Another collection of philosophical conferences of the French virtuosi upon questions of all sorts for the improving of natural knowledg made in the assembly of the Beaux Esprits at Paris by the most ingenious persons of that nation / render'd into English by G. Havers, Gent. & J. Davies ..., Gent.

CONFERENCE CXXXVII. Of the Generation of Metals. (Book 137)

MEtal, which is a Mineral, solid, opake, heavy, malleable, du∣ctile, and sounding body, is compounded either by Nature, Art, or Chance, as, Latin, Electrum, and Corinthian Brass; or else it is simple, and divided into seven Species, according to the num∣ber of Planets, whereunto each of them is referr'd, as precious Stones are to the Fixed Starrs; namely, Gold, Silver, Lead, Copper, Iron, Tinn; and Quick-silver, which others reject, from the number of Metals, because not malleable; as also Tinn, because compounded of Lead and Silver. Their remote Mat∣ter is much Water with little Earth; their next, according to Aristotle, a vaporous exhalation. Their general Efficient Cause is Heaven, by its Motion and Influencess producing Heat, which attenuates and concocts the said Exhalation, which is afterwards

condens'd by Cold: Hence all Metals are melted by violent Fire, which evaporates Quick-silver, and softens that sort of Iron which is not fusible. The place where they are generated is the bosome of the Earth; the Metals found in Waters, as Gold in Tagus and Pactolus, having been carry'd from the Earth by the Waters; which washing and purifying them, render them more perfect than those of the Mines.

The Second said, Although Metals were generated at the beginning of the world in their Mines, whence they were first extracted and wrought by Tubalcain, who is the fabulous Vulcan of Paganism; yet they cease not to be generated anew by the afflux of sutable Matter, which is a metallick Juice form'd of hu∣midity, not simply aqueous, (for then Heat should evaporate instead of concocting it) but viscous, unctuous, and some∣what terrestrial, which for a long time holds out against what∣ever violent Heat, as appears by the Fires of Volcanoes, which are maintain'd by Bitumen alone, and other sulphureous Earths. This also is the Opinion of the Chymists, when they compound them of Sulphur and Mercury; Sulphur holding the place of the Male Seed, and Mercury, which is more crude and aqueous, that of the maternal blood. And as the Salt or Earth predo∣minating in Stones is the cause of their friability; so Sulphur and Mercury, which is unctuous moisture, renders them malleable and capable of extension; which is an Argument of their per∣fection, as well as colour, sound, and fixation, or enduring Fire without alteration, but not weight; for then as Gold, the perfectest Metal, is the heaviest, so Silver should be next to it in weight, which is not; Quick-silver being much more ponder∣ous; next, Lead; after which follow Silver, Copper, Tinn, Iron, and Stones, whose weight is very different. Whence it appears, that Gravity is not an Effect of the condensation of Matter; otherwise the Starrs being the denser parts of their Orbs should be heavy, as they are not; but it proceeds from the Form, whereunto also the many wonderful Effects observ'd in Metals must be referr'd; as that Gold discovers Poysons, attracts Quick-silver, and is attracted by the Foot of a Spar-hawk, and lov'd by Gryphons, as Iron is by Estriches, who digest it; that Tinn makes all Metals brittle where-with it is mixt, Copper sinks not in the water of the Island Demonesus, near Carthage; and that Quick-silver, though humid, and alwayes fluid, moistens not; which some attribute to the equal mixture of siccity and humidity.

