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.

The distillation of spirit of Mercury without addition.

THis Operation is harder then the following, because the parts of the quick-silver are not discontinued in it, nor opened by the temperation or addition of salts or spirits, and moreover hath received yet no impression from their mixture, which is the cause that many do set a greater value upon this Spirit then up∣on

on the following, and attribute unto it more vertue and efficacy; it is thus performed.

First, You must have a Furnace on which a Crucible must be placed, so as to rise half a foot above the grate of it, upon this Crucible lute an earthen stone Cucurbite of one foot and a half high, opened in the top and bottom equally, in the bottom to receive the sides of the Crucible within, and in the top, to he fitted for a great and capacious glass still-Head, there must also be a small hole of two inches square above the side to which the Crucible is joined, having a very exact stopple fitted to it, that by the same the Mercury may be thrown into the Crucible: the joints both of the Crucible and Cucurbite where they meet in the bottom must be exactly luted, with a Lute not subject to crack, and the joints of the Cucurbite and still-Head with a bladder & whites of Eggs; this done, give your fire gently so as to heat your Ves∣sels by degrees, and encrease it until the bottom of the Crucible be turned red; then, having at hand purified Mercury, pour about ʒij. at every time into the Crucible, by the square hole of the Cu∣curbite, which stop without delay, & the Mercury will pass through the Helm in vapours, which partly will turn again into the body of flowing Mercury, and partly into a clear Liquor, but in small quantity, proceed thus pouring and putting new Mercury, until you have enough of this Spirit for your use. Note, that you may change the Recipient and substitute another in the place to take a∣way from it the distilled Liquor, and separate the quick-silver to put in your distillation, being as good as the other that never was yet used. Rectifie this spirit in Balneo M. or ashes, and keep for use. It is a searcher, penetrating through all the body, and driving away all impurities from it, either by sensible or undiscernable transpiration, and chiefly by sweats. The malignant and foul Ul∣cers may also be washed with it, chiefly those that proceed from the venom and infection of the Pox; we shall make a more exact application of the same again, after we have delivered the descrip∣tion of the two following Spirits.