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.

123. Philosophers Vinegar made of the Mercury of Silver of Isaacus. Cap. 99. 2. Oper. Min. Pag. 492. Vol. 3. Th. Cym.

TAke of the Calx of Luna one Pound, of Sal armoniack, which must be clear and transparent as Cristal, with∣out moisture, a fourth part, being ground, put them in a Stone Jugge, then take (Philosophical) Vinegar distilled five or six times from its Phlegme, so as to leave no Feces; empty the Vinegar into another Stone Jugge, and having put on an Alembick, place it in Balneo: The Jugge which the ground Calx is in, lute well to the beak of the Alembick, and let the Luting be throughly dried: Then make Fire un∣der the Balneo, and distil the Vinegar leasurely upon the Calx of Luna; and so many Pounds as you have of the Calx of Luna, so many four Pounds of Vinegar distil upon it, and when all the Vinegar is distilled, let it cool gently the space of three days, before you remove the Jugge, for if you re∣move it sooner, the Vinegar, Luna, and Sal armoniack will run over, and you will retain nothing, so vehement is that Matter, for Cold and Hot do come together; and when you would remove it, have a Glass Stopple ready fitted to the mouth of the Jugge, or Receiver, which you must present∣ly lute to it, that the Virtue may not evaporate: Then set the Jugge in Balneo, let the Fire be no hotter than your hand can well endure in the Water up to the Knuckles, or then may be drunk without burning, and thus keep it the space of six weeks: Then let it be cold, break it, and pre∣sently lute an Alembick to the Jugge very firmly, and put a Receiver to the Beak, distil in a temperate Balneo, whatso∣ever will distil, and when now no more distils, take it out, and put it in Ashes, lute the Receiver again to the Beak, and first apply a gentle heat, then sometimes a stronger, till your Mercury begins to sublime with the Sal armoniack,

as white as Snow, and hanging to the White Matter with clear Fibers, then keep it thus (till you see it sublimes not) in the same heat, to extract the Mercury purely out of the Earth: Then let it cool, take away the Alembick, take out the Mercury being sublimed with the Sal armoniack, which are sublimed into a Mass together, which weigh, that you may know how much Mercury you sublimed out of the Calxes of Luna, for you knew how much Sal armoniack you put in∣to the Jugge: Then put the Sublimate again into a Glass, and again sublime, that you may see whether any Feces re∣main, for you must repeat the Sublimation till no Feces remain. Keep this Mercury till I teach you what to do with it: You must know that in that Vessel, wherein you subli∣med the Mercury with the Sal armoniack, is the Body (com∣monly called Caput Mortuum) or Element of Earth with its Oyl or Fire, this take out and weigh, that so you may the better know, how much Mercury you sublimed also out of it, for you knew how much of the Calx of Luna you had in the Jugge, so you may certainly know how much you have out of it: Then put your Salt or Earth into a Glass, and pour Distill'd Vinegar upon it, and dissolve it into a pure Water, if it yields any Feces, pour off the top gra∣dually, and congeal again, till it leaves no more Feces, then congeal again: Then have you your Salt prepared with your Earth clear as Cristal. Now take your Sublimed Mercury and Sal armoniack, and your clear Salt, and grind them together upon a Marble dry, being ground, put all the Matter into a Glass Plate, set it on a Tripos or our Cal∣cining Fornace, and there let it stand six Weeks, and apply such a heat, as if you would keep Lead melted without congealing: Those six Weeks being expired, let it cool, then put it in a cold Cellar, and cover it with a Linnen Cloth, that no dust may fall in, and in the space of six or eight days it will be wholly dissolved into a clear Water. Now you must know, this is the Philosopers clear Vinegar, for when they write our Vinegar, they mean this Water, and when they say Philosophers Mercury, they mean this Water, and it is their Vinegar which they write or so wonderful∣ly speak of.