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.

The Philosophical Aqua Regis.

TAke Nitre and {sal armoniac}, ana ℥iij. reduce them to fine Powder each by it self, then mix them well together, and put it in a Re∣••••••t of three or four quarts, and distill in Sand into a very large Recipient, the junct∣ures well luted with paper, and paste made of Flower and {water}; for if you should take •• stronger Lute, all would break: Give the {fire} by degrees, untill you see white fumes in the Recipient in half; an hours time all will come over; then let it cool, and you will find in the Recipient about ℥jss. and about the neck of the Retort a Sublimed Salt, which proceeds from the {sal armoniac}, which will not dissolve except in hot {water}; the Retort being cold, take out the Caput Mortuum as well as you can, and the Retort being found, put in fresh Matter the same quantity as before; repeat this till you have {water} enough. Then digest

this {water} in Ashes in an Alembick with a gentle heat to separate the flegm from it, which will be insipid; then distill the rest in a Re∣tort, and keep it for use.

Take ℥j. of ☉ well purified by {antimony}, be••t it into thin Plates, cut them small, and put them in a Crucible and ignifie them: Put ℥vj. of ☿ in another Crucible, heat it until it begin to smoak, then take it from the {fire}, and pour it upon the ☉, stir it well toge∣ther with a stick until it be well aaamated, then cast this aaa into a Marble Mortar, grind it well, pouring on fair {water} to wash it from all its blackness and foulness; then squeeze out so much ☿ of this aaa as you can: Then grind this aaa with equal weight of prepared Salt; put it in a Retort, and di∣still over all the ☿ in Sand into a Recipient half full of {water}: The ☿ being all over, in∣crease the {fire} for four hours, so that the bot∣tom of the Retort may be always red in the Sand; then let all cool, take out the Re∣tort and pour hot {water} into it, and let it stand so for an hour, and the {water} will dissolve the Salt; pour it out, and pour more hot {water} up∣on the Matter; do thus three or four times? Then pour out the ☉ with the {water} into a Poringer, which will be every subtil Pow∣der; dry it gently, and put it in a Matrass, and pour upon it of the above-mentioned

A. R. about ℥vj. stop the Matrass with Cot∣ton only, and put it to digest in hot Ashes, and in a few hours it will all be dissolved into a Liquor of an Orange colour, ••leaving some impure Earth at the bottom: Upon this dis∣solution pour of the ☿ which you drew off by distillation about twice the quantity of the ☉, digest it for two or three days, or so long until the ☿ be all dissolved, and the {water} be clear like Rock {water}, and the ☉ be in the form of a light Spunge in pieces, swim∣ming in the {water}; separate the {water}, and wash the ☉ with Salt {water} filtred, then wash it in fair {water} so often till it be well edulcorated, then dry this Powder of ☉, and it is pre∣pared. For to attenuate it further, and to render it more Spungeous, mix it with double its weight of Sublimed {sal armoniac}, grind them well together, and put them in a small Cu∣curbite with its Head, and Sublime in Sand all the {sal armoniac}. Then grind this {sal armoniac} again with the ☉ and Sublime it once more, so will the ☉ be well attenuated and opened, and fit to be joyned with the Vegetable Salt. Then put this Powder of ☉ into a Poringet of stone-ware, not glazed, and pour upon it some good Oyl of Tartar, dry it gently, and pour more Oyl upon the Powder, and dry it as before: Repeat this till you have employed ℥iv. of Oyl of Tartar to ℥j. of

☉; then put it into a Matrass with a short neck, stop it close, and put it in an Iron Pot in Sand, then cover the Pot with any other Pot, and give {fire} of reverberation, so that the ☉ may be red in the Matrass, but not melt; continue the {fire} in that degree for 48 hours. Then take out the Matrass, and wash the Matter with hot {water} till the ☉ be well edulcorated, then dry it, and imbibe it again with fresh Oyl of Tartar; reverbera••e it as before for 48 hours. Repeat this Work twice more, and you shall have a very light and Spungy Calx of ☉.

Hartman.) Note, That instead of this Calx of ☉, you may take one prepared, by Calcining it with flowers of Sulphur, as Sir Kenelm Digby prepared it for Saunier's Work, which see in its place.

Then imbibe it once with Oyl of Tartar, and proceed in all as before.

Having reduced the ☉ into an Oyl, it will be necessary to have an Earth of its own nature, to make it grow, and produce the Fruit which we expect of it.

Now this Calx of ☉ shall serve for an Earth to receive this Seed. But since that in all Bodies there are three things, to wit, the Soul, the Spirit, and the Body; that which hath a Body, cannot receive the Soul, except it be opened by the Spirit: It will

then be necessary to reduce the ☉ into a Spi∣rit, which is done by reducing it into ☿, its first and nearest Matter; which to perform, proceed thus:

Take ℥j. of ☉ well purified by {antimony}, re∣duce it into thin Plates, cut them small, and put them in a Matrass, pour upon them ℥vj. of our Philosophical {water}, keep it in digestion till the ☉ be all dissolved, then distill of•• the {water}, which cohobate again, and distill as before. Repeat this three or four times, then distill off about three parts of the {water}, expose the rest with the Vessel to the open Air, and the ☉ will congeal into Crystals, which put in a Glass Bottle, and stop it ve∣ry close, and keep them in a dry place un•••••• they be dry; then grind them with twice•• much {sal armoniac} Sublimed with Salt; put this into a large Matrass, and pour upon it by drop•• of good Oyl of Tartar, the double qua••∣tity of the ☉, or until it be of the consist∣ence of thin Mustard; then Seal it Her me••∣cally, and keep it in digestion with a gentle heat for two and fourty days, during which time the Matter will putrifie and smell ve•••• strong, and you shall see all the Colours ap∣pear successively; take a little of it and was•• it well with warm {water} several times, then be∣ing dry, put some of it upon a thin Pl〈…〉〈…〉 red-hot, and if it melt without smoaking, 〈◊〉〈◊〉

is a sign that it is all Mercurial, and well prepared; but if it smoak, you must keep it in digestion untill that sign appeareth: Then wash and edulcorate it well from all Saltness, and dry it very gently; then mix it with seven parts of prepared Salt, put it in a Cucurbite, which put in Sand, and give a gentle fire for twelve or fourteen hours, then increase the fire, and continue that de∣gree as long; continue the Sublimation un∣til all the Philosophical Calx be Sublimed: Then gather carefully with a feather this Sublimate, and put it in a Glass Mortar with warm {water}, grinding it with a Glass Pestle for an hour or two, then let it settle, and pour off the {water}, put on fresh hot {water}, and grind it untill the Matter come to be of the consist∣ence of Mustard; then add good White-wine Vinegar, and grind it until all be con∣verted into running ☿.