The works of the highly experienced and famous chymist, John Rudolph Glauber: containing, great variety of choice secrets in medicine and alchymy in the working of metallick mines, and the separation of metals. Also, various cheap and easie ways of making salt-petre, and improving of barren-land, and the fruits of the earth / Translated into English, and pub. for publick good by Christopher Packe.
- Glauber, Johann Rudolf, 1604-1670.
- Date:
- 1689
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The works of the highly experienced and famous chymist, John Rudolph Glauber: containing, great variety of choice secrets in medicine and alchymy in the working of metallick mines, and the separation of metals. Also, various cheap and easie ways of making salt-petre, and improving of barren-land, and the fruits of the earth / Translated into English, and pub. for publick good by Christopher Packe. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![but becaufe I found it to be otherwife, therefore I would not omit to fet down my opinion ; though know I (hall deferve fmall thanks of fome, efpecial- ly of thofe which rather will err with the greater numberj than to know and confefs the truth with thelefs number- However, I do not fay, that the fuppofed tinfture of the fait of Tartar is of no ver- tue or ufelefs; for I know well enough that it is found very effedlual in many difeafes: for the pureft part of the fait of Tartar hath been dillolved by the fpirit of wine, it being thus coloured thereby, and therefore that tindured fpirit of wine may very fit¬ ly be ufed. Rut as for the Tindure, which is ex- traded out of the prepared pebles, it is clean of a- notlier condition: for if you abftrad the fpirit of wine from it, though it alfo cometh over white, yet there remaineth a deep tindured fait, whofe colour is lading in the ftrongeft fire, and therefore may be counted a true Tindure- Horv by the help of this liquor out of Gold its red colour may be extraUcd fo that it remains white. ' His oyl or liquor of pebles is of fuch a condi- tic», that it doth precipitate all metals which are diilblved by corrofives, but not after that man¬ ner as the fait of Tartar doth ^ for the calx of me¬ tals which is precipitated by this liquor; (becaufe that the pebles do mingle themfelves therewith) is grown much heavier thereby, than if it had been only precipitated with fait of Tartar. For example, diflblve in .Aqua Regia as much Gold as vou pleafe, and pour of this liquor upon it, till all the Gold fall to the bottom like a yellow powder, and the folution turn white and clear, which you muft pour off, and edulcorate the precipitated Gold with fweet water, and then dry it (as you was taught to do with the Aurum fulminans) and you need not fear that it will kindle and fulminate in the drying, as it ufeth to do, when it is precipitated with fait of Tartar or fpirit of urin, but you may boldly dry it by the fire, and it will look like yellow earth, and will weigh as heavy again as the Gold did weigh before the folution •, the caufe of which weight is, the peble Hones, which did precipitate themfelves together with the Gold. For the Aqua Regia by its acidity hath mortified the fait of Tartar, and rob¬ bed it of its vertues fo, that it could not choofe but let fall the aflumed pebles or fand \ on the other fide, the fait of Tartar which was in the liquor of pebles, hath annihilated the (harpnefs of the Aqua Rtgia^ fo that it could not keep the dilfolved gold any longer, whereby both the gold and the pebles are freed from their dilTolver. This edulcorated and dryed yellow powder put into a clean crucible, and fet it between live coals, that it begin to be red hoc, but not long, and the yellow will be changed into the fairell purple co¬ lour, which is pleafant to behold, but if you let it Hand longer, then the purple colour vanilheth, and it turns to a brown and brick colour: and therefore if you defire to, have a fair purple coloured gold, you mull take if off from the fire, as foon as it is come to that colour, and let it not Hand any longer, elfe it lofeth that colour again. This fair gold-powder may be ufed by the rich ('which are able to pay for it ) from 9i. to Zfs. in convenient vehicles; and in all difeafes, where fweating is needful: for befides the provoking of fweat, it comforteth not only the heart, but alfo by the vertue of the peble it expelleth the Hone in the reins and bladder ( if it be not grown to the height of hardnefs) like fand together with the urine: fo that it may be fafely ufed as well to prevent, as to cure the plague, gout and Hone- How to make further out of this purple colou¬ red gold a foluble Ruby for medicinal ufe, fliall be taught in the fourth part: for in regard that it muH be done by a Hrong fire in a crucible, it doth not belong hither, but to its proper place, where other like Medicaments are taught to be made. If you will extra(ft the colour out of this preci¬ pitated gold, then pour upon it ( before it be put into the fire for to calcin ) of the HrqngeH fpirit of fait, and in a gentle heat the fpirit will diffolve part of the gold, which will be much fairer and deeper in colour, than if it had been done with Aqua Rtgia : upon this folution pour five or fix times as much of dephlegmed fpirit of wine, and digeH both together its due time, then by the di- geHion'of a long time, part of the Gold will lall out of the folution to the bottom like a fair white ponder, which may be reduced with Borax or fait nitre and Tartar; it is white like filver, and as heavy as other gold, and may eafily^ get its coloui again by the help of Antimony- d he refidue out of which the white gold is fain, fiz,. the fpirit of fait mingled with the fpirit of wine, muH be alv HraCted from the TiniHure, and there will remain a pleafant Ibwre liquor coloured by the gold, u];^ on the bottom of the glafs body, which is almoH of the fame vertue, which above hath been aHri- bed to other tindures of gold- Efpecially this li¬ quor of gold Hrengthneth the heart, brain, and Homach. , r • N- B. Sometimes there comes over with the ipi- rit of wine a little red oyl, which the Hrong fpi¬ rit of fait hath feparated from the fpirit of wine, and it is impregnated with the Tindure of Gold. It is an excellent cordial, few are found like unto it, whereby weak people decayed by ficknefs or age, may be kept alive a long time, they taking daily fome drops of it, who elfe for want of the humidum radacale, would be forced to exchange their life for death- . • -r- ^ Here fome body may ask, whether this 1 indure is to be counted or taken for a true Tindure of Gold; or whether there be another better to be found ? , , , j To which I anfwer, that though many may hold it to be fuch, and I my felf do call it fo here, yet that after due examination it v|ill not prove to be fuch: for although fome vertue is taken from the gold by this way, yet it doth Hill keep its life, though it be grown weak and pale, becaufe it can fo eafily recover its former found colour by a con¬ temptible mineral: if its true Tindure or^ foul were gone from it, furely an inferiour mineral could not reHore it to life, but of neceffity there^ would be required fuch a thing for to do it, which hath not only fo much, as it hath need of for it felf, but hath a tranfeendent power to give life unto dead things. As we may fee by a man or any fen- fible beaH, that if they have loH their vigor by adverfities, in that no life more is perceived m them yet by medicines fit for the purpofe, they may be refrefhed, and brought to their former health, fo that their former difeafe appeareth no more in them: but if their foul be once gone,the ‘ ‘ dead](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30322522_0072.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
