The workes of that famous chirurgion Ambrose Parey translated out of Latine and compared with the French. by Th: Johnson

CHAP. VIII. How to distill Aqua vitae, or the spirit of wine.

TAke of good White or Clarret wine or Sacke which is not sowre nor mustie, nor otherwise corrupt, or of the Lees that quantity which may serve to fill the vessell wherein you make the distillation to a third part; then put on your head furnished with the nose or pipe, and so make your distillation in Balneo Mariae. The oftner it is distilled, or (as they tearme it) rectified, the more noble and effectuall it becomes. Therefore some distill it seven times * 1.1 over.

At the first distillation it may suffice to draw a fourth or third part of the whole; to wit, of 24. pints of Wine or Lees, draw 6. or 8. pints of distilled liquor.

At the second time the halfe part of that is 3. or 4. pints.

At the third distillation the halfe part againe, that is, two pints; so that the oftner you distill it over, the lesse liquor you have, but it will be a great deale the more efficacious. I doe well like that the first distillation bee made in Ashes; the second in Balneum Mariae. To conclude, that aqua vitae is to be approoved of, neither is it any oftner to be distilled, which put into a spoone or saucer, and there set on fire, burnes wholly away and leaves no liquor, or moisture in the bottome of the vessell; if you drop a drop of oyle into this same water, it incontinently falls to the bottome; or if you drop a drop thereof into the palme of your hand, it will quickly vanish away, which are two other notes of probation of this liquor.

The faculties and effects of aqua vitae are innumerable, it is good against the epilepsie and all cold diseases, it asswages the paines of the teeth, it is good for pun∣ctures * 1.2 and wounds of the Nerves, faintings, sownings, gangreenes and mortification, both of its flesh, as also put to other medicines for a vehicle.

There is this difference betweene the distilling of wine and Vinegar, wine being of an ayery and vaporous substance, that which is the best and most effectuall in it, to

wit, the aiery and fiery liquor, comes from it presently at the first distillation. There∣fore the residue that remaines in the bottome of the vessell, is of a cold, dry and acrid nature; on the contrary, the water that comes first from Vinegar being distilled, is insipide and flegmaticke. For Vinegar is made by the corruption of wine, and the se∣gregation of the fiery and aiery parts; wherefore the wine becomming sowre, there remaines nothing almost of the former substance but phlegme; wherefore seeing phlegme is chiefly predominant in Vinegar, it first rises in distillation. Wherefore he that hopes to distill the spirit of Vinegar, hee must cast away the phlegmaticke substance that first rises, and when by his taste he shall perceive the spirit of the Vi∣negar, he shall keepe the fire there under, untill the flowing liquor shall become as thicke as honey; then must the fire be taken away, otherwise the burning of it will cause a great stinch.

The vessells fit to distill aqua vitae and Vinegar are diverse, as an Alembicke or * 1.3 Retort set in sand or Ashes; a Coppar or brasse bottome of a still, with a head thereto, having a pipe comming forth thereof which runs into a worme, or pipe fast∣ned in a barrell or vessell filled with cold water, and having the lower end comming forth thereof, whose figure wee shall give you when as wee come to speake of the drawing of oyles out of vegetables.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Spirit of wine seaven times rectified.
• * 1.2

  The faculties of the spirit of wine.
• * 1.3

  The distilling of Wine and Vinegar is different.