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.

129. The Metallick Acetum acerrimum of Ripley. Pag. 266. Clavis aureae Portae.

HAving therefore these two Mercuries, the white and red (of the Stinking Menstruum) practice with them either upon their own Earth (or Caput Mortuum of the said Menstruum) or upon the Calx of Metals prepared, for you need not trouble your self about the Earth, provided the substance of it be fixed: Take therefore any of them, being white, and ferment it thus: For the White Work, take the Calx of Luna, and the altered Earth (a Philosophi∣cal Calx, made of the Mineral Menstruum of Luna) in equal quantity, grind them together, and temper them with the White Mercury, which we call Lac Virginis (in the Descrip∣tion of the Green Lyon) and sublime them very well, keep and gather that which is not fixed, that is, so much as ascends white, and sticking to the parts of the Glass as Mercury sub∣limate, for this is that our Mercury made by sublimation out of the white altered Earth; then grind it upon its own Calxes, tempering, distilling, and subliming it with Lac Virginis, till it be wholly fixed, so as to be immovable by Fire: This is the sublimed and fixed Mercury, for which fools take that common Mercury sublimed with common Vitriol and Salt, wherein they very much err: put it into a Circulatory, and pour Lac Virginis upon it, till it be covered, then let it be circulated and distilled through an Alembick.

An Example of making the altered Earth of Metals, and the way of fixing the said Earth he hath given in Vitriol. Take Vitriol calcined to Ashes (common Colcothar) grind it to a most fine Powder, put it in an Ʋrinal, pour Lac Virginis (the White fume of the Stinking Menstruum) to it, till it be covered with it, stop the Ʋrinal with a Linnen Cloth, and let it stand eight days, then add the same quantity of the former Milk, repeating it from eight days to eight, but

when it will drink up no more, let it stand in the cold well stopp'd, till a Cristalline Earth appears in the superficies of it, like Eyes of Fish. Seperate this Earth from the thicker parts resided in the bottom, and put it (this graduated Vitriol made not indeed of the Spirit of Philosophical Wine, nor Phi∣losophical Vinegar, but the Stinking Menstruum) in a Phi∣losophical Egg, to digest (calcine) discreetly, till it be per∣fectly fixed, then increase the Fire, till it be perfectly citri∣nated, and still increase it, that it may be Rubified in the form and colour of Sanguis Draconis.

Lastly, For a conclusion, we will add the Circulatum Ma∣jus of Isaacus, made of Sulphurs, which being most clear in the graduation, fixation, and volatilization of it, will help to illustrate those things which have perhaps remained more obscure in the antecedent, and make the Receipts in this Kind more clear.