A choice collection of rare secrets and experiments in philosophy as also rare and unheard-of medicines, menstruums and alkahests : with the true secret of volatilizing the fixt salt of tartar / collected and experimented by the honourable and truly learned Sir Kenelm Digby, Kt., Chancellour to Her Majesty the Queen-Mother ; hitherto kept secret since his decease, but now published for the good and benefit of the publick by George Hartman.
About this Item
Title
A choice collection of rare secrets and experiments in philosophy as also rare and unheard-of medicines, menstruums and alkahests : with the true secret of volatilizing the fixt salt of tartar / collected and experimented by the honourable and truly learned Sir Kenelm Digby, Kt., Chancellour to Her Majesty the Queen-Mother ; hitherto kept secret since his decease, but now published for the good and benefit of the publick by George Hartman.
Author
Digby, Kenelm, Sir, 1603-1665.
Publication
London :: Printed for the author, and are to be sold by William Cooper ..., and Henry Faithorns and John Kersey ...,
1682.
Rights/Permissions
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Subject terms
Medicine, Magic, mystic, and spagiric.
Alchemy.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A35968.0001.001
Cite this Item
"A choice collection of rare secrets and experiments in philosophy as also rare and unheard-of medicines, menstruums and alkahests : with the true secret of volatilizing the fixt salt of tartar / collected and experimented by the honourable and truly learned Sir Kenelm Digby, Kt., Chancellour to Her Majesty the Queen-Mother ; hitherto kept secret since his decease, but now published for the good and benefit of the publick by George Hartman." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A35968.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 1, 2024.
Pages
My Process is such.
TAke ℥ij. of ☽, make an Amalgama of
it with Mercury by A. F. as you
know, wash this Amalgama very well in se∣veral
waters, then press out so much ☿, that
there remain but ℥iv. of it with the ☽, which
maketh ℥vj. in all. Add to it ℥vi. of good
red Precipitate, and grind all to an impal∣pable
Powder; which put into a Matrass,
and digest it with a gentle heat in Sand, so
that the ☿ do not Sublime, but that it may
Calcine the ☽, and leave it in Powder, for
if you give too great a heat, it will reduce
the ☽ into a Body.
After three days Digestion, take out your
Powder, and grind it as before, so that if
there be yet any quick ☿, it may be morti∣fied.
Digest it again as before, and with
the same degree of heat for three days more;
then take it out and grind it again, then di∣gest
it only for two days by four degrees of
heat, which you must change every two
hours, to the end, that by the last degree of
descriptionPage 4
heat all the ☿ and ☿ Precipitate may preci∣pitate
the Powder of ☽, which will begin
to grow white.
Reiterate the addition of ☿ and ☿ Pre∣cipitate
in the same quantity as before. Di∣gest
two days more by four degrees of heat,
as before, and the Powder will grow per∣fectly
white.
Then by the same Operation reiterated it
will begin to be of a Citrine colour, and
fixed.
And thus by reiterating the Digestions,
you may give it what degree of this colour
you please; for the oftner you digest it with
the said ☿ and ☿ Precipitate, being separa∣ted
from it again by the last degree of heat,
the more the Powder will be of a Citrine
Colour.
Then melt your Powder with Borax, and
you shall have ☽ at 24 Carrats, without
diminution of the first weight of the ☽ which
will be rather increased. All may be ac∣complished
in the space of One and Twenty
days.
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