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.

    747/820 (page 37)
    Partili. ^Bool^ of dialogues. i which is made with the Fire of Coals: And this I was unwilling to conceal from the diligent Searcher after the Secrets of Nature i yet farther adjoyning this Admonition, that a very profitable Medica- I ment may neverthelefs be prepared in afhorter fpace of ' time, and an appearance made of the admirable, and i highly delightful Variation of abundance of moft de¬ licate Colours. For the lirft Colour that appears is i like the black head of a Crorv^ prefenting it feif to view I like the Colour of black Glafs. This blacknefs going off by little and little, gives place to the White, and pondrous Mafs •, which is called by the Philofophers, the White Siva»^ and not without reafon, becaufc that I Felf fame white Matter is not fo compadl and Stone¬ like, as that black Cr/irpt Head, but is porous, and not I piuch unlike unto a kind of .heap made of abundance ! ot fmall and white Feathers. When this Whitenefs is turned into a Yellow, thofe Feathers vauifh, and the Mafs returns to its former Compailnefs, and re- I fembles the form of a yellow Stone : Of which if you I put a little piece upon fome Red hot Silver,or Copper- i plate, it will at firit ftand like a Red blood, and after¬ wards penetrate the Copper-plate, and tinge it both witllin and without with a white Colour but yet, ij fomewhat brittle as yet, and yields in the Cineritium^ j or Cupel, fome Silver, and operates in Medicine fome- ‘ what effedually, like the white Stone, but yet weaker. It likewife piercetli into a Silver-plate, like as Oyl in- 1 to a Skin, ahd tingeth it with a yellow Colour, which ! being feparated by the Cupel, and diffolved in 37_ Fortis, leaves excellent Gold in the bottom. I have not as yet made any farther Progrefs on the Qpera” tion, being quite tired,, and weary, of fpending any longer, and more tedious time thereabouts ,. which however was necefTarily requifite to the perfedfing of this Tindlure with the Fire of Coals. But yet I have by me all the Colours as they follow on after each oth&r, which I can fliew unto any one i whereby they may fee with their Eyes the moR evident pofiibility'of Nature : To which end alfo I am minded to preferve thofe Tindures by me, that they, may be an everlafting Me¬ morial of fo great arhing, unto my Pofterity : But for my part, I will commend [[ to every one ] that fhortet way of bringing the work to the wilhed end, by the Mediation of the fecret Fire of the Philofo¬ phers : Concerning which, the following Dialogue, and .the little Book, of Fires, treats. . For the imma¬ ture Firli Ens of Gold, cannot be excodted £ or di- gefted 2 into the defired Tindfure by any thing more eafily, than in its own proper fecret Firei and not by a Coal Fire, . . And that it may clearly appear, that I have written the Truth, I will fend unto fome of my Friends (God willing ) fome of thofe white and yellow Stones, to be ufed not only in Medicine, but in Alchymy too; that fo they may make tryal and experimentally find, that TintSurcs have a Power ci bettering, and amen^ ding Metals, afore they have arrived unto the half part of their Fixation, Bhe T'hird Dialogue^ or Conference^ betwixt B» Md C. treating of the true B)niver/al and particular Medicine of the ancient Bhilojophers^ ( extracted^ out of fuch Gold as is yet fugacious^ or Volatile y and ini mature; and ts^ to be ripened by their fecret Fire ; which Ope-^ ration is by themjlyled^, the worf of Womens and play of Children. C. 0 OD morrow heartily, my Friend! I mjh B you a good and profp'erous Day. ft B. I wiih you the fame, wherice come 1 you to us fo early ? C. I have very earnejily for thefe feveral days waited for this hour, that I might fee you, and have the Fruition of the moft fweet Fruits of your Courteous inftri'Mions. My Brother A./e«t me hither, and told me, that you bad given him leave to fend me unto you thU day. I do th'ere- i fore Friendly requeli you, that you would put a good Conftrudion upon thif my Bflldnejs. ^ B. My Friend ! 3 I do not in the leaft take it ill, your Biother told me, that you were as yet ignorant and unskilled, in the more fubtil Arcana^es mdi Secrets; and that you therefore needed not ought elle, but : fome pretty eafie Secret, which might be eafily under- llood, and performed with fraall Expetices, and yet be profitable and beneficial unto you. , C. Indeed, Sir,to tell you the plain feuth, fuch Arca- nums as are profound ones, and to be penetrated into by a fubtil Meditation, and which are cf great moment, do far outreach my duller apprehenfion : And therefore 1 do I mi at this time deftre any thing, more than this, viz. that I j may obtain fometbing that is not colily, and yet may efftCi fo much in Medicine and Alchimy, as may fens me to j live a littie more commodunsfy and plentifully, as to Food and Kaiment. And that you would be pleafed, to render me a Mafter of this my defire, is my humble requeft unto you, again and again. B. You do very prudently meafure out yourrequefts, according to your own Capacity. And indeed, fome- times, thofe things which are not Colfly, nor are difficult in their Operation, are more profitable to a Man, than thofe things are, which they would fain get by the expence of a great deal of Charge, of a long time, and hard Labours; I will grant you your Requeft, and therefore hearken. Sir, I than}{^jou,^ and do lijlen. B. Have you never read, or elfe heard from others, that thofe moft ancient Philofophers, tell us that their univerfal Work, is not only moft eafie to be done, but withal no ways Chargeable. For they do openly Confefs, that to the perfeding of their Work, a Man needs be at no more Expcnces, than two F/or/wz, and ! that the Labour it felf, even from the beginning to the end, is nothing ^ elfe but mere Womens work, and Boys play. C. Fou are pleafed to ofer me delicate Dainties, eafie to be prepared, for 1 have not fo much Money as is to be hid out upon thofe kjnd of chargeable and cofily Labours : Neither will my Family Affairs admit thereof, viz. to fpsnd my days in fuch fumptuous and chargeable Cookeries, K