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

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

This our Salt of Art is the Secret Chalybs of Sendviogius, wherewith he extracts the Tincture of Gold, and of it prepares the tinging Stone of the Philosophers. This our Salt of Art is also that Juno, to whom (as Virgil relates) the Golden Bough broke off by Proserpina from the Dark tree is consecrated: of which I have elsewhere treated more at large. This Salt also is our Proserpina the Goddess of Hell and Wife of Pluto, and is much more ready and handy in breaking off the said Golden Bough, than that Proserpina which by Distillation (with great toil and labour) breaks off her Golden Branches: for this our Proserpina performs it without fire, or any trouble to speak of, and offers it up to the Goddess Juno. Which ingenious and profitable Work I intend (God willing) to set down in my Third Appendix; wherein I shall communicate to the World a perpetual Minera of Gold and Silver, which every one without any great pains may in stillness work in his own house: For there is no easier way to extract the hidden Gold from all Metals in quantity and without fire, than by means of this our Goddess Juno, or Jovial Proserpina.

Let the Reader who desires to know further of these Poetical Fables, read the ingenious Ovid, and others who make it their business to treat of them: and in reading he will observe, that Jupiter is by them represented to be the God of Fire and Lightning, and Juno his Wife and Sister the Goddess of the Air; whence we may gather, that by the word Juno is to be understood a spiritual volatile moisture and watry Jupiter. Now the Artist who has Juno for his Friend and Advocate, may easily obtain from Phœbus great Treasures, as well for the health of the Body, as of outward Riches; and this is so easie to be done, and with so little charges, that I dare not be so bold to write more of it, lest the wicked and unworthy should smell out the rest.

Now forasmuch as this Appendix is swoln to a bigger bulk than I had intended, I shall refer the melioration of Iron and Copper, by means of our Secret Sal-Armoniack to our Third Appendix. And shall onely say thus much at present, that these two despised Metals, do afford more profit, and with less charge and trouble than Lead and Tin; which Process I intend to communicate in my next Appendix.

If any find the trouble and charges of Preparing our Sal-Armoniack too great, he may attempt the Work with common Sal-Armoniack sublimed; and if that do not fully answer his desire, he may afterward prepare ours, or get it of those that make it in quantity. If it please God that I live over next Summer, I intend my self to work this profitable Process of extracting Sol from Tin; as also to extract the Tinctures of Copper and Iron with our Alcahest, in great quantity, and to give the over-plus of Profit to the Poor for a Memorial to the World. In the mean time I have here at large declared how the superfluities of Lead and Tin are to be removed, in order to the separating of the Gold and Silver contained in them; and this without concealing any of the Manual Operations thereto belonging: though I question not but many who may attempt the same, will by mistaking some Point or other fail of their end. Above all, great care must be had that the Tin be not mixed with Copper or Regulus of Antimony, which will make the Ashes hard and irreducible; the Sal-Armoniack also must be well prepared, sharp and penetrative, that it may work upon the Tin-ashes, and make them fluxible and reducible to Metal. Neither must the Tin-ashes be suffer’d to lye too long on the Lead, but continually be taken away, for otherwise they will become hard and influxible. In a word, ’tis practise onely and experience can make a man Master of this Work, it being impossible to set down all particulars so clear and distinct, as that the unexperienced may not easily mistake. In case therefore this my Appendix should seem too dark to any one, let him have patience till my Third Appendix be published, in which I intend to communicate a much more easie Process for extracting Gold and Silver out of Lead, Tin, Iron and Copper.

There is also a way of turning fine Tin alone by it self into Ashes, by stirring it continually in an Iron Pot over the fire, which Ashes must be reduced with our Sal-Armoniack, and then turn’d to Ashes again and reduced, which must be repeated till the greater part of the Tin be turned to Scoriæ, and the Gold and Silver melt down to a Regulus, which being tested, leaves behind the Gold and Silver which was in the Tin, and the remaining Scoriæ, or Dross, are of greater value than the Gold and Silver it self. For he who knows to make use of these Fæces as a Magnet to attract the Gold from metalline Solutions, will get great profit thereby; the said Fæces being a main cause of my publishing this Treatise, because of their great and profitable use both in Physick and Alchymy; forasmuch as with their help not onely Gold and Silver, but also true Universal Tinctures may be extracted from Stones and Metals: So that he who knows the use of these Jovial Fæces may not onely richly maintain themselves, but also liberally communicate to the Poor. If God continue my life, I intend to undertake this profitable Work my self, and thence make some provision for the Poor; for I have already taken my leave of this wicked World, expecting with patience an heavenly Guide to conduct me to life eternal, which I earnestly pant after.

