SECT. XXIX. Of several sorts of Salt-peter, and a way how to make a sort of Salt-peter very excellent, with ease, and less cost than any way.
ARtificial Salt-peter is a mixture of many substances gotten with Fire and Water out of drie Dirt and Earth, as out of Vaults and Tombs, and also Charnel-Houses; the best of all is of Beast-dung converted into Earth, in Stables, or Dunghills of a long time not used; and when it is to be made, it is made with a great deal of Charge. Another excellent sort of Salt peter is made on Flower that is called Plaster that groweth on Walls four parts, of Unslak'd Lime one part, and so boiled over the Fire with Water, which is to no purpose to make relation how for to make full direction will fill my live-sed sheets too fast; but this one way, which is the most easie and least cost, I will write the Receipt thereof, which is this.
Take quick Lime, and pour warm Water upon it, and let it stand six days, stirring it twice or thrice a day; and take the clear of this Water, set it in the Sun until it be wasted, and the Salt-peter will remain in the bottom. To refine Salt-peter, and make it fit for use, there is several ways, but this by Fire I shall only write thereof. Do thus: take an Iron Pot or Skellet, and fill it with Peter, set it on the Fire, and cover it close with an Iron Cover on the top, or with a Stone; when the Salt-peter is melted, take Brimstone most finely beaten, and cast some thereon; kindle it, and let it burn until all the upper part be burned, which when effected, will leave the Salt-peter close like to a piece of Marble, for the Brimstone will burn up the gross victiousness of the Salt-peter; It is to no purpose to give a further relation of this, by reason every Gunner may have his Peter ready made refined and in Meal at the Powder-mens, or Chandlers; or if he is constrained to make Peter or Powder, he may have several Books which give a full and large description of the making thereof, as Nath. Nye Tarta glia, or Norton's; but for what is useful for a Gunner in particular, is sufficiently spoken already; therefore let it suffice now, having shewed sufficiently how to make Powder, and trie the strength of Powder; to know what Shot and Powder is meet for every Piece, to find whether the Pieee be true bored or not, to load a Piece with discretion, if not true bored to make the Dispert; and also to know the difference betwixt Iron and Brass Pieces. I shall come to touch how to make a good Shot either of Point-blank, or at Random, with as much ease and plainness as ever was taught by any before.