And this is very credible, for such a fiery Agent which I have taught here to prepare, is as well a true Tincture it self, as the Animæ of Sol and Lune, and that so high that it is sufficiently powerful to penetrate, meliorate, and transmute hard, gross, and impure Metals and Bodies, by its tender, clean, Golden, Mercurial Power, and to reduce them into Tinctures. N. B. I would have none to doubt, but that such a clean, fiery, and Golden Agent, when it is used for the exalting and meliorating of clean Gold and Silver, will give a much higher Tincture than with gross and unclean Metals; for if Gold is inwardly so exalted and meliorated by this Antimonial Mercurial Water, it must needs give a far more extensive Tincture. Now how this our Mercurial, Antimonial, Saturnine Water, is to be applied to fine Gold and Silver, to exalt their Colours, and transmute them into Tincture, I shall here shew to the best of my knowledge, and it is thus. The two Ounces of Spirit of Salts, which were coagulated by the four Ounces of Gold and Silver, and by the addition of two Ounces of Regulus of Antimony, did again leave the Gold and Silver, by working upon and dissolving the Antimony, and did in the distillation carry over the most pure and tender Mercury of Antimony, together with the Tincture of Gold, in form of a Red Butter, for Antimony is of this nature, that it draws the colour out of Gold, and carries it up with it self in Distillation, which the Ancients called carrying the Souls of the Dead out of Hell. This Red Butter impregnated with the Anima of Gold, Artephius called his Secret Fire, and is the Proprium Agens of Pontanus, which doth not only maturate Gold and Silver into perfect Tinctures, but also Mars and Saturn, in their whole substance, without separating the pure from the impure. From the remaining Gold and Silver you must wash your Regulus of Antimony by the help of Salt Petre, then separate your Gold and Silver by Aqua Fortis, and you will have no loss but only of the Tincture of Gold, which the Oyl of Antimony hath carried over with it. Neusementius calls this his Solar Red Oyl or Butter of Antimony, but I call it my Mercurial Antimonial Aurifick Water, which name doth properly belong to it, which I thus prove. Take of this distilled Golden Mercurial Water, of Leaves of Gold and Silver, each equal parts, put them together in a fixing Glass, and set it in a Sand Cuppel, which is heated equally by a dull Harry, and kept in the same degree of Fire, and the Mercurial Water will dissolve the Gold and Silver, and they will turn together into a Stone. The Spirits of Salts after they have dissolved the Gold and Silver, together with the Mercury of Antimony, will separate themselves by degrees from the Mercury, because they are not of the same matter, therefore they cannot become a Tincture with the Gold, Silver, and Mercury, which Pontanus very well hints. This separation of the Salt Spirit from the Tincture requires its time, and will not be hastened. N. B. But if you know how to separate the superfluity of the Spirit of Salt from the Golden Butter, by a subtile Art, and then dissolve your Gold and Silver in it, you will gain a great deal of time in your fixation, for the superfluous moisture very much hinders, which the Ancients have hinted under a Fable, as the Learned Bracesous sufficiently admonisheth in his Treatise de Ligno Vitæ. This Salt Water is called by the Poets Minerva, concerning this you may read the Philosophers, and chiefly Bracesous, what he saith Minerva was, and you will find which way it must be separated from the Tincture. N. B. Be not in doubt, because Bracesous teacheth how to prepare his Tincture, not of Gold and Silver, but of Mars, for it may as well be made of Mars, only that is not so extensive as the Tincture made of Gold, otherwise the labour is the same, and differs not at all. I repeat this once more, that if you will shorten your labour, you must send away Minerva in peace, because she hinders the fixation. Some perhaps may wonder, what the Silver can contribute to this Tincture, because it is white, and hath no colour: I answer, that the inward parts of Silver are not white but red, and therefore may become a Tincture. After the same manner Saturn is not red outwardly, and yet with Mars becomes a red Tincture, as Silver doth with Gold. This I thought fit to say here concerning the Secret Fire of Artephius: If you will know more of it read Artephius, Pontanus, Paracelsus, Bracescus, Neusementius, Cosmopolita, and others, who have made mention of it, and you will there find larger Instructions.
