Four books of Johannes Segerus Weidenfeld concerning the secrets of the adepts, or, of the use of Lully's spirit of wine : a practical work, with very great study collected out of the ancient as well as modern fathers of adept philosophy : reconciled together by comparing them one with another, otherwise disagreeing, and in the newest method so aptly digested, that even young practitioners may be able to discern the counterfeit or sophistical preparations of animals, vegetables and minerals, whether for medicines or metals, from true, and so avoid vagabound imposters, and imaginary processes, together with the ruine of estates.

The Seventh KIND. Vegetable Menstruums compounded of the aforesaid Simple Menstruums. (Book 7)

38. The Circulatum majus of Guido. Pag. 4. Thesauri Chym.

TAke of the Spirit of (Philosophical) Wine six Ounces, of the Salt of (the same) Wine four Ounces, the Vessel be∣ing well stopp'd, distil the Spirit in Balneo, which pour back upon the Salt of Wine, and again distil, and this ought to be done twelve times: then distil for a Month in Balneo roxido: Putrefaction being done, take out the matter and distil in a Cu∣curbit, with an Alembick of two Heads or Beaks, in Balneo, and the Spirit of Wine will ascend through the upper Beak into its Receiver, but the Phlegm through the lower into its Vessel: Take out the Salt of Wine, pour one half of the Spirit of Wine to it, and distil with a Retort into the other part of the Wine, distil yet once upon the remainder, and all the Salt will ascend into a strong Menstruum: But if you desire a weaker, add six (other) Ounces of the Spirit of Wine, and if you would have it very weak, pour to it a greater quantity of Spirit, but accord∣ing to the aforesaid weight, it is made our great Vegetable Men∣struum, or Circulatum majus.

Annotations.

HItherto of Simple Vegetable Menstruums; now follow those which are said to be compounded, not as if they are compound∣ed of more Ingredients, but because they are stronger than the Sim∣ple, as well in their qualities of dissolving, as tinging: The Menstru∣ums

of this Kind differ not from the former in matter, nor in the method of preparing, but in weight only; for the more aridity you add to the unctuous Spirit of Philosophical Wine, the stronger are the Menstruums made. Guido made his less Circulatum of one part of the Salt of Wine, and four parts of the Spirit of Wine; but the greater Circulatum he makes of two parts of the Salt of Wine, and three parts of the Spirit of Wine. The greater quantity of the Salt, the stronger is the Circulatum. The less Circulatums do extract the Essences, or Tinctures of things, but the greater Circulatums do dissolve the whole Body into a Magistery, as will appear in the second Book.

Vegetable Menstruums compounded are made also, if the simple Vegetable Menstruums be taken instead of the Spirit of Philosophi∣cal Wine, in the Descriptions of them all; as thus:

39. The Menstruum acutum of Guido. Pag. 8. Thesauri Chym.

TAke of the Vegetable Menstruum (Circulatum minus, descri∣bed in Numb. 36.) one Pound, of Sal Armoniack (common) twelve Ounces, distil by a Retort first with a weak Fire, then a stronger, and the Sal Armoniack will in part ascend, pour it back, and distil yet once: then again add twelve Ounces of new Sal Armoniack, distil strongly in Ashes, pour back, and cohobate yet twice, and you will have our acute Menstruum.

Sal Armoniack reduced into a liquid substance by the Spirit of Philosophical Wine, is a Menstruum of the fourth Kind, but the same Salt distill'd with the Circulatum minus of Guido, is made not a simple, but compound Menstruum, and the better for adding so great a quantity of new Sal Armoniack. Parisinus in the third Kind of Menstruums acuates the Spirit of Philosophical Wine with crude Honey, by which way it is made a simple Menstruum of that Kind, but if mixed with its fixed Salt, and distilled through an Alembick, 'tis made a compound Menstruum.

