The Tinctures of Men.
Now the Tinctures of Mens bodies are, that they bee tinged into the highest perfection of health, and all Diseases bee expelled from them, that their lost strength, and colour bee restored, and renewed, and they are these, viz. Gold, Pearles, Antimony, Sulphur, Vitriall, and such like, whose preparation wee have diversly taught in other books; wherefore it doth not seem to us necessary here to repeat them.
Of Dying and Painting.
Wee shall write no more of Tinctures, seeing every extracted colour may bee called a Tincture, which doth indeed tinge things with a permanent colour, which doe not go into the Fire, or preserve colours fixed in the Fire.
All these are in the hand, and power of the Dyer, and Painter, who prepares them according to his pleasure.
How many degrees of the Alchymists fire there be.
It is very necessary in this book to know the degrees of Fire, which many wayes may bee graduated, and intended, and every degree hath a peculiar operation, and one produceth the same effect, as another, as every expert Alchymist, by the daily experience, and exercise of the Art knows.
For one is as living, and flaming Fire, which reverberates, and Calcines all bodies: Another is the Fire of a Candle, or Lamp, which fixeth all volatile bodies: Another is a Fire of coals, which cements, colours, and purgeth Metalls from their dross, exalts Gold and Silver to a higher purity, whitens Copper, and in brief renews all Metalls.
Another Fire is of an Iron plate made red hot, in which the Tinctures of Metalls are proved, which also is profitable for other things.
The Filings of Iron heat after one fashion, Sand after another, Ashes after another, a Balneum Mariæ after another, in which manifold Distillations, Sublimations, and Coagulations are done.