Part 18

These three ways Iron may be transmuted into very good, and ponderous Copper, which indeed flows well, and hath its weight as well as any naturall Copper.

[Sidenote: The Transmutation of Iron into Lead.]

Plates of Iron may bee as it were reduced, and transmuted into Lead, so that it bee as soft as naturall Lead, but doth not flow so easily: and the processe is this:

Take Filings of ♂, and so much of the powder of Borax, mingle them well together, put them in a crucible, and into a wind furnace, let there bee made a strong Fire, but so that the ♂ doe not flow, but stand as it were in a Cement for a whole houre, then encrease the Fire, that it may bee red hot, and flow: then let the crucible cool of it selfe, and thou shalt find the regulus of Lead in the bottome of the crucible, soft, and malleable, as naturall Lead can be.

[Sidenote: The Transmutation of Copper into Lead.]

But to transmute ♀ into ♄ the processe is this:

First of all bring Copper with ☿ sublimate, and fixt Arsenick to bee white, yea as white as ☽, then beat it small. Take this, and the powder of Borax, of each a like quantity, and first cement it, then let it bee melted into a regulus, and thou hast a true regulus of Lead.

[Sidenote: The Transmutation of Lead into Copper.]

Now on the contrary, it is easy to transmute Lead into Copper, neither doth it require much pains, and it is done thus:

Take plates of Lead, strow them over with calcined Vitriall, or Crocus of Venus, cement them, and then melt them, and thou shalt see naturall Lead, transmuted into good, ponderous, and malleable Copper.

[Sidenote: A Metalline mixture like Gold.]

Now if this Copper, or any other Copper be beaten into plates, and strowed over with _Tutia_, or _Capri Celaminaris_, and be cemented, and lastly melted, it will bee transmuted into an excellent reddish _Electrum_ like to Gold.

[Sidenote: To make English Tin out of Lead.]

If thou wilt turne ♄ into ♃ make plates of ♄, strow them with Salt Armoniack, cement, and melt them, as abovesaid, so will all the blacknesse, and darknesse bee taken away from the Lead, and it will be in whitenesse like fair English Tin.

Now as you have in briefe heard of some Mutations of Metalls, so also know, that there are Transmutations of Gemmes, which indeed are various, and in no wise like.

[Sidenote: Oyl of Sulphur transmutes Gemmes.]

For you see how great Transmutations of Gemmes there lies in oyle of Sulphur. For any Crystall may bee tinged, and Transmuted in it, and in time bee exalted with divers colours, as to bee made like to the Hyacinth, Granat, or Rubie.

[Sidenote: To Transmute the Loadstone into great strength.]

Know also that the Loadstone may be transmuted into a tenfold greater power, and vertue, and it is done thus:

Take the Loadstone, and heat it very hot in coales, but so that it bee not fired, which presently quench in the Oyle of _Crocus Martis_, made of the best Carinthian Steel, that it may imbibe as much as it can.

Thou shalt by this meanes make the Loadstone so powerfull, that thou maist pull out Nailes out of a wall with it, and doe such like wonderfull things with it, that the common Loadstone can never doe.

Moreover, in Transmutation of Gemmes you must know that the world is placed in two degrees of Tincture, and Coagulation.

[Sidenote: To transmute the white of an Egge into Amber of any Colour.]

For as the white of an Egge may bee tinged with Saffron, and then bee coagulated into a faire yellow Amber: with the smoke of a Pine-tree into blacke Amber: with Verdegrease into green, like _Lapis Armenius_: with green juice into Amber, like the Emerald: and with the Azure stone, into blew Amber, like a Saphir: with the Wood called red Wood, into red, like a Granat, or Rubie: with a purple colour, like to an Amethyst: with Ceruse, like to Alabaster.

So all Liquors, especially Metalls, and Mineralls, may bee tinged with fixed colours, and afterwards bee coagulated, and transmuted into Gemmes.

[Sidenote: How counterfeit Pearls are made.]

So also may Pearles be made like true Pearles in form, so that for splendor, and beauty they can hardly bee discerned from the true: And they are made thus:

Cleanse the white of Egges through a spunge, as purely as may bee, then mingle with it the fairest white Talke, or Mother of Pearle, or Mercury coagulated with Tinne, and brought into an Alcool, then grinde them all together on a Marble, so that they become a thick Amalgama, which must bee dryed in the Sunne, or behind a furnace so long, untill it bee like Cheese, or a Liver.