40. The Coelum majus of Parisinus. In Apertorio.

TAke B, that is, red Wine putrify'd, as you know how, put it in a Glass Cucurbit, with its Alembick, and Receiver well luted, and set it in Balneo, wherein must be so much Wa∣ter, as to swim two Fingers above the said Lunaria, and distil gently, and forthwith you will see Veins appear in the Alem∣bick; continue the distillation so long as they appear, and these Veins will be like Tears clear as Cristal, and when Death (Phlegm) comes, which kills the Spirit, the said Veins or Tears will cease, and appear round as Pearls: then take away the Re∣ceiver, stop it, that the Spirit may not evaporate, and set it in a cold place, and so have you separated the Soul (Spirit) of it, tho' it contains a little of its Death yet in it, and thus continue the distillation (the Receiver being now changed) till all the odorife∣rous Phlegm is ascended, and the matter remains like melted pitch, black and thick, which observe not to dry overmuch, but according to the said Signs only: And thus will you have two ferments from our B. beware of revealing to any one this Practice, which we communicate to you under the peril of your Soul, for you would be the cause of much Evil in this World, to be committed by the Sons of Iniquity: put it there∣fore into the hands of Almighty God, who knows the Will of those that live according to his Will, and the triumphant Gos∣pel, for the Glory of which you have extracted the Form out of B, and the same way you may extract from all Individuals Ani∣mal and Vegetable. Cap. secundum significatum, per C.

Take the Soul (Spirit) of it reserved in the cold place, and di∣stil half of it in Balneo, or till the precious Veins cease from as∣cending, rectify yet twice, observing the same Rules, but the third and fourth time, so soon as the Veins appear, leave off di∣stilling, and try whether it will burn a linnen Cloth, if not, re∣peat the distillation till it doth: then cohobate by it self four or six times in Balneo: And thus have you acquired a way fit for the rectifying of the said Matter or Soul, (Spirit) which is of so great Virtue, as not to be expressed by any Tongue, or the Se∣crets,

which the Eternal God hath vouchsafed to it, recited; as when we were at Venice, that Famous City, we both saw some Experiments of it; and so keep it well in a cold place. Cap. ter∣tium significatum per D. D. Having declared the method of recti∣fying and separating our ardent Spirit from its Death, depra∣ving its Virtue and Power: you must now know, that it is not able to dissolve the two Luminaries, and reduce them into action, except it be first acuated, as I shall tell you: Though this pre∣paration is to be taught in general, in Cap. F. yet to prevent the loss of time, so soon as you have rectify'd your ardent Spirit, otherwise called the first Flower, I had rather have you forth∣with put it into Practice, which we have in this Chapter signified by these two Letters, D. D. whereof one denotes the acuition of it, the other its Royal Acuator, that is, Salt extracted out of Ho∣ney, by the way which we have oftentimes shewed you, that is, with its most precious Water (of Honey, or the Menstruum de∣scribed in the third Kind, Numb. 10.) and though this Water be good enough, yet this Water, being acuated with its most preci∣ous Salt, of which you will be more certain, will recompence your Labour, and abundantly sustain you, till you attain to the end of your Labour, the great Medicine. Now to the purpose, Take white Honey of young Bees, put it in Putrefaction in large Cucurbits, with their Alembicks in Balneo, and make it boyl continually for an Hour, the rest of the time let it remain in a temperate heat, and this do for the space of fifteen Natural Days, then pour to the matter so much of C, as to swim the breadth of four Fingers above it, covering the Vessels with the blind Heads, and putting them in Putrefaction three Natural Days; then put on the Alembicks with their Receivers, and the Joynts being well luted, distil in Balneo, and when seven parts of eight are distilled, or (which is a more certain sign) when you see round tears or drops ascend, lay aside the Receivers close stopp'd, that nothing may evaporate, keep them in a cool place, for the acuition of the matter; then continue the distillations in the same degree of heat, till nothing more ascends; but if necessity requires a greater Fire, have a care of making it too strong, and when nothing will ascend by the said Rule, take away also these Receivers, and keep them, because they contain the second Wa∣ter or Phlegm for the extraction of the most precious Salt:

Now put your matter in Ashes, and distil with a heat of the third degree, the Oyl being distilled, suffer the matter to cool, which being pulverized, reverberate in an Earthen Dish in a Reverberatory for eight Days, or till it be calcin'd enough; the sign will be when you find it of an Ash Colour: then pour of the reserved Phlegm to it so much as to cover it the breadth of two Fingers; the Vessel being covered with a blind Head, keep it in Balneo two or three Days, decant the Liquor, and pouring on new Phlegm, repeat so oft, till you have extracted all the Salt, which will exceed Snow in whiteness: And this is that Salt, wherewith we acuate our simple C, (the ardent Spirit for a Menstruum of the Fifth Kind) this is that which gives the begin∣ning of Vegetation to both the Luminaries, reducing them into the Nature of a Quintessence: And with the same may you al∣so acuate, and augment its own VVater (of Honey, or Menstruum of the Third Kind) which hath the power of Vegetating all Mi∣nerals. VVith this alone will you support your self in your ne∣cessity, so as to be in duty bound, my Son! to give thanks to the absolute power: Be careful not to disclose so great a secret to any Man; for we have now declared it so plainly, that 'tis im∣possible to add any thing more. Now take your decantations, which you drew off in Balneo, that the Salt may remain most white, which you must dissolve, filtre, and congeal three times, and it will be fit for all your operations. Now let us descend to the practice of acuition. Take of the Salt aforesaid one ounce, to which being well pulverized, pour four parts of C, that is, the first Spirit (ardent, but because a Menstruum of the fifth, and not of this Kind, would be made by this Spirit, therefore is C, being acuated with Honey, or the mellifluous Heaven of Parisinus, a Men∣struum of the third Kind to be taken) in a blind Head, and the Joynts well luted, putrify the space of two Natural Days, then put on an Alembick with a Receiver, and distil in Ashes: distil∣lation being ended, take a pound of the Salt remaining in the Retort, and add to it four times the quantity of C, putrifying, and distilling in Ashes as before, and the Magistery so often re∣peat, till all the Salt ascends together with its Celestial Spirit, or C, and by this way may you acuate and multiply as you please: but remember that one part of Salt requires four parts of C, (in this place, the Coelum mellifluum of Parisinus.) And you

must know, I tell you no fabulous Stories, but very distinctly de∣clare to you the order of true Practice, yet with this Proviso, That when first you have brought it into action, you would al∣together conceal it, considering with how great obscurity the ancient Philosophers delivered theirs, which notwithstanding they had not done, but to restrain the ignorant from being too arrogant, for the same reason also do we desire, that, as we have more than often admonished you, you would keep secret, and in convenient time and place work for your self, and the poor of Jesus Christ. Cap. quartum significatum per E. VVe ought to re∣turn infinite thanks to the goodness of the Eternal God, in teach∣ing us so bountifully the way of preparing our Heaven, and ma∣king us partakers of so admirable and inestimable a favour. Cer∣tain it is, when I had compleated this most secret Science, and seen real transmutation the first time, I was in a manner astonish∣ed, and often lifting up my Eyes to Heaven, fell prostrate up∣on the Earth, giving thanks to Almighty God. Now to the purpose: Take a large Glass of such a size, as I shewed you one at Murarium, into which put two or three pounds of that Menstru∣um, stop it well, and circulate in Balneo or Horse-Dung, but have a care lest in changing the Dung you impede the circula∣tion, and so let it circulate the space of forty Natural Days, and then you will find your matter clear as Cristal, with a Sediment in the bottom like Silk, which decant warily into another Glass, keep it very close in Balneo, and you will have a Simple Vege∣table Menstruum, (if made of the ardent Spirit, and Salt of Honey, but a compound, if prepared with the Coelum mellifluum of Parisi∣nus and Salt of Honey) our Heaven is in Virtue beyond expressi∣on, herewith do we truly calcine and dissolve the Luminaries, with the preservation of their radical moisture. This is that which will reduce imperfect as well as perfect Metals from pow∣er into action. And though I may seem not to have delineated to you the Form of the Glass, yet I know, and do remember, that I left some of them at your House, and many other of our Cucurbits, which are every one good. Govern your self ac∣cording to your discretion, we having sufficiently manifested to you the way of Truth in this Chapter.

From the Receipts we observe.

1. That the Menstruums of this seventh Kind differ from the former simple Menstruums, not in matters, nor in ways of making, but in the weights and use of the Ingredients.

2. That these Menstruums tinge not their dissolution, which is the property of compound Menstruums. Every Vegetable Mercury con∣tains indeed its own tinging Sulphur in its Bowels, sufficient both for it self and others, as will be demonstrated in the third Book, but especially in the fifth, nevertheless we affirm, that every Spirit of Phi∣losophical Wine wants Tincture, as being not acuated with things more tinging.