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.

The Four and Twentieth KIND. Mineral Menstruums compounded of Ve∣getable and Mineral Menstruums mix'd together. (Book 24)

143. The Vegetable Fire dissolved in the Calcinative Water of Lully. Pag. 363. Magiae Naturalis.

TAke of the Vegetable Water acuated (the Metallick Soul of Lully, described in Numb. 5.) one Ounce, put it in a Phial with a long Neck, into which you poured three Ounces of the Calcinative Water (the Mineral Menstruum described in Numb. 68.) and suddenly cover the Phial with its Cover, luted close with Wax, then place it well in a Balneo, the space of two Natural days, and in that time, the whole Vegetable will be converted into Clear Water.

Animadversions.

THe Adepts acuated the Spirit of Philosophical Wine di∣vers ways, and reduced it into several as well Vegeta∣ble as Mineral Menstruums in the antecedent Kinds. Now in this 24th and last Kind of Menstruums, they mix not either common Oyly or Arid, or Acid Matters, with the Ʋnctious Spirit of Philosophical Wine, as they did in the aforesaid Compositions of Menstruums, but joyn Vegetable and Mineral

Menstruums, already perfected together, in order to make Men∣struums of this Kind. The like Menstruum almost is made by Luly, and call'd

144. The Vegetable Heaven dissolved in a Mineral Menstruum of Lully. Pag. 59. Testam. Novissimi.

TAke of the Stinking Menstruum (described in Numb. 99.) one Pound, add one Pound, or half a Pound, which will be enough, of Aqua Vitae most perfectly rectified (Philosophical, described in Numb. 30.) and acuated with the sublimed Salt of Tartar (in Numb. 17.) or Wine: Hold the Vessel in your hands, and do not put it on the ground or any other place, till the fury (of the ebullition) is over, and it is a mixture of a Vegetable with a Mineral; seal it with Wax, and let it stand a day, then put it two days in Balneo, and distil in Ashes, and you will have a limpid, clarify'd and ponderous Water; then put it in a Circulating Vessel very well sealed, the space of sixteen days in Balneo conveniently, till you return, and see the Water well united, and at the bottom of the Vessel, in the form of a Cristalline Salt, keep it.

The same Menstruum but of different weight he made elsewhere, he added half a part of the Vegetable Menstruum to one part of the Stinking Menstruum in the antecedent, but in the following Menstruum he takes more of the Vegetable than Mineral Menstruum.

145. Ice compounded of Vegetable and Mineral Menstruums of Lully. Pag. 68. Testam. Noviss.

TAke of the Mineral G, or Stinking Menstruum, three Ounces, and of Aqua Vitae rectifi'd and acuated with the Salt of Tartar four Ounces, put them together in a Glass,

and distil nine times in Balneo, and in that time it will be all converted into one, as Ice.

Ripley mix'd vegetable and mineral Menstruums thus.

146. The Aqua Mirabilis of Ripley. Pag. 212. Philorcii.

TAke the Tartar calcined white as Snow, grind it up∣on a Marble, and incerate it with Aqua Vitae fortified with its Species, as is premised (with the Menstruum described in Numb. 8.) till it be as thin paste; then put it in a Circulating Vessel, and circulate the Water, till it is whol∣ly dried up in the Tartar; repeat the same Work, and so continue, till it hath drank off the Water double its part and quantity in weight, which done, grind the Tartar, and lay it upon a Stone, or hang it in a Linnen Bag, and put a Glass under to receive the droppings of it, and this must be done in a place under ground, till all the Tartar is distilled into clear Water; out of which, after Distillation and Coa∣gulation, is made a wonderful Salt of Nature, which the Phi∣losophers call Salt-peter, and incombustible Sulphur (proper∣ly the volatile Salt of Tartar) which fixeth any Argent Vive: But to have perfect Aqua Vitae (requisite for this Work) put (Philosophical) Wine in a Circulatory for a hundred days, to be circulated with its Species, and then extract Aqua Vitae out of it (the Menstruum in Numb. 23.) because if you put to it as much Salharmoniack sublimed as Tartar, one drop of it, after it is perfected, suddenly kills a Cancer in the Flesh of Man, and if it be dropped upon ones hand, pene∣trates it, and dissolves every Body. Without this Water we profit little in this Art, and he that has this Water, will not in the least doubt of compleating the Art: But this Wa∣ter is made twice as strong, if an equal quantity of the Mi∣neral Spirit, which is the Philosophers acute Water (the Green Lyon of Ripley in Numb. 59.) be added to it, and then cir∣culated upon the Tartar, and upon the Sal harmoniack to spis∣sity,

