A Recapitulation,
OR
More ample Declaration of the precedent Secrets revealed.
Well meaning Reader,
Here in this Appendix I do indeed treat of very few Secrets, but those are very great, (which may be acquired by our Alcahest,) the like of which no other Man before me did ever impart to the World. Now contemplate, and well consider with thy self this swift and not chargeable Fixation of Mercury, which so many famous and industrious Searchers have laboriously sought for many hundreds of Years now passed, as is known to the whole World. But the greatest part of them have sought in vain, and with a fruitless and unlucky endeavour miserably lost all their Patrimony and Fortunes, and become the Laughing-stock of other more happy Persons, being themselves Vagabonds, which cast an aspersion of Ignominy on the noble Art of Chymistry, and have rendred the same so odious every-where among the common sort, as no good Man (although he hath by most diligent search obtained some famous Medicine) dares to profess himself the Possessor of any Eminent Arcanum in Chymistry, lest he should give any occasion to Aristarchical Censurers of defaming him, and calling him a Gold making Animal. Assuredly it is very manifest, that in all Regions of Europe, and in every Age, have lived such Men most experienced, as have not onely transmuted Mercury, but other vile Metals also into good Gold, sustaining every Examen of Fire. But this was done very secretly, lest the Artists themselves should fall into the hands of Tyrants. Paracelsus, that most famous Monarch of all Philosophers, Physicians and Chymists, did indeed openly write of the Fixation of Mercury, but in a Character so abstruse, as in all my life I never saw one Man who could fix his Coralline Mercury, or present it to the sight of sufficient and certain Witnesses, except Helmont writing, that he could prepare such Mercury, as in Medicine would perform all whatsoever the Physician should have need of. But that the same Mercury (as Paracelsus testifies of it from his own Experience) enters into Gold and augments that, and exhilerates many impoverished Alchymists, restoring them to a more fortunate state; touching these Effects of the same, the worthy Helmont made no mention; yet he writ, that he did himself fix Mercury, by one onely abstraction of his Alcahest, in such wise, as of one pound he had left in the Cupella seven ounces of good Silver, which indeed is a famous Work in Chymistry and worth while; but Gold is better. Truly I must needs confess, that I have often tediously laboured to no purpose in this Work, and never could with any profit extract good Lune thence, onely I always had a little good Silver. Nevertheless afterward, when I lay Bed-rid, and by reason of my four years sickness, had consumed all my Goods gotten by Medicine, it pleased the most wise God to confer on me so great a Light, at by the Splendor of that I found the Royal way of operating rightly; and now I am able in a very few days to fix any common Mercury into a fixed red Powder, which fixed Mercury will undoubtedly perform Wonders in Medicine. For Paracelsus writes, that the dolorous Gout may be radically expelled by the benefit of the same. Helmont subscribes, that the same will perform all a Physician can desire and wish for. Wherefore, if the same be of so great efficacy (for I doubt not the truth of his Assertion) no Physician hath need of any other thing than this; because in what part soever of the World he resides, it will supply him with Aliments sufficient, and he will have no need to expose himself to the ignoble servitude and arbitrement of another, as the greatest part of other Mercenary Physicians are wont to prostitute themselves for hire. For by this Mercury onely he may acquire to himself Honour and Wealth enough, although he otherwise perform no great matter in Chymistry. In all Nations are found Men afflicted with grievous Diseases: of which no doubt is to be made, as a little after we shall hear. Wherefore it should be the onely care, study and endeavour of an honest and candid Physician to obtain such a fixed Mercury, in the mean while omitting all needless and vain Operations, together with all fruitless Disputes, without any Foundation, touching other unprofitable Remedies. Whensoever this is, there will be no need of Galenical Medicines, nor of the vain Pomp of so many withered, unprofitable and inefficacious Herbs, or so many painted Boxes, Pots and Glasses, with other frivolous Expences orderly placed in Apothecaries Shops.
Now let us hear what admirable Effects our fixed Mercury is able to manifest in Metallicks. Paracelsus writes, that it exhilerates every Alchymist reduced to a poor Estate, and hath ingress into Gold, and augments the same. My own Experience of this I am willing to impart to the Candid Reader, as far as I have proceeded hitherto. Therefore let the well meaning Reader know, that I found out this Art of Fixing Mercury no longer since than in March last of this Year 1667, and began to make proof thereof in the following Month of April; and so soon as I had found the Truth of it, I thought good to publish so great an Invention to the whole World. Yet in so short a space of Time, I could not search out all that was to be found, because by reason of my diuturnal Illness I was constrained to keep in my Bed; therefore I hastned the publication of so excellent an Invention, because I feared it would happen that the insalubrious Air of March or April should be my Death, and so all hope of divulging such a Secret be totally frustrated. Whatsoever I found in the same within that small space of time, I have here communicated.
I three several times perfected the Fixation of Mercury in a small quantity, and always found it every time higher and higher, and more and more beautifull. This fixed Mercury I cupellated with Saturn, but my Mercury remained fixed, without any Ingress made into the Lead, insomuch as from it self could give no Gold. Afterward I made another Trial, and then to my fixed Mercury I added a little common Gold, melting them into one Mass, I found that this Gold from the Mercury had increased it self more than half; the remainder of my Mercury had made no Ingress, but remained lying like a Red fixed Calx. Which kind of proof fully satisfied my mind, because the residue of my Mercury, which had not entred into the Gold, was not lost, but converted into an excellent Medicine. If it please the most wise God to restore me to my pristine health, as I hope he will in the next Summers heat, I shall not acquiesce in this proof onely, but further try whether I can of this Mercury yet make some further improvement. In the mean while I sing Praises to the Immortal God for so noble a Medicine against the dolorous Gout.
Thus, Reader, you have my Experience touching the Fixed Coralline Mercury. If I find any other more excellent Experiment of this (as I doubt not but I shall) I will ere it be long make thee partaker thereof in a following Second Appendix.
Whatsoever I have above prescribed touching the Mercury of Wine, as being an excellent Salt, and Supreme Medicine, I did sufficiently explain, except the Instrument to be made for burning the Spirit of Wine, which is not yet sufficiently expressed.
But here it is to be observed, that a burning Spirit extracted from Corn or other Vegetables, in no-wise yields so much Mercury, as Spirit of Wine doth, and especially if distilled from rich Rhenish Wine. In like manner also so much Mercury cannot be had from any sweet French or Spanish Wine, as from Rhenish Wine. So soon as by search I found the reason of this difference, I could from any burning Spirit made of Corn, extract as much Mercury, as from Rhenish Wine, insomuch as I now (praise and thanks be given to God) can easily be without Rhenish Wine and any other. The supreme Giver of all good Gifts, from his inexhausted Fountain of Grace, hath abundantly refreshed me with good things; let him yet instill more into me, that I may again distill the same into other of his needy and officious Servants, who with me endeavour to publish the Magnalia of God. Amen.
But proceeding yet further, we will briefly speak of the Secret Fire of ancient Philosophers, being that by which they ripened their Tinctures. Therefore, for a Conclusion, let the Lover of divine and natural Wisedom know, that such a Fire is not made of Wood or Coals, but is a Firey-water, such as gives forth from it self neither smoak nor flame. The same is not hindred or excited by external Fire, but in the Glass, (about the Subject you intend to fix and dulcifie) it always burns in an equal degree, and converts the immature and harsh into sweet and pleasant, fixed and mature; and also converts bitter Venome into salutary Medicine and Treacle.