Magnalia naturae: or, the philosophers-stone lately expos'd to publick sight and sale; being a true and exact account of the manner how Wenceslaus Seilerus the late famous projection-maker, at the Emperours court, at Vienna, came by, and made away with a very great quantity of pouder of projection, by projecting with it before the Emperor ... / By John Joachim Becher ... [by] Wenceslaus Seilerus ... Published at the request ... especially of Mr. Boyl [sic].

Johann Joachim Becher

Date:: 1680

Credit: Magnalia naturae: or, the philosophers-stone lately expos'd to publick sight and sale; being a true and exact account of the manner how Wenceslaus Seilerus the late famous projection-maker, at the Emperours court, at Vienna, came by, and made away with a very great quantity of pouder of projection, by projecting with it before the Emperor ... / By John Joachim Becher ... [by] Wenceslaus Seilerus ... Published at the request ... especially of Mr. Boyl [sic]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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*9} between both, he refolved upon a diilioneft Shift, which was to fell for great Rates, Poudred Cinnabar, red Lead, and the Caput Mor tun in of Aqua forth boy led, and fuch other In¬ gredients in Head of the true Ponder, mixing alfo there¬ with fome few Filings of Copper, that Fooliili ignorant People might miftake the fame for a Gold-making Pon¬ der: to fome hefold.it without any Inch Cozening Ad¬ dition as Coppar: And if they were not able to tinge with it, he would lay the Blame on their Impatience and Un¬ skilful nefs in making the Projection. To others, he paw¬ ned fome of his Counterfeit TinCture for a great fumm of Money, which he pretended, he had a prefent ufe for: but he was loath to fpend his TinCture in projecting, be- caufe he hoped, to augment it with a Thoufand-fold ad¬ vantage : And that they might fee the TinCture was ge¬ nuine and true, he took fome of it and wrapt it up in a little Wax, with which he mingled a little of his right TinCture, which he called his Crocus, or Pouder of Redu¬ ction,. and fo tinged therewith. By this means he got very many iooo’s of Crowns, and over and above he got P. C. de L. and C. L. to be his Alii- Hants and Partners in thefe Myfteries, But the Impudent fort, among which A. C. P. and his Cofen C. B. are to be reckoned, he gave them whole Ingots which he had call, confiding of equal parts of Gold and Silver; then filing feme of them, and dilTblvin g it into common Aqua forts, which he brought with him, he affirmed that now his TinCture was exalted into a Menfiruum, which would pre- fently change Silver into Gold : and that as foon as ever the price or value which was to be paid for its purchafe Iliould be put thereto, it would be converted into Gold: It hath been alfo further related to me, That he grew to that Degree of Impudence, as to tinge fom(e.fort of Coins after this manner into Gold, before the Emprefs Dowager and the Emperour himfelf. Yea, this fellow was fo arro * gant

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