Now as it is possible to transmute not only Gold and Silver, but also the other inferior Metals into Tinctures, by the Proprium Agens of Metals, so you may also fix into Gold and Silver, the inferior Metals particularly, with an incredible profit, for the inferior Metals may be put in in great quantity, with a cheap Agent, and so be maturated into Gold and Silver, which hitherto hath been known to very few in the World, but I do not doubt but hereafter it will be better known, by which many honest Men will be delivered from Slavery. For as you have already heard, the Proprium Agens of the inferior Metals is cheap, so that the imperfect Metals may be with small costs, by the addition of their Natural Proprium Agens, which was driven away in their melting, by the help of External Fire, maturated into the perfection of Gold and Silver. N. B. If you can have Metals yet in their Oar, that have not been in the Fire, and add to each of them their Proprium Agens, and put them in close Vessels into a fixing Furnace, and maturate them with a requisite heat, then the fixation will the sooner be done, than with those Metals which have been already melted; yet those Oars must be well washed and separated from their Mine-Earth, before you put them with their Proprium Agens to be fixed. N. B. This fixation of the unripe Metals into Silver and Gold, as also of Gold and Silver into a Tincture, by their Proprium Agens, may also be done by the humid way, if you dissolve your Metals in their proper Menstruums, and then digest them for a sufficient time. N. B. For such a moist digestion or fixation Vegetables are more fit than Minerals, and Animals fitter than both, yet all of them be made use of to fix both the common, and Metallick Mercuries, as well universally into Tinctures, as particularly into Gold and Silver. But for the course Metals and their Oars, the universal Agent, viz. Sulphur, Arsnick, with their Compeers, as Cobolt and Orpiment are the fittest. Gold and Silver have also their peculiar Agents, by which they are maturated into Tinctures, of which the Animal Agent is found to be the best, for it is of this nature, that it turns the inward hidden colours of Gold and Silver outwards, and renders them visible, which no other universal subject can do like it. For if you cannot bring outwards the inward colour of Gold and Silver, it is impossible to make Tinctures of them. For Gold and Silver, as nature hath produced them in the Earth, have no abounding colour to tinge other Metals withall, but no more than is required for their own perfection; but when they are exalted in their Colours by Art, they are able plentifully to communicate their Colours to other Metals, but else not. Now what kind of Animal Agent this is, by which the Exaltation of Colours may be made, I dare not make common; he that will know more of it, must enquire of Adam, who brought such an Essence with him out of Paradise. You may also read my fifth Century together with the Explication, where this Subject is treated of. Now as the Proprium Agens of the Metals, which is their Spirits, viz. Sulphur, Arsnick, Cobolt, Orpiment, and the like Metallick Spirits, are fixed with the Metalline Bodies, and with them become fixed Metals, because they are half Metals already, so on the contrary, Salts which also are good Agents to Maturate Metals, yet become not Metals themselves, as Sulphur, Arsnick, Antimony, Orpiment, Cobolt, Zinck, Bismuth, Lapis Calaminaris, and other Realgars or Metallick Spirits; for Salts do not participate of a Metallick Nature, therefore they cannot become Metals; but when they touch, dissolve, volatilise, and again fix Metals, it is only done by their Acidity, which is a kind of that Acidity which is naturally in Metals, and this is to be understood of Common Mineral Salts, as Common Salt, Salt Gem, Salnitre, Allome, Vitriol, and the like, which naturally grow in the Earth, in Stones, in Rivers, and also out of the Earth, which are dug out by Men and purified, and so imploy’d for several uses. These Salts have a great affinity with the Metals, but cannot become Metals. But the Vegetable and Animal Salts are of another nature and property, they associate themselves with Metals, because they somewhat participate, though but little, of the Metallick nature. The Animal Salts are principally Volatile, and make a good Sal Armoniack, which hath a great affinity with the Metals, as I have in my Writings sufficiently shewn. The Salts of Vegetables are altered in the Fire, and become fixt Alcalies, which are also of good use to Metals, as you may see in my Writings. But the Volatile Salt of Animals far exceeds all other Salts, in its virtue; for it makes not only all Metals, how fixed soever they are, wholly volatile, and separates the cleanest Tincture of Metals, Minerals, Precious and ignoble Stones, that is, it separates their immortal Anima from their gross and unprofitable Bodies, with which you may perform incredible things, both in Physick and Alchymy; But this wonderful Salt also makes the most subtile, as well good as bad Spirits, incredible quick, surmounting Human Understanding, visible, tangible, Corporeal and fixt, which concentrated and fixed Spirits, have ingress and egress through Doors lockt up, by which strange and incredible things may be done. So great a power hath the Almighty bestowed upon the Animal (chiefly the Microcosmical Salt) above all other Salts, which is known to few. For the Microcosmical Salt, and for want of that, the Volatile Salt of other Animals, Birds, Fishes, as also of Herbs and Woods have power to volatilise all fixed things, and again to fix the volatile. In which volatilising, the purer parts are separated from the grosser, the which being fixt again, you have a Tincture, and there is no nearer, easier, or cheaper way in the World to attain to true Metallick Tinctures, than by the means of Volatilising Salts. Take a similitude from the Spirit of Corn or Wine, so long as it is yet in the fæces of the Corn or Wine, it is little esteemed, but when it is driven out by Distillation, and cleansed by Rectification, and so exalted in its Virtue, then it is Esteemed, because much good may be done with it. So and no otherwise you must esteem of Metals, in which such rare Tinctures are hidden, which then are not esteemed, because few know what great things may be effected by them. The like great treasures are also hidden in great quantities, which by the Ignorant are not esteemed or sought after, notwithstanding that the Ancient Philosophers have highly recommended to us the Extractions, Distillations and Separations of the noblest Tinctures to be drawn out of gross despised Metals and Stones, yet their profitable Doctrines and Admonitions have taken with very few.
