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.

An Operation that Monsieur de I'Oberye wrote from Monsieur John's Mouth.

TAke the Mother-liquor of Salt-petre, let it run cold through washed Sand, then filter it by Languetes, then through gray paper: Then evaporate with very gen∣tle heat, putting down the skins as they rise upon the Liquor; the remaining Salt being dry, grind it, and put it to resolve into Li∣quor in a Cellar, then filter and evaporate as before. Repeat this purification five or six times, or so often, till it leave no more feces in the filter. If you take lbx. of this Liquor, you shall have but lbij. ℥viij. of pu∣rified Salt: Of this lbij. ℥viij. you shall have ℥x. of Spirit, by distilling it per se in Re∣••orts in Sand; you must put but lbss. of this Salt into each Retort; deflegm it in B. Take the Caput Mortuum, and grind it, and dis∣solve it in a Cellar; filter, and congeal, re∣peating this two or three times: Then being very dry, joyn ℥iij. of it with ℥j. of the rectified Spirit; digest and circulate eight days with gentle heat in Ashes, and all will be a {water} of the colour of Amber. Put one

part of ☉ into ten parts of this Liquor, and it will dissolve it (cold) in less than a quar∣ter of an hour: Decant the dissolution when it is clear; one drop thereof taken in a little broath, is a great Corroborant.

Put ☿ revived from Cinaber into the dis∣solution•• of ☉, and it will become like a Gum, decant the clear, and put the ☿ to dry, and it will become hard; melt it between two beds of Calcined Egg-shells in a Cruci∣ble, and you shall have good ☉.