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.

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5+ Of ELl^oiS the ARTIST. hereafter For the Spirit of Wine in this ablira^ion hath its Virtue multiplied ten fold, fo as it not only extrafls the Eifence of Vegetables, Animals and lYline- X both eafily and fuddenly, carrying them over the Helm ^ but alfo extrads the Tindtures from © and ]) and all precious and common Stones, and brings them over. Of which Extradion and Separation of the tinging Soul from fixt and unfixt Bodies, no Philo- fopher hitherto hath divulged any thing. Let us now take a view of the great Secrets, which may be ob¬ tained by means of our Alcolized Spirit of Wine, a- racelfus had an Alcolized Spirit of Wine, wnich he called Jlcohol vhi, with which he did great things^ but it is not likely, that his Alcohol vini was of the fame Virtue, as mine here deferibed for if fo, it could not have been fo long concealed. However it be, we cannot deny Faraceljus the Title of Monarch of Phyficians and Alchymifts, though he may have been ignorant of our Salt of Art, with which our Alcohol vini is prepared i for no Body knows all things', and God beftows his Gifts, as beft pleafeth him. . . But to our return to our Alcohol viut^zxid the man* ner of ufing it. Firft we are to take Notice, that as for Vegetables and Animals, they are to be reduced to Powder, if they be dry, but if frefh, they need only to be a lictle' bruifed or chopt, and then pour up¬ on them our Alcohol vini j if the Subjects be dry, we tnay digeft a while before abffra^lion, but in Cafe they be moift, we may diftil the Spirit immediately, which carries over with it all the Virtue of the faid Ve¬ getables and Animals, together with the Tafte and Smell, and poured upon Flowers, and diftill’d, fome- times brings over their Colours alfb, which hitherto hath been looked upon as . very difficult, ifnotimpof- fible. But before we make ufe of it upon Minerals, we muft prepare them, for our Alcohol noini is not Ifrong enough to lay hold on hard Minerals, and com pad Metals, fo as to extrad their Effences, and there¬ fore they muft be firft opened with Waters, that are not Corrofive, and afterwards be digefted with our u4lcohol vini and then diftilled ^ which being perfor¬ med in this Order, the Alcohol will carry their Eften- ces with it over the Helm. ‘This is the true Prepa¬ ration of Vegetables, Animals and Minerals, in order to the extrading of your Effences, by means of our Alcohol vini. But here we muft obferve, that this Preparation of fixt Metals, by opening of their Bodies, muft be done with fixt Liquors, and not Volatile^ for if the diffolvent were Volatile, it would come over in Diftillation with the Spirit of Wine, and fpoil all i becaufe after Diftillation, the Spirit of Wine muft be feparated from the Effence it hath brought over with it I, now if the diffolvent, by being Volatile, fhould come over the Heim, it would remain with the Me¬ dicine, and confequently fpoil if. We are therefore to remember, that this diffolvent muft be Firey, not Corrofive, without any Smell or bad Tafte : The diffolvent being as ncceffary to our Work, as is the Spirit of Wine it fdf : Wherefore he who intends to plant good Fruit, in this Gold-bearing Orchard, muft be provided with both thefe Keys, viz. with a Menjirnum., not Corrofive, to diffolve Metals and Minerals, and with a well prepared Alcolized Spirit of W’ine, without which, he cannot obtain the Tin- dure of Mettjls. Having thus fpoken of the foregoing Preparation of Vegetables, Animals and Minerals, in general : I fiiall now proceed to fhew in particular, how out of them moft furpafling, and excellent Medicines may be prepared. And firft fo begin with Vegetables i their Effences are to be diftilled in Balneo^ with a moderate heat, changing the Recipient when it is needful; For that which comes over, firft is of another Nature, than that which diftils- next, and that again differs from that which comes laft. There are fome Vegetables., that firft give their beft part, and the worft laft, whereas in others, the worft comes firft, and the beft flays till the laft. For the reft, it is eafily apprehended, that the Virtue of Flowers and Herbs, cfpecially when green and tender, doth more eafily yield to Diflilla- tion, and come over fconer than the Effence of hard Wood, which is more clofely ftmt up in its Bo¬ dy. He that proceeds aright in this Work, will meet with great delight and Satisfaftiorr, and blefs God for the Communication of this Light. For oUr Alcolized Spirit of Wine brings over Vegetable Effences, of a moft fragrant Odour, which common Spirit of Wine can never do : We may indeed extraeft Vegetables, and Minerals with common Spirit of Wine, but can¬ not carry the faid extradted Effences over the Helm : Which extrads made with common Spirit of Wine, are not to be compared with thofe, which our Alcohol vini brings over with it, differing as much as the fhell from the kernel. For our Effences, as foon as they are taken into the Body, penetrate it throughout, paf- ling every where to find out their Enemies, and when found Attack,and put them to flight,which grofs Medi¬ cines cannot perform. The like Virtue: is alfo in thofe 5 Salts.^ Tindures or Souls of Metals^ that come over in the flame of the diftilled Spirit of Wine,' which at- fo penetrate the Body throughout, chafing their Ene¬ mies before themand the Tindures of Stones in fhe fame manner prepared do the like. Which we muft not fo underftand, as if the Alcolized Spirit of Wine were to be taken into the Body, together with the Tindure, for indeed it muft be feparated from iL As for inftance, when I have brought over the Quint- effence of Flints or Cryftals, with (hje Alcohol vinr.^ and have a mind to make ufe of it againft the Stone in the Bladder or Kidneys, or Stones that are grown in the joynts, I muft not exhibit this Effence, as it is mixed with the Spirit of Wine, for if lb, the good effed, that might be looked for from the Effence, would be fpoiled by the great heat of the Spirit of Wine, which is the reafon the fame muft be fepara¬ ted from the Effence, before it can be given inward- ]y. Now this Separation cannot be done by Diflilla- tion, becaufe both would come over together. Nei¬ ther can the Tindure, or Effence of the Stone, be fe¬ parated from the Spirit of Wine, by Precipitation. What is to be done therefore in this Cafe ? The only way to attain our defire is, to kindle the burning Spi¬ rit, and let it flame away under a large and capacious Helm or Head,made for that purpofe ^ by which means the Spirit of Wine is confumed in the flame, and'the incombuftible Effence of Cryllal remains in form of a fweet and pleafant Oyl. We are alfo to note, that in this burning away of the Spirit of Wine, the Sul^ fhnr of Wine only is confumed, and the incombufti¬ ble § of Wine, being condenfed in the Head, falls in¬ to the Receiver, in the appearance of a fweet Water. fee more of this injirnment in the Sixth Fart of Phar. Spa^yr.'] N. B. We are to obferve, that the moft highly re- dified Spirit of Wine, is much about half water, which water afeends with the flame, and is caught in the Recipient. Yet is not this v any common v, but indeed a powerful v of Life, efpecially when ' the Spirit of Wine hath been redified from Aroma- tical,

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