Basil Valentine confesseth in his Manuals, that the Work of the Philosophers can be compared to nothing better than to the known labour of making Spirit of Wine, which preparation is known even to Rusticks. The distillation and separation of the Tincture of Philosophers is as easie as to make Brandy, and yet it is done but by very few.
Paracelsus in his Cœlum Philosophorum, speaking of the Spirits of Metals, saith plainly, that it is so easie to make Gold and Silver, that it is not worth while to write of it. Virgil also sheweth, how easie a thing it is to pluck the Golden branches from the Opake Tree of Vitriol, and how easily they will follow one another, if you but hold forth your Hand, and when you have cropt one, be bids you also take a second. What could be said plainer? But yet I tell you, that these Golden Branches are much more easily, and in greater quantity to be obtained out of the Red Earth or Stones, than out of Metals; but he that will not believe it, may remain in the dark. It is enough for me, that I have plainly declar’d the truth to the ungrateful World, without any reservation. But our Sal Armoniack (I do not mean the Common) is a good Proserpina, which easily carries over the Tincture of Stones and Minerals. And he that will pluck these Golden Apple bearing Branches with profit, must very well consider after what manner to prepare his Proserpina, that she may touch and carry over only the cleanest Tinctures, and leave the gross Bodies behind. The Artist must also be sufficiently experienced, how to separate Proserpina or Minerva from the Extracted Tincture, for Minerva is a hinderance to the fixation of the Tincture. And this is the principal secret in this Mystery. For all Tinctures of Metals and Stones, after they are separated from their gross Bodies, by our Proserpina, they are volatile, and so remain till they are separated from our Proserpina. Although Proserpina is a two-fold Key, which both opens and shuts, makes volatile and fixed, yet this is to be observed, that there are but very few who know how to use this Volatilising and fixing Salt; and therefore I advise to separate it from your Tincture, and then fix your Tincture. But if God shall so favour you, as to shew you how to fix this Proserpina, or, to speak plainer, our secret Sal Armoniack, with this Tincture which it hath drawn out of Metals and Stones, both together without any separation into a fusile, red, penetrating, and tinging Stone, then you may for that bless God all your life, for you may have always plenty, without any want, for there is no richer particular, nor universal Tincture in the World.
