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.

80. The Oyl of Sal Armoniack of Guido. Pag. 11. Thesaur. Chymiatr.

TAke of the Oyl of Salt (the Menstruum described in Numb. 71.) half a pound, of (Common) Sal Armoniack four ounces. Dissolve the Salt in the Oyl, cohobate the Dissolution three times through an Alembick.

Annotations.

IN the attecedent Kind, the Spirit of Philosophical Wine was dissolved in Acids: Now to make these Oyley-acid Menstru∣ums stronger, the Adepts added to them Salts, that is, Arids dissolved in Acids, and Cristallized. In this present Kind they took Volatile Salts, as being of easier preparation, in the following: fixed Salts, because of stronger virtue. In the Receipt of Guido, there is nothing either difficult or dark, unless you will object against the Ingredients, which cannot be both common, because Guido sub∣limes Gold Philosophically with this Menstruum. Whatsoever also you read in the Books of Practical Chymy, understand always according to the Letter (we need not admonish you to except the Terms of Art) if so, that which is promised in the Preparation

and use may be performed; if not, seek an Analogical sense not in the method and use of preparation, but in the ingredients; according to which Rule either the Oyl of Salt, or Sal Armoniack, or both ought to be Philosophical, because Gold cannot be Philosophically sublimed with Common Menstruums. The Oyl of Salt of Paracelsus, as also the Spirit or Oyl of Salt of Basilius, wherewith he extracts the Sulphur of Sol, do prove the Oyl of Salt to be a Philosophical Menstruum, Cap. 6. de Rebus nat. & supernat.

Probable it is that Guido meant the same Oyl, for otherwise the Name of Oyl had been improperly attributed by a Philosopher to the thin and common Spirit of Salt. But if you think rather that Gui∣do meant the common Spirit of Salt by the Oyl of Salt, you must by Sal Armoniack understand not the common, but Vegetable Sal Har∣moniack (the Spirit of Philosophical Wine dryed with some Salt, and then sublimed) for so you might also make a Menstruum of the same if not of stronger Virtue, a species of the following Eighteenth Kind: But if both the Oyl of Salt and Sal Armoniack be Philoso∣phical, a Menstruum will be from thence produced yet stronger than both the precedent: Here you may deviate from the true and genuine sense of the Receipt, but never from Chymical Truth, so long as you are guided by the Spirit of Philosophical Wine, but here you must have a great care that you do not transmute (as sometimes through inadvertence you may) the false Receipts of deceitful Distillers into true ones; an impossible into a possible; a lye into truth; and a wick∣ed Man into a Philosopher.

Sometimes they impregnated common Sal Armoniack with a Tincture, to make a Menstruum higher, thus: