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 prepare the vitriol of ♀, with the Narcotick Sulphur, and Crocus thereof.

A Mongst the several preparations made upon Copper, none requires or contains so many operations for the manner of the Work, nor so many useful Remedies at once as this we are now about to teach; for which reason we have chosen it to inform the better our Artist by the same, what he may be able to perform upon Metals, to reduce them to their Principles by a gradation of operations: For as we have said that Metals were once Vitriol, so have they been also Sulphur before they were altogether coagulated and hardened into a metallick Body, which is the cause that Art is necessitated to make use of Sulphur as a middle substance to divest Metals from their Body, and reduce them into Vitriol, which is thus prepared.

Take Copper in Plates and cut it in small pieces, which may conveniently be stratified in a great Crucible with Brimstone re∣duced to powder, beginning to stratifie by a lay of Brimstone, and then putting one of Copper, and thus continuing to stra∣tifie till the last lay be also of Brimstone; the Crucible being full, which must be covered with a Cover, having a hole in the middle of a bignesse to run through it a Goose-quill, lute both

Crucible and Cover with a good Lute not apt to crack, and let it dry gently; when it is well dryed, place it in a Circular fire, and for the space of an hour give it a graduate fire by little and little, that the Brimstone may softly melt and penetrate the plates of Copper before it takes flame, because it will calcine it much better in this manner; then bring the fire nearer from the Cru∣cible, and encrease it by degrees until the Brimstone takes flame, and begins to send it out under the form of a Pyramid by the hole of the Cover; then bring the fire close by, and without adding any more, encompass and cover with it the Crucible, for the ad∣dition of more fire would be unnecessary, since the flame of the Brimstone coming to cease, the first calcination which is the scope of your operation is performed; therefore nothing more remains to be done, then to let the Crucible cool to draw your Copper out of it, which is raised and become spongious and brickle as Glass, and red when grounded to powder; they that will have but a course Crocus of ♀, may take this calcin'd Copper, which in the shops is called as ustum, grind it to powder and Rever∣berate it three times 24 hours, and they will have a red powder very open, and a fit Ingredient for Salves and Plaisters; as for the true proportion of the said Crocus, we will teach it hereafter. But there is one thing to be noted here, and not to be past by, which is, that the plates of Copper must three times be made red hot in a Crucible in a wind-Furnace, and as many times quench't in Urine, because this opens them and prepares to Calcination, insomuch as all the rest of the Operation is performed with much more ease.

Take then this Copper thus calcin'd, reduce it to Powder, and for ever lb▪ add ℥ j. φ. or ℥ ij. of pulveriz'd Brimstone, which must be exactly mixt: and having fitted an earthen Pot not glazed upon the Furnace, so as to be fast and stable, and fit to be heated by the bottom with moderation and encreasing of the fire, put the said Powder in, and give it a graduate fire, continually stirring with a Scraper of Copper or Iron, that the Powder may not stick to the Pot, having a special care to burn away all the Brimstone, and if the matter crumbles, cease the fire, and after it is grown cold grind it with the same weight of Brimstone, and thus seven time a together repeat this Calcination, or, which may be a surer

and better way, as much as there will be need, and until the Artist perceives trying by the taste that the powder of the calcined Copper is altogether vitriolick, and that being tryed with distilled Rain-water, the water takes both the colour and taste of Vitriol; that being so, put all the said powder in an earthen stone Pan, and softly by degrees pour upon it scalding distilled Rain-water, and nimbly stir it, and that a great while before you put it in digesti∣on in sand, to extract all the vitriol from it; otherwise the Powder would harden and crumble so, as it were impossible to mix it well with the water, and the extraction or dissolution of the Vitriol would not follow, and so should you be put to begin your opera∣tion again. The water being tinged with a fair blew colour, fil∣trate and evaporate it till it begins to skin; then put the Vessel in a cold place, to stand there until the Chrystals of ♀ are fram'd; then separate the liquor swimming above, and evaporate again, and chrystallize, proceeding and reiterating this Work until no Chrystals more will rise; then dry them gently, and keep for the following preparations. This Vitriol may neverthelesse without further preparation be employed in a small Dosis against Vices and Diseases of the Stomach and Brain; it kills Wormes, and strengthens the Brain against Convulsions, and the assaules of growing Epilepsies, it is also specifical to cleanse the Ma∣trix; some hold it as a grand secret to dissolve a little of it in water against the burning and intemperate heat of the sperma∣tical and other adjacent parts, and so use it for injections, where∣in they are much in the right; but for all that, they ought no to deprive the Publique and all Practitioners of Physick and Chyrur∣gery of this Remedy (by concealing it to themselves) which pro∣duces so Rare Effects, because this Vitriol possesses in it self a very good portion of that sulphur of ♀, which is capable to appease the irritation of those parts; and the salt of it is a great detersive and present Refrigerative. The Dosis inwards is from iiij. gr. to xv. and for Injections the weight of ʒ j. in lb j. of Plantain water mixt with a little of the clarified juice of Housleek, or the great Sempervivum.