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.

PARAG. XIII.

A certain secret, by the help whereof wines are easily transported from mountainous places, remote from rivers, and destitute of other conveniences of carriage, so that the carrying of ten vessels is of a cheaper price then otherwise the carrying of one.

THis Paragraph offends many, as well learned as unlearn∣ed, ignorant of secrets, judging the thing impossible, and nothing else but dreams and fancies. Which comming to my ears made me repent of what I had wrote, because I have created to my self divers troubles, and the contradictions of many: Yet I was comforted again, considering, that this is the fashion of this perverse and ignorant world, being wont to carp at honest men, and their knowledge. Many judge this thing incredible, because of the want of winged Carts, that need not horses, confirming one the other in unbeleife, leading one another after the manner of the blind, by the hands, and concluding the impossibility thereof. But where∣fore I pray thee dost thou judge so perversly? for if thou wast master but of one secret before others, thou wouldst not judge so rashly, but rather wouldst judge of things unknowne to thee, as not to be contemned; for it is the manner of detra∣ctors to seek their own glory, despising the opinions of o∣thers, who if they were not blockish and sluggish, need not play the Parasites and Sycophants, being crafty appendixes of Courts, doing all their businesses cunningly, whose mis∣fortunes are not to be lamented, being ashamed to learn, and to handle coals. But to my purpose that I may demonstrate the truth. New wine decocted, and inspissated before its fermentation loseth nothing of its vertues, besides an acid insipid humidity, as experience testifies, when as yet when fermentation is made, feeling heat loseth its burning spirit, viz. its better part, the insipid and unprofitable being left be∣hind, as you may see in the distilling of wine. It follows there∣fore, that new wine assoon as it is pressed forth, must before

its fermentation be boiled to the consisting of honey, but not after that tedious way in a cauldron, which gives an ungrate∣full tast to the new wine, but in a certain peculiar secret vessel. The humidity being evaporated there remains the eight or tenth part, which resembles honey in its form, in which all the vertue lies. Which juice being thickned, and brought into a narrow compass, and shut up in a vessell may more easily be transported into other places, then those ten parts not in∣spissated, the carrying or transportation whereof is not only far dearer, but also oftentimes is suspected of being sophisti∣cated by the wagoners, mixing water with the wine.

That inspissated juice being transported to other places is turned into wine, if it be dissolved in a sufficient quantity of water, viz. as much as went from it in the decoction or in∣spissation, or in a less quantity, if thou desirest a stronger and better wine, and being dissolved is put up into the vessels to be fermented.

Not only one kind, but divers kinds of wines may be made out of new wine inspissated, viz. according to the different quantity of water, that is to be mixed with it, and indeed not without great gain, so that we need not that tedious & costly transporting of outlandish sweet wines, out of France, Spain, and Italy.

N. B. that the new wine is not to be inspissated in a caul∣dron, by reason of the ungratefull odour, and tast, which it contracts thence, or adustion. But there is required a cer∣tain peculiar precipitation, by the help whereof that yellow∣ness, and tast contracted in the decoction of the new wine is separated for clarification sake: without which two secrets, viz. the secret decoction and precipitation, or clarifying in time of fermentation, good wine cannot be made. He there∣fore that knows those may within a few yeares get great riches by the making of divers sorts of wines: but let the ignorant abstain from this wine-making. Thou maist first make tryall in a Cauldron, inspissating new wine of a lesser value, and thou shalt see by experience that no wine goes from the new juice, that which inspissated being left in the

bottom of the vessell, and to this thou maist again mix a suf∣ficient quantity of water, for the dissolving of it, and thou shalt have a new wine having the same sweetness of the first, except the tast attracted from the Cauldron, which dissolu∣tion, fermentation being made, yeelds a wine, but ungrate∣full by reason of the yellowness, and tast contracted from the Cauldron. But if thou knowest those two aforesaid secrets withous doubt thou shalt make most excellent wines of new wine inspissated.