What is to be held concerning the perfection of Metals.
This knot is scarce soluble, for so many and divers opinions of so many ages, so that most men slighting the testimonies of true Philosophers, will not believe the truth, especially, because scarce one of an hundred can be found who is not impoverisht with this art: the incredulous therefore is not to be blamed for his doubting, no signs of truth appearing, yet experience testifies a possibility by art and nature, though examples are rare. I pray with how great absurdity should one deny Heaven and Hell never seen? But thou saist we must believe this as revealed by God, his Prophets and Apostles; but so is not this, but the Philosophick tradition of Heathens. I answer, though most Philosophers were heathen (yet some have been Christians) yet their works are not to be despised, because not handling our salvation: to whom if Christ had Preached, surely they had believed him. For it appears by their books, that they were pious and honest Men; who though not Professors of Christ, yet they did His Will indeed, which we, though not in words, in action deny; who if they had been wicked, why took they so much pains in making books for the good and profit of their Neighbour about Vertue and Piety? Why spent they not rather their life time in leisure and pleasure, as is the custom now adaies with them who are appointed to instruct us? Why should they gull posterity with trifles and lyes, expecting from thence no profit? For most of them were not poor, but very rich Kings and Princes. Besides these, there have been many Christians seriously confirming the truth of the Art: Men indeed of special note, namely, Bishops, Doctors, &c. Such were Thomas Aquinas, Albertus Magnus, Lullius, Arnoldus, Roger Bacon, Basil, &c. Why should very pious men deceive posterity with their Works, and lead them into Errors? Although there should not remain the Works of Famous Worthies, yet there would be a plain confirming the truth of this Art. For I am perswaded there are some to be found having this knowledge, and privately possessing it. For who is so mad to reveal himself to the world, to receive nought but envy for his reward? Let no man therefore doubt of this secret Art’s truth. But say you: Why stand you so much for the Art? Did you ever see or perform any thing in it? I reply, though I never made projections to perfect metals, nor saw transmutations; yet I am sure of this, I have often from metals with metals, leaving no gold and silver in the cupel, extracted gold and silver by the help of fire: But I will not have you think that one imperfect metal will perfect another, or turn it into gold or silver, impure and drossy without, in comparison of gold and silver; for how can such metals perfect another imperfect? Which thus understand. For as in the vegetable Kingdom, water cleanseth water, or juice with seething as is wont to be done in purifying honey and sugar, or any other vegetable juice, with common water, and white of eggs: so also you must understand of mineral juices or metal, of which if we know the water and white, surely we might refine the impurity, in which gold and silver lie hid, as in black shales, and powerfully extract gold and silver, which is not a transmutation of metals, but an eduction of gold and silver from the dunghil; Dost thou ask how Gold and Silver can be educed from copper, iron, tin, and lead, to wit, by the help of lotion, out of which none is drawn with that best proof (as ’tis thought) of Cupels? To which we answered before of the proof of Cupels not to be sufficient for all the several metals. I need therefore say no more, but I refer the studious Reader to Paracelsus his Book, the Vexation of Chymists, where thou shalt find another lotion and purification of metals, which heretofore was unknown to Miners and Dealers in Minerals. As for example: A Miner finding the oar of copper, useth his skill delivered by the ancients to his utmost endeavour, whereby he may cleanse it and reduce it to metal: where first he breaks it into pieces, and boyls it, for to take away the superfluous sulphur, then by vertue of melting, he brings it into a stone (so called) which afterward again he commits to fire, and freeth it by the addition of lead, of its gold and silver; which done, he blacks and redens it, turning it into copper, which is his last labour, whereby the copper is made malleable and vendible: which done, the Chymist coming, tries another separation, by whose help gold and silver is extracted, as yet tryed of very few, of which mention is here made. Paracelsus also saith in the same place, that God hath given some an easier way of separating gold and silver from courser metals, and indeed without refining the oar, which is a special and curious Art, which he teacheth not in plain tearms, but only saith it is sufficiently taught in seven rules of that book, where he treats of the nature and propriety of metals; in which you may seek it. And this purification of courser metals I count most easie, which I have often tryed in small quantities: and I doubt not but God hath shewn other Artists also other purifications by which imperfect metals are perfected; for example, if one would purge the fruit of the earth by distillation, so that the dregs and impurities being taken away, it would grow up with a new clear clarified body: as if one distil black and impure Amber by a retort, the separation would be made by Fire, of the water savouring of an Empyreum, of the oyl and volatile salt, and the Caput mortuum be left in the bottom of the retort; by which means, in a very short time without great labour, is made a great alteration and emendation of Amber, though the oyl be black, impure, and stinking: but if it be again distilled by a retort with some mundifying water, as with the spirit of salt (namely through a fresh clean glass retort) there will be made a new separation by that spirit of salt, and a far clearer oyl will be extracted; the dregs with the stink left in the bottom of the retort, which afterward may be twice or thrice rectifyed again with fresh spirit of salt, until it get the clearness of water, and sweetness of sent resembling Amber and musk.
And this transmutation makes of a hard thing, a soft; unlike the former in shape, which though never so soft and liquid, oyly, may again be coagulated, so that it becomes as it was at first, after this manner following. Take the said oyl very well clarifyed, add to it fresh spirit of salt, set it in digestion, and the oyl will attract from the spirit of salt, salt enough for its own recoagulation, and again it acquires the hardness of Amber, of an excellent clear and admirable colour; of which half an ounce is worth more than some pounds of black Amber; of which scarce the eight or tenth part remains in purifying, all the foul superfluities cast away.
By this means I think one may cleanse and mend black metals, if so be the manner of their cleaning were known by distillation, sublimation and recoagulation. But thou say’st that metals cannot like vegetables be purified by force of distillation, to which I present our first furnace not given to peasants, but Chymists, purifying metals; so also the possibility of their perfection is shewn by help of fermentation. For as fresh leaven can ferment the vegetables juices, which are perfected by fermentation, the dregs being cast away as one may see in wine, ale, and other liquors, whose lasting and perfection proceeds from no other thing but fermentation purifying the vegetable juices, without which they could not otherwise withstand the Elements, subject to corruption in a very short time, which fermented last some years: so also if we knew the proper ferment of metals, surely we might refine and perfect them, so that they not being any more subject to rust, would be able to prevail against fire and water, and be nourished and fed by them. For so the world heretofore perished with water, and shall at last perish with fire, and our bodies must rot and be purified by fire before we come to the sight of God. And thus far of the fermentation of metals, wherewith they are amended and perfected. Metals also are purify’d and amended like milk set on the fire; whose cream the better part (the substance of butter) in the top is separation from the whey and cheese, and the hotter the place is, the sooner the separation is made even, so it is with the separation of metals; where metals put into a Fitted hot place by themselves without any addition of another thing (the metals being before reduced to a milky substance or curd) are separated in time, by parting the nobler parts from the ignobler, opening a great treasure: and as in winter time milk is hardly separated with a weak heat; just so metals if not helped with Fire, as one may see in iron, which in a long time under the earth is turned into gold without Art. For often iron oar is found with golden veins very goodly to behold, severed from the course, earthy and crude sulphur, by force of the central heat. And commonly in such oar no vitriol is found, being separated and bettered by its contrary. But a long time is required for that subterraneous separation, which Art very speedily performs; as is wont to be done with milk in winter when we presently make butter of it, when we put it to the Fire to part the cream speedily; which separation is helped by the precipitation made with acid things, mortifying the urinous salt of the milk, by which means all principles are separated by themselves, as butter, cheese, whey: so in a quarter of an hour separation is made by boiling, which else without acid things could not be done in some weeks. If then it be possible in vegetables and animals, why not in minerals? For what but gold and silver is found in lead, iron, tin and copper, though it doth not appear? Why is all goodness denyed to the courser metals granted to vegetables and animals not equal to them for lasting? Whence is the natural perfection of lead, tin, iron, and copper to be proved? Nature ever seeks the perfection of her fruits; but course metals are imperfect; Why then is not nature helped with Art in perfecting them? But the bond of metallick parts is worth observation, which being broken, the parts are separated. Urinous salt (as I may say) is the bond of the parts making milk, as of butter, whey, and cheese, which is to be mortifyed by its contrary acid for separation. But in iron the parts are bound with a vitriolate salt, as with a bond, which is to be mortified with its contrary, urinous or nitrous salt for separation. He therefore who knoweth to take away the superfluous salt of iron, either by moist or dry means, doubtless shall have iron not soon subject to rust.
