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TO shew that Metals Associated with other Bodies will afford different Colours, I have given an Instance in Silver, which gave Glass a lovely golden Colour. And I shall now add, that I am told, that Artificers paint Glass yellow with Calx of Silver. And I have obtain'd a Substance of a saphirine Blew from Shel-silver mix'd with Powder of crystal Glass, kept in Fusion two or three Hours, which I
attributed to some Copper latent in the Sil∣ver. And tho' Copper calcin'd per se yields a dark colour'd Calx, yet it tinges Glass Green; But being kept in Fusion with 100 times it's Weight in Glass, it afforded not a green, but a blew Substance, which whether it proceeded from the Action of the Mineral, or it's saline Parts only, or both, I must not stay to en∣quire. But to proceed, Putty made of Tin and Lead Calcin'd together, being a white Calx gives colliquated Glass the resemblance of white Amel, which will receive into it the Colours of divers Minerals which will indure the Fire: And I have elsewhere taken Notice, that blew and yellow Amel, being compounded will afford a Green. And it is commonly known that the dark Substance call'd Zaffora will give Glass a blew Tincture. And that dark Substance term'd Magnesia from it's simi∣lar Colour to that of a Load-stone, gives Glass not only Colours different from its own, but in themselves; as a Red, Purplish or Blackish, as the Quantity of it varies; yet it is us'd to free Glass from that blewish green Co∣lour that it is subject to; and this may serve to confirm what we deliver'd in the XLIV Ex∣periment, viz. that as the Parts of a Pigment are more closely or set at distance, the Colour will vary. And here it may not be altogether fruitless to advertise, that it may be a good way of trying Ores, and what Metal they most abound with, to try what Colour they give Glass, when mix'd in a due proportion, and kept in Fusion in an equal Degree of Heat and length of time.
But to proceed to other Instances agreeable to those we have laid down, yellow Orpiment and Sea-salt Sublim'd together constitute white Arsnick, and tho' Orpiment is the greater Part of the Composition; yet Arsenick gives Cop∣per a white Colour within and without.
In counterfeiting Factitious Gems by Vitrifi∣cation, it is observ'd, That calcin'd Lead, Colli∣quated with white Sand, or Crystal powder'd by successive Ignitions and extinctions, yields a Decoction, of the Colour of a Ger∣man Amethist: And I have observ'd, in cal∣cin'd Lead it self, something like the Colour of such an Amethist: And with Glass of Lead overpower'd with other Pigments, you may emulate the Greenness of Emeralds, tho' in several Cases, the Colour of the Lead may vi∣tiate that of the Pigment; and these Colours so much depend upon Texture, that before the aforemention'd Mixture acquir'd an Amethistine Colour, it passed through several intermediate Colours; and the Colours of such Substances may be so much vary'd by degrees of Fire, that I have had, a Mass of the size of a small Nut, of four distinct Colours.
BUt besides the aformention'd Ways by which Metals may acquire adventitious Colours, there are yet two unmention'd. For I am told, that it is impossible to strike that Colour term'd a Bow-dye without the Materials be boyl'd in Vessels, either made of, or lin'd with a Particular Metal.
The other way of dying Bodies, is with the Solution of Metals in their proper Menstruums; so Gold dissolv'd in Aqua Regis, will dye the Nails and Skin, and Hafts of Knives made of Ivory, not with a Golden Colour, but a Pur∣ple, scarce ever to be wash'd out: And I have already told you, that a Solution of Silver will dye the Nails Black. So Brine colours Beef Green or Red, and a certain proportion of Salt-Petre and common Salt Colours Neats Tongues Red, and such Flesh as would be otherwise White. And to these I shall add, that a Solution of Sulphur of Vitriol or com∣mon Sulphur, will Colour Silver with a golden or reddish Colour, for which Reason the Bath Water causes that Effect. And the Juice of Alcanna, which is Green, dyes the Skin and Nails of a lasting Red.