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.

82. The Aqua Comedens of Paracelsus. Lib. 10. Arch. pag. 37.

BY Aqua Comedens (Eating or Corroding Water) we mean Vinegar mix'd with the Spirit of (Philosophical) Wine, which must be drawn from common Salt so often, till it is dissolved, and comes over by distillation in the Vinegar.

Annotations.

THe Philosophical Vinegar, or Vinegar mix'd with the Spirit of Philosophical Wine, which you acuated with Volatile Salts in the precedent Kind, is made stronger by the mixing of fixed Salts so called. We have described several Vegetable Menstruums made with Alcali Salts in their fifth Kind, which if prepared with Philo∣sophical Vinegar instead of the Spirit of Philosophical Wine, will produce Mineral Menstruums of this Kind, though prepared another way, with this only difference, that they are made more slowly with the Spirit of Philosophical Wine, but with Philosophical Vinegar much sooner, yea immediately, if either Common or Philosophical Vi∣negar be joyned to the Vegetable Menstruums. Aqua comendens, or Eating Water, is the third Menstruum that we have observed to be made of common Salt. The first is in the fifth Kind of Vegetable

Menstruums, where common Salt being fused and resolved per deli∣quium, is by Virtue of the Spirit of Philosophical Wine reduced in∣to the Oyl or Essence of Salt, which by being sometimes cohobated with the same Spirit, becomes sweet, and is transmuted into the Ar∣canum of Salt, or Circulatum minus made of common Salt. The second is in the fourteenth Kind, where the aforesaid Oyl of Salt is left in its acid (rather saline) Essence. The third, which is taught in the present Kind, agrees with the first, except only that it is prepared not with the Spirit of Philosophical Wine, but Philosophical Vine∣gar, and so, sooner than that, and in use is stronger, as a Mineral Men∣struum. Dissolve the Arcanum of Salt, or Salt circulated in any Acid not tinging; for example, common Vinegar distill'd, Spirit of Ni∣ter, Sulphur, Salt, &c. and it will produce the Eating Water by sim∣ple mixtion; on the contrary, if you weaken, or take away the Acid of the Eating Water, either by precipitating it with common Spirit of Wine, common Water, &c. or digesting it by it self, you will have the Arcanum of Salt, or Water of Salt circulated. That which has been said of common Salt, is also to be understood of Niter, Alume, and all other Salts not tinging. The Receipt of the Eating Water is clear of it self, except that in the Latin Translation, a Salis Nitri Spiritu is read amiss, the German Authors own Writing having it a Sale communi, Von gemeinen Saltz: The Error it is requisite you should correct.

Menstruums of this Kind are made not only of Mineral Salts not tinging, but also of Vegetable Alcalies, thus: