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

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.

749/820 (page 39)

un did. And befidet th'n Boys play, no other is k^own unto me, , . ; ' - B. Very good, you have hit the nail on the head : And now let us fee, whether or no the ancient Pbilo- fophers have (after the mannerof Bo’,s ) played with fmall Bowls, or Knickers > and whether, or no, they have boyl’d their work in Pots, with as ealie a La¬ bour, as Women do. For of necelTity they muft have- hit on doing after this wile, elfe could they not have compared their work to the Labour of Women, and play of Children. So then, if we are to imitate Wo¬ men and Boys in our Operation, what Matters are we to make ufe of, for our boyling, in the ftcad of Flefli, Fifli, and other Meats ^ and what Water is it, that is to be poured thereupon. For if we are mind¬ ed to do any good effed:, ’tis expedient, that we like- wife know,what thofe Matters are, which admit of be¬ ing boyled unto a Maturity in our fiety Water, and thefe verily muft be fuch, (feeing they are to be matu- rated by boyling) as have a great Affinity with the Paid Water : Forafmuch therefore, as our Water is of a Metallici Nature, and yet all the Metals do in a manner arife, or proceed (ih the Earth ) therefrom, and ate even at this very day advanced, by the very fame ( by the help of the Terreftial and Central fire ) by little and little unto perfedion: All that we have tn do is, to imitate the fimplicity of Nature, which will never feduce us, for fo without queftion, thofe moft ancient Philofophers did do, who having borrow¬ ed their wonderful Work from Nature her felf, doad- vife us to do no more, but to follow Nature, and to begin there, where Nature left off, and to afeend higher and to make that perfeft, which is as yet im- perfed. God hath prefixed unto Nature her bounds, which (he cannot tranfgrefs or go beyond: |] But Art, doth much excel Nature, and performs thofe things which Nature cannot accomplilh ; Yea more, that which (he can hardly do in the Earth in a thoufand years time. Art effe^s in one year, and this is eafily confirmed by many Teftimonies. Now as to the Ge¬ neration and Maturation of the Metals, Nature u(eth a moft fimple or plain way, a very flow one, but yet fafe. From thence arifeth the Errour of many a Man, who do not follow Nature, but the guidance of their 6wn phantaftick Brains, never effeding ought of good, but remain always Novcllifts in the fame, what La¬ bours foever they undertake, and what Expences fo- ever they are at: Although the ancient Philofophers do by their many Admonitions fet afore us, that inoft fimple Courfe of Nature for us to imitate ^ and they have efpecially hinted to us, that their Work is fo fimple, that (hould they but openly and clearly have treated of the (ame, even the Women would deride it and fay, that the Male kind had learned their Art from them. Yea, it is fo very vile a Work, that no Body would be able to believe it, and upon this Ac¬ count, the Philofophers have done their utmoft, to hide and obfeure the Art the moft they could, leaft they (hould be contemned by the proud deriders, (who Soaring aloft feek after things too high for them,)and be accounted for Cheats and falfe Writers. Ahd this is the main and chiefeft Reafon, why this Art being fo wrapt up in darkuefs of a moft profound Silence, lyes hitherto hid from the whole Troop of Sophifteis, and fuch deriding Fellows. Sindivcw (as wc have alrea dy feveral times hinted ) doth exprefty fay, that he had oftentimes declared the whole Art, to nor a few word for word, Unto whom, that Art did neveithelcfs ■feem fo veryThe'and mean, that they could not ai all believe any likelihood of Truth in his moft true words, and fo left the Work unattempted. The fame Ssndivow doth a'fo fay,.That had the moft. skilful Hermes, the moft quick wicted Gebcr, and moft illu¬ minated Lully been again alive, and beheld our Labo- j ratories -ftored with io many, and fuch various Inftru.» I ments of Glafs, Earthy Irtjn, and other A'latters, and j fuch feveral Fornaces, they would be ravifbed into ^ I mofi high Admiration,like fo many Boys, anci.would be but as it were our Scholars, as concerniug thofe Veffels and Fornaces, all which however, vve have learned from their Writings, but yet we are deftitutq of that moft excellent Work which was wrought by them in fo fimple a Way,, and it hitherto flies our fub- tile and acute Wits.. Aud,tTiy dear Friend,he alfo tells us, that we (hould fly aloft into the lofty Air with our Wings, for the Work is fimple, vile .and tabjeft, the which, you may fooncr comprehend f or feel 1 with your hands, than apprehend by the fubtilcy of your Wit or Cogitations. C. AH thefe things may very fufficiently ferve to rid us put of fo great a Labyrinthbut 1 pray ^ Sir, how comes it about^ that we do fottijhly perfuade: our felvss, that thoje things are fo very difficult, wbich.notwithjland-r ing are fo very (imple, vile, and abfCi. B, It is indeed, to him that has knowledge of the fame, an eafie, vile, and fimple thing : But very diffi¬ cult and intricate to him, that laying afide the vway of Nature, thinks himfelf able to learn fo great an Art out of Books, which ( by their leave), though, feems a thing almoft impollible to be done. ' For the Pitilo- fophers have fo prolixly, intricately, and obfcurely deferibed the whole Myftery, that their fo prolix and dark Writings would fooner lead a Man from'the true and right way, fo far oft' are they from reducing him thereinto. * C. / my felf find, that this is mofi certainly true, for I never heard as yet of any Man, or read of any, that learned the Art out of Bookj: But that almofi all of them who were shffied in the fame, do Confefs, that they became Mafiers of the fame, either by Vivine Infpiration or Reve~ lation, or by the help of fame Friend. 1 heroes no Body can contradici thofe things which you have here induced, for the Confirmation of your Opinion. And now. Sir, let US fet upon the fP^ork^it felf, and diligently pray unto God and wait for his Bleffing. B. Content, hearken therefore attentively. C. So I do. B. Did you never find in the reading of the Phi¬ lofophers, that all the imperfeft Metals may in zPar^ ticular way be promoted to the perfect: Maturity of Gold or Silver, by their dry Water which wetteth not the hands; But being not content with this effedl, they have promoted the firft Ens of Metals ( by the help of their occult, fiery, and ripening Water) to amore than pftfedft Conftancy, and Fixiiy in the Fire, and have conceptrated rt to the form of Gold. C. I remember, that I have read of juch things as thefe, though by reafon of my unskjlfalnef and ignorance, I could not underfi and the leafi i article of their meaning”. For I am altogeiha ignorant of that kind of wonderful, and yet, to every Body well known ater : And fo jhall fill remain until it bi (hewn ( and pointed at f with the Fingers. ^ ‘ B. Look here, here’s a piece of admirable Water which is every where in all places eafie to be found, yea, in the pooreft Country-mens Houfes, nor doth: it deny any Man, thePolTellion and having it. C. Who would ever have believed, or thought, that there was any good hidden in fo vile and ab 'peFt a Body ?

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