Fire also hath incredible force of it self in changing metals. Is not steel made iron by force of Fire, and iron of steel by different proceeding? Experience dayly teacheth us also divers kinds of changes and refinings by Fire; why is it not possible in metals by an expert Chymist having skill in them? Who would believe that a live bird lurks in an egg, and an hearb having leaves, flowers, and odour, in the seed? Why may not then abortive metals, getting not yet perfection, be perfected by Art, with help of Fire? Is not an unripe apple or pear ripened by the heat of the Sun? Which some curious and industrious men observing, have imitated nature in their works; and have found some metals not destroyed with the heat of Fire, but enriched with a secret gainful heat; so that melted (digestion being made) they have yielded double weight of gold and silver. Yea I my self have seen the common oar of lead digested after the aforesaid manner, which was not only inriched with silver thereby, but also partaked of gold which it wanted before in ordinary tryal. Besides one might work this in great quantity, as with an hundred pounds; which work of minerals will without doubt bring great profit to the skilful triers of lead: But know this, that not every tryal of lead will be furnished with gold, but the oar to be ever enriched with silver, experience being witness.
Many such things are found in Nature incredible to the ignorant, and those that are unexercised. But if we mortals were more diligent in reading the book written with the hand of God in the pages of the four Elements, surely we should Find more secrets and wonders in them, but skill and wealth is got with sweat of face and not by sloth; therefore labour and pray. Metals are also meliorated by the help of gradation like to germination.
For it is well known, that the shoot or grass of some fruitful garden-tree implanted in a wood, makes that tree afterwards to bear not wild fruits, but very good and sweet like them of the implanted shoot, as one may see in iron dissolved in an acid spirit, fermented with Venus and turned into Copper: by which means doubtless copper is turned into silver, and silver into gold, if the true manner of fermentation were known.
Now this transmutation is like digestion, making beef or horse flesh of grass in the stomach of oxe and horse, and mans flesh of beef, in the stomach of man.
The better parts also are separated from the worser by the attractive strength of the like, as is to be seen in a metal abounding with sulphur, to which if iron be added in fusion, the sulphur deserts its native metal, (by which means it is more purifyed) and joins its self to the iron, with which it hath more affinity and familiarity, than with its own metal; for example, if iron be added to lead oar full of sulphur in the melting, this melted metal is made malleable, which else would be black and brittle. And if something else to be put to the melted malleable metal were known to us, to take away in the melting, the redundant, crude, combustible sulphur, questionless it would yet be made purer; which thing being unknown, metals remain in their impurity. And indeed God hath done well in this as in all other his works, that he hath concealed his knowledge from us: for if it were known to the covetous, they would buy up all lead, tin, copper and iron, to turn into gold, so that rurall and poor Labourers could hardly buy metallick instruments for their use, for the scarcity; but God will not have all metals turned into Gold.
A Similitude of taking away the superfluous sulphur of some metals in fusion, being given to keep the purer parts; so likewise is there another manner of separating, the purer parts from the impure, namely, by the attractive power of the like, where the purer parts are drawn together by their like, the impurer and heterogeneous part is rejected: and that may be shown as well by the moist as dry way; an example of the moist way followeth.