Then of this masse make Pearles as big as thou wilt, which hang upon the bristles of a Hog, and being thus boared through, dry them as Amber, and then thou hast finished them.

If they are not beautifull enough, anoint them over with the white of an Egge, and dry them again, and they will bee most goodly pearls, in form like the naturall, but not in vertue.

In the like manner are Coralls made, with which men endeavour to deceive one the other as with Pearle. The processe is this:

[Sidenote: How counterfeit Coralls may be made.]

Take Cinnabar, grinde it on a Marble, with the white of an Egge, for the space of an houre, then dry it, as Potters doe their Earth, then make it into what forme thou pleasest: Afterwards dry them as much as may bee, and noint them over with the white of an Egge, as thou didst Pearle, and dry them by themselves again.

So thou shalt have Corall like to the naturall in form, but not in vertue.

[Sidenote: A Golden or Silver varnish.]

Thou must also know, That the white of an Egge may bee of it selfe coagulated into most cleer Vernish, in the coagulation of which Silver, or Gold may bee strewed.

There are also many other, and various Transmutations of Naturall things: Whereof those which I know, and have had experience of, I will by the way set down, and briefly declare to you.

[Sidenote: How wood is made a stone.]

And first of all know, That any Wood, if it bee put for a certaine time into the water of Salt Gemme, is turned with much admiration into a Stone.

[Sidenote: Coales of stones.]

Also Stones in the Ætnean fire are transmuted into Coales, which are called stony Coals.

[Sidenote: Glew of skins.]

Also Glew is boiled out of Skinnes.

[Sidenote: Paper of Linnen-cloath.]

Of Linnen cloth is made Paper.

[Sidenote: Silke of Flax.]

Of Flax boiled in sharp Lie made of the Ashes of Wood is Silke made.

[Sidenote: Feathers may bee Spun.]

Also the feathery parts pulled off from quills, and boiled in that Lie, may bee spun, and weaved like Cotton.

Any Oyle or Spermatick mucilage may bee coagulated into Vernish.

Any Liquor into Gumme, &c.

All these are Transmutations of Naturall things, of which Science wee have spoken enough, and there wee shall here make an end.

OF THE NATVRE Of Things.

_THE EIGHTH BOOK._

_Of the Separation of Naturall things._

[Sidenote: The Chaos the Matter of the World.]

In the Creation of the world, the first separation began from the foure Elements, seeing the first matter of the world was one Chaos.

Of this Chaos God made the greater world, being divided into four distinct Elements, _viz._ Fire, Aire, Water, and Earth. Fire is the hot part, Aire the moist, Water the cold, and Earth the dry part of the greater world.

[Sidenote: What separation shall be here spoken of.]

But that you may in brief understand the reason of our purpose in this 8^{th.} book, you must know, that we doe not purpose to treat here of the Elements of all Naturall things, seeing wee have sufficiently discoursed of those Arcana in the Archidoxis of the separation of Naturall things: whereby every one of them is apart, and distinctly separated, and divided materially, and substantially, _viz._ seeing that two, three, or foure, or more things are mixed into one body, and yet there is seen but one matter. Where it often falls out, that the corporeall matter of that thing cannot bee known by any, or signified by any expresse name, untill there bee a separation made. Then sometimes two, three, four, five or more things come forth out of one matter: as is manifest by daily experience, in the Art of Alchymie.

[Sidenote: What Electrum is.]

As for example, you have an _Electrum_, which of it selfe is no Metall, but yet it hides all Metalls in one Metall. That if it be anatomized by the industry of Alchymie, and separated: all the seven Metalls, _viz._ _Gold_, _Silver_, _Copper_, _Tinne_, _Lead_, _Iron_, and _Quicksilver_ come out of it, and that pure, and perfect.

[Sidenote: What Separation is.]

But that you may understand what Separation is, note, that it is nothing else then the severing of one thing from another, whether of two, three, four, or more things mixed together: I say a separation of the three Principles, as of Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, and the extraction of pure out of the impure, or the pure, excellent spirit, and quintessence, from a grosse, and elementary body; and the preparation of two, three, four, or more out of one: or the dissolution, and setting at liberty things that are bound, and compact, which are of a contrary nature, acting one against the other, untill they destroy one the other.

[Sidenote: How many kinds of Separation.]

Now there are many kinds of separation, many of which are unknown to us; those, which wee have experienced out of elementary, dissoluble naturall things, shall in this place, according to their kinds, be described.

[Sidenote: The separation of the Microcosme.]

