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
Catalogue details

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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    Jmo^ according to Poetical Fidions was (lie Wife and Sifter of Jupiter^ but Proferphta the Daughter of Jupi¬ ter and Ceres^ or (as fome fay j of /fi/, whom Pluto the God of Hell ftole away from her Parents, and mar¬ ried her. From all which it clearly appeareth, that this Golden Branch fprouting in^he green Tree of Vitriol^ could not be cropped, or obtained without Proferpina’s help. Therefore if any one would c.op fuch Golden Boughs from like fliadowed Trees, he muft learn to know Proferpim^ and confult with her ^ becaufe ftie only can profit him, and prevail with her Husband, to W’ax the more hot in his infernal Sweating-ftove, that thence into another place may afcend a Spirit or Oyl of a Blood-Red-Colour. But this is to be confidered accurately, left this Work, like many other of our Undertakings , be fruftrated. Therefore GOD is to be prayed to for his Blelling: For if the Benediction of GOD be not prefent, all endeavour will be vain i as I have more than once experienced. Although I did demonftrate pur helper Proferpina^ to fbme of my loving Friends, and taught them how to obtain and rightly ufe her ^ yet they were all deftitute of fo good Ft rtune, as to ela¬ borate it as it fhould be elaborated : Yet at length more accurately hitting the Mark, their work fucceeded hap- /pily twice or thrice, but never afterward. From which, being fo evident, it is plain enough, that fuch Arcanum*s zit fo preferved by the All-feeing Eye of the Divine Providence, as it is never permitted to all Operators promifcuoufly, that every of them fhould attain to the higheft Science, and thenceforth the Good given be pernicioufly abufed. Wherefore, although one Man communicate any famous Secret to another i yet, if G O D be not favourable, he can ne¬ ver prepare the fame, but fhall lofe his Labour and Charges, fpend his time unprofitably, and inftead of a Golden Harveft, reap nothing but Trouble and Grief. Hence they drew their Original, who writ of the Secret ripening Fire. -OurFire^ before Coagulation^ al¬ ways burns in our Glafs, but externally not. It is fuffi- ciently manifeft, that Philofophers, by their Secret Fire., underftood Oyl of Vitriol, and that their Fire, is only Fire before Coagulation •, after that, no more fb, but a fweet Ripening. Stone. Therefore they adci, that before Coagulation it is Fire, but after Coagulation roc fo. Aptly with this agrees that Writing of an¬ cient PhiloRphers. Vifitabis Interiora Terra, RePiifi- cando Invenies Occultum Lapidem Veram Medicinam. To which Monument of ancient Philofophers, we may fitly fubjoyn this futable Poefie, making for our prefent Purpofe, and expreffing the, fatne in few Words., ■ - * ViJJolve the Fixt, and the Fixed fly. The Flying fix, and then live happily. In.thefe few Words are compendioufly contained, all whatfoever I have largely written,, in this Treatife. Moreover, our Salt of Philofophers, betides its be¬ ing a Medicine, and fit for Tranfmutation of Metals, is alfo endued with other famous Virtues, of which at this time I cannot forbear to write. Philofophers have written, that their Key of Keys doth indifferently open all clofed Bodies, and that it is endued with a Virtue , breaking moft bard and Adamantine Stones, and taking from them their inclofed Treafurefor acquiring which, there is nothing at all in the whole Nature of tilings given, except this our Key, by help of which the moft firmly locked Inclofure may be un¬ locked. As for Example. A Granate is a Scone of fo great hardnefs, as although it may eafily be reduced to Powder, yet it can never.be corroded even by the fharpeft Aqua Fortis, nor diffiilvcd, nor can it be A- natomized. \\ herefore , although thefe Corrofives, Vulgarly known, prevail not againft this excellent Stone, (which vifibly in it felf contains a noble Tin- ^ure ofGold,and alfo is not ali'tie impregnated with invifible Corporeal Gold, as plainly appears by its weight: For it is much more ponderous than all other precious Stones, or the more vile fmall Stones) but are judged as unprofitable for this kind of Labour ^ yet OUT StveeK Salt poflefTerh fb potent a Faculty, as it can eafily open the fame and take from it a’ll its Treafure j in fb much, as if there were but this only ufe of it, ( and no other like, better or more excellent were known ) it would abundantly fatisfie every ho- nert Man, to live amply therewith, and to maintain his Family with great Tranquillity. Behold 1 prefent to you, yet another Royal Experiment, which 1 have not long fince effeTed, by the help of our Red Stone, in the following manner. I / , One day Icaft our Red Stone upon Gold, in Flux, only for a Tryal, whether by the help of that, the Gold would be tinged with an higher Colour be- caufc I found, that Silver had took yellow Colour from the fame. But after I had poured out the Mix¬ ture, I found what was contrary to my Hope. For it wasfo far from,exalting my Gold in Colour,asonthe contrary, it took from the fame almcft all its Colour, fc as it was white like Silver. At fir ft, I was not. a little troubled , that, contrary to my Expeeftation, I fhould work fO: unhappily. But returning to my felf, I begun to think, whether this my Red Stone ( be¬ ing, perhaps made of Steel ) was not thzt Chalybs, £ot Steel] which Sandivogius fb highly extolled in his Writings, and faid,ic could extraeft from Gold its Tin* (ftuie. But fince, by reafbn of other Bufinefs interve- ning, I had no leifure to proced further in the Work begun, I was conftrained to leave the whole for fbmp higher Experience to another time. Yet I cannot but wonder, that,our Key of Keys fhould fo readily,un^ lock every Clofure of Gold, and be able to fpoil it of its Royal Soul .* Whereas otherwife. Gold according to the Sayings of all Philofophers, ( as in very deed it is true) and according to the common Opinion of all other Men, experienced in Chymical Labours, isac- counted to confift of fuch Homogeneal parts, as arc difficultly feparablc. If the moft wife • G O D prolong my Life; and alfo grant Time and Opportunity of ma¬ king further Tryal, I will fparc no Labour or Coft to find out that Arcanum, until by the gracious help of G O D ’S alliftance, J fhall become the Mafter oftha>t Art of Arts. For now unto me the Gate of the Royal Clofet is opened (I would not be envied for what I now fay ) by our Herculean Key in fuch a manner, as, I doubt not, but in affiort time ( unlefs the fu- pream Deity, which I have no caufe to fear, notably refift me ) to obtain the Kings Crown made of a Car- bune'e, and be able to diftribute the fame among the needy, to relieve their neceffity. To which my bopc> let the moft wife GOD give a Bleffing, fo, as the Event may anfwer my DTres, Amen. Moreover, Philofophers fay, that whofoever ob¬ tains their Stone, can fo qualifie Glafs as, if it fall, it lhall not break, but be found lying unbroke, like Me¬ tal. which indeed I have often read, but could ne¬ ver believe, it was fo to be underftood according to the Letter. Yet after G OD, by his Grace,.had gnu- ferred