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.

71. The Water or Oyl of Salt of Paracelsus. Cap. 3. Lib. 10. Arch. Pag. 38.

THough there be many ways of extracting the primum Ens of Salt, yet this (method of making Salt circulated, the Circulatum minus of Salt, the dissolving Water, the Water or Spirit of Salt circulated, described above in Numb. 27.) is most commodious, and expeditious, and after this is that other way, which we mentioned speaking of the Elixir of Salt, namely, that new Salt being mix'd well with the dissolving Wa∣ter, which is the distilled Spirit of Salt (circulated) must be pu∣trefied, and so long distilled, till the whole substance of the Salt is dissolved, and reduced into a perpetual oleosity, the Body of Phlegm being drawn neatly from it. This way is also taught the preparation of the Arcanum or Magistery of Vitriol and Tartar, as of all other Salts.

Annotations.

WE take notice that the Menstruums of the antecedent Kind are made of the unctuous Matter of Philosophical Wine, purged, dissolved, and volatilized with an acid; in the present we shall observe the contrary, namely, that the acid or saline Essences of Salts made with the unctuous Spirit of Philosophical Wine, are Menstruums of this fourteenth Kind. Paracelsus in the prescribed Receipt reduced Salts by cohobation alone, with the Water of Salt

circulated into a liquid substance or Oyl, but the Oyl made of common Salt, by the method aforesaid, he commends before the rest to his Dis∣ciples, for the extractions of Metallick Bodies. Certainly, saith he, there cannot be a more Noble and better way, than by the Wa∣ter or Oyl of Salt, prepared as we have clearly described in Al∣chymia (and in Libris Chyrurgicis.) For this Water fundamen∣tally and radically extracts out of all Metallick Bodies their Na∣tural Liquor or Sulphur, and a most excellent Crocus as well for Medicinal as Chymical Operations: It resolves and breaks any Metal whatsoever, converting it out of its own Metallick Nature into another, according to the various intention and industry of the Operator. Manuale de Lap. Phil. pag. 139.

It will therefore be worth while to explain the way of making this Oyl of Salt more clearly to you: First for the illustration of the Re∣ceipt we will propose the Description of the Oyl of Salt alleadged by the Author himself, in the eighth Book of his Archidoxes, which in the Elixir of Salt, Pag. 31. we read thus: Take Salt accurately prepared most white, and most pure; put it into a Pellican with such a quantity of the dissolving Water, as to exceed the weight of it six times: Digest them in Horse-Dung together the space of a Month, then separate the dissolving Water by di∣stillation, pour it again to it, and separate as before, and that so oft, till the Salt is converted into Oyl.

By comparing the Receipts it appears, that Sea-Salt newly made is not to be understood by new Salt, but the same exquisitely purify∣ed: Then it is clear, that the weight of the Water of the circulated Salt omitted in the Receipt of the tenth Book, ought to be so deter∣mined, as to be six times more than the weight of the Salt: More∣over, the time and place of putrefaction omitted in the former process are described in the other, that is, to be digested a Month in Horse-Dung: Besides it is from the Receipts observed, that all the Salt is not converted into Oyl, the Body of the Salt being drawn as a Phlegm from the Essence. Lastly, that the Oyls of Vitriol and Tartar may be also made by the same method.

The Receipts being thus compared, are not only without all obscuri∣ty, but do by the exuberance of their Light give Light also to other Processes, being otherwise less intelligible. So this Oyl of Salt, as the Essence or primum Ens of Salt explains that more obscure Descri∣ption of the Essence of Salts, given in Libro 4. Archid. Pag. 14. Take

Salts, and calcine them throughly; if they be Volatile, burn (sublime) them, after that resolve them into a tenuity (per deli∣quium) and distil them into a Water (through a Filter.) This Water putrefy (not by it self, but as the Disciples of the Art ought to understand and know, with the Water of Salt circulated) for a Month, and distil by Balneo, and a sweet Water will ascend (the Body of the Salt by the way of a Phlegm) which cast away: That which will not ascend, digest again (with new dissolving Water) another Month, and distil as before, and that so oft, till no more sweetness is perceived. By this way you have now the Quin∣tessence of Salt in the bottom, (like an Oyl) scarce two Ounces out of a Pound of the burned or calcined Salt. One Ounce of this Salt thus extracted, if common, seasoneth Meat more than half a Pound of another; for the Quintessence of it remains only, and the Body is drawn from it by liquid solution. This way is the Quintessence of all Salts separated.

This Process being thus enlightned by the rayes of the antecedent, reflects no small Light upon the said Receipts, namely, that scarce two Ounces are acquired from one Pound of the Salts.

In Clavi Archidoxorum, Lib. 10. Pag. 37. Paracelsus has de∣scribed the Essences of Salts in these Words: The way of extract∣ing the Quintessence of Salts, as Vitriol, Salt, Nitre, Tartar, &c. is this: Cohobate with its own Liquor or Water very often, pu∣trify with the Phlegm, and then draw off the Body in the form of Phlegm even to the fixed Spirit: This Spirit dissolve in its own Water, and by a strong heat separate the pure from the impure with the Spirit of Wine. This Description is most obscure, but made clearer by those aforesaid. The meaning of Paracelsus is this: He putrefies the Salts, and cohobates them so often with their own Liquors or Waters, that is, with their own Circulatums; common Salt with common Salt circulated; Nitre with Nitre circu∣lated; Vitriol with the Water of Vitriol circulated; Alume with the Water of Alume circulated, the dissolving Water of Alume, the Circulatum minus of Alume, &c. till they remain at the bottom in the form of an Oyl, which Oyl being either acid or saline, easily makes an effervescence with the unctuous Spirit of Philosophical Wine or its own Circulatum, and in this heat lets fall some of its impurities, and so becomes purer, which thing is confirmed by the Description it self of the Water of Salt circulated, where he putrefies Salt, being

melted and resolved per deliquium, with the Spirit of Philosophi∣cal Wine, cohobates, and draws it to an Oleity: Joyn it, saith he, with the Spirit of (Philosophical) Wine, and the impure will fall to the bottom, which separate, but let the pure be Cristallized in a cold place, pour the distillation to it again, and cohobate so oft, till a fixed Oyl remains at the bottom, and nothing sweet will more distill.

Moreover, this Oyl of Salt as a Menstruum, makes his Process in Chyrurgia intelligible, which otherwise could not be understood.