The Ashes is volatile, and cannot be brought back into a Metall, only into glasse, and drosse: but the Calx of Metals is fixed, and maybe be brought back into its own Metall.
What the Calx of Metalls is.
But to understand the difference, and the cause, know, that in the Ashes there is lesse fatnesse, and more drynesse then in the Calx, which indeed makes it fluxil: but the Calx is fatter, and moister, then the Ashes, and doth still retain its refine, and fluxibleness, and especially the Salt, which naturally is fluxil, and makes Metalls flow, and reduceth them. Hence now it follows, that the Salt must bee extracted out of the Ashes of Metals, that they may not be brought back into a Metal, then they are perfectly volatile; and this difference, and this clause is chiefly to bee taken notice of, for much depends upon it.
The errours of Mountebankes concerning Gold.
For amongst Mountebankes this is no small error, who in stead of Potable Gold, the Quintessence of Gold, Tincture of Gold, &c. have given to men an impure Calx of Gold, not considering the difference, and evill that follows upon it. For there are two remarkable, and necessary things to be taken notice of here, viz.
First, that Gold calcined, or powdered, if it be given to Men, is gathered into one heap in the stomach, or goeth forth again with the dung, and so it is taken in vain, without doing any good: or that which is reduced by the great inward heat in mans body, it gilds over, and makes hard in a crust, both the bowells, and stomach, by reason of which the concoction of the stomach is hindred, whence many, and various sicknesses follow, and at length death it selfe.
When Metallike Arcana are to be taken inwardly.
As you have heard of Gold, so also must it bee understood of all the other Metalls, viz. that you take not any Metallick Arcanum, or Medicine into your body, unlesse it bee first made volatile, and it be reduced into no Metall.
How to make Metalls Potable and Irreducible.