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

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

Therefore they have all erred, who have taken Antimony for the true black Lead of the Wise. He that will know my failings in this matter, let him read the Third Part of my Pharmacopœa Spagyrica, where he will find Wonders, especially how I have cleansed it to the highest degree, and concentrated it into a white Mercurial fusible Stone, which doth shew such vertues in Medicine as are to be admired. This white Stone hath such vertue, that it cureth all diseases, if it be held every morning onely a while in the mouth; of which I have treated more clearly in the Fifth Part of my Pharmacopœa Spagyrica. This true black Lead, which by this humid Fire, is made of Common Sol and Lune, hath no equality with Antimony nor other common Lead.

What else is to be done in the particular Melioration of Metals, doth not belong to this place, but shall, by the help of God, be declared elsewhere.

This moist Fire hath power to extract all Sol and Venus out of Lune, in few hours, if the Lune be first granulated, and then put into it, without dissolving the Lune, so that the Lune remaineth almost as fine as from the Test. The extracted Sol and Venus may easily be separated from the Water, each by it self, by precipitation, insomuch that the Water retains its vertue, and there is no loss either of the Sol, Lune, or Venus. In like manner the allay of Sol and Lune, by Venus, may be extracted with ease, in great plenty, and for little charge. Which Secret would be of great use to Refiners, or such as have much Gold and Silver to be parted, as in Mines, &c.

It is sufficiently known what great labour and charge is required by the common way of parting Gold, and Silver, and Copper, &c. therefore needeth not to be repeated.

Here followeth a shorter and easier way.

First, if my impure Gold be in great lumps, I grannulate it; but if it be Jewels, Rings, or Chains, I onely neal them, and therewith fill a parting glass to the third part, then I pour thereon of my cheap and new-invented Menstruum, so much as may swim above it a fingers breadth, put a Limbick upon it and set it in a Sand furnace, give fire by degrees till the Liquor boil, and be all gone over the Helm, to a dry Salt. So hath the Aqua Fortis in the time of digesting drawn to it self all the allay of Lune, Venus, or other impurity, out of the Gold, in form of a green Powder, which remains with the Gold in the Glass. When it is cold, I take it out of the Sand, and put in warm Salt water, to dissolve the extracted Lune and Venus, that it may be poured out of the Glass: which done, I boil it in a Copper Kettle, so the Salt-water extracts the Lune and Venus from the Sol, and maketh it fine. I decant the green and thick water from the Sol, and put to it in the Kettle fresh Salt-water, and boil it to extract the rest of the Lune and Venus from the Sol. But if this second Water should yet be green and thick, that is a sign that there yet remains more Lune and Venus with the Sol; therefore more fresh Salt-water is to be added to the Sol, as before. After boiling, put all the green Waters together, and at last pour upon the Gold onely common sweet water, with which boil the Gold to extract the remaining saltness from it, which will leave it fine and shining in the Kettle, as fine Gold useth to be, which is to be set upon a small fire to dry, then to be kept as fine Gold. The green Water is to be filtred, so the Lune will remain behind in the filter, which is to be dried, and mixed with the common fluxing Powder of Sulphur and Nitre, and being melted will be reduced to the finest Lune. Boil the green filtred Water in an Iron Pot, so all the Venus will settle to the Pot bottom, which is to be edulcorated with Water, and being mixed with the above-named fluxing Powder, and reduced becometh the finest Venus that can be seen with eyes. By this means I doe not onely find all my Sol, Lune, and Venus, but also an increase of the Sol, the reason of which increase proceeds from my Aqua Fortis, which is a graduating Water, and of a meliorating nature and property: which encrease indeed is not over-great, yet it pays for all the charge of Coals and Labour. This work may be performed in the space of twelve hours without any loss of Sol or Lune; which differs greatly from the tedious vulgar way of separation, which is very laborious and costly, besides the great loss of the Sol and Lune. So that ten Marks may be easier separated by my way, than one Mark by the common way.

