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.

Now follows the way of separating gold silver from Antimony.

THe aforesaid antimoniall Regulus's may many wayes be purged, and first by help of bellows on a plain earthen test, as the custome is with Goldsmiths when they make gold fusile by antimony, which labour is tedious and dangerous; which cannot be done often without the losse of health, nor in great quantity: wherefore when a better way is known 'tis a folly to doe it so. The Regulus's also may be puri∣fied by lead on a teste, which work may be done in a great quantity, but it requires aboundance of coals and lead, where the antimony cannot be preserved: but it may be done with gain, and is to be preferred before the former wayes: Thou maist if thou pleasest calcine the aforesaid Regulus's and then fuse them; which way gold and silver may easily be drawne out. Thou maist also fuse them in a crucible, and by the ad∣dition of some salts separate the antimony from the gold and silver, turning the antimony into dross, which being separa∣ted those are found purified and mallcable, which though it be the easiest way, it is yet also very dangerous, for the salts often, if you doe not warily proceed doe spoil much gold and and silver, and sometimes leave gold immalleable, and so dou∣ble the pains.

But he who knows how to doe this by Nitre only, he may with great gain and in a short time purifie a great quantity of

the aforesaid Regulus's with out losse of gold, silver, or anti∣mony. There are also other means for the doing of it which to relate were tedious and indeede impossible. Wherefore I will set downe, the best of all, most profitable in the se∣parations of great quantities of Regulus's. Where first is re∣quired some peculiar little Furnace with a fire almost like to that in our first part of Philosophicall Furnaces, built for the subliming of flowers; it wants indeed a grate, but it hath little vents for to make the coals burn that thy antimony se∣parated from the gold may be sublimated or elevated into sub∣limatory vessels. Which being rightly built and heated, let so much of the Regulus be cast in with a spoon as the fire can bear, which wilquickly melt and elevated the air being attract∣ed by the vents, without any trouble: which being sublimed you may cast in more, if you have more until all the Regulus be separated & sublimated from the gold and silver, which are left in the fire pure and malleable; the furnace being cold you may take out the flowers, and keep them (of which afterwards) for uses, which way you may not only separate a great number of Regulus's from gold and silver in a smal time, but also keep all the antimony which may many ways be used in Alchymy and Medicine with great profit. Which sure is an excellent know∣ledge, for not only hereby may any one get aboundantly without wronging his neighbour, but also help many sick peo∣ple, viz. by that excellent medicine made of the flowers: which is a speciall gift of God, for which we owe immortal thanks. And this is of all others that I know the best way of separation of gold from antimony, which is not only done in great quan∣tity, in a short time, and with small charge, but also without losse of the antimony.