The first separation of which wee speake, must begin from man, because hee is the Microcosme, or little world, for whose sake the Macrocosme or greater world was made, _viz._ that hee might be the separator of it.

[Sidenote: The body of man after death is twofold.]

Now the separation of the Microcosme begins at his death. For in death the two bodies of Man are separated the one from the other, _viz._ his Celestial and Terrestial body; _i.e._ Sacramental, and Elementary: one of which ascends on high like an Eagle; the other falls downward to the earth like lead.

[Sidenote: What the Elementary Body is.]

The Elementary is putrefied, consumed, and becomes a putrid stinking carkase, which being buryed in the earth, never comes forth, or appeares more.

[Sidenote: What a Sacramentall Body is.]

But the Sacramentall, _i.e._ Syderiall, or Celestiall, is never putrefied, or buried, neither doth it possesse any place. This body appears to Men, and also after death is seen.

Hence _Ghosts_, _Visions_, and _Supernaturall Apparitions_.

[Sidenote: Whence the Cabalisticall art.]

Hence by the ancient Magicians, the _Cabalisticall Art_ took its beginning, of which we shall treat more at large in the books of Cabalie.

After this separation is made, then after the death of the Man three substances, _viz._ _Body_, _Soule_, and _Spirit_ are divided the one from the other, every one going to its own place, _viz._ its own fountaine, from whence it had its originall, _viz._ the body to the Earth, to the first matter of the Elements: the soul into the first matter of Sacraments, and lastly, the spirit into the first matter of the Airy Chaos.

[Sidenote: The separation of the Macrocosme.]

[Sidenote: Three parts of the World.]

What now hath been spoken of the separation of the Macrocosme, the same also may bee understood in the greater world which the great Ocean hath divided into three parts, so that the universall world is severed into three parts, _viz._ _Europe_, _Asia_, and _Africa_, which separation is a certain representation of three Principles, which can be separated from any Terrene, or Elementary thing. These three Principles are Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt, of which three the world was made, and composed.

[Sidenote: The separation of Metalls.]

The next thing to bee known is the separation of Metalls from their Mountains, _i.e._ the separation of Metalls, and Mineralls.

By vertue of this separation many things come forth out of one matter, as you see out of Mineralls come forth, _The drosse of Metalls_, _Glasse_, _Sand_, _Piipitis_ (_see Transcriber’s Note_), _Marcasite_, _Granatus_, _Cobaltum_, _Talke_, _Cachinna_, _Zinetum_, _Bisemutum_, _Antimony_, _Litharge_, _Sulphur_, _Vitriall_, _Verdegrease_, _Chrysocolla_, _the Azure Stone_, _Auripigmentum_, _Arsenicke_, _Realgar_, _Cinnabar_, _Clay of Iron_, _Spathus_, _Gyphus_, _Ocree_, and many more like to these, as also the _Waters_, _Oyles_, _Resines_, _Calxes_, _Mercury_, _Sulphur_, and _Salt_, &c.

[Sidenote: Of Vegetables.]

Vegetables in their separation yeeld, _Waters_, _Oyles_, _Iuices_, _Resines_, _Gums_, _Electuaries_, _Powders_, _Ashes_, _Mercury_, _Sulphur_, and _Salt_.

[Sidenote: Of Animalls.]

Animalls in their separation yeeld, _Water_, _Bloud_, _Flesh_, _Fat_, _Bones_, _Skin_, _Body_, _Hairs_, _Mercury_, _Sulphur_, and _Salt_.

[Sidenote: What a good separator ought to be.]

Hee therefore that boasts himselfe to bee able to separate all naturall things after this manner, must of necessity have long experience, and perfect knowledge of all naturall things.

Moreover, hee must bee a skilfull, and well practised Alchymist, that hee may know what is combustible, and what not; what is fixt, and what not; what wil flow, and what not; and what things are more ponderous one then another: also he must be experienced in the naturall colour, smell, acidity, harshnesse, sowrenesse, bitternesse, sweetnesse, the degree, complexion, and quality of every thing.

[Sidenote: The degrees of Separation. What and how many there be.]

Also hee must know the degrees of Separation, as of Distillation, Resolution, Putrefaction, Extraction, Calcination, Reverberation, Sublimation, Reduction, Coagulation, Powdering, and Washing.

[Sidenote: What distillation separates.]

By Distillation is separated Water, Oyle from all corporeall things.

[Sidenote: What resolution.]

By Resolution are separated Metals from Minerals, and one Metall from another, and Salt from the other Principles, and fat, and that which is light, from that which is heavy.

