Recipe the filings or raspings of a Metal, as Mars, Jupiter or Venus, one Pound, with which mix half a pound of our dry Salmiack. If these be well mixed and by Retort distilled, the metal will be corroded by the Acidity, and the Mercury thereof be freed from its bonds, or separated by Distillation, because the Spirit of Urine carries that up with it self invisibly; but when the Spirit is extracted from it, it becomes visible, as afterward shall be taught.
If you pulverise the Remanency or Residue of the Metal, and boil it with Water, you will have the Vitriol of that Metal you used, viz. of Mars green, of Venus blew, of Jupiter, Saturn and Luna, white, of Sol yellow. The cause of such Vitriol is this: since the Acidity of our Salmiack adheres to the Metal, it in some sort dissolves that, and in such wise prepares it, as by the help of common Water, the same may easily be dissolved.
Note: If the Metal (which shall remain in the bottom of the Vessel, after the Vitriol is extracted from the same by the help of Water) be mixed with fresh Salmiack, that will again be conducible, but not yield you so much Mercury as you got the first time. And if you make the same trial a third time, a little Mercury will ascend, but not so much as did the second time.
Which cropping of golden Branches from the shaded Tree Virgil excellently discovered when he said: One being pulled off, another succeeds, if the Fates call thee, otherwise by no strength, nor any Iron, canst thou pull off that Branch. Of which cropped or pulled off Branches, the first is greatest, and most rich with Gold; the second is less and more poor; the third much less and most poor. Therefore it will be no profit to you to pluck off more than one Branch, but it is better in proceeding further, always to take new matter.
Out of that Vitriol in another certain manner, Mercury may again be extracted, which Mercury will be far more noble than the first, as shall be shewed more at large here following.
In the mean while, to the Lovers of this most noble Art, I cannot choose but demonstrate a wonderfull thing, which is this: Whensoever you shall pour Spirit of Jupiter (prepared in the above commemorated manner, and most subtily rectified) upon the Spirit of Mars, the Mercurys both of the Mars and Jupiter will suddenly embrace each other, and be connexed in such a bond of Love, as leaving the Water, they will conjunctively settle to the bottom in the form of very small golden Atoms; which Atoms of Gold, in that moment in which they are formed of both the Mercurys, you shall see converted into constant and fixed Gold. Which I take to be one of the greatest Wonders, whichever came to my hand in all my Chymical Labours. If I had tried this Experiment but once, I might my self have doubted the truth of the same. Indeed I have found out the cause of this swift fixation of Mercury; but I should do very inconsiderately to divulge the same. Paracelsus writes in his Heaven of Philosophers, that no melioration of Metals is to be expected, unless they be first spiritually mixed. Other Philosophers likewise say, Metals are first to be reduced to their first matter, that is, into a subtile Spirit, before they can be nobilitated and bettered: which I know to be consentaneous to verity, according to the Testimony of the following Example; which is another wonderfull Experiment, to be performed (by the Spirit of Jupiter) thus.
Dissolve a little Gold in common Aqua Regia, into which Solution pour a little of our mercurial Water, mix it by stirring or shaking the Vessel well: then the Mercury of Jupiter in a magnetick way, continually attracts the Gold to it self from the Aqua Regis, and tingeth the Water with a Blood Red Colour, at length the Gold, with the Mercury of Jupiter conjunctively will be precipitated to the bottom of the Vessel, in the form of a purple Powder: which being edulcorated and reduced with Borax, the greatest part of the Mercury vanisheth, but a little of it will remain with the fixed Gold, and render that snow like and friable. By which we may see in how great Love Gold answers to Tin.
Yet this is not the true way of preparing any thing eminent, and to purpose of both. Therefore, if any one expects a noble product from both, he must with gentle Fire fix this purple Gold, that the Mercury of Jupiter may not fume away, but remain with the Gold.
In both these recited Experiments to our sight is exposed so swift a Fixation of Mercury, as every man, although but of weak Apprehension, may easily see, that the Transmutation of Metals is truly true, and that the same (by the help of the fixed Mercury of Metals) may be done by projection in a moment. For Mercury fixeth Mercury, being joyned in a just proportion. Therefore if volatile Mercury can do that, how much more will the same, when fixed perform, being that, which bears about it self its own Sulphur.
Although I could as well discover other ways of preparing a good Mercurial Water of a Metal, by our secret Sal Armoniack, yet I consider, such a Liberty of publickly imparting things, would rather be injurious, than profitable; because Pearls would be without distinction, cast before every sordid Swine. But more than enough being already published, Time admonisheth us to desist, especially because there is an intire Treatise of the Mercurys of Metals written and published. Yet I must confess, that this Mercury, prepared by the help of our Salmiack, is of another nature and property than the other prepared in another manner. There is little else now remaining, unless, to shew the way of extracting Mercury from Minerals, by help of our secret Sal Armoniack; which Mercury is able to effect as much in Medicine and Alchymy, as the other extracted out of Metals. Here follows