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 Calcination or Fixation of Salt Armoniack.

WEE have ever had a care sufficiently to inform our Ar∣tist, that he must lose nothing, of what the substances whereupon he works may afford, that is good and useful in them∣selves. For which reason we cannot admit, that he should fix or barely calcine the Armoniack salt in an earthen Pot, in a circular fire and a wind-Furnace; because he loses by this way all the vo∣latile urinous spirit which is contained in this Mysterious Salt. Wherefore we prescribe the operation of it to be made in that kind of open Retort, which Glauber doth describe in the second part of his Philosophical Furnaces: for by this means, what flies otherwise unnecessarily away into the ayre, is preserved: you must then proceed in it in the manner following.

℞ j. p. of quick-lime well chosen and that hath not been exposed to the ayre, and j. p. s. of Armoniack salt; reduce them each severally to powder, then mix together, and incorpo∣rate to a Pap with new made Urine: but before you begin this mixture, kindle the fire under your Retort, and make it so red, that the Lead which is in the hollow channel, and is intended to be a Lute to the Cover, be melted: things being thus disposed, put a small spoonful of this matter at once in the Retort, and co∣ver it immeditately with its Cover, and the vapours will instant∣ly

run into the Recipient, which must be fitted to the neck of it, and the same exactly luted. Go on in this manner until all the matter be consumed, or until you have enough of volatile spirit, if your intention be to extract it, or until you have suffi∣cient quantity of Armoniack salt fixt or calcined, if your intention leads no further. Then draw the spirit out of the Recipient and rectifie it; and of this we shall speak again hereafter in the distil∣lation of Armoniack salt; but draw the lump remaining in the Retort whilst the fire is yet in its strength, for then i•• is soft, and may be taken up easily with a small Iron Ladle, having a handle somewhat long. Dissolve and digest the same matter in Rain-water; then filtrate the liquor, and so proceed on till no more salt will come from it; then evaporate all the filtrated▪ liquors to a dry bottom, stirring them continually towards the end until all the moisture be gone; you may keep some part of this salt whol∣ly dry in a Viol exactly stopt, and put the other in a Cellar to dis∣solve in liquor, which will be fit for extracting several Tinctures, as the salt may serve for Cementations. We say nothing con∣cerning the Dosis of this fixed Salt, because it is never inwardly used in Diseases. The dissolved Liquor may neverthelesse be used externally to mollifie and resolve Cornes and Callous or hard ex∣crescences growing in the feet, and often very troublesome: it may also be used with a little spirit of wine to rub and chafe the hard and knotty places of the Gout, to resolve, soften and attenuate the hardnesse of that tartarous and sticking matter contained in those Nodosities.