[Sidenote: Putrefaction.]

By Putrefaction is separated fat from lean, pure from impure, putrid from not putrid.

[Sidenote: Extraction.]

By Extraction is separated pure from impure, and spirit, and quintessence from body, and thinne from thick.

[Sidenote: Calcination.]

By Calcination is separated watery moisture, fat, naturall heat, odour, and whatsoever else is combustible.

[Sidenote: Reverberation.]

By Reverberation is separated colour, odour, what is combustible, all humidity, aquosity, fat, and whatsoever is inconstant, or fluxil, in any thing, &c.

[Sidenote: Sublimation.]

By Sublimation is separated the fixed from the volatile, spirituall from the corporeall, pure from impure, Sulphur from Salt, Mercury from Salt, &c.

[Sidenote: Reduction.]

By Reduction is separated what is fluxil, from what is solid, a Metall from its Minerall, and one Metall from another, a Metall from its drosse, fat from what is not fat.

[Sidenote: Coagulation.]

By Coagulation is separated waterishnes from humidity, water from Earth.

[Sidenote: Powdering.]

By Powdering are separated powder, and sand, ashes, and Calx, Minerall, Vegetable, and Animall one from the other, and all powders, which are of an unequall weight are separated, and by winnowing, as chaffe from corne.

[Sidenote: Washing.]

By washing are separated ashes, and sand, a Minerall from its Metall, that which is heavy from what is light, a Vegetable, and Animall from what is Minerall, Sulphur from Mercury, and Salt, Salt from Mercury.

[Sidenote: The Preparation of Metall is manifold.]

But passing by the Theorie, we will now fall upon the practise, and come to particulars.

You must therefore note, that the Separation of Metalls is the first by right, and wee shall therefore treat of it after this method, and manner.

_Of the Separation of Metalls from their Mines._

[Sidenote: By fluxing powders.]

The separation of Metalls from their Mines is done divers ways, _viz._ by boiling, and melting with fluxing powders, such as are salt Alcali, Litharge, salt fluxile, the drosse of Glasse, Salt Gemme, Salt Petre, &c. Let them bee put in a Crucible, and melted in a furnace; so will the Metall, or regulus fall to the bottome of the Crucible; but the other matter will swim above, and become drosse. Thou shall boil this Metalline _regulus_ in a reverberating furnace so long, till all the Metall become pure, and freed from all its drosse; by this means the metall is well digested, and as I may say refined from all its drosse.

Many times one mine contains more then one Metall, as Copper and Silver, Copper and Gold, Lead and Silver, Tinne and Silver, you shall know it by this, if the Metalline Regulus after Reverberation in a melting pot bee sufficiently after the true manner dissolved. For in it are all imperfect Metalls separated, as are Iron, Copper, Tin, and Lead, and so with a double quantity of Lead to the Regulus being put to it, they all goe into a fume, and only fine Silver, or Gold are left behind in the pot.

[Sidenote: By Aqua fortis.]

[Sidenote: By Sulphur.]

[Sidenote: A wonderfull power of Sulphur in separation.]

Also two or three Metalls mixed together may bee separated in _Aqua fortis_, and extracted the one from the other. If two Metalls or one bee resolved, the other will fall to the bottome like sand, and be precipitated: and be after this manner separated. Also Metalls may be separated by flowing after this process: Make metals flow, and when they are in flux, cast into them the best flower of Sulphur as you can get, _viz._ an ounce to every pound of the metall, and let it burn, and by that means it wil draw up the lightest metall to the top, the heavy falling to the bottome. Then let them stand together till they be cold. And so in one Regulus two metalls are found, not as before mutually mixed, but one separated from the other by the Sulphur, as by a partition, as Oyle divides two Waters, that they cannot bee joined together or mixed: Sulphur therefore is a singular Arcanum worthy of great commendations.

[Sidenote: By Quicksilver.]

Fixt metalls, as Gold and Silver, because they cannot wel bee extracted with Fire or _Aqua fortis_, must bee amalgamated with Quicksilver, and so separated and extracted, the Quicksilver being afterwards extracted and separated by a certaine degree of Distillation from the Calx of the metals, _viz._ Gold, & Silver.

