A description of new philosophical furnaces, or A new art of distilling, divided into five parts. Whereunto is added a description of the tincture of gold, or the true aurum potabile; also, the first part of the mineral work. Set forth and published for the sakes of them that are studious of the truth. / By John Rudolph Glauber. Set forth in English, by J.F. D.M.

Metallick mixture for the matter of the glass.

THere are diverse of these mixtures of which one is al∣wayes better then the other, which by how much tis the harder, by so much the glass is the better; and by how much the harder the metal is, by so much the better it is polisht, nor doth the hardness of the mixture suffice but its whitness is required: for red proceed from too much copper; becoming black from too much iron, or duskie from too much tin, doth not make the true representations of things, but changeth the shape and colour of them: for example sake, too much cop∣per makes shapes too red, and so of the rest; let therefore the metallick mixture be very white, but if burning glasses are made, it is no matter what colour it be of, if so be that the mixture be hard. I will set down one of the best, ℞. of copper plates the thinnest beaten to pieces one part, of white Arsenick a quarter, first moisten the plates with the liquor of the salt of Tartar, and make a bed upon a bed with plates and Arsenick powdred, by sprinkling this on them, until the crucible be filled; to which powre to the oyle of flax as much as sufficeth to cover the copper and Arsenick: which done put to the cover with the best lute, then place the crucible (the lute being dryed) in sand, so that only the up∣per part of the cover may stick out and administer fire by de∣grees, at first little; Secondly, somewhat stronger, till at length it be hot that all the oyle may evaporate; in the mean time the oyle shall prepare the copper and retaine the Arsenick and shall make it enter into the plates like oyle piercing dry leather: Or place the crucible upon a grate and put fire on it,

which administer by degrees, until the oyle evaporate in the boyling. Lastly when it shall coole, break the crucible, and thou shalt finde the copper of diverse colours, especially if thou shalt take Orpin in stead of Arsenick, twice or thrice increas∣ed in bigness and friable.

℞ of this copper one part, and of latton two parts, melt it with a very quick fire, and first indeed the latton to which afterward add the friable copper; powre out the mixture melted and thou shalt have a very hard metal unfileable, yet not so brittle but like steele, of which diverse things may be shaped serving in stead of iron and steele instruments; take of this hard metal the third part, of the best tin without lead one part, effuse it and the matter of looking glasses will be made. This mixture is a hard white metal making the best looking glases, but if this labor seem tedious, take of copper three parts, of tin one part, of white Arsenick half for the matter of look∣ing glasses, which are fine but brittle as well in the melting as polishing, therfore carefully to be handled. I must here set down a thing worthy to be observed, and knowen to few; false is the opinion of many, especially of those who attribute know∣ledge to themselves of the proprieties of metals, in the second part (of subtile spirits) mention is made of the pores of me∣tals, for experience witnesseth, that those subtile spirits as of hartshorn, tartar, soote, and sometimes those sulphureous of salts and metals do evaporate through pewter vessels, which at the first time no man conceives, for whose sake this discourse is made. Make two bals of Copper, and two of pure Tin not mixt with lead, of one and the same forme and quantity, the weight of which bals observe exactly, which done again melt the aforesaid bals into one, and first the copper, to which melted add the Tin lest much Tin evaporate in the melting; and presently powre out the mixture melted into the type of the first bals, & there wil not come forth four but scarce three bals, the weight of the four bals reserved; if then metals are no•• porous, how I pray doth that great alteration of quantity proceed? therefore know that metalsare porous more or less, gold hath the finest pores, silver hath more, Mercury more then

that, Lead more then Mercury, Copper more then Lead and Iron then copper, but tin hath most of all.

If we could destroy metals and again educe them destroyed from power to act, surely they would not be so porous. And as a child without correction is unfit to any goodness, but cor∣rected is endued with all kinde of vertue and learning, so also we must understand of metals which left in their natural state, namely drawn out of the earth without correction and emendation remaine volatile, but corrupted and regenerated are made more noble, even as our bodies destroyed and cor∣rupted, at length shall arise clarified before they come into Gods fight. Well said Paracelsus, that if in one hour metals were destroyed an hundred times yet they could not be with∣out a body, reassuming a new species and indeed a better, for it is rightly said, Ʋnius corruptio, alterius generatio; for the mor∣tification of a superfluous sulphureous body is the regenera∣tion of the Mercurial soul, for without destruction of metals perfection cannot be; therefore metals are to be destroyed and made shapeless that after thereby the superfluous earthy combustible sulphur separated the pure fine Mercurial species may spring, of which thing more de amausis.