My ſcope in this 3d. Experiment (Pyrophilus) is manifold, as firſt to invite you to be wary in judging of the Colour of Liquors in ſuch Glaſſes as are therein recommended to you, and conſequently as much, if not more, when you imploy other Glaſſes. Secondly, That you may not think it ſtrange, that I often content my ſelf to rub upon a piece of White paper, the Juice of Bodies I would examine, ſince not onely I could not eaſily procure a ſufficient Quantity of the juices of divers of them; but in ſeveral Caſes the Tryals of the quantities of ſuch Juices in Glaſſes would make us more lyable to miſtakes, than the way that in thoſe caſes I have made uſe of. Thirdly, I hope you will by theſe and divers other
particulars deliver'd in this Treatiſe, be eaſily induc'd to think that I may have ſet down many Phænomena very faithfully, and juſt as they appear'd to me, and yet by reaſon of ſome unheeded circumſtance in the conditions of the matter, and in the degree of Light, or the manner of trying the Experiment, you may find ſome things to vary from the Relations I make of them. Laſtly, I deſign'd to give you an opportunity to free your ſelf from the amazement which poſſeſſes moſt Men, at the Tricks of thoſe Mountebancks that are commonly call'd Water-drinkers. For though not only the vulgar, but ev'n many perſons that are far above that Rank, have ſo much admir'd to ſee, a man after having drunk a great deal of fair water, to ſpurt it out again in the form of Claret Wine, Sack, and Milk, that they have ſuſpected the intervening of Magick, or ſome forbidden means to effect what they conceived above the power of Art; yet having once by chance had occaſion to oblige a Wanderer that made profeſſion of that and other Jugling Tricks, I was eaſily confirm'd by his Ingenious confeſſion to me, That this ſo much Admir'd Art, indeed conſiſted rather in a few Tricks, than in any great Skill, in altering the Nature and Colours of things. And I am eaſy
to be perſwaded; that there may be a great deal of Truth in a little Pamphlet Printed divers years ago in Engliſh, wherein the Author undertakes to diſcover, and that (if I miſtake not) by the confeſſion of ſome of the Complices themſelves, That a famous Water-drinker then much Admir'd in England, perform'd his pretended Tranſmutations of Liquors by the help of two or three inconſiderable preparations and mixtures of not unobvious Liquors, and chiefly of an Infuſion of Brazil variouſly diluted and made Pale or Yellowiſh, (and otherwiſe alter'd) with Vinegar, the reſt of their work being perform'd by the ſhape of the Glaſſes, by Craft and Legerdemane. And for my part, that which I marvel at in this buſineſs, is, the Drinkers being able to take down ſo much Water, and ſpout it out with that violence; though Cuſtome and a Vomit ſeaſonably taken before hand, may in ſome of them much facilitate the work. But as for the changes made in the Liquors, they were but few and ſlight in compariſon of thoſe, that the being converſant in Chymical Experiments, and dextrous in applying them to the Tranſmuting of Colours, may eaſily enough enable a man to make, as ev'n what has been newly deliver'd in this, and the foregoing Experiment; eſpecially if we add
to it the things contained in the XX, the XXXIX and the XL. Experiments, may perhaps have already perſwaded You.
EXPERIMENT XLV.
You may I preſume (Pyrophilus) have taken notice, that in this whole Treatiſe, I purpoſely decline (as far as I well can) the mentioning of Elaborate Chymical Experiments, for fear of frighting you by their tediouſneſs and difficulty; but yet in confirmation of what I have been newly telling you about the poſſibility of Varying the Colours of Liquors, better than the Water-drinkers are wont to do, I ſhall add, that Helmont uſed to make a preparation of Steel, which a very Ingenious Chymiſt, his Sons Friend, whom you know, ſometimes employes for a ſuccedaneum to the Spaw-waters, by Diluting this Eſsentia Martis Liquida (as he calls it) with a due proportion of Water. Now that for which I mention to you this preparation, (which as he communicated to me, I know he will not refuſe to Pyrophilus) is this, that though the Liquor (as I can ſhew you when you pleaſe) be almoſt of the Colour of a German (not an Oriental) Amethyſt, and conſequently remote enough from Green,
yet a very few drops being let fall into a Large proportion of good Rheniſh, or (in want of that) White Wine (which yet do's not quite ſo well) immediately turn'd the Liquor into a lovely Green, as I have not without delight ſhown ſeveral curious Perſons. By which Phænomenon you may learn, among other things, how requiſite it is in Experiments about the changes of Colours heedfully to mind the Circumſtances of them; for Water will not, as I have purpoſely try'd, concurr to the production of any ſuch Green, nor did it give that Colour to moderate Spirit of Wine, wherein I purpoſely diſſolv'd it, and Wine it ſelf is a Liquor that few would ſuſpect of being able to work ſuddenly any ſuch change in a Metalline preparation of this Nature; and to ſatisfie my ſelf that this new Colour proceeds rather from the peculiar Texture of the Wine, than from any greater Acidity, that Rheniſh or White-wine (for that may not abſurdly be ſuſpected) has in compariſon of Water; I purpoſely ſharpen'd the Solution of this Eſſence in fair Water, with a good quantity of Spirit of Salt, notwithſtanding which, the mixture acquir'd no Greenneſs. And to vary the Experiment a little, I try'd, that if into a Glaſs of Rheniſh Wine made Green by this Eſſence,
I dropp'd an Alcalizate Solution, or Urinous Spirit, the Wine would preſently grow Turbid, and of an odd Dirty Colour; But if inſtead of diſſolving the Eſſence in Wine, I diſſolv'd it in fair Water ſharpen'd perhaps with a little Spirit of Salt, then either the Urinous Spirit of Sal Armoniack, or the ſolution of the fix'd Salt of Pot-aſhes would immediately turn it of a Yellowiſh Colour, the fix'd or Urinous Salt Precipitating the Vitriolate ſubſtance contain'd in the Eſſence. But here I muſt not forget to take notice of a circumſtance that deſerves to be compar'd with ſome part of the foregoing Experiment, for whereas our Eſſence imparts a Greenneſs to Wine, but not to Water, the Induſtrious Olaus Wormius[a]23] in his late Musæum tells us of a rare kind of Turn-Sole which he calls Bezetta Rubra given him by an Apothecary that knew not how it was made, whoſe lovely Redneſs would be eaſily communicated to Water, if it were immers'd in it; but ſcarce to Wine, and not at all to Spirit of Wine, in which laſt circumſtance it agrees with what I lately told you of our Eſſence, notwithſtanding their diſagreement in other particulars.