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

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

Now what this Purgatory is, which no Person living is able to give an experimental and true grounded Account of, we will, if it please God, a little enquire into, after that we have first exposed to view, and unanswerably asserted the truth of the two foregoing Purgatories, which our eyes have seen, and our hands have handled.

Concerning the First Purgatory.

The First Purgatory, or cleansing Fire of the Philosophers, with which they prepare their Universal and particular Medicines for Cure of all Subjects of the three Kingdoms of the World, hath been most carefully concealed by them. I have indeed formerly, of Friendship and Goodwill, revealed this Fire, with its most profitable Use, to some Persons, by which means others unworthy have began to perceive something of it, and used their utmost endeavours to attain the full knowledge of this high Secret, and have so far succeeded, as to understand it in part, viz. the Use of common Spirit of Wine, which is a considerable ingredient of the said Philosophick Purgatory Fire.

But after all their serching, they never attained the knowledge of the Salt of Art, by which the Spirit of Wine is Alcolized, which is the best and chief ingredient of this Fire. Forasmuch then, as the Spirit of Wine is thus known, and will probably yet further be divulged; I have thought good to publish it my self, and to communicate the Secret to all. But as for the secret Salt of Art, whereby the Spirit of Wine is actuated and fortified, and is the proper Agent for Meliorating of Vegetables, Animals and Minerals, and whereby they are brought to the highest degree of Purity, none hitherto have been able to entice it from me, and I trust that for time to come I shall be more cautious of communicating ought to false and wicked Men.

Let no Man therefore imagine Spirit of Wine to be the secret Fire of Artephius, whereby some Minerals and Metals, without any foregoing separation of the pure from the impure, may without any diminution of their weight be changed into a mere pure Tincture. No in no wise, for no Spirit of Wine hath any such power. But as for what simple Spirit of Wine is able to perform, that we will here declare, and no more at this time. I doubt not but many will persuade themselves, that in having the Spirit of Wine, they are Masters of the whole Secret; but that’s a great mistake, he that questions it, let him read Artephius, Pontanus, and some few others who write of it, and he will find that a simple Spirit of Wine hath no resemblance with the Fire of Artephius.

For the Philosophers who write of it tell us, that their Fire acts as a proper Agent on its Patient, with an invisible Flame, continually, equally in one and the same degree, and at last changes it into pure Tincture. Which things cannot be said of Spirit of Wine, which doth not burn continually, equally, or invisibly, from whence it is apparent, that Spirit of Wine is not the Fire of Artephius, nor can be compared with it.

Now what this Fire of Artephius is, has been sufficiently declared by me, in my Treatise of the Threefold Fire, and therefore unnecessary to write more of it here. It remains only for me to declare, how Vegetables, Animals, and Minerals with the help of any burning Spirit, not only that of Wine, but of Corn, Honey, Fruits, Leaves or Grass may be most highly purified, and reduc’d to the Highest Medicines.

In my little Treatise of Elias the Artist, I have taught at large how to bring the Essences of Metals, Stones, Vegetables and Animals over the Helm, by means of an Alcolised Spirit of Wine, and to prepare universal Medicaments from them, to which therefore I refer the Lover of Art.

And will now proceed to declare, to how good purpose Spirit of Wine may be made use of in Physick. We all know that in general there are but two ways of cleansing impure things, viz. Water and Fire. Now Water can only take away those defilements that are outward and superficial, not being able to pierce to the Center; whereas Fire does not only purge the outside, but even that which is in-most, separating the impure for the pure, as hath already been mention’d.

We know also, that the Flame of Fire can consume nothing but its like, viz. the Combustible Sulphur, but cannot consume the incombustible Mercury, nor destroy, burn, or annihilate it, the Flames serving only to meliorate and exalt it. For the Mercury of all things can no way better be purged than by Fire, by which though it be driven away, yet may always be found again, as being incombustible.