A Corollary, or Supplement to the foregoing Appendix.

We have seen in the foregoing Treatise, how with the help of Lead, the Gold and Silver which is hid in Tin may be extracted with our Secret Sal-Armoniack; which after it has separated the said Gold and Silver, doth still retain great virtues, as being become a true natural Magnet, able without much trouble or fire, to extract not onely from Gold, but also from the gross bodies of Iron and Copper their purest Tinctures, which in them are better, and in greater quantity than in Gold it self. Which Solar Magnet few Philosophers have known, or the use of it. Our Cosmopolita writes most clearly of the same in the following words: There is a Steel which can extract from the Rays of the Sun, that which many have sought and not found. And again, If our Steel copulate eleven times with Gold, the Gold thereby becomes weakned almost to death, and the Steel will conceive and bring forth a Son more famous than his Father. Nuysement also speaks of this Magnet, but sparingly and darkly, and Paracelsus yet more obscurely. Others who had the knowledge of it, make no mention thereof at all; fearing, ’tis like, lest the Art might grow too common, and be prostituted thereby: but without cause; for though a Man be able to extract the Tinctures of Metals, yet hath he not therefore the whole Art: for though the said Tinctures be of great use for the cure of all diseases, yet can they not display their virtues upon Metals, till they be fixed with Gold, and have obtained metallick ingress: but in Physick, as was now said, they are very usefull, before their fixation, and especially those which by our Magnet are extracted from Mars and Venus, for they purge all that is hurtfull out of the Body, not weakning as common Purges do, but strengthening it. They also purge by Sweat and Urine, and still all inward and outward Pains procure sweet rest, by reason of the Anodynous quality hid in Mars and Venus. So that these Tinctures of Mars and Venus before fixation may be used against all diseases with assurance of good success; and when fixed, they turn Silver into Gold. For our Magnet robs the Dragon (viz. Aqua Fortis, wherein Mars and Venus are dissolved) of the Golden Fleece he is keeper of, and, like another Jason, brings home the same, and with it restores his aged Father to youth again, and procures to himself vast and unmeasurable Riches. For these Tinctures do great wonders in both faculties. It is not long ago since I took some grains (which I had left of a former preparation) of one of these Tinctures, to see if thereby I might be somewhat refreshed, which indeed did perform all that could be expected from it, but having no more of it could not perfect my cure. Since which time I have had a great longing with the first occasion to prepare some more of it, because I found that upon taking that small quantity, my bald head began to be cover’d with black curl’d hairs, from whence I am verily perswaded, that had I had more of the like Tincture, it would have wholly renewed me; and therefore shall not be wanting to make use of the first opportunity to prepare more of it, both for my own health and that of others, and publish the wonderfull works of God throughout the whole World. And forasmuch as God of his free Grace has been pleas’d to bless me with the knowledge of this best and most powerfull of Medicines, though by reason of my weakness I am forc’d to keep my bed, and must patiently wait, till it shall please God to put me into a condition of preparing the same; yea though Death should prevent me from ever doing it, yet shall this be my satisfaction, that I have here informed the Lovers of Art, what wonder-working Tinctures lye hid in these despised Metals of Copper and Iron, and which may so easily with our Jovial Magnet be extracted.

