A compendious body of chymistry, which will serve as a guide and introduction both for understanding the authors which have treated of the theory of this science in general: and for making the way plain and easie to perform, according to art and method, all operations, which teach the practise of this art, upon animals, vegetables, and minerals, without losing any of the essential vertues contained in them. By N. le Fèbure apothecary in ordinary, and chymical distiller to the King of France, and at present to his Majesty of Great-Britain.

To make the volatile Vitriol of ♀.

WEE have shewed above, that green Copper was nothing else but an open Copper dissolved, and as it were volati∣liz'd by the tartarous fermentative spirit of the recrements of the expression of Wine; and we have said somewhere else, when we spoke of Vinegar and its distillation, that its spirit was also

nothing else but a kind of subtiliated Tartar, spiritualiz'd and made volatile. This granted, we shall easily make our Artist con∣ceive that the extraction of green Copper, which we now are a∣bout to teach, is but a sequel and dependance to bring this Agent and Patient to a more subtil volatilization; that after we have con∣verted the green Copper into a clear, blew, subtil, and as it were already volatile vitriol, we may afterwards by distillation bring it to one of the most quick and wonderful Spirits hitherto us'd, either in Physick for the cure of Maladies, or in Chymistry for the dissolution of Bodies, and being a mean of uniting and joyning together several substances which seem altogether to be heterogeneous, and uncapable of being brought together without the help of this wonderful Spirit, which proceeds from the vo∣latile vitriol of green Copper, which is thus prepared.

Take lb iiij. of good green copper or Verdegrease of Mont∣pellier, and being made into a very subtil Powder, put it in a glasse Cucurbite, and pour upon it good distilled Vinegar six inches high, stir it often with a wooden Slice, the Cucurbite being plac'd in s••nd, and the Menstruum being ting'd with a very high green; decant it clear of the matter, & pour on again fresh vinegar, which digest and stir as before, and decant when it is sufficiently colour∣ed; this repeat four times, and if the Menstruum be not much tinged the fourth time, boyl all together in a copper Cauldron, until it hath extracted and dissolved what it can get from the re∣mainder of the green Copper: finally, you shall thus continue to proceed with new distilled vinegar until all your matter be dissolved, the utmost remainder of which will not extend to a∣bove ℥ iiij. or v. of feces and earthly sediment, which hath no metallick quality at all, except you finde it in some smal pieces of Copper Plates, which by the negligence of those who scrape the substance dissolved by fermentation do remain in it, but all the re∣mainders is but meer earth.

All these Tinctures then must be joined together, and filtrated cold through Paper, and the filtration put to evaporate in an earthen stone Pan, in a slow beat in the vapour of B. M. then di∣gest again that which after filtration is left in new distilled vine∣gar, filtrate it and join to the other Tincture, and thus go on until all be run cold through the Filter to a clear Liquor, and as

green as Emerald; and when you shall see the evaporating Li∣quor to begin to contract a skin in the upper part, put the Pan wherein it is in a cold place, and let it rest there until the next day, and you shall find in the bottom and sides of the Vessel Chrystals of fair blew Vitriol, which having put between two Pa∣pers, dry in a very slow and moderate heat; for the Sun is even capable to deprive this Vitriol from its best spirit, so volatile it is; wherefore the Artist must be very circumspect and wary in this particular, lest otherwise he be taught to become so at his own charge and by his own experience. And if the last Chrystals, or even the first extracted, were not very fair, blew and transparent, let them be dissolved in new distilled vinegar, and let there be no more then the just or fitting quantity to dissolve them cold; let the dissolution rest without stirring 24 houres, that in case there be any atoms of feculent matter separated and rais'd in the first evaporation, they may settle again. The clear Tincture shall be very softly drawn off by decantation without stirring the bot∣tom; and when you come near unto it, filtrate the remainder through Paper; and if there be any considerable substance re∣maining in the Filter, dissolve it in new distilled vinegar, then fil∣trate the Tincture, which join with the remainder, and evaporate to half consumption as gently and slowly as you can, then put it to shute into Chrystals, and you shall have them in great perfe∣ction; dry them with the precaution and care we have already hinted above, and end the rest of your operation in the same man∣ner likewise: all being dry, you shall find as much Vitriol as you have dissolved of green Copper, if you have proceeded exactly and even, you shall find more; for all the saline, acid, tartarous substance of the vinegar, is joined to the Vitriol, and causes even its chrystallization; for all the evaporating steem though it hath the smell of vinegar, is neverthelesse altogether insipid, and hath no more of taste then Rain-water when distilled it drops out of the nose of the Limbeck. So that they which desire to be yet more accurate and successeful in their operation, must proceed in the dissolution of their Chrystals in new distilled vinegar, until they can discover by trying a distillation in B. M. or at the most in ashes, whether the vinegar ascending be yet insipid, which if he finde to be so, let him go on in the Dissolution, Filtration, E∣vaporation

and Chrystallization, until the vinegar come out with the same strength and acidity as it was poured in. This being so, you have attained the true Point of requisite perfection which this noble Vitriol must be brought unto; then dry it very slowly and gently between two Papers, to make the spirit thereof as we shall immediately teach, after it hath beed digested three se∣veral times with very good alkaholiz'd spirit of Wine, three fin∣gers high above it, in a double or digesting Vessel the space of 24 houres, and after that this spirit hath been drawn off every time in B. M. to open it more and more, that it may be endow'd with those Vertues and Perfections, which do shine and are required in the Spirit drawn from it.