Of the spirit of Muste or new Wine.
Take sweet Must or juice of grapes, as soon as it is squeezed out, boyl it to the consistency of honey- and then mix it with sand, corals, or (which is better) with flores of Antimony, and so distill it, and it will yield such another spirit as that which is made of honey or sugar, only that this is somewhat tarter than that of honey. With honey, sugar and the juice of grapes, several metals may be dissolved in boyling and so prepared and made up into divers medicaments, both with and without distillation, after the same manner as was taught above with tartar: for honey, sugar, and the juice of grapes, are nothing else but a sweet salt, which by fermentation and addition of some sower thing, may be changed into a sower Tartar, in all like unto that which is gathered in the wine vessels. There may be made also a tartar out of cherries, pears, apples, figs, and all other fruit, yielding a sweet juice; as also of rye, wheat, oats, barley and the like, whereof in the third part more shall be said.
For every sweet liquor of vegetables, if it be turned inside out, by fermentation may be changed to a natural sowre tartar; and it is utterly false, that (as some do suppose) only wine yields tartar, which by daily use made of it by those that have very hungry stomachs (like Woolves) indistinctly together with the nourishment went into the limbs, and there turned to a stony matter. If this were true, than in cold Countries, where no wine groweth, men would not be troubled with the Gout or Stone; the Contrary whereof is seen daily: though I must confess, that among all vegetables none yeildeth more than the vine, the concurrent acidity being the cause thereof; for it turneth the sweetness into tartar; for the sowrer the wine is, the more tartar it yieldeth; and so much the sweeter, so much the less tartar. By this discourse an industrious Chymist may easily come to know the original nature and properties of tartar, and in default of wine, how to make it out of other vegetables; common salt or the salt of tartar may be distilled with honey, sugar, or sodden wine (sapa) and it will yield such strong spirits, that metals may be dissolved with them, and they are not to be despised in Physick and Alchymy.
Of oyl Olive.
Out of oyls made by expression (as oyl olive, rape oyl, wallnut oyl, hempseed oyl, linseed oyl, and the like) there may be distilled a penetrating oyl, useful both out wardly and inwardly, which is done thus: Take common potters clay not mingled with sand, frame little bals of it, as big as a pigeons or hens-egg, burn them (but not too strong) to a hard stone, so that they may attract the oyl; and when they are no more quite red-hot, but pretty hot, then throw them into oyl olive which is the best; let them lye in it, till they be quite full and drunk of the oyl, which will be done in two or three hours (some cast them red hot into the oyl, but amiss, because the oyl contracts thence an Empyreuma) then take them out, and cast in one or two of them at once into your distilling-vessel made red-hot, and let it go; and within a while after cast in one or two more, and continue this till you have oyl enough. If the vessel be full of the bals, take them out with the tongs or ladle, that you may proceed without let in your distillation, and in this manner you need not fear the breaking of your retort or receiver, or the burning of your oyle. The distillation being performed take off your receiver, pour the oyl that came over into a glass retort, and rectify it from calcined Allome or Vitriol, and the Allome will keep back the blackness and stink, and so the oyl will come over clear, which must be yet rectified once or twice more with fresh calcined Allome, according to the intensness of penetrating which you look for; that which cometh over first, ought still to be caught by it self, and you will get a very fair, bright and clear oyl, which is very subtle; but that which cometh after is somewhat yellow, and not so penetrating neither as the first; and therefore it is but for external use to extract flores and herbs therewith, and to make pretious balsams for cold and moyst sores. Also you may dissolve with it Amber, Mastick, Myrrh, and the like attractive things, and with Wax and Colophony reduce it to a plaster, which will be very good in venemous sores and boyls, for to attract the poyson, and to heal them out of hand. If you dissolve in it common yellow sulphur made into powder, you will get a blood red balsom, healing all manner of scabs, and other like defects of the skin; especially when you add to it purified verdegrease, and in hot sores Saccharum Saturni, which in a gentle heat and by continual stirring about do easily melt and mingle therewith. It needeth not to be done in glasses, but may be done in an ordinary earthen pot or pipkin.
The use of the blessed oyl.
The first and clear is of a very penetrating nature: some drops thereof given in some Aqua vitæ, presently stays the collick, proceeding from winds that could not be vented; as also the rising of the mother, the navil being anointed therewith: and a cold humour being faln upon the nervs, whereby they are lamed; if you do but anoint them with this oyl, and rub it in with warm hands, it will quickly restore them, and therefore in regard of its present help, may well be called Oleum sanctum. If you extract plates of iron or copper with this oyl, it will turn deep red or green, and is a soveraign remedy for to warm and dry up all cold and watery sores. It consumeth allso all superfluous moisture in Wounds and ulcerous Sores, as also all other excrescencies of the skin: it healeth tettars and scald-heads, and other like defects proceeding from superfluous cold and moisture. You may also dissolve in it Euphorbium and other hot gums, and use them against great frost, for what limb soever is anointed therewith, no frost how great soever can do it any hurt. The balsames made with gum or sulphur may be also distilled by a retort, and in some cases they are more useful than the undistilled balsame.
Of the oyl of Wax.
In the same manner may be distilled also the oyl of wax, the use whereof is in all like unto the former; and for all cold infirmities of the nerves, this is found more effectual yet than the former.