For what can be a greater Art than by the help of our Sal Armoniack, in a few hours, to draw a pure Tincture out of gross Metals and Stones, to bring it over by Distillation, to purifie it to the highest by Rectifications, and then again to render those Volatile Tinctures in a few hours, fixt and constant in the Fire, so that by them you may immediately tinge the inferior Metals, particularly into good Gold? I Glauber truly say this, that this highly profitable Labour, to draw the Tinctures out of Metals and Stones, by the help of our Sal Armoniack, to exalt them, and again to fix them, requires hardly twenty four hours time from the beginning to the end. Which to the unskilful will seem incredible, but whether it be believ’d or no, is all one to me. It is the Will of God, that his great Gifts shall not come among the impious, but only remain among those, whom he esteems worthy of those high Secrets, and them who also will make good use of them. Virgil at first gave but a hint of it in few Words. Afterwards Cosmopolita did explain this great Work at length. Then Neusementius published it yet plainer, but the Work is most clearly and largely described in all its Circumstances, by the pious Brasescus, in his Dialogue de Ligno Vitæ, but it is received by very few, because the proud Toletanus despised this cheap Martial Labour, as if Mars contained no good at all, but that it was only to be found in Gold and Silver. I ingeniously confess, that I am acquainted with several good Secrets, by which one may reap Profit out of Metals, yet none of them is cheaper and easier, than the Work of Virgil upon Vitriol, or the Opake Tree, to break off the Golden Branches one after another, by the help of his Proserpina, or Eagles Wings, or Griffins Claws. But if one would reap good Profit by this Labour, he must be furnished with a good quantity of Griffins Claws and Eagles Wings, which also is easie to be had in great quantity, for I have sufficiently taught how to prepare them. Further, it is needful to know, after we have drawn the Tinctures, out of Red Metals and Stones, by our Alcahest, how to perfect them, because they are yet Volatile, no Metal can be meliorated by them, therefore they must be fixed before they can be used. This Fixation may be made in the space of six hours, so that these Tinctures retain their ingress and fusibility, so that if they are put upon a red hot Plate, they melt in a moment, enter and tinge as readily, as Oyl doth dry Leather; which all Tinctures do not, but must be brought to it by Art, but our Tincture only which is made by Volatile Spirits, doth it: The reason is this, all gross and fixed Bodies are naturally influxile, on the contrary, all Volatile Spirits again Coagulated into fixed Bodies, must of necessity be fluxible and penetrating. Observe this well, for it is plainly enough spoken. Concerning this, see the Epistle of Arnoldus to the Pope, and there you will find this Observation. Without this Secret Sal Armoniack, no good can be done in Alchymy. Thus I end my Explication of the Secret Fire, by which all Metals particularly and Universally, are maturated, with incredible Profit, to the perfection of Gold and Silver. Now it remains to give some hint, how these Secret Fires or Agents, separately by each Proprium Agens, may be after a peculiar manner, maturated into Tinctures. You have heard that common Sulphur is the Proprium Agens of Saturn, which becomes fixed with the Lead, and in this Fixation it also fixeth and tingeth its Patient the Lead, into ☉ and ☽. You have also heard, that Arsenick or Cobolt is the Proprium Agens of Tin, and that Arsenick the Agent is easily fixed by its Patient, Tin, and with the Tin becomes ☉ and ☽. And also, that the common ☿ is fixed into good Silver, with Lead. And all Volatile Realgars, as Orpiment and its Compeers, may be fixed into good Gold with ♂ and ♀, which is the naked Truth, of which I would have none to doubt, for I my self have several times performed these cheap Fixations, and because I am sufficiently satisfied in it, I dare satisfie others.
I have thought it unnecessary to describe, at large, all the Manuals which belong to this cheap Fixation of the inferior Metals, and also to the Coagulation of the Volatile mineral Spirits, into constant Gold and Silver. I have therefore published it as short (yet comprehensive enough) as I could, that you may speculate into it your selves, and then you cannot fail, except God prohibit you, which often happens to evil Men, which see easie things done before their Eyes, which yet they cannot imitate. Now to put an end to this business, and to prove that the Universal Agent, the common Sulphur, which is the Grandfather or Demogorgon of all Minerals and Metals, hath also its Proprium Agens, by which it may be maturated into a Universal Medicine or Tincture, I have thought fit to acquaint the World with this easie and cheap Fixation of Sulphur; chiefly, because I have already, some years since, treated of this easie Fixation of Sulphur, but I have not there discovered every thing so plainly, that every one may prepare it. But now I intend, God willing, to publish it so clear and comprehensive, that even any Mechanick may not only understand, but easily imitate it. I pray God to assist me in it, Amen. Some years ago I taught, how, by the help of my Sal Mirabile, to fix any common Sulphur, but chiefly, such as is yet bound up in Wood or Sea-Coals, and doth not so easily fly in the Fire, but is easier to be handled with a red hot heat, than the open Fluxile common Sulphur. This curious Work I have shewed to some Friends with my own hands, and highly recommended it to them, to take it in hand, and bring it to a good end, because I was certain, that it must become a rich, and far extending Tincture. But