After this manner also may other metalls, not only Gold, and Silver, but Copper, Iron, Tin, Lead, &c. as also whatsoever are prepared out of them, as red Electrum, the white Magnesia, Aurichalcum, calcined Lead, Laton, Brasse of Cauldrons, and whatsoever metalls of this kind are transmuted, bee with Quicksilver, but first being powdered, abstracted, and separated from what is heterogeneous. For the nature, and condition of Quicksilver is this, that it wil bee united, and amalgamed with metalls, but yet with one sooner then with another, according as the metall is of greater or lesse affinity to it.

In this consideration fine Gold is the chiefest, then fine Silver, then Lead, then Tinne, then Copper, and lastly Iron.

So amongst transmuted metalls, the first is part with part, then Ash coloured Lead, then Laton, then Brasse of Caldrons, then red, and the newest white. Although for the first course Mercury may take no more then one metall, with which it is amalgamated: yet that Amalgama is to be strained hard through Leather, or Cotton cloath. For by this means nothing but the Quicksilver will passe through the Leather, or Cloath: and that metall which it did attract remains in the leather, or cloth like Calx, which afterwards thou maist with salt Alcali, or some other salt reduce into a metalline body by melting.

Now by this Art Quicksilver is much sooner separated from all manner of metalls, then by Distillation, &c.

By this processe with Mercury all metalls may after calcination, and powdering be by a skilfull, and industrious Alchymist extracted, and separated one from the other.

In the same manner, and that easily, may Tinne, and Lead bee separated from Copper, or Copper vessels, from Iron, and Steel overlaid with Tin without any fire, or water, by the Amalgama of Quicksilver alone.

Also Beaten Gold, or Leafe Gold, or Silver, as also any other metall beaten, or ground, being written, or laid over with a pencill, or quill upon cloth, parchment, paper, leather, wood, stones, or any thing else, may bee resolved by Quicksilver, and so, that the Quicksilver may bee afterward separated again from those metalls.

[Sidenote: By Corrosive waters.]

Now the separation of metalls in _Aqua fortis_, _Aqua Regis_, and like corrosive waters, is after this manner.

Let a metall that is mixed, and joined with another, be taken, and beaten into thin plates, or brought into powder. Put it into a separating vessel, and poure upon it common _Aqua fortis_ as much as is sufficient, let them stand and bee macerated, until all the metall bee resolved into a clear water. If it be Silver, and contain any Gold in it, all the Silver wil bee resolved into water, and the Gold wil also bee calcined, and settle in the bottome like black sand. And after this manner Gold, and Silver are separated. If now thou wilt separate the Silver from the _Aqua fortis_ without Distillation, put a plate of Copper into the water, and the Silver will presently settle in the bottome of the water like snow, and the Copper plate will begin to be consumed by little, and little.

The seperation of Silver, and Copper by common _Aqua fortis_ is done after this manner. Let the Copper which contains Silver, or the Silver which contains Copper be brought to thin plates or powder, and put into a glass vessel, upon which poure as much common _Aqua fortis_ as is sufficient: and by this means the silver will bee calcined, and settle to the bottome like white chalk: but the copper wil be dissolved, and turned into a clear water. If this water, together with the dissolved copper, be by a Glasse funnel separated from the silver calx into another Glasse: then the Copper that is dissolved in the water, may bee so precipitated with common water, or rain water, or any other water, that it wil settle to the bottom of the Glass like sand.

Now the separation of hid Gold, from any metall, is by the degree of Extraction in _Aqua Regis_. For this kind of water will attempt to dissolve no metall, but only pure, fine Gold, &c.

The same _Aqua Regis_ doth separate also fine gold from gilded plate. For if that be washed over with it, the Gold will be separated from it, &c.

[Sidenote: By the degree of Reverberation.]

Moreover also with cement by the degree of Reverberation two Metalls mixed together may be separated the one from the other, but especially if they are not in the like degree of Fixation, as Iron and Copper. For that Metall, which is but little fixed, as Tin, and Lead, is all of it consumed by the degree of Reverberation in cement. For by how much the more a Metall is fixed, so much the lesse is it consumed by cement.

You must know therefore that fine Gold is the most fixt, and perfect Metall, which can bee destroyed, or consumed by no cement. Next to this is fine Silver. If then Gold, and Silver be mixed together in one body, which is wont to bee called part with part, or if Silver contain Gold, or Gold Silver: I say these being thus mixt if they bee reverberated into cement, then the Gold remains entire, and not at all injured, but the Silver is consumed by the cement, and so is extracted from fine Gold: so also is Copper from Silver, and Iron, and Tinne from Copper, and Iron, or Lead from Tinne, and so forth.

_Of the Separation of Mineralls._