But let him that undertakes to work with our secret Magnet, take heed that he do not make it too strong, lest instead of a Tincture, he draw the gross Bodies; for it often happens when the Magnet is too strong, that, together with the Tincture, it draws the gross Body, and especially of the Homogeneal Metals, in which the Tincture is so closely united with the Body, that it is very hard to separate them. A common Magnet draws Iron, together with its Tincture, but without separating the one from the other; but our secret Magnet draws from Iron (its Body being first opened) the Tincture onely, leaving the gross Body behind, because Iron and Copper are Heterogeneous Metals, in which the Tincture is easily separable from its Body, whereas Gold, which is Homogeneal, doth not readily part with his Tincture, the Body following its Soul or Tincture. Yea a common Magnet draws the whole Body of Iron, without separating the Tincture, even then when by Nature it is made Homogeneal and fixed like Gold: as we see in Granat-stones, which are rich in Iron (as those are which are brought to us from America, and especially from New-France, some in great pieces and others small like Sand) that they are greedily attracted by the common Magnet: and yet no Iron can be melted from them, forasmuch as neither Fire will flux, nor corrosive Spirits dissolve them; but their Tincture may easily be drawn from them according to the way I have set down in my Book of the Three Principles. In America are found great Mountains of such small Granats, which being Homogeneal, will not yield to Fire or Stygian-waters. And now lately I have seen some Mineral Earths and Stones brought from New-found-land, of which there are whole Mountains there, which never any Man that I know could make any profit of, though it be certain that every pound weight of them contains half a Crowns worth of Gold and Silver. But we need not trouble our selves to seek for Treasures in other Countries. God having furnished all parts of the World (none excepted) with Subjects that afford good and abundant Tincture, onely the Art of drawing them forth is wanting. We do not stand in need of Gold for to extract its Tincture, because we may have one as good from Mars or Venus, and with much more ease.

But if any Man has a mind to draw the Gold from such Waters, wherein it is imperceptibly scatter’d and dispers’d, let him put a small quantity of our secret Magnet into the said Water, and he will see all the said Gold presently gathered to it, and reduc’d to Visibility and Corporality, with great profit to the Artist. And because many such Waters abounding with Gold and Tincture, are found prepared by Nature to our hands, without charges or trouble, this short information here may to the skilfull open a door to great Treasures.

But to proceed and shew that there are such Magnets wherewith Tinctures may be extracted; and here first of all I will instance in my Jovial Sal-Armoniack here described, whereby the Tin turn’d to Ashes is reduced; for when the same Sal-Armoniack, impregnated with Tin, is dissolved in Spirit of Salt, it becomes such a Solar Magnet, which can and does extract the Tinctures from the Solution of Metals. For when a little of this Sal-Armoniack Water is poured upon the Solution of any Metal, shaken together, and set aside, the Magnet, as in a moment, attracts all that’s good in the said Solution, whether it be Gold or Tincture, to the bottom of the Glass of a purple or blood-red Colour, and the Solution becomes white. And yet there are many Magnets which are better than this of Sal-Armoniack impregnated with Tin, extracting the Tinctures from Metals with more ease, and better than that. The reason why I onely make mention of this, is, because it is the product of the Work here described, viz. the extracting Gold and Silver from Tin. And to the end I may evidence to all, that the said Magnet is of greater value than the Gold and Silver, which is got from the Tin; I shall say thus much, that it is impossible for the ignorant to believe of what great advantage this Magnet is to those that understand the use of it: for not onely may Universal Tinctures be extracted therewith for curing the Bodies of Men and Metals, out of Metals and Stones, and that easily and without charge; but it can also extract much Gold from those Metals and Stones, in which much volatile and spiritual Gold is hid, viz. Iron, Copper, East-Indian Zink, &c. and amongst Stones the red and yellow Pebbles, which are almost every-where to be found. Concerning which extraction of Sol from Sand and Stones, I have treated at large in my Seventh Part of the Prosperity of Germany. Now that our Magnet draws to it all Colours and Tinctures, not onely from Stones and Metals, but from Vegetables and Animals, and doth highly exalt the same, may thus be proved: Dissolve one ounce of Gold in Aqua Regis, pour the yellow Solution into a pound of common Water, and this yellow Colour will no more be perceived, then pour also some of our Magnet into the said Water, and all the Water will become blood-red, and being set aside, the Gold, which the Magnet hath attracted, falls to the bottom, highly exalted in Colour, and the Water remains white, having lost all its Gold, and may be used again for the like extraction of Gold or Tincture out of Stones and Metals in infinitum, without any impairing of its strength; so that I may well say, that never hath a more profitable invention been communicated to mankind.