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NOw for what belongs to Workemanship and opera∣tions, although all these may seeme to be referd to conjunction and separation, yet it pleaseth us in this place according to our purpose to reduce them into three formes,
and to comprehend them in the three following Chapters, In the first we may contain those operations which pertain to the dissolution and corruption of a thing; In the second we will put in those things which are separated, and the detra∣ction of any thing, In the third, we will explain those which are appointed for the alteration, immutation, perfection, and preserving of a thing.
In the the first rank are breaking, or grinding, shaving, sleeking, filing, melting, or dissolving, drayning, burning, turning into ashes, or incineration, calcination, praecipita∣tions, fumigation, putrifaction and fermentation.
As for breaking or grinding, * 1.2 the chief end thereof is, that things may reduced into their smallest parts; that afterwards they may the easier, and more exactly be mixt with others, and their vertue may be drawn out.
Sleeking, * 1.3 or levigation, is nothing else then a most exact breaking or grinding, whereby some Medicine, red marble, or some other polite stone, a convenient liquor being powred in, or else without liquor, tis so long wrought with a little kind of Mil stone, by the turning of the hand, that it is re∣duced into the form of fine flower, and wonderful smal dust, in that manner painters use to prepare their colours.
Next to these are Section, Shaving, and Filing: Leaves, Staulks and rootes of plants, * 1.4 are cut with Scizzers, or Knives, and by this means they are prepared, for boyling, infusion, or grinding, other things are shaved, or lessened by a turn, as woods, horns, hoofs, or nails, teeth of living creatures, for the same purposes. But those things which can neither be lessened by cutting or breaking, should be filed with an iron File, and reduced into the smallest parts, such like are most met∣tals, as iron, and others, and also woods, horns, and bones of Animales.
Melting is a reduction of harder things, * 1.5 into a more liquid substance. Dissolving differs not from this, unlesse because that is done alwaies by the benefit of heat, and for the most part without adding of moisture; but this is alwayes done with moisture, and oftentimes without heat, so they melt fat, butter, marrow, wax, Pirch••osin, certain kinds of gummes, as also mettals by a greater strength of fire, but for the most part with powder added that they may the better run; all kinds of salt, are dissolved teares, juices, many kinds of gummes, Rosins.
Drayning or dissolving is a peculiar sort of solution when a body is made fluid, by moist aier, * 1.6 which insinuates it self into it, so salts, allome, nitre, and such like melt, all which turn into liquor, also lyme, or chaulke, of which the greatest part are dissolved into liquor, or some thing of them onely melt, according as they contain more or less salt. To these belong burning, and torrifying, * 1.7 yet they differ in this, that these are performed with the lesse, they with the greater fire, whence, in tosting things are rather dryed, then burnt, and if any thing be burnt, tis the out-side, but in burn∣ing as well the internal parts, as those on the outside are burnt together. This drying is performed in a Platter, or Frying pan, especially of iron, wherein medicines put to the fire may often be stirred about, that either the superfluous hu∣miditie may be consumed, or the qualitie that abounds in the medicine may be taken away, but burning, when any medi∣cine, as harts horn, mans skull, ivory, oils inclosed in a pot∣ters furnace, are burnt, and being burnt, and as yet hot are ex∣tinguished in a convenient liquor, and afterward rubbed, or crumbled to dust.
Cinefaction, or a reduction into ashes, * 1.8 is so called when the moisture, which was in the combustible matter, by which the parts hung together, is consumed by the fire, which is per∣formed, two wayes; First, the fire being opened the thing it self is cast in naked, and is reduced into ashes, moreover in a Vessel that is closed, matter is burnt and turned into ashes, which combustion differs from the former in this, for in the former, whatsoever is volitile flyes into the ayer, but in this some volitiles are retained, and fastned with the fixed.
Calcination is a pulverisation of a thing by fire caused by the privation of the moisture of the part joyned with it. * 1.9 This principally takes place in minerals, and mettals, and other things which of themselves do not burn, and are more firmely united, and tis appointed either that a thing may be made the fitter for solution, or to lose the acrimony, which it hath, although on the contrary some things become the sharper for burning whilst the aqueous humiditie, whereby the acri∣mony is occasioned is consumed by fire. But this is perform∣ed two wayes, either by actual fire, when things are fired, and the bond of continuitie is broken by actual fire; or by poten∣tial fire, when things to be calcined, are corroded, by strong and corrasive waters, and other causticks.
That calcination, which is made by actuall fire is againe various, for some things are calcined by themselves, and without any addition, but other things, with additamen∣tents, which either prohibit the fusion, or else burne and corrode.
But that calcination in particular, which is made and corrasive powders mixt therewith, * 1.10 is called Cementing, and tis performed when a crucible is filled with thin plates of mettall, and corrasive powders, one ranke above ano∣ther, First Plates, then Powders, then Plates, then pow∣ders, &c. As the manner is in doing, after the crucible is exposed to a circular fire or Reverberation by degrees, yet some things are extinguished first by certaine waters, be∣fore they are calcined, some are corroded first by their own waters and afterwards are Reverberared; on the contrary some things are Reverberated first, afterwards corro∣ded.
Calcination which is done by potentiall fire is finished by corroding, * 1.11 precipitating, or Fumigation. Corrosion is a so∣lution of mettalls, or such like by waters and sharpe spirits Precipitation is when a mettall descends to the bottome, * 1.12 in the likenesse of Chaulke, and is seperated from the water that dissolves it; but Fumigation is when some body is corroded and brought into a body like chaulke, by the ex∣halation, or vapour of a corroding thing.
Hitherto pertaines Amalgamation, * 1.13 which with the Chy∣mists is an operation which is nothing else then a corrod∣ing of mettalls by Quick-silver and Mercury.
Lastly putrifaction, which others call Fermentation, and digestion, is that operation whereby a mixt body is someway dissolved by a moist heate, and losing its natu∣rall juncture, or Union, is rendred the more fit for artificial seperation.
In the in∣stitutions Chap. 3•• 4.5.6.7. The kindes of opera∣tions Phar∣maceuti∣call.
Tritura.
Laeviga∣tio.
Cutting Shaving Filing
Meltings Dissolving.
Deliqui∣um.
Burning. Toasting:
Burning to askes.
Calcining.
Cementing.
Corroding.
Precipita∣tion. Fumiga∣tion.
Corroding of mettalls by Quick-filuer. Putrifacti∣on.