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. XXIIII.

The fixation of sulphureous, arsenical, antimonial, cobolts, and other volatile poysonous minerals, which otherwise by reason of their vola∣tility cannot be retained, and melted in the fire, viz. by the help of any cementing furnace, or such that hath a grate, that go d and sil∣ver may the better be drawn from thenc••.

IT is not unknown to the diggers of minerals that sometimes there are immature minerals found which have neither gold nor silver in them, which being a little while exposed to the aire, and then being tryed yeeld gold and silver as wel in a greater as in a lesser proofe; such are Bismuth, Coboltum, Au∣ripigmentum; and other Antimonial, and Arsenical minerals. The aire therefore causing this maturation (viz. exciting the active, and maturative salt of the minerals) why may not such minerals be perfected, and maturated by such kinde of fixing salts? certainly it may be done by art, and nature, al∣though it cannot be conceived by a dull wit. What advise therefore is to be given? Is this secret to be revealed to the in∣credulous & ignorant? By no means, let them seek it as others did, and they that shall finde it out are predestinated of God so to do, or else they shall not, although they should be in∣formed more of this thing. But be not thou ignorant that the gold and silver that was drawn forth out of those immature minerals after maturation, did not lye in them corporally; for then they might be separated by that artificial separation, but spiritually like an infant in its mothers wombe compassed about with many coverings. As Paracelsus cals such minerals sulphura embryonata, wanting nothing but maturation, of which they are deprived by being taken too untimely out of the mines by the miners. Now which way they are fixed, is not to be taught in this place; yet this I will say that every volatile immature sulphur hath not affinity with corporeal fixed gold, and therefore scarce to be mixed with it; as it ap∣pears by the separation of metals by the help of fusion, where

some metals are melted together, viz. fixed, and unfixed, for in the adjection of common sulphur, which being mixed with the unfixed being next to it, converts them into dross, but the fixed, viz. the gold and silver (especially the gold) will not mix with it, but reject it, and separate themselves natu∣rally from that mixture, and falling to the bottome are turn∣ed into a regulus, especially the gold, which being purged from all dross refuseth to be againe polluted with impurities, by reason of the antipathy, which is betwixt sulphur fixed, and unfixed.

N. B. Now common sulphur fixed is easier mixt with gold then with other imperfect metals; that which is wonderful in the eyes of the ignorant, in which there lyes a great secret worthy to be taken notice of Arsenicall minerals, and Kobalta also are fixed so as that afterward they being united with sil∣ver will remaine with it. But Antimony and Auripigmen∣tum partake of both natures, viz. golden, and silver, in which in part they may be fixed. Now I must confess that this is a very dangerous labour, where it is to be handled cautiously, and not but in our fourth furnace. As for my part I profess that Arsenical fumes never hurt me, who never used any other preservative then that I never entered upon those operations fasting: wherefore let him that sets upon such o∣perations eat first a piece of bread with butter, and drink a draught of wormwood beer, and avoyd the fume as much as he can.