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.

    734/820 (page 24)
    which are fo ftuft with the Promifes of golden Moun- tAinSy are nothing elfe hut mere Old IVtvis Tales^ and jrothy Speculationi of idle Men, and vain Vreami, though proceeding from Men of fo great bjieem. B. Whats this, I hear thee utter ? I could never have believed you, to have been of fuch a broken and dejefted mind. What ? Would you contemn the Writings of the Fhilofophcrs, and flightthem, becaufe they are above your Capacity, and too hard for your underftanding ? Tis a wicked thing, to entertain fuch a thought, much more to utter it. 1 would have you, rather to perfuade your felf, that you are not as yet worthy of the Secrets and Gifts of fo great worth : For though a Man (hould torment himfelf with abun¬ dance of hard Labours in this World, and fliould a- flidl his Body with uncelTant Sweating pains, yet would he not elfed ought without the BlelTing of God. Do you not know that faying of Paul Jii not of him that JVills, nor of him that 'Runs^ hut of God alone that (hews mercy. You fhould therefore reckon your felf amongH the number of thofe, that have run in vain, nor hath God injured you at all. What! does not Chrift fay. Not all that fay unto me. Lord, Lord, (hall enter into the Kingdom of heaven, hut they only who do the IVtU of my Father. Examine now your felf, and fee how the Cafe Hands’twixt God and you. The bellowing of fuch great things muft proceed from God, and not from the Philofophers. The Philofo- pher may indeed write down the Truth, but yet it is not in his Power, to beftow upon thee the Divine BlelTing, which is the very hinge on which all good things depend. Secrets of fuch great moment are not the Gifts of Men, but of God, who bellows them on whomfoever he pleafeth. A. In good time ! Is this the Comfort and InfiruHion, which I begged at your hands ? I did not reejueft, you to he my Father Confeffor, to bear my Confefion of my Deeds, but rather that you would help me, being ignorant and unskilful, by fame good and proftahle ManuduBion and InliruClion : For I well enough knerv, that wicked Jlden are never Mafters of fuch great Secrets, nor will I rank, my felf amongfl them. Be pleafed but to regard my fuit, and only (hew me an entrance, whereby I may enter into the right and Kingly way : And as for praying to God, and Labouring without ceaftng, leave the Care of that to me : I hope, that God will not[deny his Blejjtng up¬ on my Prayers and Labours. B. Well! fince I perceive you to be fo throughly bent, with your utmoft Itudy and unwearied preffing on, after fuch an eminent thing as this is, I cannot but fhew you that way, which I my felf have walked in, and that too, home to the very place which my felf am come unto. Verily, I fee the promifed Land a- fore my Eyes, and do daily view its Coafts, nor do I doubt, but that I ftiall Ihortly enter thereinto, and have (he Fruition of its moft pleafantEruits, if no im¬ pediment debar me of lb great an happinefs. And as concerning your felf, feeing that you are nimbler of your Feet than I am, there’s no doubt but that you will arrive thereunto, even alToon as I my felf. But yet, pray hrlt declare unto me, about what things it is, that you have fpent your Monies, your Labours, and your Precious time,and all to no purpofe ■, that fo I may (as much as in me lies) the more conveniently reclaim you from your Wandrings and Errors into the right way. Tis in vain for him thar is lick, to expedhelp and fuccour from the Fhylician, if he does not Ihew the place of his Dolour and Grief. ConfeHion is a Medicine to him that goes allray. Confefs therefore the Truth, that I may hear, by what things thou hall been mif-led into fo many Errors. A. (_Alas, •S’/V, I could not reckyn Up all, in Order, though Jjhould have time enough of (o doing. But your own time, which is far more precious, does not permit, that it fhould be fpent in hearing my foelifs labours. BefdiS too, the remembrance of fo many Labotirs in vain, and of the Infs of not only fo much lime but Expences too, caufeth a loathing in me, the very remembrance of which I ab¬ hor, much mote to niaky a fbng rehearfal of the fame. Jc>u may therefore eafily guefs, that by my infjiihg upon the bare Letter only of the Philofophers writings , and not underjianding the (enfe and meaning, I have erred from the right way, and have headlong hurried my felf into fo many Intricacies and Errors. / have fearched into Vegeta¬ bles, .Animals, and Minerals, becaufe the Philofophers write, that their Stone is Vegetable, Animal, and Mine¬ ral but 1 fee, that I have not had under my hands the true Matter. For if there does appear in any of thefe Matters'] the Crows head,yet the other Colours which the Philojopbers make a defefiption of ( as the Dragons Blood, the Peacockj ‘Tail, Virgins Milk,^ Coagulum, or Curdling, and principally that Red and Fire-abiding Sa¬ lamander) did never appear [] to my view.] Or, if thefe [] Signs ] of Sanguis Draconis, or Lac virginis appear to fght, in fome other Matter,yet notwithflandtug the o- ther Colours, and other Signs, which the Philofophers make metition of, did never dijeover themfelveS to my view. ] fVhat Labours foever I have ufed, and whatfoever mattirs I have dealt in, I have even Laboured in vain, and Ivfl both my pains and Expence, and never have received any good from my laborious Operations. Hereupon I did at laji even almoji throughly perfuade my felf, that it was an impefjible thing,that, out of one Matter, and by one and the fame Labour, one Colour (hould orderly fucceed ano¬ ther, and become vifihle to the fght, by the bare help of an external Fire , as for example, fir^ of all, in the putre- fa£iion,the Crows head-, then the Peacockp Tail,then the Dra¬ gons Blood, Lac virginis. Coagulum er Ckeejlike Curdling, and at laji thefixt Szlitratidet.But forafmuchas it appears to me, by the reading of your Writings, that you have or¬ derly met with the fght of all thofe Colours in your La¬ bours, in fuch manner as the Philofophers have deferibed the fame, I do firmly believe, and give Credit unto your Sayings, as unto a Man that makes Confcience of his ways, fttppofng, that you would not write fuch things unlefs you had wrought them with your own hands, and could even yet perform them at any time. I only beg your help in (hewing me the true matter, and the Key thereof, that I may fo order the Bufnefs, as to cmfe the Vifbly appea- ring of one Colour after another, in one Glafs, and by the bare help of one only Fire •, if you do but thus much for me, you may be confident that I (hall he the mofi con¬ tented Man f alive,] Nor do I doubt, but that as touch¬ ing the remainder, as MultiplicatioH,Projebiion, and fuch like, I (hall find out thofe Operations weS enough after¬ wards, by mine own fiudieus Search, if j can but once hit on the entrance of the right, true and Kingly way. B. [^Hold a little, and [] do not alTume fo much un¬ to your felf, and think that the things which are fo eafily faid, are with as much Facility done. Have you not Read in Bernhard Irevifan, that a certain f Friend of his ] had that great ^cret as well as him¬ felf, only he knew not how to m]^iply it, nor would Bernhard reveal the fame unto hil^ as having the felf fame Books, out of which the faid Bernhard got the knowledge of Multiplication, himfelf. But be it as you defire, and feeing you rcquell no more from my hands at this time, but only the matter and fome Key » I will fatisfie your requell, as far forth, as the time and occafion will at prefent permit. Attend