seeing the Sulphur would not presently be fixed, they left the Work: Whereupon I farther divulged this Work by writing, and made it common. Notwithstanding which, as yet very little hath been attempted about it, because every one is in haste, and hath not Patience to wait for a good end, not considering that every thing must have its time, and that haste makes waste. Must not the Plowman, when he sows his Corn into the Earth, to have an hundred fold encrease, wait the due time before he can have this Multiplication? Why should not then also a Chymist wait his time, for this profitable Fixation, that will recompense him a thousand fold? Now to return again to our business, to shew that any common Combustible Sulphur, which otherwise is an universal Agent for all Metals, to maturate them into Gold and Silver, hath also its own Proprium Agens, by which it is not only maturated into ☉ and ☽, but also into a true universal Tincture; and this is done only by certain Salts, that have Power to fix the Sulphur, and make it constant in the Fire. Cosmopolita minds us of this very well, when he saith, that Salt, in the conflict with Sulphur, gave him a deadly Wound, which is very true, and besides Salt or strong Spirit of Salt hath Power to fix it, if they be several times drawn off from it. How this is to be done, I have taught in my Three Principles of Metals. But such a Sulphur as is fixed by Aqua Fortis, is also quite killed, and its ingress into Metals is taken away, but may be restored to it again, so that it easily enters Metals, and tingeth them throughly. Paracelsus saith, you must reverberate the fixed 🜍, till it comes to be Red, and then draw out the Tincture, with Spirit of Wine, and then fix ☽ or ☿ with it into Gold. Neusementius teacheth to drown the Dragon in the Stygian Waters, that is to fix him, and when he is come to the highest degree of fixity, that then you must revive, or Volatize him again, and then fix him the second time, and then he hath a better ingress into Metals to tinge them. Bracescus teacheth also, to extract his fixed Sulphur, out of the fixed Scales of Iron, and to fix them into a Fluxile and penetrating Tincture. Cosmopolita teacheth it after this manner, viz. how to deliver Sulphur out of his Prison, and that he will give to his Redeemer a Crown of Three Kingdoms for a Recompence. Out of these, the true Fixation of Sulphur is sufficiently to be learned, and needs no farther instruction, but yet I cannot forbear here to set down my way, how to fix it, that the Artist may so much the easier attain his End. And this Fixation of Sulphur may be done after several manners.
And First in this: I have taught, how Sulphur may be fixed into a Red Carbuncle, persisting in the Fire, where I have treated of my Sal Mirabilis: It is true, this way of fixing is done without any cost, yet it requires a certain, tho no very long, time, which is the reason, that hitherto few have tryed any thing in it, and yet it is very difficult to come easier and cheaper to the Fixation of Sulphur; and besides, there is this advantage in fixing the Sulphur with the Sal Mirabile, that it retains its easie Flux and Ingress into Metals, which that fixed by Aqua Fortis doth not, but into an unmeltable Earth, which hath no ingress into Metals except it be procured by Art, which every one cannot do. Yet Neusementius hath clearly described it in these Words: When thou hast brought thy Subject to its highest Fixation, to wit, by the Abstraction of Aqua Fortis, (which Fixation he also clearly teacheth, when he saith, that you must drown the Dragon in the Stygian Waters, and so make him fixed) and after the Fixation make him Volatile again, that then he acquires his ingress, and is fit to tinge, which is so plainly exprest, that it is impossible to express it plainer, yet these excellent Writings, are written only supervacaneously, and understood and imitated but by few. I still add even to superfluity, one way more how to fix any Sulphur whatsoever, to do wonders in Physick. ℞. Sea-Coals, or in defect of them, Wood Coals powdered, good Saltpeter, Common Salt, and Oyl of Vitriol, of each a like quantity, put these four things into a Glass Retort well coated, fix a Receiver to it, and in an open Fire distil off all the Humidity, urge it at length with the strongest Fire, and a Green Liquor of Sulphur will come over, which the Ancients called the Green Lyon, which dissolves ☉, and when they are digested a good while, or the Green Liquor is often abstracted from the ☉, then they are fixed together, and the Liquor of Sulphur, together with the ☉, turns into a Red tinging Stone. N. B. If you will that the Sulphur shall not come over, but remain fixed behind, you may instead of the common Salt, which makes the Sulphur Volatile, put Saltpetre, which is of this Nature, as well as Oyl of Vitriol, to make any Sulphur fixed, but common Salt makes it Volatile. Jason killed or fixed the always watching Dragon with a strong Water of Saltpetre. Bracescus, Basilius, Paracelsus, Neusementius and others have done the like, he that will truly follow them; cannot err, but it is impossible to explain to the ignorant any thing, so that he may presently imitate it. You must yourself take the thing in hand, and proceed diligently, else nothing can be done: Let this suffice to be said concerning common Sulphur, which is an Universal Agent, to maturate all Metals, and it self is fixed with Metals, into ☉ and ☽; and also by Saltpetre and Vitriol is fixed into a true Tincture, as is here demonstrated. Here I put an end to the Explanation of the Agent, and Patient of Metals, how to fix them particularly into Gold and Silver, and Universally into Tinctures. It yet remains to give a small Explication of the Fixation of Sulphur.
A RECAPITULATION
Reader,