Divers other sorts of mortification of metalls.
Now besides these mortifications of Metalls, and destructions of their lives, know also that there are yet more. For rust is the death of all Iron, and Steel, and all vitriall, burnt brasse is mortified Copper: all precipitated, sublimated, calcined Cinnabar is mortified Mercury, all Ceruse, and Minium of Lead is mortified Lead; all Lazure is mortified Silver: also all Gold from which its tincture, Quintessence, Rozzen, Crocus, Vitriall, or Sulphur is extracted, is dead, because it hath no more the form of Gold, but is a white Metall like fixed Silver.
A two fold preparation of Crocus Martis.
But let us proceed to shew how Metalls may bee yet further mortified. First therefore of Iron, know that that is mortified, and reduced into Crocus this way. Make Steel into very thin plates: Make these plates red hot, and quench them in the best Wine-Vineger, doe this so often til the Vineger hath contracted a considerable rednesse, then distil of the Vineger, til there bee nothing but a dry powder remaining. This is a most excellent Crocus Martis.
There is also another way of making Crocus Martis, which doth partly exceed the former, and is made with farre lesse costs, and pains, and it is this.
Strow upon the plates of Steel, Sulphur, and Tartar, being both in a like quantity; then reverberate them, and this wil produce a most excellent Crocus, which must bee taken off from the plates.
Also you must know, that every plate of Iron, or Steel, if it bee melted with Aqua fortis; will also make a very fair Crocus; so also it is made with oyle of Vitriall, spirit of Salt, Allum water, the water of Salt Armoniacke, and of Salt Nitre; as also with sublimated Mercury, all which mortifie Iron, and bring it into a Crocus; but none of these latter wayes is to bee compared to the two former, for they are only used in Alchymie, and not at all in Physicke; wherefore in this, use only the two former, and let alone the rest.
The mortification of Copper.
The mortification of Copper, viz. that it may be reduced into Vitriall, Verdegrease, The Vitriall of Copper is made two wayes.may bee done many wayes, and there are more processes in it, yet one far better then another, and one more profitable then another. Wherefore it is most convenient here to set down the best, and most profitable, and to bee silent in the rest. The best therefore, the most easy, and exactest way of reducing Copper into Vitriall is this.