scythis, Magnesia of Piedmont, Smiris, and others of that kind, in which it is so fixed, that there is nothing wanting to obtain it but onely the way of extracting, and giving it ingress by Sol. On the contrary, the first Ens of Gold is indeed in Vegetable, Animal, and Mineral Sulphur, Marcasites, and Antimony, and that abundantly, but so volatile that Stones are to be preferred to them.