One great Secret more, above others, which for brevity sake cannot be all inserted here, is this. It is well known to all Chymists, that all Vegetables, as also Animals, by addition of common Water, may be brought to fermentation, and according to every subject, a Spiritus Ardens, of great use in Physick, may be distilled. But how to make such a subtile Spirit out of Metals, I never read in any Authour, nor heard of. But I have found out a way by which great matters may be done, which cannot be mentioned here, let others search after it as I have done, it is not good to cast Pearls before Swine. Yet that the desirous may know somewhat of an Artificial Metallick Fermentation; I say that out of certain Salts a Water may be prepared, which when it is put upon a compact Metal, that the same by a certain property in the Water, begins to swell up and ferment, like to the fermentation of Wine, Beer, or other vegetable Drinks; and after fermentation, by distilling in Balneo yields an exceeding subtile penetrating Spirit, strong, sweet, and volatile, according to the nature and property of the Metal; which may also by rectification be concentrated and subtilized, like that which is drawn from Wine or other Vegetables, without any Corrosion; so that such a Spirit may be put into the eye without the least hurt, or sence of sharpness. [See the Sixth Part of the Pharmacopœa Spagyrica.] Therefore it may easily be concluded, that such a Metallick Spirit may effectually be used in the most difficult diseases. But those Spirits are not onely highly profitable in Medicine, but cannot also fail to shew their effects upon Metals; for I have already experienced thus much, that the Spirit of Sol doth in few days graduate Common Mercury into Sol, in like manner doth the Spirit of Lune and Jupiter graduate Mercury into Lune; other Spirits of Metals I have not yet tried. And although many may think to force such a Spirit out of Metals as is drawn out of Vitriol, yet they err, because every Vitriol distilled per se besides the Phlegm, acid Spirit, and heavy Oil, yields also a volatile Spirit, which may be very much subtilized by rectification, but it hath no comparison at all, nor likeness with my new-invented volatile humid Spirit of Metals; because the above mentioned volatile Spirit of Vitriol, consisteth onely of a subtile salt Spirit and spiritual Sulphur, which may sufficiently be demonstrated. For when such a subtile salt Spirit of Vitriol stands a while in a Glass close stopped, the volatile Sulphur of the Vitriol sublimeth it self to the top of the Glass, and congeals it self in the form of common yellow Sulphur, and the humidity remains in the Glass like an insipid Water, without smell or tast. Therefore the volatile Spirit of Vitriol now-a-days prepared, is to be esteemed for nothing else but a volatile Spirit of Sulphur. In opposition to which my Metallick Spirits, especially those of Sol or Lune have no combustible matter in them. Also the Spirit of Vitriol is yet corrosive, which the Metallick Spirits are not. Therefore let no man think that my invented Spirits of Metals are of the same nature with the sulphureous Spirit of Vitriol, Allom, or common Salt, or the like, but let it be esteemed as a new-invented high Secret, the like of which was never yet known to the World. He to whom God shall please to reveal how these Spirits of Metals may again be brought into fixed bodies, such a one may well esteem himself happy. Seeing that such a Spirit being yet fugitive, can mortifie running Mercury, and transmute it into Sol. Also know, that our secret Salt-water hath power to bring other Subjects into fermentation: As for example; if I was willing to bring Tartar again into fermentation, to try what Spirit it would yield, I dissolve it onely in fair water, and put to it a little of our Universal ferment, so will the Tartar presently begin to ferment and work, and yields a wonderfull volatile Spirit, which is not to be had by any other way. Here I will add onely one thing by way of history; namely, what happened unto me once, when I joined a little of this ferment with some Urine: that the same did presently begin to ferment, and yielded a most dreadfull scent, so that I was necessitated to carry the Urine out of the room, the smell was so offensive, that it enfeebled my Heart and Brain; and in the distilling, yielded a scent far worse than the putrefying of any dead carcasses of beasts, at last I forced over all the unpleasant Phlegm, took the Caput mort. out of the Glass, and distilled out of it a strong Corrosive Spirit, with which I did dissolve Sol and Lune. But what is further to be expected from it, time will shew me. There came also with the strong salt Spirit, a red Oil of Urine, not strong.

To enlighten the former discourse, there remains yet something to be said, namely this: That the before mentioned Spirit of Metals may be handled in all respects like the burning Spirit of Vegetables, which is distilled from Vegetables fermented; in rectifying, the most subtile Spirit cometh over first, and the unprofitable Phlegm remains behind; and the oftener this rectification is performed, it is the more pure, subtile, strong and pleasant, so that the vertues of all other Vegetables, some of this Spirit being poured upon them and digested, may be extracted, and separated from their gross feces, by separating the Spirit of Wine in Balneo, so the vertue of the Herb, Root, or Flower, will remain in the Glass; of which one onely drop hath more vertue in Medicine, than a whole handfull of the herb from which it was extracted; yet the Spirit remains good, and is always proper for the like occasions. But if one desireth no Extract, but onely a Spirit of Vegetables, strong and forcible in its operation, then must the Spirit be put upon fresh well-scented cordial Herbs, Roots, Flowers or Fruits, digesting them together, then abstracting the Spirit again, so will it be much stronger, subtiller, and of a more refreshing smell than before. Thus in like manner can we doe with our Spirit of Metals, and make it as strong as we will, by putting the same upon fresh Metals, and letting them ferment together, then abstracting, and so fermenting and abstracting, whereby it always grows stronger and stronger, so that afterwards greater things may be done with it both in Medicine and Alchymy. If then the simple Spirit of Metals doth wonders in Medicine and Alchymy, what will not this doe, that hath three or four times its strength? Consider of it, enough to the wise. The Spirit of Metals thus made we esteem for the true Aqua vitæ or Vinum salutis of the Ancients, and no other made of Vegetables. Take notice also by the way, that our Ferment doth not lose its vertue in distilling, but serveth always for the like Works, to wit, the Fermentation of Metals.

Seeing that our Ferment is a volatile Salt, after Fermentation the subtile Spirit is abstracted, and the Phlegm received by it self, so at last riseth our Ferment with a stronger Fire, and leaves the mortified Metal as unprofitable feces. So that the Ferment being once had, it may be often used, yet it is somewhat diminished every time by sticking to the glasses, yet not being costly, the loss may be easily born, so that there needs never be no want of it. This is indeed a wonderfull subtile metallick Wine, of which I had once a Vision about thirty years ago (with these words: Ex fece, de fece, debes carpere vinum tuum,) yet I knew not the signification to this time. I have had much thoughtfulness about it, yet all in vain, untill God was lately pleased to shew me the way of preparing such Wine.

If I should write all things which may be done with my new-invented Fermentation out of Vegetables, Animals and Metals, I should have work enough for a great Volume, and as it were bring forth a new World: but let this suffice at this time.