Now We Come To The Manual Operation
Take in the Name of God, and of the Eternal Trinity, fine and very pure
Mineral Antimony, which is fair, white, massie, and inwardly full of
yellow Streaks or Veins, and likewise of red and blew Colours, and
small Veins, this is the best; pound it to fine Powder, dissolve it by
little and little in Aqua Regis, that the Water may conquer it. After
Solution take it out immediately that the Aqua Regis may do it no
prejudi
e; for it will quickly dissolve the Tincture of the Antimony;
for our Water in its nature is like to the Ostrich, which by his heat
can digest Iron, and consume it to nothing; for the Water will consume
it, and turn it to a Mud, that it shall remain only as a yellow Earth,
and then is it quite spoiled.
Take an Example hereof from Silver, which is dissolved, fair, pure and
fine in these our Waters, but if it stand a night therein while the
Water is strong and full of Spirits, I tell you, your good Silver will
be corroded to nothing in these our Waters; and though you would reduce
it into a Massie Body, you cannot; for it will remain as a pale yellow
Earth, and sometimes it will run together in the form of Horn, or of a
white Horse Hoof, which you can by no Art reduce into a Body.
Wherefore you must remember to take the Antimony out presently after
the Solution, precipitate and adulterate it according to the custom of
Alchymists, that it may not be corroded with its perfect Oil by the
Water, and burnt up to nothing.
The Water wherein we dissolve is thus made.
R. Vitriol, a pound and a half, Salt-Armoniac one pound, Azinat
one pound, Salt-nitre a pound and a half, Salt-gemme one pound,
Allom half a pound; these are the Ingredients which belong unto the
making of the Water for the Solution of Antimony.
Take and mix them well together; at first distil very slowly, for the
Spirits ascend with greater violence than those of any other common
Aqua fortis; beware of its Spirits; for their Fumes are very subtile
and hurtful in their penetration.
When you have adulterated the Antimony well and purely from the
corrosive Water, then put it into a clean Vial, poure good distilled
Vinegar upon it, set it forty dayes and nights to putrefie in
Horse-dung, or in Balneum Mariae, it will be bloud-red. Take it out,
and see how much is yet to be dissolved, decant off gently the pure and
clear, which is red into a Glass-Gourd, poure other Vinegar upon the
Faeces as before, that if any thing should yet remain therein, it might
be dissolved; this must be done four times in fourty days and nights;
for if any good be in the Faeces, it will be dissolved in that time,
then cast the Dregs away as unprofitable, being but Dirt, and to be cast
to the Dunghill.
Put all the Solutions in a glass-Gourd into Balneum Mariae, distil all
the tart Vinegar from it, pour it on again, or else pour fresh, if this
be too weak, it will quickly dissolve in the Vinegar; distil it again
from it, that the Matter be quite dry; then take common distilled water,
wash all tartness from it with the Vinegar imparted to the Matter, then
dry the Matter in the Sun, which is of a very deep red, or else dry it
very well at a gentle fire.
When the Philosophers find our Antimony thus secretly prepared, they
say then that its external nature and virtue is inverted internally, and
the internal cast forth externally, henceforth becoming an Oil, which is
concealed in its innermost and profoundest part, till it be well
prepared, and cannot any more be brought into its first Essence, untill
the last Judgment; and it is true, for so soon as it feels the force of
the fire, it flies away in a Vapour with all its parts, because it is
volatile.
Some of the common Laborators, having thus prepared Antimony, they
take one part out because of its consumption, that they may the better
operate it, they mix with it one part of Salt-Armoniac, one part of
the Vitrum (with others Titrum) one part of the Rebooth (with
others Cadoli) wherewith the Bodies are cleansed; this mixture they
cast upon a pure Luna, and if there were eight Ounces of the Luna,
they found ten Drams of good Gold in the separation, and sometimes more;
and by this work they gained wherewithal to bear their Charges, the
better to attend upon, and attain unto the great Work. The ignorant
called this an induction into the Silver, but that is false; for this
Gold is not brought into it by the Spirits, but every kind of Silver
hath one Ounce of Gold more or less in the Mark (or 8 Ounces) for Gold
is so united with the Nature of Silver, that it cannot be separated from
it, either by Aqua fort, or common Antimony, as the Gold-smiths
know.