and then dissolved into Water; which if done, this Water will be of greater value than any Gold, and one of the wonderful things of this World.

Sometimes they mixed Vegetable Salharmoniack, instead of Vegetable Menstruum, with Mineral Menstruums. Thus,

147. The Stinking Menstruum acuated with the Salharmoniack of Lully.

TAke of the vegetable G. (Vegetable Mercury or Salhar∣moniack) one Ounce, put it in the Phial with a long neck, wherein you put three Ounces of E before (the Stink∣ing Menstrumm in Numb. 67.) and presently stop it with its stopple, sealed with common Wax, that nothing may respire, then distil in a hot Balneo, the space of three Natural days, into a clear dissolved Water.

As they added Salharmoniack to simple Mineral Menstruums, so also to the same compounded.

148. The Stinking Lunar Menstruum, acuated with Vegetable Salharmoniack of Lully. Cap. 14. Practicae Test. Major. Pag. 163. Vol. 4. Th. Chym.

IN the power of A (God) take one Ounce of the Compounded Water of Silver (described in Numb. 141.) distilled through an Alembick, and put to it one Ounce of the vegetable G. (Mercury or Salharmoniack) dissolve, &c.

Basilius mixed these Menstruums thus.

149. The Spirit of Mercury mixed with Vi∣triol and the Fiery Spirit of Wine of Basilius. Labore 3. Libri Revelat.

TAke off this Oyl (the first Matter of Metals made out of Venus and Mars, or Spirit of Universal Mercury de∣scribed in Numb. 132.) eight Ounces, of the Spirit of Wine rectified to the highest (the Menstruum described in Numb. 19.) five Ounces, distil by a Glass Retort, and that three times, always with New Spirit, so as that fifteen Ounces of the fiery Spirit of Wine may be joyned to the eight Ounces of Oyl.

Paracelsus made the following mix'd Menstruum for the Ar∣canum Lapidis or Antimony.

150. The mix'd Menstruum of Paracelsus. Cap. 6. Lib. 10. Archidon. Pag. 39.

WHoever desires to graduate his Metallick Heaven (Antimony) to the highest, and reduce it to an Action, must first extract the liquid primum Ens Coelestial Fire, Quintessence of Mercury, (not of Sol; as it is ill read in the Latine) and the Metallick Acetum acerrimum (the Circulatum majus of Paracelsus described in Numb. 51.) out of its life, that is, common Mercury, by dissolving it with its Mother, that is, the Arcanum of Salt (Salt circulated in Numb. 27.) and mix it with the Stomack of Anthion, that is, the Spirit of Vi••riol (the Menstruum described in Numb. 98.) and in it (the mix'd Menstuum) dissolve, digest, &c. the coagulated Mercury of Antimony (the Regulus of Anti∣mony.)

From the Receipts we observe.

1. THat these Menstruums are the mixtures of divers Men∣struums.

2. And that they may be made of all Vegetable and Mineral Menstruums, being mix'd together at the Artists pleasure.

3. Yet that they are made the better, the more tinging the Menstruums were.

4. That these Menstruums do by Digestion become sweet and pure Vegetable Menstruums.