The Third said, If ever the Opinion of Anaxagoras (who held, Omnia in omnibus) was well grounded, it was chiefly in reference to Metals, whose Etymology, together with the Chymists operations, speak the easie transmutation of one into another; imperfect Metals differing onely in certain accidental degrees from Gold and Silver, which they may be turn'd into after purifying from their Leprosie, and refining by Nature or

Art. And thus according to the opinion of some Moderns, it may be said, that, supposing the earth a great Magnet, it hath also in it self a commencement towards such metallick mutation, since the Loadstone is in a manner the principle of Iron, the most terrestrial of all Metals; whence it is that they attract one ano∣ther, as do Mercury and Gold, which is compos'd thereof. And thus by the power of heat in the bowels of the Earth, Iron the most imperfect and lightest of all Metals is turned into Steel and Copper, afterwards into Tin, and lastly, being more depu∣rated into Silver and Gold. And since Art imitates Nature as in the fabricating of Artificial Gold you must first resolve a solid matter, then volatilize, and again fix and return into a solid sub∣stance; so the generation of Metals may be conceiv'd to be ef∣fected by evaporation of the thinner parts of Earth and Water, which being volatilized by the subterranean heat, and lighting upon Rocks and hard Stones, are there fixed and condensed into Metals differing according to the purity and concoction of their matter, and the places it lights upon, which are ordinarily Mountains.

The Fourth said, That the different properties of Metals plainly argue the diversity of their Species; since Properties presuppose specificating Forms. Besides, the World would have been very defective, if Nature had made only Gold, which may be better spared than Iron and Steel, and is less hard for uses of Life. Nor is it likely that Nature ever intended to reduce all Metals to Gold; which then should be more plenti∣ful than Iron and Lead; since wise and potent Nature seldom fails of her intentions: As for the alledged transmutation of Metals, were it possible, yet it proves them not all of the same Species, change of Species being very ordinary, and as easie to be made in Crucibles as in Mines; nothing else being neces∣sary thereunto but to open the bodies of the Metals, and set at liberty what in some is most active, and in others more suscep∣tible of the Forms you would introduce. Nature indeed al∣ways intends what is most perfect, but not to reduce every thing to one most perfect Species, as all Metals to Gold; but to make a most perfect individual in every Species; labouring with no less satisfaction for production of Iron and Flints then of Gold and precious Stones. As for the principles of Metals, all com∣pound them of Mercury and Sulphur, joyning Vitriols there∣unto instead of salt to give Body to the said Ingredients; but some will have Mercury to be the sole matter, and understand by sulphur an internal and central heat in the Mercury concoct∣ing its crudity, and by Mercury the cruder portion of its self; their Salt being only the consistence whereof the Mercury is capable after Coction. Others distinguish what is metallick in metals (as only Mercury is) from the impurities mixt therewith, as earths, sulphurs, and Vitriols; and make the per∣fect metals so homogeneous that 'tis impossible to separate any

thing from them; which is a proof (they say) of the unity of their matter and conformity with Mercury, which always retains its own nature, though preparations make it appear in several shapes. Moreover, they inferr from the great pondero∣sity of Gold, that it is only Mercury; otherwise the less heavy bodies pretended to be mixt therewith, should diminish its weight; and Fusion, which seems to reduce all metals into their most natural state, makes them perfectly resemble Mercury, in which alone the Chymists for that reason seek their Great Work. Nevertheless seeing Experience teaches us, that Mercurie's sul∣phurs and vitriols are found in all metals except Gold, it must be confess'd that these three bodies are their immediate prin∣ciples. Nor doth it follow that they are not in Gold too, though the Chymists have not yet been able to find them, but so close∣ly united as to be inseparable; Coction having such power upon matters that have affinity, as to unite them beyond possibility of separation; as appears in Glass, of which nothing else can be made but Glass, though it be compos'd of different principles, and in Mercury it self, which is a Mixt, but reduc'd to such homogeneity that nothing can be extracted out of it but Mer∣cury. Indeed Gold could not be so malleable us it is, if it were all Mercury; and they that know Mercury, and the impossibi∣lity of depriving it of the proneness to revive, will not easily believe it can, without mixture of some other body, acquire the form of Gold; whose gravity proceeds from its proper Form, and not from Mercury which can give it no more weight then it self hath; Gold by being more dense, not acquiring more gravity, any more then Ice doth which swims upon the water.