But when the aforesaid Composition is cast upon the Luna in the flux,
then happens such a separation, that the Luna doth freely let go the
Gold implanted therein into the Aqua fort, and is separated from it,
letting it precipitate and sink to the bottom, which otherwise could not
be done at all. Therefore it is not an induction into the Luna, but a
bringing out of it.
But we return again to our proposed Work; for we would have only the
Oil, which was only known to the Wise, and not to the Ignorant.
When you have rubified the Antimony very well according to the former
Directions, you must have in readiness a Spirit of wine well rectified,
pour it over the red Powder of Antimony, set it four daies and nights
in a gentle Balneum Mariae, that it may dissolve very well. And if
then any of it remain undissolved, pour fresh Spirit of Wine upon it,
set it again into the Bath as aforesaid, all will be well dissolved; and
if perhaps any more Faeces remain, they will be very few, cast them
away, for they are good for nothing. Put the Solution into a
glass-Gourd, with a Head luted upon it, set it into Balneum Mariae,
with its receiver to take the Spirits, distil slowly with a slack heat,
till all the Spirit of Wine be come over, pour it in again upon the dry
matter, draw it off again as before; this pouring in & abstracting
continue so often, till you see the Spirit of Wine ascend over the helm
in various colours, then it is time that you follow it with a strong
fire, then with the Spirit of Wine ascend red into the helm, and drop
into the Receiver like a bloody Oil, and the tender Body ascends like a
red Oil, dropping into the Receiver; truly this is the most secret way
of the Wise, the so much applauded Oil of Antimony; it is a noble,
well sented, virtuous, and powerful Oil, as you shall hear afterwards.
But here I will teach and instruct you poor Operators another way,
because you have not the Means to attend the great work, not as the
Ancients did, with the separation of Gold out of Silver.
Wherefore take one part of the Oil, or half an Ounce of Saturn, four
Ounces calcined according to Art, pour the Oil upon the Calx of
Saturn, mixing it, set it ten daies and nights in the heat, into the
secret Furnace; every two days augment the fire one degree, according to
the capacity of the Furnace; after four days and nights set it into the
third degree of Fire, therein let it rest three days and nights, then
open the Door or Vent of the fourth degree, which must likewise continue
three days and nights; afterwards take it out, the Saturn will be
above black, like unto Charcole dust, but under this black dust you will
find other Colours, throughout pure, red, yellow, which flux with
Venetian Borax, you will find it converted into good Gold by the power
of our Oil, so have you means again to set forward the great work.
We return again to our purpose, where we left off before. You have
heard, and have been instructed how to abstract the Spirit of Wine with
the Oil over the helm into the Receiver, and to use it for the work to
convert Saturn into Gold. But we will now hasten to the other work of
the Tincture, and give advice concerning it. It will therefore be
necessary to separate the Spirit of Wine again from the Oil, which do as
followeth;
Take the mixture of the Spirit of Wine, and of the Oil, set it into
Balneum Mariae; distil the Spirit of Wine only from the Oil with a very
slack heat, so that you may be assured that there is no more of the
Spirit to be found in this most precious Oil, which you may easily try;
when you see some of the drops ascend over with the Spirit of Wine, it
is a sign that the Spirit of Wine is separated from the Oil, then
remove all the fire from under the Bath, how little soever it be, that
it may cool the sooner. Take away the Receiver with the Spirit of Wine,
stop it very close, for it is full of Spirits which it hath retained
from the Oil, as you will hear afterwards: But in Balneum Mariae you
will find that blessed Oil of Antimony red as Bloud; take it out, wash
the Lute off by gentle mollification, that nothing impure may fall into
that curious red Oil, when you take the head off; reserve it carefully,
that by no means it may receive prejudice, for you have a Celestial Oil,
which in a dark night shines like a glowing Cole, and this is the
reason, because its internal power and soul is cast forth externally,
the hidden Soul being now revealed, shining through the pure Body as a
Candle through a Lanthorn, even so at the last day, these our invisible
internal Souls shall be revealed, and seen out of the Body, shining as
the clear Sun: So keep each apart, as well the Spirit of wine full of
power, and wonderful in curing humane Distempers, as also the blessed,
red, noble, celestial Oil, which transmutes all the Diseases of the
imperfect Metals into the perfection of Gold; and the power of the
spiritual Wine extends very far being rightly used.
I tell you, you have obtained a Celestial Medicine, to cure all the
Diseases and Distempers of Mans Body; its use is, as followeth;